DGG Dry Gulch Gazette
Arroyo High School | Volume 58 Issue 4 | Feb. 27, 2019
Behind-the-scenes look into how AHS stays tidy pg. 16
Looking back... Feb. 14 - The Future Academy held a townhall that emphasized on love. Students performed songs, dances, stand-up comedy, and poetry about love ranging from toxcity, how someone learns how to love, and what love is. (Top) Alejandra Rivera singing “Letters� by Kehlani. (Bottom) DPC students performing a dance.
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Photos | Jeanette Hernandez
CAMPUS: 4 Taco Truck 5 Buddy Reading Program 6 Water Conditions 7 Prom Dress Event COMMUNITY: 8 Free Prom Dress Event 10 Events Page 11 CAP Project 12 New Superintendent 13 Aspiring Artists 14 Thrifting A CLOSER LOOK: 16 Behind the Cart 18 Tidying Up... Or Not OPINION: 20 Do Your Part 21 Being Broke SPORTS: 22 Freshmen On Varsity 23 March Madness 24 Dirt Bike Rider ARTS AND CULTURE: 26 En Pointe 27 Airpods 28 Jorgenson Voice Acting 29 Making of a Dream Boy 30 Film Festival COLUMN: 32 Embracing Fa’a Somoa
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Cover Photo Illustration by Janice Lee
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CONTENTS
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Consequences of Leaving Campus Administration speak their mind about the rule of leaving campus. By Taliilagi Agatupu & Mimi Ramirez
Photo | Daniel Grafil
AHS students wait in line to get a meal from the taco truck. Administration have a hard time keeping underclassmen on campus.
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veryday an administrator spends their lunch by the gate next to the counseling hall. They are always looking out for underclassmen leaving campus when they are not supposed to. Assistant Principal Kristian Hinz says he catches about one underclassmen a day leaving campus during lunch. He explained the consequences that come with leaving campus as an underclassmen. “The consequence for underclassmen who leave campus is a verbal warning for the first offense, a lunch detention in the cafeteria as the second offense, and for the third defense it will be a suspension because of repeated defiance against administration. It’s like one day it will zero and the next day also zero but the day after that we catch a group of 4 kids. It depends on what day really. First we give them a verbal warning, then if they get caught again they would get suspended but I think it is a failed strategy,” Hinz said. Many underclassmen find this policy frustrating and unfair. Sophomore Sosi Agatupu told us about how she feels about the rule towards her and her classmates. “It like sucks, especially about the taco
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truck because it’s across the street and they should trust that we are only going to the truck.” “The rules are not fair and that someone should be there to monitor instead of
“It like sucks, especially about the taco truck because it’s across the street and they should trust that we are are only going to the taco truck.” Sophomore Sosifina Agatupu said
suspending kids.” Agatupu said. Hinz sees the taco truck a significant factor to this issue of underclassmen leaving
campus because it creates an extra place they need to monitor. To enforce the rule campus security officers stand on the end of campus and ask students to pull out their ID cards and next to the taco truck to monitor who comes on and off campus. “It would be alot more simple if the taco truck wasn’t there, because then they could monitor only 7-Eleven and the park”, Hinz said. Campus security officer Mike Saenz said closing campus for all students is a better solution to this problem “What I think would be much simpler is if the campus was closed all together and no student can leave campus” Saenz said. Hinz sees the benefits of a closed campus but believes it would be more challenging to keep 2000 students on campus rather than around 900 underclassmen. Hinz said for now this rule is staying put. •
Photos |Jeanette Hernandez
(Left) Junior Sophia Quintanilla, (Middle) Junior Renad Banana, and (Left) Junior Adrian-Carl Nobleza reading childrens books to elementary school children on Thursday, Febuary 20, 2019.
Buddy Reading Thursday
11th and12th grade ELD students walk to Grant Elementary to read to children. By Jeanette Hernandez & Jacqueline Rico
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e were outside and we were reading. So in the book, it had ‘Boo’, this guys called ‘Boo’ and stuff like that, and she was like ‘oh my gosh that’s really funny, can you repeat it’, and I was like, ‘yeah sure,’ and repeated it and said we could say ‘Boo’ to each other when we meet and then, I created the handshake and she liked it,” junior Renad Banana said. Every Thursday during third period, seven of the students in AHS’ English Language Development [ELD] class taught by Mark Giller, make a trip to read to a some students at Grant Elementary School. “I inherited that [the buddy reading program] from [Former AHS English teacher] Mr. Boles, I’m not sure if he was the pioneer, if he started that or if they had been doing that for years. Ms. Ing who works at the district who use to teach here, she sent me a few emails that they had created a partnership and she asked if I would be interested, I asked the class and a few kids had did it last year and were really excited, so we decided to continue with it and hopefully it’s something we can continue year after year.” Giller said. At Grant every student is assigned to read to a child they met in the beginning of the
year. Banana has a buddy by the name of Bian a third grader from Jordan like her. “The experience has been fun for me, because the child I read to, she’s always telling me she’s lonely and she’s bored at school, and once I started going each week and got to know her better, I got to know what shes likes and doesn’t like. We started having these common things and I started having handshakes with her, the words she likes to talk about that I can talk to her about, and the books she likes to read. Now it’s really cool, at first it was really hard and I didn’t like it, it was just hard [the adjusting] but now it’s really easy and it’s really fun,” Banana said. All the students in the class have had a diffrent reaction to reading to children, but all are positive.
“It’s been nice because I have time to relax and read books, its been entertainment for me.”
Junior Adrian-Carl Nobleza said
“It’s been nice because I have time to relax to read books, it’s been entertainment for me,
“ junior Adrian-Carl Nobleza said. In addition, the class has been beneficial to students who are often not heard on campus. Although the students may require an extra class for help with the English language, Giller asks people to not forget the reality of learning a new language. “I wish a lot of people realize it’s not a question of determination, that if the kids just tried harder, it’s not necessary about the class.” Giller said. “It’s not if the students tried harder or put in more work. I think a lot of times teachers, students, people forget that learning a new language especially academic is quite challenging and it takes a lot of practice, time, a lot of effort a lot of everything.“ Finally Banana reflects on the lessons she has learned from having the opportunity to read to her buddy. “I learned that I can have me time with other people, like I wasn’t worried about myself before like I use to care more about other people and had no time for myself and didn’t know children are really fun to read with or talk with,” Banana said. •
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In the clear District takes action on the lead found in pipes at AHS.
Illustration | Rizelle Jugarape
By AndreaMarie Lomeli
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On Nov. 15, 2018, AHS parents and staff were notified regarding a lead contamination found in the pipes. Administered through East Bay MUD, many tests were conducted on all sites. While the facilities are generally well-maintained, the average age of AHS buildings are 65 years old. Originally built in 1954, this was the main reason for finding trace amounts of lead. Although no one has reported to be affected by the water, drinking water with lead can result in illness. When the water is contaminated in schools, it is required by the state to shut them down. In late February 2016, The United States Environmental Protection Agency wrote to the state governments about the need to enhance the oversight of implementation and enforcement of drinking water regulations, including the Lead and Copper Rule. In order for safe water quality in California’s K-12 public schools, the California Assembly Bill 746 requires water systems from communities to test lead levels, by July of 2019, in the drinking water. In 2017, SLZUSD applied to participate in East Bay MUD’s lead sampling program. The San Lorenzo Unified School District and East Bay MUD began the testing in October of 2018. Director of Maintenance Operations and
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Transportation, Doug Marr and his team at SLZUSD voluntarily conducted water quality tests at all school sites, as part of the ongoing effort to improve and maintain healthy school environments. The Maintenance and Operations staff have continued to work to address faucets, fixtures and fittings that require immediate replacement as indicated
“Throughout older buildings, the water supply lines and fixtures have different metal parts and are held together with several techniques. Some older parts contained trace amounts of lead.”
Director of Maintenance Operations and Transportation, Doug Marr said
in the results of the water testing. “AHS was found to be the one school with elevated levels of lead, which means to have greater than 15 ppb [parts per billion] per the standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency.” Marr said through an email. In older buildings, the water supply lines and fixtures have different metal parts and
are held together with several techniques. Older parts are more likely to contain trace amounts of lead. According to an email from Marr, “Most fixtures tested safe, except for five which came back ‘Red or unsafe.’ Immediately our maintenance staff made the situation safe by shutting down the five fixtures and placing ‘out of order’ signs on them.” After finding out that the water at AHS is contaminated, actions have been made to protect students and staff in the district. “We replaced fountain bubblers, fittings and valves as needed prior to retesting.” Marr said. AHS has approximately 50 other water sources in all parts of the school that have been tested and are safe to use at this time. “MOT recently added seven new bottle filler stations to Arroyo that are also available to the students, staff and guests.” Marr said. Although every attempt is made to reduce contaminants, replacing fixtures and faucets will not eliminate all lead in the water. “In collaboration with other public agencies, we are moving forward with EBMUD’S expanded sampling efforts. We are committed to completing water testing at every drinking fountain in the entire District.” Marr said. •
Feelings About Family on Campus The good and the bad of going to school with family. By Christopher Yalung and Valentin Ochoa
Photo Illustration | Christopher Yalung
Freshman Zephyr Calabio-Harris and his mother who teaches special education Tatum Calabio pose for a picture. Social Studies teacher Joseph Torbik also has a daughter who attends AHS (Not Pictured).
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everal teachers have had their children attend [AHS] over the years and I’ve taught the children of several colleagues. It’s always a little bit strange at first but then it becomes normal,” social studies teacher Joseph Torbik said. “But [when] it [is] your own kid it [is] completely different”. Torbik is one of the few teachers that have on of their children attending on campus. His daughter, Madison, is currently a freshman. Another freshman, Zephyr Calabio-Harris, is the son of Special Education teacher Tatum Calabio. Zephyr and his mother are very situated with their relationship on campus, and often spend time together in the same room every day at lunch. “[Her being in the same school as me]
isn’t that affecting; I don’t really think about it anymore, it’s just something that I’m used to,” Zephyr said. Joseph Torbik, however, is more aware of his daughter’s presence on campus, and thinks that him being in his daughter’s business at school would become awkward. Torbik said, “As a father I’m protective by nature, again I try to stay out of her business because I want her to be independent and I don’t want it to be said she got where she got because of any kind of assistance from her parents,” Torbik said. When asked whether or not he would want his daughter in his class, Torbik had this to say: “Never in a million years. One, I don’t even know if it’s legal, and two, it’s just too awkward for both parties, I wouldn’t want it, she wouldn’t want it, and I wouldn’t want her
to see me in that role as a teacher”. Zephyr’s mom on the other hand, has been teaching Special Education on the same campus as him since elementary school. Back then, she would let him hang out in her classroom to eat, hang out with friends, or just converse“. It just makes me feel comfortable to know that I have someone on campus to talk to and go to if I need anything,” Zephyr said.•
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Behind the Lesley West relieves prom dress stress.
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COMMUNITY
By Melanie Thai & Vivian Yan
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he glamour of prom comes with a price. Senior Alexis Mitchell was hit with this reality while she prepared for prom last year. Not only did she pay for her ticket, but she also had to pay for the dream dress, shoes, nails, and a hair stylist. “My dress was like $150, my shoes I wanna say like a little less than $40, my hair cost like $100, my nails were $70, and the ticket cost $130,” Mitchell said. While the cost of the ticket may be fixed, there are alternatives to lowering the costs of prom. Dressed by West, an event held annually by Lesley West, has been giving away free prom dresses to thousands of girls all over the country for 15 years. Initially, she volunteered with an organization called The Better Half with the wives of the former New Orleans Hornets basketball team to give out free dresses. However, once Hurricane Katrina hit, everything changed. “Well, after the hurricane came, nobody wanted us to do it anymore. There were a lot of ladies that left town and never came back and there were a lot of dresses sitting in the storage units,” West said. The hurricane shifted everyone’s focus to rebuilding their lives, which caused prom to fade away from their minds. Due to the economy’s deflation, dresses in large department stores, such as Dillards, went from hundreds of dollars to as little as ten dollars. Even with this price drop, everyone in the community was too preoccupied to care about something like prom. As a result, West took the initiative to buy eight hundred dresses, adding to the collection of six hundred dresses in storage to create her own event. Unfortunately, there was a shortage in dresses, which left several hundred girls empty-handed. Determined to ensure a dress to every girl, West became set on holding another event. “I was dumbfoundedly sad when people see me in line that didn’t get a dress and right then right there I said ‘you know what next year I’m going to guarantee that everyone receives a dress,’” West said. Since then, West has continued to establish her event in every state she relocates to. “I started a foundation. I’ve got a logo now. I understand the business side of it as far as being able to give people tax receipts for their donations. I’ve been on TV during some of the [Warriors’] basketball games to promote the
event before,” West said. The process of planning an event this large is not easy. The search for dresses never ends; West is always on the lookout wherever she goes to be able to bring varying styles to the event every year. “I’m able to get things from other states that people haven’t seen here. That’s how I try to keep it fresh so it’s not like everybody’s wearing the same dress. I don’t want you guys having on last year’s dress or stuff from homecoming for prom. No. I want it to all be current,” West said.
Dressed by West Where: Alameda High School
Date: March 16 Check our instagram for updates on how to sign up @ahsgazette *only open to juniors and seniors*
In addition to providing dresses, West strives to reduce additional costs of prom by offering free accessories, shoes, and beauty products as well. West does not assume all the costs, however. When she moved to Oakland, she connected with the Oakland Public Education Fund and met Hong Thach, a passionate humanitarian dedicated to serving the community. “When her family moved out west to Oakland, she wanted to continue to provide prom dresses to girls so she reached out to the Oakland Ed Fund…My role is to basically support her event and support her to whatever level that she needs from me,” Thach said.
Their mutual devotion to the community sparked ideas to improve the event. Prior to meeting Thach, West was intent on funding the event herself. “It has absolutely positively nothing to do with how much money I put into it. If we don’t have a fundraiser, it’s okay. I’ve been blessed enough to be able to give back what I can financially,” West said. However, Thach helped her realize that fundraisers and connections were powerful tools to increase the amount of resources available to the girls. In past years, companies such as Salesforce and COVERGIRL have contributed to the event. This year, Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation and Project Glimmer reached out and provided hundreds of Kate Spade products and beauty necessities. With the financial aspect taken care of, West’s biggest worry is attendance. Since the very first event, West has increased her collection of dresses to ensure every girl who attends receives one, but now she has more dresses than attendees. “As many smiling faces as I have in the room, as many tears from parents, girls, and myself that we all share, I can’t get up to a thousand girls here in Oakland,” West said. In effort to solve this issue, West has opened the event to girls beyond those who just live in Oakland; now, it is open to all eligible girls in the East Bay. “Originally, it was how many Oakland girls she can reach out to and provide prom dresses. But she later on switched it from Oakland to East Bay, so any junior or senior that wanted a dress can actually have a dress,” Thach said. West’s aspiration has remained the same since the beginning: inspiring others to spread kindness. She hopes the girls will view her event as something much more than just getting a free prom dress. It is the message behind her actions that she wants to get across. “If I can get one girl to pay it forward... If one person from all these events would come back one day and volunteer, it’ll be worth it… To me, that’s the point, that’s the whole mission, I’m just trying to reach somebody.” West continues, “As much as it warms my heart, I want somebody else to be moved and touched like I am too. I just never thought it would go this far. When Hong made me realize how many people I’ve impacted over the years just with dresses, it really fulfills me.”•
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February
This Month’s Recap:
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10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
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Winter Ball
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Super Bowl LIII
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Dons celebrated their Masquerade themed Winter Ball, enjoying the music, photobooth, and snacks bar. New England Patriots won againts the Los Angeles Rams 13-3, marking their 6th Super Bowl win.
Talent Show
AHS Dons show off their dancing, singing, and magic skills on stage.
Coming Up At Arroyo:
By Michael Thornton
March 8
ASB Elections Make sure to go out to the Quad to
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Daylight Savings Don’t forget to spring forward
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Powder Puff
March SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
vote for your next ASB Officers.
your clocks at 2am.
Head out to the football field to watch a game of football with a twist.
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Spirit Week Show your school spirit by
dressing all out.
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Drama department performs live at 7pm on Thurs, Fri, and Sat with a bonus showing on Sat at 4pm.
Head home at 12:45pm and get started on enjoying your week off.
Spring Break your week away from school. 15 - 19 enjoy
Make sure to sleep in and
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Be sure to look your best on the 29th for freshmen and the 30th for sophomores and juniors.
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April
Urinetown Musical Watch as the
Picture Day
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Minimum Day
29 - 30
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April 3, 5, 6
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Road To Change Students discover the real obstacles behind change. By Anvin Tang
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or some, the most difficult part of the Civic Action Project does not come until it is submitted. Those who choose to move forward with their projects are then faced with navigating a maze of administrator meetings, proposal presentations, and draft rewrites. Senior Andrew Omalza, alongside senior classmates Michael Stuber, Giselle Pineda, Kevin DeSilvera, and Tiffany Chacon, have spearheaded a project that is one of the few selected to move onto actual implementation phases. They want to bring home economics back to AHS: a class that hasn’t been offered since 2002. “We have presented our proposal to [Ms. Fields, Mr. Hinz, Mr. Gray]...We have also met with Mr. Behrooz Danish who is the SLZUSD Construction Manager...The next move would be to draft a syllabus so it we would have the standards of the class...We would also need a design of the rooms so we can come up with a cost,” Omalza said. The Civic Action Project is a project assigned for every senior government class that is dedicated to teaching students the nuances of the government by immersing them in actual government work. Students are encouraged to think of potential problems within the community and of creative ways to solve that problem. Mr. Beal, who is the advisor for Omalza’s group and dozens of other projects over the years, states that while adding a class is more challenging of a feat than most other projects, there are still many obstacles that every project must overcome. “We do a brainstorm of possible topics. Then we have to determine who else is into or cares about that. Then they’re gonna have to do some research like researching [education] code. We’re really just trying to push the right buttons and see if we can get a change. It’s hard to say what works or what doesn’t work,” Beal said. One of the most unique parts of the project is found in the deep effort required to go beyond the grade. The project is not solely isolated in the classroom, it relates to actual issues with actual implications for the future. It can be guided by personal factors that goes beyond the desire to achieve a good grade. “Especially for high school kids, they have to believe or want whatever it is in their project. The more they are in it the more likelihood they are going to find success...You get what you put in. The reality is those that get through the process they tend to really want this thing to happen,” Beal said. •
Illustration | Vivian Liu
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District Search For New Superintendent Staff share their perspectives on the superintendent search process. By Calif Chen and Steven Avalos
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n October 8, 2018, former SLZUSD´s superintendent Fred Brill resigned from the district, leaving a vacancy for the position. Bill’s departure marked the start of the new superintendent search process which is still going on as of now. During this power vacuum, Bruce Harter is selected on December 18, 2018 to serve as the interim superintendent until a new superintendent is selected. According to school board member Samuel Medina, the superintendent search process has nine phases. In the beginning phases, the school board selected the Leadership Associates Search Firm Advisors as the official consultant for the process. Then, the firm met with the school board to develop a set of qualifications for the position. After the qualifications are set, recruitment process begins and applications are open to the candidates. As of now, the firm ran background checks for all applicants and met with the school board to review applications. The next step is where the school board interview applicants to select the finalists. The date for the final selection is still to be determined. As the superintendent search process progresses, teachers and staff in the district have similar hopes for our new superintendent. Librarian Mark Schneider is a part of the executive board of the San Lorenzo Education Association, the union that represents SLZUSD teachers. Schneider feel that the teacher’s needs were not heard by the previous superintendents. Therefore, he strongly believes that the next superintendent should obtain the quality of being a good listener. “[Someone who will] listen to stakeholders. The main stakeholders are students, parents, and teachers,” Schneider said, “though administrators are important too, I believe that students have a lot more contact with teachers. The last two superintendents have been very good to administrators, but horrible to teachers. I hope the new one will address that problem.” English teacher Robert Guarino has worked with previous superintendents as a union representative and instead of suggesting who the next superintendent should be, he mentioned the type of people who shouldn’t fill the position. “I used to believe in hiring from within but there is unfortunately...no one currently that I know of that works at the district office that I would like to see as
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Superintendent Search Timeline
Timeline Proposed by Leadership Associate Search Firm Advisor. It is flexible based on the SLZUSD School Board’s direction. September - November 13, 2018 District receives proposal and selectes firm .(Leadership Associates Search Firm Advisors)
Phase 2: January 9-16, 2019 Consultants recieve input from staff and community chosen by the board, survey is then posted on district website.
Phase 4: January 28 and February 4, 2019 Advertising and active recruitment; Advertisement appears in EdCal.
Phase 6: March 14 and 15, 2019 Board Interviews candidates; selects finalist(s).
Phase 8: March 19, 2019 Board approves superintendent contract at a regularly scheduled board meeting.
Phase 1: December 4, 2018 Board meets with consultants and determines desired skills and characteristics for the future superintendent; Board then publicly announces timeline and procedures for the search. Phase 3: December 2018 - January 2019 Consultants identify potential candidates; Development and posting of recruitment materials and position description. Phase 5: February 21, 2019 Deadline for applications. February/March, 2019 Consultants review comprehensive references and background checks on applicants. March 5, 2019Board meets with consultants to review all applications and select candidates to be interviewed. Phase 7: TBD Board completes validation visit of leading candidate’s community and makes final determination on selcted candidate.
Phase 9: TBD(as mutually agreed) New Superintendent begins term.
superintendent. [Fred Brill] was all about show and nothing of substance,” Guarino said, “he was about putting his people in place in the district office and that’s why I don’t feel like there should be anyone in office right now that should be promoted to superintendent.” Guarino also wishes that parents were more committed to getting involved in the district as that could strongly influence the superintendent search process. However, this ideal involvement isn’t the case. “There were various committees where those who were interested could have joined but what goes on in our community is that there is a lack of involvement among parents and ultimately without a strong parent advocate group staying informed on what’s going on in the district you just gotta keep your fingers crossed,” Guarino said, “
we need a strong parent involvement which historically is not found in districts where the majority of the parents are working class.” Even though our community lacks involvement in the process, Schneider have a optimistic outlook on the future of the district because he believes that the new school board, which serves as the voice of the community, will make the right choice to choose a superintendent who listens to all stakeholders. “I think we have a better board than in the past, It’s more representative of the community, Schneider said, “It’s like younger people and it’s not just old white people like it was, say six or eight years ago, so I’m optimistic that things will get better.” •
Photo Courtesy of Alex Westerlund
One Stage, One Step
Students showcase their talents at EBA’s “Best of Expressions.”
By Trinity Mai
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t East Bay Arts High (EBA), students engage in a yearlong project to develop their creativity. During the school year, students work on one art piece in the form of a performance, painting, or story. Upon finishing, the school hosts an allday school event known as “Expressions,” where every students’ artwork is presented. Students and staff members gather to recognize students’ artistic development. On March 8 at 7 p.m., EBA will host their annual “Best of Expressions” show at the BAL Theater, presenting performing arts and displaying artwork in the lobby. Similar to the regular “Expressions” events, students perform and display their art. However, whereas “Expressions” shows the work of all EBA students, “Best of Expressions” highlights the best works of students from the entire San Lorenzo Unified School District. Through a series of auditions, students are selected to have their piece presented to staff and families throughout the entire district. EBA librarian and leadership teacher Jennifer Lyell is a member of the team who coordinates and facilitates “Expressions.” “The idea of having the ‘Best of Expressions’ is highlighting people who really went above and beyond and things that were
Junior Alex Westerlund shares an original spoken word in front of the entire EBA student body. amazing,” Lyell said. “Because the regular ‘Expressions’ is a daytime event, [it is important] to have it be at night so that parents and community members who can’t come during the day see it during the evening. It’s an incredible way of sharing with the community.” With “Best of Expressions” as an annual event, the coordinating team makes innovations to the production to retain its individuality by selecting a new theme to convey. Students and staff alike play significant roles in the selection process, starting with students’ votes on a theme. This year, the students chose “This Is Me” as the theme. As a member of the African American community, junior Alex Westerlund has prepared a spoken word to speak against the racism minorities, especially the Latino community, faces in the United States. “[The inspiration for the piece comes] from frustration ever since freshman year to now with how we feel, and the news and the media and how they portray how minorities are even though that’s not what we actually are,” Westerlund said. “For us, what we hope for others to take away is not only sympathizing with how we feel, but taking a stand for how they feel and using any kind of art forms as an outlet to speak up.” Similarly, junior Mackenzie Moran views “This Is Me” as an opportunity to express herself. Instead of expressing a message through her art, she decided to express her love for the stage. Several years ago, Moran discovered her interest in acting and singing, hoping to perform on Broadway someday. Her preparation of her song performance for “Best of Expressions: This Is Me” is the first step in advancing on her goal. “If I’m actually able to perform at the BAL Theater, it could be a fun experience and nice exposure to somewhere where I’m not just at my school,” Moran said. “It will help me understand what it’s like to have a really big audience in comparison to what we have at school when performing.” The students’ art journeys began from the moment they stepped onto EBA, and their participation in this year’s “Best of
Expressions” is another step toward their dream. Hoping to help students achieve their goals, Lyell encourages students and parents throughout the district to attend “Best of Expressions” and support the artists’ works. “[‘Best of Expressions’] has been around, and maybe we might make tweaks to it in terms of production, but the concept behind it, the vision behind it, everything behind it, has been pretty much the same since the beginning.” Lyell continued, “It’s pretty much just part of the EBA experience.” •
EAST BAY ARTS
BEST OF EXPRESSIONS 03. 08. 19 | 7PM BAL Theater 14808 E 14th St San Leandro, CA 94578
Freshman Isiah Lucky performs his co-written spoken word “Blindspotting” at the EBA Theatre.
COMMUNITY Photo Courtesy of Alex Westerlund
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Thrifting is the New Vintage Oh the places you’ll go....thrifting. Best Find
By Olivia Doctor
Savers
Address: 7117 Regional St, Dublin, CA 94568
“I highly recommend Savers...Its a really big store, so there’s a lot to look through which can be like kinda difficult but you do find a lot more things, which is a bigger option,”
senior Sara Snow said.
Converse All Star High Tops PRICE: $10.00
Thrift Town
Best Find
Address: 16160 E 14th St, San Leandro, CA 94578 “My thoughts on Thrift Town is that sometimes there is not that much of a variety of clothes that are nice...yes I recommend thrift shopping because you can save a
junior Karill Alfonso-Yumul said. lot of money,”
Guess Jean Jacket PRICE: $10.00
Eco Thrift
Best Find
Address: 25891 Mission Blvd, Hayward, CA 94544 “I recommend Eco-thrift and Thrifttown because Goodwill has a base price of overall things and it could be more expensive. And smaller thrift stores have a range of prices depending on the valuables not just what it is,” sophomore
Vanessa Arvizo said. Photos | Olivia Doctor
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COMMUNITY
Patagonia Puffer Jacket PRICE: $40.00
A CLOSER LOOK:
16 - Behind the Cart 18 - Tidying Up... Or Not
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Behind the Cart AHS custodians speak about their work experiences. By Janice Lee & Vivian Liu
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SPECIAL FEATURE Illustrations | Vivian Liu
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very day, 52.5 custodian hours and at least 100 trash cans are used to keep the AHS campus clean and organized. In terms of custodians, there are two groups, those in the day shift and those in the night shift, who help maintain the school’s hygiene. “The day shift... is here to give support if someone throws up [or] if there’s a spill in the classroom during school hours. Then they come and take care of that. Night time [custodians], we’re more classroom oriented. So we basically go around and clean the classrooms, clean the bathrooms, [and] stuff like that,” night custodian Darrell Kirvy said. Kirvy follows a set schedule when he works, and his schedule differs from those of the day shifts. “We start a route, and a route is–you know, classroom A at a certain time per say, classroom B, and then you end your route doing something else, so it just depends… So I [arrive] at 3:30, by the time I get started it’s around 3:45 [or] 4:00. I’m here [M hall] basically around 4:15. I do M1, M2, [and] the whole M route, including the portables. [I] get done with that generally by 5:00 [or] 5:30. And then I go ahead and go and start the admin offices. So there is a set time schedule. Daytime there is not so much of a set time schedule. They do certain things and then they are on call–you know they get called to do other stuff,” Kirvy said. Even on holidays or teacher work days, when most students are not at school, the custodians are still expected to fulfill their duties. Tim Kilian is also a night custodian and experiences many days of staying late even without the students’ presence. “I start at 3:30 and I am out of here at 1 o’clock at night. Every night… We don’t get to go home early just because you guys get out early. A lot of times when you guys aren’t here, we still have to be here the whole time,” Kilian said. Their work is recognized by Assistant Principal Kristian Hinz, who was impressed by the school’s physical condition when he first arrived.
“I think for an urban high school, particularly here in the Bay Area, it’s remarkably clean. I’m really impressed with the students, custodial staff, the teachers– that’s one of the first things I noticed when I came to Arroyo because I worked in Hayward. And I said, ‘Wow, it’s clean around here.’ I’m not used to that,” Hinz said. From a different perspective, sophomore Njeri Chege believes AHS is messy, but it is not necessarily the staff’s fault. “I think it’s [the school] leaning towards messy. The bathrooms are messy. There’s a lot of trash. I think it’s the students’ faults for the trash, but also I think the staff should be more…clean? In the bathrooms [students] put water [on paper towels] and then they throw it up on the ceiling. It’s kind of silly [and] childish,” Chege said.
“The custodians are not here to pick up trash. They are here to maintain the physical safety of the campus...” - Assistant Principal Kristian Hinz
This behavior is not unbeknownst to the administration. The trash being left out after break and lunch are not so much a result of outright rebellion, but rather indifference. “I don’t think they [the students] are intentionally [leaving the trash]. I think they’re just indifferent, whether they are empathic or unaware. So they just eat something and then leave it. They get distracted and they move on. Or they think it’s somebody else’s job to pick it up,” Hinz said. The custodians’ jobs aren’t easy, but despite their work, Kilian believes custodians
do not get the respect they deserve. Rather than verbal praise, Kilian thinks there are actions everyone can take to help make their jobs easier. “If everybody had to clean up the messes they made, our jobs would be far better. But these are one of the things that make custodians very bitter: the way we are treated and what goes on and the fact that there is almost no respect for us,” Kilian said. Kilian is not the only one who thinks that way. In fact, Hinz believes that rather than picking up trash, custodians have more important matters to tend to. “The custodians are not here to pick up trash. They are here to maintain the physical safety of the campus whether it’s the lighting, soap, whether the water is running, and whether doors are opening. One element of their job is emptying trash cans. They pick up trash cans, but they don’t pick up trash,” Hinz said. Hinz is not a stranger to picking up trash either. He can often be seen during lunch and after school using a trash grabber to pick up trash around campus. “I want [to] model for them that no one is above or beneath picking up trash, and it allows me to have an opportunity to have a conversation with kids. For instance, ‘Whose job is it to pick up trash?’ Invariably they say ‘Oh, custodians.’ I say, ‘No, not really,’ and then we go through it... No one was put on the planet to pick up trash. We have cans...so it’s a teachable moment,” Hinz said. There are a lot of individuals on campus who do the dirty work to keep operations at AHS running smoothly. It is part of their job description, but Hinz thinks students also have a responsibility to pick up after themselves, and that they deserve to be in a clean environment. “You are a treasure, a gift, [and] as a person in this world, especially as a person, so you are not trash. So it hurts me to see you walk by trash because I don’t think that’s reflective of the space you should be in. That goes for everybody.”•
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Tidying Up...
With the popularity of the Netflix original show “Tidying Up,” hosted by Marie Kondo, we took a look at different locations on campus which would be categorized as organized or messy. No matter how conventionally “clean” each subject is, it works for the owner and that is the most important aspect of any space here on campus. Some prefer to be very clean, while others prefer to be a bit messy.
65’ Chevy Looking Good as New
Senior Gordon Reed explains how he keeps his car clean. 1.)What type of car do you have? How old is your car ? “Chevrolet. It was made in 1965 so about 54 years old,” Reed said. 2.) Do you consider yourself a clean person? “Oh, yes of course. I always try to make sure that everything I use or make use of in my everyday life has been cleaned and organized. It’s almost as if I cannot function properly unless my car, room, etc. are clean.” Reed said. 3.) So I heard you have a clean car, how do you managed to keep your car clean ? “Well with how old the car is, and because the owners before me did not take very good care of the car, I had invest a lot of money as well as hard work to get it to where it is now. There was an incredible amount of rust on the body, which I had to spend countless days filling holes and sanding until I got everything flat and blended. The inside of the car was thrashed. The seats were ripped, the ceiling fabric was gone, so of course money had to go into that,” Reed said.
By Nanda Bean
The exterior of Reed’s car is shown.
The interior driver seat of Reed’s car is shown.
Photos | Kayara Rocco
Freshest Lockers Out AHS students talk about how they keep their lockers clean.
Sophomore Anthony Hesson “I keep my binders organized and separate from my notebooks, and my binders organized by class,“ Hesson said.
Did you know? Here are some statistics about the AHS bathrooms.
By Rafael Duran
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SPECIAL FEATURE
By Kayara Rocco Freshman Sophia Pinto
“At orientation I saw this girl’s locker really decorated (...) and I told my mom I had to get stuff (decorations) too,” Pinto said.
Photos | Kayara Rocco
We use 17.04 miles of toilet paper every 3 months, wth that amount we can go across the Golden Gate Bridge, ten times and still have some left over.
... Or not? The Mess Out of Frame Photography teacher talks about the mess in his classroom. By Daniel R. Grafil
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Photos | Kayara Rocco
For paper towels we use 38 miles of it every 3 months and if we were to save 3 years worth of paper towels we would have enough to to cover the atmosphere’s thickness.
hen the average person thinks of a classroom, thoughts of clean rooms, tidy teachers, and a rigid curriculum seem to come to mind. AHS photography teacher Jeff Baughman’s classroom seems to be the antithesis of these types of thoughts. Baughman seems to embrace the disarray of his classroom, as he feels that it makes him appreciate objects he may misplace more. “Does it take me awhile to find stuff? Sure. But on the way to find something, I might find something that I haven’t thought about for a while,” Baughman said. His clutter seems to be a sense of pride for him. Not only that, but he encourages his student to peruse through the random assortment of books that he has accumulated. “We’ve encouraged them to explore the photo library, the collection of books and periodicals,” Baughman said. Despite comments of messiness, Baughman does not seem to be influenced by any of them. Although his work may be slightly hindering to his process, his class and he still seem to produce good results. Even something as vital as his desk can be somewhat in disarray, and still be of great use to him. “There’s a difference between a clean desk and a cluttered desk. I would eat off of my table right here, and it’s not dirty. It’s just cluttered,” Baughman said.•
The bathrooms are cleaned every day, the boys’ bathrooms take 20 minues to clean each one. The girl bathrooms usually take 25 minutes to clean while single stall bathrooms take about 10-15 minutes to clean.
SPECIAL SPECIALFEATURE FEATURE
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Illustration | Rafael Duran
DGG Dry Gulch Gazette
Students should work on cleaning up after themselves.
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ook around the campus after break be. Taking around ten seconds out of our day or lunch. There are trays with food to clean up our mess shows how respectful remains lying on tables and on the we are of the community. It’s a simple act that ground. Now look at your classrooms after means a great deal to others around us. sixth period. There is most likely going to By everybody doing their part in keeping be empty wrappers left on tables and paper AHS clean, we can create a positive learning crumpled up. Custodians are not to blame environment that increases productivity and for this. Students are at fault here because student performance. Students will feel much they are not taking the time to clean up their better learning in a space that is clean because messes. it looks more Some students on inviting. Cleaning campus have yet to up after ourselves STAFF EDITORIAL learn the important when we have a skill of cleaning up mess will show OPINION OF THE DRY GULCH after themselves the importance GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD during break, class of having a clean and lunch. It should environment to be the job of the learn. By doing our people who use this campus, the students part in keeping AHS clean, this will help boost and faculty members, to make sure they productivity. leave their space on campus clean and tidy. Some believe that it’s the custodian’s job Thankfully, these students still have time to to clean up after everybody else, however gain this skill and use it everywhere they go, we shouldn’t expect the custodians to do not just at AHS. this. It’s unnecessary for them to pick up the AHS students should realize the role we paper towels littered across the floor of the play in the community and work on cleaning restroom and to sweep up food waste thrown up after themselves. Just by taking ten on the ground. Why try to make their jobs seconds to throw your trash away, you are harder, when we can all take ten seconds out easily doing your part in maintaining AHS of our day to throw away our trash. It reduces campus. By doing your part, you are being the amount of work they do and shows our a respectful member of the AHS community, gratefulness for all the work that they do for promoting cleanliness, and making the jobs this campus. of custodians easier. We all make up the community here in As students and faculty members, we AHS, and it’s our responsibility to take care of should strive to be the best that we can be. it and do our part to clean up after ourselves. AHS aims to advance “authentic knowledge, Students should be taking ten seconds out of skills, and attributes for all students” their day to clean up their messes, to show according to Arroyo High School home page. their respect towards the community and We will become more well-rounded people custodians and the importance of having a by taking care of our own messes. We should clean environment to learn in. Just do your be taking actions that reflect how we want to part. •
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OPINION
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.
Editor-in-Chief: Janice Lee Managing Editors: Bethelehem Engeda, Jeanette Hernandez, Cassandra Yuan Campus Editor: Calif Chen
Community Editor: Angela Peña Special Feature Editor: Trinity Mai, Serey Nouth Opinion Editor: Vivian Liu Arts and Culture Editor: Andrea Marie Lomeli Sports Editor: Steven Avalos Art Directors: Nanda Bean, Rizelle Jugarap Copy Editor: Samantha Wang Gazette Staff Writers: Taliilagi Agatupu, Olivia Leigh Doctor, Rafael Duran, Daniel Grafil, Anthony Martinez, Joseph Meyer, Valentin Ochoa, Mirella Ramirez, Jacqueline Rico, Kayara Rocco, Anvin Tang, Melanie Thai, Michael Thornton, Wesley Waldrep, Vivian Wong, Christopher Yalung, Vivian Yan
Staff Adviser: Samved Sangameswara
I
CAN Hear Broke
A new side to a popular meme.
By Bethelehem Engeda
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can’t hear broke.” This is a phrase that has become common at AHS due to the prominence of AirPods on campus. Although this joke may be said in a way that is meant to bring humor, it could be harmful to those actually experiencing the “broke” lifestyle. People need to be more aware of the underlying issues of the jokes they are saying, because the way it is executed can be offensive and insensitive. AirPods, Apple’s wireless earphones, were first introduced in September of 2016, and originally were made fun of by popular memes going around saying they would lose them quickly. AirPods did not grow in popularity until the “I can’t hear broke” meme started around Christmas 2018, originating from the popular social media outlet Twitter. This meme, along with other jokes about AirPods being related to wealth, were an attempt to make fun of people who are “broke.” In some classes like AP English Language and Composition and Psychology, students will be having analytical conversations important issues like poverty and homelessness, and then go out of class making insensitive jokes about being “poor” and “broke.” The “I can’t hear broke” meme that came around while students sport expensive gear like AirPods while humorizing
the difficult realities of people who are living lives with barely enough to survive, can be really insensitive and hurtful to those experiencing these issues. Many students who also proclaim themselves as “activists” and “woke” on social media while discussing the world’s issues will end up in-person spending all their money on expensive, popular items while joking about being broke. The stark differences between people’s actions and what they pretend to be online is disappointing, and so the whole “I can’t hear broke” meme needs to stop being used in a hypocritical way. The fact that AirPods and these other popular items were such a joke just a couple months ago, and now they symbolize wealth and popularity, is a concept that is a marketing ploy that is benefitting top companies like Apple and hurting the people who are being fun of by these so-called humorous jokes. Some may argue how one handles their money is their own business, and that all of the social media humor on this topic is not meant to be taken seriously. This is definitely a good point, but this editorial is meant to show a new side to a popular item. The humor brought through memes and other forms of media on this topic are good at times, but it may not be just a joke to the person actually enduring this lifestyle. Even though the “I can’t hear broke” and other similar phrases are usually not purposely used in a
harmful manner, the underlying problem is these items being such a status symbol that is unattainable to people of less fortunate backgrounds. It isn’t “just a joke” when these expensive, popular items are being used to make fun of people, and so people making these jokes need to be more sensitive about their actions. Also, around a decade or two ago, racist jokes were the ones being told where the people saying them would defend themselves by saying it was “just a joke.” Just like how racism is considered a taboo thing to joke about now, joking about someone’s financial abilities can be insensitive. It may not be offensive to one person to joke about not being able to “hear broke,” but to another person it may be something they may be embarrassed about. We need to be more aware about how these popular jokes and items affect others in our communities. The “I can’t hear broke” meme can be hurtful those actually living life being “broke,” and so people must make sure to be mindful of what they are saying and realize the hypocrisy of making these insensitive jokes. Airpods and popular items being a joke can be funny, but when they are used to make fun of someone’s financial ability it can be hurtful. •
OPINION
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First Year, Top Tier
Freshman Kylie Bauer shares her experience as a freshman on varsity. By Vivian Wong
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or the varsity winter season for AHS sports, excluding wrestling which is listed as an all level sport, there were a total of sixty-one athletes, only four of them were freshmen. Though, once in awhile, among the freshmen there are skilled players that stand out. Freshman Kylie Bauer is an athlete that has been recognised for her skills and attained her position as a defender for the varsity soccer team. Bauer has a history with playing soccer so it came naturally for her to play in high school as well. “I played soccer my whole life so it was just easy to play. I began playing competitively since elementary school. At the age of about seven, I started playing for the California Northstars, an outside-of-school team, and til today I still play for that team,” Bauer said. With her mother as her source of encouragement, Bauer had her eyes on a position on the varsity team and was ambitious to make it come true. “Even though I was a freshman, I was aiming to be on the varsity team. My mom constantly pushes me to always step to the next level in soccer and that was going to be the next level for me, which was to get up to varsity,” Bauer said. With most freshmen being promoted to varsity so suddenly, they generally experience slight pressure. In contrast, since Bauer’s goal was to be on the varsity team, pressure was not an issue for her. “I was excited to be on the team and I did not have many difficulties in terms of being a freshman on varsity. I pretty much knew how to play so there was not pressure. Everyone was very welcoming and they are very helpful. If I ever did not know what to do, they would give me advice,” Bauer said. However, challenges are inevitable, such as matching the chemistry of the veteran players. “Sometimes it is difficult to keep up with the seniors and everyone because they know exactly what to do and they are really close so they can work together better,” Bauer said. Bauer’s teammate Senior Crysta Macias, speaking from experience of being a varsity soccer player all four years of high school, praises Bauer for her adaptivity and improvement throughout this season. “I feel like Kylie is doing so well. She got so much better at defense. Though, I think she could improve on becoming a stronger defender and communicating with others. She is really good and I am really proud of her,” Macias said. Her parents and her teammates were
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SPORTS
Photo | Vivian Wong
Freshman Kylie Bauer had her eyes on the goal as she approached the incoming ball at the home game against Mt. Eden on February 7th. not the only ones who constantly rooted for “I got to play against Piedmont which her on the field and on the sidelines. Soccer was one of the best teams in the league. It coach, athletics director, and math teacher made me work hard. I doubted myself but Andrew Waranoff fostered her development he [Waranoff] always tells us not to let our as a player by encouraging and training her mistakes control our mind. His words helped to become ambipedal. me through it,” Bauer “Waranoff pushed said. everyone really hard. “He [Waranoff] always tells With her soccer It is the hardest that I us, ‘Don’t let your mistakes career just starting have ever been pushed. in high school, Bauer He pushed me to use my control your mind.’” has high hopes as an left foot which is a big Freshman Kylie Bauer said athlete in the future. thing for me. My right “I have improved foot is my dominant with kicking with my foot which is strong and easy for me to kick. left foot and I use it every chance I get. I look When I use my left foot, it is so weak; it does forward to playing soccer in the following not go very far. It was my goal for the season,” years of high school; hopefully we make it Bauer said. to NCS every season. Beyond high school, I As the season is coming to an end, the plan on playing soccer at a four-year college,” game that resonated with her the most was Bauer said. • the match against Piedmont High.
Bet on It Statistics behind the March Madness bracket. By Joseph Meyer
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any people have heard of an annual event that is cause of basketball fans excitement over the particular event known as March Madness and the brackets that comes along with the event. March Madness has become one of the most popular sporting events in the U.S, because of the length of the tournament and amount of teams involved. It is one of the most important sporting events in terms of television ratings as well. Perhaps the biggest key to the tremendous popularity is the bracket. March Madness is a NCAA men’s basketball single-elimination tournament around midMarch, hence the name. It features 68 college teams lining up to win a national title and during this time, the audience is allowed to fill out brackets which are used to guess the outcome of each game and who will ultimately win the championship. There’s a cash reward of $100,000 issued to the audience member that has the best bracket with the most correct outcomes. This contest is quite prevalent among college basketball fans and some students and staff on AHS campus. The junior varsity boys basketball coach Chad Shelton “The brackets make you more emotionally invested in the games and makes you care about each and every game. The brackets
drastically change the experience of watching the game,” Shelton said. Along with the students on campus, this is a nationwide phenomenon. Last year, according to the American Gaming Association, 70 million brackets were submitted. They estimated that 40 million americans took part with the majority submitting two different brackets each. Filling out brackets isn’t as easy as it sounds since the outcomes of most games are very unpredictable. It’s almost impossible to guess the outcome of every game correctly. More accurately, the chances of getting a perfect bracket are 1 in 9.2 quintillion. It would be statistically easier to win back-toback lotteries, buying one ticket each lottery. Meaning if you did get a perfect bracket, you would be a statistical anomaly. There’s a lot more to this tournament than just basketball. An infographic is used to show the statistics and facts of March Madness and the amount of money and statistics gathered and some predictions by students.•
March Madness Statistics
70,000,000 submissons
espn.com
were submitted last year.
1 in
9,200,000, 000,000, 000,000 espn.com
Odds of filling out a perfect bracket
Student Predictions:
Photos | Joseph Meyer
Senior Kenneth Thai predicts that Duke University will prevail.
Senior Norman-Jay Albiento predicts Gonzaga University will prevail.
Senior Leo Santiago predicts that Duke University will prevail.
SPORTS
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Coming in Clutch Sophomore Laeloni Hernandez speaks on her hobby of dirt bike riding.
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SPORTS
Photo Courtesy | Jesus Hernandez
s|R tion stra p ara Jug
Here are a few of the dirt bikes that Laeloni has driven starting from the one she is currently riding to the one she had started with.
le izel
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irt, mud, and more dirt. Sophomore Laeloni Hernandez is an athlete outside of Arroyo. Dirt bike riding is an automovicular sport that consists of steep hills, obstacles and dirt bikes. Hernandez first got into dirt bike riding when she was younger and her father, Jesus Hernandez, decided to teach her and her brothers the ropes. “It was through the family. My dad has done it in the summer and then he taught me and my brothers,” Laeloni said. Laeloni and her family take time on the weekends to practice dirt bike riding, but before she was able to ride along an obstacle course, she had to learn the basics. “When I first started, I didn’t go to the track. My dad would take me to a warehouse instead. And I would practice on a smaller bike, like a 2013 CRF 50F. I would just practice on that,” Laeloni said. There are varying sizes and types of dirt bikes. According to Laeloni, the number of bike corresponds to your height and build. Starting off on a 2013 CRF 50F when she was younger, and with more practice she was able to upgrade to larger bikes such as a 1995 YZ 125. “When I did know how to actually ride the bike, I would hit the tracks more and more. I have a 1995 YZ 125 now,” Hernandez said. Dirt biking was not something that was new to Laeloni, as her father Jesus Hernandez had begun his own interest when he was her age. “It was something I´ve always wanted to do as a little kid but my father was always like, ´No, you´re going to hurt yourself.´ Now that I have my own kids… I just want to take care of [them] and give them what they want. As long as their heads are in their books and they do well, I have no issue giving them what they want [dirt biking],¨ Jesus said. Laeloni has both gained and loss during her time dirt bike riding. She has learned moral lessons discussing perseverance and integrity. One of her proudest moments how she chose to never give up on trying her best. “My biggest achievement would be how I kept going at it. Even if I fell or crashed, I kept doing it and learning new things, getting on bigger bikes and more than that,” Laeloni Hernandez said. However, there have been times that Hernandez has encountered moments of how she has nearly. “There’s usually people who fall really bad, and they are done with it. Whenever I fall I get back up and try again and again until I get it,” Hernandez said. When it comes to sports, dirt bike riding is primarily seen as a masculine sport, and Hernandez beats down this gender stereotype by defining dirt bike riding as something everyone and anyone can do. “Dirt bike riding is for anyone willing to try it. It’s for everybody, girls and all. I see girls on the track all the time, even [children] 4 years and younger on bikes with training wheels. There are also older women and it inspires me,” Hernandez said. •
Bike Talk
I llu
By Cassandra Yuan
1995 YZ 125
2001 XR 100
2002 CR 80
2013 CRF 50F
SPORTS
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En Pointe A dancer describes her struggles balancing dance, cheer, and school. By Serey Nouth
The cost of competing is also more than just time and
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ophomore Paris Thai dances jazz, lyrical, musical theater, contemporary, ballet, and does cheer in her free time. Her life is a mix of sacrifice and choices, often having to decide between whether she attends her dance classes or cheers. Thai feels that her schedule is hectic. On Mondays, she would do dance from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. On Tuesdays, she has cheer from 4:00 to 5:30 pm and dance from 8:30 to 9:30 pm, while Wednesdays consist of games from 6:15 to 9:30 pm and she would be forced to miss games or vice versa. Thursdays are more cheer and dance, and Friday is finally a day of break. On weekends she has extra cheer or extra dance. Thai’s cheerleading teammate junior Isabella Fitzgerald believes that her love of dance has definitely helped her in terms of learning and performing new routines. “Paris picks up choreography very fast, she can learn a dance in a day and have it perfected by the next day. I think dancing is instinctual to her. Dancing is like second nature for her,” Fitzgerald continues, “she would always help people with choreography if they needed it and she
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ARTS AND CULTURE
always has a positive attitude. She is a great person to have as a teammate.” Her love of dance was not innate, like her skills, it grew the more she practiced and competed with her peers. “I got into dance through my mom and well, I used to live in Fresno, but I think I just got into it because I needed an activity and she just sort of introduce me. She wanted me to try it, and I ended up really liking it. And I have been dancing ever since,” Thai said. February and March marks the beginning of competition season, a time in which dance studios send their performers to national and regional competitions to be judged for first, second, and third place. A whirlwind of sparkly costumes, hairspray, and makeup. “Competitions are usually pretty hectic. It’s a lot of people and a lot of dancers, it’s really nerve racking and sometimes really late. I can be really sleep deprived because they’re on Sundays and I get home pretty late, the latest I think I went home was like 11 or 12. But I just think it’s because I’m in the older age category. And it depends on what type dances you want to be in,” Thai said.
energy. “It is pretty expensive, I think it’s 248 dollars each month and costumes are a deposit and competitions. Competitions could be 100 something to 200 something, depending on how many dances you are in, each dance is maybe 100 something dollars for me,” Thai said. But Thai does not compete to win, she uses dance as a way to effectively illustrate and communicate her emotions with others. “I feel like performing is mainly to express my emotions, that’s why my favorite style is lyrical because lyricals can be happy, but most of them are sad, and like I use that as a way to express my emotion. And it’s just easier for me to dance than to talk,” Thai said. Although Thai does not intend on becoming a professional dancer in the future, she still feels that dancing is more about the relationships she makes along the way. “I feel like the main thing is about having fun and using it as an experience to create bonds,” Thai said. •
Sophomore Paris Thai dances in the mat room on Wednesday, Feb. 20. She is in the midst of a firebird, a dance move that requires her back leg to bend at a 90 degree angle while keeping the front leg straight. Photo Illustration | Serey Nouth
Students and teachers comment on the changing technology and how it affects them. By Wesley Waldrep As technology advances, the settings of classrooms and behavior of students change. We chose to interview students and teachers about pagers, smartphones, and airpods, to represent devices from the past three decades that may have impacted the learning environment.
PAGERS “I know that other people were complaining about the pagers because when they first came out they were mainly being used for drugs and that type of stuff. Nobody could afford them just like nobody can afford the new stuff when it comes out now, but me personally, I never had a whole lot of experience; I never had one. It was not an annoyance to me and it certainly didn’t affect my teaching in any way shape or form; it’s not like I can integrate it like I can today”
-Music Teacher Pat Schultz
“I love them and I hate them. Now that everybody has one, I can access and use it, and I think the benefits outweigh the occasional issues. It is annoying and I find it frankly rude when somebody has their phone out when they should be doing something else; I think that's old lady versus new; and I get today's environment but I do think there's times and spaces where cell phones should just be put aside...I do worry that the device is so much at your fingertips kids don’t practice memorizing stuff as much as they used to; they don’t think they have to remember anything because they could just look it up. What happens if there’s a big disaster and they’re not available and you can’t remember?”
-Music Teacher Pat Schultz
SmartPhones “I don’t think smartphones affect my learning. I have self-control, but when the teacher isn’t doing anything, I do have an urge to take it out. I think the younger you are, the more harmful it is, because they have less control when it comes to being distracted, but for me it’s not really a distraction.”
-Senior Laura Engen
“It definitely distracts other students and makes the teachers stop teaching, and have to pay more attention to students on their phone... it does affect the teachers a lot more”.
-Sophomore Andreus Pac
Airpods “I got AirPods because AirPods are more accessible, and also they are easier to put them in and hide them from teachers. So now I can just put them in my ear, hide them with my hair and put my head down so I don’t have to listen in class”.
-Senior Laura Engen
“I know a lot of students in my class wear AirPods and the teachers don’t even know, or I wear AirPods and the teachers don’t even know, until like maybe the end of class. It’s something thats a lot easier and more convenient”.
-Sophomore Andreus Pac
Illustrations |Rizelle Jugarap
When asked if it was right for teachers to confiscate AirPods, junior Gabrielle Benavidez said, “Teachers confiscate earbuds right now; it’s just another device that goes with your phone.” --Junior
Gabrielle Benavidez
ART AND CULTURE
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Balancing Acts Illustration | Samantha Wang
Science teacher is in motion in the voice-acting scene. By Samantha Wang
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ou might only find physics teacher Jeff Jorgensen in H-1 at AHS, but you can also find him in his home studio, working on the a video game voice-over with a voice of a cute little pig or a commercial for Shin Ramyun Noodles and Subway. Jorgensen is a big fan of the old radio storytelling. He had always wondered what people can change about their voices to make the stories sound interesting. Since 2012, Jorgensen started learning voice-over during his free time and discovered this passion. He became a professional voice actor, and has done voice-overs for commercials, video games, and educational videos. “I have always been interested in voice acting from listening to old radio shows and also reading to my own kids, reading Harry Potter and other stories with interesting voices. Just really enjoy what people can do with their voices, and how they can bring stories to life,” Jorgensen said. To further develop this interest, Jorgensen decided to take action to learn more about
ARTS AND CULTURE
voice acting. He first took an introductory class for anyone who is interested, which reassured him that he should continue pursuing his interest in this field. “I was always curious about how people did it. I was kind of interested in the first place, so I ultimately took a class. It really cemented my interest in it, and it kind of sent me on my way,” Jorgensen said. As Jorgensen continued learning, he expected the challenging aspect to be creating new and unique voices. Instead, Jorgensen finds the most challenge part of this job is to get employed. “The biggest challenge is getting found, and it’s very competitive. It’s not hard to set yourself with a microphone and a computer,” Jorgensen said. “There’s websites that help you get you in touch with people seeking voice talent for projects, and you do a lot of additions that don’t go anywhere.” In all of his projects, Jorgensen is most proud of playing the voice of an American soldier. His expression of emotions and the audience’s reactions made the experience altogether special and memorable.
“I got to play a soldier describing landing on Omaha Beach, so I was playing a character—he was an actual guy from Long Island, so I had to do a New York accent of a soldier in World War II on D-Day landing on Omaha Beach. It’s being used in the Military Museum, so that’s cool.” Jorgensen continued, “It was really powerful. I think anybody who sees the final product will be really moved by it. Not so much because of what I did, but because of the whole package, so it’s nice to be part of something like that.” Besides seeing voice-over solely as a side business, Jorgensen started voice acting as a hobby, and it just so happened that he can make a little money off it. That being said, he has maintained this side job for seven years because he genuinely enjoy doing it. “I would say I enjoy it. I have enough time that I can devote to it where I can be successful and it doesn’t take away from other responsibilities in my life. It’s just another thing that I can do that I enjoy doing,” Jorgensen said. •
Teen climbs to fame because of musical talent. By Rizelle Jugarap
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n July 19, 2015 Instagram user @monicalaire posted a video of her younger brother, junior Charlz Clide Pidoy singing and dancing in a bathroom to the song “Dream Girls” by Beyonce whilst wearing a wig. Three years later, the original post has 21,506 likes, and a repost of the clip on Pidoy’s account @charlz_13 on April 27, 2018 has 187,898 views. Similarly, an earlier video from 2015 of Pidoy dancing in the shower as his sister sings has 19,218 likes on the original post, and 106,721 views on a repost in 2018. “We got noticed by people,” Pidoy said. Pidoy realized he was well-known last year when he went to the mall with his sister and people recognized him from the videos that went viral on Instagram. Five of their videos went viral, including the “Dream Girls” cover. Although Pidoy did not receive revenue for the video, the clip reached over 20 million views on Facebook and even attracted the attention of singer Chris Brown. “It was surprising because he was a big star,” Pidoy said. Pidoy posts singing and dancing videos. His Instagram has about 148 thousand followers and his Youtube account has over 14 thousand subscribers. He has covered popular songs such as “thank u, next” by Ariana Grande and “Butterflies” by Queen Naija. Typically, Pidoy covers songs that fall under the genres of soul, R & B, and pop. Pidoy attributes his musical talent to his family. “For singing it just ran from my dad’s side. His whole family sings,” Pidoy said. “And my mom, her dancing. Her family’s side, they all dance so I caught dancing from them.” He notes that his sister had been key to where he is now. His older sister, Monica Laire Pidoy - who had been singing since she was 11 and already gained a following - made videos with Pidoy. “She pushed me to follow her path to music,” Pidoy said. Senior Kier Delos Reyes attended Washington Manor Middle School with Pidoy. He notes Pidoy’s growth from middle school to now. “His confidence was very low,” Delos Reyes
Photo Illustration | Daniel R. Grafil
Junior Charlz Clide Pidoy singing on the stage in the AHS cafeteria. Pidoy has been singing since he was four years old. said. “The only way he can feel like himself is through singing and playing volleyball and his friends.” Delos Reyes recalls Pidoy in his freshman year. “He was quiet. He kept to himself all the time. He was very conscious about his image,” Delos Reyes said. However, Pidoy has developed since then and into his junior year. “He’s grown. He’s matured now… He’s following his dreams. He’s following what he loves doing. He’s a better version of himself,” Delos Reyes said. Pidoy describes his development to becoming comfortable becoming an online figure. “At first I was too shy to post but then I started feeling better about posting when a lot of people have positive energy towards it.” Regardless, Pidoy does not allow the attention to get to his head. “It’s a good feeling to have attention,” Pidoy said. “But... when I have followers I don’t think I’m higher than anyone. I post just to post and get more followers.”•
Pidoy dancing in the shower while sister sings.
Pidoy singing “Dream Girls” by Beyonce while wearing a wig.
@charlz_13 @Charlz Clide
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Short Film Superstars
Students talk about experience in local film festival. By Anthony Martinez
Photo Courtesy of Bay Area Digital Arts
Screenshot of the film Lego Avengers the Parody by Alex McClain, Doug Estupinian, Sawhard Maharjan, Ivan Padilla and Raul Dominguez. Lego Avengers the Parody won best film in show at the film festival.
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an Lorenzo High School’s BADA (Bay Area Digital Arts) small learning community holds an annual film festival showing films created by students. This years festival was on Jan. 31. The Gazette spoke to 3 people who worked on the stop motion film that won best in class, Alex McClain, Douglas Estupinian and Sawhard Maharjan. We asked them questions about the filming process like inspirations or challenges they faced, and if they could change anything about the film after it had premiered. What is the biggest challenge you faced when creating the film? McClain: “We wanted to make the best stop motion film throughout our class so that was one thing, but we also wanted to make our stop motion film better than previous years because we saw one that was really good, it was about sour patch kids and they’re zombies. We wanted to top that.” Maharjan: “The most challenging part of the process of making any film is the time and dedication that goes into it that’s needed to help lift the film from being mediocre to exemplary. This was especially true for the Avengers Parody, mostly because it was stop motion and that we had to create all the sets, figure out what lights would go where, and then go through the process
ARTS AND CULTURE
of actually “animating” the Lego figurines. I missed out on a lot over other activities like Cross Country practices and on-campus community service events so I could work on this project.” What was the inspiration for this film? McClain: “A challenge we faced was the fact that we had to make a stop motion film, and if you know anything about that you know it takes really long, about a month overall to do things like film it and voice over it. Planning didn’t take so long because we already had an idea of what we wanted to do.” Estupinian: “The inspiration to make this film would have to be that I didn’t want to make something boring or depressing. I knew from the start that I wanted to make something that was funny and had a compelling story to keep the audience interested from start to finish. That’s why during the summer heading into senior year, I began writing the script trying to come up with a story interesting enough to be expressed through legos. The reason why I chose the Avengers was because growing up I watched these Lego Batman videos on Youtube that were always hilarious to me because of the crude and cynical humor shown in the videos. Since the videos I watched had DC characters I decided to parody with Marvel characters. Thus creating the Lego Avengers Parody.”
How did it feel throughout the filming process, did you find it challenging or easy? Maharjan: “I found that the process challenged almost everything I’ve learned throughout my time at BADA, but once I got the hang of it, my peers and I breezed through it. Not to say no problems popped up throughout production and post-production, but those problems were easily solved.” If you could go back, what changes would you make to the film, if any? Estupinian: “If I could go back and make any changes to the film, I wouldn’t change much but I would instead add more. Like I said previously, there were a lot of things that had to be cut and if we had more time I wish I could have added everything my group and I wanted to instead of limiting ourselves to a much more shorter video. Other than that, I think the video came out fine the way it was and I hope people enjoyed the work we put in to produce it.” Is there anything else you’d like to add? Maharjan: “This project has been so far my favorite to work on in my high school career. My peers and I put an extensive amount of work toward this project and It felt extremely rewarding watching the end product and everyone’s joy towards the story we created.” •
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Embracing Fa’a Samoa Discussing the representation about the Poly community. By Taliilagi Agatupu
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hen the movie Moana came out in 2016, it really made me happy and excited because it was showing the different cultures of Polynesians. I thought to myself that this will show others the culture and traditions of Pacific Islanders. It created this platform and attention about the Polynesian community. To me, Pacific Islanders are unfortunately overlooked and misunderstood by some but I feel like the movie helped educate and direct some people. For this movie, they also had writers go with their team to these different islands and learn a whole new culture they never knew and research to make the movie Moana. Both inside and outside of school, I get a lot of questions on what and why I do certain things that are norms to me but to others very confusing. When my friends see me or my family and I dance a traditional Samoan dance and how we act during the dance they are so shocked and want answer on what just happened. When we dance we wear either a puletasi or an ie. During the performance there is a lot of chanting, yelling, throw money at the dancers and dance. To me this was normal because I was use to this and
experienced this before but when my friends saw this they were very confused. Asking “what does the dance mean?”, “why do we do this” and “what is the purpose for this?”. That is when I realized that a lot of people do not know who we are because it has never been talked about in and out of school. It made me think that if we do not talk about the history, our culture would be gone and disappear to everyone. When I was a freshman, I began to notice that there were not a lot of Polynesian students. Now, as a senior, there is still not a lot of recognition or discussion about Polynesians. Throughout my schooling, I never really heard anyone talk about the culture or history of Pacific Islanders unless they were referring to a big Polynesian athlete or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. As a person who is half Samoan, I always wished there was more talk about my culture. When I saw and heard about the multicultural rally at AHS, I was happy to see the mix of cultures but still felt like my culture was limited to talk and represent. I also wish there was more talk
about our culture.The only time I hear about the history and culture for me is when there is a multicultural rally or a week or one day of a spirit week which is mostly Hawaiian or Luau day. In the future, I hope to see more of poly culture and history discussed more in social studies/history classes that way more students and teachers know more about this unspoken culture. I have and am learning more about other culture’s history but I feel excluded when I don’t hear more about my culture. I find myself looking for ways to tap into and learn more about my Samoan history on my own time. I also hope in the future to see poly culture represented not only by poly club dancing but to also have events or townhalls or even field trips talking about the culture and history. To see more events based on poly cultures; like art, music, technology. This is very important to me because it is a way to have, in my opinion a culture in the dark brought to the light. I believe it will give us more engagement and knowledge on my culture and history. •
Photo | Cassandra Yuan
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