DGG Dry Gulch Gazette
Arroyo High School | Volume 58 Issue 5 | Apr. 10, 2019
My Escape Students speak about being more than just a fan pg.19 e
Looking back... April 4, 2019 - Freshman Family Night is an evening dedicated to welcoming incoming freshman to AHS’s campus. Eighth graders are introduced to AHS clubs and are able to speak to student panel. (Top) Winter Guard performed in the beginning of the night. (Bottom) Student panel answering questions and proving insight.
Photo | Janice Lee
Staff Editorial: 4 Attention Dons CAMPUS: 6 Dancing Dons 8 AutomaDons 9 Dodson’s Band 10 Enviormental Walkout 12 Day of Silence 13 Baile COMMUNITY: 14 Oakland Teacher Strike 15 Middle School Changes 16 Spring Break Ideas 17 Condo Plans 18 Mrs. Conway A CLOSER LOOK: 20 Music is My Escape 21 Gaming is My Escape 22 Shows are My Escape 23 What Type of Fan Are You? OPINION: 24 Dark Side to Fandoms 25 Sports Fandoms 26 Hypebeast Entrepreneurship 27 Middle School Changes 28 Cartoons ARTS AND CULTURE: 29 Choir Competition 30 Tech Crew 32 SoundCloud Rappers 33 Artist of the Month 34 Hypebeasts SPORTS: 35 Seniors’ Sports Ending 37 Beyond the Finish Line 38 Fan Loyalty Limitation 39 College Sports COLUMN: 40 Joke’s on Me Cover Photo Illustration by Wesley Walderp
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For the Future
Having student voice is important, but these assemblies need to be better.
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n March 29, an assembly was held in response to an assignment that resulted in students recreating Nazi imagery, leading to further bullying on campus. Two assemblies were held, one for the sophomores and seniors, and another for the freshman and juniors. Students in each assembly voiced opinions that ranged from defending the teacher and assignment to addressing different issues on campus. A variety of the opinions that were said differ across the board. We felt the assemblies were handled poorly by both students and staff. Students showed a lack of empathy for their peers that felt the assignment was hurtful. Administration failed to provide transparency to further information regarding the incident. If we find ourselves in need of another student voice assembly, here are the changes we want to see.
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OPINION
Students: More Empathy
Students need to have more empathy for students standing up.
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any of the arguments that occurred during the student actions. We were taught about mistakes in history to raise speeches no longer regarded the assignment’s awareness of the issues they face and prevent these things from unintended consequences, but what would happen to the happening again, we must take action against the injustices we see teacher that assigned it. There was not enough air time focused on so that history does not repeat itself. the fact that people in our Don community were genuinely hurt. Yes, everyone faces injustices and some are not as publicized No one has the right to say that someone else cannot be offended as others, but we should be fighting every battle worth fighting for because they themselves did not think it was that big of deal. Like when it comes up. Our problems are valid, but what are we really some of the student speakers pointed accomplishing when we are creating division out, everyone is entitled to their opinion, in the middle of an effort to reconcile with STAFF EDITORIAL even if the opposing point of view is more each other? We should really be focusing popular. on building an environment at school OPINION OF THE DRY GULCH Victim-blaming and the lack of which promotes safety, understanding, GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD empathy shown by some of the students and acceptance, rather than one based on during the open mic is not a good look division. for the school. By turning on each other, Dons should be brave; stand up for what students are not creating solutions, instead we are creating an you believe in and encourage your classmates to speak out for unnecessary divide that may last for years on campus. AHS has what’s right. However, if what you have to say is selfish or maybe a serious issue - without accountability for students’ actions, hasn’t been thought through enough, it is better to stay quiet. It is students will continue their acts of ignorance and cause more better to not say anything if what you have to say is harmful rather harm to their peers. Students spend their entire sophomore year than constructive. In the future, students should remember that studying the effects of the Holocaust and the discrimination and we are all in this high school journey together and we should do injustices Jewish people face, yet they still commit these offensive our best to make it as comfortable as possible. •
Administrators: More Transparency Administration needs to communicate more with the student body.
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fter the assembly concluded, we felt that it lacked closure. system. Instead, we were left with more unanswered questions There were some speeches during the assembly that criticized and a sense that the administration’s role in the situation the administration for its bias, and that is a serious issue when was fulfilled-- at least publicly. We have compiled a few ways the the administration is the group that is mediating the entire administration can improve the way they handle these situations. situation. Not only that, the conflicts between teachers is not a First and foremost, the administration must show more well-kept secret and issues behind the scenes with teachers can transparency when it comes to the facts that affect what goes on in the classroom. In STAFF EDITORIAL are presented to students. We all know the case another assembly needs to be held consequences of a lack of information and again, bringing in an unbiased third relying on rumors as the basis of information. party that can professionally enact OPINION OF THE DRY GULCH Lack of information leads to actions that some form of conflict resolution during GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD could have been preventable. There is no it will bring a sense of resolution to the need for a motivational speech; we need new situation. and relevant information. During the student open mic, many Thirdly, we do not need to be told that the administration is students were basing their ideas on hear-say instead of reliable handling the problem, concrete solutions need to be planned out information coming directly from school officials, and because of and communicated to the entire school. Being told the problem this lack of communication, students brought irrelevant topics is being handled and then having everyone forget about it before onto the gymnasium floor, frankly distracting from the purpose any change is made is not a solution for the bullying and turmoil of the assembly. Last year during the gun violence assembly, we see on campus. Even if there is no plan for a fix-all solution, students were told that the school was working on methods of there should at least be more transparency about the efforts live communication with AHS families, such as Remind. By using being made for a solution. The student body would not be so the app, families will be more easily informed without the hassle unsettled if we were made more aware of what the staff at AHS of weeding through emails or dealing with the ancient mailing are doing behind the scenes. •
OPINION
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World of Dancing
Dancers to represent diverse cultures at Multicultural Rally on April 11. By Vivian Yan
LISSET ROMERO
Photo Courtesy| Lisset Romero
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tories can be shared through a variety of ways: books, music, pictures, paintings, etc. In senior Lisset Romero’s case, she shares the stories of her culture through dancing. Her passion for dancing began when her new neighbors moved in next door. They invited her family to a performance that immediately changed the way she connected with her background. “I fell in love with it and when I started doing it, it just felt like really right and it felt like I was connecting to my past ancestors,” Romero said. Since then, Romero has been dancing for eight years, practicing three and a half hours everyday. The empowering feeling that she experiences when dancing is what motivates her to continue everyday. “I think the influence for me to start it and still be in it is because I just really like how it makes me feel,” Romero said. At the Multicultural Rally this year, she will be performing a combination of different dances from distinct regions in Mexico called “ballet folklórico.” Romero chose this type of dance because each movement gives insight to the background of a specific region. “There’s a lot of history behind them [dances] so it’s kind of like each region tells their own story,” Romero said. “So you know like you’re from Jalisco, then it tells a story of your family going through a lot of tough times… If you’re Guatemalan or if you’re like you know Mexican it’s totally different than being just being from one specific region...” Not only do the dances tell a story, but they also help each generation understand the sentiments that was once felt by their predecessors. “...A lot of poverty is in Mexico so it’s kind of like throughout these dances we’re learning how to cope with our feelings and the feelings that our ancestors had,” Romero said. In addition to the dances, the costumes play an important role in understanding the culture. For example, the length of the dress can signify certain freedoms that women are given. “For every region the costumes are different depending on the region, so for the dance that I’m going to be performing for the Multicultural Rally it’s kind of like a shorter dress...so this dress is kind of showing how women are given a little bit more leeway starting to show a little bit more skin because back in the day they had to be very covered up and if you see a lot of skin it was considered not right,” Romero said. Romero will be dancing with a male partner, which represents a change in the societal values of her culture. “The dance I’ll be doing is a partner dance as well so it’s kind of like couples starting to show their affection for each other and showing the world that its okay to speak out on what you love and who you love,” Romero said. Her performance is not just for cultural representation. It is for a bigger cause that directly impacts the people of her country. “I just think that me doing this is helping, like my dancing and me putting forth and showing who my culture is healing people who are going through tough times in actual Mexico,” Romero said. •
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ancing has been a form of expression for sophomore Sophia Luo since she was fouryears-old. It all started in her home, where she would instinctively move to the beat whenever her mother put music on. Her body’s natural response to the sound of music led her mother to enroll her in dance classes. “I started dancing when I was four because my mom would catch me dancing all the time at home. She had this little radio and she’d put CDs on and I’d just be jumping up and down on the bed. She decided to put me into an actual dance class and I loved it, so I’ve been dancing ever since then,” Luo said. Over the years, Luo has attended many dance academies to enhance her talent. Not only has she been exposed to several performance opportunities, but she has also developed meaningful connections with her fellow artists that motivate her to improve. “I’ve made a lot more friends in my dance academies and they’re really supportive. There’s also a lot of opportunities for performing and expressing yourself and showing your culture to other people,” Luo said. Because of her positive experience performing at the Multicultural Rally last year, Luo wants to share her culture this year too. “I performed there last year and I thought it was a really good experience I liked how our school has this opportunity to show everyone’s
cultures and everyone’s different backgrounds,” Luo said. For this year’s performance, Luo took the initiative to choreograph the dance herself. She plans to dance to the “Jasmine Flower,” a traditional Chinese song that is widely known within and outside China. Luo began choreographing a month ahead since it involves several steps. “I find the music first, sometimes some versions just sound better than others. Then I look at other videos on Youtube for inspiration,” Luo said. “After that, I just put the music on and decide what my body feels when I’m listening to the music and just come up with choreography that way.” Luo views her performance as an important reminder of who she is and where she is from. “It’s important to me because my parents have passed down a lot of Chinese culture to me because I was born here in the U.S. and they were born in China. I feel like it helps me connect better to the rest of my family living there,” Luo said. She hopes that her performance will help others learn appreciate their own cultures, as it is an integral part of who they are. “With this performance, I hope that each person can find a new appreciation for their own culture,” Luo said. •
KEHEOLANI VELE
SOPHIA LUO
Photo| Janice Lee
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or senior Keheolani Vele, dancing has helped her embrace her identity as Samoan. Vele was born in the island of Tutuila, which is a part of the American Samoa. Growing up, she was always hesitant when it came to telling others about her Samoan background because she feared that they would not recognize what or where it is. “...I was always like shy of telling people who I am and where I’m from because not everyone knows where I’m from or where my island is on the map,” Vele said. Her hesitation began to wane once she became a part of Tifa I Moana, a group that performs a variety of Polynesian dances. As a member of the group, Vele developed a deep passion for dancing and for her culture. She no longer hides her background; rather, she embraces it to the fullest extent. “I want to tell everyone like ‘Hey I’m this’ and everyone would always mistaken me for being Hawaiian or something and I would just let it go like yeah whatever that’s close enough but now I’m like, ‘No that’s not me,’” Vele said. Vele plans to perform at her third Multicultural Rally this year alongside her sister Bernadette Vele and friends Samoa Pomele and Deborah Augafa. They will be performing to the songs “Tala Mai E Le Lagi” and “Mo’omo’ogo” •
Photo | Vivian Yan
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AutomaDons Assemble!
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n March 9, 2019, a group of AHS students at Elk Grove in the Hydrogen Horizon Automotive Challenge (H2AC) Regionals, the Northern California Horizon Grand Prix hydrogen car race. Placing third in both Energy and Endurance and first in Pit Crew, the AutomaDons were ready to take on finals in Los Angeles on March 23. H2AC is a global program consisting of students in high school all around the world, competing to make an RC car using a hydrogen fuel cell as an alternative energy source. Senior Kenneth Thai decided to start the robotics club on working on the challenge. ¨The whole purpose is just energy conservation. You just want to make your batteries last as long as possible, and you do that with your hydrogen fuel cell,¨ Kenneth said. ¨That creates electricity to charge your battery.¨ The H2AC is a program with multiple levels consisting of finding a solution, planning, designing, engineering, and finally, testing. ¨What the program gives you is the RC model chassis and the fuel
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AHS Robotics club participate in the Hydrogen Horizon Automotive Challenge. By Cassandra Yuan
cell and you just put the rest of it together on your own. They give you an instruction manual and stuff but everything else is super custom. You get to personalize everything from motors you use, to the wheels you use, to the color you paint your car and everything,¨ Kenneth said. However, this is not Kenneth’s first time participating in the challenge throughout his high school career. Last year, the AutomaDons made it to both regionals and finals, but there were only a few club members present. Both Kenneth Thai and Omar Nunez are returning members of the club, alongside members Glendon Thai, Oscar Thai, Brian Tran, Michael Huang, and Geovanni Marcia. ¨We made it last year but what made me excited this year was that we had two cars going. We actually only had seven people up there [Elk Grove]. So we had two people on one car and five other people on the other car,¨ Kenneth said, ¨The reason why was because there was only two people who returned from last year, which was me and Omar, and the other five were like a bunch of new underclassmen that joined. I was excited about how the underclassmen are able to work on their own car and actually qualify for state on their own. It was their first test, but I am really proud of them.¨ The AutomaDons are a small robotics club put together by Computer Science teacher and club advisor Andrew Doolittle. Though Doolittle understands all of the
probiotics needed to complete the challenge, his main goal is to see how the students interact with the challenge metacognitively. “I try not to assist them as much as possible and I let them do their own work on their own. It doesn’t do me or them any good to build yet another robot and I basically I give them guidance and I ask them questions if I think they’re going in the wrong direction and I help them use the tools and try and keep them safe,” Doolittle said. New additions to the club can really take away from the challenge as both Oscar Thai and Michael Huang say that it is pushing them towards their desired career. “I am hoping to become an aerospace engineer. And I feel like this club, though it is not really focused on airplanes and stuff, gets me into the process of being an engineer and solving problems,” Oscar said. Michael Huang also had the same input. The AutomaDons and the work they produce for the H2AC Challenge encourages him to work similar to an engineer which pushes his interest in it further. “I really want to become an engineer in robotics or a computer scientist. Learning about the car, finding problems and solutions and testing them out. It is kind of what engineers really do,” Huang said. On March 23, the AutomaDons were able to travel to Los Angeles to compete in finals where they were able to finish at 11th and 19th place. Another award was given to Andrew Doolittle as Mentor of the Year. After competing in both challenges, Oscar Thai was able to look into forward to the future. “We are going to try again next year. We are going to figure out what happened to the car, and I am excited for next year because I am determined now,” Oscar said, “I am committed to this, I’ve spent the entire year towards this moment, and it didn’t go as expected. All I have to do now is just try again.”•
Photo | Cassandra Yuan
Teaching Happiness English teacher Corry Dodson’s belief on self-expression and happiness. By Joseph Meyer
Photo Courtesy | The Harkenbacks
CD cover for the album, Farmless, by The Harkenbacks.
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nglish teacher Corry Dodson is a strong believer that you should follow what makes you happy which is what she teaches her class in the beginning of the year. She showed her classes videos on what people did that made them happy and the different lifestyles which made them happy. Dodson’s lifestyle that truly makes her happy is one that follows the musical path. Dodson is an 11th and 12th grade English teacher and has been teaching for five years. However, she has been in a band called the Harkenbacks for about ten years. The band consists of four people with Dodson as a guitar player and singer. “I played the guitar [in high school] and knew a couple chords and one of the nuns found out I played and she roped me in to play at masses and that’s how I got comfortable playing in front of people,” Dodson said.
However, her teaching limits her time she can spend with the band. “We don’t play as much anymore but we still do play some shows, we play a lot of farmer’s markets and occasionally we’ll play, like, a club in San Francisco,” Dodson said. Teaching is a very demanding career and requires a lot of time and effort to put in, and the same can be said for participating in a band. “It’s hard to do both. I would have to say that I had a lot more time to play music before I was a teacher. Before I was a teacher we would could have regular practices and we recorded two CDs and that was because I didn’t have grading to do and things like that, I had jobs where I would go do the job and then leave and then have time and energy to do other stuff,” Dodson said. Despite the difficulty of doing both teaching and being a band member, Dodson
refuses to give up on her passion. “I’ve seen a lot of people give up on the art that they did when they were younger and for me, I could never do that,” Dodson said. Despite not wanting to give up the art she started in high school, playing music acts as a stress reliever. “It’s really therapeutic, it’s so fun for me… I start off my year in both of my classes in 11th and 12th grade talking about happiness and that’s the thing that I do to keep myself happy.” Dodson’s way of being happy is playing music and performing and going through the whole process of music production. For students, however, Dodson believes, “If you have some sort of creative voice or something that you wanna express. I think it’s really important to do it.” •
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What you can do to combat climate change Carpool
Recylce
Unplug electronics
Contact your representatives if they’ve signed onto green new deal Use reusable water bottles
Pre-register to vote if you’re 16 and if you’re 18, remember to vote
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Walking Out for the Future AHS students particpate in Youth Climate Strike on March 15. By Angela Peña
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n October, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) came out with a report explaining that people have 12 years to make changes to CO2 emissions to limit global warming. Hearing this caused AHS social studies teacher Kaedan Peters to rethink their role as an educator on campus. “I’m already seeing effects of climate change, I will continue to see effects of climate change, but I will most likely be dead by 2080 or 2090 but my kid won’t and my grandkids won’t if my kid ends up having kids,” Peters said, “So it felt like I couldn’t ignore it anymore and it felt like there was a way so clearly with the curriculum to weave it in. It felt like a nobrainer to give students the opportunity to know about this.” When teaching about the Industrial Revolution, the students were also learning of how the environment was being affected through world history. “Most of them were scared, angry and then now they seem still scared angry, but now at least not paralyzed by it which was what I was worried about,” Peters said, “I didn’t want to sugarcoat things but I also didn’t want to make people so scared that it felt like there was nothing you could do.” Peters decided to also give her students each Friday, a time where they can work on climate justice project. Some of her students decided to work on calling their representatives such as Eric Swalwell and Barbara Lee to see if they have signed onto the Green New Deal or researching new inventions and technology. Others such as sophomores Sosefina Agatupu, Alyssa Hannah, Isyss Villegas and five other group members decided to join the Youth Climate strike on March 15 to raise awareness for climate change.
“It’s a really bad thing that’s going on in the world and no one is getting serious about it,” Agatupu said. “The world can look bad in a few years so it’s really important to start doing things to help support the world better.” Agatupu and her group were inspired by Greta Thunberg, a climate activist who
“We’re the future of this world and it’s important for us to show that we care about this world.”
Sophomore Sosefina Agatupu said.
protested last year in Sweden. Now the movement has spread internationally to more than 112 countries. The movement has now reached San Lorenzo with the help of Agatupu and her group. “We’re the future of this world and it’s important for us to show that we care about
this world. Since the adults already had their future, what about ours? We might not even have a future. So it’s really important for us to get that out there,” Agatupu said. The group worked on creating an educational slideshow of climate change and informational flyers. They also worked together with the principal and assistant principals to coordinate the walkout so it would occur smoothly and safely. Group member Alyssa Hannah believes that it was crucial for young people to get their voice heard. “We shouldn’t just stand and do nothing about it. We learn about climate change all the time, like you constantly hear it now and you don’t just sit here and learn about climate change and do nothing. You can do something. We all should do something about it instead of listening and learning about it,” Hannah said, “Climate change is where it affects everyone. Not just types of groups and people. It’s affecting all of us.” Additionally, group member Isyss Villegas believes that it’s vital for young people to stand up now for what’s going to affect us in the future. “Even though we cant vote, it’s very important to be kept up to date about what’s going especially when it has to do with our future because climate change is a problem that people who are older caused and we have to suffer the consequences so we need to make the change,” Villegas said. For Earth Day on April 22, the group plans to hold a rally to further the discussion of climate change in the AHS community. “We live here. This is our home. Not just some structure , this is our actual home,” Hannah said, “We have to take care of it, it’s our job to take care of it. It’s no one else’s.” •
Photo | Rizelle Jugarap
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Remain Silent to Fight Discrimination
Gender Sexuality Alliance club chooses April 12 as the day to remain silent to fight against indifference. By Nanda Bean
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he LGBTQ community of AHS has planned a Day of Silence, which will be held on April 12, 2019. This day will be hosted by the GSA (Gender Sexuality Alliance) club. As a participant of Day of Silence, students and faculty members are to be silent and not speak for the whole day. This event is meant to represent those who are bullied for being who they are. Social Studies teacher Kaedan Peters, who advises the GSA, briefly spoke about the history of Day of Silence. “It started in the 90s to make people more aware, because I think at that time, LGBTQ issues were not as well known. There was a lot more overt hatred, in a sense, [because] the laws weren’t in LGBTQ’s favor that much. So I think it started as a way to raise awareness for people…..and it was a way that was really non-confrontational. It didn’t take a lot to do, and it was a really easy way for allies to support, so straight people or people that aren’t in the LGBTQ community,” Peters said. As a queer teacher, Peters supports youth activism and feels being a part of Day of Silence is a way to care for students. “I feel really important for me, being a queer teacher o n
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campus to be serving as a model to students…..you have adults in your corner, supporting the Day of Silence is a way that I can provide that to students,” Peters said. Students can have their own interpretation of celebrating this day. Students can celebrate with their friends or they can come out if they want to. This day can get students to be more visible about their issues. One of the GSA’s Vice Presidents, senior Elva Camacho, explains that Day of Silence was created because “our voice is being silenced on the daily because of what we believe in and how we act and how we express ourselves.” “[Day of Silence is a day where] our students or people remain silent in honor of bullying against LGBTQ people and minorities and people face discrimination,” Camacho said. A message Camacho wants to send out about this day is to “to create awareness”. “I want other students, especially the younger class to know what it means to be different, know what it means to be separated or excluded or feeling like they don't belong. When they do, I want the younger classmen to feel, and my peers to feel, that they are included,” Camacho said. Camacho has experienced bullying before, and doesn’t want to anyone else to go through what she went through. “I have faced bullying because of my race or because of my sexuality as well, and I know what it’s like to be silenced and I know what it’s like to be….discriminated and just how it feels, and I don't want that for anyone else,” Camacho said. •
Illustration | Vivian Liu
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Dances at AHS
Two perspectives on school dance attendance rates, the Latinos Unidos Baile, and from the other school dances. By Kayara Rocco
Getting Started
Latinos Unidos continues to grow annual baile event.
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rroyo’s baile is an on-campus event held in the school’s cafeteria, and it is organized by the Latinos Unidos club. This year’s balie is going to be held on April 26th. The baile is known for drawing large crowds unlike other on campus events, “It [the number of attendees] fluctuates between 200-300 since it’s pretty new.” senior Sofia Gamez said. Gamez is the vice president of the Latinos Unidos club. She helps to organize and run the events, such as the baile. The baile is a dance where students come together and enjoy the various activities provided. “The students just alternate which baile we go to, we go to all of the high schools,” said Gamez. The high schools in and around the SLZUSD all have their own Latinos Unidos clubs with their own “baile” so, the
baile is bigger than a school’s campus event . Gamez says that not is it the people bringing their friends, it’s also the social media influence. “We also have [online] fliers, and that helps to get people’s attention,” Gamez said. Senior Yadheri Gonzalez is the social media coordinator for Latinos Unidos. Her job is to make sure to get the word out to people about the event and what is going to be provided at the event. ”People come for the music usually(...) and the food,”Gonzalez said. “We have to reserve the cafeteria, and it can’t be on a three day weekend, (...) it can’t conflict, with like NCS games, (...) and we have to make sure it’s not the same time as another school’s dance,” Gamez said when talking about the difficulties of planning this
event. She said that finding a date is one of the most difficult parts of planning is getting the date down, that has to do with simple rules that our school has, the cafeteria being free, and conflicting with the dates from other schools. “A lot of our attendance is from other schools,” Gamezsaid , insinuating the importance of not conflicting with the dates for other schools. Gonzalez believes that the activities at the bailes is what attracts most people, “we have raffles, and people like to buy tickets,” Gonzales said. “It’s still fairly new,” Gamez said about the event, but it has already grown to become such a large event. Maybe, the baile can be a model event for smaller clubs on campus to mirror and grow their attendance. •
Keeping It Going
Established dances on maintaining attendance.
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HS has other dances on campus with varying attendence rates. With an average attendance rate of 264. “Through publicity, word of mouth, past events. People go to our past events, from before, really like them, and want to go again,” Jennifer Rodrigues said. So according to Rodrigues a lot of the attendence of the dances is just from students who have enjoyed the same events in the past. Some of the other dances that Arroyo has are the Night Rally Dance, Winter Ball, and the Homecoming dance. The average attendance rates for these dances is about 264. “It paid for the venue, the cops, the DJ,” Angela Cirimele said when talking about
this year’s winter ball. The tickets for each event are sold to hopefully cover the event, and make profit, “It’s supposed to be a fundraiser, like Sophomores were raising money for the Junior’s prom,” Cirimele said. “There’s only two classes that cleared like 900 dollars.”, Cirimele said. The classes so far have been struggling to raise enough to cover their event, but also raise funds for their future events. “This year the sophomores and juniors worked together to fundraise and just split the difference.” Cirimele said. Hopefully, in the future the events will grow in attendance rates and they can be able to cover events fully and help fund future events. •
tickets sold for this year’s night rally dance
tickets sold for this year’s winterball
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“For certain dances we keep the prices low for them, (the students), and offer freebies, like free food (...), so that’s how we get people to come. ” Activities Director Jennifer Rodrigues
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tickets sold for this year’s homecoming dance
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Oakland’s Unified Student Determination Students reflect on the difficulties and merits of organizing and partaking in activism. By Rizelle Jugarap
Oakland students hope to inspire other students to unite and take action against n March 4, 2019, students from Oakland injustices. Unified School District walked out of “Our school district isn’t the only one class and down to La Escuelita to participate going through these issues. Our schools in the board meeting regarding contract aren’t the only ones with these disparities,” negotiations. The walkout, which was Piper II said. “I encourage more people to organized in two hours, had a turn out of 300 join us, to rally, to march, to lobby, and to get to 400 students despite school resuming on involved. And also, we are always looking for the fourth for the first time since the teacher people to partner with us, because student strike. power is the best power. Show solidarity. The “We were very proud that we were able movement isn’t over.” to get [organizing] done in the two hours Students from multiple schools, including that we met up,” Skyline High School senior AHS, are involved in some sort of activism, Jonathan Piper II, a student organizer of the such as the March for Our Lives in March walkout said. 2018 and the Youth Climate Strike on March Students used their prior connections 15. AHS students participated in the Youth with organizations to arrange for adult allies Climate Strike by gathering in the quad, to walk among students and block roads to listening to student speakers, and passing out protect their path. Students from Oakland informational flyers detailing facts on climate Technical High School who were miles away change, information about the Green New boarded multiple buses. Those who did Deal, and how to get involved in campaigning. not fit on the buses Organizing the followed alongside the walkout proved some sidewalk on foot. They “We do have a voice, difficulties. chanted in solidarity, “Some of the although sometimes adults teachers baring “Red for Ed” asked us not shirts and signs. try to limit us and don’t want to talk in front of their “It was really students just because visually powerful to to hear what we have to say, that they didn’t believe see that many people, we have a lot of power.” the same things that angry, and doing did or they didn’t Skyline High School senior we something about it,” believe that a walkout Jonathan Piper II would do anything Oakland Technical High School sophmore more than cause Ruby Chan-Frey said. a distraction during school,” sophomore Students were not the only ones opposed Miranda Manzanares said. to the tentative agreement. However students are determined to “I voted no,” said Futures Elementary make their voices be heard. teacher Mikey Herrera. “Essentially they “We want to get the attention and were giving nothing for student services.” awareness of the senators of California so Students were eventually allowed to they can turn their vote to pass the Green talk towards the end of the negotiations New Deal,” Manzanares said. “I think that as at La Escuelita for one minute each. Once students as long as we join together and we students had reached the minute mark, they all make it clear what we need and we want were either ushered off the stage or their for our school districts and our world, we can microphones were turned off. make this [world] a better place.” Despite this, students were not Oakland students claim that community discouraged. is essential for creating change, and can be “A click of their fingers and they’re taking united via a common struggle. away our ability to speak,” said Chan-Frey. “It was really powerful to have like “But we have to speak because this matters hundreds and hundreds of people saying to us… if [the board] isn’t going to support ‘we’re here’ as a cohesive unit. We know what me, or help me, or let me speak, I’m going to we want, and we need it. And it did a lot to speak anyway.” have everyone so unified,” Chan-Frey said. •
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Skyline High School senior Jonathan Piper II raises his fist amongst other students at La Escuelita on March 4. He is one of many student leaders responsible for organizing the student walkouts. Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Piper II
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Middle Schools Transition to Six Periods The schedule also implements a new social emotional learning program. By Vivian Wong
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he three middle schools in San Lorenzo Unified School District- Bohannon Middle School, Edendale Middle School, and Washington Manor Middle School- are in the process of switching from a seven-period day to a six-period day. This new schedule will go into effect in the upcoming school year. Currently, the middle schools have a seven-period day with two electives. The new schedule entails a six-period day with one elective and a new program called SEL. SEL stands for Social and Emotional Learning class that will meet twice a week for half an hour. Therefore, in name only, it is a sixperiod day schedule. ¨They started piloting the SEL curriculum this year. The first curriculum called ‘Believe the Change’ was piloted in the first half of the year and the one that they are piloting now is called ´Character Strong,´¨ WMMS 8th grade English, Writing Elective, and AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) teacher Michael Crystal said. The purpose of SEL is to improve teacherstudent relationship and help foster team building skills. “The idea is that you spend time with a group of kids, loop with them for three years, and do various activities that work on relationship building skills and team building skills. It is totally geared toward building relations with the hope that it would have major ramifications to campus culture and campus environment,¨ Crystal said. Originally, the new schedule change was simply going to be a transition from seven periods to six periods. ¨The sixth period day was initially pitched to the teachers as a way to entice prospective job applicants retain teachers that have a choice between going to middle school and high school. Teachers at middle school have 17 percent more student contact than the average high school teacher so who in their right mind would become a middle school teacher given the opportunity to choose between middle school and high school. That was not the track that we ended up going on,¨ Crystal said. The Middle School Task Force, which consists of teachers, community members and district administrators investigates problems within middle schools and realized the need for a class that fostered and engaged in teacher-student interaction- SEL. “Somehow six period and SEL became conflated and SEL won out,” Crystal said.
7th grade Jackson Lee of WMMS thinks that the schedule change will benefit the students and teachers. “I think it is a good idea to have the students and teachers get to know each other better. Generally speaking, teachers and students don’t get to know each other much since the teachers have to know a lot of students each period,” Lee said.
Breakdown Three figures that summarize the issues that middle schools are attempting to address.
197
students that middle school teachers in SLZUSD inteact with each day
165
students that high school teachers in SLZUSD interact with each day
17%
more teacher-student interacation at midddle schools than high schools
Freshman Winnie Wong is hopeful that through SEL, students will learn how to interact professionally. “As they spend more time together, students will realize the difference between friendship and a professional relationship, which better mirrors the real world interactions,” Wong said. Furthermore, Lee claims that they lack
team bonding activities which can be fostered through SEL. “Teachers don’t really prepare us with team bonding skills because we normally just do class assignments. Rarely are there group activities,” Lee said. Wong reiterates the lack of team bonding skills through her own experiences at WMMS. “Team bonding was not good. When we are doing table activities, those that actually cared would do all the work- those that didn’t, simply moved to another table to talk with their friends- but we all got the same grade. Some teachers confronted that issue whereas others just turned a blind-eye and gave everyone the same grade despite the difference in work and effort,” Wong said. Wong adds that SEL may not work for all students as the Middle School Task Force had intended. “I think the class will help those that study and are already engaged but it may not be as effective for those that deliberately mess around. Having the same teacher will only further encourage them to act out,” Wong said. Crystal also highlights a few factors that may not have been foreseen. “A by-product of the schedule is that you will continue to have teachers either creating or teaching elective classes that are not connected to their credential. Therefore, they don’t necessarily feel passionate about. I am worried about the balance between having a class where we are supposed to be fostering relationships and another class that we do not feel any connect to. And I know that is a shared skepticism. I think that there is also a concern that this does not address the number of student contacts. On the days that we have SEL we would have 197 student contacts,” Crystal said. Nevertheless, Crystal sheds some light toward the possible improvement on campus culture and environment. “Hopefully, it curbs or cuts down on disruptive behavior and teachers that are not utilizing other skills before having a student being removed from their class for disciplinary reasons,” Crystal said. The district is currently still in the process of working out the conditions. Each middle school will select their own bell schedule, where Edendale is already drafting out their own version. The program selection between the two curriculums will take place on May 26th. •
COMMUNITY
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Making the Most of Break
AHS students give advice on activities to enjoy during spring break. By Bethelehem Engeda
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pring Break is approaching in the week of April 15th through the 19th, and with that comes a need for some activities. The Bay Area, filled with multitudes of interesting activities, is the perfect place to create memories that’ll last a lifetime. Arroyo students and community members give their perspectives on the spring break activities they love.
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AHS senior Reimy Ishikawa has been attending the San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival for the past 7 years. This year, she decided to be a volunteer for the event, and has enjoyed the event every year, as this festival is one of the biggest cherry blossom festivals in the United States. “It has a really amazing summer festival vibe,” Ishikawa said as she described the scenery of the event. “The food is so good. It’s not really authentically Japanese because there’s a lot of non-Japanese people making it but it’s good. It’s like it was created for Americans but with a Japanese twist.” Ishikawa recommends anyone who has the availability to come spend their spring break at the event. “It’s really fun and if you have never been, I would really recommend you to go because the food is great, the games are fun, and honestly having the experience will be great.” For anyone interested in spending their Spring Break admiring traditional Japanese culture through dances, food, and other activities, it will be available over two weekends, April 13-14 and April 20-21.
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Going to the concert is the another way to make good use of your spring break. Junior Aaliyah Keene will be attending an Ariana Grande Concert in the SAP center in San Jose on May 2, and is excited due to it being her first concert with her favorite artist. “She is going to be having a lot of concerts in the Bay Area and I’m really excited to finally see her in person. I love her music and… I think spring break is a time for everyone to try something new.” If Ariana Grande’s concert is not the only one people can see if they are interested in attending a concert; other artists such as P!NK and Zedd are performing during spring break and so it will be an opportunity to make memories seeing performers.
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The Museum of Ice Cream is another enjoyable way to spend your spring break as described by AHS senior Anna Liang. The Museum of Ice Cream is located in San Francisco and has a wide variety of interactive art ice cream and candy themed rooms, a place Liang describes as “aesthetic” and “the perfect place to take photos.” Liang attended the museum during March and would highly recommend anyone to go during Spring Break if they have the time. “The ice cream there was great! You can choose whatever flavor you like. Being able to eat really good ice cream -I got cotton candy- while taking good pictures would be a good way to spend your spring break,” Liang said.
Illustration | Vivian Liu
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The New Building on the Block New apartments set to add a new look in San Lorenzo. By Christopher Yalung
Illustration| Courtesy of Village Green Public Addendum
(above) Sketch of Village Green Apartments. They are being built in the empty lot at the intersection of Hesperian Boulevard and Paseo Grande to try and bring more people in and stimulate business in the area.
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or quite some time, the Kavanaugh Liquors lot (also known as the old Mervyn’s lot) has been an empty space where nothing occupies the space but the food trucks every summer. However, a new development in real estate planning for the area may change that, and possibly bring more people to our community. Real-estate developers Demmon Partners, a family company based in Redwood City, recently got approved to create a large group of apartments called the “Village Green”. It is planned to take up a space of 5.1 acres, have 5 separate buildings of 3 to 4 stories,163 market-rate units and space for up to 6 commercial shops along its borders. The whole project in total is estimated to cost somewhere around 22 million dollars. Michelle Clowser, one of the three administrators that runs the very popular San Lorenzo Community Facebook page as well as an Arroyo alumni of the class of ‘89, explained why the project may be good for the community as a whole, saying, “I’ve met the people developing [the property] and they’re great. They are willing to work with the community and adjust their plans based on the feedback we give them.” Back when there used to be a Mervyn’s store 20 years ago, there was prosperity in the community; when that dissolved, there was no longer any big booming markets to
help liven up the space. “People have always wanted it to be back to the way [the old Mervyn’s lot] was: to businesses and stuff; but things change,” Clowser said. Since there will be opportunity for commercial exposure, this might change when the property is built. AP U.S. History teacher Jodi Soares has taught at Arroyo High School since 1995, and feels good about the new developments. “I am hopeful that it will revitalize [Hesperian Boulevard], because right now it’s just an empty lot, and hopefully the stores will thrive with the customers in the apartments.” Soares also has some concerns about the apartments being built as well, as it may affect the amount of funding different programs have at AHS. “My concern is: what will it do to the schools? What will happen to Arroyo High School, because those apartments are going to have kids in them. That’s going to increase the enrollment at Arroyo, but do we have enough space to house them? Will we need to spend money to expand our school, to accomodate for the families in those buildings?” Clowser also expressed some concerns for the building as well. As more people enter the community to take up prized residential
space, the comfort level the San Lorenzo community could decrease. “If you double the population, you take up more space. People will want more parking and the neighborhood will get much more cramped,” Clowser said. “And when you have a drought almost every 20 years, people are going to want more water.” People moving into the area would also want jobs, which lowers the amount of jobs that people could have in the future. Michelle though is not concerned about this for herself, she wants to look ahead for us upand-coming adults. “What concerns me more is what will be good for the community 50 years from now, when you guys are in charge. What may be good for the community now maybe won’t be good [for it ] 50 years in the future. You’ve got to think, ‘what’s going to be a good community for them?’” In essence, the Village Green Apartments are not going to solve everything. They are not going to solve the housing crisis, nor are they going to completely make everything comfortable for everyone. It is, though, a bright spot in the gloomy scene of Hesperian Boulevard, and might add some much needed vitality and color to the bleak-looking lot. •
COMMUNITY
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Weekend Wonder Woman
Guidance counselor Mary Conway volunteers at Ashland free clinic. By Anthony Martinez
Photo | Anthony Martinez
Ms. Conway is working on prescribing medication for a patient. Conway volunteers at the Ashland Free Clinic every Saturday morning.
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very Saturday morning, counselor Mary Conway spends her free time volunteering at a clinic to help those who may not be able to go to the hospital for help. Conway goes to the Ashland Free Clinic located in San Lorenzo and helps out as a licensed nurse practitioner. Although she may be retiring soon, that doesn’t stop her from helping out those who need help the most. Conway plans on continuing helping out by raising the amount she helps out. “After retiring I definitely plan on helping out more at the clinic, now I only really help out around Saturdays as that’s the only time I have free outside of work,” Conway said. Conway deals with lots of things while helping out others, her passion for helping out those in need began when she first traveled to Central America in 2006 to help out people who couldn’t afford to go to a hospital so she went and brought the hospital to them. “One of my greatest experiences when I
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first helped out was when this group of young men had brought their grandmother to get treated because she had been sick. She was bedridden and couldn’t move at all and we got her the medicine she needed so they took her back home. We went to go see how she was doing the next day and there she was, up and about cooking for the whole family like nothing had even happened,” Conway said. After she had gone and helped out she had found a passion to help others but in a more suitable area close to home and luckily enough there was a free clinic with an open position. Conway had the credentials to help out as well being a nurse practitioner and all, so she had offered her services in exchange for nothing. “I started helping out at the Ashland clinic here around about 2009, that’s when I started to want to help out near home instead of traveling all the way to Central America and helping out there, I still do sometimes but it’s better at home,” Conway said. Dr. Anay Wadhera is a retired physician
who also volunteers at the Ashland free clinic. Luxemburg speaks of why he continues to work in health even after his retirement. “I see volunteering as important and I still do it because usually whenever someone goes into medicine they never usually get out, they mostly continue even after they retire because it’s something we love doing,” Wadhera said. Through all the experience helping out others who can’t get it, she believes that all should be eligible for free health care. Even if that may not be supplied then she encourages more people to volunteer and help out whether it be at the Ashland clinic or at any other free clinic. After all is said and done though, Conway still helps out at the free clinic to this day, she volunteers every Saturday and after the school year is over she may even be helping out more. •
Today I Escape to
P. 20 - Music P. 21 - Gaming P. 22 - Shows P. 23 - What Type of Music Fan Are You?
Photo Illustration | Rizelle Jugarap
SPECIAL FEATURE
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Students share their passion for music artists. By Wesley Waldrep and Olivia Doctor
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enior Lucy Romero is not your average have smartphones and ask them all to try concert fan, having been to a large and buy the ticket at the same time; five or number of concerts including YG, six people were trying to buy tickets for their Beyonce, Ariana Grande, Kendrick Lamar, one friend.” Lo said. and many more. As concert tickets today Although there are fans who devote time can become increasingly expensive, an avid and effort into getting tickets and merch, concert fan like Romero has found a way to everyday fans are still affected by the impact enjoy a multitude of concerts without having of their favorite artists. Senior Amanda Hu is to bear the heavy price. Romero uses her a devoted Ariana Grande fan, also known as time to win concert tickets for her favorite an Arianator. artists on the radio. “I’m very devoted; I love Ariana. I listen “I actually win majority of my concert to her music all the time; it’s a routine. tickets on the radio, but I think the most I Whenever I feel sad, I listen to her music, and paid for a concert was like 95 and the least, I it makes me happy,” said Hu. just bought a YG one and that was like 45, but Hu incorporates Ariana Grande’s music usually I just go for free,” Romero said. into her daily routine. It uplifts Hu’s mood Romero finds that getting tickets off the when she is feeling low. Hu is also able to radio is not hard. Getting tickets takes a few connect with others through Ariana Grande’s steps such as knowing when the radio station music. She and her friends find Ariana is giving out tickets Grande’s lyrics to be and being consistent “The payoff payoff of of seeing seeing them them relatable and gives “The with calls for about them something else live is is worth worth the the time.” time.” live twenty minutes until to bond over. Senior Lucy Lucy Romero Romero said. said. you win tickets. “We always listen Senior “I get my tickets by to her music and just calling into the radio station when they say jam out. It connects us because we can all to; often they have times when they give relate to the lyrics in one way or another. It’s away tickets...you just have to keep calling; something we can bond over,” said Hu. it takes a while before you actually win,” Celebrities such as Ariana Grande have Romero said. influenced Hu’s love for singing, music, and According to Romero, getting tickets new ways to experience it. off the radio is worth it because the payoff “She inspired me to sing more, and I like of seeing the artists live is worth the time. her style of singing, so it influences my style People who spend a large sum of money on of singing,” said Hu. concert tickets and desire to get a front row Hu’s first concert was Ariana Grande, seat, but to get them free still gives you the and although the energy around her at the experience of a live concert. concert was weak, Hu still describes it as one “I just like seeing the artist live and it’s of the best experiences of her life. Hu recalls really different than just listening to them, the Ariana Grande concert to be “like home” and the way they give their performances is and was unreal to be in the same room as really different too...I would recommend it. Ariana Grande. Her performance came to life You save money; unless you’re trying to get through Grande’s music, visuals, and outfits. like front row seats, it’s worth it,” Romero “It was amazing. I wasn’t really excited said. for it, but when I got there, I just loved the Teacher Gary Lo also shared an experience energy. It was so cool to think that I was in where his students were trying to win the same room as Ariana Grande. I felt like tickets for the famous K-pop group BTS. He it was home. It was unreal to her and see describes getting these tickets as “extremely the music visuals along with her outfits and difficult” and a “luck of the draw” process. performance just come to life. It’s been one “They wanted to take...like five of the best times of my life to this day. I can’t Chromebooks at a time to try and get a ticket, wait for the Sweetener and thank you, next or they contract out to their friends who do concert,” said Hu. •
SPECIAL FEATURE
Photo Illustration | Wesley Waldrep
How does gaming whisk some away from reality?
By Serey Nouth and Melanie Thai
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unior Steven Doan has been playing a variety of video games since he was three years old. When he was young, his family got a Nintendo 64 and a GameCube which became the start of his love for video games. The arrival of a new computer later also opened up a new world of gaming to him: Roblox and Y8.com. “I first started playing Roblox and found a group of friends, got Skype…[I] just start[ed] playing with a group of people, then just started making more connections, got into different games, [and the] next thing you know, I’m playing games basically every day,” Doan said. His love of video gaming intensified over time, and he no longer played for fun: he played to win. Doan started to participate in online tournaments for League of Legends and continued to participate in more lengthy tournaments. “My most memorable one was actually just recently. I was playing in a tournament with a group of friends. We were playing for about eight hours. We were getting pretty tired. It started around 7p.m., [and] we ended [at] around 2 a.m. We were honestly just having a really fun time playing,” Doan said. Senior Hung Huynh participates in these tournaments alongside Doan, and Huynh himself averages roughly 30 hours of League of Legends gaming per week. “It’s really time-consuming, so I don’t have time to do other stuff, [but] I get to meet a lot of people and have fun with them,” Huynh said. Online video gaming has been a positive outlet for Doan, a comfortable environment that allows him to fully express himself in a way that he has not been able to outside of video gaming. “[Playing video games] helps me form connection[s] with others. It gives me a competitive aspect that I’m actually able to compete against others,” Doan continued. “It’s also given me more confidence in my social capabilities in myself.” The video gaming industry is massive, encompassing approximately 2.3 billion gamers across the globe
Photo Illustration | Rizelle Jugarap
according to a Global Games Market report for 2018. These gamers spent approximately $137.9 billion on games in 2018. Money is not the only investment dedicated gamers make. A major part of this industry also includes professional esports players with average professional gamers making $1,000 to $5,000 monthly. As someone who wants to pursue a career in this field, Doan is no stranger to the extremes that some go to to become a professional. He does agree that he spends far too much time on the activity, and that he forgets certain responsibilities he has as a result, but he feels that he is not as attached as others he sees online. “I honestly spend way too much time on it. Either I’m talking about it with friends, at school, outside of school, eating dinner with friends, or I’m just playing when I’m out of school when I’m not doing sports or homework,” Doan continued. “The addiction,
obviously 50 hours in 3 days is very unhealthy.” A term that is common amongst players is DDoS, Denial of Service Attack, where players attempt to prevent others from accessing their network. This can be done by flooding the website with traffic from multiple computers, to the point that the network ceases to work. These acts are illegal, but Doan has experienced many of these attacks after defeating an opponent. “There’s people out there that take it too seriously and actually do serious things about it. There’s crimes like basically shutting down other people’s internet providers because they lost. It has happened before to me. They [also] harm themselves. I remember someone slammed their head into the computer monitor because they lost... sometimes you can get too addicted into the game and start prioritizing it over everything in your life like school, relationships, [and] family life,” Doan said. Senior Joshua Sharp, founder and program director of Vandegrift High School’s Esports club, plays more competitively than gamers who game for fun. Although the players that he competes with, as well as himself, have a much higher level of commitment to gaming, DDoSing is not as common as one would assume. “I’ve never even heard of it being a problem. The matches that are for money are streamed and spectated by staff, so nobody has a reason to sabotage the competition,” Sharp said. Doan continues to host more tournaments for schools in the Bay Area like Arroyo, Castro Valley High School, and Alameda High School. He is also hoping to achieve his goal of becoming a top 200 player in Northern America. “My primary goal is to...go into the pro season for League of Legends. If not, I just want to try to hit challenger, which is a rank for the top 200. I just want to be able to get to that spot and hold it until the end of this rank season,” Doan said. •
SPECIAL FEATURE
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Students find comfort in foreign entertainment. By Samantha Wang and Trinity Mai
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hat was initially meant to be just a past-time became a passion that lasted. Junior Josue Contreras was captivated by Disney XD’s broadcast of Naruto in 2009. Since then, he began to devote time to Japanese animation, also known as anime, routinely, and has spent hundred of dollars on anime merchandise, primarily on comics known as manga. “It [Naruto] started in the first arc, and the Disney XD version was very censored and cut down. It was only 15 minutes long, so I had to find other places to get it,” Contreras said. “Well, then I started looking at different anime after I got the
full version of Naruto. So it was Disney XD’s incompetence to give you the whole [show] that made me want to get into anime.” In contrast, junior Cynthia Do took an interest in anime during middle school when a friend introduced Do to her favorite shows. Previously, Do only watched American TV shows, which were enjoyed by her family. Growing up in American culture, Do had felt disconnected with her Asian culture. Although she is not of Japanese heritage, she saw recurring aspects between Japanese culture
and her own Vietnamese culture and learned to embrace the unique aspects of Asian culture. “[Anime] opened me up to different things in different cultures because before I watched it, I was set in American shows. When I went to anime, it branched me out to a different country, and I started getting really connected to that and found it really interesting,” Do said. Once also interested in anime, senior Brenda Garibay also became intrigued by an aspect of a different culture: K-dramas. K-dramas, also known as Korean dramas, are TV series broadcasted in Korea but are now popular worldwide. Garibay sometimes spends hours binge-watching short K-drama series for comfort of what she needs during certain moments. “I like romance and comedy—like a combination of them is really fun—getting that type of positive vibe is nice to have for a little bit,” Garibay said. Like Garibay, Contreras and Do unwind while watching K-dramas and anime after school. Garibay and Do both have spent hours binge-watching the shows, whereas Contreras has spent hundreds of dollars on his collection of anime merchandise. However, they think the time and money they spend on K-dramas and anime holds
worth since the shows are something they truly enjoy and make a positive impact in their lives. “[I] find it entertaining and just lets me take a break from reality. It’s more relaxing; it takes me to a new place where I don’t have to worry. It’s like my escape,” Do said. “Sometimes taking a break from reality is a good thing. When you watch it, it’s as if you’re on the journey, and you’re experiencing something new, fun, and entertaining, which is something that some people can’t do in reality because there are limitations.” •
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Photo Illustration | Trinity Mai and Samantha Wang
SPECIAL FEATURE
What Type of Music Fan are You? Quiz What is a stan? Stan: An overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity. Hard Stan: You are ride or die for your artist. You spend your money, time, and energy on taking in all that your music artist has to offer. You are a true stan. Broke Stan: You would be a hard stan if you had money. You do everything that you can to support your artist, even if sometimes the cost can get in your way. Defensive Stan: You will do anything to defend your favorite artist. You spread the word by talking with your friends and trying to promote your favorite artist so that they can be as popular as possible. Bandwagon Stan: You do not take fan culture too seriously. Your priorities are not in favor of spending time and money for your favorite artist. You are just coming along for the fun of it all. Anti-Stan: You do not partake in popular media or culture. You despise the idea of pop artists taking over the music scene. You would rather stay exclusive. The Stan-dalone: You will support your artist no matter what. Even if those around you do not like the artists you like, you stand strong and do not let their opinions affect you. Silent Stan: You secretly love your music artist more than people may think. You try to keep it under wraps but secretly you might be the biggest fan out there. Soft Stan: You like your music artists, but they are not one of your priorities. You just simply indulge in their content every once in a while, and you could not care less about everyone’s opinion on those artists.
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SPECIAL FEATURE
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Stanning Our Community Encouraging fandoms to cherish their common interests. By Vivian Liu
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ave you ever seen fans bash each other on the internet over fandom arguments? This is not an uncommon sight. In fact, many of us have probably seen at least one argument start online when someone absentmindedly posted an offensive comment and prompted a stream of angry replies. With the vast amount of fandoms, there are guaranteed to be supportive fans as well as fans who treat fandoms less like a community. One of the issues in many fandoms is the existence of “toxic” fans. While normal fans limit themselves to purchasing merchandise to support their favorite fandoms, following their artists on social media, and engaging in community forums, toxic fans are willing to do more. Whether it be harassing people who are not part of the fandom, newcomers, or “casuals” (people not as invested in the fandom as toxic fans), these behaviors are not uncommon on the internet or in real life, and it is a major problem. Toxic behavior can be observed in gaming communities, such as League of Legends (LoL). According to research from the Scientific American, only about 1% of players are consistently toxic when playing LoL. Rather, the majority of toxic behavior stemmed from average players having a bad
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day. This indicates that people often act without thinking through the consequences of their actions, and the extent to which they may impact other fans. However, we need to remember to always be cautious of our actions, no matter whet h e r they be on t h e internet o r in real life.
LoL is only one of the few games that have a toxic community. For example, Rust, Overwatch, Counter Strike: Go, and Rainbow Six Siege are also known to have toxic
communities. These toxic fans tend to gather on social platforms like Reddit and Discord. Additionally, K-pop, or Korean pop music, is becoming increasingly popular. However, this also means toxic culture is increasing in K-pop fandoms. For example, the existence of “sasaeng fans” are a constant threat to many idols. These fans are over-obsessive over their Korean idols, and will go as far as to stalk them, break into their homes, and harass them when those artists make decisions they do not support. Some fans may argue that toxic fans are simply “passionate” about their fandom. The reality is this is not true, and should not be seen that way. If toxic fans are willing to go as far as to harass their favorite artists or newcomers in a fandom, then those fans are not truly doing their part in the community. They are being abusive and possessive, and these are not behaviors that should be tolerated. To all the fans out there: How often is it that someone will have the same interests as you? Instead of engaging in fanwars, we should be welcoming and cherish the common interests we share. Afterall, we belong to a community of common interests. •
Loyalty Runs Deep Fans should continue to support with teams moving location
DGG Dry Gulch Gazette
By Mimi Ramirez 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. Illustration | Mimi Ramirez
“B
etraying one of the most loyal fanbases in all of sports for money. Yall should be ashamed” said an angry fan on twitter “Thanks for letting Oakland down” said and angry Raiders Fan These were some of the tweets written about the Raiders leaving to Las Vegas next year.. There are also rumors of Warriors leaving to San Francisco. These tweets say that the teams should be ashamed but I think we should continue supporting them even when they leave because they are the same team as they were, just different location. These Bay Area teams have been in Oakland as long as this new generation has been alive. They will be apart of the community as we know it and them leaving means a big part of our community leaving, but doesnt mean we have to stop supporting when they do leave. Fan loyalty can go from die hard to enjoying the product of what the athlete or sports team provides. Fans know the team to well to just abandon them when they move to another city. Maybe they have a better deal with moving, maybe they have a better venue but in the end they are still the same team as they were when they were still rooted in your city and the loyalty shouldn’t fade away. They still gave you memories you will cherish, they are always gonna have a special connection to the city were they were at, and the
Sports give people memories to cherish throughout their lifetime. Being a fan of the A’s all of my life has brought memories i will cherish even after the team moves. Most of my family are also Raiders, and we have so many memories because for me sports brings us together, event though some people don’t understand them but the fact it brings us and other families together and just having a good time The location of the team should not be the deciding factor of whether or not people will back this team up anymore. If you have backed up the team up until the point where they announced they are moving locations, you should stay loyal even though it might be the usual place where they used to play. They are still as good as they were when they left the city A con about being loyal to your team still is the amount of games you will be able to go to. For example the Raiders, they have been a team at Oakland all of my life and the games I have went to have brought certain families together because of the sense of being together and having bonds over something everyone can do together. They are sadly leaving to Las Vegas and i won’t be able to attend any more games but These teams leaving Oakland should still have the support and the fan base here for stronger support wherever they go. They will part of us no matter what and that’s that.•
Editor-in-Chief: Janice Lee Managing Editors: Bethelehem Engeda, Jeanette Hernandez, Cassandra Yuan Campus Editor: Calif Chen
Community Editor: Angela Peña Special Feature Editor: Trinity Mai, Serey Nouth Opinion Editor: Vivian Liu Arts and Culture Editor: Andrea Marie Lomeli Sports Editor: Steven Avalos Art Directors: Nanda Bean, Rizelle Jugarap Copy Editor: Samantha Wang Gazette Staff Writers: Taliilagi Agatupu, Olivia Leigh Doctor, Rafael Duran, Daniel Grafil, Anthony Martinez, Joseph Meyer, Valentin Ochoa, Mirella Ramirez, Jacqueline Rico, Kayara Rocco, Melanie Thai, Michael Thornton, Photos |Anvin JosephTang, Meyer Wesley Waldrep, Vivian Wong, Christopher Yalung, Vivian Yan
Staff Adviser: Samved Sangameswara
OPINION
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Beauty and the Hypebeast Hypebeast brands are more than the price of their clothes. By Anvin Tang
Illustr ation |
Vivian
Liu
W
26
hat are some words you think of when you think of Supreme? How about Gucci or Balenciaga? Chances are you’d probably be thinking something like “expensive”, or “over-priced”. While these labels might be considered true, there is definitely something to be admired about these brands’ ability to push the boundaries of brand recognition and alter the idea of “high-class” fashion. There is no denying that “hypebeast” clothing is expensive, and in many cases, unreasonably so. Because of this reason, I totally understand the criticism that hypebeast clothing receives, some of which comes from myself as well. However, I have also come to admire how these clothing brands completely subvert the whole concept of fashion and capitalized on the desire for branded clothing. They have done this so effectively that the entire fashion industry have followed in their footsteps. People have many reasons for disliking hypebeast brands, but if you ignore many of the negative connotations that arise from the idea of hypebeast brands, there are many aspects of these brands to admire. Let’s look at a quintessential hypebeast brand: Supreme. Everyone knows Supreme, it is ubiquitous for producing plain clothing
OPINION
that are expensive purely because of the logo. To me, this brand is the pinnacle of everything that hypebeast clothing represents and Supreme knows this and it has run with it. They have even gone as far as to sell branded bricks, fire extinguishers, and nunchucks for hundreds of dollars. Additionally, how about we look at Kanye West’s clothing
These Hypebeast brands have changed the entire idea of what constitutes high fashion.
line who arguably takes it even farther. His entire collection consists of plain shirts and sweaters that mostly don’t even have logos on them at all. It is amazing how far they push this idea of brand recognition. Most importantly, however, is how these streetwear brands have influenced the fashion industry as a whole. When I was a kid, Gucci and Louis Vuitton were brands that made things like fancy handbags and scarves for older rich people. Now they have adopted many of the styles that streetwear
brands have popularized. They make branded belts, shoes, backpacks, hoodies, and T-shirts. These were things that I could never have expected from luxury, high-class brands. One very clear example of this can be found on the very front page of the Louis Vuitton website: an advertisement for their new line of high top basketball shoes. These hypebeast brands have changed the entire idea of what constitutes as high fashion from the usual high class extravagance to casual streetwear. The most prevalent argument against hypebeast clothes is that they are unnecessarily expensive. However, it is impossible to deny the influence these brands have on the entire industry. Additionally, people are going to want to spend their money on expensive clothing anyway. Most people want expensive clothes for the brand name, these brands just take it a step further. It is easy to look at these brands with disdain for what they are doing. However, I believe that they deserve at least a little respect for the risks they took In their product design and their subsequent success that have rippled throughout the whole fashion industry. •
Middle Schools Making Change SLZUSD is introducing a new class at the middle schools along with a change in schedule. By Michael Thornton
S
tarting next year, Bohannon, Edendale, and Washington Manor Middle School will have a schedule change to a six period day. Even though the new system isn’t perfect, it is most definitely a step in the right direction. One of the main reasons for this change is to make space to introduce a new Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Class. In today’s world, people, specifically young people, are becoming less and less social. The youth of today aren’t learning social interaction skills to the extent of generations before us, and we expect these people to be the leaders of tomorrow. We want to make sure that we are led by those socially capable of the job. The shift from seven to six normal periods is important to make room for this extra class twice a week. In practice, this change will give students and teachers six classes three days a week, and twice a week there will be the seventh SEL class. Six normal classes with an added SEL class twice a week is a perfect balance between having electives for students to take while also minimizing the the number of classes students take each year. Having less periods in the day does remove one of the current two electives available to students, but this change just makes it similar to freshman year in high school where you only have one elective. This change is also good for the teachers. With the current seven period day in the middle schools versus the six period day at the high schools, SLZUSD has a shortage of teachers specifically in the middle schools. Creating a schedule with only six periods per day decreases the number of students each teacher interacts with daily, decreases the number of classes spent teaching, decreases the number of test to grade, et cetera. This lighter workload will make the middle schools a more attractive choice to new teachers in the district. This change isn’t perfect. It still leaves the middle school teachers with more student interactions than high school teachers on two out of five days a week, and it is giving up one of the two electives current middle schoolers currently have. But even with these imperfections, it is definitely a step in the right direction by the school district.•
What do the students think about a new SEL class?
“I like how it gives people a chance to learn how to express themselves.”
KIPP Summit Academy seventh grade student at Graydon Junsay
“I think [SEL] will be a good thing. Maybe it will help there be less fights because they will talk it out.”
Bohannon Middle School seventh grade student Sam Nowlin
“I think the new clas [SEL] is a good idea because it will help with the transition into high school.” Washington Manor Middle School seventh grade student Marshall Lindow
Photos | Michael Thornton
OPINION
27
Slacktivism: Don’t claim to be a student activist when your activism stops at attending the walk out. By Trinity Mai and Vivian Yan
Unintended Consequences:
Smoking in the bathrooms isn’t just a health hazard, it effects the operation of the entire school. By Olivia Doctor
28
OPINION
One Note Higher
Choir students participate in state-wide competition. By Andrea Lomeli
Photo Courtesy | Pat Shultz
Photo | Photographer Pat Schultz
Senior Lawrence Li, choir teacher Pat Schultz, freshman CJ Bernardos on March 16 at the Allstate Choir Performance in San Jose
O
n Saturday, March 16, a Choir performance was held at Saint Joseph’s Cathedral, in San Jose. The choir groups were formed with students from different schools all over California. Two performers from AHS, Senior Lawrence Li and Junior CJ Bernardos, had both auditioned for the position to perform. Lawrence Li was a part of the Senior High Allstate honor choir while CJ Bernardos was in the Junior High Allstate honor choir. Bernardos was nominated by choir teacher Pat Schultz to audition to be a part of the Junior High Allstate honor choir. He had to submit an audio recording that required him to sing musical scales and songs that showed his vocal range from high and low. A panel of judges from the California Choral Directors Association looked at all the submissions from students of schools all over the state. On the other hand, Li’s admission process was different. “I went through an audition in September, got selected to the regional honor choir on October, then I choose to send my score from the audition to see if I can be selected to all state, then I am in,” Li said. “To practice the songs, I used the learning
track that posted on CCDA websites, and I checked with Ms. Schultz every friday after winter break to see what I need to work on.” There were many solo performances, and Li had made the first cut but did not end up with the role. He also had to practice singing in 7 different languages.
“There are lifetime of skills needing to be developed, to be even considered for this position ”
Choir Teacher Pat Schultz said.
The commitment in order to be a part of the Allstate choir was like trying out for a sport. “There are lifetime of skills needing to be developed, to be even considered for this position because you need to know how to sing, read music, and sight read.” Schultz said. The work rigorously prepared the students and taught discipline.
When they arrived at the Allstates, the large group met for the very first time. Then made a functioning choral group in the span of two days. The students were separated into groups of octets. You have to prove to the judges that actually have learned your music, if not you get sent home. “When you are rehearsing with the guest conductor, they aren’t teaching you the parts, they are refining the music and making it expressive.” Schultz said. “The songs that were performed by the choir, were written to be performed in the environ ment of the basilica of the cathedrals.” The two have been involved with music ever since they were young. Li has been playing instruments and singing since he was young, he started to actually learn choir in his junior year at AHS. While Bernardos has started singing since he was in the 2nd Grade. Bernardos and Li both hope to continue the path of choir and pursue their passion of music for the future. “The feeling of performing music on stage in front of a crowd makes me feel the happiest, and Choir gives me many opportunities to do so.” Bernardo said. •
ARTS & CULTURE
29
Behind The Stage
30
ARTS & CULTURE
Photo | Daniel R. Grafil
Tech crew’s responsibility in creating a stage for the play performances. By Taliilagi Agatupu
T
Junior Angelo Decastro, started he tech crew of the AHS Drama helping out around Jan. because he plays take a lot of their time was apart of ROP Construction and and energy from themselves to was asked if he could work on the create projects and make the stage a projects for the shows at AHS with the safe and workable place for the actors. construction team. He agreed to do this The crew takes a few months to create because he enjoys helping the drama the stage, which takes about three club. hours or more each day with a short Decastro describes the time that he break. They make sure every project, puts in creating the projects that were prop and stage is put together in a safe assigned to the team. Even if the project and creative way. is small, the crew gives it a hundred Senior Mario Huelga, who is apart of percent effort everytime. the light crew, started helping tech crew “In ROP Construction we work for a during his sophomore year. During this good three hours, sure it must be hard process, he has helped with equipment, work and only have like 15 minute set up the stage and lighting for the break but we don’t give up. We make actors. He believes without the tech sure we get the job done and honestly and stage crew there would be many it depends how the project looks like difficulties for the show(s). weather it’s small or big,” Decastro said. Huelga describes this process as Decastro said that the two main a teamwork job and is not a one man objectives are show. Everyone involved has “If not you then who?... we all to make sure the set is stable a role and is a and ensure that do what we can to help out.” very important is role to create Senior Mario Huelga said everyone content. the show. “The most “It’s a team important about effort to create this project was the props basically to make sure it’s perfectly and the set and everyone does their stable for anyone to go up on and make part. The question of “if not you then someone happy which we did we were who?”,comes to our mind when we even even happy we got it done too.” volunteer our time and we all do what Decastro said. we can to help out” Huelga said. Through the tiring times and Huelga also explains the amount of the good times, creating the stage time is put to create the stage. But even successfully makes the show more real with all the time and energy it is still a and authentic.• fun experience. “A show takes a few months to prepare. The actors start rehearsing first and the tech crew shows up a month or so after. We all usually work multiple hours a week but we all have fun so it feels like we’re not working at all.” Huelga said.
ARTS & CULTURE
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Seniors Christian Linschoten(left), Jacion Worthington(middle), and DeTahjae Bess(right) collectively have 156 followers on SoundCloud. Bess and Worthington often work together, to make hip-hop music while Linschoten is more of an independent beat maker.
Rap Game, No Fame
Seniors discuss difficulty building a following for their music.
By Daniel R. Grafil
I
n his sophomore year of high school, AHS student Jacion Worthington started rapping. According to Worthington, his friend, AHS student DeTahjae Bess, was the one who encouraged him to do so. Two years after this decision, both artists have gathered a following that extends the reach of AHS. With Worthington under the stage name “Jinxed,” and Bess simply going as “detahjӕ,” both artists have collectively gained 132 followers on SoundCloud, as well as over 3000 views on their song “Beast Mode ft. detahjӕ.” “Knowing that people know certain lyrics and certain stuff to our songs is pretty cool,” Bess said. Bess and Worthington have worked together on multiple occasions, doing shows, creating music, and making videos. According to Worthington, Bess was his inspiration to start rapping. “I’ve been rapping for at least two or three years. I only started when one of my friends, DJ[Detahjae], started,” Worthington said.
During their time rapping, both have gained attention by people both inside and outside of AHS. The video for their song “Hypeman” has over 800 views on YouTube. According Bess, even that amount of views wasn’t easy to accumulate. “Creating a fanbase is definitely hard if you don’t really know anybody. But if you know a few people, of course you’re gonna have like friends for fans,” Bess said. Bess and Worthington are more well known SoundCloud rappers at AHS. While they have seen success in their endeavours, some have had more trouble trying to make a following. Senior Christian Linschoten, known on SoundCloud as “Green Lytes,” has been rapping since the beginning of his junior year. In his time rapping, he’s accumulated 23 followers, as well as 22 views on his latest instrumental, “Blank.” Linschoten attributes his difficulty attracting fans to the type of fans he is attempting to make. “It’s a little difficult, because I wanna build a fanbase where it’s like they [the fans] don’t
wanna take music seriously,” Linschoten said. Linschoten’s brand of music is different than Bess and Worthington’s. Instead of focusing on lyrics, he tends to focus on how his songs make people feel. “You know how in some music, they do some lyrical stuff and people feel it? I just wanna make music that makes people feel some type of way,” Linschoten said. Despite the difficulty, Linschoten plans to keep making music and will be releasing a new track, titled “Stand Up,” in April. Meanwhile, Worthington and Bess are working on a track called “What’s Real,” which came out April 5th. As time consuming and difficult making songs are for him, Worthington states that it is all worth it, so long as he sees people enjoying his music. “Of course it’s hard to write sometimes. But when you have people who like appreciate your music and see you as legit, that helps with the creative process sometime,” Bess said.•
ARTS & CULTURE
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Artist of the Month Sophomore Javier Manzano answers questions about his artwork and showcases some of his art. By Rafael Duran Q: When did you start to avidly draw?
A:“Around the start of 9th grade, end of eighth grade.”
1
4
Q:What has influenced your art? A:“Just artists I listen to. If I’m drawing a specific
artist I listen to their music and sort of like draw it like the music is. Like if it is really loud musician then I do really heavy line art. But if it’s like R&B artist then I’ll do really light and easy.”
Q:What motivates you to draw? A:”I don’t want to be homeless with
no water. I also want to make something that people like and enjoy.”
Q:Do you see yourself continuing to do this in the far future?
A:“[I do plan on doing this in the future and I would
5
2
like to draw people.] I’m good at drawing cartoons so I can go into there and sort of add my style.”
Q:Do you prefer to draw rappers or cartoons? A:I’m more inclined to draw people because I’ve gotten better at people.And I think drawing people will help out more in the future than cartoons.”
Q:Why did you choose to do art over some of the otther art forms?
3
A: “I’ve thought about music but I’m not qualified
for that field.Art is just something easy and something I had lying around.” Q:Whart is a drawing that you are really proud of? A:”My favortire drawing is the one that I am making right now because I feel like I have put my all into it and most of my time to it and I think it shows my ability.” Q:Why did you sstop drawing cxrtoons?] A:”I felt that I wouldn’t get that far drawing cartoons and I would get far drawing people.”
Q:What would you draw when you were younger? A:I would just draw things that are around me, like sports, skateboards, legos.”
Q:Which cartoon drawing that you have made do you like the most? A:”I like the Adventure TIme cartoon that I just drew because it is simplistic and I like simplicity.”
1. A drawing of XXXTentacion with glasses that contain red lenses.
2. A
drawing of Medusa.
3. A simple drawing of young Marceline and a younger Ice King.
4. A draing of Ski Mask the
Slump God behind police tape.
5.
This is Manzano’s proudest drawing. It contains rappers like Eminem, XxxTentacion, JCole, Wisfisfuneral, and more.
@javiermanzanoart
ARTS & CULTURE
33
Business and the Hypebeast
Trendy clothing garners its own culture at AHS and students are using this as an opportunity for entreprenuership. By Janice Lee
S
enior Amy Shun wears around $500 to school everyday, including a Supreme branded parka on top of a Supreme hoodie, a Marc Jacobs beanie, and Adidas socks in a pair of Vans. Although she doesn’t consider herself a hypebeast, a term that often carries a negative connotation, she has her own definition of the word. “[A hypebeast is] a person who collects,” Shun said. There are certain brands that stereotypical hypebeasts collect religiously, such as Supreme, A Bathing Ape (BAPE), and Kanye West’s own brand, Yeezy’s. Senior Khana Hoang explains why she believes certain brands become hypebeast staples. “These brands become popular because these brands are normally worn by famous people, or maybe a famous person wears it and then us being followers will probably try to mimic that,” Hoang said. People interested in pursuing this style are are facing a huge obstacle: the pricetag. While it is common knowledge that these trendy items will cost a pretty penny, some still struggle to justify the cost. “They’re expensive because people are
willing to pay the price for it. For example, a Supreme fanny pack is almost $100, and I feel like people will buy it just because of the name if it. It’s all in the name, and it shows a lot… people buy it because it’s to show ‘hey, I got money,’” Hoang said. Whether hypebeasts are in it for the fashion or the clout, one cannot deny the movement of young entrepreneurship that sparked from hypebeast culture. Not only are young people learning how to maneuver themselves in a real-life market, this practice can make high-end brands more accessible to those who may not have the budget to purchase directly from the manufacturer. Senior Jocelyn Ramos, who just got into the clothing scene last year, uses one of many apps dedicated to reselling unwanted items to get some cash on the side, while at the same time letting her buyers get a good deal on an otherwise expensive item. “I use the application Poshmark, and so I usually go into my closet like twice a week and I choose clothing items that I don’t wear anymore... I do very low prices because I know a lot of people don’t like buying resold clothing for a lot of money, so I do it for $10
or less. It’s very easy,” Ramos said. Because of her many listings and low prices, Ramos earned popularity on the app with more than 400 followers. The items she sells garners a lot of attention from the users of Poshmark; she sells popular brands such as Michael Kors, Nike, Yeezy’s, and clothing from other retail stores such as Forever 21 and Macy’s. “I think I am well-known because of the items that I sell. I sold a lot of highend products that I don’t use anymore, so because of those products I feel like a lot of people have seen the other clothing that I post, and so they just ‘like’ my listing and from there, they share the listings that I post, and that’s where I get the most recognition,” Ramos said. “So far I have gotten a lot of followers, but I’m getting there… it takes time.” Time appears to be on her side in this case as fashion is an enduring and longestablished industry, but no matter how involved someone is in this scene, the hype is still real for those who can afford it. “I don’t think it’s worth it, but I just like spending money on it,” Shun said.•
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Illustration | Janice Lee
Palace Corduroy Classic Polo Cap
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ARTS & CULTURE
Moving Away from Athletics Life long athletes discuss life after sports. By Jacqueline Rico
A
s senior year approaches an end at AHS, so has some athletes’ careers. Some students have been playing the same sport since their childhood and has decided to come to a stop once they go on to college in the future. Senior Juliana Madriz has played soccer since she was seven years old with DSAL, the Alameda County Sheriff’s league. She started playing co-ed in 2008 and progressively got better. Julie was 12 when she started in Northstars and had other offers from other teams but preferred to stay with her friends. Her senior year she became the team captain for Arroyo’s girl soccer. Her love for soccer started when she was seven years old with DSAL, the thing that inspired her so much was “making so many fun memories and creating so many friendships that I won’t ever forget and of course always getting to play soccer.” Madriz has been varsity for four years. Although now she also feels discouraged to continue after high school. Madriz states that she will miss Waranoff being her coach the most and her best friends. “Leaving my best friends the girls I played with before high school that will still be attending next
Photo | Jacqueline Rico
year and all the memories we created with each other,” Madriz stated. Senior Jonathan Reyes has played football since freshman year until senior year. But in middle school he played contact football so he played in total of two teams. “The moment before a game where me and the team would all have a moment of silence and then all of a sudden one of us would just hype us up,” Reyes said. Reyes at first felt pressured to play football due to his father until freshman year he started to listen and began to love playing. His favorite moment was in the summer because he got to spend time with his best friends/ teammates. “My junior year I got a really bad concussion during a game and I had to step out for a week or two and I hated it.” Reyes had a goal for his Senior year which was to not get injured since his Junior year he experienced a bad season. Even though Reyes gained a passion for football he feels discouraged to continue after high school. Reyes states that the thing he will miss the most is” being able to hit someone as hard as you can without getting in trouble for it.” Even though Madriz has been playing soccer since she was seven years old and
Reyes has been playing since his freshman year they decided to stop their senior year. Madriz is still undecided due to her surgeries and Reyes fear of being crushed by college football players. “ I’m way too small to be playing football, they would crush me,” Reyes said. He feels like he won’t be able to accomplish much of the season in college so he prefers to focus on his future now. He will be attending Chabot College and plan to take an EMT program. After he would take a paramedic program in Santa Clara. Madriz is still thinking of continuing soccer after high school because of all the injuries that she had or has. After graduation Madriz will be studying at San Francisco community college for some special classes. “The environment of our team was all love for each other no drama just love and I’m happy my four years on this team were the best four years I could have ever had,” Madriz said. A goodbye to their last season but not their memories. “Everyday for summer you would bond with the same people learning about their experiences and having them push you to greater limits,” Reyes said. •
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36
Beyond the
Finish Line T
By Calif Chen
here are nearly 8 million high school students who are currently participating in sports in the United States. However, there are only about 5000 professional athletes in the US. This means that the other 7.9 million student athletes end up in other professions, but the sports they played leaves a lasting impact in their lives.
Sports &Future Aspirations
Sports &Community
H
ealth teacher India Rodgers played volleyball, softball, and soccer in high school. Through her years in sports, she have found lifelong friends and it also motivated her to be a teacher at Arroyo. Rodgers reflects on the important life skills that she gained through sports. “I think it is less about sports and more about the activity, now that I look at it it is having an activity that you do and your friend do help you get on the hard days. That is what mostly translates in my life, you have a hard day as a parent or as a teacher or whatever it is you are doing. Club sports and high school sports, you don’t want to always go to practice, but for me, persevering and being resilient around that has made me more resilient in my life. I realize that life isn´t always wondering, you have to push through,¨ Rodger said. Being apart of sports also gave Rodger’s a sense of belonging in the Arroyo community. Because the relationships she built around sports, Rodger went out of her way to become a teacher at Arroyo. ¨I teach here because of my experiences in high school, a lot of which were related around sports and my relationship with my teachers. I choose to commute here 45 mins each way because of the relationships I had in high school sports, it is a huge deal to me,¨ Rodger said. •
By the numbers Here are the breakdowns of the number of student athletes in high school who does not end up becoming a professional athlete. There are only about
5000
professional athletes in US (Next Gen Personal Finance)
7,995,000
Student athletes end up in other professions in the US
8,000,000
High school students participate in sports in the US (National Collgiate Athletic Association) Illustration | Samantha Wang
S
enior Erick Olguin have been playing football since his freshman year and wrestling since his sophomore years. Being apart of sports not only had a big influence in his high school life, but it also built onto his aspiration to pursue sports medicine. In high school, Olguin started to became interested in science and medicine after taking various health and medicine classes. He enjoys being able to use the knowledge he learned in class and apply it into his own athletic practice. “It was my interest in science. Once I can apply my science to my sports, whenever I play football or wrestling, I would apply what I know. It is fun preparing your body in the ways I learn in the classroom. In sports medicine, you learn that you have to be hydrated and eat the right stuff. You apply that into your own life because you are an athlete. Not only science is more fun that way, but also you feel like you are getting more out of playing the sport,” Olguin said. After finding his interest in science and implement practical knowledge in his own sports, Olguin became interested in pursuing sports medicine. He realizes that sports medicine is the perfect combination of both of his interests. “Sports is a huge part of my life. When I think of what I want to be when I grow up, I often think back to sports. Being the fact that I love sports and medicine, sports medicine is a good combination of both worlds. I can practice medicine yet at the same time, sports is involved,” Olguin said. •
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It’s Hard to Say Goodbye Teachers and students reflect on the Raiders leaving the Bay Area. By Steven Avalos
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ocial studies teacher Joel Gonzalez used to be a season ticket holder for the Raiders since 1995 - when the Raiders returned from their tenure in Los Angeles. But since the Raiders made the announced in 2017 that they will be headed to Vegas by 2020, Gonzalez canceled his season tickets. “The moment I found out about their move to Vegas I canceled my season ticket membership. I feel like the city of Oakland has been betrayed, they’ve put a lot into this team which has become a part of their identity and for the team to take the city hostage by demanding their tax money despite Oakland already struggling financially seems to me is a bad thing.” Gonzalez began to recall some of his memories as a season ticket holder such as having his name displayed on a monument just outside of the Coliseum that commemorates all of the fans who were there for their return which felt like a “thank you” to the faithful fans. “I first became a season ticket holder when they first returned from [Los Angeles} I was 19 years old and didn’t have a lot of cash but I spent it on those tickets so my name is still at the Coliseum among all the original season ticket holders. I used to go with friends [and] take my kids. Made me really look forward to Sundays.”
For over 50 years there have been three teams that have resided in Oakland: the Raiders, Athletics, and Warriors. Within a few years the lot that has been home for those teams will be empty as the Athletic’s will move to Howard Terminal (still in Oakland) by 2023. Although the deal is not set in stone yet, the Warriors will cross the bay into San Francisco next year for the 2019-2020 season, and the most contreversial move out
“I feel like the city of Oakland has been betrayed, they’ve put a lot into this team which has become a part of their identity...”
Social studies teacher Joel Gonzalez said
of all of them is that the Raiders will be going to Las Vegas which has been an ongoing controversial decision due to how it has impacted the fanbase and the money that’s involved which has left fans feeling betrayed. The Raiders have already left before for Los Angeles from 1982-1994, returning to Oakland in 1995, but will now leave again in a couple years likely by 2020 or 2021. The Raiders were actually supposed to
leave earlier after the 2018 season due to an expired lease on the Oakland Coliseum and a lawsuit coming from the city of Oakland to the Raiders along with rumours of the Raiders playing in San Diego or Santa Clara before the stadium in Las Vegas is finished Social Studies teacher Kevin Beal agrees with Gonzalez who also grew up in the Bay Area watching the teams since he was a kid. And like many others, Beal sees the Raiders moving as a money decision and feels that the organization must not care for their fans. “It’s a new era, there’s no more loyalty between the team and the city they play for anymore especially with so many players moving out due to the era of free agency. They had a connection to the city and the fans but now people move around like crazy - that never happened when I was growing up as a fan so it has changed my connection and how much I’m willing to invest into a team because it no longer feels like a two way street loyalty wise”. Beal also replied on whether or not he will still watch the Raiders after they leave to which Beal replied saying, “ I’m probably still gonna watch them when they’re on TV but I highly doubt the idea of heading over to Vegas to watch them play.” One last thing that Gonzalez had to comment on about this topic was that “At the end of the day, it’s all business.” •
Will you remain a Raiders fan after they leave Oakland?
Photo | Steven Avalos
“I’m pretty sure that I am still going to watch them, but I’ll still see them as an Oakland team.” Senior Mario Huelga
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SPORTS
Photo | Steven Avalos
“ I’ll still be a fan but I will always remember them as the Oakland Raiders.” Senior Ricky Louie
Photo | Steven Avalos
“I’m still going to watch them, but it’s never going to be the same since they will not be in Oakland.” Senior Gaby Archuletta
Photo | Laura H. Engen
Senior Laura Engen signing her commitment papers to Holy Names University on November 11, 2018.
Playing For A Purpose
Insight into why athletes choose to play sports in college. By Jeanette Hernandez
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’ve been playing golf since I was a baby, when my dad got me a plastic set for babies, but I didn’t take it seriously until I was seven when I joined a team at my country club.” Engen has been playing golf for ten years at her local country club, TPC Stonebrae and AHS. Now senior Laura Engen will be continuing her passion of golf at Holy Names University, located in the Oakland hills where she will be attending in the fall. Special Education teacher Jason Kinser experienced the college sports lifestyle by playing club Lacrosse at Cal State East Bay. Kinser found the key in balance but also learned things that would impact the way he lives his life for the rest of his life. ¨For me the biggest lesson I learned, my head could lie to me and I can do better than the voice in my head tells me.¨ Kinser said. ¨I can do significantly better than the doubts in my head, that extrapolated out into not just athleticism but also translated for me into education.¨ Biology teacher and Co-Director of Trend Academy Joshua Kangas played club lacrosse and basketball for the University of Maine. Kangas’ experience is overwhelmingly positive and learned lessons that would have never come with if he had not participated
in any sports. “The two biggest takeaways is the, whole teamwork aspect and comradery comes with playing sports but also learning how to compete with sportsmanship. That has been one of the biggest life lessons i’ve learned because it really emphasizes the highlights between two teams, two different sets of people are not always in agreement on the same side but it’s a way to compete or disagree with respect,” Kangas said. In the fall Engen is looking forward to playing for her team and the experiences that will be made. “I’m looking forward to making more connections with different people, because golf is a sport where you can make friends and make connections whether it’s through business or just social. So I wanted to meet this brand-new team that are from all over the United States, and just like become a family,“ Engen said. Engen has spent lots of her time and energy dedicated to playing sports, now Engen is very enthusiastic about what is in store for her in college. “I was really excited just because like my whole life has been dedicated to sports and I played multiple sports.” Engen said. “So when I heard that they wanted to sign me for golf, it was like finally all the work I’ve been doing has been let up something out really excited and couldn’t wait for like to improve and get better.” •
SPORTS
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Joke’s On Me Everyone loves a good joke, but making them at your own expense does not have to be the only way. By Serey Nouth
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COLUMN
I
have a not-so-secret confession: self deprecating jokes are my vice. I love them in meme form, to make them, and to laugh along with others who make these jokes. Throughout my time at AHS, my humor has begun to increasingly include only these jokes. They usually ranged from “I hate myself,” “someone put me in the trashcan where I belong,” to “I want to kill myself right now LOL,” and they have become more common as I undergo my high school career. These jokes were never really a major problem to me initially because everyone else around me made the same jokes and comments. A lot of my friends like to call themselves idiots after they ‘fail’ a test or make simple mistakes, no matter how minor the mistakes they made were or how badly they failed. I usually just laugh along, because these jokes helped me cope with mistakes I made. It
was easier for me to cover up my insecurities with humor, than to just simply face the fact that I was prone to making mistakes and acknowledge these mistakes. I also used these jokes to both appear modest and seek attention. For example, I would call a piece of art that I created trash when I thought it actually looked decent because I did not want to be overconfident. And according to a study conducted by the University of Granada published in February 8th, 2018, the use of self-deprecating humor does not always have negative connotations. Jorge Torres Marín, a co-author of the study states, “That a greater tendency to employ self-defeating humour is indicative of high scores in psychological well being dimensions such as happiness and, to a lesser extent, sociability.” By shining light on my insecurity, I was able to establish more connections with my peers due to my vulnerability. But this pattern of putting myself down, and making myself the butt of the joke was much more harmful on my mental health and self-esteem than I ever anticipated. In my junior year, one of the arguably most stressful years in highschool, I consistently found myself in situations where I started insulting myself for the smallest reasons. I remember calling myself trash because I had barely scored an A on my calculus exam. Retrospectively, I do not understand what was running through my mind when I made this joke. I should have been proud of this accomplishment but instead all I could focus on was how I almost ‘failed’ - and that I need to justify this failure. I had placed myself in a constant cycle of self-deprecation in a bid to appear modest, but all it did was lower my self-esteem. I decided that enough was enough, that I need to stop hurting my mental state when I stopped thinking ‘true’ every time I saw a meme calling the user trash and just silently accepting the claim. There is a difference between humorously thinking true and silently accepting that you are trash, and I had slowly moved myself to the wrong side. I started by forcing myself to realize that my self-deprecation had transformed into self-loathing. I created a new mantra to help me with the transition from self-loathing to self love: my mistakes do not define who I am, and my flaws are what make me who I am. I started to focus more on the positive than the negative, which was difficult - but necessary. Actually following through was difficult, but anything vital for your growth and development is difficult. I am a more positive person than I was before, more involved and inclined to interact with others. I was able to be more vulnerable with others who I never thought I could be. I still make self-deprecating jokes every so often, but I have a more established boundary between jokes that are self-deprecating and self-loathing.•