DGG May 2023

How well do you know AHS? Answer these questions!

1. Which class won the Night Rally?

a) Seniors b) Sophomores c) Juniors d) Freshmen

2. How many all-student emails has Principal Angela Webster sent this school year?

a) 8 b) 4 c) 24 d) 12

3. How many years has Orchestra teacher Vernon Miyata been at AHS?

a) 29 b) 13 c) 31 d) 6

4. Which teachers were jumped over by a bike at the No Hate Tour assembly?

a) Math teacher Toby Jaw + English teacher Kingsley Andersen

b) Activities Coordinator Jrod + Physics teacher Jeff Jorgensen

c) Chemistry teacher Tom Grace + Physics teacher Jeff Jorgensen

5. What is the school cat’s name?

a) Ice Spice b) Garfield c) Kevin d) Calvin

6. What Don Sports team was undefeated this school year?

a) Football b) Girls Soccer c) Boys Basketball d) Wrestling

7. What was the name of the band that performed at the Talent Show?

a) One Direction b) Weezer c) Crossyourmind d) Crossyourheart

Illustration by Haily-Gaylle Seguiran

Cover Photo by Joseph Kim

One Chapter Closes, One Opens

Upper-classmen give advice to the incoming freshmen

By Clarence Capunitan

As the school year comes to an end, the new group of freshmen starting their journey at AHS. Upper classmen give advice to the new group freshmen.

Junior Keith Ball and Senior Henry Xu give advice that they did not get when they first started high school. Now these upperclassmen have the chance to give advice to these freshmen about what this campus is like.

Upperclassmen, club members, presidents, and ROP students share their input and advice to the new group of freshmen on what to expect during their next four years at AHS.

Ball is a member of the Creative Writing club. Some advice Ball has to offer on the start of students’ high school journey.

“I think it is important to take it seriously from the start. There are going to be opportunities to have fun later in your senior year and everything. You’ve got some freedom with your time because of easier classes, so use that, have fun but don’t completely give up everything because it’s freshman year.” Ball said.

Ball shares his opinion on what you can expect from this campus.

“It is very interesting, it is exciting a lot of the time. There will always be a place for you no matter where.”You can find a place physically and socially quite easily I think especially because you’ll end up gravitating to the same place that people like you are gravitating to. ”Ball said.

Ball is also a member of the key club and has some information to offer for the freshmen about clubs and how they can find a club that is fit for them.

“I think the clubs at this school are wonderful. There is bound to be one that fits your interests and your schedule.” Ball said. “There is always gonna be something for you.I highly encourage anyone to join.”

Xu is ending his journey at AHS and beginning his new journey at college. As a senior, Xu is well aware of what AHS has to offer and has some advice on what to expect from this school.

“If I had to give a piece of advice, I would tell them that most of all, respect other people and consider the viewpoints of others, even teachers.” Xu said.

“You may not necessarily like everybody you come across but I would at least consider the other person’s perspective for every person you meet. That will help you make wiser decisions through the course of the day and allow you to make better and more supportive friends.” Xu said.

Xu has some tips for students on how they can spend their time on campus. He has tips about the classrooms and also other rooms on campus like the library. He also mentions that people here are kind.

“This school’s campus offers a wide variety of things you can do. There are many classrooms you can go into.You could also go into the library.” Xu said. “The campus food is decent and the people at this school are generally nice.” Xu said.

Xu wasn’t in many clubs throughout his high school career but he was a member of the Drama club during his senior year. He shares his opinion on clubs at AHS.

“I wasn’t in many clubs but I was in only one club. I would say clubs are a good opportunity to be part of a community. It’s not just about what is happening but the chance to be in a group of people.” Xu said. “

I would advise to not just do it for academic success or to make something look nice on college applications but to do it because you like it and you are willing to put in the effort. Without those who are willing to put in the effort, the club is doomed to fail.” Xu said.

The transition from middle school to high school can be difficult and take some time to get used to. Xu’s advice on that transition is:

“Start thinking about what to do in the future especially when it comes to college and career so you can set goals and gear class choices to fit [your goal]” Xu said.

What is a piece of advice you would have wanted when you first started high school?

‘“To enjoy myself. Those first few years are about getting to know people and forming good habits. Get into a good mindset early and it’ll take you through the rest of highschool.”

“To be fully engaged wherever you are. I learned the hard way that when people aren’t committed to what they are doing, and don’t take initiative, whatever they have will just pass away.”

Junior Keith Ball

Senior Henry Xu

Four Students, Four Journeys

AHS juniors discuss upcoming trips with Global Glipse

By Jazmin Quintero-Gaviño and Alina Gomez

Junior Michell Ruiz Ecuador

DGG: How are you paying for the trip?

Ruiz: I started a little small business: Barbz Kitchen and I sell desserts there and all that money basically paid for it and some of it my parents are paying for because it’s a lot of money. But I told them, whatever I could pitch in I would and they would pitch in for the rest, because I felt bad making them pay for it all cause it is kind of expensive. It was like $3000, it was a lot.

DGG: What do you plan on doing?

Ruiz: We’re going to go do a community service project. When you get there they tell you, but we’re probably going to do it as an act of kindness to the people who live in Riobamba to do something for them.I think we’re only supposed to have 2 or 3 days where we can go out and explore by ourselves and see the city, but other than that we’re going to be doing planned trips.

Junior Isabella Roque Costa Rica

DGG: How are you paying for the trip?

Roque: We got a school scholarship which gave us $1000 off. We and my mom payed for it and I was $3.8k in total.

DGG: What do you plan on doing in Costa Rica?

Roque: They [The person running Global Glimpse] said it wasn’t a vacation, so we aren’t allowed to do whatever we want. We’re going to be helping the community and we’re going to have a community project. A group of us and others are going to be working on it

together. There’s going to to be downtime for us to relax but most of the time we’re going to be helping other people and experiencing the culture.

DGG: How did you find out about global glimpse?

Roque: I found out about global glimpse because of Ms.horn and Ms.Shuguli, and one of them recommended me towards the program and suddenly I was chosen to go to the trip.

Junior Xanti-Alexavier Souza Ecuador

DGG: How are you paying for the trip?

Souza: My parents are paying. The entire thing for me was $1000, maybe almost $2000.

DGG: What do you plan on doing in Ecuador?

Souza: So from what I’ve heard, we’re gonna be in a village kind of in the middle of nowhere and we’re going to be going out into the community planting things. We’re gonna have different activities and every activity is group based. Pretty much the

whole set up is we’re gonna switch leaders everyday, who’s pretty much the main person who picks the activities, and from what I was told, we won’t have a lot of free time to ourselves. A lot of the time, we’ll be in the group doing something.

DGG: How did you find out about Global Glimpse?

Souza: I heard of global glimpse because of a random email and it was an invitation to global glimpse and I was like, “What is this? I might as well join it.”

Junior Elena Paler Ecuador

DGG: How are you paying for the trip?

Paler: I am paying for the trip by saving my money from my job and selling paintings.

DGG: What do you plan on doing in Ecuador?

Paler: Its day by day means but we will be helping out by doing humanitarian acts, maybe helping them build something or gardening.

DGG: How did you find out about global glimpse?

Paler: I found out about Global Glipse through my teacher Ms.Simonetti and Ms.Fujikawa who nominated me.

DGG: Why did you choose that place?

Paler: I chose this place because of the cultural background, there are still natives living in the mountain regions.

Sleep Schedule Struggles

Despite the later school start, sleep deficiency continues to affect many students.

By Jacky Li and Luis Derla

AP classes. Volleyball. Gaming. All these aspects of Junior Victor Chen’s life contribute to his low number of sleep hours. On days with particularly heavy work loads, he sometimes gets caught in a vicious cycle where last night’s sleep affects his workflow the next day, causing him to stay up late again to finish work. The occasional nap in class is not all that uncommon for him.

“I usually end up going to sleep at like two, two or three sometimes…I never sleep before 12,” said Chen.

In today’s ever-advancing and increasingly modernizing world, good sleep is often not prioritized. There are more tasks to do and more distractions from social media, which hampers sleep schedules. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that teens should get eight to ten hours of sleep every day, but many high school students nationwide get well below that. According to a study on adolescent sleeplessness by the CDC, it was reported that 72.7% of high schoolers get less than eight hours of sleep. A survey of 268 students in regular English classes from each grade level found that social media and homework were the main reasons students were staying up past 11 p.m. In the same survey, 89.6% of respondents said that they were getting less than eight hours of sleep.

AHS has a wellness center intended to help students with their mental, emotional, and physical health needs. Mary Anne Batayola is a school social work intern from San Jose State University, and she works at the wellness center that assists students with issues such as sleeplessness. She notices that many of the youth in AHS do suffer a degree of sleeplessness.

“Not getting enough sleep really affects your mood the next day. You know, it’s a very basic need, and if we’re not getting enough, we may not be able to function as well as we would the next day… First and foremost, if your mental health is not optimal, how are you going to focus on academics?” said Batayola.

Senior Aaron Penilla has always been living on the edge, as to say, not at all getting the required amount of sleep for healthy living. He gets an average of six hours, often does all-nighters, and is highly dependent on caffeinated products such as coffee and energy drinks in order to get through the day. He believes that this and gaming are major contributors to teenage sleeplessness, as he himself is a heavy gamer.

“[There are] more ways of entertaining themselves… there’s technology, technology, and more technology; kids are spending more time on social media, and therefore [that] promotes them to stay up later.” Penilla said.

Contrast this with Junior Zahara Safiq, who consistently gets eight hours of sleep and follows a healthy sleep schedule. As a Muslim, she is required to wake up at 5 AM in order to

How

recite prayers, and this has significantly molded her sleeping patterns. Despite Safiq’s numerous commitments including club presidencies and being a student representative for the school board, she is able to sleep between 9 to 10 PM. Safiq credits her extensive schedule planning for how she is able to stay consistent on her sleep schedule.

“I plan my week out, and I also plan out my days too, so like I’ll follow my [schedule] on an hourly basis…I’ll give myself free time, then I’ll work for an hour, then I’ll take a break,” said Safiq.

To address this epidemic of sleepless high schoolers, Senate Bill 328 was signed into law by Governor Newsom in 2019, which had taken effect starting in 2022. The bill requires that high schools cannot start classes earlier than 8:30 am, and in accordance with that, AHS changed the bell schedule last year to adhere to the new requirements. The results of the change have been mixed at AHS, with 58% of respondents to the sleep survey saying that it did “little or nothing” to affect their sleep schedule. About 31.3% of students prefer the changed schedule, 32.1% of students prefer the original, with the remaining 36.6% having no preference.

Getting enough sleep does require a balance between work and play, and using good time management. Still, good sleep is also gained through habit, and it is best to start building healthy sleep habits to limit the harmful effects linked to inadequate sleep.

As Safiq advises, “Make your sleep schedule important now, because you establish the habits that you continue on throughout the year.”

Illustration by Jessica Reyes-Fajardo

The Different Paths

Some students choose community college over four-year schools

By Trinity DeLaCruz

As the class of 2023 comes to the end of their highschool career, they are faced with the hard choice of choosing where they want to attend college in the fall.

Senior Maribel Pena is a senior who is choosing community college, even after applying to four other CSUs. After getting accepted into all four schools, Pena found herself in a pinch trying to figure out where she would attend in the fall, and what would be the best path for her.

“I chose to go to community college because it was a cheaper choice for my family and I don’t know what I want to major in yet.” said Pena

Pena has a strategy she is set on, and is determined to do what is best for her. While counselors recommended that she go to a CSU, Pena knew community college was something she wanted to experience first.

“I think community college is a great way for me to experience what college can be like for the meantime.” Pena said.

Pena, amongst other students, feels community college is the right path coming out of high school. Although, she plans to leave her options open in the future.

“ I do have plans to transfer to a four year college, but community college is a good

starting place for me.” Pena said.

After the first two years of college, a student gains a better understanding of what specialized trade or job they want to pursue after college. It is beneficial when looking for a job in a competitive job market.

This path also appeals to those with money as a main concern. Senior Lleyl Florentino is another AHS student furthering his education at Chabot Community College in the fall of 2023. He applied to two CSUs during the application process, yet chose Chabot because it was right for him.

“I applied to other colleges, but I chose Chabot because it’s close to home and it’s cheaper than other colleges.” Florintino said.

When it comes to picking a college, seniors tend to take into account the cost, which explains why some seniors are choosing cheaper college paths.

“If college was less expensive I would go to a four year college to get the fun experiences away from home and meet new people.” Florintino said.

Generally speaking, the first two years of college are similar across all colleges because they are spent taking general education. Making community college a cheaper option for students who are trying

to go to school on a budget. Considering the average cost of community college is about 36% of the cost of a four year college.

With all the academic competition going on in today’s society, students who choose to go the community college path find their peers to be a bit judgemental or question their decision.

“People might see it as a failure point and will think why someone couldnt get into a four year school when really they might have just not chosen that path.” Pena said.

Pena’s parents being supportive of her path is helpful when she has others questioning her and what she is doing. It makes her following what she believes a lot easier when she has the support of her parents.

“I feel like my classmates take into account what certain schools offer them and what they can get out of it. So we each have our own reasons for different schools.” Pena said.

In the end it doesn’t matter where you go to college just as long as you have a goal for yourself. There is no doubt that the class of 2023 has a plan for themselves that is beneficial to them.

Photo Illustration By Trinity DeLaCruz

By Ethan Nguyen

AHS students discuss how their culture and their lives are shaped by ethnic and mass popular culture

Junior Keira Tan reflects upon what her heritage has done for her existence today. She holds close a thin thread to her Vietnamese culture, a metaphorical heirloom passed down generation to generation, and ponders the reason why she had done so for so long. The pressure to uphold her parents’ expectations to embody the result of their hardships brings about curiosity as to why she continues to hold tightly onto her heritage.

“When you’re proud of your heritage, it’s to represent your parents who have faced many challenges as a person from their country coming to this. … If I wasn’t proud of my heritage, I’d be removing my parents [from] my life. And it’s a lot of guilt that you feel because they’ve sacrificed so [many] things. They’ve left their family, which is kind of unimaginable now.” Tan said.

Since the beginning of Tan’s childhood, the Vietnamese culture had enveloped her daily life. That side of her was able to develop smoothly as she was surrounded by Vietnamese communities and family and had the resources to connect with her cultural elements. She reminisces about the times she kept in touch, which she considered to be an easier time for her.

“When I was younger, it was pretty easy for me to keep up with Vietnamese culture because my parents have their siblings here, and there’s also San Jose which has Vietnamese communities. When I go there, I’m able to understand what’s very important and how I can celebrate it. … That’s what made it easier

to keep up with it.” Tan said.

History also plays a large part of Vietnamese culture, with colonization influencing almost every aspect of the country leading up to today, including food, language, religion, and more. For Tan, she contemplates the realities of Vietnamese history and has deduced that her views on Vietnamese culture have been strongly clouded by how much it’s been shaped by world events.

“[As] I get older, I realize that Vietnamese culture in itself is very broken. When you have past experiences with the French coming over, and the [separation of the country] with North Vietnam and South Vietnam clashing with each other, it’s hard to figure out what is considered Vietnamese. Especially with Vietnamese parents not remembering [much] … they don’t know every Vietnamese cultural item and that gets lost.” Tan said.

Despite efforts to repair that disconnect between Tan and her Vietnamese heritage, she realizes that her endeavors are not at all one sided. She finds her parents on the other side, who navigate through American lifestyles trying to syncretize what’s already familiar with something new from this different way of living.

“[Tan’s heritage] is all of my lifestyle. When you hear about immigrant families moving here for the first time, they try to immerse themselves into American culture to fit in because they’re already separated from society. So, they’ll try to do things such as celebrate things they might not understand.

With traditional American stuff, there’s Fourth of July. My parents have no idea what that is, and we try to at least feel like we’re a part of it.” Tan said, “But I think the great thing about my parents is that they haven’t tried to Americanize themselves in ways that take away Vietnamese culture. Instead of taking it away, they add [onto] American culture with Vietnamese culture.”

Despite it all, Tan continues on her journey towards rekindling that flame she once had as a child by surrounding herself with the Vietnamese language, music, and family. Through this, she realizes that heritage means more to her than just the ethnicity she was born into, but also the experiences her parents shed onto her. Tan holds dearly the thought that she is a culmination of her parents’ experiences as well as her own, a unique tale which sets her life apart from preceding generations in her family.

“If I was completely just White, I wouldn’t have anything to really be proud of, for the fact that I just live here. I’d be happy to be this race, and for this culture I would have around me. But [heritage] doesn’t have as much meaning as if I was Vietnamese, and I am Vietnamese.” Tan said. “If I wasn’t proud to be Vietnamese and prideful [of the fact that] I am a Vietnamese high school student who’s going into engineering, I feel like it would remove the experiences of my parents. So that’s why I feel like I should be prideful.”

Junior Enzo Tan’s life was filled with condensed schedules and a fiercely competitive atmosphere regarding academics, with days of schooling stretching to almost 15 hours a day all while away from home for the majority of his days. A moment’s rest was shortened down to an overnight’s rest and a single day at most. After leaving this old life behind, he ascertains that this new life in the United States would be something that he could get used to.

“Living in the United States, I got more free time, more of my own time.” Tan emphasized. “In Chinese school […] I had to live with my classmates in a shared dorm, which contained seven or eight people [in] a dorm. It was very small, and we shared the same bathroom. [...] We lived in the same dorm for six or five days each week. We didn’t have much free time because we had class from 7:00 a.m. to 9:45 p.m..” Tan said.

Many foreign-born immigrants who come to America do so at an early age, perhaps as an infant or as a young child. However, this is a different case. Around December of 2019, a teenage 13-year old Tan immigrated from China to the United States as his family desired to reconnect with each other after several decades of being apart. After a long application process for immigration stretching across those 13 years, Tan finally stepped away from a primarily homogenous society into a completely unfamiliar environment with new people, a new language, and a new life.

Prior to coming to the States, Tan lived in a largely monoracial society with Chinese

speakers, never having much experience with those outside of his originating country. Apart from Chinese people, he interacted with other Asian ethnicities, but outside of that, Tan notes that China did not have other ethnicities.

“At the very beginning, when I immigrated to this country, I saw different races, faces, cultures, and people. The diversity kind of scared me. But later on, that fear [went away] through the process of assimilation.” Tan said.

Despite still being able to celebrate Chinese holidays in the United States with family, Tan is of the opinion that compared to an entire country’s celebration, it is not the same when having to be shrunk down to smaller ethnic communities and families. How Tan felt in the past and the grandiose notion of a nation-wide celebration simply cannot be replicated on such a small scale.

“I am quite connected to Chinese culture. But [at the same time,] the atmosphere of living in the United States does not make me feel that way. I do engage in my culture’s celebrations and holidays like Chinese New Year and the Mid Autumn Festival. … [But] it’s not equivalent to the way that I feel [in China] when celebrating in the United States.” Tan said.

Assimilation into the United States hasn’t been a simple process. For Tan, time for his originating culture has been exchanged for opportunities to become further integrated into mastering the English language and becoming accustomed to living as an American high school student.

“I don’t really have that sort of balance

between my American and Chinese culture. I spend most of my day [trying] to assimilate into American culture and high school here. That hasn’t allowed me to have [enough] time with my Chinese culture. In my free time I basically study and [work towards] getting more assimilated [through] the English language. I don’t really have that much time to spend on Chinese culture anymore.” Tan said.

Although Tan acknowledges that fitting in has eaten at his time with Chinese culture, he’s developed an appreciative sense for this new identity he’s developed. He notes that after immigrating here, he’s been offered with new opportunities he had never been able to experience, and had learned things about himself that he never would’ve been able to back in China. Comparing his academic life, Tan states that being in America has been able to bring about many new positive circumstances.

“Teachers in China only care about your grades, but here, I feel a stronger bond with them. They provided me lots of new opportunities such as internships and programs.” Tan said. “I’m so thankful for those who have provided me with these amazing opportunities, [because] otherwise, I [wouldn’t] even know what I’d be in the future. Besides that, I feel more engaged in the community [through] volunteering, [and] it brings me joy by helping others, which I never had a chance to do in China.”

Sweeping Away The Tardies

The alternative of fixing the tardy situation.

By Adrianna Armijo and Robby Romero

Tardies have always been a problem at AHS, but an alternative was recently implemented this year to solve this issue. The implemented alternative has been tardy sweeps, which is when students who aren’t in class by the time the bell rings, are taken by security to the cafeteria and given a slip, then are sent back to class.Tardy sweeps are relatively new, as they have been implemented late into the year on March 30th and the sweeps have been planned to continue in the upcoming school year.

Assistant Principal Gulsheeb Oberoi is the main AP who announces and has led the implementation of tardy sweeps at AHS. She said that she plans to continue the practice through the end of this school year and into next year.

“As I’m the one who really does these tardy sweeps, my plan is to do it on a regular basis and sometimes, they won’t be announced even if the teachers won’t know,we will just do it. We will do it more often next year so kids can be on top of it and keep going back to class on time.” Oberoi said.

Math teacher Toby Jaw believes that tardy sweeps are a great way to fix attendance

and that they should happen more consistently or unannounced.

“I think [the tardy sweeps] are great. I think that they are necessary and they should be unannounced so it’s a surprise for everybody,” Jaw said.

Jaw had also mentioned that since the tardy sweep was announced, his class attendance had improved compared to the beginning of the year. He had also discussed how he noticed a sense of worry in some kids after lunch when they would rush to their next class.

“I would say [our tardies] have gotten better because I think there are definitely some people running out of my room after lunch because maybe there might be a tardy sweep. So the anticipation of tardies gets people to make sure they get to where they need to go.” Jaw said.

Sophomore Rafael Villagomez has different feelings about the tardy sweeps. He believes that they won’t work in the long run and that they make students’ attendance worse.

“I think that they won’t work because kids are still going to be late to class. It would be better if they just gave kids a slip and go

back to class. They also know that nothing is going to happen to them so they just keep doing the same thing I just dont think nothing is going to happen”. Villagomez said.

Senior Sabrina Sekhon believes that tardy sweeps are contradictory because they cause students to miss more of their class when they get caught, when the point of tardy sweeps is to be in class. She had also mentioned that she thinks tardy sweeps will continue next year but still won’t be effective.

¨I think tardy sweeps are contradictory, they want people to be in class, on time but when people get caught in the sweep they miss almost half of the class¨ Sekhon said.

Villagomez wishes to remove tardy sweeps and find a better alternative instead.

“ I think tardy sweeps are a waste of time, because the kids are still going to keep on being late to class either way. What the school should do is make phone calls home, and if a student has more than 3 phone calls a week, the student should serve a 30 minute detention.” Villagomez said.

Illustration by Arianna Carandang

Which AHS teacher are you?

Find out which out of the four listed teachers you are most similar to! Keep track of the symbols of your answers.

Q.1 What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

chocolate coffee

raspberry/ mango sorbet

pralines & cream

Q.2 If you had a whole day to yourself what would you do?

hike with grandchild spa/ beach day

Q.3 What character are you in a horror movie?

ski

Q.4 What is your favorite season?

Q.5 If you could be any animal, what would you be?

You are most similar to....

Sports Bound

Senior athletes continue their sports careers in college.

By Mia Chan

Senior Sierra Pasco has been playing softball since the age of six, making this her 12th year of softball. Pasco has decided to continue her softball career after high school, and has committed to Ohlone College where she will be playing for their softball team.

Pasco plays softball for AHS and a travel team called Lady Hustle based out of Livermore, California. They have traveled to LA, Las Vegas, and many other cities.

Since she was a kid, Pasco knew that softball was something she wanted to pursue as a profession due to the influence of her family and surroundings. Her parents have always been interested in softball and baseball, and Pasco would always see baseball or college softball on their television.

“My parents played baseball and softball growing up, and they got me into it. Ever since, it has just been a part of me. It’s made me who I am today.” Pasco said.

One of the hardest moments in Pasco’s softball career was trying to get recruited for college. She describes the process to be very long and hard, especially when trying to get the attention of college coaches.

“There was a point in time when I did think about quitting and wanted to stop playing in [the future at] college because of how stressful and frustrating it is on top of school, work, homework, and other stuff,” Pasco said.

Pasco found ways to overcome the hardships of her softball career through her friends and family, especially her parents. They stuck by her side to help with the stresses and the work added on top of what Pasco was already doing.

“[My friends and family] just reminded myself to take one thing at a time and that it’s okay if I don’t get in [to college].” Pasco said.

A piece of advice Pasco gives to anyone with similar passions:

“Don’t give up, because it is very hard and the road is bumpy but if you really have a passion for it and really love it, stick to it.”

Senior Rolando Gonzales started playing soccer at the age of six or seven. Gonzales has yet to commit to a college but knows he will be playing soccer for the school he chooses. He is currently deciding between two schools, Sonoma State and Pacific Union College.

Gonzales not only plays soccer for AHS but also for a competitive league, the San Jose Surfs. Gonzales had the opportunity to play in Spain through his club because of “surfs select”. Surfs select is when some of the best players get chosen to play somewhere and Gonzales was selected, so he went to Spain and played against academies there.

Gonzales, similarly to both Gutierrez and Pasco, was influenced to play soccer by his family. His dad used to play soccer, which pushed Gonzales to play the sport as well.

“[My dad] wanted me to follow his footsteps so I naturally followed and played.” Gonzales said.

The pandemic in 2020 challenged Gonzales and his passion for soccer. It caused him to lose focus of the sport and to begin slacking off. Around the end of quarantine is when Gonzales began pushing himself harder and striving to become better.

“Quarantine, it really messed me up. I became lazy and didn’t strive as much because there was no one there to push me.” Gonzales said.

The thought of letting down his parents pushes Gonzales to continue working hard. He also believes that he has invested a lot of his time and effort into his soccer career and wouldn’t want it to go to waste by quitting. Gonzales plans on continuing his soccer career after college.

“I would say playing soccer in college is a dream, I’d say more like a step to where I want to be because I want to play pro eventually.” Gonzales said.

Gonzales gives some motivatonal words to anyone with similar dreams:

“Don’t give up no matter what. Don’t be discouraged. Always keep pushing to better yourself and just keep pushing through.”

Senior Maya Gutierrez has been playing soccer since she was four years old.

Similar to Pasco, she has committed to a school where she can continue her sports career. Gutierrez is going to be playing soccer for Sonoma State University.

Gutierrez is currently playing for two soccer clubs in addition to the AHS soccer team . She plays for her club team, Association Football Club (AFC) and another club located in Oakland that is semi-pro.

Gutierrez’s passion for soccer was influenced by her family, specifically her siblings. Her siblings, much like herself, used to play soccer, which pushed Gutierrez to play the sport as well. She was often on the soccer field to support her siblings and because she was always around her siblings’ games and practices, she was influenced to play the sport.

“My mom pushed my older sister to try a lot of sports and she really fell in love with soccer; since then I followed [the sport] my sister liked the most. Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez struggled with balancing the school and social aspects of her life with soccer. Though she loved the sport, she was always occupied with all that came with it and sometimes had doubts over her skills.

“I feel like a lot of the time I struggle with getting in my own head. [...] Also, not having a lot of time to do stuff outside of [soccer] because I was always occupied with it.” Gutierrez said.

Whenever Gutierrez isn’t feeling her best, she thinks of her teammates. She tries to stay dedicated to her team and thinks about how her teammates rely on her best effort for the success of their team.

“A lot of time I just think of what my teammates think of me and put myself in my teammates shoes, how they need me to be successful so that the whole team can be successful.” Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez offers some words of wisdom to anyone with similar goals:

“I would just say to keep your head up and be open to the possibilities. And make sure that you’re around people who motivate you.”

Senior Sierra Pasco Senior Rolando Gonzales Senior Maya Gutierrez

By Wynne Bendell and Claire

In this year’s college admissions cycle, many seniors found themselves watching TikTok videos where students send in their high school stats including grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, and awards. Then these accounts will judge the stats and say whether or not they will get into their colleges of choice. Whether or not these judgments are accurate, this constant accessibility to other students’ stats and over-emphasis on numbers have led students to constantly compare themselves to others.

Senior Nicho Sunardi believes that these types of accounts create a harmful environment for students online. He finds himself comparing himself to random students that he doesn’t know, and feeling like he hasn’t done enough.

“I have watched a couple of these TikToks and a couple of my teachers have complained about that account as well. When you look at it, it can put you down, we compare ourselves to these types of people a lot, and when you see that these people are basically saying ‘You didn’t do enough,’ it kind of makes you feel like ‘Oh, that means I did way less.’ So I’d say those accounts have that toxic academic atmosphere surrounding them.” Sunardi said.

This culture of comparison between students doesn’t just live on social media, but exists on the AHS campus as well. Senior Claire Lisungan expressed the pressures she felt from seeing others understand concepts that she hadn’t picked up on; which led to the feeling of falling behind.

“There was definitely a moment during junior year where I saw how people seemed to have no problem keeping up in class. It made me feel stupid since I had no idea what was going on. After the first semester, I gave up on

trying in class because it seemed like I was running in circles when everyone was going forward. I think that was the first time in my high school years where all my motivation dropped. My grades were the lowest it had ever been.” Lisungan said.

Similar to Lisungan, Junior Zena Wu has, at times, felt inferior to her peers. She felt this the most during an internship with students coming from schools with more funding and resources.

“It makes me feel like I’m really behind. During the internship, a lot of the students were from academically well-funded schools. There was a kind of superiority from them because they have taken so many more classes, and they seem so much smarter. It makes me feel like I can’t really say what I want to say.” Wu said.

Sunardi connects his experience with academic competition to the college admissions process.

“I don’t think the standards for students are currently fair because it kind of feels like we are held at such a high standard and competing with each other at the very top is kind of toxic. Like a lot of my fellow classmates compare themselves to each other which puts others down and also makes you feel very bad about yourself.” Sunardi said.

He expressed how the competitive nature of college admissions has led to his peers comparing every aspect of their education with each other.

“Even with my own classmates, and we usually keep it pretty civil, but with the class of 2023 a lot of us are comparing even something as simple as GPA and class rank with each other, and I know that’s true at other schools too.” Sunardi said.

Wu believes that while she does feel

pressure to accomplish a lot in the years leading up to college, knowing what she really wants and how much she can handle has relieved the pressure and constant need to compare herself to her peers.

“For me I don’t feel that much pressure, only because I have a lot of cousins and have seen that even if they got into a “good” college, since I’m younger and my sibling is older they put a lot more pressure on him. Let’s just say his type of life is not what I want even if he got into whatever school he got into.” Wu said. “It’s just like I don’t see the point in throwing myself into all these extracurricular activities to get into college. But I guess I still do feel the pressure to do as many things as I can that are listed on that TikTok. But at some point it’s like when is it too much and how much can I handle.”

Lisungan explained how everyone has their own pace of understanding work and stresses the importance of trying your best, despite feeling pressure.

“Everyone has their own pace. When others seem to be doing better, it doesn’t mean you’re doing nothing. You can keep trying and if you fail, just try again next time. It’s good enough that you tried anyway. To others, we should keep in mind of others and how our actions and words affect others. That’s about it.” Lisungan said.

The competitive nature of college admissions has students in a world of constant comparison and insecurity.

Illustration by Jessica Reyes-Fajardo

Pg. 16: Miyata’s Swan Song

Pg. 18 Passing the Torch

Pg. 19 : Many Moons Ago

SUNRISE

As the sun sets on another year, we reflect on our past, and look forward to the future of another class

iyata’s

Swan Song

By Logan Houghtelling and Makani Reith-Fifita

Walking by the cafeteria, most wouldn’t take a second glance at M-Hall. That is, of course, until they hear the sounds of the vibraphone, French horn, and tuba emanating from the end of the hallway. The source of this music would be music teacher Vernon Miyata’s music classes in M-2. For decades, this music has wafted through M-Hall out to the quad thanks to him. Throughout his time at Arroyo, Miyata has been crucial in putting on many musical performances.

Miyata has been teaching at AHS for 29 years, and teaching in general for 35 years in total. He has taught hundreds of students over his career as a music teacher, and has seen many students grow as musicians; he taught many to understand and appreciate the music around them, and the music they play. He has taught several classes, from orchestral string ensembles, concert, jazz, and marching bands, the winter guard and percussion. Miyata has not only taught at AHS, but at other schools around the San Lorenzo area, including San Lorenzo High School and Bohannon Middle School. On May 19th, Miyata had one of his last performances of his teaching career. The concert directed by Miyata featured AHS’s orchestra with AHS alumni, jazz and concert band with the alumni, and with special guests, the Oasis Jazz Band, to perform alongside him.

Throughout his career his students feel that Miyata has had an enormous impact on them, whether it be the fostering of musical abilities or through his wit and humor in the classroom.

“I learned a lot of music theory within his classes,and I was playing violin in that class for orchestra last year. I actually knew how to play the clarinet before, but it turned out that I was doing a few things wrong. Mr. M pointed out those mistakes and I was able to fix them.” AHS Class of 2022 alumnus Scott Glueckert recalls.

“It makes me happy that I had a good teacher to teach

describes San Lorenzo High School Senior Ashleigh Wyatt of her experience with Miyata.

Miyata discusses the impact he has made as

a teacher, is teaching his students to diversify their music palettes.

“An impact that I have given to my students is to expand their horizons. An example of this would be trying different foods to expand their palettes, and that to expand their palettes in music. I make it a point to listen to different types of music that I normally don’t listen to, and who knows, I’ll find something that I like that I had never listened to before. And so, my philosophy in teaching students is to expand their horizons, to get them to appreciate different types of music, music from different cultures, and if I can get one student to say ‘Hey, I liked music I never had listened to before!’ then I’ve done my job.” says Miyata.

One member of the marching band reminisces about their first moment of being in the program and first marching event.

“Back in my freshman year, there was the Morgan Hill parade. It was an hour, hour-and -a-half long parade. We walked around a few city blocks. I couldn’t feel my legs or feet after that. Someone

ended up passing out, but it was fun. I liked it.” recollects Senior Jaylin Smith-Van.

However, the pandemic took a serious toll on the music program. One of the main causes of this was a lack of exposure due to isolation and a lack of performances.

“At that time, not many people really knew what the music program was about anymore. The only people that knew were the freshmen during that 2020 year that had seen them at the rallies and stuff, so it was really hard to gain interest when nobody knew what the Marching band or the Winter Percussion was about. They were just like, ‘Oh! We have a Marching Band? We had a Winter Percussion?’ So it really got left in the past and in a way, not having that kind of exposure caused the music program to kind of slowly get less in numbers, and it was sad,” explains Senior Noreen Gomez.

During the pandemic, the marching band had been suspended temporarily due to regulations and mandates. Unfortunately, the program did not bounce back as hoped, and with Miyata leaving this year and Choir teacher Pat Schultz having left last year, many are worried about the future of the program.

“Realistically after he’s gone, it’s done. Because I know they’re not gonna hire another music teacher. Also there’s no student body to fund the music program. Our orchestra is like 25 people as is, if even that.” Smith-Van worries.

“It’s so sad now. We don’t even have a band. East Bay Arts has one, but we don’t. I was like, ‘what if we had a rally and a marching band came out?’ but it never happened.” Wyatt laments as well.

As Miyata leaves, many speculate what will happen to the program and have their concerns as to who will take over the program and continue Miyata’s legacy.

“I really hope that there would be someone. Y’know, even sometimes just a student, because sometimes all it takes is a student to restart the program, we just haven’t had too much exposure; even though we’ve been trying so hard to expose the performing arts again to this school, it’s just been really hard. So, I hope that someone takes a leap towards trying to make that happen and show that it’s still a vital and important part towards the student body and self-expression, because it really is,” says

Illustration by Haily-Gaylle Seguiran

29 years. Dozens of concerts. The music must end. This is Vernon Miyata’s Swan Song.

[music].”

On May 19th, 2023, Miyata performed his last few concerts at Arroyo High School. Miyata played with his orchestal ensemble, concert band, and jazz band for all. The concert included many alumni who came in to celebrate Miyata’s retirement.

Photos by Makani Reith-Fifita

Passing the Torch

The “high school experience”, what freshmen expect, and how seniors fulfilled it.

By Shadhana Saud and Haily Seguiran

As the school year wraps up, Senior Nicho Sunardi has reflected on the four years that he has been a Don. Sunardi expresses that he feels as if different aspects of his senior year and his entire high school experience were limited due to various reasons, a big one being the pandemic.

“Coming off of distance learning, we got more than other classes did, but there’s always that feeling that we got robbed because our high school experience was put on a crutch, and it still affects us today.” Sunardi said.

The Class of 2023 was in their freshman year when the COVID-19 pandemic began, and as result, nearly two years of their high school career was cut short. Now with almost two weeks before graduation, seniors try to understand what the high school experience means to them and whether or not they feel as if they’ve accomplished it to the fullest. Additionally, the incoming Class of 2027 will be able to experience their entire highschool career with little to no COVID restrictions and they have their own set of expectations for high school.

Senior Anh Nguyen believes that being in high school has significant effects on who you become in life, and also explains that it creates new experiences which are important for development.

“[high school] builds your character, you find who your friends are and it’s like life before you know who you’re going to be.” Nguyen said.

In order to get the most out of high school, Sunardi was involved in many on-campus activities and jumped at the many opportunities he received. He explains that being involved with your school is a great way to make your high school experience meaningful and enjoyable for yourself.

“I jumped at every opportunity like clubs and club positions and became more engaged within school. But if you want to live

more into the moment, then you should tackle every opportunity and you shouldn’t question it, you should just do it, because what else are you going to do?” Sunardi said.

Nguyen emphasizes Sunardi’s statements. She adds that one of her biggest regrets is not attending school events such as rallies and dances, or not being more involved within school organizations. One of these organizations being the Class of 2023 Committee, which she began participating in during her junior year.

“I regret not going to every event and not putting myself out there until later on.” Nguyen said.

As a member of the incoming Class of 2027, Bohannon Middle School 8th grader Zyana Vargas has a plan to make the most out of her next four years at AHS. She hopes to have a great experience through meeting and making friends with new people.

“I’m looking forward to meeting new people from different middle schools, clubs, and sports. I plan to have the most fun and make the most out of my high school years and to talk to as many people as possible.” Vargas said.

Despite the different paths students may wind up on, Sunardi emphasizes the importance of being involved in school and participating in events that help create memorable experiences and strong bonds with peers.

“Participate and get out there and join new experiences and things. I met one of my best friends from participating in school activities. If you are an underclassmen and want to make the most of it [high school], then join something. If you can afford a school event please go and do it as soon as you can because once you’re a senior you’ll realize you’re gonna be busy with work, college and graduation.” Sunardi said.

From Incoming Freshmen

Catherine Bui from Washington Manor Middle School

Q: What are you looking forward to in high school?

A: Joining clubs because they look interesting and cool and also making new friends from other middle schools.

Q: What do you plan to do to get the best out of your high school experience?

A: Making nice new friends and familiarizing myself with the new campus because it’s a jump from my middle school.

Lisette

Curiel

from East Bay Innovation Academy

Q: What are you looking forward to in high school?

A: Being with my friends and creating new experiences

Q: What do you plan to do to get the best out of your high school experience?

A: I plan to participate in school activities

Illustration by Haily-Gaylle Seguiran

A recap of some of the biggest moments in pop culture in the 2010s

2016

2018

2010 - Tik-Tok by Ke$ha is the #1 song of the year

2011 - “Cars” becomes the most watched animated film

2012 - The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is the most popular book

2013 - Flappy Bird gets added to the app store

2014 - Frozen is released, “Let it Go” by Idina Menzel becomes an iconic song

2015 - Taylor Swift begins her 1989 World Tour

- One Direction breaks up

2017 - Despacito by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee gets released

- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get married

2019 - Avengers : Endgame is released in theaters, finally ending the saga

2020 - Tiger King gets released on Netflix

Illustration by Eden Buell

How SLZUSD plans to support queer students

By Hailey Hutchison and Eden Buell

The surge of Anti-Trans bills began in 2015 across the United States, but it still continues to rapidly rise in 2023. According to Trans Legislation Tracker so far, there are 528 bills in 49 US states. 50 of those bills have passed, 382 are active, and 96 have failed. These Anti-Trans bills are attempting to prevent trans people from having access to healthcare, education, legal recognition, and the right to publicly live.

Junior Reyn Morales, expressed how the anti-trans laws are affecting him as a LGBTQ+ student at AHS, as well as the issues around the various bills.

“I am so sick of it, because it makes me feel unsafe for existing. Since we haven’t moved on from it they say it’s protecting kids. But mental health and transgender healthcare go hand in hand. I am terrified for the people who do live in those states where it’s active because every second a new bill can be passed where you can’t be yourself.” Morales said.

The district held an LGBTQ+ night on April 25th at the San Lorenzo adult school where they educated parents on the basics of understanding and supporting a queer child, as well as making the district safer for queer students overall.

A parent at the LGBTQ+ night states they support their queer child by attending and learning the basic things that are important to their child and by exposing themself to the things their child enjoys and spreading awareness to their child’s club.

“Well we’re here for one. We went to pride, we helped their club at school, I’m always buying things.” said Danielle Cruz, a parent of one child at AHS.

Teacher on Special Assignment for Restorative Practices Rebecca Coleman serves as a member of the SLZUSD LGBTQ+ support team. Coleman believes the present projects that were made to help support queer students feel more accepted within the school district.

“We’re focusing on different projects to support LGBTQ+ students in San Lorenzo. We did a couple of different projects. We did one where we did an official name change and pronoun change process if there were students that needed to change their name or their pronouns. We decided to do more outreach to families and again to have an opportunity to gather to bring people together.” Coleman said.

Colman explains what the board is planning to do to protect queer students from harsh behaviors implemented around schools.

“We’re trying to create systems and policy level changes that will support queer students.

Things like having a board policy, like an anti discrimination board policy. We also did the name change to help support students and make sure students weren’t being called by their deadname or weren’t having the wrong pronouns used by staff members. This family piece [LGBTQ+ night] feels really important because we know some students might have one level of support at the school and it might be different at home and so we want to try to bring the support we’re creating in the district also to families. So families could have that same awareness on how to best support their LGBTQ+ kids.” Coleman said.

Senior Kel Alarcon-Cruz, in response to the rise in Anti-Trans bills, describes what they do in order to keep their spirits high.

“For coping wise, whenever I see it [ Anti-

and helped give her passing tips. I will help my friends with dysphoria too.” Morales said.

Morales states what AHS is doing to support their LGBTQ+ students and what they could do to improve their support.

“Arroyo is like a middle ground, there’s some things they need to fix but they do a pretty good job at understanding. Some teachers will correct the pronouns and names, but some don’t.” Morales said.

Coleman affirmed that support and awareness of queer identities in students in the district and AHS is crucial. She voiced that this builds community and allows connection over different queer experiences.

“Raising visibility that students with these identities exist within our district and that we need and want to support them. For the people actually attended share some educational information, raise awareness, and best practices for support. Just to have the chance again to build community and have people share from their experiences and get to hear from others.” Colman said.

Morales advises that staff can call out students who say slurs instead of ignoring them. He shares his experiences of witnessing this kind of problem.

Trans Bills ] on the news or social media I usually just swipe away, I chose not to look. I have watched some videos about it, like seeing what people have said. It’s very disheartening, but I chose not to watch them because I know it will make me upset.” Alaron said.

Alarcon feels that AHS is pretty supportive in some aspects with having the name change system. It gives Trans students, or anyone for the matter, the chance to use their chosen name that they are comfortable with.

“They’ve had this new name change system, personally I haven’t used it, but I know someone who has used it before. I feel like it’s very helpful and if I were here longer, even though I am a senior, I would have used it. I wish I had that when I was younger, like when I was in freshman year.” Alacron said.

Morales explains how he’s helping others and keeping himself going during the increase of Anti-Trans bills providing similar strategies to Alacron.

“Well, I don’t check the news or social media with it, I’m not keeping myself tracked with it. I really don’t keep myself updated with it all. [...] “Well, for my trans friend I did her makeup

“Staff can call kids out who say slurs openly and staff can stop pretending that they didn’t hear it. I’ve heard a few kids say slurs right in front of security or staff and nobody says anything about it. Call kids out on homophobia and transphobia.” Morales said.

Alacron suggests that the District and AHS should spread more education about harmful language targeted towards LGBTQ+ people and students.

“We [ District and AHS ] should probably have more educational things on saying things like ‘gay’ in a negative light, or slur use on campus. Something to just educate everyone on why it’s not okay to do that.” Alacron said.

Alacron leaves a message for queer students who are having trouble with finding their identity and support. They reassure you that you will eventually find a safe place to be yourself.

“To anyone out there who is struggling with their identity, just know that there is always a community that is welcoming and has their arms open for you. There’s always a place for you here in the community. One day you will find yourself, it doesn’t matter if you found yourself right away or if you find yourself when you are super old, that’s just an accomplishment in itself. You should be proud of yourself.” Alacron said.

“You can’t let other people tell you who to be, as long as you’re comfortable in your own expression.”

Junior Reyn Morales said.

SENIOR STORIES GRADUATING SENIORS SHARE THEIR MOMENTS

By Elmer Starkey

FUNNIEST MOMENTS

Jillian Lara - “This year actually. I was sitting in the mat room with my friends, Angie, Maya, and Briana. We were all originally laughing at a funny picture I took of Angie. I was leaning my chair forward while showing them and then Angie pushed my chair, and I fell so hard on the floor. It was so loud. Everyone went silent, turned towards us, and just watched us while we all started laughing so hard.”

Ian Castillo - “I remembered it was the first two months in senior year, the replacement teacher for Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Madden, who was new with the classroom, was walking around the classroom trying to get familiar. But once he reached the closet in the classroom, I climbed up to the top of the loft area with the ladder and tried to steal those cardboard tubes to bring home to customize. Once I threw the tube from the loft, I tried to climb down, but Madden was about to leave the closet, and that’s when one of the students came up to Madden to show him what tools, supplies, and other stuff was in the closet which gave me a chance to climb down. But once I was about to reach the bottom, I jumped off the ladder and busted my butt, where I was trying to land so I ended up with a slight bump on my butt while the whole class started laughing which ended up making me laugh too.”

EMBARRASSING MOMENTS

Jazmiene Jugarap - “I asked out this person and got rejected, but that wasn’t the embarrassing part because that happens sometimes. However, afterwards I had to watch him bike away, butt in the air, so he can go faster! That happened freshman year, and now it’s just a funny story to tell, but it wasn’t so funny in the moment.”

Omar Robles- “An embarrassing moment was in freshman year. I was laughing at all the kids who got pooped on by birds, just to get pooped on soon after. I just remember feeling nasty and embarrassed as I had to take off my hoodie and wear my PE backup clothes.”

TROUBLE?

Crystal Serratos- ”I had been told by the counselors to not go to to Baughman’s 6th period class, but I went anyways and Baughman’s phone rung and a student answered the phone. The counselors were asking where I was and luckily the student didn’t snitch me out, but I decided to go back anyway. When I returned, they yelled at me still since I can’t lie for my life and I’ve never gone back there again.”

Ian Castillo- “The most trouble I got in high school was when back in freshman year I got caught sneaking off campus to go to the taco truck and I ended up getting caught by security. So they called my parents and I had to stay after school to attend “detention” which ended up being like a group therapy session where we had to just reflect on what we did and explained to them why what we did was wrong.”

HOW MUCH YOU CHANGED

Joel Montgomery- “I changed a lot since freshman year mentally and physically. I feel like I was more insecure about my physical appearance and always wanted to fit in, but further into high school I started to evolve and become more confident and comfortable with myself.”

Maya Ochoa- “I feel like I’ve changed a lot since freshman year. When I was a freshman, I didn’t like to try new things and I was very closed off and rude. After COVID hit, I grew out of that habit becoming nicer and open minded to trying new things.”

MOMENTS WISHED TO RELIVE

Damon Li - “I wish I could relive my journey through junior and senior year of highschool. I don’t care if I know the way it ends already, I just care about how much I was able to grow in that small time. I would want to relive it, even with all the pain that comes with it, because pain is what makes us who we are. There will always be pain and sacrifice in the decisions we make and we have to learn to accept that. It’s a part of life. Seeing my own growth in highschool would be a really cool moment to relive because as far as I’ve known, I haven’t recognized much changes from the past few years and I’d really like to see those around me and me as well, change into the people we become now. It doesn’t matter how much pain I’ll be reliving because I know that that’s how I grew and that’s how I will still grow. Through the pain and tears there is a whole world waiting to be explored and changed.”

Andrew Le - “After the physics AP exam last year, I went with a large group of my friends to Loard’s Ice Cream to celebrate. It was one of the first times since quarantine that I had been able to hang out with a large group of people and knowing the school year was going to end soon made us all appreciate each other’s presence a lot more. That afternoon ended up being one of the best I’ve ever had and the good vibes helped us forget all about our physics stress. I wish I could go back and relive that moment because looking back, it was such a simpler time and I feel like I didn’t cherish it enough.”

WHAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE?

Christian Alfonzo - “Definitely when COVID hit. Everyone can agree that everything changed and everyone’s lives aren’t the same since then. It gave everyone a different outlook on everything and we can’t control everything or things won’t always go your way.”

PROUD MOMENTS

Jaylin Smith-Van - “Creating my business, I’ve been able to make such a good profit and given me a real opportunity to realize the ups and downs of how sales and trends are like.”

Noreen Albiento - “It was when a few people cut me off during my junior year, and that’s when I started to care about myself than others because I really cared about others more than myself.”

Omar Robles - “I feel proud making it this far. I know everyone can’t say the same but I’ve been able to endure school almost till the end and for that reason I’m proud just to still be here today.”

The Roads Less Traveled Students pursue varying college alternatives.

By Lynnsy Ang

As a kid, police officers and sheriffs around Senior Abraham Vega’s neighborhood were his biggest role models. He spent his childhood looking up to them and admiring the courage they emanated.

“When I was young, I dreamed of the badge. I wanted to be an officer of the law,” said Vega.

Although Vega applied to and considered attending a nearby state school, his family’s financial state stood as a barrier. Additionally, academics were not exceptionally interesting to him, and the issue of money proved to be another disincentive. He eventually decided to pursue his childhood aspirations of joining the police department, leading him to the Sheriff Regional Academy in Dublin, which he will be entering in August.

His plan is to spend two years at the academy before transferring to a police station in Alameda County. In the academy, he will be

considered a “rookie” until he learns basic training. He can only move up the ranks after gaining enough experience.

“Every rank depends on the type of skill, accomplishment and duties [someone] has made over the years [they’ve] done,” Vega said.

Apart from his childhood dreams, Vega had several practical reasons for choosing the Sheriff Academy over college. He will be paid throughout his training, and as a police officer, will receive substantial pay and benefits including a 401k and health insurance. However, these motives were not the main reason he chose this pathway over a more traditional one.

“I asked myself, ‘is it better to go to college, or to go straight into the workplace?’” Vega said. After some thought, he realized the factor that should take precedence.

“I really wanted to go into a work that I felt passionate about,” he said.

To Vega’s delight, he received overwhelming happiness and support from his friends and family. Although he feels nervous about his upcoming experiences in the academy, he is fortunate to have a large support group to help his transition.

“[My parents] were super excited,” Vega said. “They wanted me to find a job/career that I find inspiration in… And they knew [this job] was a job that could support me later on in life.”

Just like his classmates who look forward to a new beginning in college come fall, Vega anticipates the start of his own. He is excited to see what this new chapter of his life has in store for him, and is prepared to move on to greater things.

“I hope to gain new friends and experiences while I’m in the academy.” Vega said. “I want to set a new adventure for myself.”

In elementary school, all sorts of occupations were enticing to Senior Rachael Nhep. From a chef to a doctor, her imagination and hopes of her future were endless. Now as her high school career comes to a close, she realizes her plans have deviated slightly since fifth grade. After graduation, Nhep plans on taking a gap year to earn money to support herself and her family. People who take gap years typically spend a school year working, traveling, or doing something else instead of attending school. The following school year, they begin going to school with (hopefully) more money, experience, or at the very least, fun memories under their belt.

Nhep dances in traditional Cambodian performances during special occasions and holidays for money. She considered going to college to pursue a higher education to become a doctor or a nurse, but came to realize that the amount of schooling to achieve that goal was not suited for her.

“Throughout high school, I didn’t think I had the mental stability to stay in school that long, on top of money issues.” She said, “I wanted to find a faster way to do what I wanted and start

earning money.”

During her junior year, Nhep heard about the jobs in phlebotomy and scrub technicians, and the good pay that came with it. Both jobs are in the medical field, a phlebotomist being a medical professional trained in drawing blood and a scrub technician being a technician on surgical operating room teams.

This industry appealed to Nhep, and she began searching for phlebotomy programs to enter after high school. However, her plan is not for this to be the final goal in her career, and wants to pursue her own passions after spending a couple of years in medicine.

“My end goal is to go to college for something in the arts. Something my parents wouldn’t have accepted, but I want to do.” She said.

Despite her love for her artistic side, Nhep recognizes the difficulties in pursuing a career in music and the general arts, especially its financial aspect. She views the medical field as her Plan B, a stable job that can support her long-term.

“I started planning on doing phlebotomy and being a scrub technician as a backup plan,

so if I continue on to the art industry and I don’t do as well, I can always fall back on that for money.”

She described the arts as a “hit or miss” in comparison to the stable medical jobs her parents want her to pursue. Nhep was raised in a family where academics and college were a priority, and working before finishing school was considered unideal.

“[My family] didn’t want me to take up a job until after I finished school. For them, it’s always either think about school or think about the future. So there’s definitely a lot of pressure coming from them.”

However, Nhep feels the need to work to help support her family. Family is very important to her, and she wants to work and earn money to take some of the financial burden off of her parents. That is why she plans on taking a gap year after graduation before pursuing the phlebotomy program.

“I’m focusing on helping my family out [this next year]. Anything that could get us to a safe space, both financially and emotionally,” she said.

Illustration by Ethan Nguyen

Looking Back

Photos from the 2022-2023 school year

Photos and captions by Joseph Kim

(Top) Touchdown! Senior Josiah Johnson catches the ball mid-air for a touchdown at the Arroyo vs SLZ Homecoming Game. Arroyo took home the helmet with a score of 35 to 0.

(Bottom) We love you Giller! Futures Academy reveals their poster in support of teacher Mark Giller at their Love Town Hall. Giller has been battling Stage 4 lung cancer since November 2022 and has been holding up since.

holds

breath as a

are a part of the No Hate High School Tour which goes around to various schools to preach the message of no hate.

(Right) Messy fun. Teacher Jeffery Baughman faces off against a hurl of cheese balls at the Homecoming Rally game. This Homecoming Rally was the first one we had indoors since the Covid pandemic.

his final performance at AHS before retiring this year.

(Left) Battle for the ball. Senior Jaylen Thomas battles for the ball against SLZ at their Senior night game. AHS won that game with a score of 60 to 38.

(Middle) 3, 2, 1, GO! Activities director Jennifer Rodrigues

her

BMX biker flies over her head. The bikers

(Below) Grand Finale. Music teacher Vernon Miyata conducts

Miyata has been teaching the art of music at Arroyo for 29 years.

Local Eats

Where do students at AHS go during lunch?

By MJ Feldman and Eli Banuelos

Junior Heidi Hsu suggests:

In-N-Out

Their rating: 10/10

Their Favorite item: Animal style fries with chopped chillis inside and a side of fries

How often they go: Every day

Senior Anh Nguyen suggests:

Hawaiian Poke

Their rating: 8/10

Their favorite item: Creamy and spicy poke

How often they go: Once a week

Junior Yasser Gomez suggests:

R&D Cafe

Their rating: 10/10

Their Favorite item: Pork Bahn Mi

How often they go: Three times a week

Junior Anthony Haro suggetsts:

Fresh Pizza

Their rating: 8/10

Their Favorite item: Pepperoni and bacon pizza

How often they go: Every day

Senior Evan Brill suggests:

Tao’s Fresh

Their rating: 7/10

Their Favorite item: Spam musubi

How often they go: Twice a week

Senior Marcus Johnson suggests: Taco Truck

Their rating: 8/10

Their Favorite item: Three beef tacos and a coke

How often they go: Three times a week

Senior Mikey Argueta suggests:

Tao’s Fresh

Their rating: 7/10

Their Favorite item: Chicken Katsu

How often they go: Once a week

Senior Jaylin Smith-van suggests:

Taco Truck

Their rating: 9/10

Their Favorite item: Super steak fries

How often they go: Two to three times a week

Senior John Cazzy suggests:

Safeway

Their rating: 9/10

Their Favorite item: Chicken Tenders from deli

How often they go: Two times a week

Fresh pizza 15829 Channel St. Taco Truck Corner of via enrico and Lorenzo Ave

Senior Jackie Chen

AHS students share their concert experiences.

By Arianna Carandang

Which concert: Keshi

“My friend introduced me [to him] before quarantine. “I went with my friend group. I wasn’t even gonna go until my friend, Noah, told me he got tickets for me for my birthday. I was scared my parents weren’t gonna let me go especially on a school day, but I ended up going.”

Where: Stanford University

When: April 5th, 2023

Rating: 5/5 “Best night of my life.”

Favorite song played: UNDERSTAND

Junior Jazilynn Gonzalez

Which concert: Harry Styles

“I’ve been a fan since One Direction so it started from there. But when they went solo, I wasn’t immediately following Harry. My best friend had a big part to play in that ‘cause she brought me to Harry’s show. She had an extra ticket!”

Where: SAP center, San Jose

When: November 11, 2021

Rating: 5/5 “Everybody has to experience one of his shows at least once.”

Favorite song played: Carolina

Concert Etiquette

Concert-goers discuss changes in concert atmosphere.

By Jessica Reyes

Junior Jazilynn Gonzalez has been a frequent concert goer and has attended 28 concerts in her life. She has gone to concerts before and after COVID-19 and has noticed a change over the years. COVID-19 caused concerts to be postponed and the concert community was put on pause. After the pandemic and with the rise of concerts, people on social media such as TikTok have brought up the conversation of “concert etiquette”, with a rise of opinions that the sense of community is now lost and that concerts are not as enjoyable as were before the pandemic. Some even say that the new concert attendees are rude and have no sense of how concerts look.

Gonzalez’s first concert after the pandemic was the Harry Styles concert in 2021 at the SAP Center in San Jose. Aside from the arena being filled with people in masks, she noticed that everyone was respecting peoples’ boundaries. As time went on and the mask mandate was lifted, she noticed that people have lost that sense of boundaries. An example that Gonzalez gave was when she attended a Billie Eilish show.

“There was a couple that was shoving to get to the barricade right where my mom and I were, they separated us and you can’t really be

doing that.” Gonzalez said.

Aside from personal concert experience she also noticed the change in people and she feels that there is an increase in toxic fans.

“I’ve seen a lot of girls judging other girls’ outfits, and people say really rude things to each other, especially before the show starts while waiting in line,” Gonzalez said.

Senior Jackie Chen is a new concert goer with his first concert being the Keshi concert that took place this year at the Frost Amphitheater at Stanford University, and also had an experience with people not respecting boundaries.

Even though this was Chen’s very first concert and he enjoyed his time there, he mentioned how people were pushing and what it was like to be on the floor of a concert.

“I didn’t feel uncomfortable during the concert, but I was pretty squished. There was pushing, but I didn’t realize it because at the start of the concert, I was pretty far up the stage but as the concert went on, I ended up near a curb,” Chen said.

Gonzalez brought up how she believes that social media has affected how we attend concerts.

Both she and Chen have mentioned the

controversy of phones at concerts and how everything is documented, making the experience less enjoyable and authentic for all parties invovled.

“I didn’t really mind the people recording because I was one of those people, but I feel like I should live in the moment for my next concert.” Chen said.

Despite concert etiquette’s recent changes Chen, mentioned and acknowledged that concerts allow him to feel apart of a community.

“It was an open area to make friends, there are a lot of common things you can bond about”, Chen said.

Both new and experienced concert goers believe that the crowd in concerts have become an uncomfortable state, even with the upsides such as having a community at the concerts and creating new friendships and memories. Both sides also agree that concerts are fun and that anyone could go to one extroverted or not. Gonzalez herself has described how different concerts have different crowds, saying that “it’s always worth waiting in line for hours every time” and how she’s always enjoyed the shows which have become core memories for her.

Cut Classes

Numerous electives will not be returning next year

By Alina Gomez

Social Studies teacher Joel Gonzales has been building the Ethnic Studies program for 2 years as he has been teaching the Freshman Ethnic Studies class since 2019. This year Arroyo created an upperclassman elective, but with not enough sign ups the class won’t be available for next year’s course. Gonzalez feels like this is an important class that can help empower students.

“I think ethnic studies is really important because for so many of our students it gives them one of the first opportunities to see themselves in our curriculum and when it’s done correctly it can be really empowering for students of color in particular.” said Gonzalez.

The yearlong Ethnic Studies elective class is not the only class that was offered this year or in the recent past, but won’t be offered next year. Creative Writing, Gender Studies, and Choir are also classes that have recently been offered, but will not have classes next year due to issues such as not enough students signing up for the class or no teacher being available to teach it.

“I’m sad because this is the first year that Arroyo’s had an advanced Ethnic Studies class and so I pretty much built the class from the ground up of course I have resources and everything to help me build it. I am kinda sad I won’t be able to see through it a second year of the class, but then again I am going to San Lorenzo High.” said Agular.

Women’s studies, taught by Kaeden Peters is amongst the courses being cut. This class gives students a space to focus on finding out more about themselves even beyond the women’s studies lens, as it goes into gender and sex and gives more of an opportunity to learn about themselves.

¨A women’s studies class can be a space where students can just focus on that and different teachers bring it in at different degrees for instance. I think that’s where it’s important. I think moving it toward a gender studies lens however, which is where the class is headed, that’s then expands it beyond just women’s studies but also history of all genders and looking at how gender came to be, and it definitwely includes a lot of women’s history, but it also gives space to look at gender versus sexuality, gender versus sex, trans, and nonbinary people.¨ said Peters.

The activities made the students mainly focus on themselves. To help them better understand the community that they are associated with. It makes them take a deeper dive into where they stand in the world.

“One of the things that we did near the end of the semester was something called ‘Theater of the oppressed’. It’s basically a framework for students and teachers to use moments in history, but using your body language. As an in room drama teacher for a unit they picked a moment in history that they had to represent in three different movements. Which was great since it was my first time doing it, it was a little hard. But it was interesting seeing how people interpreted it. So I think I will definitely do it differently, but it was so much fun because you get to see that

they were enjoying it.” said Agular.

Women’s studies is also taking a more gender studies approach as well. A student taking the class Junior A. Manuel feels like that class is a great place for people to work together and learn more about our history that you don’t get to learn about in your normal history class. In the class there are a lot of projects where you get to work with a team to do research and have discussions. They’re also able to do skits and look through media images through a gendered lens.

“I feel like [this class] sheds light on a lot of topics in LGBTQ+ history that a lot of people should know and is important for them to know like the discrimination. There’s more history than people realize.” said Manuel.

For another student Senior Hailey Hutchison found Ethnic Studies to be a great place to learn about different cultures. Since it gave a lot of insight on topics that aren’t talked about enough and for people to better understand them. For example it goes in depth about the Chicano Movement and how they fought for their education rights.

“Yeah of course I am so sad to see it leave. It is really good if you like learning about culture and learning about people’s differences and how that could better somebody because you get to learn the untold history of this country that doesn’t usually get talked about. Like the asian american studies, you get to learn about Angel Island and all that. Or like the Chicano Movement and how they fought for Ethnic Studies. I love that stuff so much. Native American studies were my favorite cause it had so much in there of like how this is their land and they appreciate the land more than we do for sure.” said Hutchison

These classes might have to be cut due to the pandemic that caused students to have to learn through distance learning. The upcoming seniors lost their freshman year due to the pandemic and have to make up the credits they have lost during their senior year. Due to this, they don’t have enough room in their schedule to have electives.

“It’s a bummer. I mean I think it’s really hard post pandemic whether our students have a lot of credits to make up so there’s less room for electives. I think just that the way our schedule is it’s hard to take electives in general, so I understand why there were not a lot of signups like electives were kinda down across the board.” said Peters

Another reason that the classes didn’t get a lot of sign-ups, could have been because there wasn’t a lot of promotion of the classes. Even though there are fliers for specific classes for students who are interested, many pass by, which decreases the interest and sign-ups for the class. If more people were to talk about the classes and the benefits that it gave then more people might be more open minded to getting into the class.

¨We’re going to need to do a better job advertising and promoting the class to the rising juniors and seniors next year.¨ said Gonzalez

Would you recommend the class?

I feel like students should take gender studies because when you think about gender and sex there’s a lot of stuff that goes into making those things what they are. I mean society and how society structures them with that and politics and people operate with politics. And how society works with politics. So I feel like considering those two things that’s why people should take gender studies so that they can become more informed about people’s identities and expressions and stuff like that.

Hailey Hutchison

What are some activities that are really memorable?

We tend to do a lot of visual artwork. So we had this project called ‘Archaeology of the South’ where we analyze ourselves and our diversity and then we get to look at everyone’s diversity. It’s usually on a post-it paper and we would draw on it and put facts on it about yourselves. Like for me I would put how I am LGBTQ+ and other stuff. But I like that one the most because it’s nice to see people’s differences and how they can come together rather than just separate us.

Junior A. Manuel Senior

Ending with a Blast

Electives are wrapping up with year-end activities

By Kelly Hu

“I take Fire Science/EMT at ROP, and have acquired skills that I can use to help me get a preview of the profession as a firefighter. I became extremely proficient in skills that I once struggled with before, [such as] bandaging, rope knotting, and fire attacking. One of the reasons is because we get to train at the Hayward Fire Training Center with the help of actual firefighters and paramedics, which to me, feels like a field trip every time. ”

“ROP is very interactive and definitely worth taking to develop hands-on skills. There are many options as well, such as welding, culinary, cyber security, etc. I would say explore your options in ROP and find that class that’s most fitting for your future career.”

“Over 50% of all bugs have Wolbachia (a natural bacteria), so we want to find bugs that contain this DNA strand. Throughout the year, we learn about extracting DNA, but now we get to do it on a real basis, like going outside and getting actual samples. For this specific lab, we got to capture bugs, learn about their skeletons and bodies, and mainly got to extract their DNA to test for Wolbachia.”

“Every project in BioTech is fundamental in our skills… they’re like staples to our learning, as well as skill-acquiring process. You learn a lot really quickly, but overall it’s a steady-paced class and you have tons of fun and exploration.”

“In this project, we got to design our own perfect society… we set up the government and the school systems… we got to work out our ideas of what we think is a perfect world… such as addressing the systems of hate through our ethical education systems. Utopias are nearly impossible, so there lies the challenge, to try and get it as close to perfect as possible…”

“Philosophy has helped a lot with self-discovery, and has guided me to become who I want to become in this world… The world is not gonna change unless enough people do something about it. And for incomers, just keep an open mind when entering Philosophy. Think critically and embrace the fact that it’s not like any other regular class.”

“We are combining a bunch of photos together into one art piece, each photo with its own theme. I took different angles of people’s faces and combined it into this portrait collage. It isn’t randomly shooting photos- we have to plan things out and it requires mapping out exactly what you want to capture.”

“This is a community classroom where everyone gets connected easily. We would run and jump and capture moments, and sometimes we’re even featured in each other’s assignments. We [also] get to go out of the classroom and find unique sightings. One time, we went to the back of the school and found a whole field of ladybugs. Every single day in Photography just feels like an adventure, it’s just really fun.”

Senior Roberto Munoz advocates for ROP (Eden Area Regional Occupational Program), the Fire Department Trainings!

Senior Anthony Tran advocates for BioTechnology, the Wolbachia DNA Lab!

Senior Sofia Elias advocates for Philosophy, the Utopia Project!

Junior Joshua Cerezo advocates for Photography, the Multiple Shot Full Length Portrait Collage!

Prevailing Pioneer

A first-gen college student’s highs and lows

By Trinity DeLaCruz

Ifound myself stumbling trying to fill out my college applications and my financial aid packet. I was doing it on my own, not because my parents didn’t want to help me, but because they didn’t know how to. I found myself asking for help from friends or teachers because both my parents didn’t have the opportunity to finish high school; they had to start their lives sooner than they could walk the stage. Not to mention, no one at home was pushing them and supporting them on going to any form of college, the goal was to at least try and finish high school. No trying to knock on my grandparents or my parents, but it was a different time in a different part of the Bay Area, and the standards were different from my upbringing. My parents struggled to get to where they are now, so they make sure they push me to the highest I can go to.

Being a first generation college student, I can say that the experience is both a challenge and rewarding experience. There is no blueprint for you to follow, no one at home to turn to for advice, and no one to help you figure out the crazy world of higher education. You are learning with your parents on what to do, which is stressful. Sometimes I found myself getting upset or frustrated with my parents because both of us were stressed about not knowing what to do and when. One of the biggest challenges is just simply just getting in or pushing yourself to the higher level because you may not have the resources or support system like other students. Just trying to figure out where to start can be discouraging for first-gen college students.

My parents helped the best they could, but it didn’t help that they knew about as much as I did at the time. I found that the more you learn, the easier it is to work together with them and keep them informed. But once you get in and you feel the storm is over, it’s still happening; you start to feel as if you don’t belong in the college environment or you aren’t as smart as the other students. No matter how many AP classes you take and do well in, there is still that feeling of nervousness when thinking about college and figuring out new things. Or thinking you won’t do as well as other students who have their parents as a college role model because you can’t relate to them. It’s always nice to remember that everyone feels that way at some point, no matter what their background is like, it makes you feel a bit better.

The reward, however, is much more meaningful than anything else. You find yourself to be a role model for your siblings or other family members. When you take the leap to challenge yourself with your education, you are setting an example for people who are going through the same thing. You are also gaining skills and experiences no one in your family can relate to. No matter what school or major you pick, you’re breaking the cycle of non-college graduates in your life. You are learning how to believe in yourself while learning skills to help you with your career. I know for me, it feels like I’m making a difference in my family and setting a goal for my little brother. I feel like I have something to prove to everyone and even myself, with this I will push myself to my fullest ability in school. I think as a first generation student you have to show people that you will succeed in order to inspire others around you who struggle with starting college. No matter where you start,it will be a huge reward for yourself. I’m starting my journy at Cal State East Bay.

I remember when I went to the Welcome Day; my parents couldn’t stop telling me how proud they were of me for taking the leap to further my education and help better myself for my career. Apart from being nervous and lost, it made me feel like I was actually doing something, and even inspiring my parents. My mom was talking about how she should have gone to college and I am still telling her it is never too late to start. I’ve inspired everyone in my family with this huge new step for all of us. It’s definitely something new but also something special I get to share with my friends and family as I take this journey.

It’s important to not let where you come from determine your future, if I let it define me I wouldn’t be taking an extra step in going to college. I’m not saying you are lame for not going to college, but if you are uneasy about it because you have no one to look up to for that then you should take the extra leap. There are plenty of groups to help you through this on campuses, more and more schools are realizing how challenging this is for first generation students. Make sure to use them as much as possible, they are there for you! We got this and whatever path you choose or wherever you come from you will succeed if you try and give it your all.

Sweeping Change

The sixth period bell has just rung. Senior Luis Derla asks Journalism teacher Samved Sangameswara if he can use the bathroom, and receives the green light. However, shortly after handling his business, he notices several groups of students rushing to the cafeteria. To his dismay, an assistant principal stands by the A hall entrance, blocking his way back to class. Without a choice, a confused and irritated Derla is pushed by security guards among the others into the cafeteria building.

This semester, tardy sweeps have begun to take effect on students around campus. Students like Derla, who are innocent and well meaning, are caught up in these sweeps and are subjected to the tedious process. Tardy sweeps not only negatively affect the innocent students, but even the genuinely tardy ones. They are inefficient and disruptive in their process, but can be modified to hold the right students accountable while being respectful of their time and education.

Problem 1: Tardy sweeps

Tardy sweeps keeps students out of class, which is both a disruption to their education and a disincentive to attending class. The process of rounding up students and taking them to the cafeteria can take upwards of twenty minutes, time that could be spent learning in class. If the point of tardy sweeps is to motivate students to go to class, why is it taking away their time in class? Tardy sweeps should be processed in a more efficient and less disruptive way, such as taking down ID numbers and sending students straight to class.

Problem 2: Teacher’s fault

Students are not always at fault for being tardy. Oftentimes students are let out of class late resulting in them being tardy to their next class. Most of the students excused late come from PE. Students in PE are often sent to the locker rooms late and expected to change in under five minutes just to get to class on time. Students are suffering the consequences of tardy sweeps when they may not be at fault for their lateness. To avoid students getting wrongly swept up, teachers should have the ability to excuse students from the tardy sweep. Something like a stamp or a teacher’s initials on a students hand that marks that they are excused from the sweep. This would allow students who are not at fault for being tardy to no longer get tardy swept.

Problem 3: Lockers

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.

STAFF EDITORIAL

OPINION OF THE DRY GULCH GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD

It is unrealistic to expect students to go to their lockers in between classes in the span of a five minute long passing period. Many students use their lockers to store textbooks or classwork in order to have a less packed and lighter backpack. Unfortunately, students aren’t given enough time to go to their lockers to take out their supplies and get to class on time. Another contributing factor is the location of lockers. Many students have lockers far away from their classes which makes it difficult for students to use their lockers and get to class on time. A solution to this would be longer passing periods or the ability to choose the location of your locker after you receive your schedule. Longer passing periods would give students more time between using their lockers and getting to class and a new locker system would allow students to pick a convenient spot for their locker that would make it quicker to get to class from their lockers.

Problem 4: First period tardies

Giving out tardies and doing tardy sweeps during first period is unfair to those who are late to school for reasons outside of their control. Some students are late in the morning because of personal responsibilities, such as driving siblings to school or caring for other relatives. There are also unique instances such as bad weather or traffic accidents, which cannot be anticipated and therefore isn’t students’ fault. Tardies should not be given out to students late to first period if there is a legitimate reason, and proof of that reason.

Editors-In-Chief:

Wynne Bendell

Claire Terzich

Deputy Editors:

Lynnsy Ang

Mia Chan

Makani Reith-Fifita

Copy Editors

Luis Derla

Logan Houghtelling

Jacky Li

Design Editors

Arianna Carandang

Shadhana Saud

Photography Editor

Joseph Kim

Illustration Editor

Jessica Reyes-Fajardo

Staff Writers

Adrianna Armijo

Eli Banuelos

Eden Buell

Clarence Capunitan

Trinity DeLa Cruz

MJ Feldman

Alina Gomez

Kelly Hu

Hailey Hutchinson

Anthony Nguyen

Ethan Nguyen

Jazmin Quintero

Gavino

Robby Romero

Haily Seguiran

Elmer Starkey

Staff Adviser

Samved Sangameswara

Tardy sweeps are largely inefficient and disruptive to students’ education.

The Last Hurrah!

AHS Seniors play a game of tug-of-war at the senior farewell rally on May 26, 2023

Photo by Joseph Kim