DGG Dry Gulch Gazette
Arroyo High School | Volume 61 Issue 2 | March 17, 2022
MAKING THE CUT
Stories From The Rejectors and The Rejected Page 11
Coming Soon... Junior Henry Lu
Junior Logan Houghtelling
“I’ve been studying the character a lot. I’ve been reading Alice in Wonderland, I’ve watched the movies a few times and I’ve just kind of been trying to figure out a way to get in the Hatter’s mindset. That and reading the script and seeing how I would probably act as the Hatter, with the words and script given.”
Junior Henry Xu
“I’m preparing for the role by going to the after school practices, where we learn the choreography, lines for singing, acting, and also putting on our costumes. We also make sure to memorize our lines at home and review the blocking for dancing or acting. I’m really excited for the play. ”
Photographer Makani Reith Fifita
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“Quote will go here. Quote will go here. Quote will go here. Quote will go here. Quote will go here. Quote will go here. Quote will go here. Quote will go here. Quote will go here. Quote will go here. Drama Teacher Jillwill Jacobs Quote will go here. Quote go here. “I’mQuote so excited. It fills my heart up will go here. Quote will gobecause here. I get to spend endQuote of every Quote will gothehere. willday gowith here.all” of my students who love something just as much as I love it and they’re all so smart, and so passionate, and so driven. It’s just such a joy to work on a project collectively and to see everybody just bring their artistic elements to it. ”
Photographer Makani Reith Fifita
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TABLE OF CONTENTS CAMPUS
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2 - Coming Soon... 4 - Mental Health 6 - Off Campus 8 - Ethnic Studies 9 - New Schedule 10 - Clubs
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Speacial Feature
12 - Rejector Stories 14 - College Rejection
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COMMUNITY
16 - Choosing Colleges 17 - Arroyo Reviews 18 - Lunar New Year 21
OPINION
20 - Editorial
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SPORTS
21 - Fall Sports Highlights
ARTS & CULTURE
22 - Film Podcast 23 - Music Programs 24 - What are you...?
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Cover Photo Illustration | Wynne Bendell, Claire Terzich, and GabrieElla Quiliza-Renteria
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Student mental health has been impacted over the course of two years. Students, Staff, and Administration discuss ways we can better provide mental health support at AHS. By Eden Buell
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illustrations by Eden Buell
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HS Social Worker Laura MitchellMorton has noticed from the last two years that mental health resources have been more difficult to access. Student needs have gone up, which makes it harder to meet demands. “I think students are struggling with addressing their mental health in March 2022, I think mental health is something that is always a challenge for students. The good thing about right now, people are able to be at school in person, interact with people in person. In March 2020 it was difficult because students were at home and they were harder to reach. There is also a lot of stress that comes with students being home for that amount of time.” Mitchell-Morton Said. We gave a survey to 124 students here at AHS, 93% of students stated that they have not used the mental health resources. 35% stated that they were not aware of mental health resources, and another 35% stated that they were aware. 26% of students stated that their mental health has gotten worse since inperson school has started, 35% stated that their mental health had stayed the same, and 40% of students stated that their mental health had gotten better. 56% of students said that they could trust one adult on campus, and 20% said that they couldn’t. 49% of students claimed that AHS could do a better job of providing mental health resources. Over the years, AHS has had various mental health resources such as the wellness center, counselors, and therapists but have been difficult to keep open due to high demand. Assistant Principal Nicole Sandoval said that in the last two years AHS has tried to get groups developed to help with stress and anxiety. She also stated that the staff have been exploring trauma-informed practices. “In the last two years we have tried to get more groups going for topics like stress management or dealing with anxiety. We have the Wellness Center open 3 afternoons a week with a social-worker intern. This year the staff has been exploring trauma-informed practices with an emphasis on building relationships so that they can hopefully be a more immediate support for students as well.” Sandoval said. Sandoval also stated that the reason why students might struggle with opening up about their mental health is because it is not something that is easy to treat, since it can easily go unnoticed. “Students struggle with opening up about their mental health because it’s hard to treat, Like you just feel like you’re in a funk or you don’t know what’s wrong. I think it’s because it’s hard to see, which makes it harder to deal with and recognize.” Sandoval said. Like Sandoval implied, students not being able to open up about their mental health is such a large issue because that puts the student in danger if they really need help. Junior Erica Baeza is concerned about the lack of resources at AHS for students who are
struggling with their mental health. She believes that more resources could go a long way. “I really think we need more mental health resources here at school because outside of school, therapy can be really expensive if you don’t have insurance. ” Baeza said. Mitchell-Morton also recognized that we do need more mental health resources here at AHS since resources can be hard to access outside of school. “I think we can always do more to help students access mental health resources, the challenge right now is the demand for mental health support and therapy that a lot places have waitlists.” Mitchell-Morton said. Sandoval suggests that there should be structure built into the school day to help students with their mental health. “There needs to be more things built into the day, Like maybe if more teachers were aware of strategies to help a stressful situation, that might help. I always think we need more resources here at AHS.” Sandoval said. Erica Baeza encouraged that the school should put in a system where students are able to support other students who are struggling with their mental health. “I think if we could have this group like, support system, for kids on kids, not just the wellness-center. Our freshman year we had this group called ‘Angels’, it was run by the future academy, So if we had an issue or if we were going through something or if we just needed to rant we would go to that group. If it was a serious case they would involve social workers and give us the necessary information for a
therapist.” Baeza said. Sandoval advised that we [ AHS ] just need to talk about mental health more, to normalize and make a safe space to talk about mental health struggles. This year, The school has been talking about educating the teachers to help those who are struggling with their mental health. “I think we just need to talk about it [ Mental Health ], and destigmatize it. I think it would be helpful to empower students to recognize the signs, to help each other out and talk to each other more.” Sandoval said. “I think we should try keeping the wellness center open all the time. This year, we’ve been talking to teachers about trauma-informed practices, that’s something I think we should keep doing, like educating the staff on how to recognize signs and create safe spaces. I think that’s some of the work that we still have to do.” Mitchell-Morton stated that she and Rebecca Galicia, a social work intern, have been trying to spread the word to students so that they are aware of mental health resources that are available on campus through fliers. She also claimed that they are in the process of starting some small socio- emotional groups. Sandoval is confident that this generation is better at discussing their mental health and that is a sign of growth for the future. “I think your generation [ Gen Z ] is 100% more open and understanding about mental health. I even notice it with my little kids, he talks about his breathing tool. It’s a sign of growth and it gives hope.” Sandoval said.
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FAKE IT Till You Make It
Underclassmen use edited IDs to sneak off campus, students and admin discuss how policy affects them.
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Photo by Dry Gultch Gazette taken in 2019
The taco truck is a common place where students off campus get their food. It is parked near S hall and there everyday. By Lilianna Agatupu
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very day at lunch the only thing that keeps 9th and 10th graders on campus while the 11th and 12th graders get to leave is a simple ID check. As students leave campus, AHS administrators and security officers check the ID of each student, looking for the vertical ID cards issued only to juniors and seniors. One AHS freshman realized a way around this. They made their own fake ID for AHS so they would be able to go off campus with their upperclassmen friends without being sent back to campus. “I made my own fake ID for AHS on Snapchat and it was easier than I expected. I asked my friend who is a senior for his ID and I just put my photo over his. If I get asked for my ID I show that, rather than my actual one.” an AHS freshman said. Freshman and sophomores aren’t allowed to go off campus during lunch. However many still sneak off campus a lot during lunch, and it’s been a common trend for years. Whether it’s going to the taco truck, 7-11 or “the elote man.” Some sneak off to be with their upperclassmen friends or to get better food with more options to pick from. Some made themselves fake AHS IDs; so when asked for their ID it seems like they’re a junior or senior. As many students find ways around the off-campus policy, some are questioning why the policy even exists in the first place. Assistant principal Kristian Hinz says this policy has been around for as long as he can
remember. “I’ve been informed that it’s a long time SLZUSD rule that applies to SLZ, East Bay Arts, Arroyo. But it’s always been like that. Even people who went here when they were students and that are now teachers they said that they weren’t allowed to leave either, so it sounds like it is just a tradition that’s existed throughout the years.” Hinz said. Some find this policy pointless since many freshmen and sophomores sneak off campus still. It is a policy that is not respected by some students. In a survey that was given to over 100 under class men at AHS, 86.9% think freshman and sophomores should be allowed off campus. “I do think it can be pointless at times because our school is strict, but not strict enough about underclassmen that go off campus. “ am AHS sophomore said. “It’s like they aren’t getting what they’re going for with this policy because they’re not strict enough to the point where it’s a respected policy, but not lenient enough to the point where it doesn’t exist.” Although this is a policy, Hinz gets why underclassmen sneak off campus. There are a lot more options outside of AHS than in. “It just kind of a lot more options and also they want to test the boundaries. Sometimes they have older siblings or older friends and want to hangout with so they kind of try.” Hinz said. Campus security officer Laura Noddin thinks they’re responsible for students at AHS. Parents
expect their kind to be on campus since it is a policy. “The rule is, and the parents are trusting we’re doing what we’re supposed to, is that they’re not supposed to so the answer is no freshman and sophomore should not be able to go off campus.” Noddin said. If students wanted this policy to change it would be a long process that everyone would be willing to participate in. “I find the students here to be very respectful. I find them to be very responsible.” Hinz said. ”So you know maybe that’s something that needs to be examined. But that would have to be the community, the students, the school board, the district, families. Everyone would have to come together and decide what’s most important.” Freshman and sophmores wish for this policy to change so they wouldn’t get in trouble for going off campus during lunch. “I think there are positives and negatives that come with changing the policy, with the positives being that there is a more overall satisfied student body and more change to the policies the school has as there are a lot of policies and rules that have not been updated in a while. Negatives would be it would be harder to control and regulate the student body if everyone went off campus and new problems would arise, maybe there would be more parents complaining.” AHS sophomore said.
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Widening Our Understanding
Ethnic studies is now available to juniors and seniors By Clarence Capunitan
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ext year AHS is offering Ethnic Studies as a full year elective option for juniors and seniors.The class will build on the freshman elective semester course taken by students in the Future Academy The Ethnic studies course is eventually going to be a graduation requirement due to a bill that was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in October 2021.Although the class will not be required for California high school students until 2025-26 school year,AHS will begin offering the course next year. Social studies teacher Joel Gonzalez,who currently teaches the class as a semester elective for freshmen in the Future Academy.He said he hopes the class will introduce students to new ideas and empower them. “With ethnic studies, we learn about race,ethnicity and a lot of current social issues.A lot from the perspective of people of color.I hope students will be exposed to a lot of ideas that are new to them and students will leave the class feeling empowered.” Freshman Haryoung Kim took ethnic studies during the 1st semester and said that what she liked most about the class was the collaborative work students did.“The most memorable thing I did was the group projects Ethnic Studies.” Kim said she would consider taking the yearlong version of the class later in high school because she enjoyed the semester elective her freshman year. “I would reconsider taking this class again in the future because I enjoyed doing the projects. The project I enjoyed the most in ethnic studies was the final project. I enjoyed it the most because i got to learn more about my grandma and her past, and what was it like back then.I got tell my class about my culture as well,which got me a little excited.” Kim informs on what she enjoyed while taking ethnic studies. “I really enjoyed talking to my seating partner about the warm-ups that we did in that class and being able to communicate well with my teammate .” Social Studies teacher Soares said she hopes that the class would be a window into the lives of their peers and the students could have the opportunity to learn more about what their ancestors went through. “I am hoping that students will get a better understanding of the life experiences of their classmates and the history of the people living in the United States.”
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What are you hoping students will get out of the ethnic studies elective course?
Social Studies Teacher Jodi Soares
“I am hoping that students will get a better understanding of the life experiences of their classmates and the history of the people living in the United States.”
Ethnic Studies Teacher Joel Gonzalez “With Ethnic Studies,we learn about race, ethnicity and a lot of current social issues. A lot from the perspective of people of color. I hope students will be exposed to a lot of ideas that are new to them and students will leave the class feeling empowered.”
Freshman Haryoung Kim
“I would reconsider taking this class again in the future because I enjoyed doing the projects. The project I enjoyed the most in ethnic studies was the final project.I enjoyed it the most because i got to learn more about my grandma and her past, and what was it like back then.I got tell my class about my culture as well, which got me a little excited.”
It’s Time for a Change
Dons opinions on 2022 school schedule start time by Robby Romero
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n 2019 Governor Gavin Newsom signed CA Senate Bill 328 into law, mandating that all high schools in California pushed their start times to 8:30 am. As a result AHS will be joining other California high schools next year with a new bell schedule and school will be starting no earlier than 8:30 am. Many AHS staff and students already have opinions on what they are hoping to see next. California came up with a new law that every school is supposed to start later around 8:30 instead of 8:00 am according to an article from CalMatters, “Few high schools currently start at 8:30 a.m. or later, as will be required by 2022.” High schools are supposed to start at 8:30 while middle schools will start at 8 am. Social studies teacher Lamar Hancock is curious about the law and schedule. “I have to see it first, got to see it first because it’s not solidified yet, so once we see it we’ll move from there. If it’s gonna be longer class periods, I just need to make sure that I’m in a space and place and good to teach and all of you are able to retain it and still have fun.” Hancock said. Junior Trinity DeLa-Cruz has different feelings for this law. She is more happy about the new time and what she thinks it might affect her, she believes there could be ups and downs. “I don’t think I’ll do anything specifically different in the morning. I think I’ll maybe have more time to go over things I have for school, but really nothing will change for me personally in the morning.” DeLa-Cruz said. One thing that would be a disadvantage in her opinion is that school could end 30 minutes later and it could take up time for her afternoon. “I don’t really know, maybe having a later start we’re going to get out way later. Maybe we’ll get out at 3:30, [I don’t know] I would rather get out earlier and start earlier in my opinion just because I feel like it goes more later into the day and I’ll have less things to do in the evening.” DeLa-Cruz said. English teacher Mark Giller is looking forward to the school changes and new times. “I think it’s good. I think it’s going to give everyone the opportunity to at least get more sleep. Hopefully, it will make it easier for students to get to school on time, because of less traffic, maybe it gives them more opportunity to get up in the morning, have a meal before they start getting dressed, and get here without feeling rushed. Overall, I think it’s a good change.” Giller said.
How will the AHS start time moving to 8:30 next year affect you?
Spanish Teacher Nancy Shuguli
Math Teacher Toby Jaw
“It won’t affect me because I’ll be here the same time, it’s mostly the amount of work I’ll have and not the time I need to start.”
“It would be easier for me to drop off my kids, and it would make mornings easier.”
Freshman Marco Rizo “Amazingly, I’d get more rest and I’d be in school on time and I’ll be way more productive.”
Junior Freddy Alvarez “It will benefit me greatly because I always come in late because I have to get ready and it will also help with traffic.”
Junior Angelina Louie
English tecaher Jorja Santillan
“It makes me more tired and its going to affect me because there is more traffic.”
“ I think it is important to have the late start so students can get more rest and to help alleviate some of the stress.”
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Born To Be A Leader
Club presidents work around new COVID protocols.
Photographer Nicole Watson
Students singing up for clubs after a school year of distance learning. AHS held club rush on October 5th to October 8th. By GabrieElla Quiliza
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lthough COVID-19 hasn’t stopped clubs from existing, it has certainly put a strain on what they’re able to accomplish this year. Club leaders, however, are the ones that are suffering the most. “Yeah, dealing with both clubs having problems is honestly taking a toll on me. Like, sometimes there will be things that I don’t know the answer to, but as club president, I’m the one that the members go to when they have questions about what’s happening next.” Senior Mia Celzo said. Although Celzo has been in Interact since Freshman year, this is her first year acting as the co-president. Along with Arroyo Interact, Celzo is also a co-president for Automadons. Both clubs are very reliant on holding and attending events, but with all the new COVID protocols taking place, it’s hard to operate as normal. Sophomore Zahara Safiq is the sole president for the debate club, which means that all of the club’s responsibilities land on her. Although it’s a difficult time for clubs to be active, Safiq embraces her obligations. “Because I’m the only person leading, I’m doing a lot of other things at once. Even though I love debate, sometimes it gets pushed back. Like, I haven’t had a meeting in three weeks and I’m supposed to do it every two weeks. I feel like it’s hard to balance, but with that being said, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love helping others and I love doing what I’m doing for the school.” Safiq said.
Senior Gene Kung, co-president of CSF, finds that COVID has really impacted his members more than his officers. Without fundraisers, CSF members won’t be able to receive their promised awards and/or scholarships. “Yeah for sure it’s different leading at this time, especially with all these COVID protocols and stuff. For example, for CSF, when we need scholarships, we need fundraisers, and to get fundraisers, we need to go through that process of approval from JRod and ASB and basically due to COVID, it has a lot more loopholes to go through and it makes it so that we have significantly less fundraisers, so we have to do other things. In general, COVID has made clubs less popular, especially last year. We just have to adapt to get more members.” Kung said. Celzo’s biggest issue is finding a way to allow Interact to give back to the community while also following COVID protocols. The little community service opportunities that do come up sometimes get canceled, which Celzo then has to deal with. “For Interact, which is the club we’ve been having the most problems with since that requires us to have a lot of people come together to work at events, it’s been difficult since there hasn’t been any events going on, because they keep on getting canceled, so it’s been hard to find things for our club members to do.” Celzo said Since Safiq’s freshman year of high school was carried out through distance learning, she wasn’t able to experience the full effect of AHS
clubs. Now that she’s back on campus, however, Safiq’s first year as club president is filled with balancing the importance of safety and the importance of community. “I feel like I have a different vision on that, because this is technically my first year here. As a sophomore, I didn’t know how Arroyo worked before, so I’m kind of biased. With that being said, I definitely think it did hinder a lot of things. Like, I feel like we weren’t really able to bond as well because you have to worry about eating in classrooms, making sure no one gets hurt or gets COVID, and it’s just extra things to talk about.” Safiq said. Despite all the new protocols put in place, Celzo has found an upside through all the chaos. She feels as if the time that is not being spent in meetings is temporarily relieving her of her obligations. “An upside would be the fact that since we are not meeting up so often, I have more time in between when events are taking place, so I have time to think through how the event will happen and more time to finish paperwork.” Celzo said. Although it’s Celzo’s last year being a co-president, she hopes that when COVID eventually dies down, her clubs will be able to accomplish everything they’ve planned for. “For my club’s future, I’m hoping that once we get out of COVID, my clubs will be able to be more active around school and the community. I hope that they’re able to have more events and gain more members.” Celzo said.
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MAKING THE CUT
12 : Three stories about rejection from the perspective of being the rejectors 13 : Three people share their experience being on the recieving end of rejection 14 : Examining how college has gotten more competitive,resulting in high school seniors facing more rejection 15 : One senior shares his experience with college rejection,and two sophomores express their concerns about future college rejections.
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Stories From The Perspective Of The Rejectors By Wynne Bendell, Claire Terzich, and Nicole Watson
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rama teacher Jill Jacobs has a ritual for every school production. She holds auditions, makes her decisions and when the last bell rings on a Friday she puts up the cast list. “I tend to put up a cast list and run off-campus,” Jacobs said Jacobs feels the need to run off campus right after she posts the cast list because she wants to avoid conflicts with students who might not be happy with their casting. She said it is important for her that everyone privately reacts to the news and has the weekend to reflect and accept her decisions. “Usually I try to post a cast list before winter break so that I can go away and they can have that information and we have 2 weeks to just calm down before we come back together.” Said Jacobs Conversations surrounding rejection often focus on those who are rejected, and we generally demonize rejectors. We spoke to drama teacher Jill Jacobs, volleyball coach Corey Kramer, and Senior Saila Tucker who shared their experiences with being the rejector, and for some of them having to reject large groups of people. Jacobs has been teaching at AHS for six years and has directed eight school productions including this years In Wonderland which opens Thursday, April 6, 2022. Despite getting better at coping with the stress of rejecting students it has not necessarily gotten easier for her to deliver the bad news. According to her, one of the reasons it is so difficult for her to reject students from school productions is because she has known and taught the students who are auditioning for multiple years. “When I do shows here, It’s almost harder for me I think than it is for them because for most of the students auditioning I’ve known them and seen them as freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and finally seniors and I get a sense of what they are hoping for and it doesn’t always work out that way, it is so hard to deliver that bad news,” Jacobs said. Kramer, who has been coaching volleyball at AHS for 10 years agrees with Jacobs that the hardest part of the job is rejecting people. He feels that it is the most difficult part of coaching because students have put themselves out there to make the team. “It sucks. It’s the worst part of coaching ever and that somebody gives up their time to come out and put forth the effort to play a game that they think is fun and exciting. I have to tell them no because their skills aren’t at the point that they could be competitive or it’s not safe for them.” Kramer said
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Jacobs and Kramer have had experience being the rejector for years. When they have to reject people they are prepared for it, they know when and how they are going to do it. Whereas Tucker, has had a slightly different experience. She was faced with a romantic proposition where she had to decide to reject this person with no preparation at all. “I wasn’t really prepared, I didn’t expect them to confess feelings to me even though I knew they had feelings” Tucker said Jacobs has a difficult time casting the school productions, she has expressed that it hasn’t gotten easier to reject people but she found ways to relieve some stress. “It takes me a really long time to cast things, in recent years I have tried to pull in help to get another person’s perspective so I am not the only person making these decisions because it is really really hard. It is so emotional for them and me.” Jacobs said When it comes to selecting and cutting AHS student-athletes, out of the respect of the students and courtesy, Kramer directly calls to apprise them. “I’ve been doing it long enough that I know it’s part of the job. I always get anxious. I do it via phone call. Some coaches do it with lists on the wall with kids’ names and it’s nobody’s business but that kid and mine. So I do my students and my athletes the respect of making a phone call, calling them directly, asking if they have any questions, and letting them know one way or the other as opposed to an anonymous list on the walls that anyone can see, but still get anxious.” Kramer said Kramer advises those you have to reject someone to be respectful and to be sympathetic to the person who has put themselves in a vulnerable position. “Advice? Grace. Practice grace. Understand that those people--those kids, adults, or whoever you’re working with are putting themselves out there and they are taking a chance and to respect that, that they are making an effort, and to respect them in that process and not make them feel worse than they need to. So respect and grace are how I deal with it in the end.” Kramer said Jacobs acknowledges that being in the position of the rejector is difficult and pleasing everyone is impossible. “I know that there is no way in the world that I’m going to make everyone happy, so I’ve accepted that, and then I just do it, I can think about it for a moment and move on. Because I’ve got to be there for everybody, as a leader and a director and I have to be confident in those decisions I am making” Jacobs said
What did the rejection feel like and how did you overcome it?
Junior Henry Xu
“Well, when I was rejected from the play. It was actually because I forgot to go to the call backs that I ended up getting rejected. So I ended up feeling sort of foolish and a little pretty embarrassed to be honest but I realized then you know that’s just how things went and there’s no reason to be upset long over it. I just need to keep doing my best and do my best
What did the rejection feel like and how did you overcome it?
Senior Chrissy Flores
“At first it was very underwhelming and it wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be because I had high expectations for what I would get. Then I just found love and comfort in the character that I was because I know Ms. Jacobs casts people for a reason and even if you can’t see it for yourself, for why you’re the character that she casted, it’s about finding how to love that character. I think it’s a time thing, you don’t have to 100 percent love it, but if you can find that sense of belonging in that character then it will be worth it in the end.”
What does rejection feel like and how did you cope with it?
Senior Mia Celzo
“It sucks. It feels bad because I worked really hard for it and got nothing out of it. I worked really hard for my goals and it felt like I waste. To feel better, I tried extra hard for that second chance. Once I did however, I failed again. It felt even worse. Now that I am going in for the third time, I adapted a negative mindset and a sense of lerarned helplessness. My advice for those going after their goals and dreams is to create smaller goals so that you climb over hurdles instead of mountains” FEATURE
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Facing College Rejection By Claire Terzich, Nicole Watson, and Wynne Bendell AHS Class of 2018 alumnus Noah Bendell who currently attends UC Berkeley. Bendell remembers how the first college rejection felt and how it hit him hard. “It was shocking and a bit of an ego hit and for the first one I got and applied early too I was actually crying and each one after that it was hard. I eventually grew numb to it, but it did not feel good.” Bendell said. During senior year of high school, students send their applications out to colleges and receive acceptance or rejection notices in the months that follow. Currently, with the rise of competition, rejection is a reality applicants have to face more often. The amount of people applying to UC Berkeley has increased significantly since the early 80s. In a report, “Freshman Admissions at Berkeley: A Policy for the 1990s and Beyond”, it’s shown that in 1984 12,381 applicants applied and 6900 were admitted, which was an acceptance rate over 50%. Fast forward to the freshman class for fall 2021, as shown on the University of California Admissions website, with 112,838 applicants to UC Berkeley with only a 14.5% admitted rate. Physics teacher Jeff Jorgensen applied to UC Berkeley in 1984— along with another school Cal Poly which he got rejected from—and was accepted. Jorgensen compared the expectations for college applicants from when he applied to current applicants. Although, he acknowledges the contrasts of the college application environment, from the 80s to recent years. “You want to have things that make you stand out, just like people are concerned about today. So the standards were extremely high even 40 years ago. But I don’t think the number of people applying was as high as it is now, but it was less common for people to apply to many universities.” Jorgensen said. Math teacher Toby Jaw applied to UC Berkeley in 1993 and was
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accepted, but faced rejection from 4-5 other schools. Currently, Jaw observes students facing more rejection and sees the divide between different groups of people. “I see more competition, I see more rejection, I actually feel like for students nowadays it’s a lot harder to get into elite schools, I think that on many levels there is this divide between affluent people and people who are struggling and I think that that divide is getting wider,” Jaw said. Science teacher Samantha Johnson applied to UC San Diego for undergraduate degree in 2001 and was accepted, but faced rejection from eight other schools. After arriving home from Spring break during her senior year, she was faced with eight rejection letters. Although, a notification from two UC schools gave her the acceptance she needed. “I just opened rejection after rejection and being like oh my god I’m not going to get into college.” Johnson said. “I remember being really scared that I was not going to get in anywhere and I was really upset about it. I was disappointed because I didn’t want to go to a UC I wanted to go to a different school. So I was really bummed about it, but I rebounded really fast.” Johnson advises that people don’t see rejection as a failure but as an opportunity for growth that one may have never received, if they hadn’t been rejected. “I think that, when you face rejection, you have an opportunity to do something either different or radically different than what you thought you were gonna do and that frequently provides you with an opportunity that you wouldn’t have had normally. And that is a real opportunity for growth or progress that you wouldn’t normally force yourself to do and so looking at rejection as an opportunity instead of a flaw or a failure I think is probably the best way to go.”
Are you worried about being rejected from college?
Sophomore Lucy Zhu
“I am worried because if you get rejected by your dream school, I feel like it crushes you mentally because you feel like you are not good enough and you always compare yourself to others that got into the school you wanted to go to and I feel like you put in all your hard work and it meant nothing in the end.”
What was your reaction to getting rejected from college? “Im never going to amount to anything in life and I will be rejected from every single school I applied too.”
Senior Jerry Yan
Are you worried about being rejected from college?
Sophomore Lynnsy Ang
“I have been thinking about college since I was in middle school and there is a lot of pressure from my parents and from my own expectations,I don’t want to let myself or my parents down.I think especially since high school is so short, there are only four years. It’s a lot of pressure to how much I can do in those short four years and it is almost like every single day counts. Not just grades wise but also thinking about internships and applications.It just feels like a lack of time and a time constraint” Photographer: Wynne Bendell, Nicole Watson
FEATURE
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Oh! The Places You’ll Go
Seniors start a new adventure as they enter college.
By Yuki Wen
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his year, Senior Anthony Chang will graduate from AHS. He ran into a few issues while applying to colleges and has a few anxieties regarding the transition to college as well. “One worry is that the workload will be significantly greater than what it was in high school.” Chang tells us. “College is expensive for no reason”. In 2021, 59.6% of 16 to 24-year-old high school graduates were enrolled in colleges or universities, down from 62.7 percent the previous year, according to The New York Times. Students are choosing the option of taking a gap year, joining the army, or starting work right away. This is most likely the result of the COVID-19, despite the fact that vaccinations are already available. Nikki He graduated from high school in 2013 and enrolled at San Jose State University. There weren’t nearly as many resources for college application help in 2013 as there are now. Because there was less technology and fewer individuals to assist with financial matters, it was a burden and a headache for her to gather all of this information on her own. “I wish I would’ve known how to apply for financial aid, not just FAFSA, but like scholarships too.” said He. “I wish people would’ve told me, with my grades what are my chances of getting into certain schools so I didn’t need to waste money on applying to schools I had no chance of getting into”. Seniors are in the midst of their college applications. College and Career Consultant, Cece Adams, is sought after by many students. Ms. Adams has been assisting students in AHS for nearly five years, and she has seen many of them graduate and enter college. She has a lot of college counsel to provide, as well as advice on circumstances that students may not be aware of but which she has dealt with. “My first advice would be to do community service, a job, or an internship prior to you applying for senior year, but grades are also important.” says Adams. While academics are crucial, there are other factors to consider before applying to a school. You should consider other characteristics of the school before deciding where to apply and wasting all of your money on institutions that aren’t a good fit for you. “The key is location, location, location, and the reason why I say that is because you can go to a place and if you don’t feel good about it, the vibe isn’t right for you then it may not be the right fit for you.” Adam advises.
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COMMUNITY
WHAT IS YOUR DREAM COLLEGE AND MAJOR?
Senior Moryll Rodriguez “Next year I hope to go to San Francisco State University and get a master’s in psychology.”
Senior Brandon Lee
Senior Charles Reed
“My dream college is UCLA and I would like to major in marketing economics.”
“I wanna go to UCLA and be a nurse and get a nursing major.”
Nikki He has experience with living before and after high school graduation as an SJSU student. He discusses life after college, the differences, and some pointers on how to adjust. He also offers some college survival tips to graduating seniors. “I think the one thing about high school vs college is that in college you really have to be on top of it yourself because nobody’s gonna tell you what’s due tomorrow, and a lot of the assignments are given to you in the syllabus given at the beginning of the semester, and nobody’s going to remind you.” He advises. “First word of wisdom is to get a planner, definitely get a planner, do not schedule yourself highly on online classes, I would recommend no more than two online classes per semester, ideally only do one when you need to”. While most students are concerned about their financial situation Senior counselor Shannon Bode is there to help. Bode has been working with AHS for two years and is a valued senior counselor. She, along with Adams, aids seniors with their college applications. She assists students during and after the application process, assisting them not only with college applications but also with financial aid.
“I would suggest they do some research, I think it’s really important to choose a major that is in the career path they are interested in, and take look at what your strengths are, what your talents are, what your dreams are, what you interests are, consider all of those things when you’re thinking about what to study.” says Bode. “To make or save money, you can always work and put money aside, you can apply for scholarships and we have a lot of money coming through San Lorenzo Unified that students are eligible to apply for”. Finally, the AHS college and career consultant and counselor has some words of advice for our graduating seniors. “It’s not the end of the world if you don’t get accepted to the school of your dreams, and I think that sometimes things are meant to be the way they come about, so roll with what you got and be flexible, and whatever opportunities come to you take advantage of them.” said Adam. “I want you to go into the world and do what you love, like do something that makes your heart happy and the money will come.” Bode says.
Arroyo
Reviews
What is your favorite boba place within the Bay Area and what is your reccomended drink?
iTea [3.4 miles] 177 Pelton Center Way, San Leandro, CA 94577
“I really like iTea, because of thier okinawa drink. The white boba is really good. I rate it four stars.” - Freshman Carter Tran
Sharetea [1.1 miles] 699 Lewelling Blvd #264, San Leandro, CA 94579
“I most frequently go to ShareTea in Greenhouse with my friends. I rate it four stars because its expensive. I recommend Thai milk tea.” - Junior Rita Chen
Sharetea [1.1 miles] 699 Lewelling Blvd #264, San Leandro, CA 94579
“Sharetea, because their tapioca is the sofest. I would rate it a four and a half stars. I reccomend coffee ice blended with ice cream.” - Sophomore Samantha Torres
Teaspoon [5.5 miles] 2465 Stoneridge Mall Rd Suite 207, Pleasanton, CA 94588
“Teaspoon, because it has a variety of drinks and quality boba with various options. I reccomend the silky mango drink.” - Senior Jacob Deleon
COMMUNITY
17
Rejoicing in Red and Riches
How different cultures celebrate Lunar New Year
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By Thinh Huynh
hinese New Year marks the end of the lunar calendar. Many people, mainly stemming from Asian ethnicities, celebrate this time of year with a large festival. Relatives often travel from all over the world to meet up and enjoy time with their families. During the visit, families would have one large dinner with each other before going home and resting. During the dinner, red envelopes would be given out as well. Dim sum, tea, and tangerines are all often eaten during this time of year. 7:00 AM Senior Jessica Huang wakes up, in preparation for Chinese New Year. “My parents wake me up early in the morning to give me a red envelope.” Huang said. “I respond back to them in Chinese to show my thanks and wish them a happy new year (Xīnnián kuàilè gōngxǐ fācái) then head back to sleep.”
12:00 PM Huang continues to nap after receiving her first blessing from her parents. Then, Huang goes out to enjoy dinner with her family. “My family members wear their read outfits while I wear my red Qípáo and we head to Fusion Delight to have dim sum.” Huang said. “At the restaurant, there is a lion dancer, who you give red envelopes to, and return for greater wealth in the upcoming year. They’re supposed to rip a head of lettuce as it represents good fortune and prosperity.”
What is something that you look forward to during Chinese New Year?
“ I look forward to seeing
family I haven’t seen in a while and getting the envelopes. ” - Junior Tiffany Fang
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COMMUNITY
6:00 PM Huang enjoys the traditional dim sum at Fusion Delight in the Greenhouse Marketplace. She then returns home and pays respect to her ancestors and enjoys dinner with her immediate family. “Before dinner time, we are supposed to pray to our ancestors in front of the incenses which are placed at the entrances to the house. To do this, we hold the joss paper and bow three times. After everyone has done this, we go to the backyard to burn the paper and have dinner.” Huang said. “We have a large feast and my favorite dishes are tofu skin soup and rice noodles. Typically, I leave the dining table once I am done eating but for this day, I stay until everyone has finished.”
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ietnamese Lunar New Year (or Tết) is also a time when families gather to enjoy time together. Bánh tét (glutinous rice cake with mung beans and pork) and thịt kho (braised pork and eggs) are a few of the most common traditional food around this time. Families would then go visit Buddhist temples and pagodas to send prayers. Some might go out to enjoy festivals held within Vietnamese communities, for most people in the East Bay, that would be at Grand Century Mall. Most festivals have lion dancing, a small fairground, some gambling tables to play the infamous bầu cua, firecrackers, dragon dancing, and occasionally fireworks.
What does it mean to be a tiger?
Tigers are independent and strong-willed. Along with being optimistic and energetic, people born in the year of the tiger typically score high on extraversion. They will often satisfy ambition before finding any rest. - chinesenewyear.net
Night Before For senior Chelsi Nguyen, her Lunar New Year starts the day before. “Usually before Lunar New Year, you have to make sure your house is clean for good luck and to get out the bad spirits.” Nguyen said. 8:00 AM After spending the night preparing for the upcoming holiday, she wakes up ready to spend the holiday with her family. She starts performing rituals for her ancestors. “Wake up. Get Dressed. Help my mom prepare all the food.” Nguyen said. “We have a dinner set up for our ancestors and incense burning for them. Then you pray to them before you are able to eat the food off the table.” 12:00 PM Nguyen spends her morning continuing to set up for her family’s dinner and paying respect to her ancestors. Nguyen prepares to leave for Buddhist temples and pagodas. “We got to chùa or the Buddhist temple and there we pray and eat.” Nguyen said.
illustrations by Thinh Huynh
3:00 PM Nguyen spends the time at Buddhist temples praying for New Year’s blessings for her and her family. Then, Nguyen goes to the local Vietnamese community in San Jose to enjoy the loud and festive traditions. “Some people would go to San Jose or Grand Century [Mall]. They usually light firecrackers and do lion dance.” Nguyen said. 7:00 PM Nguyen enjoys time at the Mall where there are many Vietnamese families, from all over the Bay Area, come to celebrate. Then, Nguyen goes home to enjoy dinner with her family with one large feast. “Relatives come over or you go over to your relatives to eat dinner and receive lucky red envelopes.” Nguyen said. “We also play gambling games called bầu cua, light firecrackers, and gossip.” COMMUNITY
19
A survey sent to AHS 9th and 10th graders found that
29% of students sneak off campus at lunch
29% of underclassmen is over 203 students third of underclassmen can sneak off campus the rule is useless
When a
The underclassmen’s off-campus policy should be repealed
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esponsibility is a topic that is often talked lunch only forty-five minutes of break. By giving about at school. An aspect of high school students of all grades the opportunity to go offis preparing us for the future, whether campus for only thirty-five minutes, they are able that will be college or a job, by teaching us how to rest, talk to their friends, eat something, and to be responsible and mature young adults, on come back to class on time, refreshed and ready and off-campus. However, the opportunity to to learn. practice and develop A part of enforcing these skills is limited this rule includes having by the school’s policy campus security at every STAFF EDITORIAL that doesn’t allow school exit and checking underclassmen the ID card of every OPINION OF THE DRY GULCH off-campus. For the student who wants to GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD students and admin leave campus. Recently, to have a healthy school administrators relationship, it is have been monitoring important that students feel trusted by the admin. these exits alongside security. This is a major Tardiness and attendance are valid concerns waste of time for the admin and a waste of when it comes to allowing more students offsecurity resources. If something were to happen campus at lunch, yet a part of building that on campus, for example, a physical altercation in relationship is believing that students are capable the quad, it would take security a much longer of following the school schedule and able to time to respond to the incident. It would be balance going off-campus for lunch and getting to extremely beneficial for the school if we focus class on time. our security on on-campus issues rather than One of the main reasons why underclassmen penalizing underclassmen for going off campus. sneak off-campus for lunch is because of the It is time to change this rule. It is a waste of food. There are very limited options for food resources and shows a lack of trust the school has served in the cafeteria, especially for people who with its students. Changing this policy can lead to are vegetarian or have other dietary restrictions. more productivity because of increased student Going off-campus is a way for students to freedom and gives students more choices for make a choice about what they are eating and it lunch which are sometimes a necessity. SLZUSD sometimes is the necessary choice if the school should change this policy and allow students lunch doesn’t fill their needs. Additionally, some from all high school grades the ability to go offstudents just need a break from school. For the campus for lunch. regular schedule, students have six hours of classes, and when combining nutrition break and
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OPINION
DGG Dry Gulch Gazette
Dry Gulch Gazette is an open forum for students and does not necessarily represent the views of Arroyo High School or of the San Lorenzo Unified School District. We want to provide our readers with entertaining, informational, and relevant stories that will be worth their time. We intend to produce accurate and unbiased reporting, and we will therefore work to correct any significant mistakes. You should contact us at AHSGazette@gmail.com if you can find such a mistake in this publication. You may also email us to submit a letter to the editor, but we reserve the right to edit letters for length or accuracy. Letters will be rejected or published at the discretion of journalism staff.
Managing Editors: Wynne Bendell Claire Terzich GabrieElla Quiliza Renteria Staff Writers: Lilianna Agatupu Eden Buell Clarence Capunitan Scott Glueckert Thinh Huynh Makani Reith Fifita Robert Romero Nicole Watson Yuki Wen Staff Adviser: Samved Sangameswara
Snapshot Freshman Macio Budge shooting a basket during a game against Tennyson High. The record for the Boy’s Basketball team this year was 6-18.
Junior Kiona Young is dribbling a basketball during a game against Tennyson High. The record for the Girl’s Basketball team this year was 5-17.
Sports
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To Be Scene & Heard
22
ARTS & CULTURE
where you reside to future or pass residences “It was great, I loved my years in the Bay Area, and I look back on it very fondly. You know growing up just outside of the east bay, outside of Oakland and San Francisco and stuff. It was really helpful to be surrounded by so much diversity and also I miss the Bay Area for the weather honestly, it was perfect and out here in Los Angeles it’s known to get hot. But yeah I love the Bay Area for the weather and mostly diversity there.” Kleinschmidt said. “I actually grew up in New York City. Where there is a lot more arts and culture. And I didn’t really get to experience that though until I was college age. And It was very nice, you know being a film major and being able to go to a lot of movie theaters and watching a lot of old movies and foriegn movies because this was before streaming and this was before videos and DVDs and VHS tapes, this was really before video tapes. So you really needed these theaters and when I moved to the Bay Area, it was a little disappointing. When I moved in the early 80’s out here, there wasn’t really a number or variety of movie theaters as there was in New York.” Gaurino said The film and video industry is very competitive and time testing due to where to work and how to find a style that’ll please an audience. It can also be competitive for jobs as well because to find a position you like or want to do, it’ll be hard to get. “It’s a slow process, it’s an industry known for running on nepotism and it’s an industry of who you know. So they don’t really care where you went to school or what you have degrees in. It’s really about, at the end of the day if you know someone. So after moving to Los Angeles and just trying to make connections and trying to meet as many people as I could, and you know it started with taking very low jobs on film sets and stuff like that, gradually working my way up. But it’s been a slow process, but I feel like I’m finally at the point where I know people and I have enough connections where it’s easier.” Kleinschmidt said. “Oh it’s a difficult industry to break into because you have to take a lot of low paying jobs and they’re usually contracted. I did an internship at KTVU and that would have required many years of low paying work before you could get into the union. There were a few union positions. But if you really want to break into the film and video industry your best bet is to go to
Fifita
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reg Kleinschmidt is an AHS Alumni who took Studio Arroyo, an academy that used to reside at AHS. After graduating class of ‘06, Kleinschmidt took a few classes at Chabot College and a few more classes on film. Kleinschmidt soon moved to Pasadena, California where he runs a podcast titled Scene and Heard and is working on writing and directing a few projects on the side while in sunny southern California. “Well I thought about starting a YouTube channel for a while where I talk about movies or something. It’s always been a big part of my life. I always dabbled in film criticism and film journalism, so that stuff was always interesting to me.” Kleinschmidt said. “My co-host for the podcast, Jackie, we had both worked at the same production company and it was good catching up with her when she left to work on other things. And she had the idea of doing a podcast about the sight and sound list and it looked like no one had done it before at the time. There was already a podcast about the AFI List and a whole plethora of podcasts that are related to film production and theory. So she brought the idea to me.” Kleinschmidt said. “Oh a podcast doesn’t exist about Sight and Sound, this sounds like something you might be interested in doing.” said Kleinschmidt’s cohost. And so we started the podcast together.” Kleinschmdit said. Studio Arroyo was an academy at AHS around the early nineties to the early two thousands. But now the academy has now changed to Bay Area Digital Arts (BADA) and now it resides at San Lorenzo High School. One of Guarino’s students is Greg Kleinschmidt. Over time people can have interests that they would wanna pursue. But since finding an interest at a young age can be the clear understanding on how you would wanna further develop that skill over time into a career. “I knew ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to be involved and make movies, and I always had it on track since then. My time at Arroyo was really formative because I had teachers like Mrs. Lindsay, Mr. Guarino, and Mr. Andersen because back then that’s where I met all of my good friends through it and it was a big feeling.” Kleinschmidt said. “Especially with Mr. Guarino because I would stay after school so many times and talk with him about movies, he is always supportive and encouraging. So a lot of that stuff was big and very formative for me. “ Kleinschmidt said. Growing up all over the country there are multiple different styles and cultures and how they can approach it. Reflecting on what can influence you from what’s different between
e ith ni R
By Makani Reith Fifita
nb y ka Ma
AHS alumni begins film career
Photo Il lustr atio
Hollywood, Los Angeles because there are so many jobs out there.” Guarino said. As seen Kleinschmidt had interest in film for a long time. Guarino who teaches Film Composition and AP English Language was the program manager for Studio Arroyo. It’s always good to express yourself through any art form. “Absolutely. I think that the arts are important. I think art is important and when I was in high school, not only I was doing Studio Arroyo stuff but I was also doing three different bands with Miyata, so I was doing jazz band, concert band, and marching band. And I feel like being surrounded by so much creativity in high school was a huge plus and yeah the arts are super important and I think it’s important for kids especially during their formative years to have access to the arts and have that encouragement from their parents and teachers. And I really do cherish the resources we were given at Studio Arroyo at that time just because I feel that it was really formative for me, and I think it’s really important.” Kleinschmidt said. Kleinschmidt’s overall words on pursuing the field, passion, or career that you want to do in life whether it’s style of work. As if you got the support of people around you and having the idea in mind with the resources around you, it’s a way to do it further. “I would encourage anybody who does have artistic inclinations, whether it was film or music, photography, writing or painting or whatever it is to just do it and put some time in and make the time for it. And I get that everybody’s not creative or has a burning passion to be creative, but it’s just important to express yourself and that you have those resources available and you can make anything happen, if you want it badly enough.” Kleinschmidt said.
And the Music Stopped Music extracurricular programs cancelled 2021-2022
Photos Courtosey of the Dry Gulch Gazette
Former Winter Percussion students in formation at a practice during the 2018-2019 school year. The program was unable to proceed this year for many reasons. By Scott Glueckert
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rroyo Instrumental Music Director Vernon Miyata has had to deal with the cancellation of two of his programs, Winter Percussion and the marching band. Commenting on the challenges that the marching band faced, Miyata had this to say: “The next challenge was finding a space outdoors to rehearse. ” The marching band program has been around for many years. According to Miyata, this year they were not able to have a season due to COVID related concerns (especially if they were not able to get a space to rehearse outside where they were less likely to contract COVID). The Winter Percussion program was also canceled in large part due to the group not being able to practice enough due to the janitors having to disinfect the school on the weekends. Marching band and Winter Percussion are both music extracurriculars that have been offered at AHS. One could very easily expect that their cancellation would harm morale for students in these programs. As has already been stated, these programs were canceled for a myriad of reasons. These programs have been canceled largely because of factors outside of the control of the Music Department. Miyata was saddened and it seems that this sentiment was shared among the
students in Winter Percussion. “I was saddened. The marching band had put in a lot of time and energy up to that point and when we had to cancel it before our first competition, students were greatly disappointed that that happened.” Senior Nicole Trevino, a 3 year veteran of the marching band, was disheartened by the cancellation. “I mean I was upset, I did marching band since Freshman year right so and I think I’ve had friends, my friends I have today are friends that I’ve met throughout marching band from Freshman year, Sophomore year, even continuing to Junior year, to now.” Trevino remarked. Trevino was deeply saddened by the cancellation of the program that had allowed her to make a lot of new friends. Trevino was also in the Winter Percussion program this year and offered a comment on the restrictions that the program faced due to the virus. “When we were planning on having it, it would go through many restrictions because of COVID.” Trevino said. It has been shown that Trevino believes that Winter Percussion was greatly changed due to the circumstances surrounding COVID. Junior Noreen Gomez, a former member of Winter
Percussion, reflected on the things she loved about the program. “It’s basically become like a second family and that’s like the kind of environment that I do I miss right now especially since I’m not able to do it right now. ” Gomez remarked. Gomez misses the feeling of community that she got from the programs. Sophomore Kiera Tan, a member of both the marching band and Winter Percussion this year before they were canceled, agrees with Gomez. “Bonding, in a way. Having people to talk to with the same interests as you and also being able to work on yourself.” Tan said. Tan clearly enjoyed the social environment as well as the self improvement opportunities that these programs offered. Tan will be unable to get these experiences from these programs if they are not around. Tan, despite all the challenges, would be willing to join the program again. “I would. I find it fun and I don’t really want to spend all of my highschool years doing academics.” It seems like students who were in the program this year would want to move into it again next year. As for the marching band, Miyata is deeply hoping that it will be allowed to continue next school year. “Cross my fingers.” Miyata said.
ARTS & CULTURE
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What Are You... Wearing? Sophomore Jessica Reyes -
Shirt from Forever 21 Pants are thrifted Button up is thrifted Shoes from Converse
Sophomore Ruijia Gu - Shirt from Ralph Lauren - Pants from American Eagle - Jacket is thrifted - Shoes are Air Force 1’s
Listening to?
Sophomore Tiara Granadino: “Forever Ever” by Trippie Redd
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ARTS & CULTURE
Sophomore Sam Alhandarish: “Desires” by Drake and Future
Sophomore Adan Corona: “Hits on Hits” by SoFaygo
