DGG Dry Gulch Gazette Arroyo High School | Volume 61 Issue 3 | June 3, 2022
PRIDE
Stories About the Queer Experience at AHS Page 11
THERE ARE STILL A FEW YEARBOOKS LEFT! GET YOUR 2022 YEARBOOK BEFORE THEY SELL OUT How to Order Yearbooks can be purchased in the Finance Office. They are on sale for $80.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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4 - Spring Recap 6 -Senior Plans 8 - Cost of Prom 10 - New AP Language Teacher 12 - Special Feature: Queer Identities 13 - Special Feature: Queer Fashion 14 - Special Feature: Coming Out 15 - Special Feature: Trans Experience 16 - Language at AHS 17 - Netflix 18 - Protests 20 - Editorial 21 - Spring Sports Highlights 22 - Summer Jobs 23 - Driving 24 - What are you...?
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Cover Photo Illustration | Wynne Bendell, Claire Terzich, and Lilianna Agatupu
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SPRING RECAP
The first Night Rally, since quarantine , took place on April 28th, 2022 Student brings Princess Carriage for “Anything, but a backpack day”
Photos Courtosey of the Dry Gulch Gazette
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Juniors attending Prom on May 7th, 2022.
Student brings a microwave to school for “Anything, but a backpack day”, which took place on April 27th, 2022.
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Farewell, Class of 2022!
Senior insights on college apps and their future plans Seniors were sent a survey through their English teacher, asking their opinions about their time at school and the community around it. 72 students responded to survery and here are the results:
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Favorite School Year?
Best Local Cafe?
Senior (54.8%) Junior (4.1%) Sophomore (7.8%) Freshman (23.3%)
Tao’s Fresh (31.5%) ShareTea (31.5%) Brewja (24.7%) HappyLemon (12.3%)
In-Person or Online Learning?
Do you have your driver’s license?
In-Person (93.2%) Online (6.8%)
Yes (61.6%) No 38.4%)
Average GPA:
Best Chicken Sandwich place:
> 4.01 (15.1%) 3.01-4.00 (54.8%) 2.01-3.00 (23.3%) 1.01-2.00 (6.8%)
Chick-fil-a (39.7%) Popeyes (42.5%) McDonald’s (11%) Jack in the Box (5.5%) KFC (1.4%)
How much did you spend on Prom? (Excluding Tickets)
Target or Walmart?
$500-700 (2.7%) $300-500 (21.9%) $100-300 (45.2%) $0-100 (6.8%) Did Not Attend (23.3%)
Target (86.3%) Walmart (13.7%)
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Two seniors share their pathway for after high school By Thinh Huynh
Choices Galore
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ome students go into high school with little to no future plans. Senior Ronnie Yalung, however, entered high school with a clear goal: get accepted into a prestigious college. “My original plan after high school my freshman year was to just go to a prestigious college. I wasn’t too sure which college I would want to go to, I just knew it had to be a respected and well-known university, like Stanford.” Yalung said. “I never really changed my decision. Sure, I didn’t go to Stanford or anything like that, but I’m still going to Vanderbilt, and while it isn’t well known here in the Bay Area, it still is a top 20 university nationally, so I would say I’m not deviating too far off of my original plan.” Yalung committed to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He applied to 23 colleges and was admitted to 12 of his choices such as UC Los Angeles, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and Boston University just to name a few. For Yalung, he started off his freshmen year desiring a prestigious college, and now he had accomplished his goals. His goals sure have strayed a little, but not too far from the well-known Stanford University. Yalung, after being admitted into all these colleges, ultimately decided on Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt provided Yalung with a great financial aid package and has the prestige he was looking for. “It is ranked 14th nationally and I had a great financial aid package.” Yalung said. “The student-to-faculty ratio is 8:1 so I’m going to have more connections with my teachers and it was rated highly on undergraduate studies.” Vanderbilt wasn’t the only school that provided Yalung with great financial aid. Yalung would’ve been paid fully for any other colleges as well. However, Vanderbilt did offer him resources outside of education tuition. “Well, for any school that I could’ve chosen to go to, it would be paid in full due to financial aid and any other scholarships I received that weren’t from the school directly. However, I did receive a $6000 scholarship from Vanderbilt to study abroad for a summer, so that helped.” Yalung said. “Getting an $85,000 per year financial aid package from Vanderbilt stood out quite a lot. It covers all of my costs including food, tuition, and housing. It also covers any indirect costs, such as travel expenses or purchasing necessary technology.” Financial Aid was a huge factor for Yalung when deciding on his college. Though, the environment of the college has its importance as well. “I looked for location, food, financial aid, quality of teaching, student to faculty ratio, prestige, and quality of major.” Yalung said. “Although prestige is a high factor, it’s not too high to the point where I would disregard my choice of major and money.” Yalung suggests underclassmen to start early. As your high school year is short, you want to have the qualifications for college be checked off as soon as you can. “Start early! Look at the essays and the common app and make sure they marinate in your head so when you do have to write them, it’s not surprising or super hard.” Yalung said. “Start doing things you want colleges to see like extracurriculars and sports. Make sure you get grades well enough to go wherever you want so you can have the options when it’s time to apply.”
Cal State versus UC
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enior Darren Wen, like other students, struggled when deciding upon their future. Now he was set in stone for one major: kinesiology. “During freshman year, I was terribly clueless about my future in college and I had no set plan at all. I did not even know what I wanted to do in college or as a future career until recently near the beginning of my senior year.” Wen said. “I’ve always had some fascination with the human body and that’s why I pushed myself to do calisthenics and participate in sports. I realized I wanted to do kinesiology and kinesiology at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo appealed more to me than the pre-med-based route I would have to take at UC Berkeley.” Wen committed to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Wen applied to 11 colleges. He was only rejected by University of Southern California and waitlisted by UC Los Angeles. Just like most students at Arroyo, Wen went into high school not knowing what he wanted to be. However, because of his fascination and interest in the human body, Wen was able to decide his career pathway. Wen was torn between Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UC Berkeley. However, Wen ultimately decided on San Luis Obispo, majoring in kinesiology “I was deeply debating between Cal Poly San Luis Obispo versus UC Berkeley, and in the end, I picked San Luis Obispo because of their location and I got the major I wanted.” Wen said. “Berkeley accepted me for nutritional science which I felt like was not aligned with my interest.” The intended major was a huge factor for Wen when deciding on his college. However, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo provided many resources for Wen as well. “I got loans from Uncle Sam (FAFSA).” Wen said. “Additionally, I picked San Luis Obispo because I like being further from home during college and it will teach me independence. The major at San Luis Obispo was just better for me anyway because the school itself is a good school for that major.” Wen firmly believes that the intended major and location are the main factors when deciding on a college. Those who go to college for prestige will only end up hurting themself in the future. “It’s the major you chose. I don’t care if Harvard accepted me for a major I don’t care about because I’m not going to do anything with that major.” Wen said. “If you go to a college just for their name, I feel like you, yourself, won’t be as happy. You also have to make sure you like the location of the school.” Wen believes that these factors will lead to success in college. Additionally, he advises underclassmen to start earlier than anticipated. “If you are applying to UC, start your PIQs as early as you can.” Wen said. “They usually do not turn out the best of quality if you start your PIQs in November or October. I suggest you start mid-summer or beginning of the school year. It is best to give yourself as much time as you want. I would also tell you to research what kind of major would interest you the most.”
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How much are students willing to spend for prom? By Nicole Watson
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fter two years of COVID ruining senior year, students of Arroyo High School are finally able to have prom. Since this is one of the few events that have been approve for upperclassmen this year. Many went all out spending well over $1000 or found their ways to spend less than $400 including tickets to have a great prom within a reasonable budget. Even though prom are a fun and expensive night. We decided to find the student who spent the most and the minimum amount of money and compare them and their experiences. “Crazy, Lit, Movie”, as senior Kyle Sagun Gomez describes his prom night. This is Gomez’s last year of whigh school and he wanted to make the most of prom only by spending around $300 and not breaking the bank just to have fun. The first question asked to Gomez, “What inspired your outfit?” He talks about not having an idea of what to wear or what color he had in mind, but all he knew was he wanted to dye his hair, so prom gave him the excuse too. Gomez ended up deciding to go to the Men’s Warehouse to look around and pick out whatever he thought looked nice. “I went to the Men’s Warehouse and kinda just looked at stuff and tried some things on. When we were about to leave we saw this really really nice purple shirt and then there was this tie we also saw. They went well together and then I chose dark gray pants and a coat because they went well with purple. I also dyed my hair purple for prom both to match and because I wanted to actually dye my hair” Gomez said. The next question asked was, to break down the outfit and the budget they had. Kyle SagunGomez got a deal on his suit looking around at Mens warehouse. He also mentioned that he didn’t exactly have a set budget but he also didn’t want to spend the most on his prom outfit. “My suit and pants were bundled for $100 something, the shirt was $20, and the tie was $30, my shoes were from Walmart for $30. Got to save somewhere you know. No budget but not too crazy. I do think I overspent on the coat and pants, but the others were worth it.” He said. The next question asked was, “If you could or would do prom again, would you and what would you do differently?” Gomez, definitely would do prom again and will plan to spend less on his outfit and decide to ask someone to prom. “Yes I would do prom again but I’d need to have my friends there because they definitely made the experience, I would have spent less on my coat and pants. Also I wish I had asked someone to prom because it was my last one.” Last question asked is “What was your most memorable moment at prom?’’
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“My most memorable moment was my knee popping and then I had to take an hour break from dancing. I danced too hard but it was definitely worth it and I went back after my knee felt better.” He said. The same questions were asked to see how many students are willing to go all out for prom with a much bigger budget to make the most of their night. “Energetic, enjoyable and satisfactory. “ Mayo Jack Junior at AHS described prom as they decided to drop around $1000 for prom. The same first question is asked to Jack, “What inspired your outfit?” Jack is a person of color and is a part of the LBGTQ+ community. With unique inspiration they decided to go with a vintage 60-70’s vibe, with an elegant dress. “I wanted to look elegant and slightly vintage. I was thinking of something as elegant as the 1700’s, with a more modern look. And the dress has a vintage 60’s, elite person look to that, and to be a person of color and of the LGBTQ+ community, being able to take that power back and show that people like me can wear elite clothing.” Jack described. Jack spent over a grand for their whole prom experience. Breaking down each price of the piece of the outfit, it was almost $900 and not including the prom ticket, but they didn’t really have a budget. “Dress, Rin’s Bridal in San Carlos, CA. The total (for adjustments and stuff) was around $865, but the dress itself was $495, shoes from Bliss in Southland Mall, around $35, gloves from INVU in Southland Mall, about $10, capelet from Macy’s, $35 and jewelry from my grandma, free”. “I knew that I couldn’t go over an extravagant price per piece, but didn’t set a budget.” Jack describes. The next question asked was, “if you could or would do prom again, would you and what would you do differently?” Jack, also said they definitely would do prom again and will plan things out more in depth, but also find more people to hang out with during prom. “I am definitely going to try to go to prom next year, but maybe just plan a little earlier to make sure that things are set in stone. Also, to make a plan for what to do after. And just to make sure that I find someone or something to do while there because there were some times where I couldn’t have fun because everyone was dancing, while I needed to take a break and cool down. I also don’t dance for that long and if that is the only entertainment there, I will get bored quickly.” said Jack. Last question asked is “What was your most memorable moment at prom?’’ Jack explained that they felt like there were no restrictions with being with their friends during prom. “Eating an item, then dancing with a couple friends. I don’t normally dance, so it felt I could let go with them”
Photographer Nicole Watson
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Passing Down the Torch
Giller becomes the new AP Language teacher By Makani Reith Fifita
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ith the retirement of Robert Guarino after over 20 years of teaching at Arroyo High School, he is planning for a nice and enjoyable retirement. Now the question is ‘Who is going to teach Advanced Placement Language for the next few years?’. The question had been resolved with Future’s academy teacher, Mark Giller who currently teaches Juniors and Freshmen. Now a few expectations and advice when it comes to being an AP teacher, as well as teaching another set of grades throughout the day and eventually years ”I do have a few things for him but it’s a bit too much for an interview. But hopefully he enjoys it as much as I do, and like any class he’ll make it his own.” Guarino said. There is going to be a lot of work put into Giller to prepare students for the AP tests as well teach the freshmen curriculum for the rest of his schedule at the same time. AP Language and Literature through Film teacher Robert Guarino is retiring after teaching at AHS for 15+ years. The retirement of the AP Language teacher, Mark Giller is going to take the mantle of AP Language. Giller has been teaching primarily English at AHS for a decade now, so with Guarino retiring this brings up Giller to take a new challenge in order to teach future seniors AP Language and upcoming freshmen. “Well after a while, you know it is exciting to take on new challenges and this is an opportunity to teach students who are highly motivated and highly invested in the subject matter. I think it’s going to be a learning experience for me as well with the new opportunity, to something that is quite appealing. “ Giller said. Giller is teaching juniors and freshmen, so his schedule is going to be a workload for next year, however he decides to plan out his next chunk of classes. But next year it’s different due to the amount of people who had signed up for the class. “Well I’m sure it’s going to be extremely busy because preparing for the test takes a lot of work, practice and so there is a lot of repetition involved, and the readings are longer. So I imagine it is going to be time intensive, and also preparing for the two other classes and that it is going to add a lot to the workload.” Giller said. Since AP Language started the class back in 2011-2012, there was a large number of students joining the class because of it being a recent class added to the school. Snce the amount of students that came in, it would be a massive workload for Guarino but he managed it over the years. “You get used to it, You know new classes are
Photograph by Makani Reith Fifita
English teacher Mark Giller preparing and working for next year’s AP Language and freshmen classes harder in the beginning but you know after a few years, It is no more different as there are every negative and positive in every class.” Guarino said. Once completing AP Literature the next step is to take AP Language. After returning from quarantine, it is about time a lot of people decide to take AP classes to improve upon their studies, as well as to prepare for colleges and the applications. With this in consideration, Giller gives his thoughts about why AP Language is such a popular class. “I really don’t know. I think maybe that a lot of our kids get comfortable with certain English teachers. So a lot of the juniors are comfortable with me, so they decided to continue on and they know what to expect. And I think a lot of kids wanted to take an AP class for the first time, see what it’s about and senior year is a good time to do that since you’re a little more mature and you have a little more classes under your belt.” Giller said. Math teacher Gary Lo has experience when it comes to becoming an AP teacher, as the class started back in 2011-2012. Since AP Stats is a very recent class at Arroyo, Lo had volunteered to be the teacher for the upcoming class. When becoming an AP Teacher you got to go through a process in order to get the class verified to become a teacher. “Since AP Language is already established
as a class, he wouldn’t have to go through the process. But for us we have to go through the board approval process. And once the class is approved by the board then we go down a summer training course. It was pretty intense. It was a whole week down at Stanford and we pretty much learned the entire curriculum. The instructor basically gives you a few questions and what to expect, It was overwhelming.” Lo said. With Giller slowly becoming the AP Language teacher over the course of this summer, he hopes Guarino the best, as well as his future students who are taking the class next year. “You know I hope we can have a good balance of having fun as well as getting our work done as well as getting something positive out of it.” Giller said. But now there could be a few last minute nerves that Giller is going to have to get through for the next year AP Language class. “I wouldn’t say I am necessarily nervous but more the idea that I never taught the class before, as well as getting the materials together, and kinda sandwiching a class all together and a routine for a class I haven’t taught before.” Giller said.
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Three students of different identities share their queer experiences
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Four queer students share how fashion has helped them express themselves
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Three students share their coming out stories
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The trans experience
illustration by Eden Buell
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Comparing experiences of different queer identities By Wynne Bendell
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ophomore Ruijia Gu shares their experience with exploring gender expression and how that has helped them present masculine, while still having a strong connection to their womanhood and how that has made their queer experience much more enjoyable. “I’ve always been more masculine growing up so it’s always felt innate, but embracing my masculinity has made me happier because it’s made me feel comfortable with how I express myself whether it’s how I dress, my mannerisms, etc. I still go through similar experiences feminine presenting people go through and I still feel a strong connection to womanhood because I feel like my masculinity doesn’t make me more or less of a woman- it’s just another part of myself that I allow to be shown to the outside world.” Gu said Queerphobia comes in all different shapes and forms, often depending on your identity and how you express yourself as a queer person. We talked to freshmen Jayda Bardwell who identifies as pansexual, sophomore Ruijia Gu who identifies as a lesbian, and junior Kevin Celedonio who identifies as gay, about their experiences being a queer student at AHS. Bardwell observes that the homophobia they have faced has not just been in the form of slurs or direct harassment, but the invalidation of their identity as a whole. “My mom was pretty open about it, she didn’t really care as long as I was safe, it was the same experience if I was with a boy, I didn’t really tell my other family, my dad wasn’t as open about it, he still sees me as straight.” Bardwell said Gu believes that different queer identities encounter different forms of queerphobia. They have noticed that fetisization is an aspect of homophobia that effects queer women in particular. “I think certain identities and certain sexualities have their own struggles, I think everyone experiences homophobia differently. As for lesbians I can say there is fetisization between straight men towards lesbians but also any queer women,” Gu said Celdenio agrees with Gu, that while the queer community as a whole collectively face
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homophobia, it comes in many different forms according to gender identity and sexuality. “We definitely have things we all deal with like coming out and dealing with homophobia but it all comes in different kinds of ways.” Celedonio said Celedonio notes that in terms of dating, gay youth have a limited dating field which leads them into unsafe situations. “Dating life has been a struggle and I think it’s just the lack of options and not having the variety that other people get. Gay youth see they have a lack of options, so they go on to dating apps with older people and can be groomed. It’s just not good.” Celedonio said
people in movies are always held to the same stereotype or plot so it was really difficult to figure that out.” Bardwell said Similar to Bardwell, Gu expresses their disappointment of the new wave of representation for queer women in media. They believe that the quality of queer representation should be more important than quantity. “Yes we want more representation but I now realize that when there is more representation there is also a trend of stereotypes, there is a trend of similar tropes that we don’t want to see. For lesbians a lot of our representation in movies or TV, one of them always end up dying or they break up, there are rarley happy endings for LGBTQ couples. I do want to see more happy endings for queer women.” Gu said Celedonio observes that homophobia is directed at students that express themselves similar to stereotypes in media, like feminie gay men and masculine queer women. People use archetypes of queer people from movies and tv shows to make fun of queer people in real life. “If you identify as a male but present very feminine they would see you as a stereotypical gay person and would start being homophobic to you, similar to how if you identify as female and present more masculine you are faced with homophobia.” Celedonio said Gu brings up the idea of comphet also known as compulsory heterosexuality which is a term popularized by Adrienne Rich in her 1980 essay titled “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence”. Gu defines comphet as queer women feeling that they like men or feel a false sense of illustration by Eden Buell Celedonio and Gu have both recognized attraction to men because of society’s need the the difficulties of dating as a queer student for women to appeal to the male gaze and at AHS, but Gu expresses a differing opinion patriarchy. about dating. “If you are trying to figure out your sexuality “I would say there is still a lot of stigma as a lesbian or just a woman who likes other with coming with this person [their girlfriend] women just one important thing to aknolwlege to certain places. In public spaces not every is comphet is very real and male perception LGBTQ couple feels comfortable to show PDA affect a lot of how you find yourself and your or even that they are together, like holding identity and as you go on it will become more hands.” Gu said challenging but that doesn’t mean that you Bardwell says that the lack of queer won’t be able to find your true self.” Gu said representation in media has contributed to Gu and Bardwell both believe that the their dating stuggles. hardships that come with exploring your “It was kind of hard, because you never have identity and coming out are worth it because someone to look up to, as ‘oh is this something they help you discover your authentic self. I should be doing’ or ‘I feel like this but I don’t “I think that it’s definitely an experience know if it’s right’. It was pretty difficult but I that I don’t mind going through, its both always had a family member that helped me challenging and really beautiful to see yourself figure out stuff like that. But yeah I think queer blossom.” Bardwell said
Students share how much fashion has helped them. By Lilianna Agatupu
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unior Mayo Jack came out at a young age and is learning to express themself with fashion. They can be seen wearing dresses and skirts, with makeup on. “I’ve been able to go against the norms and express myself in ways that are wearable and can be shown all day long. Since I’ve let myself go, my style has definitely changed; from wearing jeans and t-shirts to dresses and skirts” Jack said. Teenagers learn to express themselves through the way they dress. When teenagers come out, some start dressing differently and learning how to express themselves through fashion. Some dress feminine, masculine or androgynous. Changing up your style can help queer students feel more comfortable about their sexuality. Its a way of acceptance for queer people. “My style makes me feel a lot more expressive about it and kind of like, you know I am who I am. I’m open about it.” Junior Trinity DeLa Cruz said. When changing up your style, it is a big change because it is your appearance. It takes adjusting from yourself and others. “Before I used to be scared to dress masc in fear of people thinking I was a lesbian, but now I’m comfortable with my sexuality and I like to express that side.” Junior Alexis Dulan said. “I used to just wear leggings and sweaters. I had no style, I came out when I was in 7th grade. My grandparents look at me a little strange when I dress masc.” When you’re young and figuring out your sexuality, the way you dress helps you express yourself. Dressing differently than how you used to can make you feel safe and comfortable. “Being a lot more able to change with being masculine and feminine, it definitely made me more comfortable. I wouldn’t say you have to dress the way I dress to be validated as gender fluid or trans of some sort. The way you dress is the way you dress. Overall the way I dress made me feel more comfortable in my skin.” Freshman Killian Garcia said. The way you dress really does have a big impact in your life, especially when you’re learning to become more comfortable with your sexuality. “I’m comfortable and fashionable, I tend to dress with my mood, but I do hope I can wear more formal dresses in public.” Jack said.
Junior Mayo Jack before coming out as androsexual, and them now wearing a dress to prom.
Junior Trinity DeLa Cruz before coming out as bisexual was only seen wearing skinny jeans, but now owns no pairs of skinny jeans.
Junior Alexis Dulan switches from femme to masc occasionally.
Freshman Killian Garcia also switches from femme to masc.
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Three students share their coming out stories
By Claire Terzich
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enior Esai Romero-Cruz was joking around with his mom and it turned into revealing something that she didn’t know. “My mom and I were laying down and watching TV and she asked if I was dating my best friend and I said ‘no, but I like guys.’” Romero-Cruz said Romero-Cruz identifies as gay and officially came out in the middle of his sophomore year to his friends. It took him a pretty long time to realize that he was gay and when it came to telling his family, he wasn’t sure whether to tell them or not. Although there were some people who weren’t happy with the idea, he did receive support and acceptance from some people he told. When coming out to his friends, it started with a joke he made. “I came out to my friends first, just like three of them, it was just because I made a gay joke and I had to explain myself and I didn’t want to sound like a bad person and had to like explain why. My friends were definitely supportive for the most part.” Romero-Cruz said Similarly with his mom, it started with a joke his mom made by asking if he was dating his best friend, which lead to him admitting he liked guys “...she was like ‘no you don’t’ and I was like ‘yea I do’ and she was like ‘no you don’t’ and I was like ‘oh okay, like no I’m serious’ and she was like ‘oh okay’ and that went on for a few minutes and then I went to my room because I didn’t want to see her reaction after that. I was like nice talk and walked away.” Romero-Cruz said Since coming out Romero-Cruz has learned to accept himself for who he is. “When I think about the time before I came, it doesn’t feel like me. Before I came out I felt alone in what I was feeling. I felt like the feelings I had were wrong and I needed to fix myself. After coming out and surrounding myself with people who accept me, I have learned to not hate myself for it. I feel much happier now, than I was back then and think it is because I now don’t have to hide a big part of who I am.” Romero-Cruz said
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unior Kel Alarcon-Cruz had a boyfriend and decided to end things because they didn’t feel any romantic feelings towards him and it led to revealing a part of themselves to their friend. “In 8th grade I had a boyfriend at the time and I realized that we were just friends and I didn’t feel anything more than that; so I told him that we should break up.” Kel Alarcon-Cruz came out as lesbian to one of their friends, in 8th grade, and later as nonbinary. They are president of Gender Sexuialuty Alliance (GSA), which is a club at AHS that celebrates and supports the LBBTQ+ community. Alacron-Cruz explained how everyone was upset with them after their breakup and they opened up to a friend of why they did it. “Everyone was mad at me for some reason and when my friends were like why did you break up with him and I was like it’s because I don’t like guys. I just finally said it to someone and she was like oh wow really and that was the first time I came out to someone.” Alarcon-Cruz admits to feeling nervous about people’s reaction coming out, specifically concerning one of their best friends. “I was definitely nervous. For the lesbian one, we still had PE and the dressing room and one of my best friends was in there and I was afraid that she would see my differently, even through she was completely fine with it; it was just the fear of being judged by other people is what made me nervous.” Alarcon-Cruz said Alarcon-Cruz came to realize that they felt more comfortable identifying as non-binary and using a different name. They came out via social media, but firstly to his current girlfriend. “For being non-binary, I came out to my current girlfriend. They came out, before me, as non-binary; so I figured myself out and figured out that that’s what I am too. I posted on my spam and tik tok accounts, where my friends followed me, to let them know I didn’t want to go by a certain name anymore because I don’t really feel connected to it. So it would be appreciated if you would call me Kel and use these pronouns because it makes me feel more comfortable with myself.” Alarcon-Cruz said
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ophomore Jessica Reyes decided to come out to an old friend of hers, but was met with a negative reaction. “With an old friend of mine, they simply just ignored my sexuality and told me I’m not bi because I look straight and how you have to look queer and how I’m probably just confused, that really hurt because I felt so invalidated.” Jessica Reyes said Reyes came out in the middle of their 8th grade year and currently identifies as queer, “I’m currently questioning it, so I’m just going to say queer, but the closest thing is probably bi-sexual or pansexual.” Jessica Reyes said According to the Merriam Dictionary, pansexual is defined as “relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction that is not limited to people of a particular gender identity or sexual orientation”. Before coming out, Reyes had her concerns about the reaction she would face from others, “I guess it was just hoping I wasn’t going to be weirded out or fetishized, since I like both genders” Jessica Reyes said Reyes said it was a friend who made them realize this part of their identity. “I came out to my friend because she was the girl I had a crush on and I didn’t have a crush on her anymore, but I just wanted to let her know first because she kind of made me realize. Cute love story right there. We’re still friends.” Reyes recounted the odd responses from people who found out they liked both genders. “Some people saw me, since I present as fem, they didn’t really care and they were like ‘oh you just like kissing them [other girls] or whatever’, like every other girl. Some bashed me because they were like ‘oh what if you have a crush on me’, like no, it doesn’t necessarily mean that.” When reflecting on how the coming out experience was for them, Reyes expresses the difficulties she has faced. “I feel like it [coming out] went okay, but that’s only because I didn’t have to explain it much, but I do get backlash because too many, even the ones in my community, say we aren’t even queer” Jessica Reyes said
Studens and staff speak about increased awareness of the Trans experience and Trans Violence By Eden Buell
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unior Jazz Tolentino, A Non-binary Student here at AHS, voices their perspective on why there is increased awareness of Trans people and violence against them. “As time goes on more people are coming out as Trans because they don’t feel as restricted as they would be in the past. It’s easier to be yourself online because you know there’s many people out there to back you up. You can also be anonymous and not endanger yourself as much as you would in person.” Tolentino said. According to an article published March 22nd, In 2020, There are 238 bills that would limit or violate the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans, Half of the bills are targeting trans people. Those who are passing these discriminatory bills make the excuses that they’re protecting children, parental rights, religious freedom, or other reasons. This year is labeled as the worst year in recent history for LGBTQ+ state legislative attacks. Violence and harassment against trans people stems from ignorance, that is why we need to educate people, so we can prevent violence against trans people from happening. One freshman AHS student who identifies as trans states that trans awareness has increased due to the internet and how there’s backlash when it comes to trans people sharing their experiences on the internet. “I think the awareness of trans people is because of the internet, and how a lot of trans people talk about their experiences on the internet. There’s more violence now because more people are aware and there’s a lot of hate, So it’s like a double-Edged sword.” He said. The student expressed that the increased awareness can be harmful in some ways and that media is better used for sharing the struggles trans people go through. “People being more aware is better obviously, but there’s also something good about not alot of people knowing because people are now able to target trans people. I think the internet is better for sharing trans people’s struggles.” They said. Counselor Alexis Horn explains that her and the other Counselors are taking measures to make trans students feel comfortable. “We [ Counselors ] are making sure that we pass on preferred names and pronouns to teachers ahead of time so that when those students get to class it’s already a thing, and so that it doesn’t become something that the
illustration by Eden Buell student has to worry about.” Horn said. Even the long term staff here don’t know a Horn clarified that in Aeries you cannot lot about trans people, they don’t know what remove your deadname from Aeries unless deadnames are or binders.” They said. you’ve had a legal name change, but you can Tolentino thinks that there are a number of have an alias. ways that AHS, Students, and Teachers can help “Right now in aeries you can include your trans students feel safe. preferred name, but it’s just an alias and your “Students at AHS should treat their trans name won’t change unless you change it legally. peers with respect and use their pronouns that There has been talk about putting preferred they prefer to go by and don’t alienate them [ names on diplomas but nothing has trans people ]. Teachers should protect been confirmed.” Horn said. their trans students just as they The freshman who would for any other student, spoke earlier suggests if the student is getting Hey, It’s Eden, the author of that AHS can spread harassed, obviously do this story. I just wanted to leave a awareness of something about it. message for those who may need it. I trans people and AHS could try and am a Trans person, and from experience violence against include stuff in I know it’s very difficult to live in a world them by talking spirit weeks, they where there are people who don’t know about about it more could give more you, hate you for existing, or just think your and getting attention to the identity is a joke. I know it’s be hard to keep movclasses to cover Clubs focused ing. But, I want you to keep going for the future topics such as on LGBTQ+.” generation of trans kids, so that they can these. Tolentino said. see that they can live to adulthood and be “I think we [ The freshman themselves. I want you to keep going for AHS ] can show Trans student those that love you for who you are. I more awareness shares what he has love you. Please, Stay safe. <3 and talk about it learned from difficult [ trans people and experiences. They advise violence against them ] that it’s good to hang around more instead of just having a people that support you. single club. We can raise awareness “Even Though there are a lot of people in classes or any other classes that would be that support you, There’s also a lot of people able to cover this topic.” [...] “We can teach that will never really support you or understand more about Queer history in general.” He said. you and they’ll always just dislike you for who “We can encourage more people to introduce you are and how you choose to present. So it’s themselves with their pronouns. We also need good to stick with the people that support you.” more educated staff, specifically substitutes. They said.
FEATURE
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The Language Chasm
Understanding linguistic diversity at AHS. By Scott Glueckert
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or many people, speaking their ancestral language is a source of pride. Freshman Justin Li, a Cantonese speaker, had this to say about him feeling connected to other speakers of Cantonese. Li said, ¨When I’m like joking around, I feel like it’s really nice that I can joke around using this language so like I feel included in those moments. It’s pretty nice.¨ According to a survey sent out to one English class per grade, 64.8% of students were native speakers of a non English language. Of the students surveyed, 33.7% spoke Spanish, 14.9% spoke Cantonese, and 6% spoke Vietnamese and many other languages were listed as well. This shows an incredible amount of linguistic diversity. ¨Linguistic diversity¨ refers to the number of languages that are spoken in an area. This is very prevalent in the Bay Area due to immigration from Latin America and East Asia, along with many other regions of the world. The varying of ethnic identity contributes to a variety of languages. It is clear that many students speak a nonEnglish language. Senior Mark Batarse has some Arabic ancestry as well as Guatemalan (Mayan), and Salvadoran. However, he does not feel as connected to his Arab ancestry. Mark said, ¨Even though I don’t speak it, I kind of you know, sympathize with it. You know I try to understand it, try to learn it, but just you know, kinda not the proper connection with it. I don’t consider myself one of those people. I have the genetics but you know you´re not that people.¨ It is clear that Batarse feels connected to his heritage. Assistant Principal Nicole Sandoval has noted that the bullying that students who speak another language face is not often because of them speaking that language. Sandoval said, “I don’t think we’ve had bullying. None that has come to me. I do think sometimes it happens internally in the ELD classes. I don’t think it’s bullying because of language I think it’s just bullying.” Senior Jason Go is of Filipino descent and his family gives him small lessons about the history of the Philippines in the context of current events. Go stated, ¨My parents like occasionally, when we´re watching like Filipino news and stuff, or whenever we hear then talking about it they would like walk us through it, like what goes on and stuff, and like at the same time they give a little history lesson about like how it was , how was it like during wars, during Cold War, World War Two, or other wars during the 1900s where
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Image by: Scott Glueckert like the Philippines were actually actively involved and those fights and stuff and how life was like during those times.¨ It has been made clear that students are able to learn about the history of their ancestral countries through family. Li´s family seems to not care very much if he passes the language down to his children or not. Li said, ¨To be honest I’m not sure what my family wants me to do my language, I´ve been thinking about it, like I wonder if I had like kids or something would I want to pass it down? It´d be cool if I did but like at the same time I don’t think they would mind I if I didn’t.¨ It is clear that different families have different views when it comes to their children passing on their ancestral languages. Sandoval has found that it can be difficult to communicate with families that don’t speak English. Sandoval commented, “One of the hardest was one that happened recently. It was a very sensitive subject and so I had to be very careful with my words and my translator had to be very careful with her words. It took, it probably took 30 minutes to have a 10 minute conversation but because we were all being so careful it was really very
challenging.” It is clear that Sandoval feels that communicating with families who speak a language other than English is difficult. Sandoval hopes that students feel that they have a community at AHS. Sandoval said, “I would hope so. I’ve noticed as more people are embracing their heritage, I think like for example I have a student who plays guitar and listens to music from Mexico and that has made a little community, like he’s not designated EL (English Learner) like as an EL student but my EL students are gravitating toward him because there’s a cultural connection. So I think that if we can continue to find spaces to highlight the linguistic differences, I think there’s a lot of promise there.” It is clear that Sandoval hopes for students to feel like they have a community here at AHS. Due to the efforts of his parents, like those of so many other students, Go feels connected to his Filipino heritage. Go stated, ¨Yeah my parents they´re always trying to connect me to my like, teach us like those kinds of stuff like, Filipino history and all that kind of stuff.¨
Netflix faces declining usage AHS responds to Netflix’s decline in subscribers By Clarence Capunitan
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ophomore Victor San Yeap does not really mind the changes to how much the price to subscribe to Netflix is. “I think that the price change Netflix enforced is okay because they are a big company and I think they raised the price on subscription because they are losing subscribers.”-San Yeap said. Netflix has been in the news lately because reports are showing that their user base is declining. According to the New York Times written in April 2022,”Netflix said this week that it lost more subscribers than it signed up in the first three months of the year,reversing a decade of steady growth. Some believe that users are leaving because of increased prices for subscriptions and the rumors of a decision to stop multiple users from sharing a single account. San Yeap will keep his subscription with Netflix and does not plan on canceling his subscription any time soon. “There are a lot of shows on Netflix that are worth watching and I will not be canceling my Netflix subscription in the foreseeable future.”San Yeap said English teacher Robert Guarino plans on keeping his Netflix subscription until the company enforces the no sharing account policy and kicks him out of the account. “So far they have not enforced the rule because I am still sharing my account.When a company does that you just have to adjust.I don’t think that Netflix will enforce it anytime soon in the United States because they are losing subscribers and they are not in the best position to risk losing even more customers. ”-Guarino said.
What do you think about Netflix raising the price for one subscription?
Freshman Owen Thomason
Sophomore Victor San Yeap
“I think that it is not good because they have been taking a lot of movies and I was thinking the price should come down. ”
“I think that it is resonable because Netflix is a big company and they have been losing money as they lose subscribers. ”
Sophomore Jawad Al Barouki
Junior Henry Xu
“I don’t really think about the price much because I don’t really use Netflix often. ”
“I have heard that Netflix has been losing shows because of Disney and other streaming services.I don’t think it is a god idea to raise prices. ”
Junior Deloris Allen Vaughn
Junior Kellia Rivera
“I don’ t think that it is a good idea but it should be cheap so people could enjoy shows and moves with their families. ”
“I think that Netflix should lower the price instead of raising the price because there are more popular streaming apps. ”
CULTURE
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Abort the Court AHS Students walk out on Wednesday 5/18/22 in response to the leaked Supreme Court’s future decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade
Photos Courtesy of Connor Tulloch
Interview with Principal Angela Webster Dry Gulch Gazette: Principal Angela Webster:
Why was the protest canceled then uncanceled? “I originally canceled it because when I met with the individuals I said you got to make sure that this is about abortion/anti-abortion, so then I got a call from a parent ‘hey we heard you’re having a protest’ , saying they’re seeing this and that on social media. I got a staff member came with a screenshot , ‘look what’s on their page’. I’m getting phone calls, I’m getting emails. One that it’s going to be dangerous, two that it’s focused on one person, three agreements were broken with the original people. Then, talking to district folks, they were like, let them have a protest and then thinking about it in the morning time. Then, I saw on their page [Arroyo Protest], that they are going to have the protest anyway and I was like no we can’t have that, because if you do your protest anyway then anything can happen. It’s going to be on the news because you [the students] were hurt because we didn’t have sheriffs here, we don’t have extra security here, we didn’t have an administrator out there watching making sure you’re safe. That’s a reason I put it back on, so students can have support from the staff because we have to do things together.”
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DGG: AW:
How did you feel after the student protest? “I think they felt really good about having a voice, being able to organize a protest, and sharing how they feel about abortion; I think they made their point.”
DGG: AW:
Have you learned anything from this experience? “Oh yeah totally! In the past I’ve been an assistant principal, where I’ve had relationships with students because I dealt with discipline. Now as a principal, I deal with parents, adult problems, problems at the school, more so management. I’m seeing that I really need to be out there with the kids and getting to know you all, so that you trust me and know to come to me. I also learned that I need to talk to my APs and remind them to do better with discipline and do a better job. We all can do better. I learn something new everyday.”
Why did you particiapte in the walkout?
Jahnna Lacuesta
“It’s not right for men to tell women what they can and can’t do with their body. It’s their body, their choice. So I chose to participate to show nothing like this should be happening.
loch
Interview Protest Organizer Sophomore Toby Frischknecht Dry Gulch Gazette: Why did you organize the protest? Sophomore Toby “ I just thought it was important and I thought that Frischknecht: it was an educational point and also the fact that protesting is a constitutional right.” DGG: How did you feel when the protest was canceled? TF: “I was upset personally, part of the reason it was canceled was because there were certain names that were dropped on that page, full names, and those had to be taken down and I totally understand that completely and utterly. I have my own personal reasons on why I take issue with parents who had concerns about it considering that I had talked to AP I had been over this with AP a million times about the plan of how we were going to leave how everything was going, teachers that were involved, teachers that okayed it. I just didn’t like the way that parents were reacting, especially since they obviously didn’t know what was actually going on since I don’t think administration was talking to them properly about it.”
Esmeralda Moreno “I knew it was for a good cause and there is a lot of things that are being taken away from women. We have had to fight for our rights, for a really long time, and for us to have those rights taken away now, just shows that we are literally back tracking instead of going forward.”
DGG: How do you think it went? TF: “I think it went really well. I liked the participation a lot of students Anthony Gonzales had in it. The excitement some people had to participate in it “I participated because I think along with the fact that a lot of people sent me very personal women should have the right to messages about how they felt that were definitely very heartdecide, if they want to have an warming and sweet.”
abortion or not.”
COMMUNITY
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Protests are
GOOD
Student Voices are Important Both AHS Students and Staff Need To Make Them Heard Students: Make
Staff: Encouage
Your Voices Heard
Student Protests
When student-led protests occur on campus Protests are an avenue for people to respond there is often backlash from other students, but to something that has happened and campaign not because of the cause itself, but because of to make their voices heard. At AHS, hearing the act of protesting. “They just want to skip student voices is of utmost importance to class” or “they care too much, it isn’t that big create an environment that allows for change of a deal” are just some examples of student and encourages scholars to exercise their responses to protests held at AHS. While it first amendment rights. Allowing for these is true, some students take advantage of the demonstrations to take place is vital for our protests to skip class, a majority of the students school community, in order to share opinions protesting truly hold concern for the causes and express disapproval, concerning a pressing they are fighting for. Whether it appertains to issue. school shootings, sexual assualt, or the fight These protests aren’t just about holding for reproductive rights in America, students at posters and communicating opinions, it’s AHS care deeply about these very serious issues about pushing for real change, change that and often have personal won’t happen unless connections to them. students band STAFF EDITORIAL Students who lead together and call these protests truly do attention to an care about the issues that OPINION OF THE DRY GULCH issue. Although, they are demonstrating one may argue that GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD and want to see change. these protests are They should not be the unnecessary, they target of jokes or told are completely needed to allow administration that what they are protesting doesn’t really to recognize when students are dissatisfied. matter. It’s invalidating to the students who This dissatisfaction may be with policies, are taking a leadership position and standing disciplinary practices, or another situation that up for what they believe in. It’s important for the student body to use their voice and speak requires attention. up when they see something that they don’t Students should be encouraged to speak necessarily agree with. their minds and protest when they feel strongly As students, we should support each about an issue. Not only does this empower other when protests happen because uplifting students to exercise their first amendment eachother will make this school feel more like rights, but it teaches them how to be leaders a community. A community where us as peers and use their voices to constitute real change. try to understand each other, making our This isn’t limited to their school years, but is connection stronger. able to continue as they grow into adulthood. School is more than the six classes you Solving an issue doesn’t just stop at protests, but go to everyday. School is about learning and comes with working with students on how to growth. Not just learning equations and facts improve an environment that is meant for them about presidents, but learning how to use your to feel safe and included. This includes having voice and call out the injustices you see and meetings with students and fully hearing them experience. out. Students should never be shut down for expressing their criticism with what they have observed and dealt with. Therefore, staff shouldn’t only allow, but encourage protests and listen to student voices as it has the ability to benefit our community.
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OPINION
DGG Dry Gulch Gazette
Dry Gulch Gazette is an open forum for students and does not necessarily represent the views of Arroyo High School or of the San Lorenzo Unified School District. We want to provide our readers with entertaining, informational, and relevant stories that will be worth their time. We intend to produce accurate and unbiased reporting, and we will therefore work to correct any significant mistakes. You should contact us at AHSGazette@gmail.com if you can find such a mistake in this publication. You may also email us to submit a letter to the editor, but we reserve the right to edit letters for length or accuracy. Letters will be rejected or published at the discretion of journalism staff.
Managing Editors: Wynne Bendell Claire Terzich GabrieElla Quiliza Renteria Staff Writers: Lilianna Agatupu Eden Buell Clarence Capunitan Scott Glueckert Thinh Huynh Makani Reith Fifita Robert Romero Nicole Watson Yuki Wen Staff Adviser: Samved Sangameswara
Snapshot Junior Jake Dinn jumps a hurdle during a meet. Members of the team made it to NCS. Junior Maya Gutierrez Zamudio for 400m, Senior Jocelyn Barragan for 100m hurdles, Jake Dinn 110m hurdles, junior Joseph Kim for 110m hurdles, senior John Wesley Pabalate for the 110m hurdles, freshman Isaiah Caldwell for 300m hurdles, and both the girls and boys 4X100 relay team. Johann Deboda made it to Meet of Champions for high jump.
Senior Nathaniel Bernardos serves a ball during a game. The Boys Volleyball Varsity team finished the season with a 14-9 record and made it to NCS. Three players made WACC All League First Team: Junior Chris Uribe, Nathaniel Bernardos, and Junior Kyle McCarthy (WACC player of the year!!). Other players made Second Team and earned honorable mentions! Sports
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Looking for Work
Students talk about finding and working in summer By Robby Romero
Junior Trinity De la Cruz
Senior Francisco Rodriguez
Have you looked for a job and what was the What would be your ideal summer job? process? “My ideal summer job would probably be somewhere “Looking for my job that I have now it was spur of the indoors since air conditioning or somewhere where I moment. I walked in and said ‘are you guys hiring?’ can get cold beverages or something” and they said ‘yes just fill out the application in store’ and then I left and I got a call back within a week of asking”
Junior Angie Gutierrez
Are you looking for a summer job? Why or why not? “Yes i am looking for a summer because I need some pocket change but also to help out my parents”
Junior Freddy Alvarez
Are you looking for a summer job? Why or why not? “This summer hopefully i get a summer job even though I have summer,I think I can still manage to get some hours to work”
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ARTS & CULTURE
Junior Julian Fazzio
Junior Angelina Louie
Have you looked for a job and what was the process? “Looking for a job is kinda hard because you have to go at the ge limit and the hardest part was the interview”
Junior Nganga Chege
Are you looking for a summer job? Why or why not? “Yea I am looking for a summer job currently because I need to help support my family in these times”
Have you looked for a job and what was the process? “I have looked for a job and all I had to do was go to this store look for the manager and tell him about my application”
Junior Adan Sanchez
Junior Fabian Flores Chavez
Have you looked for a job and what was the process? “Yes I’ve looked for a job and the process is just going in and ask if they are still signing in or offering any positions and after that its just a process of trying to apply for a job and be patient”
What would be your ideal summer job? “My ideal summer job would be somewhere inside maybe like an ice cream shop”
Golden Gasoline By Yuki Wen
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any students today choose to drive, but at what cost? Inflation and gas prices are both rising as the year passes. According to the most current inflation data provided by the US Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on May 11, 2022, the price of gasoline increased 43.6 percent in the 12 months ended April, compared to a 48.0 percent annual increase in March. Many students and teachers drive a variety of automobiles at various costs throughout the campus.
Senior Jayden Huang
Senior Christopher Etchison
Teacher Michael Apel
“I drive a Toyota Solora everyday and spend a good 120$ a month on gas.”
“I drive 2020 Honda Civic and spend about 80$ on gas every month.”
Senior Jaelani Molano
Sophomore Anthony Osegueda
Senior Sean Rey Elopre
“I drive a Infinity M35 ,everday, multiple times a day, and spend definitely more than 90$.”
“I drive a Chevy Silverado, mostly everday, and spend like 400$.”
“I drive a BMW or a Camry everyday and spend like around 130$ every month.”
Senior Frannie Nicolas
Junior Devin Dao
Junior Jillian Lara
“I drive a Honda Pilot 3 to 5 days a week and spend 60 to 90$ a month.”
“I drive a Lexus everyday and spend a couple hundred every month.”
“I drive BMW 335i everyday and spend about 180$ a month.”
“I drive a Honda Accord everyday and spend anywhere from 200$ to 500$ for gas”
CULTURE
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What Are You... Listening to?
Sophomores Sara Gibbs and Deven Juanson: “You and Me” by James TW
Sophomore Roberto Umana: “Pretty Girl” by Clairo
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ARTS & CULTURE
Junior Noreen Gomez: “Mona Lisa” by Mxmtoon
Sophomore Logan Houghtelling: “A Man Without Love” by Emgelbert Humperdinck
