Volume LVI, Issue IV
15325 Los Robles Avenue, Hacienda Heights
December 2016
Renaissance Highlights Student Achievement By Joshua Sanchez December 5, the gym echoed with cheers and sounds of excited student cheering through the “Decades” themed rally. This rally recognized student achievement, athletics programs, and teacher alumni on campus until it was concluded with a traditional “Conqueror Chant.” To start off the rally with an enthusiastic cheer, the Los Altos Dance Team danced to “Jailhouse Rock” by Elvis Presley (1957) until transitioning into “Boogie Wonderland” by Earth, Wind, and Fire (1979). Following that was B-52’s “Love Shack” (1989) and after was “Are you that somebody?” by Aaliyah (1998). The Los Altos Dance Team thrilled the crowd with a dance through the decades before the focus was brought to the “GPA Jumpers” for this fall semester. “GPA Jumpers” is a category that celebrates student achievement, especially that of students raising their GPA by at least one full
point. The top “GPA Jumpers” however, were Giovanni Arellano, Julissa Lugo, Mayra Ponce who raised their GPA over 2 points. After this followed a video featuring James Tang with the background music of “Mr Sandman” by the Chordettes. This segued into school life, and was followed up by interviews of several teachers. Each clip was a blank slide question followed up by the teacher’s response. This was followed up by slides commemorating teacher alumni. As a throwback to the decades theme, it featured the yearbook photos of each teacher and commemorated their graduating year. It started featuring Geb Fisher in his class of 1985, and was quickly followed by Jeff Lucas and the class of 1986. After showing various pictures of them the nostalgic trip down memory lane continued to Ed Richter and the class of 1992, Esteban Hernandez and the class of 2001, along with Eric Palmer and the class of 2010. After the memories of the teachers were shared with all
Photo by Mateo Sandoval Senior Varsity Wrestlers honor Ignacio Molinar for acting as their stand in coach for over more than a year. rally-goers, a new series of clips were displayed portraying LAHS staff dancing to Y.M.C.A. by the Village People (1978). With all the teachers dancing to the upbeat song, the rally gained energy with each teacher’s dancing segment. Following this was a quiz of famous scenes from motion pictures in the 1980s.
Each scene is demonstrated by LAHS Drama, and the contestants are to guess what movie the given scene was based on. Several audience members shouted before the contestants being quizzed did, and the segment itself seemed to really garner crowd engagement. This followed with a reminder of the upcoming
Photo by Mateo Sandoval The Renaissance Rally named the best and brightest students and faculty, cycling through trends of years past.
Night Rally on February 10 at 7pm, encouraging each class to wear their colors. “Straight A Students” was another segment to celebrate students with, just that, all “A”s. Later it went to highlight Spanish Honor Society and HOSA, giving their officers recognition. Cheer later danced, performing to songs like “Hey Ya” by Outkast, further rallying the crowd before they went back to the final videos of each sport’s captain. Starting with Chris Leung, the video took us to the “Water Polo Crib” or rather the pool and personal locker room, celebrating their season. Past this, Angel Lee led the video to the tennis courts or “Tennis Court Crib” and talked about their season. Danyelle Marin recounts her season on the “Volleyball Crib’s” courts noting that they were undefeated 10-0 in conference and 5th time league champions. She passes the baton off to Santiago Torres and Cross Country, whom recount their season, and how Cross Country run through several trails and even the abandoned LA zoo. Finally Oscar Villa closed
with football remarking about their season in which they were almost completely undefeated. Following this captain and crib wrap up, the rally moved on to a final quiz about the school itself, with each captain competing for their sport. In their interesting quiz, students found out that the Administration Building caught fire in the 70s and that lockers were removed in 90s. With review questions students learned even more about their school, and were shocked to find that the Tennis Captain won the mini Kahoot quiz. Lastly, there was a traditional Impact Award, given to a special person whom helped a student. This year Noah Vidrio and Noah Clark both presented their shared Impact Award to Nacho Molinar for his coaching and mentorship with wrestling alongside all the other things he has done for Los Altos High School. The decades themed rally ended with the traditional conqueror chant, because regardless of when one became a conqueror, “once a conqueror is always a conqueror.”
ASB Rallies “Conqueror Crazy” Sports Fans of LAHS By Sumitra Bernardo Hundreds of Conqueror Crazy students flooded the gymnasium during third period to attend the ASB sponsored pep rally on Friday, December 2. Students who dressed up in Conqueror Crazy attire were able to get out 10 minutes before ISI, which enabled them to get priority seating.
ASB simply set up the gym by laying down the tarps and chairs, preparing pep cheers. The students learned new pep cheers that would be used at tonight’s game. Band was involved by playing pep tunes as students entered. Cheer pumped up the crowd with their routine. This was cheer’s very first rally performance of the school year. Varsity cheerleader and ASB Com-
missioner, senior Daniella Tavares states, “Our cheer team did really well for our first time performing in a rally for the whole school year. We hit our marks and pumped up the crowd.” ASB taught new pep cheers that would be incorporated into games. Cheers included the Conqueror Clap, Sway, and LAHS. ASB Officer, Sophomore Matthew Shozuya adds on about the
cheers, “The whole rally was exciting, especially the Conqueror Clap. The new cheers looked really cool when everyone did it together.” Senior varsity cheerleader and ASB commissioner, Daniella Tavares comments, “The simplicity of it was what made the rally a success. There were no videos playing or posters up. The school spirit and school unity is what made the rally
excel.” The rally concluded with two Senior Captains, Andrew Manuele and Tyler Nevens with speeches expressing their gratitude for their supporters and motivated the Conqueror Crazies with a small class competition crowd roar. Football Coach, Dale Ziola ended the rally on a high note by thanking everyone who made the rally possible
and who makes the football team thrive. Ziola believes that the football team feeds off of the support from the Conqueror Crazies. ASB students would like to hold pep rallies for other thriving school sports teams at school as well. Shozuya concludes, “It would be amazing to do this for other sports. After all, it is up to our student body, the Conqueror Crazies.”
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December 2016
LA FOCUS
University of the Pacific Signs Brooke Contreras
Table of Contents
By Sumitra Ariel Bernardo On November 9, Brooke Contreras signed to play for the college division one ranking water polo team at the University of the Pacific. She will continue to pursue both of her passions at this institute. Contreras has received multiple distinguished titles that prove her water polo playing ability. As only a sophomore, she was named San Gabriel Valley’s Girls Water Polo Player of the Year. She also received the same title during her junior year. Contreras was part of the winning CIF Girls Water Polo team in 2015. Due to her remarkable talent, Contreras was recruited by eight schools. These schools included Harvard, Brown, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, Wagner College, Whittier College, University of the Pacific, and Connecticut College. She went on recruiting trips to find out which school would be her perfect choice.
News 3 AP Economics Competition Eco Club Wants You!
News 4 HOSA Blood Drive
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Entertainment
Chess Club Under New Leadership
Choir Winter Concert Student-Choreographed Dance Concert
Feature 6 Caramelo Review Best Holiday Places to Eat Puente Hills Restaurants
Opinion 7 Not My President No More PDA
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Fall Sports Boys’ and Girls’ Soccer
Finals Schedule 7:45-10:00 10:00-10:15 10:22-12:37
Lunch Available 12:37-12:57
12/12 - Monday 12/13 - Tuesday 12/14 - Wednesday 12/15 - Thursday 12/16 - Friday
Student Senate Can Improve Campus
By Brandon Vicuna At Los Altos High School on every first Friday of the month a student from every third period meets in the hacienda to discuss different topics around the campus. There are 78 teachers here at Los Altos and a student from every teacher is represented. In the hacienda are 78 students, ASB representative and student leadership advisor Chris Reader. “The point of student senate is to receive positive and negative feedback on how us as a Los Altos community can improve our campus,” states senior Nicholas Juarez.
By Jermey Chen This year, Los Altos’ very own chess club has voted for a new president, junior champion chess player Zenrick Banawa. Chess club is excited for this year’s new president and the new changes he has begun to implicate within the club. Chess club is a club dedicated to teaching and honing all players’ chess skills. For its more recent members, chess club does its best to teach them the basics of chess and hone their skills as a player. “It really is a new experience, getting to teach new members chess skills and vice versa,” claims junior Gabriel Ramos.
LAEU Hosts Tournament
Sports
FINAL BREAK FINAL
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Cram Fest Finals: 0,1,5 Finals: 2, 4 Finals: 3, 6 Student Release
By Christian Ledezma The Los Altos Entertainment Unit has been hosting their field show tournament at La Puente High School since 2011. After a six year hiatus from the field, the tournament is back in the new and improved Los Altos Patrick J. Mauch Field Stadium on Saturday, November 5. Marching band and color guard shows are best marched on artificial turf field. This prevents injuries due to potholes or mud after rain on real grass fields. LAEU Director Jay Laging, comments, “The last time we had a field show tournament in our stadium was the first time we had to cancel a tournament. Rain was pouring down and the field got way too muddy to march on.” Thankfully, the new field is artificial turf.
The Diary of Adam and Eve Promises to Amaze Audiences
By Juan Morales After a much anticipated announcement, the performing arts department released the name of Los Altos’ winter theater production: Mark Twain’s “The Diary of Adam of Eve.” This production’s three showings are scheduled for January 18-20. Ever since the huge success of the spring musical, “Little Shop of Horrors,” the performing arts department has been anxious to perform again. The cast of the previous play and anxious new performers, who hope to integrate into the performing arts family, had all prepared for the auditions that were held in the drama room on November 15-16 at 3 p.m. “Just by the author of the play, Mark Twain, we can make an inference at just how great the actual production will be,” explains senior Irene Chia. With high expectations after the spring musical’s success, some are expecting this winter production to amaze the audience even further. “I have been dreading and [anxiously] waiting for this winter play since my freshman year,” remarked senior Joyelle Belloso. “It will be my last, and this just doesn’t seem real.” Several senior returning cast members echo these sentiments, a bittersweet realization that this is their last winter play.
Newspaper Staff Editor in Chief: Mateo Sandoval Visuals Editor: Christian Ledezma Photography: Laila Jibrin, Adalilian Franco, Valeria Alcantra
Managing Editor: Joshua Sanchez Magazine Editor: Juan Morales Copy Editing: Bianca Flores, Jasmine Alonzo, Jeremy Chen, Danielle Porras
Visuals Editor: Christian Ledezma
Graphics: Sabrina Sanchez, Analise Pacheco
Layout: Nicolas Hernandez
Broadcast: Damien Alvarado, Briana Munoz,
Online Editor: Sumitra Ariel Bernardo
Caley Asbee, Cesar Moreno, Brandon Vicuna
December 2016
NEWS
the-conqueror.org
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AP Economics Wins Competitions Back to Back By Jasmine Alonzo & Sumitra Bernardo Cal State Fullerton held a Fast Pitch competition, similar to Shark Tank, which was open to all students taking an Economics course, and later Jibin Park’s AP economics class competed in the Financial Advisor Competition at the Los Angeles Federal Reserve Bank. Through both competitions Los Altos students placed in multiple divisions. CSUF’s “Fast Pitch” competition was held on October 29, and the competition ranged from high school to university students. Within each division were four winning places per group with cash prizes for the winners. The “Fast Pitch” competition welcomed all students to create and present their product and ideas to business judges, who then scored each presentation. Each pitcher had the chance to share their idea multiple times to any of the multiple judges, which allowed pitchers to receive lots of feedback on how to improve their pitch or how they sell it. Though competitors only “needed” to have a pitch or idea, some participants came with functioning prototypes of their products, and judges could further understand the pitch. This opened up a new area to be
Photo by Christian Ledezma One of the AP Econ teams celebrates their big win after achieving third place in their Bulls and Bears Division. judged on, and allowed for pitchers to truly experience the “Shark Tank” atmosphere of the outside world. At the end of the first fast pitch round, the scores of presenters were taken in to account, and the best were chosen to go to the second round. The final round involved the finalists approaching the main stage and presenting their product again in front of everyone who attended the business event. After they pitched for the last time, they were asked several more in depth
questions regarding their products and business plans. Los Altos seniors James Tang and Mateo Sandoval were chosen as finalists in the CSUF “Fast Pitch” competition. Receiving fourth place in the high school division earned them a $100 cash prize. Tang recounts the experience, “I was so amazed. I honestly did not know how that happened, but I think it was because we did spend a lot of time thinking of the idea. It is just the pitch itself that we were not prepared for.”
The attending students participated for different reasons. Economics teacher, Jibin Park, encouraged those who went and competed at Cal State Fullerton. Tang states, “For the fast pitch competition, all I wanted to do was do something new, something fun because I heard it was like Shark Tank,” he continues with “but what really drove me was the possible scholarships.” The competition gave a platform for students who have the mindset of becoming future business entrepre-
neurs and inventors in the future by giving them a taste of what is required of them. Before the Financial Advisors Competition, the students take an online test to receive their division placement. Each team in each division ranges from groups of three to four people. Los Altos’ students competed in both of the divisions. The students were given an example scenario before the competition which exemplified usage of economic choices in a presented situation. This scenario is pre-
pared before the competition, and presented to judges the day of competition. Junior Tiffany Liao competed in Division One, the Warren Buffet Division alongside fellow juniors Patrick Akarapimand, and Jeffrey Ho, and senior Irene Chia,. She won first place with her team, scoring three hundred dollars per person in their group. Liao comments, “While having to come up with a plan for our hypothetical client, it made me realize that financial advising is extremely important.” James Tang also competed in Division Two, the Bullwork and Bears Divison, with junior Jasper Lin, senior Jason Kwan, and senior Kevin Pan. His team placed in second and won two hundred dollars each. Tang discusses the down time during the competition, “I loved our lunch break. Not only was there really great food but it was a time to get to know the judges. We were able to find out more about what they do professionally and they answered a lot of our questions.” Other Los Altos teams placed in third as well. “I learned that financial advising is a cool occupation because you can be strategic and creative in order to help,” Liao concluded on the experience.
Hands on Club Promotes Utilizing Eco-Friendly Techniques By Jeremy Chen Eco club is a proud Conqueror club dedicated to cleaning up the Earth for future generations. The club meets regularly on a weekly basis every Wednesday in room D1 and hopes to encourage all of Los Altos High School to go green and recycle. Eco club is a hands-on, engaging club that promotes its members to utilize eco-friendly techniques in an attempt to revitalize and reconstruct the Earth toward a greener, brighter future. Members are driven to help preserve the Earth after realizing all the environmental hazards caused by humans that have afflicted precious living organisms. Co-president junior Jella Lu asserts, “As we all know, drought has plagued California for more than three years.”
To reach its goal, it has made posters, found recyclables in the school trash, and even guided lectures to its m e m b e r s. The posters, which were made from recycled paper, of course, are Eco Club’s aspiration to try and remind students that everyone is in this together. The club also picks up recyclables whenever possible at Los Altos High School and are rewarded with community service and, on some occasions, chips. Finally, Eco Club actively takes part in lecturing its members so as to expand its members’ knowledge in conservation, giving tips and tricks whenever possible. However, not only is Eco Club a great way to aid the environment, but it is also a way to protect the values
held dear by embers as well as a great way to interact among friends and others who share the same passion for the environment. Treasurer of the association, senior Mandy Liu explains why she joined this environmentally friendly club, “I always loved the outdoors and after hearing about all the environment’s problems, I felt like it was my duty to stand up for what I adored since my childhood.” Furthermore, new member, junior Eric Heng, claims, “In Eco club I feel surrounded by other members who share the same drive I have for the environment and it really is just an amazing feeling.” “Protecting, or saving our environment is not just a slogan that we say and forget about. It is something that
Photo by Mateo Sandoval Eco Club students Nicolas Hernandez, Xin Wang, and Emily Jin make a difference to the community and environment by recycling the school’s trash. we must do every day, big or small. It should be ingrained
in our daily life. After all, it does link to how our lives
would look like in the near future” concludes Lu.
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December 2016
NEWS
the-conqueror.org
Blood Donations Save Lives During Season of Giving By Nick Hernandez
A
little discomfort pales in comparison to the chance of saving a person’s life. Students here at Los Altos should know how beneficial donating blood can be to someone who really needs it. Therefore, on December 7, students here at Los Altos had the opportunity to give blood and save a life.
On Wednesday, December 7, Los Altos High School HOSA or Health Occupations Students of America, hosted a blood drive in the Hacienda. In addition to blood being collected to have a healthy supply of blood for people who need it, the blood was also be screened as part of an investigational study to test for the Zika virus. For students to participate in this blood drive and study there were a few requirements that had to be met first and is true for all blood donations. First, general good health is important in order to make the samples obtained be as non harmful as possible. Other requirements include not having donated blood in the past 56 days, weighing at least 110 pounds, and any tattoos and piercings must be fully healed and been performed in a facility that is licensed by the state of California. Students who are 16 and 17 also had to have a con-
sent form signed by a parent or guardian. Eating a nutritious meal and drinking a good amount of water is also highly recommended before donating. Junior Lauren Perez who is a Los Altos HOSA member explains the benefits of donating blood, “most importantly, donating blood can and will save lives. A person in a fatal accident, in surgery, or even someone who has a low white blood cell count is put in a situation where their life becomes dependent on the amount of blood they have in their body. “Perez continues, “Our ability to give blood, gives us a chance to not only change someone’s life, but save it. Especially in this season of giving it’s important to remember to use what you have to benefit the lives of others.” Junior Lerma, president of HOSA also describes the importance of the blood drive, “Thousands of people need blood each day and by donating one pint of blood you can save up to
three lives. It’s an incredible great way to give life to the people around you.” Lerma also addresses the fear that some people have when donating blood, “The sacrifice of puttinga needle in your arm only lasts a few minutes, but saving a life will last many years.” When asked about the Zika virus test that will be part of the process, Perez first ex-
plained the dangers of the virus, “The Zika virus is transmitted to people by the bite of mosquitoes that are infected with the virus. The main concern is that it could cause serious brain injury to infants whose mothers have been infected during their pregnancy” Perez outlined the test for this virus during the blood donation, “ The study will
be conducted by PIH Health Hospital and performed by the American Red Cross.” Perez continues, “The tests are being held to identify possible risks of infection in order to ensure the safety of the blood supply. If the test for Zika comes out positive, the donor will be notified by phone or letter confidentially to further investigate.
December 2016
ENTERTAINMENT
the-conqueror.org
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Dance Team Dances Through Intradistrict Lines By Jasmine Alonzo As the nerves rose and curtains opened, the dancers put all their hard work into motion. Martinez expresses the liberating feeling of dancing, “The moment I start dancing I feel that nothing can stop me, I am here to be who I am and that is a dancer.” On Friday December 2nd, in the Hacienda Heights community center, the Los Altos dance team held their second annual student choreographed dance concert with sixteen performances. The Los Altos dance team like last year, held dance concert with all the pieces choreographed by the students themselves. What makes this concert stand out from the rest is the fact that amateur students are creating these dances and teaching them to their fellow peers, unlike
hiring a professional choreograph each piece. Freshman Angel Martinez says, "The student choreography was different to me because all the years I have been dancing I had never done anything like it, it was different to not be taught by an adult or dance instructor. All my previous dances were taught by studio or dance coaches." Each dance is based off of a novel, and was presented in class as a project. Then the two dance team coaches, Maddie Gonzalez and Kelsey Brennan, chose which performances would be presented on stage for the concert. Sixteen of twenty four dances were chosen and have been taught and perfected throughout the past three months. Senior Isaiah Chacon states, "The student choreographing the dance was
Photo By Joshua Sanchez David Zaragoza performs to Kadebostany’s “Crazy in Love” a dance he choreographed, which was also featured in the First Annual Intradistrict Dance Festival. a very different experience because you really get to emotionally experience the dance, since your friend/ peer choreographed it. Also, this makes you want to execute it better, and make your friend’s vision come to life." Each dancer worked for each other as they performed on the dance floor. Not only with the intention to do their best, but also to
Photo By Joshua Sanchez Tiffany Hsu’s “Tomorrow’s Song” by Olafur Arnalds, which was featured in the Intradistrict Dance Festival.
make the choreographer and teammate's story become a reality. As a choreographer for the show himself, Chacon understood the difficulty of creating a piece and teaching it to others; taking the lead rather than being lead. "The hardest part in choreographing is having everything make sense, and envisioning how it will look. Everything has to flow really well, and sometimes it's hard to find a certain move that can tie two completely different moves together," Chacon continues, "Also while you're choreographing a certain move, it might look good in your head, but once it is performed in a group it may not look as good as you had hoped." They took the story each dance was based on and rewrote it with their movement. The dancers worked
as one unit the let pages flip with every turn, kick and leap. This, however, was not the last of their performances. They performed December 7, in the community center again, but this time they were joined by the rest of the HLPUSD in the first Intra District dance performance featuring acts from Workman, La Puente, Glen A. Wilson, and Los Altos High Schools along with a special appearance from Fairgrove Academy. There were eighteen performances, and four of them featured LAHS. Three performances were choreographed by students themselves. David Zarragoza choreographed “Crazy in Love” by Kadebostany, based upon Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Tiffany Hsu choreographed ”Tomorrow’s Song” by Olafur
Arnalds, based upon “The Help” for inspiration. Finally was Isabella Gonzales’ “Eyes Shut” by Years and Years. They also performed a fourth piece, their choreographed competition piece, a mashup of “Overture/All that Jazz” from the musical Chicago and “Puttin’ On the Ritz” by Herb Alpert with all twenty four members of LAHS Dance performing. Their choreographed performances were beautifully displayed by the LAHS Dance team at both the “Dancing Between the Lines” 2016 Los Altos Dance Team student choreography concert, and the “1st Annual Intradistrict Dance Festival” that included all HLPUSD dance departments. Throughout every dance, LAHS shined bright with the energy of the amazing Los Altos Dance Team.
Choir’s Annual Winter Concert Creates Holiday Cheer By Danielle Porras On December 6th Los Altos was held their annual Winter Concert in honor of the holiday season. This concert will be held at the Hacienda Heights Community Center and there was
two showings held at 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM. This Winter Concert was created to bring the joy of the holiday season through song. With the help of the talented Los Altos Choir students and their choir directors Fahey and Rubell,
they were able to bring this holiday cheer alive on stage. Each choir sang several songs to show the Christmas festivities that are to be celebrated. Freshman member of Los Altos Harmony, Kaya Burns, mentions that not all
By Mateo Sandoval Production Choir serves as an advanced show choir, integrating dynamic choreography and stunning vocals
the songs include the same message of Christmas, and that alone helps makes it different. “[My favorite song is] Winter Song, because I can relate [to the lyrics],” mentions Burns. The diversity of Christmas songs creates the concert unlike most that one would go to see around this time of year. Alexis Rubell, the student teacher for choir, explained the type of mood she feels will be set for this concert. “I think each choir needs to have a good combination of fun, but there also needs to be a sense of balance because not everyone in the audience is going to necessarily going to celebrate, so I think it needs to connect with people on a bunch of different levels,” remarked Rubell. The songs are going to show different versions of how people celebrate the holiday season, and the goal of this concert is to show
By Mateo Sandoval Los Altos Men’s Choir meets every Tuesday and Friday, pictured here ready to contribute. that emotion through song. The concert is going to be a great treat for all Alexis Rubell admitted she is excited to see how the performances will go. “Because I [do not] get to see them, so I have really no idea what
their songs sound like. It will be a little bit surprising.” Rubell remarked before the performance. Senior Mandy Liu, comments, “Our hardwork is portrayed through song.”
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December 2016
FEATURE
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Nearby Eateries Worth Visiting to Satisfy Classic Holiday Cravings By Laila Jibrin In celebration, and a large profit, restaurants and chain fast food franchises release their annual holiday menus, that many students all over Los Altos enjoy and love. My mission was to set out and find the best holiday foods that were recommended and amazingly delicious to make the decision where to and not to go before the holiday seasons comes to an end. “The peppermint hot chocolate from Starbucks is my favorite,” explains Sophomore Ian Conrekas, “I really enjoy it because when I get bored of the regular hot chocolate the added flavor and chocolate sprinkles are a change.” Conrekas shares.
The peppermint hot chocolate was an amazing drink to try. The hot chocolate had a soft but amazing peppermint flavor, that was just enough to not block out the hot chocolate flavor but give a fresh feeling. The whip crème blended the peppermint and chocolate together, with a rich light feeling. This is definitely one drink that should be sipped during the yearly stressful holiday gift shopping rushes. The peppermint hot chocolate is fast and easy to access since there is a Starbucks coffee almost every 5 miles. “I also recommend getting See’s Candy,” Conrekas adds, “My great grandmother always had a box of See’s Candy in her house and
whenever I went she would always share the [holiday] chocolate with me…it was the best” Conrekas recollects. See’s Candy, like always, is a great place to buy the holiday candy desserts for presents and a thing to snack on with a side of the peppermint hot chocolate. There were a large variety to choose from, but the most holiday filled chocolates was the (haven’t released the holiday specials yet so will involve in the revise) “The Dark Chocolate Peppermint Pancakes at IHOP are to die for. I’m addicted. The pancakes are like all of the feeling of Christmas all baked into a pan,” explains Sophomore Amber Tec. “They are a definite must-
REVIEW
Taste of France at Carmelo Café
try.” These pancakes were extremely rich and good, but one is enough to capture the holiday cheer. The pancakes were strong and sweet, that some may adore, but for others it may be a little too
Caramelo Café is a restaurant located in La Puente. The restaurant serves crepes, sandwiches such as paninis and skillets. The restaurant opens every day from eight o clock in the morning and they close at five in the afternoon during weekdays and four in the afternoon during weekends. The business hours are great for a restaurant that serves food that is commonly eaten during breakfast and lunch hours. If you’re planning to visit this restaurant, it is wise to visit the restaurant within the first hour that the restaurant has opened. The restaurant gets busy especially in the weekends after 9:30 am till 1 pm. If you happen to go with your family when the restaurant is full, you might have to wait 30 to 45 minutes to get a table. If you are visiting
with a friend the wait will be less 10 to 25 minutes. The service of the restaurant is good. Once entering you are seated (that is if you’re not visiting during breakfast rush) and the waiter or waitress gives you the menu. They’ll come back to check if you are ready to order in around five to ten minutes. Once the order is taken it takes around 20 to 35 minutes of waiting for your order to arrive. The menu is all under ten dollars, thus making it affordable for students to eat with friends. If you have more than fifteen dollars then maybe you order two items from the menu depending on the price of those items. The food is served fresh and the quality is great. The serving size is also worth the price. One of their crepe dish is “Paris”. It is filled with Nutella, strawberries, bananas and whipped
cream. The price of this dish is $6.50 plus tax. The crepe is big and it is sweet. The crepe is also served warm and fresh. A panini dish that they sell is “Club” panini. The dish comes with pickles and potato chips but if you would like to replace the pickles and chips, the option is available. The panini itself consist of turkey, bacon, ham, tomatoes, cheese and mayonnaise. The cost of this dish is $6.99 plus tax. The restaurant overall is a good restaurant with tasty food at reasonable prices. The rate would be an 8.5 out of 10. The service and the food is great. The downside is that you have to go at a time where there aren’t a lot of customers in order to have a really good experience. The wait for a table is a downside, but other than that, the restaurant is good.
riences are the kind the adventures of trying some of the endless options that are offered during the holiday season, with the enjoyment of coming together with family and friends.
Culinary Delights Open Up Around the Puente Hills Mall By Danielle Porras
By Valeria Alcantara
much. The pancakes could be a good way to start off a holiday filled kind of day, however should be expected to be on the sweeter and rich side. The options are endless, and the best holiday expe-
Recently there have been many restaurants opening around the Puente Hills Mall. It started with Pacific Fish Grill, then Firehouse Subs, The Habit Grill, and just recently, Chick-fil-A. This is just the beginning for our cities culinary growth, because there are more restaurants on the way. In the area near the Krispy Kreme Donuts there is a new pizza restaurant named Mod Pizza, a build your own pizzeria opening soon. Although, the time it will open is yet to be determined their website is already up. There is also a Corner Bakery opening up where the El Torito used to be. They serve many things from breakfast
options, salads, pastas, and paninis, along with their fresh bakery sweets. There are also a few restaurants opening in the same spot as Mod Pizza one of there is another Pacific Fish Grill and another possible restaurant in between the two. Another restaurant that is soon to open up is the new Panda Express. These new restaurants give us a new variety of what we are now going to have available and some people are very excited about this. Freshman, Ester Becerra was rather happy about it, “I love it because [it is] food and food is everything,” Freshman, Eric Marinez also said the new options were an awesome addition to the mall, “there will be more places to eat, more choice[s]”
With the new convenience has made really no effect on how much time was already spent at Puente Hills Mall. If anything, it is just more of a reason to keep going to the mall. Marinez says “because the mall is the mall and I like to stop but it would give me more of a reason to go there for [the]food choices.” The new restaurants that have opened up have already been favorited by some people Becerra commented, “[I am]mostly excited about Chick-fil-A because the chicken is so good.” With all the new restaurants that have been opening up and the ones that will be here in the very near future. It is really an all-around good reason to go to the mall soon while the food is still new.
December 2016
OPINION
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Not My President Trends For The Wrong Reasons By Cesar Moreno After an exhausting two years, the presidential election cycle ended with the unlikely victor, Donald J. Trump, standing atop of the rest. Trump's unprecedented victory followed an extreme bias in the media, who claimed that Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton would win easily. President-elect Trump has many voters upset. On November 9, protesters erupted around the nation to complain of the results of the election. Carrying the message of "Not My President", demonstrators called for recounts of votes, the removal of Donald Trump's elected status, and, for some furious , the assassination of the president-elect. The motto soon lit Twitter, college campuses, and metropolitan areas with protest. A large amount of protesters are liberal. Protests began to form soon
after the first on the University of Texas at Austin's campus. Disputants of the election jumped from city to city; the opposition acted from New York City to Chicago to Los Angeles. These objectors pointed fingers at the Electoral College and its power. Though these marches fall under the protection of the first amendment, many ask if they are necessary. Junior Jasper Lin says, "people are protesting for the wrong reasons." What began as a complaint against the Electoral College has evolved into an assault on Donald Trump and the Republican Party. "Watching these people is like watching a toddler throw a tantrum," says senior Brian Lopez. The denial of the results of the 2016 presidential election as led many conservatives to express their view of accepting the results of the voters. Other conservative ideologist poke fun at the “Not
My President” campaign claiming that the protestors are hypocrites. Many liberal voters said that they would never take to the streets like those “racist bigots”. After growing tired of the constant name calling, Southerners found their savior in Donald Trump and cast their ballot for the Republican nominee. One tweet called the column of states that are North Dakota to Texas, “incest alley”. This refers to the standards that are stereotypically imposed on Southerners and Middle America. The liberal supporters continued to belittle Trump supporters. They claimed that all Republican Party members are idiots, rapist, poor, and racists. After the the results released on the evening of November 8, liberals scrambled to find a scapegoat for their loss. Some pointed fingers at the Shy Trump Voter, and others condemned former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson for swiping away Clinton votes in the name of the Libertarian party. For those who fear Donald Trump, an unlikely way for
Graphics by Sabrina Sanchez Clinton to win has surfaced. On December 19, the Electoral College officially meets to decide who will receive the presidency. Electoral electors may cast their vote for the nominee they see most fitting. The Electoral College has never gone against the will of the people in the entire history of the United States. The last time an electoral decider went against the system occurred in 1976 where a single vote was written in for future president Ronald Reagan.
LOWEST VOTER TURNOUT SINCE 1996
70 %
Margin by which more than half of media thought Clinton would win
98 %
Margin by which The Huffington Post thought Clinton would win
Public Displays of Affection Causing Other Students to Suffer By Laila Jibrin Many students scattered across campus have gotten into relationships and are enjoying sharing their affection with each other. However, as time passes, hallways throughout the campus have been filled with several pub-
lic displays of affection- otherwise known as “P.D.A.”getting out of hand. “I feel very uncomfortable,” explains Sophomore Natalie Rodriguez, “and usually when I see them I’m going to my class and they’re in the way.” As students are rushing to class, with already crowded hallways, it be-
comes a nuisance trying to squeeze by in already crowded hallways. “just wait until afterschool,” Rodriguez recommends, that way students don’t have to get the HD version of the affection these lovebirds have. There are over three hundred students scrambling to class, and choosing to
The Issue With NOT Eating Takis
disregard the students making their way to class is an unthoughtful gesture to anyone squeezing between other students and the liplocked lovers, without disrupting the action. “I don’t mind as long [the P.D.A.] isn’t close to them smashing each other’s faces off or is in the way,” Sammy Gonzales explains. “A peck on the lips is sometimes cute and adorable, but too much action its uncomfortable. I sometimes feel like saying, ‘Um-excuse me I’m trying to get to class. At least go somewhere a little more private?’” There are private places too,
like the back of the school that most students don’t frequently go to, or- the more accommodating option for both the students and the couples, outside of school, when the day is over. There are parks in walking distances, with benches sheltered with trees for both shade and privacy, and sets a romantic setting both peaceful and quiet setting. Going to more quiet and secluded areas also beats the opposing choice of being interrupted by loud groups of friends yelling and shouting, and the bells to go to class. “They love each other I get it… but [the couples] can
[display affection] if they’re by themselves… but if they are going at it in public, it’s just weird, no one wants to see that.” Juarez continues. “just…get a room!” Juarez concludes. School isn’t the most romantic or comfortable place for couples to express each other’s love, but is also an annoyance to the rest of the students trying to make their way to where they need to be. However, if the couples still choose to show affection at school, they should just steer clear of the stampede of students rushing through the already tight hallways of LAHS.
The 2016-2017 Los Altos Journalism Staff strives to in-
Mission Statement form the student body of upcoming events as well as to
capture memories unique to the high school experience. It is our duty to ensure every student will have an amusing and informative paper to read and learn about not only the school, but the world at large. With just one paper we wish to unite our school even closer together, and have every reader glad they read this newspaper and “tuned in” to our campus. As for its journalists, the staff and program exists to develop the skills of a professional journalist, practice management skills, as well as provide opportunities for aspiring writers, photographers, and cartoonists to showcase their abilities. This staff produces three high quality publications for the students, about the students and by the students.
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December 2016
SPORTS
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Fall Sports Come to a Close While Winter Sports Prepare By Caley Asbee The Fall Sports, football, boys’ water polo, cross country, girl’s golf, and girl’s tennis, is officially coming to an end. The end of this season of sports welcomes the anticipated Winter Sports, boys’ soccer, girls’ soccer, girls’ water polo, boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, and wrestling. Last season, boys’ soccer had numerous wins and very few losses. Junior Aaron Pimentel explains, “Last season was amazing, our new coach really pushed us past our limits.” This season, the team’s first game was on November 29, against Basset High School, with a 2-0 win by Los Altos. Girls’ Soccer made it to the second round of CIF last year, and also won league. “I’m expecting a group of hard working girls that work
together, not only as a unit, but as a family.” junior Zharria Ramirez shared. Each of these teams are prepping for their season through rigorous practices, to hopefully become champions. Water Polo player,
junior Millie Suthasri, has morning and noon practices, in order to prep for her upcoming season. “This season I’m expecting a good effort from the team and a possible win in CIF,” Suthasri predicted. Last year,
girls’ water polo made it to CIF, but were not able to win. Girls’ water polo begins on December 13, versus Burbank High School. Boys’ Basketball lasted to the second round of CIF last year. “I expect us to go
undefeated this year, or lose minimal games,” basketball player junior Nikhil Bharadwaj explained. Bharadwaj enjoys his sport because he believes that, “[playing] ball is [my] life”. Boys’ Basketball will be starts on Jan-
uary 6, against our school rival, Glen A. Wilson High School. Girls’ basketball came to end at the same time as boys’ basketball last season, at the second round of CIF. This season will kick off with the game against Montebello High School on January 3. Wrestling, consisting of both boys and girls, played as individual but still come together as a family to ultimately succeed. Daniel Gonzalez, varsity wrestler says, “I made it to CIF last year, each day of wrestling is harder than the last.” Wrestling competed in a 4 way dual against La Puente and Wilson, on December 6. Winter sports this year are anticipated by their athletes, who have been training hard for this season and are expected to conquer the fields, courts, and rings.
Los Altos Soccer Kicks Off and Looks to Repeat Past Success By Caley Asbee & Brandon Vicuna BOYS Boys’ soccer started this season off with three preseason games in one week. All games were away and there will not be a home game until 2017, but the season nonetheless is starting up. The boys’ soccer team has high hopes for the 20162017 season. “As far as what I’m looking forward to this season is winning CIF finals and bringing home a title for my school,” says senior Varsity player Jacob De La Peza. While another Varsity player, junior Aaron Pimentel
agrees, stating, “I am looking forward to winning this season.” The boys played against Bassett High School, Ganesha High School, and Whittier High School. Their first game on November 29, against Bassett was a close game but the boys still came on top with a win of 2-1. Their second game on December 1, was versus Ganesha High School whom they lost 4-0. The final game of the week on December 2, against Whittier High School, was another win for the Varsity team, ending with a score of 2-1. These three preseason games alone make the boys with a 2-1 average.
De La Peza remarks, “The team is looking really strong and has a lot of talent and potential.” With continued hard work and conditioning the boys can eventually end up on top this season. Pimentel believes, “There are always things to improve.” The boys last year made it into the second round of CIF. This year in order to continue the trend and hopefully push farther they will have to work even harder than they did last. They had a record of 12-6 with 2 ties in the season. In the second week of December the Boys Varsity team started to compete in the Brea Olinda Tournament, which is also away.
Photo by Mateo Sandoval LAHS Girls’ Varsity Soccer, toting losses from early season blues, ramps up to a close win. GIRLS Our girls’ soccer team went 8-1-1 and made it to the second round of CIF before they were eliminated.
They were league champs last year and look to defend their title this upcoming season. Our girls lost some key
components to their team last year, and a few continued their education while continuing their athletic career. This year some of the
Photo by Mateo Sandoval Varisity Girls’ Soccer member Sydney Owen rushes through oncoming Rowland players, On December 5, they won their first game of the tournament 3-0. The first home
game of this season will be on January 4, against Bishop Amat High School. “I think
our team can make it far this year,” Pimentel says.
players returned, but also lost their longtime head coach Chris Reeder. New head coach, Justine Padilla, has been with the girls soccer program for the last three years and is ready to take on the challenge. Another key factor this year will be the advantages of playing on the newly done soccer field, which would need some getting used to. They need to learn to adapt their strength on the field. Our girls are also hoping this will draw a larger crowd. The girls have been putting in a lot of work for this upcoming season through a lot of conditioning and prepping. Senior Sydney Owen said, “We have been
running a lot to keep in shape and also have been doing drills to incorporate all grades so that we will get along better.” Conditioning will play a huge role in their success for the upcoming games. Our girls have also been preparing through a lot of drills. Senior Amber Boyd added, “At practices we constantly do drills that are of game like situations. It gives both our defense and offense a chance to work with one another to better our skills. We as a whole want to be a technical team where we dominate on the ball so are drills are heavily based on working on our ball control.” Both Owen and Boyd
have high expectations for this upcoming season. Boyd added “This year I believe we can do great things. Everyone has rocky starts in their seasons but our team will surpass expectations. We're hungry for the league title and we can achieve that dream of winning league by our hard work on the field.” Following this Owen stated, “I expect big things for this season we might hit some rough patches but we will push through them and fulfill the accomplishments we had last year.” Their first home game was on December 6, against Rowland High School, and the game ended in a 2-1 victory in our very own Patrick J. Mauch Stadium.