May 2012

May 9, 2012

THE ODYSSEY

ARTICLE

INDEX

Ulysses S. Grant High School

Volume LIII Issue 2

Winter Formal dazzles with Hollywood glitz

By Kimberly Huezo, Mayra Gomez and Nick Alexander

NEWS • • •

Winter Formal Shakey’s Night Valentine’s Grams

FEATURES • • •

Grease, the musical Humanitas trip Spring pep rally

OPINIONS • • •

Science Center trip Magnet Spirit Week P.T.S.A. supports seniors

SPORTS • •

Boys’ Basketball Playoff games Girls’ Basketball vs.

Arleta

The royal court, left to right, Queen Ani Abrahamyan,

King Gurgen Harutyunyan, Princess Natalie Krkyan, and Prince Andy Gonzalez wait for their special dance music to begin. (Photo courtesy of Yearbook staff.)

On the night of February 25, 2012 Grant High School had its annual Winter Formal dance. This year’s theme was “Hollywood Night in the Spotlight.”

A red carpet was laid out at the entrance to make students feel glamorous. Tables were decorated outside the entrance so students could sit down and relax before and in-between their dance breaks.

Everyone was having a great time: students and staff.

The evening began at 7 p.m. and lasted all the way until 11 p.m. Students danced all night with music provided with our guest DJ HighClass.

Glow Sticks were distributed to anyone who wanted them.

Students danced all night to various types of music, like hip hop, Armenian, and Spanish music. Refreshments were provided outside in case anyone got thirsty.

Later that night, towards the end of the dance,

Glamour Girls, left to right, Natalie Franco, Bridgette Ur-

bay, Kimberly Caseres and Natalie Alaverdian enjoy their night out on the town, Hollywood style. (Photo courtesy of Yearbook staff.)

the Prince/ Princess and King/ Queen were announced.

The Princess was revealed to be Natalie Krkyan.

The Prince was announced after that but never stepped up to claim his title so Andy Gonzalez did it for him.

Then finally, the Winter Formal King and Queen were revealed. The 2012 King was announced to be Gurgen Harutyunyan, and the Queen was Ani Abrahamyan.

Everyone was pleased

and excited by the winners, which made the night enjoyable for everyone.

The whole night was an overall success. The decorations were great, the music was great, the staff did a great job, etc. Everything went smoothly and according to plan.

Great job to all the Lancers who attended, and hopefully, next year’s Winter Formal goes as well as this one did!

Valentine grams sweeten the day

By Jessica Martel and Samantha Tik

On February 14, 2012, the school campus is flooded with Valentine’s Grams: big balloons, teddy bears, chocolate candy and flowers, a single rose, yogurt with fruits, and little snacks.

You can see couples being lovey-dovey with each other, exchanging gifts from girl to guy, guy to girl, guy to guy and girl to girl. You can tell that love is in the air.

But Valentine’s Day is not just for couples. Even if you don’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend, it’s okay. Valentine’s Day is all about spreading love. You can celebrate the day with your closest friends.

I asked a few couples and friends on what they are planning to do for the day. This is what they have to share:

Seniors Nannie Adoph and Julianne Villalon say, “Our Valentine’s Day has been going great so far. Julianna gave me a necklace inside my bouquet of flowers and a fluffy teddy bear.” Nannie gave her a card with heart shape confetti and a pizza in a heart shape.

Junior Anissa McBane says, “Even though I don’t have a valentine I’m going to go see The Vow with three of my friends: All of three of us - Ellis Heelan, Darleen Bellany, Tosha Klinko - exchange

Valentine’s gram’s with each other.

Sophomore Mack Wisniaski says, “My girlfriend Nadra Cuen (Junior) and I are going to a dinner at Sizzler. I hope she’ll like it since it’s our 4-month anniversary. Yes, our anniversary is on Valentine’s Day, surprised?

Freshman Hugo Potah says, “I’m not really a big fan of Valentine’s Day. I’m not a hater or anything. I just don’t see a point in celebrating a day where you’ve forced to show love to your special someone, when you’re supposed to show it every day. To me this is just another Tuesday.”

Teddy Bears, candy, hearts, jewelry and notes help to make Valentine’s Day special to Grant, courtesy of various fund-raising groups on campus.

Shakey’s Night benefitted Grant Cheer and Football

By Kimberly Huezo, Mayra Gomez and Nick Alexander

On Friday, February 17, 2012, our Grant Lancer’s Cheer squad and Football team had a fund-raiser at Shakey’s.

The fund-raiser was at our neighborhood Shakey’s on

Laurel Canyon Blvd. at Chandler. Shakey’s Night was from 4 to 9 p.m. Grant students, teachers, and family members were welcome to come and eat delicious pizza and mojos and,

of course, come support our Grant Lancer sport teams.

This event also took place on the same day as the Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns game.

The final score was Lakers 111

Suns 99. This was only the fourth time in 30 games this season that the Lakers reached the 100 point mark. Because of this Lakers game, Shakey’s was more packed then ever,

and this meant more profit for Football and Cheer.

Grant’s Football and Cheer teams would like to thank everyone who showed up to support them.

Grant High School Odyssey

FEATURES

Page 2

May 9, 2012

Grease, the musical, dazzles us with song and dance

By David Arevalo, Jazmin Bonilla, and Julissa Oliva

Grease was a huge success! Many of our Grant Lancers had come out to see this fantastic play. And some of the faculty attended and commented that it has been one of the best plays Grant has staged.

The play stars many of our famed Lancers. Playing the lead role as Danny Zuko was Christopher Olivas. And his lovely sweetheart Sandy Dumbrowski was Kimberly Caseres. These two actors had put one of the best performances ever seen in Grant.

Danny Zuko’s gang starred Dennis Navas as Doody the shy and bashful, Josue Zekya as Roger the mooning champ of Rydel High, Rudy Lua as Kenicke the hardball of the group, and Javier Bonilla as Sonny LaTierri, the calm hooligan of the group. All these Lancers put their best foot for-

ward and gave the best performance that was possible.

Now for Sandy’s “Pink Ladies”: starting with Michelle Pineda as Marty the girl who sang her heart out for a Marine, Hannah Synclair McDaniel as the witty Jan, Alexas Washington as the sassy and spicy Betty Rizzo, and Madelin Escobar as Frenchy, the girl who lost her way.

These “Pink Ladies” not only wowed the crowd, but showed their acting skills in this play production.

Let’s not forget about the Grease faculty. Playing as the beloved Mrs. Lynch was Marina Sarkysian, Patty Sincox “Rydel High’s Senior Class President” was played

by Priscilla Bojorge, and who could forget everyone’s favorite Eugene Florezyk - the man who loved Patty - Eric Chavez.

Though these actors had minor

roles, this show couldn’t have had been done without them!

And of course who could forget the simpler roles.

The main brain, Vince Fontaine, was played by Paul Arroyo, and his secondhand man, Johnny Cassino, was played - on different days - by Raffy Castillo and Leo Zelaya.

And the dancing champion of Rydel High, the lovely Cha-cha DiGregoria was played by Samantha Bautista. Although their parts were short and sweet, their performances were marvelous!

And last, but not least, Mr. Levine was the Teen Angel. Who would have thought the this angel could sing so smoothly and serenely with such a powerhouse voice. But of course, the real performance was by Jessica Alvarado, who wowed the crowd with her Cherry Red Car known as

Mr. Levine sang his solo “Beauty School Dropout” to Frenchy, accompanied by his chorus of angels in white. Mr. Levine brought his best Hollywood nightclub voice to the act and hit the high notes hard.

‘Grease Lighting.’ Those vibrant colors held the crowd in shock as she drove down the aisles.

So don’t forget to give all these Lancers a big round of applause for such a wonderful performance. And

let’s thank all the actors for investing their time and work into this musical. Also, a special thanks goes to Ms. Taylor and Mr. Simms, the jazz band, and the stage and lights crews.

All worked hard to give true meaning to the word “arts.”

Rally honors all spring athletes Ride on the Red Line

By Eva Navarro and Cingy Burciaga

On February 17, was Grant High’s Spring pep rally that encourage the sport teams who would be playing this season.

Many of the students

By Jessica Martel and Samantha Tik

gathered at the entrance of the gym, eagerly awaiting to enter as they passed the administrators their tickets. After everyone found their seats, the show began.

Cheerleaders form a pyramid in their snappy routine. The stunts are amazing and test their acrobatic skills and strength “to the max” to honor Grant’s Spring season athletes.

Rows after rows of students were cheering as band played extraordinarily, while the cheerleaders made jumps and twirls in the air that brought the crowd to gape in wonder.

“It was so amazing how the cheerleaders made all those stunts in the air that they were practically flying,” Wendy Noah, a member of the audience, had said.

After the performances, the audience was honored to watch a dance performance done by our mascots, in which the Lancer gifted the Dragon with a beautiful batch of roses.

Only a few minutes before the hour was done, Ms. Wright ended the pep rally with a game of limbo, leaving everyone with a smile.

THE ODYSSEY Editor-in-Chief Lilit Vartanyan

Adviser

Writers and Reporters Nicholas Alexander David Arevalo Jazmin Bonilla Cindy Burciaga Devon Coye

Mayra Gomez Jazmin Hernandez Christine Harutyunyan Jessica Martell

Liliana Nanez Eva Navarro Julissa Oliva Chris Serrano

Ramon Solis Samantha Tik Lilit Vartanyan Sarkis Voskanyan

On February 22, 2012, Humanitas had a field trip to Los Angeles for seniors only.

At 8:00 a.m., everyone met up in Room 802, and teachers checked in all students.

As soon as that was done, we headed towards our transportation.

We picked up the Orange Line at Fulton and Burbank and transferred to the Red Line at Lankershim. For many students, this was a new experience; for others, it was routine.

The students were put into groups of 7 or 8, and their assignment was to take a picture of the locations to prove they were there, as well as finding the date it was established and one random fact.

As students walked through all LA, trying to find

buildings or sites, many were lost and asked around for guidance. This gave students a chance to interact with one another in such a way that isn’t possible to do in classrooms.

Students had the chance to visit the Avila Adobe, The Music Center, Angels Flight, Bradbury Building and more, while learning the history behind each place.

Militza Najera said, “It was a nice feeling that teachers could trust us going around LA on this scavenger hunt.”

The day came to an end as everyone met at the Red Line station - Civic Center.

One of the seniors, DulceMaria Hernandez, said, “Besides it being hot, it was fun and interesting.”

This field trip was an amazing experience.

The Odyssey is published by the journalism class of U.S. Grant High School, located at 13000 Oxnard Street, Valley Glen, California.

Opinions expressed in The Odyssey are solely those of the authors and do not reflect those of U.S. Grant High School, its faculty, or its student body.

Ads are available by request. For more information, please call (818) 756-2700 ext. 275 Leanne Lasarow, Odyssey Staff Adviser

Grant High School Odyssey Page 3

May 9, 2012

OPINIONS P.T.S.A. California Science Center makes field trip fun needs B L V members y

ilit

artanyan

Wednesday, February 22, 2012, Dr. Pressman took his freshman English class on a highly educational, yet fun and exciting field trip to the California Science Center.

Bright and early in the morning at 9:30 a.m., the students boarded the buses, ready to begin their trip.

When they arrived, they began their day by eating in one of the many choices provided by the Food Court at the Rose Garden Café.

They were then allowed to freely roam the fascinating wonders and exhibits set up: from the microscopic cells, reproduction, and habitat exhibits to the massive aquarium containing a vast assortment of fish, all from our native waters.

The students were left in awe by all the attractions set up for them. I personally went along on the field trip, thinking this was going to be another dull field trip set up by the school. I was greatly mistaken!

I too, was drawn in by the amazing facts I learned about the human body, animals, and our environment.

By Jazmin Bonilla and Jazmine Hernandez

Lilit Vartanyan experiences an exhilarating zero-gravity sensation while checking out the NASA flight simulator. The experience might tempt one to think about a career as an astronaut.

Although I had visited the California Science Center in middle school, I had forgotten how interesting educational field trips can be.

Later on, at the close of the trip, we were taken into the IMAX theaters, where we

watched a documentary film on the accomplishments of NASA and the Hubble telescope. However, this was no ordinary film! It was an amazing and unbelievably realistic three-dimensional, high quality video, so realistic that I

personally flinched at space debris “flying towards the audience.”

I definitely do not regret a single second I spent at the Science Center. It was a very pleasant trip that provided both education and fun!

The school has formed a new Parent Teacher Student Association. This was made so that the parents can be more involved in the organization that supports Grant High School. The students need the involvement of their parents to be more motivated to learn.

The P.T.S.A. not only helps keep the parents informed, but informs the students as well. That’s the important part; with everything that’s going on, some people are so distracted that they don’t have a clue.

It’s even more important for the seniors to hear what is going on, since it is their last year. P.T.S.A. provides the social activities that bring us Lancers together. This helps us mingle and socialize with our peers and helps keep us updated with what our school has planned.

Grad Night is only one activity talked about at the meeting, but Grad Night for seniors is probably our most important night. We get to all be united and to bond for one last night before we go off into the world.

P.T.S.A. is not a waste of time; it surely is important so we can all help organize and support our school.

Magnet Spirit Week provided a creative outlet for many

By Eva Navarro and Cindy Burciaga

Hey, Magnet students!

It’s finally Spirit Week. Spirit week is one of those special times that we can share our creative imagination.

Cartoon/ TV day was up first. Magnet students got a chance to dress up as a cartoon character or someone who was on TV. Because it all started on the first day of the week, not many dressed up, but it was still fun.

Sophomore Karen Perez, who is in Leadership, dressed up as Kairi from “Kingdom Hearts.” She said, “Spirit week is pretty good; it’s one of those weeks when we can express ourselves.”

Tuesday was Animal Say and Dress to Impress. Not many dressed up as animals,

but a lot dressed up for Dress to Impress, and oh wow was it impressive! A big crowd of Magnet students posed ready to impress with their amazing wardrobe choices.

Prommas said, “For Magnet Spirit Week, I dressed up for each day that was assigned, but my favorite one has to be Sports Day, where we all wore our favorite jerseys. Overall, the Spirit Week was fun. I think it’s a good idea for Magnet to have an entire Spirit Week, so that everyone could participate.

We should have more Spirit Weeks just for Magnet.”

Creative Explosion Day was a day when everyone let loose and let their imaginations go wild! It was the very last day of the week, which was leading up to the pep rally.

It was a pretty interesting week - one that was refreshingly out of the ordinary.

“Dress to Impress Day is awesome! We should have more Magnet Spirit Weeks.”

Sophomore Jamie Chan said, “Dress to Impress day is awesome! We should have more Magnet spirit weeks.”

Sports Day is finally here, and everyone is ready to take on the challenge. Everyone wore their favorite jerseys and were ready to have fun.

Sophomore Wendy

Kate Albarian wears her orange sports jersey with her luck number 18. She definitely adds a coolness factor to the 100 building.

Grant High School Odyssey

SPORTS

Page 4

May 9, 2012

Girls’ Basketball team wins by four during Senior Night

By Liliana Nañez It’s Senior Night, and time to play some basketball.

This is the last home game of the season for our Lady Lancers. They were ready to take this big win and remember it forever in their lives.

Some moments before the big game we had a ceremony to salute our seniors of the game. It was such a wonderful time to be there. The big gym was full of decorations: posters all over the wall of our seniors, balloons everywhere, and a red carpet.

It was a memorable night for our seniors. They were introduced by one of our JV players, Marla Castellanos. As our seniors were introduced, they walked on the red carpet and shook hands with their coach. They received a bouquet of flowers and family members gave them gifts. It was a really touching moment.

Most of the seniors were crying with joy. Once we introduced them it was time to play some ball.

The first quarter was going well, but neither team scored until Arleta started to step it up. By the end of the first quarter the score was Arleta 8 Grant 2.

However, our Lady Lanc-

ers never gave up; starting the 2nd quarter Grant started to score. They were soon catching up. Everyone started to cheer. The 2nd quarter ended with the exciting results Grant 18 Arleta 14. It was exciting to see our Lady Lancers with the lead.

The third quarter started on defense; neither teams let

to make her free throws. Arleta’s crowd was screaming and making noise to distract our player. She shot the ball but missed it. We still had one more hope to tie the game. Everyone was really nervous as Ramirez released the ball out of her hands. We saw the ball fly into the basket. Everyone was cheering and screaming.

We had tied the game with 4 seconds left.

Arleta turned the ball over but it was too late to shoot the ball.

Fourth quarter ended with 28 all.

The game went to overtime; now we had 4 minutes left to win. The first shot was from our Senior Liliana Romero to get the lead up. Arleta looked tired, and they kept turning the ball over. Our next points were from Junior Suzi Petrosyan with a 3-pointer to get the lead up by 5 points. Senior Kay Johnson scored the last points of the game to win the big game: Grant 36 Arleta 32.

Once the game finished, all of the seniors were excited that they had won their last home game of the season. With all their hard work during the season, they were happy it had all paid off. This was a game to remember.

Everyone was nervous as Ramirez released the ball out of her hands. We saw the ball fly into the basket. the other one score. It was a really intense quarter. The crowd was supporting our Lady Lancers by cheering them on. The quarter ended Grant 21 Arleta 20.

Fourth quarter was really intense. Arleta scored to tie it up, but the Lady Lancers didn’t let them go ahead: they scored too. Neither team would give up. With 8 more seconds left on the shot clock, the score was Arleta 25 Grant 24. We were down by just one point.

Arleta fouled one of our players, Senior Jessica Ramirez. Everyone in the crowd was happy. It was time for Jessica

Grant’s Lady Lancers worked together for so long, which united them as a team for their last game. (Photo courtesy of Yearbook staff.)

Grant Senior Kay Johnson scored the last points of the game.

(Photo courtesy of Yearbook staff.)

First round playoff game against Second round of Bravo Medical Magnet is a dunk playoffs is an easy B C S S V win over Chatsworth y

hris

errano and

arkis

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Guard Harout Tarkanyan warms up his awesome array of shots before the first game of the playoffs. The team overpowered Bravo 8342. (Photo courtesy of Yearbook staff.)

Grant opened up the first quarter against the Bravo Knights, leading the game 188. Travis Wilson put up big numbers with a strong first quarter.

During the second

quarter, Grant extended the lead to 35-20 with solid team defense. Travis Wilson had a last minute put-back to end the first half. The first half showed Grant extending the lead with solid defense and effective of-

fense.

Grant opened up the second half playing well on the defensive end, which lead to open shots and nice lay ups.

Grant’s defense lead to two forced air balls to start the third. Travis Wilson played an exceptional game with good rebounding and coming up big in the game, showing why he is captain. Grant played a good team game, relying on each other on both side of the ball.

Heading into the fourth quarter with a commanding lead, Grant continued to rely on each other. Everyone was scrapping for the loose ball on defense and showing up on offense.

Everyone on the team showed their potential in a demanding victory. They showed that if they play as a team, they will go far in the playoffs.

By Chris Serrano and Sarkis Voskanyan

The game opened up with lead in first quarter as #23 Gugo got to work. Ozzie Molina came of the bench with a spark for Grant at the point.

Grant’s rebounding lead to two second-chance points in the second quarter.

Good play by #15 Goro, who dominates with the height advantage, grabbing rebounds and getting to the line. Grant exposed their lead by letting the Chatsworth Chancellors hang around with turnovers.

Grant headed into halftime, playing well to hang onto the lead 37-32.

Gugo, #23, continued to display his abilities, helping Grant maintain its lead, along with Travis Wilson scoring

and performing on the offensive end. Grant received two shot technical fouls because the other coach argued about the call.

Grant outscored Chatsworth in the third quarter with a twenty-point third quarter by Grant. Grant started the fourth leading 57-46 and finished strong with 74-56.

VARSITY PLAYOFF

GAMES