2008 october

The World Is Our Campus Volume 57, Issue 2

Arcadia High School 180 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA

October 2008

Queen of the Court

In this issue:

Photo Courtesy of FLS

FEATURES pg.11 Halloween Spirit: Find out why this haunted holiday is dying amongst students.

Photo Courtesy of DAVID GORDON

ROSE COURT Courtney Lee and Lauren Valenzuela proudly represent Arcadia High School on the 2009 Rose Court.

Queen Courtney, center, and Princess Lauren, far right, pose with the other Princesses in front of the Tournament House.

By CORA ORMSETH Student Life Editor

Photo Courtesy of BRENTROSS.COM

CENTER SPREAD pgs.14-15 McCain vs. Obama: Familiarize yourself with the policies of this fall’s presidential candidates.

Photo Courtesy of CAROL ELLSWORTH

SPORTS pg.22 Jimbo: A tribute to Jim Ellsworth and his battle against cancer.

On the steps of the palatial Tournament House in Pasadena, AHS seniors Courtney Lee and Lauren Valenzuela became Queen Courtney and Princess Lauren of the Rose Court.

The seven royal members of the Rose Court assembled at the Tournament House, the mansion that houses the Rose Queen’s crown, Rose Princess’s tiaras, and Rose Bowl trophies, on Oct. 21. Holding hands, they anxiously waited for the announcement of the 91st Rose Queen who would reign over the 2009 Pasadena Tournament of Roses.

When Tournament of Roses President Corky Conzonire opened the envelope and proclaimed, “The Tournament of Roses is delighted to name Courtney Lee as the 2009 Rose Queen,” the sheer shock on Courtney’s face told all. “No, they did not just call my name,” she thought, as a frenzy of cameras snapped away and Dusty Gibbs, the 2008 Rose Queen, handed her a bouquet of red roses. But when, according to Courtney, the six Rose princesses “tackled” her, the reality finally sunk in.

The road to royalty began in September with tryouts that made Courtney feel like she was “having a heart attack.” More than 1,100 young residents of Pasadena and surrounding communities attended the initial interview that offered only 15 seconds for each contestant to make an impression on the judges. After the first round, 250 girls received letters in the mail indicating that they had advanced to the second round. Courtney waited for her parents to check the mail each day, afraid that she would “jinx it.” The interview sessions became progressively longer as the pool of contestants grew smaller. 250 contestants were reduced to 75, and from there, 34 finalists were chosen. Courtney said the final interview that lasted four minutes was the last chance to “shine and show the judges what makes you unique.”

Eventually, seven finalists were chosen as members of the Rose Court: Courtney and Lauren; Jasmine Jenkins and Molly Novell of La Salle High School; Mary Gaule of Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy; Bridget McDonald of Pasadena City College; and Quinn Young of La Cañada High School.

On New Year’s Day, the Rose Court will ride the Royal Float in the 120th Rose Parade, themed “Hats Off to Entertainment.” Once the five-and-ahalf mile parade is over, the Rose Court will preside over the 95th annual Rose Bowl Game. Courtney looks forward to attending this “granddaddy of all football games,” especially if her favorite team, USC, plays. The Rose Court will accompany the two rival teams on a trip to Disneyland and will dine with them at the traditional beef-eating contest at Lawry’s The Prime Rib in Beverly Hills.

The Rose Court attends a myriad of community service events and media appearances and are chauffeured from place to place in white 2009 Honda Odysseys emblazoned with the iconic Tournament of Roses emblem. To prepare for the media spotlight, they must complete an extensive training regimen involving etiquette and public speaking sessions. At one dining hall lesson reminiscent of a scene from The Princess Diaries, Courtney learned the various functions of each utensil as well as the proper way to eat bread: “tear and butter, tear and butter.”

Balancing the duties of Rose Queen with the demands of school poses a daunting challenge.

Courtney tries to squeeze in homework between Rose Court events while juggling her responsibilities as captain of the varsity volleyball team, president of Senior Men and Women, vice-chairman of the Arcadia Assisteens Auxiliary, committee member of the Methodist Hospital Foundation, and founder of Teens Promoting Stroke Awareness, not to mention her jazz, hip hop, ballet, and traditional Chinese dancing. As captain of her volleyball team, Courtney plans to spend as much time as possible with her teammates because “volleyball is what

has gotten me through high school,” she said.

Along with royalty comes certain perks: each member of the Royal Court received a custom tailored wardrobe from Macy’s, MAC makeup, a digital camera, and a Mikimoto pearl necklace worth $8500. “The gifts are never ending,” Courtney said, and thanked her parents “for not spoiling me as a child, because now I can truly appreciate all this.”

As Rose Queen, Courtney has become a role model for younger girls. She hopes to be a personable figure for little girls across the nation who will eagerly watch the Rose Queen and Rose Princesses wave from the Royal Float on New Year’s Day. She also wants to represent the Asian American community because “Asian Americans are usually not given [this kind of] recognition.”

Courtney’s family has played an integral role in her becoming Rose Queen. “Family is the platform for everything,” she said, attributing her success during the tryouts to the values her family instilled in her. Modest and down-to-earth, she is not yet accustomed to introducing herself as Queen Courtney. “I’m not all that girly,” she said, noting that prior to her Rose Court wardrobe, she only owned one pink shirt. Not one to fuss over appearances or diet, Courtney believes in “enjoying what you eat.” After she was announced as Rose Queen, Courtney ate “a big pastrami burger and chili fries” at The Hat, where the Rose Court receives free meals anytime.

Courtney will continue to prepare for the pinnacle of her reign on Jan. 1, when she will ride down Colorado Boulevard to welcome the New Year. Until then, she has two more months to perfect that signature Rose Queen wave. “Raise your arm up straight – it’s more regal that way – cup your hand, and then wave,” she said, demonstrating a graceful, royal wave fit for a queen. cormseth@theapachepowwow.com For more on Princess Lauren Valenzuela, see Page 21.

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NEWS Red Ribbon Week

By EMILY LITVACK

theapachepowwow.com

Fro-Yo Frenzy! Pinkberry Vs. Pingo

By ELAINE TSUI

settlement.

In addition to the Pingo lawsuit, which is seeking $75,000 in damages, Pinkberry is accusing Monkee’s Teriyaki in Venice, PeachInstead of swirls of green tea frozen yoberry in Long Beach and Gardena, Yoberry in gurt, Pinkberry is serving up a swirl of new Washington and Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and Yogilawsuits for rival businesses. berry in Olney, MD, of copying its brand and On Sept. 10, the popular yogurt chain, modifying its promotional material with anothwhich has 65 stores throughout California and er store’s name. Another lawsuit alleges New York, filed a lawsuit in the that photos belonging to Pinkberry were United States District Court, acaltered and displayed by the other yogurt cusing Pingo Yogurt of copying shops. Before the current lawsuits, Pinkits established brand. Pinkberry berry would send cease-and-desist letters claims that Pingo, which has to stores they believed were copycats, stores in Alhambra and Arcadia, demanding that they change the brandis duplicating Pinkberry’s fruiting, menu, or appearance of the stores. shaped swirl logo and trademark With an increasing number of copycat menu in order to confuse cusbusinesses, Pinkberry has decided that it tomers and “directly compete will file lawsuits against any business that with Pinkberry’s goods.” continues to imitate it.

Pingo’s primary product Over the past two years, numerous is its frozen yogurt, which can frozen yogurt shops, including Pingo, be paired with various toppings have opened throughout Arcadia with such as blueberries, strawberries, residents and students quickly catching cereal, and nuts. Pinkberry lawPhotos by REGINA FANG up with the frozen yogurt fad. Pingo yers claim that this simple menu of three flavors of yogurt and FRO-YO LAWSUIT Pinkberry sues Pingo Yogurt for its and the other yogurt shops have become popular spots for students. Junior Maria assorted toppings is a deliber- similar menu and carefree pastel interior store design.

Varelas believes that “Pinkberry is tryate imitation of Pinkberry’s own menu, which includes original, green tea, and via, Rowland Heights, La Habra, La Canada ing to intimidate Pingo. Pingo may or may coffee flavored frozen yogurt with optional Flintridge, and Azusa in the San Gabriel Valley not be copying Pinkberry, but Pingo is trying toppings. In addition to the menu, Pinkberry alone. However, Pinkberry was on the receiv- to run a business. Pinkberry should do the lawyers say Pingo’s layout is a duplication of ing end of a lawsuit earlier this year when cus- same and focus on improving its own stores, Pinkberry’s distinctive style. Pinkberry ac- tomers accused the company of selling frozen instead of [filing] lawsuits.” Still, if Pingo cuses Pingo of illegally copying its familiar yogurt that may not really be frozen yogurt. and the other businesses named in the lawpastel-color interior, glass walls, simple serv- The case was settled in April when Pinkberry suits prove to be imitators who are illegally agreed to begin mixing its yogurt at a dairy competing with Pinkberry, they will be facing area, and hanging lamps.

Regarding these allegations, employee instead of in-store and to release its ingredi- ing a lot more than Pinkberry’s accusations.

Alex Kou from Pingo Yogurt in Arcadia be- ents online. Pinkberry also gave $750,000 to etsui@theapachepowwow.com lieves that the lawsuit against Pingo is not two Southern California charities as part of the Staff Writer

Staff Writer

It is in the memory of Enrique Camerena that we observe Red Ribbon Week (Oct. 2531) in Arcadia and across California. Camerena, an undercover agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), had served in the United States Marine Corps for two years and later worked as a fire-fighter and police officer in Mexico. On Feb. 7, 1985, in Guadalajara, Mexico, Camerena was kidnapped and beaten to death by a group of drug traffickers.

Participants in Red Ribbon Week wear ribbons to demonstrate and spread awareness of drug abuse and to mourn the death of Camerena. Sophomore Billy Roberts reminds students that drugs can and will “hurt you, hurt your family, and mess up your life.” Billy’s friend was caught with marijuana by an instore security guard and was suspended from school for the remainder of the semester. The incident prompted him to participate this year.

Mr. Rod Rodriguez, assistant principal of First Avenue Middle School, said that there “is a joint effort…with the PTSA, the PALs and the ASB Student Council [to provide] materials, funding and working hands” for Red Ribbon Week. In fact, PALs, an on-campus leadership group, performs skits to sixth graders to inform them about the week. He added that red ribbons tied in bows “are hung throughout the campus. It is a very impressive sight.” Clearly, the Arcadia Unified School District did the DEA proud this week. elitvack@theapachepowwow.com

Photo Courtesy of www.google.com

News

BRIEFS

November 2008 1

-AHS Fall Preview Day -SAT & Subject Test Date

4-6

-Quarter Finals

7

-Reflections Art -Program Entry Due Date -End of First Quarter

8

-Financial Aid Workshop (9:00 a.m.)

-PLAN (practice ACT test) Sophomores and Juniors

10

-Staff Development Day (no school)

11

-Veteran’s Day Holiday (no school)

22

-Arcadia Festival of Bands

27-28 -Thanksgiving Day and holiday

October 2008

justified. “The yogurt [from Pinkberry] is very different from Pingo’s,” he said. “I admit Pinkberry’s yogurt probably tastes better, but [the yogurt] is really different.”

Pinkberry is often credited with launching the frozen yogurt, or fro-yo, fad. Since the opening of its first store in 2005, Pinkberry has thrived, opening stores in Pasadena, Monro-

vs.

Arcadia Splashes to Save Water

By JENNY LIN AND ELAINE TSUI Staff Writers

It was five hours of free food, stage shows, and workshops for children by The Discovery Science Center; but most importantly, it was five hours of education about a precious but dwindling natural resource. It was five hours of Water Fest 2008.

On Oct. 4, 2008, families throughout the San Gabriel Valley came out to participate in Water Fest 2008, a family fun day sponsored by the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District (USGVMWD) at Arcadia County Park. The event, which was held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., focused on educating children about water and promoting water conservation.

Families participated in interactive activities aimed at teaching the public such as the Tide Pool Cruiser Exhibit, Whittier Narrows Nature Center’s “Native California Live Animal Display,” and a solar-powered boats demonstration by local high school students.

To promote healthy living, the event featured a 5K Healthy Parks Youth Walk in the morning in addition to the family activities.

Participants who paid a $10 registration fee received a T-shirt and other prizes. The proceeds from this walk went to the L.A. County Healthy Parks program.

Families who attended Water Fest, despite the weekend’s rain forecasts, received free food and were entered in free raffle drawings. Bro-

chures and free gifts promoting environmental awareness were handed out. As families picnicked in the park, they were taught valuable lessons about water and our environment that will be important for years to come. “It was a great experience since I was able to learn how to conserve water and reduce the amount of energy used,” said freshman Wenny Lin. Water conservation is becoming an increasingly important issue, especially in light of the current drought in California. As a result, the USGVMWD and the Sanitation Districts are trying to educate the public about the present environmental issues. According to District President Leon Garcia, education is the key because the San Gabriel Valley has seen a 15% reduction in water usage over the past decade largely due to consumer education and community outreach. To senior Nick Wang, “the higher the awareness, the higher the chance that people will take some measures to conserve fresh water.”

Even with the USGVMWD and the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles Country working to promote water conservation, junior Raymond Tsai believes that some people still take this natural resource for granted. “Conserving water may seem like a very small issue to Americans,” he said, “but thinking about it worldwide, there are millions of people who wish they had the luxury that we have.” jlin@theapachepowwow.com etsui@theapachepowwow.com

Fall Preview Day

By JESSICA LOUIE Guest Writer

On Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008, AHS will invite all eighth graders in the city and any interested community members to attend Fall Preview Day, which will allow the community to catch a sneak peak of some of the programs that AHS has to offer.

Many of the parent booster clubs and other organizations will set up tables and displays in the North Gym. Tours will start at the gym and include a welcoming speech by David Vannasdall, AHS principal, followed by in-depth campus tours.

The tours will be led by current AHS students including Senior Men and Women, athletes, and musicians.

The tour will feature Drama, Band, Journalism, Digital Photography, Dance, TV Production, Robotics, Electronics Portfolios, Archaeology, Library, Career Center, Athletic Stadium and the Weight Room. Because the campus is preparing for major construction, renderings of the new buildings will be available too.

This event is hosted by the PTSA Orientation Committee and AHS. For more information, please contact Kay Kinsler at kaykinsler@altrionet.com or Jessica Louie at jlouie98@roadrunner.com.

October 2008

theapachepowwow.com

Rest In Peace, Economy in a deal brokered by the FDIC, bought out most of the bank for a hefty $1.9 billion, averting a another potentially massive blow-out.

With most students planning to apply to college in the next couple of years, the question of financial stability is raised. With college as expensive as ever, how are students supposed to afford

UCs will be packed.” The sudden influx of new students into both the UC and Cal Staff Writer State system will most definitely affect the students at AHS, making the already competitive admissions process much As the nation enters the final more intense. stretch towards the November presidenHowever, federal education offitial elections, recent economic slumps cials and college administrators sought and bank failures have set a grim tone to assure both students and parents that for the new presidency—as well as our higher education would continue to be own futures. affordable. At a conference at NorthThe aftermath of the economic western University, Sara Tucker, U.S. decline has hit home hard. In early Undersecretary of Education, expressed July, frantic patrons of IndyMac, that government loan programs will not one of the largest loan agenbe affected by recent disruptions in the cies in the Los Angeles area, economy and that colleges and unibegan lining up to withdraw all versities across the nation have “indithe money they had saved. A cated no difficulty in lining up student couple of days later, the Federal loans.”

Deposit Insurance Corporation Still, these efforts have done little (FDIC) seized control of the to quell the worries of students at AHS. company, leading to one of the Senior Tara Sardesai says, “Paying for largest bank failures in U.S. histuition won’t be a problem, but credit tory. In the months following, and loans will be even harder for stuclosures, government seizures Photos by REGINA FANG dents to get because banks just don’t and buyouts of firm after firm R.I.P. IndyMac Bank and Washington seemed to be a normal part of Mutual are merely two of the countless banks have the money to back it up. Even if they do, interest rates won’t be reasondaily news. affected by the failing American economy. able.”

In mid-September, WashIn the mishmash of petty politics ington Mutual became the biggest bank higher education? Fall 2008 applicants failure in US history when, after a se- to the Cal State University system are and economic woes, students’ futures in vere dip in stocks, customers pulled out urged to apply early to some of the more pursuing higher education is, for the time $16.7 billion in deposits over the course popular campuses. Because of the cur- being, secure. However, what happens in of ten days. Once again the FDIC and rent instability of the economy, the sys- the next few months in the roller coaster National Treasury intervened, pressur- tem will not be able to absorb as much economy will either make or break that ing the bank to find a prospective buyer, enrollment of students as they have in security most have come to love, as well as another government takeover would the past. Senior Cathy Wang says, “Col- as the futures most have come to expect. have been a severe drain on FDIC funds. lege will commence as we speak, but mchien@theapachepowwow.com The “rescue” came when J.P. Morgan, since public schools are cheaper, the

By MICHELLE CHIEN

Tragically Tainted Treats Haunt the Shelves

By JENNY LIN Staff Writer

Do you know what’s in your tasty boba milk tea? Or that box of Pocky sticks that you bought from a supermarket? Or maybe that Hershey’s chocolate bar that you bought from a nearby vending machine? Or any other food product that has been produced in China? How would you feel if your food has been contaminated with the main ingredient used to make pesticides, cleaning products, and possibly foams?

Melamine, that one main ingredient, is a toxic chemical known to cause the development of bladder cancer and kidney stones. Recently, it attacked one of the world’s biggest global supermarkets, China. Foods from coffee to vegetables to popular chocolates, which are all imported to the U.S are now on recall by the World Health Organization because of the dangers that melamine brings. Over thirty countries have already banned candies and other dairy products imported from China. This is not the first incident that occurred involving melamine and Chinese food.

The last time food from China was pulled off shelves was just last year, when pet foods were recalled due to melamine contamination.

So far, around 54,000 children and adults have developed kidney stones, four infants have died, and more than

12,800 people from China and countries melamine in their food, especially the surrounding China were hospitalized packages which have “Made in China” from consuming food with melamine. on it. “The safety of the food does cross Even the Pizza Hut fast food chains in my mind when I go with my mom to Taiwan and China have recalled their those Asian supermarkets,” said senior Brenda Lee. Besides the supermarkets, powder cheese packets because there are also the Asian fast traces of melamine food restaurants such have been discovas Quickly, Tapioca ered in them.

Express, and othIn addier tea houses. “I tion to dairy don’t trust the products, milk used in the fruits and tapioca drinks vegetables anymore,” says have also junior Kevin Choi. been affected With an inciby melamine. dent such as this, “Experts Graphic by GAVIN FU China is franhave investigated MELAMINE This toxic chemical is found tically trying and con- in various foods made in China including to solve the problem. Chifirmed that chocolate, milk tea, fruits, and vegetables. nese officials melamine has also been found in lettuce, water have arrested nine people, including cress, tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes, Zhang Yujun, a farmer, for producing 600 and other agricultural products.” reports tons of a mixture containing melamine.

China’s Economics And Finance maga- His comrade, Xinhua, confessed to mixing gallons of water with 544 gallons of zine.

With all this frenzy on whether food fresh milk with 21 ounces of “fake proproducts from China are safe, Arcadia is tein,” which contained melamine. As the now on alert. With popular supermarkets search continues for those who attempted like 99 Ranch Market or Hong Kong to harm millions, the world must put off Supermarket that sell food products im- their indulgence for delicious affordable ported from China, the food products’ Chinese food. credibility decreases as more and more jlin@theapachepowwow.com people worry about the possibility of

NEWS s t a f f Editors Editors-in-Chief Managing Editor New Editors Opinion Editors Performing Arts Editors Student Life Editor Features Editors Sports Editor Academics Editor Center Spread Editor Calendar Editor Campus Focus Editor Advertisement Editor Executive Copy Editor Photography/Graphics Editors Webmasters Fundraising Chairs Publicity Chair

Lisa Chang and Laura Kelly Veronica Lim Iris Chen and Erica Win Andrés Delgado and Kayla Pang Kristen Shields and Daphne Tan Melissa Chen and Cora Ormseth Eleana Chiang and Emily Rueter Kristie Tom Tracy Lee Jennifer Hang Melanie Yuen Joanna Chuang Michael Chen Christine Xu Ashley Johnson and Gregory Zajac Billy Cao and Yentl Ip Christine Howard and David Yao Aisha Elmasri

Writers News Staff Opinion Staff

Performing Arts Staff

Student Life Staff

Features Staff Sports Staff Academics Staff Calendar Staff Campus Focus Staff Advertisement Staff

Photo Staff Web Staff

Michelle Chien, Jenny Lin, Emily Litvack, Elaine Tsui Richard Fu, Lauren Hong, Nuria Mathog, Christine Xu, Emily Yang, David Yao, Bill Zhou Katherine Bay, Eileen Chow, Laureen Ma, Sammi Wong, Marissa Xing Lena Kalemkiarian, Velinda Liao, Melissa Ma, Linda Wang, Christine Xu Amber Kakish, Alwyna Lau, Amy Leong, Gloria Liou, Joanna Shen Aisha Elmasri, Shawna Lim, Victoria Tran Sean Maroongroge, Joe Tian David Hernandez, Lisa Hung, Katherine Bay Angela Shen James Chung, Gavin Fu, David Hernandez, Lisa Hung, Stephanie Lee, Gloria Liou, Erik Stratton, David Yao, Ashley Young Regina Fang, Peter Huang, Yentl Ip, Timothy Lin Jennifer Hang, Peter Huang, Ashley Johnson, Stephanie Lee, Amy Leong, Velinda Liao, Emily Litvack, Laureen Ma, Nuria Mathog, Angela Shen, Joe Tian, Victoria Tran, Melanie Yuen

Publication Information: The Apache Pow Wow is a student publication distributed monthly throughout the school year. The paper has been continuously published since Arcadia High School opened in 1952. Unsigned articles appearing on the opinion page reflect the opinion of the Apache Pow Wow editorial board. Student’s work does not represent the views of Arcadia High School or the Arcadia Unified School District. Address letters to the editor to: AHS Apache Pow Wow, 180 W. Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA 91007. To place an advertisement in the newspaper, call (626) 821-8370. Advertisement rates vary from $30 for a business card advertisement to $380 for a full-page black and white advertisement, with quarter-page, half-page, and advertisement insert options available.

3

4

OPINION

Ask Dr. Hector Dear Dr. Hector, I have so much trouble finishing my homework every night and I haven’t got a clue as to why! It is so frustrating because I never get enough sleep at home; hence, I am constantly dozing off in class.

Now I have D’s for Death in all of my classes, and my parents would have beaten me to Graphic by a pulp if I had not DAVID HERNANDEZ gotten to the mail before them. I know what you’re inferring from all this, but I have never procrastinated in my entire life! It’s just that every time I try writing my essay or graphing equations, my friends send me random instant messages, disrupting my train of thought. I’d love to chat with them during lunch, but at night their incessant IMs are so annoying. Do they think I have nothing better to do than to wait for their urgent messages? Oh, great Hector, what divine light can you shed to cease this Great Flood of IMs? - Weary of AIM Buddies Dear Weary, There is no plausible justification for the overload of IMs when you are occupied with loads of homework due the next day.

What kind of “friends” knowingly IM you when you are obviously AFK (away from keyboard)? Is it fair that you are failing all of your class when the real culprits, your so-called friends, are purposely sabotaging your chances of getting into college? My young grasshopper, I deeply sympathize with you and your current conundrum; I too have suffered this plague, and despite my futile attempts to go on invisible, the IMs will inevitably find their ways past my transparent guise. If I had friends as horrible and insensitive as yours, I would be crying myself to sleep every night as well (assuming you get any sleep, that is). Oh, what to do, what to do? Aha! An epiphany! In order to salvage your grades, you must sever all relationships with your acquaintances. This translates to no waving at school, avoiding any and every conversation at all cost, and screening all phone calls from these backstabbing traitors until they finally stop IMing you, giving you the peace and serenity required to concentrate on that tricky essay.

It might seem difficult to ignore these people you thought were your friends, but who needs those people anyway? You could do much better with random strangers you meet on World of Warcraft—at least they won’t pester you with disrupting IMs. Remember Confucius’s age-old adage: friends don’t let friends IM each other when they are failing school.

XOXO you know you love me, Dr. Hector Got a school-relevant question? Send me an e-mail at drhector@theapachepowwow. com!

theapachepowwow.com

October 2008

Gap Kids or Gymboree?

their glaring differences.

It’s surprising how much we can learn Staff Writer from these children. The simplest things—like Last Friday, as usual, I went to the nursery becoming friends with people we don’t know, school at Methodist Hospital for my weekly extending a hand to someone that doesn’t have volunteering. I pushed open the child-proof anyone to hang out with, or ignoring differgates and walked along the fence surrounding ences between people and concentrating on the play yard littered with toys, who they really are as individusmiling at the kids of various ages als—can be tough sometimes. But happily playing with each other somehow, children do things like and excitedly talking in the gibthis all the time, without hesitation berish language they all underor afterthought. Smiling at another stand so well. Since they weren’t kid and asking to be friends equals crying or fighting over toys, I sat automatic friendship and accepunder the tree on the grass with tance. Children are also able to my knees pulled up to my chest, look past appearances and ignore just watching them. differences. Even though we don’t Three boys nearby were ablike to admit it, we still judge each sorbed with pushing around a huge other and take note of the clothes dump truck and took turns filling that others wear, the people they it with sand. Squatting in the sandhang out with, the classes that box with their heads together, they they take…the list could go on and pushed it back and forth between on. Truth be told, children simply them, making up a story as they could care less what kind of tGraphic by LAUREN WONG went along. Smiling, I scanned shirts the other kids are wearing; the play yard, looking to see if they don’t care if the shirts are from FROM THE MOUTH OF BABES Children have much anyone needed my help, and saw Gap Kids or Gymboree. They don’t to teach us about keeping open minds and hearts. two tiny girls attempting to climb care if another kid got a haircut that onto a plastic seesaw shaped like an airplane. looks hideous. And it isn’t to say that we’re ingly the best of friends, it apparently didn’t When I lifted both of them onto the wings of shallow, awful people. It’s just that children matter that they had all just met, were differthe airplane, they immediately began pumping have this innocence that allows them to look ent ages and genders, and dressed differently up and down and screaming with laughter at past petty things like appearances, rather than from one another. Over by the dump truck, having their feet off the ground. After they got to judge, more easily than we can. If only we the talkative, “I-know-you-love-me-becauseover the initial excitement of “flying” in the could emulate this innocence that we have so I’m-adorable” charmer, the little grubby kid air, they started to talk to each other in their clearly lost. who always needs a good nose wiping, and the secret language that only children understand, chubby, quiet boy who rarely talks but cries whispering conspiratorially to each other oclwong@theapachepowwow.com constantly played contently together, ignoring casionally and giggling constantly.

A while later, a lonely little boy wandered over and sat in the middle of the airplane while the girls continued to rock back and forth on the wings. They welcomed him happily, eagerly drawing him into their conversation; soon enough, he joined in on their laughter. Seem-

By LAUREN WONG

TP’ing: an Abstract Art at Work

By CHRISTINE XU

we can actually get to our trees. But what people don’t understand is that toilet papering is a form of expression, an art to be perfected. We toil away at executing the perfect toilet paperCome Halloween Day, youngsters from ing maneuver, and surely the kind recipients the age of two months to too old indulge in the of our efforts can see that. We take the annual pastime of donning ridiculous time to plot our scheme and the magoutfits and begging strangers for yearnitude of its intricacy. We deal with old candy that has been shoved into the difficult cashiers who hesitate to let back of a kitchen pantry, hidden away us purchase a 36-pack of toilet paper, until it is finally time to dispose of it five bottles of mustard and ketchup, on this most wonderful of nights. Haland three jars of honey without being loween serves as an excuse for us to refused at the grocery store. What we disregard our homework and to eat as teenagers do hardly constitutes as what much as we want; it allows us to readults deem as vandalism; we are exlieve our stress by pretending to be our pressing ourselves as individuals! We favorite childhood heroes for a night. are rebelling against our teachers, who But while dressing up and getting cavigive us too much homework on what ties may seem like loads of fun, there should be a holiday; we are protesting is something inexplicably more enjoynew driving laws that will not permit able than dressing up as Captain Jack us to get our licenses until the painsSparrow or Marilyn Monroe, more takingly ripe old age of 18; we are exhilarating than committing an act of reacting to the lack of unhealthy junk thievery and making off with a bagful food in our vending machines; heck, of candy: TP’ing. we might even be protesting just to TP’ing, or toilet papering, has protest—we will not let the man bring long been an activity for the big kids us down! like us. After hours, when all the grade Graphic by NURIA MATHOG Toilet papering is a delicate art school students have retired to bed and are no doubt munching on candy under THE MORNING AFTER Isn’t it so wonderful form; we toilet paperers are artists just the covers, we stealthily tiptoe on the to wake up and gaze at the toilet paper gracefully like any other sculptor, writer, painter, dancer, or actor out there. We merely streets to a neighbor’s front lawn—the swaying back and forth in front of your window? aim to express our opinions through a lawn of the one who always parks right unique medium, and to laugh at the neighbors of it is even more satisfying. under the tree with shade, leaving us to park who rattle their canes at us, yelling in some What I can’t comprehend, though, is why under the scorching sun—and release our dialect we don’t understand. Is that so wrong? people are so against TP’ing. Sure, removing deadly white bombs of doom, giggling away at the toilet paper from the trees may be a hassle, our debauchery. We run home laughing, high cxu@theapachepowwow.com especially when the sprinklers come on before off adrenaline, and the next day (or next MonStaff Writer

TCID:

day) we brag about our endeavors, embellishing our stories with how the residents almost came out and found us, how the cops drove past us on the street and almost arrested us. It’s a gratifying thing to do, TP’ing. And the glory

October 2008

OPINION

theapachepowwow.com

5

The Seven Harmless Vices

1

3

2

4

Sloth

Diligence is for those who have not yet realized the joys of life. Those students you see buried behind their textbooks all the time know nothing about the freedom of turning the mind off and lounging on the couch. Seriously, why work hard when you can save that energy for video games and TV? Let’s face it: sloth is the key to becoming an all-American hero like Homer Simpson.

-Emily Yang

Pride

Wha wrong with having a little pride in What’s Wh our achie achievements and abilities? A healthy dose of comp competition with others never hurt anyone. compe Sometimes we need to be agressive, and step on the people that get in our way and hinder us from reaching our goals. If we can’t reach our goals, how are we ever going to have a chance at self-fulfillment? Pride motivates us to be the BEST, even though we know we already are.

-Lauren Wong

Lust ust

Wrath Wrath Wrath is perhaps the greatest source of Wra inspiration of all time, delivering salvation from the everyday monotony of a woefully uneventful life. Take the time to set up elaborate schemes against your enemies, and trust me, your day will soon become extremely interesting. Nothing beats a healthy dose of old-fashioned revenge!

-Nuria Mathog

For centuries, sex-ed propaganda has trying to sell us the notion that babies been try tryin are bborn out of love. Sorry, but no. No amount of serenading and romance ever impregnated anything, and storks are not cashing in on frequent flyer miles. So, ask yourself this before you purge your life of desire: would you even be here if it weren’t for lust?

-Andrés Delgado & Kayla Pang

5

Gluttony Glutto

The word glutton derives from the root gluttire, which means “oh-God-ILatin roo just-had-an-explosion-of-fireworks-in-myjust-hadust-had mouth.” You see, this desire to hoard and consume large quantities of food is actually an ancient hereditary trait passed on from our ancestors, who constantly faced starvation in a time when Chipotle served mammoth meat instead of chicken or steak. I mean, if a cow just happens to get slaughtered and end up on our dinner plate, who are we to deny its destiny in life: sitting yummy in our tummies? Gluttony.

It is our survival instinct. It is what fuels us in life. It is what makes us tolerate school. Most of all, food is just so darn delicious!

-Bill Zhou

6 Envy

As ggratitude fades with time, and guilt through space, we inevitably wake up wanes thr one morning i feeling an utter lack of drive to

live on; our desire is tempered by duties and passion is reined by routines–even love has begun wavering from an overdose of itself.

There is but one cure to our woes–envy. Envy rekindles passion, inspiring us to regain those possessions we had lost craving for. Envy fuels affection, urging us to strengthen relationships by weeding out those in the way. Envy revitalizes our mundane lifestyles; we flourish as green-eyed monsters.

-Richard Fu

7

Avaric Avarice “G after what you want,” they always “Go say. ay. y. They’re T They practically allowing us to want everything hi and do anything (even if it breaks our moral codes) to acquire them. And after you have shed blood, sweat, and tears to achieve success, who’s to say you have to share? You need to take measures to protect what’s yours. It’s not called “survival of the fittest” for nothing.

-Christine Xu

Look on the B(right) Side Pessimism: the Gospel of Truth

By NURIA MATHOG Staff Writer

Think optimistically. Think warm and fuzzy, sunshine and daffodils, sing-to-yourself contentment. Think lucky pennies by the side of the road, whole fields of four-leaf clovers, and pots of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Think postponed test dates, essay extensions, the whole shebang. Heck, think winning lottery tickets if you want. Even if you’ve never achieved that state of heightened nirvana or spiritual enlightenment, optimism is, without a doubt, the way to go.

I’m sure at some point in your life you’ve held an attitude of total cynicism— maybe for a few frustrating hours, maybe over a seemingly insurmountable crisis. Maybe the seeds of pessimism are still planted deep within your mind, ready to burst into fruition at a moment’s notice. Perhaps your definition of happiness takes the form of the yellow smiley face plastered onto billboards, inspirational posters, and stress relief balls, that universal and widely disregarded feel-good symbol. It may seem slightly ridiculous, a whimsical grin bared amidst headlines of war and a struggling economy, and sooner or later, somebody will inevitably voice the question: “What is there to be hopeful about?”

Plenty, my friend, plenty. It’s all in the mindset, you see. Convince yourself that every endeavor is futile, that every risk is in vain, and that’s exactly what will occur. If you expect to fail, you will fail; it’s as simple as that.

With a bar set that low, how can it possibly come as a shock? A lack of confidence only ensures self-condemnation. Tell yourself that you have the potential to succeed, and chances are that you’ll make a legitimate effort to fulfill your goals.

Where negativity only sets you back, optimism inspires you to live your life to its fullest, to extract and pursue the possibilities whenever they arise. There’s nothing like a sense of hopeful exhilaration to trigger a burst of adrenaline and the necessary motivation to make accomplishments. What has pessimism ever done in that regard? Think about the last thing you found fault with—did you actu-

TCID:

ally try to improve the situation, or did you

By BILL ZHOU merely complain about how much it bothered Staff Writer you? And really, pessimism is often a defense mechanism, a way to cover up vulnerabilities, “OH. MY. GOD. How awesome is this? a method of appearing perfectly composed I have a flesh-eating virus! Hooray! Now I while internally writhing with doubt and indon’t have to worry about looking skinny for security, afraid of the unspoken judgment, the prom!” great gaping chasm of perceived personal re“No, man, you can’t beat this: I just found jection. out I was rejected from all the colleges I ap“If” is the key word here. “If” connotes plied to. Do you know how much money I just uncertainty, indecision, the hesitation in standsaved now that I have no choice but to attend a ing before a fork in the road: I bet he’ll say no, community college? I can’t wait!” but if he accepts... I can’t possibly have passed Sound ludicrous? But wait, there has to be that test, but if I somehow pulled off an A... a silver lining to every cloud! Your dog died? there’s no way I’m getting into Harvard, but Hey, at least you don’t have to waste any more if it happens...if, if, if to the point of insanity. money on dog chow. Got hit by a car? Well, at There’s no question about it; “if” needs to go. least you can miss that Macbeth test. You just So let’s get found out you have rid of “if” cancer? Finally, you and replace it have an excuse for with “when.” procrastinating When I sucon college appliceed, when I cations. I mean, make somethere just has to thing of my be something life, when I defy positive in everyall expectations. thing…right?

When I prove No! With you wrong, when a capital N-O! I tear down the Are you kidwalls, when I ding me peoshow the world ple? What is once and for all optimism truly that I am capable good for? AbGraphics by KAYLA PANG of making a meansolutely nothingful contribu- PERSPECTIVE Half-empty? Half-full? ing! In today’s tion.

Worthless, The volume of water will remain the same; society, people no more. Hesitant, it’s only the way we look at it that matters. are often critino more. Time to cized for being triumph. overly pessimistic, never able to see the “posiWith one life to live, a single shot at leavtive side” of life. However, isn’t it ironic that ing our footprints irrevocably on the world, by criticizing such a practice, the critics are why waste it dwelling on the negative? Why being pessimists themselves? If they enjoy sitfocus on the bad when the good has so much ting high and mighty on their optimism pedesmore to offer? So smile when nobody is watchtals so much, then why aren’t there more criting. Laugh when nobody is listening. Give unics applauding the few people who still remain conditionally, live without regret, and enjoy foolishly optimistic even when faced with unthe simple rewards that only a bright outlook deniable facts and impossible odds? Face it, can provide. you optimists: you are all just in denial.

Let’s put it this way: optimism is esnmathog@theapachepowwow.com sentially a Disney movie with all the beauty,

dead mothers, and the princesses “trapped” in eternal sleep (what would we give for that, eh juniors?). It represents a longing for a simple, ideal past, a world untainted by the realities of life where the creatures of the forest help you with your calculus homework as you sing with perfect pitch. Pessimism, on the other hand, has been stigmatized by society as the grotesque, hairy beast holding the poisoned apple that will destroy humanity. In an age plagued with a plethora of global problems, pessimism has found an environment where it can thrive and manifest itself, finally affecting even the most optimistic of us.

So why do we hate optimism so much?

Well, optimism is like a difficult mistress—it seduces you, gives you false hope, and then, at the climax, slaps you across the face and dumps you like yesterday’s trash. There is a limit to how many times one can raise his hope only to be disappointed over an over and over again. And in the event that something does go right, it is just a mocking insult to how capricious fate can be. Because of this vicious, downward spiral, it’s no surprise that the number of pessimists in today’s world is always increasing.

As we mature and grow out of our protective bubbles, we are dosed with the cold splash of reality, which often means giving up our childish optimism. For example, Christmas has always meant presents, milk and cookies, and most of all, Santa Claus. Do you still remember the moment when some idiot blabbed that Santa Claus isn’t real? Well, as much as I hate to admit it, the chance of an old man creeping into our houses at night is next to nil (and a bit creepy). Yet, in spite of the hard facts, “optimists” (see: pathological liars) would have us believe fantastic stories of Santa’s supersonic reindeer and amazing gifts made by jolly elves (see: child labor). To put it bluntly, pessimism is just reality without the Krispy Kreme glazing on top.

So the next time someone tells you to look on the bright side of things—slap him or her across the face! Pessimism: if the glass is half-full, then why are you drinking water that has been contaminated by someone else? bzhou@theapachepowwow.com

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OPINION

theapachepowwow.com

October 2008

The Cardinal and the Old

By EMILY YANG Staff Writer

Graphics by DAVID HERNANDEZ

Wince, Rant, and Repeat

By NURIA MATHOG Staff Writer

Benjamin Franklin got it wrong. Not one, not two, but three things are of absolute certainty in life: death, taxes, and the ceaseless repetition of our daily schedules, which, regardless of personal promises to ourselves, invariably lapse into the same routine: Wake up. Eat. Work. Sleep. Repeat.

Each morning, my alarm clock tears me from slumber with all the gentleness of a dynamite explosion. I punch the off button into submission, go back to sleep, wake up half an hour later in a state of panic, throw everything into my backpack, and keep both sets of fingers crossed that the perilous drop-off zone isn’t backed up to Santa Anita. If I have time, I grab the nearest object off the kitchen counter on my way out, praying that it’s something edible; a full breakfast is for people with an actual chance of getting to places on time.

The following seven hours consist of sitting around bleary-eyed and being generally unproductive. That’s not to say I don’t get anything done; thanks to years of procrastination and dreadful work habits, I’ve mastered the art of surreptitiously completing homework in class. There are three main techniques: the Under-the-Desk Cover, the Textbook Stack Shield, and the Tilted Binder Guise (a geometric challenge to find a balance between the steep suspicious angles and shallow giveaway angles). Feigning innocent expressions helps quite a bit as well; an appearance of fidgety nervousness is a definite no-no. Nine bells into the school day, lunch offers a perfect opportunity to get a head start on more homework—the assignments due sixth period. That counts as working in advance, doesn’t it? I’ve found that the last period is perfect for making a list of everyone I need to contact to figure out what the heck we did all day.

When I finally get home, with a fiery determination to finish everything “just this once” coursing through me, I work on one, maybe two, problems, resolving not to leave my desk until a check mark accents every item in my agenda. Ten minutes later, I’m simultaneously surfing YouTube, chatting on MSN, and browsing through Myspace comments.

My to-do pile remains neglected until late at night, when the familiar sense of urgency kicks in again. If I’m lucky, I’m wrapped up

snugly in bed by dawn, free to cherish a full thirty minutes of sleep before the cycle repeats all over again. And again. And again. Civilizations will rise and mountains will crumble, but it won’t make the slightest bit of difference.

Even when time and existence come to a big screeching halt, we’ll still be cramming for exams in some alternate dimension.

I suppose I could continue to describe in excruciating detail the woes of daily life, complete with commentary on the system’s role in subjecting us to mindless conformity, the same overused theme that has already been regurgitated in every possible shape, manner, and form. Somehow, though, I don’t think it’s quite a fair depiction. It’s tempting to blame the socalled system, the seemingly omnipotent force that dominates our lives, but pointing fingers is really just a way of covering up a greater truth.

We live by the mantra that anything we find remotely irritating is always somebody else’s fault, somebody else’s responsibility. Excuses, excuses; I’m as guilty as anyone in that regard.

I’ve heard the attempts to downplay the cycle, to pass it off as unimportant. Right. An unimportant cycle that we just happen to follow with formulaic precision to the “nth” degree.

So what is it about the cycle, anyway? If, as we seem obligated to remind one another, we loathe it with such a burning passion, why stick with it at all? A person displaying similar behavior, requesting all of our time, happiness, and sanity, would automatically be considered abusive. And yet, we still tolerate it, putting up a fuss to placate ourselves when tempers run high. Why? Deep down, we enjoy the right to criticize all that it entails. Come on, admit it—ranting is fun. Given a choice between praising school and complaining about it to your heart’s content, which one would you honestly choose? Who hasn’t posted a tirade on Xanga or raved at length to those in the same boat? And really, at the root of it all, the cycle is a bonding activity. It’s the comforting, reassuring knowledge that you’re not the only one submitting your essay to turnitin.com at 6:57 a.m. It’s the satisfaction of a jointly failed quiz, a shared sense of stress and desperation, a mutual night without rest. It’s the spirit of camaraderie in working toward a common cause that forges new committments from the ones it tears away. nmathog@theapachepowwow.com

July 4 is a sacred day for Americans to commemorate the independence of their country, and it is generally celebrated with fireworks and barbecues. Spirit Day is a weekly event for students to rejoice in school spirit, and it is generally celebrated with… hmm…. Wait, what are we supposed to do again? Wear cardinal and gold? The first time I saw the spirit shirts, I thought that they were some club’s t-shirts.

Where’s the school spirit? AHS is one of the best schools in the area and is ranked 521st out of the top 1300 schools in the country by Newsweek. With such a large selection of electives and great programs in both athletics and music, AHS deserves its own flag and pledge of allegiance to be recited every day during homeroom period.

Instead, we often hear, “I can’t wait to go to college so I can get out of here.”

School has become a chore for many of us, and homework has become a tool with which teachers vindictively punish students.

We moan over the workload—which apparently has become the socially acceptable way to express our gratitude—without realizing that the teachers actually bring quality education to us, thus drawing the attention of colleges to us ingrates.

Then there are the pep assemblies. De-

signed specifically to unify our school, the assemblies generally receive one of three comments: “I didn’t fall asleep this time!”

“Good, no lecture in class today.” “Lovely, an extra hour of sleep to make up for last night.” Many people spend their time and effort in planning these assemblies for us, and all we get out of them is “time out of class.”

It’s depressing for the students who labor over these assemblies, perfecting them only to receive criticism, and not the constructive kind. There is something seriously wrong with this picture.

We remain silent when the cheerleaders are trying to rile us up. When we do make noise, it’s when the actors perform their skits.

We cheer when members of Pep Flags drop their flags. The cheer sessions for each class become a chorus of overwhelming boos at the freshmen. Few of our arms are actually linked when lip-synching the Alma Mater.

School spirit is at an all-time low, and if we do not fix this, our school cannot function as one. We’ll be like the chicken with its head cut off—able to function but directionless.

Spirit shirts? Rare. Apache pride? Rarer.

If our school continues to head in the direction of apathy, Spirit Day will become less like Independence Day and more like No Pants Day on May 2—obscure and a joke to be laughed at every couple of years. eyang@theapachepowwow.com

This Article is Out Sick

By ANDRÉS DELGADO Opinion Editor

It’s four years ago. You wake up and just don’t feel like going to school. Really, who was the genius who said school had to start at 8 o’clock in the morning? Whoever it was, you’re not playing his game today. You twitch your nose experimentally. Is that a slight sniffle you detect? Good, you can work with that. Next, you try a few coughs. How about a wheezing cough? No, too fake. An explosive cough? That hurts your throat too much. Then you hit upon it: a small, pathetic cough that will have your mother’s eyes tearing with worry. All set and ready to go, you hobble out of your room, making appropriate sickly sounds with the sniffles on at full blast. Entering the kitchen, you say to your mother, “I can’t go to school today. I’m sick...”

Back to the present. It’s 11:30 at night, and you’re midway through your homework.

Feverishly studying biology and calculus at the same time, you’re distracted by a strange, dry feeling in your throat. There’s a slight tingle in your esophagus (one of the vocabulary words you need to know for biology), and you wonder what it could be. Suddenly, it dawns upon you, and you cringe in terror. It’s a cough. This cannot be happening. You have three tests tomorrow and a project to present second period.

Your calculus teacher will count the test as your dropped grade (and oh, how you regret that Con the first test), and your biology teacher has threatened that makeup tests will be exponentially harder than the originals. You are doomed.

Hoping the cough departs, you resume your work. No matter what happens, you resolve that you will go to school tomorrow.

There was a time when getting sick was fun. It was an opportunity to rest and relax, and

the most you had to worry about was missing a worksheet on the multiplication tables. We could afford to laze around all day watching TV, taking pleasure in knowing that our classmates were laboring away over their tedious long division handouts. The next day, we would return rejuvenated and refreshed and spend all of 30 minutes bringing ourselves up to speed. Nowadays, students are terrified of falling ill. Each day, it seems, brings with it another test, project, or essay. To be out of the loop for even a single day often means playing catch up for several. And the penalties teachers have devised to prevent ditching often hurt the genuinely sick as well. Take, for example, the aforementioned biology scenario. The biology teacher, frustrated with students bailing on test days in order to study more, has decided to increase the difficulty of makeup tests, reasoning that students with more study time should have a harsher test to compensate. However, a student sick on that day has only two options: force himself to attend or, if his condition is too severe, take the much more difficult makeup test. What’s worse, the sick student often doesn’t even benefit from the increased study time, as the unfortunate side effects of illness include lethargy and lack of concentration. Students in these types of situations rarely improve during their days off, as they either overwork themselves studying or fritter away their relaxation time worrying. And, of course, the late nights spent catching up on homework may reignite the illness and start the cycle all over again.

So how do we rectify this terrible situation, in which students are penalized for the presence of prokaryotic cells in their systems?

It’s simple. Don’t get sick. adelgado@theapachepowwow.com

October 2008

theapachepowwow.com

It’s Not Profane, I Swear

By NURIA MATHOG Staff Writer

“If you say that one more time, I’m washing your mouth out with soap!”

Ah, the old soap threat. When I was younger and apt to take warnings literally, the fear of bubbly suffocation rendered even the mildest of “bad words” unspeakable. They were wicked, dirty, shameful—never to be uttered in the presence of an adult or a tattletale.

So naturally, anyone courageous enough to break the taboo earned my automatic admiration—and many a gleeful cry of “Oooooh, Jimmy said the H-word!” But whenever I felt like testing out the swear words myself, my mind would return to the thick bar of Dove soap on the bathroom sink, and I’d keep my jaws tightly locked. For the longest time, I viewed profanity as the epitome of evil.

Fortunately, I got over it. I’m glad I did, or I would have never discovered the singular bliss of excessive cursing. “Oh, snap!” and “Darn it!” are great for trivial incidents, but more often than not I find them extremely... unsatisfying. Situations involving legitimate pain (hand plus car door, fingers plus stapler, head plus large rock) merit a much more colorful class of words. I feel equally justified when I swear after forgetting a crucial deadline, screwing up on stage, or humiliating myself in some other manner. I’ve noticed that after a few choice words, the pain and embarrassment subside slightly; swearing doesn’t erase the hurt or the awkwardness, but it sure

makes me feel a whole lot better. And surely, anything that provides temporary relief from misery cannot be inherently bad.

That’s why I have made it my mission to promote widespread profanity usage. Swearing can’t do that much harm—not really. Concerned that your reputation is about to go down the drain? Don’t worry; people will get used to the sudden behavioral change. It may be slightly shocking to hear your spouting of obscenities every other second, but it only demonstrates that you’re a confident, well-adjusted individual. The important thing to remember is consistency. If you have a mild, soft-spoken disposition, I guarantee that the first expletive out of your mouth will turn plenty of heads.

However, if you and heavy profanity have been close chums since the age of six, it won’t be nearly as surprising.

You can’t deny that swearing has its fair share of benefits. Whenever I run out of things to say, I can always whip out an all-purpose wonder word, a four-letter linguistic marvel that functions as multiple parts of speech: noun, verb, adjective... and let’s not forget interjection! Swearing is such a life-saver, sparing me the time-consuming task of cracking open the nearest thesaurus. I see no reason to expand my vocabulary when I can use a single word an impressive five times in the same sentence. How’s that for skill? If I’m aiming for a more creative approach, I combine a common swear word with a perfectly harmless noun of my choice, and voilà! A new expression is born. Maybe it doesn’t have the most innocent definition, but hey, it’s artistic license—any-

OPINION

7

Graphic by LAUREN WONG

SCREAMING OBSCENITIES If I had learned that these words would help me articulate my thoughts more effectively, I would have put them to practice at an earlier age. thing goes!

I had no idea that people find swearing rude, disrespectful, and highly offensive. It would have never occurred to me in a million years that cursing was…I don’t know…vulgar. Well, you know the solution, don’t you?

Swear more! Don’t discriminate by only offending certain people. Offend everyone you know, everyone you don’t know, and everyone you’ll soon wish you had never known. Be impartial; it’s only fair. And who knows? Maybe

the collective aversion to your personality will unite others and make great strides toward achieving world peace! Your contemporaries may revile you, but your posterity will revere you as a savior. I wish you luck on your journey; I really do. I’d join you on this excursion, but I’m hiding from my mother at the moment; apparently, the soap threat wasn’t a joke after all. Oh, #&*%. nmathog@theapachepowwow.com

8

PERFORMING ARTS

theapachepowwow.com

October 2008

A Day in the Life of a Colorguard Captain Drama Goes 1800s

By KATHERINE BAY Staff Writer

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a colorguard captain? Try having 15 hours of practice per week while also being involved in Speech and Debate, Concert Band 2, or Choir, volunteering at places such as Methodist Hospital and the Arcadia Public Library, and taking three to four AP classes. The lives of the Colorguard captains—junior Katherine Chin and seniors Beverly Chiang and Kritika Jinagouda—certainly are hectic, but they find a way to manage their time. Below is the schedule of a typical Tuesday or Wednesday for the Colorguard captains.

By SAMMI WONG

Start Homework The Colorguard captains attempt to complete as much homework as possible before practice, although completing it all in an hour is virtually impossible.

Staff Writer

Photo by SAMMI WONG

SPINNING COLORS The group twirl their flags before ending practice.

Return Home Photo courtesy of KATHERINE CHIN

Once they’re home, the Colorguard captains shower, eat dinner, and devote the rest of their time to completing homework.

HAIR OUT OF THE WAY Junior Katherine Chin ties up her hair in preparation for practice.

Get Ready for Practice Photo courtesy of BEVERLY CHIANG

RISE AND SHINE Senior Beverly

To prepare for practice, they put on sunscreen and pack numerous bottles of water. Practicing in the heat can be exhausting, so the girls of Colorguard need to stay hydrated.

Chiang prepares for a long day.

Wake Up The captains eat breakfast, finish any uncompleted homework, and hurry to school and Colorguard practice.

Photo courtesy of KATHERINE CHIN

PONDERING Junior Katherine Chin tries to finish her essay on time.

Finish Homework

They do homework from all of their classes, which usually requires multiple hours to complete.

Photo by SAMMI WONG

CO- CAPTAIN CONVERSATION Seniors Beverly Chiang and Kritika Jinagouda discuss upcoming events.

Photo by SAMMI WONG

AT T E N D A N C E C o l o r g u a r d members stand in position before practice.

Return to School Once they’re at school, the captains gather their belongings and head over to the field near the J-building to warm up before practice.

Go to Class

In early November, the Advanced Drama Department (ADD) will be performing “Fools,” a comedic play set in the late 1800s. Because of the time period explored in the play, the makeup for “Fools” is evidently different from what ADD has ever done before.

Helping them to perfect their authentic stage makeup is professional makeup artist, Jed Dornoff. With a history in movie makeup and many other individual projects, Dornoff has an impressive resume to date. His previous projects include doing makeup for Pirates of the Caribbean and MAC cosmetics.

Dornoff conducted a makeup teaching session with the ADD actors in midOctober, getting them familiar with the makeup they will be using in their upcoming production. He passed on tips and instructions as to how to get one’s makeup to look as realistic as possible. The makeup that is going to be featured in this play ranges from regular townspeople such as a butcher and a postman to a beautiful girl who is the town doctor’s daughter. The makeup for “Fools” sets the scene, making the performances seem more realistic.

Junior Virginia Ma commented on how she “learned how to apply theatre makeup and the trick to highlighting and shadowing to emphasize the features on [her] face” from the make up session and is “extremely excited to showcase that to the audience because it makes the production look much more professional.”

The makeup allows the actor to transform themselves completely into another character, helping them make the play experience for the audience much more genuine.

With such a comedic play on its way, ADD is taking full advantage of all that they have learned in this teaching session and is prepared to wow audiences with their production opening on Nov. 4. So, if you see “Fools,” make sure to check out just how professional their acting and their makeup will be. swong@theapachepowwow.com

Photo courtesy of BEVERLY CHIANG

LATE NIGHT SLUMBER An

During school, they juggle classes such as AP Calculus, AP English, and AP Government while practicing for Choir, Colorguard, Concert Band 2, and Speech and Debate competitions.

exhausted senior Beverly Chiang collapses on her bed.

Sleep

The captains attempt to get a good night’s rest to end a busy schedule.

Photo by SAMMI WONG

PREPARATION Members take out their equipment for practice.

Go to Practice Photo by SAMMI WONG

HOMEWORK

FRENZY

Colorguard members rush to finish their assignments.

The Colorguard routine usually consists of stretching, dance exercises that are done while walking across the field, basic flag work, and then routine work.

All three captains admit that it’s extremely stressful to handle school, practice, and their social lives. “It’s important to manage your time.

I don’t spend too much time eating and sleeping,” said Beverly. According to Katherine, the workload from all of her classes and Colorguard causes the most stress. However, Kritika said, “Colorguard is like our escape. When we’re there, we have time to forget about everything else.” They all agree that it takes a lot of passion, commitment, and willpower to last this long. If they can survive this routine daily, they can literally survive anything (well, almost everything). kbay@theapachepowwow.com

Photo by ASHLEY JOHNSON

GLAM Drama students practice their makeup techniques with professional makeup artist Jed Dornoff.

October 2008

theapachepowwow.com

PERFORMING ARTS

Arcadia High’s Nights of Terror

By VELINDA LIAO

Staff Writer

Insanely evil clowns, demented mental patients, ear-splitting screams from the darkness, and glowing masks that suddenly come to life and scare the living soul out of you—all of these horrors could be witnessed at the 2008 Haunted Hallways. Hosted by Pep Squad, this event took place at AHS on Oct. 17-18 from 8-11 p.m. and let attendees come face-to-face with their most thrilling nightmares.

This year’s Haunted House included five different rooms, each designed to frighten and startle its patrons, both young and old. The five rooms consisted of the Clown Room, the Dining Room, the Insane Asylum, the Graveyard Room, and the Mask Room. After going through all the rooms, there was a carnival, a food shack, and even a picture place where attendees could choose to have their picture taken with any monster from the Haunted House.

Sophomore Pep Flags member Shannon Ng explained the process of creating the

Haunted House: “Every year, we get suggestions on how to make the Haunted House better than the previous year and what people want to see. Then, Ms. Tamra Erickson, the mastermind behind Pep Squad and all our fundraisers, including the Haunted House, gets ideas from the team, tells us her vision, and then works with us to try to turn her vision into reality.”

Shannon was excited about the creation of the Mask Room, which was a new addition to the Haunted House this year. “One day each week during sixth period, instead of practicing, we would stay in Ms. E.’s room and paint masks!”

She said, “We would have tons of plain white masks and a variety of bright, glow-in-the-dark paint. Then, we stuck all the painted masks in the Mask Room and...had some people wear them in the room, too.”

Senior Chris Yee added of the Mask Room, “It was scary when the room was dark and people with glowing masks popped up.”

Aside from the Pep Squad, there were also many volunteers who helped with the Haunted

House, and a noted volunteer was senior Casey Wong. “There were many people who came out of their way to help us do makeup for the Haunted House,” said Shannon, “But the only person [who] I’m positive does it professionally would have to be Casey Wong. Casey was kind enough to come help us do most of the monsters in the Haunted House, and without him, I don’t think the Haunted House would have been as successful as it was.”

In the end, after she went through herself, Shannon thought this year’s Haunted Hallways was very successful. “Going through the Haunted House, I felt a sense of pride at how we’d been able to pull this off,” she said, “[In] the end, I was really happy I decided to go through, because you see that all your hard work [had] not gone to waste. With all our great volunteers, willing parents, dedicated members of pep squad, and of course, Ms. E., we were able to work as a team, and do the impossible.”

vliao@theapachepowwow.com

Photos by YENTL IP

HAUNTED HALLWAYS From left to right: 1) Posters direct adventurers to the “Haunted Hallway.” 2) Senior Casey Wong applies makeup, transforming volunteers into monsters. 3) Pep Squad decorates AHS in preparation for the event. 4) Volunteers pose before Haunted Hallways commences.

Choir Members, Halloween Helpers

By SAMMI WONG

Staff Writer

There’s always a little part of us that wishes an exotic superhero will come and rescue us from messes that we simply can not clean up without help. We wish that we can just dial that one phone call and help will automatically be on its way. That we can just sit back and someone, somehow, will fix our dilemma.

Well, we don’t have superheroes, and we certainly don’t have magical phones that solve our problems, but we do have the AHS Choir. You might be wondering how these two things connect; how in the world do the AHS Choir resemble superheroes? With their beautiful performance dress and singing ability? Not quite. Rather, it has to do with the the fundraiser they are going to hold on this month’s most anticipated holiday.

On the night of Halloween, a wide variety of mysterious vandalism around our normally peaceful neighborhood always seems to occur. It includes toilet papering, egging, the infamous forking of the front yard, and many other creative tricks, but definitely not treats. A normal student would panic, afraid for mom to come outside and witness the newly white yard covered with toilet paper or the car hidden under graffiti and drawings. But a student smart enough to buy the Choral Spookbuster from the AHS

Choir would stay calm, dial that “magical” phone number, and get their mess taken care of. And the best part is that you don’t even have to get dirty. You can simply sit back and watch a chorus of people come to your yard and get themselves dirty doing your work. How much easier can it get?

How does this amazing transaction work, you ask? Well, before the night of Halloween, anyone can purchase a Choral Spookbuster from any member on Chanteurs, New Spirit, Concert and Treble Choir for the reasonable price of $5. If at any moment during the night of Halloween, your house gets a mysterious makeover (probably the courtesy of your friends), Choir will be there at the ring of a call. This Spookbuster not only ensures that your house will be taken care of on the day of Halloween, but also serves as a fundraiser for Choir members’ financial expenses throughout the season. Senior Jon Yang said, “It’s a win-win situation. I mean, it’s cheap and beneficial for the person purchasing it, and in exchange for a fundraiser for us, we just do some dirty work.”

So now, instead of anxiously guarding your house, waiting for your friends to drop by and trash it, you can go and enjoy this frightful holiday and leave the messes for someone else to clean up. Maybe this year, you can even dress up as a superhero. swong@theapachepowwow.com

9

Fall String Concert

By LAUREEN MA

Staff Writer

Orchestra 1’s first performance was in the Fall String Concert, located at Pasadena High School on Oct. 30 from 7:00-9:30 p.m.

They debuted their talent alongside all the fellow orchestra associations from the Arcadia Unified School District, including Dana Middle School, Foothills Middle School, and First Avenue Middle School.

Orchestra 1 performed several famous pieces including a contemporary piece from the 1900s called “Sonata Espagnola,” composed by Domenico Scarlatti and arranged

by Mr. Rick England. They also played “Momentum”—another contemporary piece composed by Richard Meyer— and “Hansel and Gretel,” composed by Engelbert Humperdinck and Carrie Lane Gruselle, along with many others.

First Chair violinist, freshman Shannon Xue, said, “We all put in equal effort working hard as a team by rehearsing the music pieces during the class period everyday with Mr. England’s instruction as well as individually practicing our own parts at home.” Reflecting on the concert, Shannon said, “Personally, I was not nervous at all just because Orchestra practiced so hard, and we were prepared. Actually, I’m really excited because...we have such a great conductor, Mr. England, and talented musicians, I believe that we performed very well in the concert.” Freshmen Tiffany Cheung and Veronica Yu both reflected, “We were not nervous but actually excited and could not wait to finally perform! We were prepared and worked so hard and the time finally came!” lma@theapachepowwow.com

Drama Production Fools Around cited about the live animals in “Fools,” ADD student junior Andrew McDaniels said, “Look Staff Writer forward to seeing the little goat.”

Preparing for “Fools” has not been an easy The Advanced Drama Department’s (ADD) first production of the year, “Fools,” task. There are “lots of after school rehearsals,” said ADD student, will be coming soon senior Torie Jee. Evto a Little Theater ery day after school, near you. The play these dedicated perwill be performed formers rehearse from Nov. 4-8 in the relentlessly in the Little Theater. TickLittle Theater. The ets will be on sale rehearsals, which during the last week last from 3:00-5:00 of October. “Come p.m., aren’t the only and see the show!” practices for the proADD student, senior duction. The ADD Iris Guo said. students must also The story of spend numerous “Fools” revolves hours memorizing around an American at home, and someteacher that travels times even meet at to a Russian town. lunch to run lines.

In this town, which Photo by PETER HUANG During the week beis actually cursed, every townsperson S T I R R I N G U P T H E D R A M A fore the production, believes that they ADD members rehearse for their known as Hell Week, the ADD students are unintelligent. upcoming production. stay until 7:00 p.m.

The teacher, Professor Leon, tries to break the curse on the town. to run through and perfect the performance.

“You should expect greatness because However, the curse can be broken only if Sophia, the doctor’s daughter, gains knowledge or ADD is going to start the year off with a bang!” said ADD student, senior Shae Palic. Junior if someone marries into her family.

This production has an extensive set, an Alex Rousset, also a member of ADD, added, experienced cast, a wide range of characters, “The production is really funny and it’s going and lots of comedic lines. It varies from pre- to be a big success.” vious performances in that it will also involve dancing, Russian music, and live animals. Exechow@theapachepowwow.com

By EILEEN CHOW

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FEATURES

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October 2008

Top Horror Films for Late Night Scares

By JOANNA SHEN Staff Writer

Halloween— so dark, yet so exhilarating.

This devilish holiday can hardly be described as festive with cloaked, mutant creatures roaming the sidewalks, hungry and desperate. We spend the night curled up on our sofas, celebrating the only season appropriate for watching vicious serial killers with masks made of human flesh.

A poll of 100 students was conducted to determine the ultimate slasher list. Starting from the bottom of the creeper list, let us ponder the six films that have made history in more ways than one.

Rounding off the bottom of the ultimate Halloween movie list is Texas Chainsaw Massacre, where a group of happy-go-lucky teenagers venture forth on a road trip among the desert roads of Texas. A spur of the moment pit stop would suck their lives in a game of cat and mouse, where the cat is a brutal cannibal with a chainsaw waiting for its next victim. #5 of the horror fest is The Ring Series.

The phone rings after you’ve watched a bizarre tape and a little girl whispers, “You will die in seven days.” After watching the mysterious

tape, Rachel and her son Aiden face the hor- snow-covered mountainside, sits on top of an isorors of the disturbed Samara with only a few lated hill. It was the perfect place for writer Jack days to end her cycle of continuous terror and Torrance to get some peace and quiet alone with death. his family. The Shining At #4, the original explores the psychoAmityville Horror is logical defects of solihighly popular amongst tude and of the ominous the seniors. Mr. and evil presence within the Mrs. Lutz and their hotel. Growing insane, three children, a typiTorrance becomes a cal American family, murderous maniac set move into a gorgeous on harming his wife and New York mansion. son in a desolate hotel Little do they know with no communication that they would not just with the outside world get the house, but its in this psychological past residents as well. thriller.

The demonic, infested Known for its gory and house wreaks havoc on their lives as they sheer complexity, the Saw struggle to survive in this classic thriller. series is popular among the Labeled as a timeless classic, Steupperclassmen, ranking at phen King’s The ShinPhoto Courtesy of www.borders.com #2. Jigsaw, a psychoing is the perfect film LATE NIGHT HORROR These pathic genius, holds for teenagers and adults innocent men and alike. An enormous ho- flicks are among the scariest classics women captive with tel closed for the win- according to a poll of 100 students only cassette tapes as ter, overlooking a vast from varying grade levels. clues. Fingers start

pointing as each captive is commanded to kill off everyone else in order to be saved. As time slowly ticks away, they must unravel the mysteries Jigsaw has in store for them while they play for their lives on a deadly game board.

Even though we may speak a different language, the #1 movie that came in at the top as a perfect addition to a chilly Halloween night is the Japanese version of The Grudge.

The foreign film is a popular choice for all grades alike. A house with a tragic past plagues the lives of its inhabitants and those related to them with ghosts of an evil little boy and his distraught mother intent on murder. Once associated with the house, victims can not escape the grudge of its past owners. “Even though The Grudge isn’t real, it still scares you,” said junior Jacqueline Huang.

For those who choose not to wander the streets in search for delectable delights, you are now set with a jam-packed list of potential movies to watch. Be forewarned, even if they are the perfect end to Halloween, it’s also possible they’ll keep you wide awake the entire night. jshen@theapachepowwow.com

Catchy Costumes

Halloween Party Emergency: Plan One in Under 4 Hours

By AMBER KAKISH

By ALWYNA LAU Staff Writer

Oct. 31— the one day of the year \ when kids, teens, and adults can be whatever they want and judged by no one.

Each year, kids prance the streets in their princess and Batman costumes, each one eagerly holding their plastic buckets out towards the door of dark houses, waiting for candy and treats. Teens often go out in groups, waiting for the year that their parents will let them into the dark alone in their creative costumes. Even some adults get into the spirit of Halloween, and find funny or cute adult costumes to dress up in. No matter your age or status, the same question remains year after year every time October rolls around — “What am I going to be for Halloween?”

For the year of 2008, Halloween costume stores and boutiques have been stocking up on the year’s most popular costumes and fads. Many of the new trends are formed from the most well-known summer blockbuster movies: Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Dark Knight, Hellboy II, and Indiana Jones.

This Halloween, it’s also all about the accessories! Although it may not have been something we all dwelled on in the past, costume consumers this year are making it a point to accessorize, accessorize, accessorize! Accessorizing allows each person to express individuality, when multiple people are wearing the same nurse or spider man costume.

For all you traditional people out there who find comfort in simplicity, you’re in luck! Classic costumes are also in style this year. Feel free to be a 70s girl, a witch, or the oh-so-popular character Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Old horror films are also popular this year, such as The Wolfman, and Dracula.

Whatever you decide to be this year, whether it’s scary, funny, or classic, have fun, be careful, and be yourself—and don’t forget to accessorize! akakish@theapachepowwow.com

Staff Writer

It’s already Oct. 31, but have no fear. It’s still not too late to plan a spooky Halloween party for all your friends. Use these simple, yet promising ideas, or alter them to create a Halloween bash that your friends will remember for years to come.

Decorations: White sheets— Gather a bunch of white sheets and fabric and drape them onto furniture, coat racks, lamps, and dressers. For those with antique or Victorian furniture, it would give a more realistic feel if you let parts of it stick out underneath the cloth. This creates an instant feeling of desolation ideal for Halloween. The fabric can be bought at craft stores if you don’t have any laying around at home.

(Approximately 15 minutes to drape) Fake spider webs— Buy large bags of these and stretch across wall corners, over windows and furniture. This creates the old “abandoned” house feel and heightens the scary effect. (Approx. 15 min to apply) Lights— This cheap decor conserves energy, while enhancing the haunted feel of the “abandoned” house. Dim the lights in your house so your guests will be unsuspecting of what lurks in your “haunted mansion”. (Approximately 2 seconds to dim) Music— Play a mix of background music on a stereo hidden in a closet or cabinet. This could be a complilation of howling, banging, and clattering. These sounds can be bought prerecorded on a CD or custom made. (Approximately 5 minutes, or 30 if you make your own) Sinister photographs— Replace your original photos with new creepier ones. Retake your portaits with the people standing in their original positions, but this time have them close their eyes and look dead. Print these photos out in black and white and put them in the place of the originals. (Approximately 60 minutes to make)

Food: Making food for your party can be fun and interesting. You can simply take store-bought items and alter them a little to make them Halloween-orientated and festive. The recipe to the right for Fearsome Fingers is quick, easy, and spooky, making it the perfect addition to any Halloween party.

Activities: Bobbing for heads— here’s a spin on the traditional bobbing for apples. For this version, take yellow apples, and carve each of them using a pumpkin carving kit to make different faces. Have guests bob for the ‘heads’ and when they are done, set a table aside for them to devour their prizes. The table can include a variety of condiments for them to put on their ‘heads’ to make them yummier, like peanut butter and caramel. (Approximately 45 minutes, depending on the number of apples) Scattered Body Part Scavenger Hunt— For a very creepy twist on a regular scavenger hunt, have guests look for body parts. Have them look for the head, torso, two arms, and two legs. To give your guests hints, tell a story about how the victim was murdered before the hunt begins. For example, you can say “Poor Billy Bob lost his head by being hung,” which means his head may be in the closet. Making the body parts is quite simple. A beach ball with a face drawn on it can be the head. The torso can be a pillow stuffed into a long sleeve shirt, with the sleeves cut off. The arms can then be made by stuffing the cut-off sleeves with newspapers and attaching gloves to them.

The legs can be a pair of sweat pants also stuffed and shoes can be tied to each leg. (Approximately 25 minutes to prepare) If you add up all the minutes, it takes only 3.5 hours and 2 seconds to plan this last minute party. You can always change these ideas to make them quicker, allowing more time to tell scary stories, or throw around the Halloween trivia found on the next page. alau@theapachepowwow.com

Fearsome Fingers Here’s a sample recipe for out-of-theordinary Fingers that only take 45 min. to make from start to finish: Ingredients: -1 pkg. of pre-made sugar cookie dough -Thick pretzel sticks -Almonds (optional) Directions: 1) Preheat the oven according to temperature on the cookie dough package.

2) Cut the cookie dough into approximately ¼ inch slices, thinner for smaller fingers, and thicker for bigger fingers.

3) Take a pretzel stick, place it in the middle of the cookie dough slice and roll it together, forming a finger. Trim off the excess, and try to cover the pretzel stick with the minimal amount of dough possible because the cookie dough will spread, and the fingers will become big blobs.

4) If you have almonds, place them on top of each finger, representing the fingernail.

If you don’t have any, proceed on taking a toothpick and drawing wrinkles and lines on the fingers, including the fingernail.

5) Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them according to the time on the package.

-One average package of cookie dough yields around forty fingers of various sizes.

Photo by PETER HUANG

FANTASTIC FINGERS This scary recipe is perfect for any party.

October 2008

FEATURES

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Trick or Treat!

Can We Have...Bugs? phrase “lick your wounds.”

By JOANNA SHEN Staff Writer

On the legendary holiday on Oct. 31, we stuff our goodie bags with treats, oblivious to what we grab from the candy bowl because quantity, not quality provides the perfect competition for trick-or-treaters everywhere. This Halloween, you may find more than the usual Twix, Snickers and Kit Kat bars in your stash of cavity-inducing treats. As queer as they might appear, these completely real sweets are sure to surprise you.

Candied Bugs Ranging from ants and worms to scorpions and crickets, these edible insects layered with either chocolate or a hard coat of sugar are sure-fire ways to test your bravery.

Candy Scabs This sweet scab-like candy is enclosed in an adhesive band-aid replica perfect for an on-the-go treat. Candy scabs redefine the

Hose Nose Relive the elementary school days by attaching this plastic nose filled with oozing candy slime to your face and catching the snot-like goo with your tongue.

Fear Factor Candy If you’re a big fan of the reality television show Fear Factor, these candies will give you a run for your money without the disgusting aftertaste of pig’s snout. They’re given the full appearance of popular food items shown on the show, but do not taste revolting.

Whether they are for dessert, your poHalloween candy definitely trigger osity. The repulsiveness comes two seconds later.

bugs or snot tential will curi-

jshen@theapachepowwow.com

Is This the Death of Halloween?

By GLORIA LIOU Staff Writer

It’s been a while since those good-ole trick-or-treating days when we would walk the streets of Arcadia with our friends by our sides and our parents in the car driving right beside us. Since then, however, it seems as though Halloween fervor has taken a drastic turn.

Driving around Arcadia on Halloween night these past few years has meant high-beaming down streets and streets of complete darkness where families have decided there’s no use giving out candies to cutely dressed children anymore. What happened to the giving spirit that once provided children their candy for the rest of the year? Have we really become that selfish to deny the next generation another holiday to celebrate?

With the growth of now omniscient technology and unlimited information, we’ve long become jaded to most things that should have excited us as children. Seven-year-olds can google the “tooth fairy” and be painfully disillusioned by its Wiki-characterization as a “myth” that is commonly used around the world. This surplus of information has led to even more serious consequences. We no longer observe Columbus Day because we have found that Columbus was not the first man to ever step on North American ground. The planet Pluto no longer exists as a planet, so now My Very Earnest Mother Served Us Nine ______. In the same way, the paranoia that

Spine-Tingling Sites for Halloween Nights

By GLORIA LIOU Staff Writer

How often do we tell ourselves the San Gabriel Valley simply isn’t interesting enough? We complain that nothing ever happens and there is no where to go. After two or three years at the same friends’ house watching the same movies on Halloween night, it gets mighty monotonous and is less than satisfactory for such a night. With the decline of the true Halloween spirit, there seems to be even more reason to haunt your own house on Halloween night.

But stop that moping, bundle yourself up, and put that key in your ignition because there actually is a fantastically thrilling destination waiting for you to enjoy.

As a matter of fact, our close city neighbor, Pasadena, offers plenty of opportunities for a great scare. Because the city itself has been established for so long, its local history is rich with urban legends and scary stories.

With the addition of historical buildings on almost every corner, Pasadena is the hot spot for ghosts at this time of year.

Looming in the outskirts of Pasadena at the top of Lake Avenue stands the “Haunted Forest,” a patch of land that is allegedly still home to a local troop of the KKK. If that doesn’t already instill enough fear, and you’re courageous enough to take the plunge into darkness, you can take the trail that leads straight up to an old mental hospital and haunted house. “The view from the top of the hill is fantastic,” Senior Eric Wu admits, “granted, of course, you make it that far.” The Haunted Forest is definitely the destination for those who want to spend as little money as possible (free admission!) and wish to stay closer to home. Just remember to wear tennis shoes, bring a flashlight, and cling onto the person

nearest to you.

Another local Pasadena attraction on Halloween night is the Pasadena Old Town Haunt.

If you’re not especially fond of faring the underworld alone without a clear destination in mind, this may be your stop. With an admission fee of $13.50 per person, you can descend into the basement of an old bank, built atop the ruins of an abandoned Spanish mission (also allegedly haunted), occupied by the “Ghosts of the Bank Robbers.” It is said that three robbers broke into the bank vaults beneath the floor, but simply never made it out of that basement.

Several other odd disappearances have occurred in the same fashion, leaving the public to speculate about the building’s true nature.

The bank has been boarded up for a while, but Old Town Haunt is reopening its doors for your own investigations.

If you’re not into the admission fees, but would still rather stay close to home, you can take a visit to Pasadena’s very own “Suicide Bridge.” Although there have not been any confirmed suicides in relation to the bridge, visitors still report signs of ghosts: passing voices and strange noises. The bridge does not actually pass over a body of water; rather, it presides over another highway. Its décor is really what warrants its name: lamps, in clusters of three, line the sides of the pathway. During the day the bridge does not seem ominous at all, but passing by the off-white bridge on the CA-134 at night can give anyone the chills.

Branching out of Pasadena, however, we can find plenty more destinations with terrifying stories.

In the spirit of ghost stories, the Old Spaghetti Factory in Duarte also has its own haunt.

Before the restaurant’s opening, the building used to be used as a Catholic schoolhouse. At night, workers claim that they can hear the echoes of children playing when they’re cleaning up. The restaurant even utilizes this idea of

11

a schoolhouse as its decoration theme. Many are skeptical about the truth of this ghost story, though, because it is such a mainstream eatery.

You can form your own opinion with a dinner at the old schoolhouse. Talk with friends, have a great dinner, and experience your own scary experience at a more moderate helping.

Children haunt more than just old schoolhouses, however. “Gravity Hill” in the San Fernando Valley is said to have been the site of a nasty school bus accident. The main attraction of the hill is the appearance of defying gravity: if you put your car in neutral atop the hill, it seems as though you are falling upward, instead of being pulled downward because, as Senior Lisa Hung recalls, “the kids don’t want you to die too.” So if you’re up for a trippy sighting, and a long drive, take your car up that hill and see for yourself how such a thing can possibly happen.

Another popular Halloween spot is the infamous Queen Mary, a 1940s cruise liner that was painted gray and used as US transatlantic transport during World War II. Although the upper levels of the ship are now open for the publics’ enjoyment, for as low as $23, visitors can descend into the lower decks where mysterious cries come from the nurseries, splashes are heard in the swimming pools, and clinking noises echo from the engine rooms. Not only do they have self-guided tours, but they also have special tours with psychics to give you a better feel of the ghosts that haunt the corridors of the ship. The Queen Mary is definitely a lot farther than a lot of the other destinations mentioned, but it is still well worth the gas.

These destinations are only the tip of the iceberg. Halloween is not the time to sulk behind closed doors. Break the crusty mold and jump into a chilling experience. Happy Halloween huntings! gliou@theapachepowwow.com

comes from past stories of Halloweens gone wrong has made parents more cautious and less eager to send their children off to collect candy from strangers.

In a community characterized mostly by high competition and Asian values, it isn’t a wonder why Halloween may not be at the top of many people’s priorities. Senior Helen Chow agreed that “Asian parents just do not want to spend the money or time buying and passing out candy.” In the midst of after school preparations for middle school, high school, and even elementary school, daily homework, and economic strains these past few years, Halloween does not fit into our straight path toward college. Parents, and even some students, often forget that holidays, such as Halloween, are the tiny slots of breath that keep us from suffocating in our enclosed black box.

There are still tiny glimmers of hope for the holiday in its time of darkness, though.

Events such as Pep Squad’s Haunted Hallways and Live Oak Park’s Halloween Carnival are working against the trend to revive enthusiasm for Halloween, and it seems to be working. Senior Jill Quon, Pep Commissioner, said, “We’ve sold the highest number of tickets of all three years.” This upward trend in attendance may illustrate a happier future for Halloween in Arcadia. Maybe one day, children will once again be welcomed by a warm light in the living room and fabulous candy at each door along every street of Arcadia. gliou@theapachepowwow.com

Terrifying Trivia

By ALWYNA LAU Staff Writer

Here are some fun facts, courtesy of http:// www.ci.maplewood.mn.us, to throw around at the next Halloween party: -Jerry Ayers of Baltimore, Ohio has the record for the fastest pumpkin carver at 37 seconds.

-About 93% of children under the age of 12 will go out trick-or-treating.

-About 50% of adults dress up for Halloween, while 67% take part in the activities.

-86% of Americans decorate their house for Halloween.

-Halloween candy sales average about $2 billion a year.

-Over $1.5 billion is spent on costumes each year -Over $28 million Halloween cards are sent each year.

-More than $35 million pounds of candy corn will be produced this year. That equates to nearly 9 billion pieces - enough to circle the moon nearly 4 times if laid end-to-end.

-About 99% of pumpkins sold are made into jack-o-lanterns.

-90% of parents admit to sneaking goodies from their kids’ Halloween bags.

-Over 10% of pet owners dress their pets in Halloween costumes.

-The biggest pumpkin in the world tipped the scales at 1,446 pounds. alau@theapachepowwow.com

FEATURES

12 Teachers: Fashion Across the Years

theapachepowwow.com

October 2008

Local Hot Spots

By AMY LEONG Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy of ASHLEY NOVAK

Photo Courtesy of RAY MYNSTER

Photo Courtesy of CLAUDIA DIAZ

BIG HAIR: Ms. Novak flashes the trendy perm of the 80s.

LEVI JEANS: Mr. Mynster models the fashionable Levis of his time.

FLORAL SHIRT: Floral shirts were

Pants with stirrups, body suits, and headbands also made marks on the fashion of that era.

The eighties, were a definite step up from the obnoxious bell-bottoms of the previous decade, with bright neon colors and stunning new accesories.

marks on teenage fashion in this era.

“I wore a lot of black and followed a bit of the Gothic trend. I like plaid skirts a lot. I think it was my secret desire to go to a Catholic school.” stated Ms. Diaz.

If Ms. Novak, Mr. Mynster, and Ms. Diaz were teenagers in our generation right now, they might have also worn some of our trends.

“I would have LOVED boot cut jeans because I hated the super tight jeans with zippers on the ankles,” said Ms. Novak.

“Personally I would not wear anything that was showing off underwear. I mean… that’s private!” says Mr. Mynster, “But I think the color schemes, shoes, and pant styles are pretty cool.”

“I don’t think I would have worn a lot of the little things or short things that some kids wear, but I do like a lot of the stuff that they wear, as I shop at a lot of the stores my students shop at.” said Ms. Diaz.

But just as we ponder about our teachers’ fashion fad past, future generations may look back at ours and wonder, “that’s what they wore back then?”

By ALWYNA LAU Staff Writer

Have you ever wondered if your teachers followed fashion trends and fads when they were in high school? Fashion has changed a lot from our teachers’ age to our own.

The question “that’s what they wore back then?” had very different meanings to previous decades that are now the target of the same heated question.

1980s In this decade, everything was made bigger. Ms. Novak, for example, “was all into the super glam look.”

“I had big permed hair, lots of color, Reebok tennis shoes, and wore a sweatshirt around the waist.”

Bizarre acid wash jeans and jean jackets were also trendy for both men and women.

There was also a whole era of dancewear fads, which included headbands and leg warmers.

“Acid wash jeans were very popular when I was in high school [during late 1980s],” said Ms. Novak, “Neon colored socks to match neon colored shirts were also very in, as were jeans with zippers on the ankles. Sick!”

Late 1980s to Early 1990s For both genders, baggy jeans were vastly popular. “I wore the baggy stonewashed pants.

Kinda had the MC Hammer look with those,” said Mr. Mynster, who attended Arcadia High School in the late eighties to early nineties.

This decade before our generation also pondered, “What did they wear back then?”

“When I look back at the seventies and see the bell-bottoms! OMG! What the heck were they thinking? Maybe if you were falling and needed a parachute,” says Mr. Mynster.

Grunge looks inspired by music bands became prominent this era, as stated by Ms. Diaz: “I attended high school in the 90s so the grunge fashions of the Northwest took over. It included ripped jeans, thermals as shirts and flannels.”

The Gothic trends made their lasting

popular in Ms. Diaz’s school years.

alau@theapachepowwow.com

Shake It. Play It. Flaunt It. Apple’s New iPod

By AMY LEONG Staff Writer

With its nine exciting new colors and extraordinary features, Apple’s new iPod nano takes music players to a whole n e w level.

T h e Apple Comp a ny d e scribes their Photo Courtesy of apple.com

IPOD NANO This latest gadget has Apple fans cheering for more.

latest creation as “Rockalicious. Color isn’t the only brilliant new iPod nano feature.”

Soon enough, many teenagers will soon be rocking out with the new innovative technology.

Boasting many new features, the iPod nano is the latest and greatest gadget. Ever heard of “a musical genius”? Apple’s new iPod nano has a feature that helps listeners find music that complementing songs they currently have. Its intelligent characteristics don’t stop there. Now you have the chance to find music easier and faster with the Cover Flow display, allowing you to add songs directly to your On-the-Go playlist. Tilting your iPod will change your view to a different display, adjusting to your personal preference.

Apple even added a fresh aspect to the iPod by letting you control your music with a little shake. With a shake of you iPod, you can change to a different song on your playlist or in your library. This new iPod nano comes with an addictive maze game with numerous levels and tons of fun. Even more, the device

allows you to watch the latest movies, TV shows and videos. This travel size gadget with 2-inch display is always available to you when you want to watch some TV in the palm of your hand.

Are you tired of always taking out your iPod to change the volume or song? Do you want to hear details commonly omitted by other music players? Apple has made the perfect earphones for you. Now you can take control of your iPod without any trouble. It has a button to change volume and another for tuning the songs. Another set of earphones lets you listen in high bass tone, while blocking out the noises around in your surroundings.

These earphones can really make a difference for a picky music lover.

With Apple’s new iPod, you can have it all – the music, movies, cover flow, musical genius and so much more. Now you have everything in this small, convenient device to do what you love— listening to music. aleong@theapachepowwow.com

Spice up your weekend with some thrilling attractions in your neighborhood.

Here is a list of some ideal locations to go on a Saturday night, featuring shopping, sports, and other enjoyable activities. There is always a time to get away from your schoolwork and treat yourself to some fun entertainment on the spot.

Usually, you may go to the movie theaters or take a trip to the AMF bowling alley on the weekend, but there are so many other things to do. There are festive events like Derby Day 5K and the Korean Garden Festival that are held at the Arboretum here in Arcadia.

Only three minutes away, Fruit Island’s frozen yogurt has over twenty different toppings and plenty of flavors to choose from. In about 1.5 miles, you can treat yourself to a healthy dessert after a quick ten to twenty minute jog.

Another local place to hang out is Happy KTV, where you can sing karaoke all night long. Located in El Monte, many teenagers enjoy the atmosphere of the music and socializing with other people their own age. Aside from karaoke, hitting a boba joint with your friends can lead to fun shootouts and boba wars. You can go to a nearby park in your neighborhood to battle it out and get revenge on your fellow classmates in a revolutionized spitball fight.

Lazer Star– fire up your competition with laser beams for a mission of exhilarating fun. Gather a group of friends and split into two teams as race through narrow passageways and pillars in a glowin-the-dark arena. About 10 miles away, it will only take about 14 minutes to enjoy hours of arcade and shooting fun.

As for shopping, do you prefer good deals or the top designer brands? Located about 13.5 miles away, Chinatown has loads of deals on gifts, clothing, jewelry and other items. It even has some wellmade replica designer purses that you can show off to your friends. Chinatown also has a range of Asian restaurants that serve Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, and Cantonese foods. On the other hand, the Americana at Brand includes all the designer shops and is a great outside mall experience.

This mall has over 75 stores including Armani Exchange, Tiffany and Co., Lacoste, and Guess.

For the outdoor group, Santa Fe Dam is the perfect place to hang out with friends, have a nice picnic, or go paddle boating or bike along the sandy shores.

There is even a children’s water play area to take a refreshing splash in the pool.

With an estimated drive time of about 16 minutes, this attraction would make for an awesome weekend in the Irwindale area.

Eaton Canyon is a closer nature opportunity, known best for its superb hiking trails that lead to a spectacular waterfall and beautiful scenic views.

If you never knew that there are so many fun places to go, give it a try the next weekend you’re free. You’ll have an experience you will never forget. aleong@theapachepowwow.com

October 2008

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14

Voice Your Choice

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October 2008

“Fight for whats right for America.”

John McCain “The media doesn’t accurately represent independent parties and the majority of Americans forget that independent parties even exist.”

Tara Sardesai, Senior

McCain

Palin

By CATHY WANG Guest Writer

John McCain has experience. In a time of economic crisis, mounting debts, and rising foreclosures, McCain is the man of the hour. Not only does he have a wealth of legislative experience, but he truly is the original maverick. Why do you think he didn’t get the nomination during the 2000 election? McCain refused to vote along party lines, and instead voted for what he believed was right for our country. Eight years later, McCain has still got that independent spirit.

McCain has served in the army, most notably in the Vietnam War where he was taken hostage. Although he had a chance to be released, McCain stayed and allowed his comrades to be released in his stead. This only highlights his strength and conviction— both traits our new President should have. He served in the House of Representatives for four years, demonstrating his connection to the people and his ability to relate and understand the function of the branch closest to the people. McCain was later elected senator of Arizona, and has been a senator for 22 years. During those years, McCain has successfully campaigned for finance reform, as seen through the passage of the McCainFeingold Act. Such reforms are only the beginning for McCain, as he will make an even greater impact on America if elected President.

McCain’s policy aims to help the middle class with tax cuts and comprehensive health reform. He will cut wasteful spending and readjust the budget. McCain advocates that Americans stay in the Iraq War, since immediately pulling out would be irresponsible.

Although the war is highly unpopular, pulling out American troops now would undo all the progress made in Iraq. Senator McCain realizes this; therefore, he supports the continuation of the war until the goal of rebuilding Iraq has been achieved.

More recently, McCain has gained disapproval for voting along party lines and alongside George W. Bush. Though that may be true, McCain must vote along party lines in order to be elected into office. It is important to remember how McCain previously voted in order to better understand his policies, and realize that his current votes may be heavily influenced by the need of party support in order to be elected. We cannot forget that McCain is indeed the original maverick, and if elected into office, will likely vote similarly to his previous track record.

A strong advocate of education for decades, McCain will pursue many educational reforms which will work to equally educate the children of America. That means as president, McCain will give children, regardless of financial status or location, equal opportunities to receive an excellent education. McCain believes that schools should be the pinnacle of innovation in order to educate the next generation. To do this, he promises an increased salary to teachers in unstable areas. He also plans to increase teacher salaries in general and recruit top college graduates as teachers. McCain’s admirable record on education is clear and consistent. Ranging from voting “yes” to create an education savings account in 1998 to directing $750 million to build virtual schools last July, there is no doubt that McCain truly cares for the education of the general public. As students, the election of John McCain will be directly beneficial to our everyday lives. He will ensure that our schools remain top of the line, with the most qualified teachers in the world. McCain will definitely not allow any child to be left behind.

John McCain is the right choice for America. He has the experience and sheer willpower to lead our country, students, adults, and elderly alike. His political savvy, plausible plans, and ability to do what is right for the country instead of just his party further illustrates McCain’s credentials to be president. The United States of America needs stability, and McCain can provide that. To address a lingering argument, age is not a factor for McCain. John McCain’s mother is still alive and well at the ripe old age of 96. McCain is like wine; he only gets better as he gets older.

To see more opinions and voice your own, visit theapachepowwow.com

“I think that I would choose Obama, even though I don’t know too much about politics. In the presidential debates, McCain has a tendency to attack Obama rather than come up with counterarguments to Obama’s policies.”

Alfred Zhang, Freshman

“I think the election is getting too personal. The candidates are focusing on destroying reputations instead of focusing on building their political platforms, which is what the presidential campaign should be all about.”

Ashley Golinski, Sophomore

“I think that both Obama and McCain are lying about their plans.

Reforms are going to be needed and we shouldn’t have a president who is going to lie about his stance on certain issues.”

Derek Louie, Senior

“I support Obama because he’s for the people and he represents what America needs for the future.”

Vaishali Ravi, Sophomore

“This election comes down to two groups: the guys who have been in charge for six of the past eight years, and the new guys. If you like where our current president has taken us, go ahead and elect them again, but I for one lean a little toward letting somebody else take us in a new direction.”

Jamie Griswold, Junior

October 2008

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Voice Your Choice 15

“Even though most of us can’t vote yet, we should be very involved in this election because it will affect each of our lives and futures tremendously.”

Ray Chao, Sophomore

“I don’t think that Palin has proven herself capable of taking on the role of Vice President. Before the election, she needs to prove to the people that she can live up to the title and the responsibility that accompanies it.”

Sameera Sarmadi, Freshman

Biden

Obama

By PETER KWANG Guest Writer “I think the current Presidential election is becoming ridiculously superficial because people aren’t looking at what’s really important, which is the candidates’ policies and stances on significant issues.”

Patrick Han, Sophomore

“I believe that this country is in need of strong leadership. We need a leader with strong credentials and a record to back up those credentials. We can’t put the fate of our country in the hands of someone we know little to nothing about. That is a risk that I believe this country cannot and should not take.”

Isabella Urrea, Junior

“I want Obama to win because if McCain dies, then Palin would assume the role of President, and we don’t want that.”

Joseph Chan, Freshman

“I think that the Republicans are at a huge disadvantage because everyone’s so sick of the state of affairs right now and the Republican part is held accountable. So, the Democratic Party doesn’t even have to be extraordinary to gain the upper hand in this election.”

Arvia Sutandi, Senior

“I’m asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington...I’m asking you to believe in yours.”

Barack Obama

Presidential candidate Barack Obama is without a doubt a man we can admire.

This is an important quality in a potential President, a throwback to days when men like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln commanded the respect of the nation.

His story is distinctly and touchingly American—a man born to a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas. As a youth he had his own issues to deal with, ranging from his parent’s divorce to his difficulty finding his place as a half-black, halfwhite American. Despite this, he has achieved a great deal, moving from Occidental to Columbia to Harvard Law School, where he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. Obama is smart. His ivy-league education—which he earned by dint of intellect and hard work, not legacy—served him well when he taught constitutional law as a professor at the University of Chicago. And I, unlike a certain vice-presidential nominee, find his years spent as a community organizer extremely praiseworthy. We go to Arcadia High School. Many of us are the children of immigrants, like Obama. We can relate to him in our aspirations to do well in school, to graduate from a prestigious university, to be successful in the paths we choose.

But this isn’t enough, you say—we can’t just elect a man to office because we like the guy. Fair enough. We spent the last two elections voting for a man we’d like to have lunch with, and we have reaped the consequences. How would an Obama presidency directly benefit us? Arcadia is one of the more conservative patches of California.

Because of the relatively high social-economic status of many of our parents, the McCain extension of the Bush tax-cuts may seem attractive, and on the flip side, Obama’s tax regime decidedly unappealing. First, the facts; unless your parents make over $250,000 dollars a year, Obama’s taxation policies will more likely help than harm you. Families making over 250,000 will have the same or lower tax rates than they had under the Bush Administration. It is only the wealthiest two percent of the nation who will truly see increases in taxes (and this is a reversal from the tax cuts they enjoyed under Bush). And if your family happens to be in the lucky two percent, keep in mind that higher taxes, while onerous, do in fact benefit the economy. A recent study performed by Princeton professor Larry Bartels has shown that policies associated with democrats (creation and support of social programs like Social Security and Medicare) foster economic growth that if sustained for two terms would lead to a nine per cent increase in income for each person—a goodly more than any tax-cut for the rich. More pressing for us, perhaps, is the issue of college loans. With the current state of the economy, many of us will be forced to take college loans—and Obama has already introduced legislation that will increase the yearly amount available to students in Pell Grants by 26 percent.

The pesky, overly complex FAFSA? Under Obama, eliminated. Instead, your parents would simply have to check off a box on their income tax forms. It is clear that Obama, unlike his opponent, has put a great deal of thought into the plight students all over the nation run into concerning college affordability.

Obama’s opponents often point to his lack of experience, and rightly so. But experience is a very subjective and thus difficult-to-measure trait. I believe how well you do something is much more important than how long you’ve been doing it. Even though John McCain has served over 20 years as a senator of Arizona, the fact that he has voted with George W. Bush over ninety percent of the time does not inspire confidence.

These are the reasons why I support Obama. There are other reasons, too—not the least of which is a fear of the alternative—but on a logical, rational level, I truly believe that he would be the best for our nation, and hope you will too.

To see more opinions and voice your own, visit theapachepowwow.com

16

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October 2008

October 2008

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ACADEMICS

18 PROFILE

RUSSELL IGARASHI

By SEAN MAROONGROGE Staff Writer

smaroongroge@theapachepowwow.

October 2008

The Eternal Standardized Question

By JOE TIAN

ACT. Staff Writer

As we all work our way tirelessly through high school, we should consider the standardized tests colleges require: the SAT and the

Both the ACT and the SAT are nationally administered tests that help colleges evaluate candidates. Most colleges and universities accept either test. So as we begin to think about colleges and create the best application pack-

The SAT

After a delay of five months, Russell Igarashi can finally call himself the Academics Commissioner of AHS. Last Spring, both candidates running for the position were disqualified for technical issues involving paperwork, but Russell did not give up there.

In his quest to make the lives of academic team members easier, Russell persevered and ran for office again. His unopposed victory in the Fall election means great things for AHS’s academic teams on the whole. Because he ran unopposed, he merely needed a majority of “yes” votes approving him for the office position. However, this does not make him any less perfect for the job.

The Academic Commissioner position was created last year, in order to deal with the unique challenges presented by academic teams. The presence of a voice in Executive Council for academic teams has allowed for greater cooperation between the teams and the administration, and it represents a step forward in recognizing the great work they do in bringing our school recognition.

But only one candidate? Surely something must be wrong, you might say. But that’s not it at all. Russell’s role as the only candidate does not mean that the position is facing a decline in importance. Russell just happened to be unique in his year. Without delving into the difficulties of passing the tryouts for a prestigious academic team on campus, Russell has an outgoing nature and urge to change. As such, he Russell stands above the others in his class.

Russell has been involved with academic teams since his sophomore year, and brings the experience of a team captain to the position. Along with being a captain of the Science Olympiad team, he is currently on Ocean Science Bowl and Science Bowl.

As such, he understands the trials and tribulations academic team members must contend with, like difficulties obtaining funding for materials and poor publicity.

Pledging to alleviate some of these problems for nine major academic teams on campus, Russell will meet with team captains monthly to discuss how he can perform his role as a liaison between the teams, ASB’s executive council, and the students themselves. Other than trying to be a more proactive officer, Russell has no plans for major policy changes from the precedent former Academics Commissioner Grace Gu set last year. Congratulations to Russell Igarashi for his new position, and good luck to him with his new responsibilities and commitment to bridging the gap which has developed between a rapidly growing academic team sector and ASB.

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vs.

age possible, our admission plans begin with the question, “Which test should I take?” When weighing the options, keep in mind that there are differences in test structures and the type of contents assessed.

The ACT

- 3 hours and 45 minutes

- 3 hours, 25 minutes (including the 30-minute optional writing test)

- 3 sections: mathematics, critical reading, and writing (essay and grammar)

- 4 test sections (5 with the optional Writing Test): English, Math, Reading, Science, Writing

- Arithmetic, algebra, and geometry

- Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry.

- Sentence completion questions (testing on vocabulary) and reading comprehension questions Essay, sentence revision questions, spot the error questions, and paragraph revision

- 4 reading comprehension passages, 10 questions per passage.

Grammar, diction, punctuation, and syntax.

- No science section included

- Total composite score of 1-36 (based on average of 4 tests) 4 scores of 1-36 for each test Score of 0-12 for the optional essay

- Total score out of 2400 3 scores of 200-800 for each section Score of 0-12 for the essay - ¼ of a point a subtracted from the tester’s raw score - $43, which includes sending scores to four colleges There’s a geographic divide between the two tests. The SAT is the dominant college admissions test along the coastlines, while the ACT is preferred in the Midwest and South.

The ACT may appear more difficult than the SAT because it is knowledge-based and it tests a broader range of subjects, but keep in mind that weakness in one subject may not be as damaging on the ACT as on the SAT because you can study the actual subject matter to improve your ACT score, while improving

- Scientific analysis, interpretation, evaluation, basic content, and problem solving

- No deductions made on wrong answers - $30 without the writing section, $44.50 with. The cost includes sending scores to four colleges

your SAT score requires you to understand test-taking strategies.

Although the SAT may deal with simpler topics than the ACT, the SAT questions are often deliberately worded to confuse the test taker. You need to take many SAT practice tests to fully master the test, while you can simply study textbooks to prepare for the ACT. You should consider taking the ACT if you are more of a memorizing, school-based type of person. The SAT would be right for

you if you are more comfortable with logical deductions. To get a better idea of which test is more suited for you, you should take the PSAT and the PLAN, which are practice tests for the SAT and the ACT respectively, and compare your scores to determine which test you will take in the future. However, keep in mind that nearly all colleges accept both. jtian@theapachepowwow.com

The Worst Nightmares a Nerd Could Dream

By SEAN MAROONGROGE Staff Writer

To match the Halloweenish theme for this issue of the Apache Pow Wow, we bring you the top five “nerdiest” nightmares that we could identify.

5. No internet connection. This only reaches number five on the list because the lack of an internet connection is a fear shared by most teenagers. Surely, true nerds will have completed their homework and finished reading (and rereading) the textbooks that they own, and a night without Wikipedia or other study material is bound to ruin the fun of what could have been a hardcore study session.

4. Unsolvable math problems. Math is a definite science, or at least that is what we have been conditioned to understand. Answers which “do not exist” or questions which incorrectly yield impossible results such as 0 = 13 can peeve even the most dedicated mathematicians. An off-shoot of this fear occurs in situations where questions or answer keys are written poorly, so that no amount of recalculation can bring our nerd to peace with himself. Leaving for bed with an incomplete or incorrect problem has led more than one OCD patient to a sleepless night.

3. Teachers who don’t like you. Falling into a teacher’s bad graces is like losing a friend to

those who can generally call themselves teacher’s pets. Each incorrect response given aloud to teachers, each homework assignment left at home, and each reprimand for breaking a class rule is another deep wound to a fragile, geeky heart. Teachers should be careful about the signals they give off, because their words can turn perfect days into nightmares.

2. An A- . In retrospect, any substandard score could ruin a nerd’s day, but for the sake of taking this to the extreme, an A- is just enough to let someone know that they are barely on track for success for that assignment, test, or grading period. The effects of a single dash mean so much to so many. I would not even be able to discuss the ramifications of a B+ within the limited space of this article; I’ll leave the extrapolation to you.

1. A hot date. Topping our list of a nerd’s greatest fears is social interaction. Invite your favorite nerd out to local hotspot and watch as they squirm, panic, and pretty much do everything short of explode. The topic of coolness is not reliably studied in textbooks, and there is no handy chart of dating conventions. More often than not, a nerd would rather tackle the puzzles of the unobserved graviton or analyze the role of a motif in Othello, and have more success at those, than try to figure out what to wear with, how to act around, and what to say to an attractive member of the opposite sex. Of course, there are variations on this theme: ask the right

Photo Courtesy of google.com

THE GREATEST FEAR OF ALL Just look at how awkward this guy is. nerd out and you might just find yourself faceto-face with a diamond in the rough, a stud-inhiding, a genial genius, a polished poindexter.

Still, more often than not, this would cause the most stress and terror for a young geek.

Do you have better ideas for nerdy fears?

Send them in to the e-mail below for a chance to see them in the next issue. We’re also looking for submissions of some nerdy things that you’re thankful for, so start e-mailing. smaroongroge@theapachepowwow.com

October 2008

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ACADEMICS

Quiz Bowl Rolls through to Victory

key players from the A team were missing at ments QB competes in, both were single-day the event. The remaining members were able events, starting from approximately 8:00 a.m.

Staff Writer to pull off a respectable finish, with the A team until 6:00 p.m., depending on the delays which How does it feel to defeat a team that your losing only three of twelve games, including might occur because of slow moderators or late one against the eventual teams. Each round is a head-to-head match beschool has no record of winners of the tournament tween two schools, lasting roughly twenty tossever beating in compethat came down to a single up/bonus cycles, or between twenty and twentytition? How does it feel question. The B team was five minutes of quizzing. Upon completion of to claim victory after a the winner of the lower a few rounds before and after lunch, the teams grueling match against bracket after reseeding, are re-bracketed according to their performance one of the top eleven going undefeated after the in the round-robin and set against teams which schools in the nation? match them in skill for finals rounds. Overall first round-robin.

How does it feel to acThe experience of rankings for the day are determined by results complish both at the Arcadia’s returning mem- in these finals rounds. same time? Ask any Arcadia’s A team pulled off its stunning bers paid off against other of these questions to upset against Santa Monica in the final round of schools, which could not Arcadia’s Quiz Bowl Photo Courtesy of Alex Wang team and you just might A TEAM All smiles and full of confi- overcome the graduation the UCLA tournament, winning over the most find out. of their top scorers. A com- dominant team in the West with a score of 260dence going into playoffs at TWAIN. Arcadia’s Quiz bination of fresh talent and 210, a difference so small that one missed reBowl team placed first at UCLA’s TWAIN IX nearly two full teams of returning seniors con- sponse could have tipped the scale in the other direction. In fact, the entire competition on Sunday, Oct. 5, with Santa Mon- tributed to AHS QB’s overall rankings. Junior match was close and came ica finishing in second and La Jolla in third. It Alex Wang summed it down to the last question, also placed fourth at the Technophobia Jr. com- up in describing the team which Santa Monica’s petition at Caltech on Saturday, Oct. 25. Victory dynamics of the C team team missed. is not foreign to the Quiz Bowl (QB) team, as (actually the B team, exIndividuals are also it has always been a strong performer, tying for plainable only through a ranked, based on the num17th place in the nation last year. However, an complex dissertation on ber of points each person unprecedented win against the perennial cham- the bracketing system at scores per game. Senior pion of the west coast (Santa Monica A) was a the tournament, which Derek Sun of the A team fantastic kickoff to what’s shaping up to be an is beyond the scope of this article), when he placed second in indiequally fantastic year. vidual stats on Oct. 5, ceWhile Arcadia’s top team of four play- explained that seniors Photo Courtesy of Alex Wang menting his role as a top ers, the A team, only placed fifth at last year’s “Tracy [Lee] and George TWAIN VIII competition, their time spent [Dewey] took control of TECHNOPHOBIA Rancho Bernardo contender in the state.

It may be too early training a young team last year allowed them to literature and social sci- and Arcadia friendly as rivals can be. dominate this time around. On the whole, each ence topics respectively, while the rest of the to tell whether or not AHS’s victory over Santa of the three teams that Arcadia sent to compete team contributed to their collection of general Monica at UCLA will translate into its dominance over the Southern California region, but showed vast improveknowledge.” ment, either in win-loss Ironically, TWAIN it is a step in the right direction. The strong record or in pure point stands for “Tournament showing at Caltech despite missing major talent totals, evidencing a depth Without an Interesting sets a strong precedent for the rest of the year which has never been Name,” but you might as well. If the developing B team continues to seen before in Arcadia’s recognize it as the pseud- improve, both teams will be able to quaify for history. In fact, AHS’s onym of a famous author. the national tournament in late May. The team is second-highest ranking Technophobia Jr., the still waiting on the captains’ promised celebrateam just barely missed title of Caltech’s tourna- tion meal at Roscoe’s House of Chicken and qualifying for the nament is a play on their Waffles, but if the year continues like this, there tional competition by a other annual tournament, will be plenty more opportunities to enjoy the margin of one victory.

Technophobia, which in greasy, fried taste of success.

Photo Courtesy of Alex Wang Their success at turn means the fear of adTWAIN The team takes a triumphant Caltech was also novanced technology. Like smaroongroge@theapachepowwow.com table, considering three group picture outside Bunche Hall. many of the other tourna-

By SEAN MAROONGROGE

10 Words: Freaky and Fantastically Frightful Phobias

By BILL ZHOU Staff Writer

With Halloween quickly approaching around the corner, we must confront our fears of the dark, the unknown, the Headless Horseman, and most of all, year-old candies that have been fermenting in the back of cobweb infested cupboards, just waiting for unsuspecting trickor-treaters. In the spirit of the holiday, below are some interesting fears both common and strange. Who knows? Maybe you will find new fears to replace that old fear of the boogeyman hiding underneath your bed. Muhahahahaha…

1. Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth “As someone with arachibutyrophobia, Melissa always has a brimming cup of milk ready on hand whenever she eats peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”

2. Barophobia- Fear of gravity “How can you possibly have barophobia? Without gravity, you will simply float into space

until you are suffocated to death by the lack of oxygen; that, or you will just freeze to death.”

sesquippedaliophobia; something, ironically, he cannot acknowledge by its official term.”

3. Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia – fear of number 666 “Always wielding a wooden cross and a heavy Bible, Jonathan Edwards goes as far as to refuse to write three 6’s on the same page because of his hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia.”

7. Novercaphobia- Fear of your stepmother “In the middle of night, I was awoken by my novercaphobic neighbor screaming ‘Godzilla is coming! Run for your lives!’”

4. Didaskaleinophobia- Fear of going to school “I hope I will be diagnosed with didaskaleinophobia so I won’t have to suffer through Mr. Dirk’s dead-boring class everyday.”

5. Ephebiphobia- Fear of teenagers “My teacher’s ephebiphobia was brought about by a group of rowdy teenagers who egged and TP-ed his house before setting it on fire.”

6. HippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobiaFear of long words “Having failed English repeatedly year after year, Kevin definitely has hippopotomonstro-

8. Consecotaleophobia- Fear of chopsticks “Alas! My consecotaleophobia causes me to quiver violently and uncontrollably every time I walk past Panda Express.”

19

College Profile: Texas A&M

By JOE TIAN Staff Writer

Texas A&M University, commonly referred to as Texas A&M or TAMU, is a public research university located in College Station, Texas. It ranks #64 among national universities and #23 among public universities in the U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Colleges 2009.”

Texas A&M opened on Oct. 4, 1876 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (hence A&M), the first public institution of higher education in Texas. In 1963, the Texas State Legislature renamed the school to Texas A&M University to reflect the institution’s expanded roles and academic offerings.

The nickname “Aggie” refers to students, alumni, and sports teams.

Texas A&M offers a range of majors including agriculture, computer science, foreign languages, literature, mathematics, philosophy, and visual and performing arts.

Admission is fairly selective; the university consistently ranks among the top 10 public universities each year in the number of National Merit scholars. The class of 2011 consists of 46% students in the top 10% and 77% in the top 25% of their high school classes.

The cost of attending Texas A&M can vary, depending on a student’s classification, residency status, and personal needs. The university would provide financial aid to families whose income is lower than $60,000.

Texas A&M has three cross-campus media: The Battalion, KAMU-TV, and KAMUFM. The Battalion, the primary school newspaper, was ranked by The Princeton Review as the best college newspaper in America in 2008. KAMU-TV is a PBS member station since 1970. KAMU-FM is an NPR affiliate since 1977.

Founded in 1894, the football team has won 18 Southwest Conference championships, several South Division championships, and one national championship. The men’s basketball team at Texas A&M has won 11 Southwest Conference championships. The team has also appeared numerous times in the Natioanal Invitation Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.

Admission Statistics SAT Scores Critical Reading: 520 - 630 Writing: 500 - 610 Math: 560 - 670 ACT Composite Scores: 23 – 28 In State Tuition for Class of 2011: $7,844 Out-of-state Tuition for Class of 2011: $22,184 Percent of Applicants Accepted for Class of 2011: 76% jtian@theapachepowwow.com

9. Caligynephobia- Fear of beautiful women “As his nerdiness slowly mutated into caligynephobia, Alan was unable to work up the courage to ask Jacklyn to the Homecoming dance.”

10. Samhainophobia: Fear of Halloween.

“No, I don’t have samhainophobia! I’m just not going trick-or-treating because I have my college app due the next day.” bzhou@theapachepowwow.com

Photo Courtesy of google.com

RESEARCH PARK Beautiful scenery can be found right on campus.

20

STUDENT LIFE

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October 2008

The Ballots Are In: Student Council Elections

By MELISSA MA

Staff Writer

Andersen Shen, Freshman Senator What would you change about AHS? I want to help the freshmen adapt to the new school and break down the walls of segregation between the three middle schools.

Name something few people know about you.

I’m left-handed.

If you could be a superhero, what powers would you have?

Mind control.

Jasmine Wu, Freshman Girls’ Relations

Jessica Namkoong, Freshman Treasurer

What would you change about AHS? I want to help with more fundraising.

Do you have a special talent?

I play the alto-sax.

Last movie you saw?

The Chronicles of Narnia…the second one (Prince Caspian).

What would you change about AHS? I’m content with how the school’s environment is now and the activities to unite grade levels.

Do you have a special talent?

Playing violin.

Last thing you bought?

Clothes from Forever 21.

Sherwin Yee, Freshman Boys’ Relations What would you change about AHS? What every other freshman said.

Name something few people know about you.

I used to sing in my sleep.

Who is your celebrity crush?

Jessica Alba.

What would you change about AHS? Maybe get people involved in stuff because during lunch people just sit around.

Name something few people know about you.

I like to swim a lot.

If you could add a word to the dictionary, what would it be?

Thingamajigger.

Stephen Lee, Freshman Vice-President

Amy Wang, Freshman President What would you change about AHS? I want to make sure the freshmen feel like they belong and have fun with the events we are going to plan.

Name something few people know about you.

I’ve lived in four states.

Last song you listened to on your iPod? “Let’s Dance to Joy Division”

by The Wombats.

Margaret Liu, Senior Girls’ Relations Russell Igarashi, Academics Commissioner What would you change about AHS? I want all the students in different grade levels to interact with each other, so we can be one big, happy, Apache family.

Do you have a special talent?

I play the string bass and the violin.

Favorite TV shows?

One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, Prison Break, Heroes.

Ivana Ro, Freshman Secretary

What would you change about AHS? I want to make the jobs for people on the Academics team.

Name something few people know about you.

I’ve needed stitches for my head twice and I’ve broken my arm once.

Tell a joke.

What kind of bear dissolves in water?

A polar bear.

What would you change about AHS? First, a better environment and to have our class get to know each other.

Name something few people know about you.

I love the Jonas Brothers.

Where do you wish you were right now?

Hawaii; I’ve never been there.

mma@theapachepowwow.com

?

What Kind of Procrastinator Are You?

By CHRISTINE XU Staff Writer

to work on your project, and will complete it the week before it is due. c. Freak out when you read the project outline, and miserably spend your days complaining about the amount of work you have to do. d. Refuse to meet deadlines because you think it is a waste of time.

3) You’re absent from school for a week due to an illness. Upon your return, you only have three days to make up your work. You... a. Spend so much time learning new information, you barely do the actual work. b. Choose to lounge around the house like you did when you were sick and think that all this extra energy can be put into completing your homework at the last minute as fast as possible. c. Start to worry that you can’t complete this insane task and continue to act like you’re still in “sick mode,” subconsciously hoping everything will ultimately work out. d. Hate on your teachers and do the work at your own pace.

4) You get a bad progress report that needs to be signed by your parents. You... a. Think of excuses to tell your parents what went wrong with your grade and put off actually letting them see the progress report. b. Wait until right before you leave for school so your parents can sign the progress report in a hurry without thoroughly examining the grades you received on each assignment.

c. Worry that your parents will disown you and (badly) forge your dad’s signature. d. Resent your teacher for grading so hard, and don’t show your parents the progress report.

5) Group project time! You... a. Take over all the duties and focus on everybody else’s tasks without really getting around to your own. b. Think that you will produce your best work once all of you are scrambling to submit your assignments to turnitin.com. c. Are anxious that your group members will not work well together, causing you to shy away from doing the project. d. Hate working with others. Your motto is: Screw everyone over until the last minute.

you actually have to, and will only start when you feel that you are interested in the task. Try telling yourself to focus on the task at hand and not how you feel about it; you might actually find that you like the assignment and you can see the positive aspects of it.

? ?

Admit it: we’ve all procrastinated before, and even the most diligent of workers have caved in once or twice (or every day). But did you know that we all procrastinate in different ways? Procrastination isn’t just about bad time management—in fact, procrastinators know how to manage their time, but just don’t want to. Our personalities reflect how we procrastinate, so take this quiz to find out your procrastination style.* 1) You get home from practice and you are faced with the most homework you’ve ever had in your life. You… a. Slave away at every assignment, constantly stopping to make sure every detail is right. b. Don’t get around to starting until midnight. c. Feel overwhelmed with all the work, and will only start when you really have to. d. Secretly get mad at your teachers for not working around your busy schedule, and proceed to not do your homework at all.

2) You’ve been assigned your first long-term project of the year. You… a. Set a standard of “perfect” or “failure,” and spend an obscene amount of time revising every little detail to meet your standards. b. Tell yourself that you have plenty of time

IF YOU GOT MOSTLY...

A’s) YOU ARE A PERFECTIONIST You tend to be idealistic when it comes to schoolwork, and love to make everything perfect. You find that you cannot meet your impossibly high standards and spend every waking moment trying to fix your mistakes (which might not even be mistakes). Try creating realistic to-do lists and giving yourself time limits when doing assignments.

B’s) YOU ARE A PRESSURE COOKER You say that you work well under pressure because you aren’t motivated to do work unless

C’s) YOU ARE A WORRYWART You tend to imagine that the worst-case scenario will happen to you, and your fears take over your work habits, causing you to clam up while not getting any substantial work done.

Break your project down into small tasks so you feel a sense of direction.

D’s) YOU ARE A RESISTER You resent authority figures for assigning work that you don’t like, so you end up not doing the work. You approach your projects passive-aggressively, and refuse to cooperate with deadlines. Instead of defying your teachers by not doing your homework, try negotiating with yourself and see how you can do the work at your own pace while still getting things done on time. *Based on Dr. Linda Sapadin’s procrastination taxonomy in It’s About Time: The 6 Styles of Procrastination and How to Overcome Them. cxu@theapachepowwow.com

October 2008

STUDENT LIFE

theapachepowwow.com

Rose Princess Lauren Valenzuela

By LENA KALEMKIARIAN & LINDA WANG Staff Writers

Senior Lauren Valenzuela was selected as Rose Princess and was glad to share her thoughts with us: Q: How did you feel when you found out you were in?

A: I was completely shocked! I was so nervous; it took a few seconds to realize that they had actually called my name and number.

It was so exciting to see my friends and family there to support me, but overall it was very overwhelming.

Q: Did you have to give up something to be a part of the Rose Court?

A: It has only been a week and already we have been showered with so many fun surprises and gifts, so if anything, I think that I have earned rather than lost things.

Q: How do you manage your time since you have Orchesis and other activities as well?

A: That was something that was really stressed during the interview process—whether or not you are familiar with time management.

I really try to prioritize things like homework assignments along with other things such as Orchesis. With Orchesis I try to make it each day that I can and the dancers on Orchesis are very supportive of me so it’s great to know that I could turn to any one of them if I ever needed anything.

Q: What activities are the Rose Princesses and Rose Queen scheduled to do until the next Rose Court tryouts?

A: There are many breakfasts, brunches, lunches, and dinners that we attend where we are usually expected to give a speech.

W e also do

Photo Courtesy of JOHN TUNG

sever-

al hos-

LawRestaua n d Disneyland teams who will be Bowl game. Of the big day—the Q: Do you think

pital visits, photo shoots, and also ry’s Beef Bowl rant, ESPN Zone with the two football playing in the Rose course, we can’t forget Rose Parade! it will be tough for you

to miss so many school days?

A: Not at all... I keep in contact with my teachers and each of them are so wonderful and supportive. They understand how important this experience is to me and they are willing to work with me so that I can finish all of the necessary school work.

Q: How do you think being on the Rose Court will help you in the future?

A: Well, the most obvious thing would be with future interviews and public speaking. I will definitely be well prepared for any opportunity that comes my way.

Q: Did it change your life in some ways?

A: Many ways. It’s a bit early to see the big picture, but from what I’ve heard from past Royal Courts it’s something that you carry with you for the rest of your life.

Q: What do you plan to do after high school?

A: After high school I plan to start school at PCC and then transfer to a four-year university. I plan to major in business and minor in dance.

Q: Tell us one thing that people don’t know about you.

A: I know this is super random, but I love foam cups with crushed ice! It’s a fun fact.

Q: Are you happy for your fellow AHS classmate Courtney Lee for becoming Rose Queen?

A: I am beyond happy for Queen Courtney!

She is an incredible girl with so much personality and she is such a great leader. We have already become such close friends and I know that the next few months will just keep getting better! lkalemkiarian@theapachepowwow.com lwang@theapachepowwow.com

Lions and Seals and Clubs! Oh my!

By VELINDA LIAO

Junior Eunice Wang, vice-president of Chinese Club, wore a red qi pao and chopsticks in her Staff Writer hair to advertise the club and show her enthusiasm for the special day. The ever-creative Art Where exactly can one find a school with Club displayed their awesome talent by handing over 60 clubs? AHS! From Affinity for Animals out three different hand-drawn flyers. The Young to the Sudoku Club, there is definitely a place Demofor everyone in the diverse land of AHS, and c r a t s this year’s Club Day, held on Oct. 7 at the quad brought and the perimeter of the rally court, was a great out a opportunity to thoroughly look at all the clubs h u g e offered on campus.

AmeriWhethcan flag, er it’s a n d A.L.L.I.E.S. Korean or Model C l u b UN, each a l s o club features waved something the Kodifferent, rean flag and Club over all Day is the Photo By PETER HUANG the stuonly time in MASCOTS dents crowding around. Key Club and Leo Club the semester Leo Club and Key even brought out their mascots, the seal and the when they Club recruit new lion respectively, in full costumes. are out in the Photo By GREGORY ZAJAC members.

This semester’s Club Day was a huge sucrally court advertising their uniqueness. It is the day when the crowded space and generously distributing cess, and it’s definite that there will be many a student can really see the variety and spirit of their club advertisement flyers to any passersby. new members in the variety of clubs on the the school population and find others with simi- Senior Sean Maroongroge, president of Juggling campus. lar interests.

Club, and the other officers of the club, could vliao@theapachepowwow.com Lunch at the quad on Oct. 7 was loud and be seen juggling balls in complicated patterns. fun, very much like an outdoor marketplace.

Club officers were heard screaming and cheering endlessly at every station, contributing to the roaring noise that created a sense of rushing adrenaline on the exhilarating occasion. People squeezed in and out in an attempt to see every display, and candy was handed out to those who signed up for clubs. Club officers were as eager as ever, wandering around

21

ALUMNUS OXFORD

By YAN MAN Guest Writer

Oxford University—what can I say? My school is older than the US, by about five hundred years. And judging by the things we have to do sometimes, you would think we were still living in the past. Every night, we wear expensive gowns to eat a dinner, promptly at 7 p.m., that we have to book in to online every day, in a formal dining hall with high ceilings, elaborate decorations, dim lights and wooden benches, and three sets of cutlery required for the meal you are served by a servant like waiting staff. All we need are talking portraits and you’ll believe yourself to be in a Harry Potter movie. But in spite of all the tedious formalities and history and tradition that go hand in hand with my university, there are cool perks that make it all worthwhile. Worth the massive tuition I have to pay for being an overseas student, even. Maybe.

I arrived in Oxford unsure of myself and completely foreign, both literally and figuratively, to the culture that I would be spending my next four years immersing myself into. I was nervous and scared—but much to my surprise, Oxford was a very accommodating and comfortable place. We had a “Fresher’s Week” last week, where we got to know many of the other fellow 140-some freshmen in our class, from our specific college within Oxford (of which there are 30-something), and also had fun with scheduled activities and an “introduction” to the local pubs and clubs and bars. I met some awesome people and found an extremely close knit community, with only ten incoming freshmen engineers at my college, Keble, where each new student has their own college “parents,” who are actually second-year students, as a support system, leading to a whole network of “family” within college. Lectures have just started on Monday and they are an hour long and boring, but where else have you ever heard of tutorials every week where you have a one-on-one session with the head tutor at your college, to ask about anything that you don’t understand? Oxford’s great for the academic in me—and I’m sure picking up an accent can’t hurt my chances with the ladies when I make my way back to the States.

Photo Courtesy of YAN MAN

COLLEGE LIFE AHS graduate Yan Man attends Oxford College.

22

SPORTS

theapachepowwow.com

October 2008

Honoring a Real Battler—Jim Ellsworth

By MIGUEL MELENDEZ Guest Writer

October 3, 2008

his own family. He said, “Friendships are meant to be cherished. I will forever cherish my friendship with Jim Ellsworth.”

Apaches assistant Roger Wright, 60, goes way back with Ellsworth, too. Wright and Ellsworth started coaching youth football in 1978 with the Apache Indians and then coached Arcadia’s sophomore team in 1985. But don’t grab the Kleenex box just yet. Ellsworth never is one to complain. He finds a way to keep a smile on his face and one everyone else’s. His sense of humor is unmatched. Ellsworth isn’t ready for “The Tonight Show” or the

going back to Arcadia for spring practice because being with his players is what was best for him. As it turned out, being around his players was more than any dose of medicine.

Perhaps the Big Guy upstairs is in need of a funny, loving, dedicated, and caring guy.

But as it turns out, so are we.

I’ve always wondered why bad things happen to good people. I imagine the Big Guy upstairs has his reasons, so I’m not the one to question Him. And neither will Jim Ellsworth. If you live October 10, 2008 in Arcadia and don’t know the name, you probably shouldn’t call There was an overwhelming response after last week’s colyourself an Apaches fan. umn on former Arcadia coach Jim Ellsworth.

Ellsworth, 66, was a longtime Arcadia football assistant Ellsworth, 66, is battling cancer for the second time starting in 1985. When coach Jon Dimalante took over 13 and was forced to retire at the end of last season from coach years ago, Ellsworth was his defensive line coach until the Jon Dimalante’s staff. Arcadia Boosters honored Ellsworth end of last year when Ellsworth retired. It wasn’t his choice, last week and held a mixer at Peppers Restaurant last Thursbut after successfully beating lung cancer in 1966—when day. The place was packed with former players who now are part of his lung was removed—Ellsworth gave up coaching coaches. when the cancer came back with a vengeance.

Readers weighed in from as far as Stronsville, Ohio, He lived cancer-free for 11 years until just recently, Tunkhannock, Pa., and Pittsburgh, all of whom wrote to send when it spread to his liver, and later made its way to the brain. their support. Pomona football coach Donald Cayer also eHis disease is better-known as small cell cancer. Come Janmailed. He played for Ellsworth from 1987-1989. Cayer reuary, he will have been battling cancer for two years. Last cently lost both of his grandparents to cancer, as well as his year, Ellsworth went through both chemotherapy and radiafather, and wanted to lend his support. tion. He’s getting a stronger dose of chemo now and just two Coach Ellsworth, your impact has gone national. weeks ago underwent a blood transfusion.

He goes through a rigorous treatment schedule. He gets miguel.melendez@sgvn.com treated three weeks out of every month, and then the other week he uses to get ready for the next set. It helps that he has a loving wife, Carol, whom he met in 1974 and married in The Ellsworth family would like to take this opportunity 1976. The weekly treatment schedule is a hard one to keep Photo Courtesy of CAROL ELLSWORTH to give a special thank you to all of the following: but fortunately for Carol, she and her stepson, Jim, split the A TRUE HERO Coach Jim Ellsworth proudly leads his team The AHS Football Family: days of treatment. Stepdaughter Donna, a teacher, helps by onto the field in 2000, the year that the Apaches won the Pacific Coach Jon and his wife, Penny, Dimalante, Coach Press, cooking meals.

Coach Wright, Coach Elias, Mr. and Mrs. Golper and Family, League Championship.

Jim and Donna both attended Arcadia High. Jim graduMr. and Mrs. Schuil, Mr. and Mrs. Novak and Family, Mr. ated in ’84 and played football and baseball. Donna graduated and Mrs. Rider and Family, and the entire AHS Football Family “Late Show,” but he’s close. When he lost his hair because of the in ’82 and was a cheerleader. That’s how Ellsworth got involved for the most fantastic and overwhelming two days of wonderful chemo, Ellsworth was just happy at least some of his moustache with Arcadia athletics, but he didn’t stop there. He was also in memories. still was there. When Ellsworth, a longtime Steelers fan, went for charge of the basketball scoreboard and attended school plays and The AHS Marching Band Family: his first brain radiation treatment, Carol was scared because of all other numerous events. “He just loves the kids and the kids love Mr. Landes, Mr. Sherrill, Mr. Forbes, Mr. England, and the the high-tech medical equipment needed. But without realizing it, him,” Dimalante said.

Marching Band for learning Jim’s favorite song, “What a WonderEllsworth put her at ease when he cracked a joke and made the What’s not to love? It was Ellsworth who started the famous ful World”, in such a short time. In addition, we’d like to thank staff laugh after asking the nurses if he could keep the molded rafinal chant after every Apaches victory, a tradition that will conLisa Mayhew for taping the magnificent performance for us. diation mask to use it for Halloween. “I don’t know that I could be tinue for many years: “How ‘bout them Apaches!”

Also, to the many, many behind-the-scenes people. as strong as he is through all this,” Carol said. “He’s my husband This season is the first that Ellsworth is not on Dimalante’s Please keep sending those wonderful and thoughtful cards, and my best friend. He’s an inspiration.” coaching staff, and that’s been especially tough for Dimalante, prayers and positive thoughts to Coach Jim Ellsworth to win this When Ellsworth first was treated for radiation, he refused to who sees Ellsworth as a father figure, dear friend, and member of fight against cancer. follow the nurses’ suggestion of going home to rest. His insisted on

Football Tackles Its Way Through the Season

By KRISTIE TOM Sports Editor

With only three more games left in their season, the last being a match-up against Crescenta Valley, the boys of Arcadia Football have been leaving it all on the field. After recovering from their two losses against Saint Francis and Lynwood, 7-54 and 7-27, respectively, Arcadia fought back and turned around with a three-game winning streak.

The opening game of the streak was against Hoover, a game that was sure to be won. Arcadia caught interception after interception from the Hoover quarterback, who was unable to connect with his receivers. In addition, Hoover was unable to hold on to

the ball long enough to move down the field.

However, they snuck in a touchdown, with a two point conversion, warning Arcadia to not let their guard down. The Apaches ended the game 40-8, eager for their next game.

The Homecoming game against Glendale proved to be the highlight of the Apaches’ season so far. A well-earned 22-6 victory, in favor of Arcadia, had the crowd go wild, as well as the pep band. Sophomore tailback David Maldonado rushed for a total of 104 yards, on 25 carries. Senior running back Todd Golper scored all three of Arcadia’s touchdowns, one of which was a 66-yard touchdown pass.

The third and final game of the Arcadia winning streak took place at Temple City

High School, against Pasadena. The Apaches were quick to score, with the defense capitalizing on every mistake that the Bulldogs made and the offense moving down the field on every play. By halftime, the score was a solid 24-7, 21 of which were scored in a single minute, due to Pasadena’s inability to keep hold on the ball—one interception and two fumbles quickly added up to three easy touchdowns. However, during the course of the second half, Arcadia lost its composure, and gave up their 17-point lead; Pasadena was leading, 27-24. With less than two and a half minutes left in the game, and Arcadia under immense pressure, Garrett Tuck sent a pass to Brian Rambeau for a final touchdown, leaving the score at 31-27.

Ending this short winning streak was the game against Muir High School, whose football team has always been known for its great brutality. With many members of the team playing injured, including Golper, who was suffering from a broken toe, the team definitely wasn’t in good condition to face Muir. The ending score was 54-0, a humiliating loss.

This leaves the team with a record of 4-3 overall, and 3-1 in league. The Arcadia boys, facing Burroughs tonight at Burroughs High School, will have to put their best feet forward, play their hearts out, and hope for the best. ktom@theapachepowwow.com

Photo Courtesy of LLOYD FUJIWARA

FOOTBALL Completing pass after pass and forcing several turnovers, Arcadia proves its worth during the Homecoming game against Glendale High School.

October 2008

SPORTS

theapachepowwow.com

23

Top Girls Cross Country Runners Sophomore Catrina McAlister: always running. Even when she could barely walk, Staff Writer her mom pushed her around in a stroller as she jogged. Catrina’s mom ran five miles daily, and when Catrina no longer needed a stroller, Catrina would anxiously wait for her mom to finish the first four miles. The final lap was completed by both mother and daughter. She said, “Though one mile feels like nothing now, back then, it was a marathon.” Nowadays her practices are a little bit more than a mile a day.

In the summer, she ran an average of 60 miles a week, in addition to cardio surfing for an average of one to two hours. Now that the season Photo by PETER HUANG has started, she runs for about two hours a day,

By SHAWNA LIM

Catrina McAlister

from the middle of sixth period to 4:30 p.m.

The Cross Country team also comes at 6:00 a.m two to three times a week for morning practices. If there’s not a meet, then they run about 12 miles on Saturdays. After that, it’s an easy recovery on Sunday with only four miles.

I know what all of us non-runners are thinking.

“Holy cow!”

In the future, Catrina hopes to attend a Division I college, where she plans to run Cross Country and track. She has been looking into marine biology programs, but says it’s too early for her to decide. She also enjoys English, history, and art. She is looking at a variety of colleges; BYU, UCLA, UCSB,

and Cal Poly San Luis are her top four. Her goal for this year was to run three miles in 18:00, but she’s already surpassed that goal at Woodbridge when she placed second with a time of 17:30.

In the near future, Catrina hopes to go to the state championships with the team in November. To do so, they will have to be one of the top teams in the area at CIF Preliminaries and CIF Finals, but she knows that if everyone continues to work hard and try their best, they’ll be able to do it. “After that…who knows? We’ll have to see.” slim@theapachepowwow.com

Caitlin Kelly

Alexandra Dreves

Cassandra Llamas

Tiffany Lin

Senior Catlin Kelly started Cross Country when she first came to AHS, believing that it would be easier than P.E., but the first week of training “quickly and painfully proved [her] wrong.” Her Photo by YENTL I. favorite part of running is the concentration: “All you do is run. The feeling of beating someone else isn’t too bad either.” In addition to running, she loves to write stories, roller skate, watch Fox’s House M.D, and read. One time she tried to read and run at the same time, but got in trouble with one of her coaches. Catlin may not have started as one of the most enthusiastic runners, but Cross Country has seemed to change that.

Junior Alexandra Dreves got her start in Cross Country mainly because of her dad. Though she ran excellent mile times, she never even considered joining a team that only focused on running, since she was alPhoto by ASHLEY J. ready juggling soccer and schoolwork at the time. Now that she’s on the team, she loves it and found out it suits her well. Her biggest supporter is her boyfriend, Michael Guy. He is always there to support her and cheer her on. Cross Country, for her, is different from any other team. Everyone is positive and cheerful. They all share a common goal and push each other towards it. “They taught me that being positive can get you a long way in life.”

Junior Cassandra Llamas wasn’t always all about Cross Country. In fact, the reason she started was because the Boys cross Country Coach, Mr. O’Brien, approached her due to her outstanding running times Photo by PETER H. in P.E. She has only been on the team since the beginning of the year and has already made a name for herself. For her, the best part of running is the excitement and anxiety she feels when she’s about to start a race. Her free time is usually spent reading a book, going out for a jog, or watching her brother and sister. She also participates in track and field and has an interest in basketball.

Senior Tiffany Lin has been running proudly for four years. The simplicity of running is what attracts her most. “You run from the start line to the finish line. It’s a sport anyone can do.” Her hePhoto by PETER H. roes are her teammates, because they try their best to improve and are always there for each other. She has some tips for new runners: “Watch your form when running. Its so easy for people to let their arms slide, legs trail, and heads bobble. Bad running form usually costs more energy. The best way to be efficient when running is to stay relaxed yet mentally focused, and keep a good running form.”

Girls Golf Named League Champs Water Polo Rebounds From Losses while “this year’s team blew out last year’s record with an amazing 217,” said freshman, Staff Writer Grace Song. With that much skill opportunity This year’s Girls Varsity Golf team aston- knocks for every single girl on the team. Sophished everyone by being the “strongest team omore Mya Maw, freshman Katherine Guo, that AHS has had in the history of the girl’s golf sophomore Mya Min, senior Tiffany Young program,” said Coach Robert Greep. With their and freshman Gwen Vahey have high chances overall record 19-1-1 and league record 14-1, of qualifying at the CIF Individual Regionals. this year’s team looks unstoppable. Substantial With their Individual Preliminaries coming up factors include top golfers freshman Katherine on Nov. 3, they all must undergo tedious pracGuo and sophomore Mya Maw, who led their tices until the end of the season.

But even with all the success, the girls must team to victory, game after game. In fact, a few weeks ago, Mya surpassed Emily Tubert constantly practice their short game. “There’s of Burroughs, the number one ranked player in always something to work on when it comes to League, by a single stroke, which brought yet the game of golf,” says Greep, “The girls truly another Arcadia victory. This caused the entire need to spend more time on improving this aspect of their game.” team to raise their hopes At an all-time even higher of making high, we hope this it to CIF Finals. year’s team talents Their first game will carry on over to against La Salle brought the seasons to come. them their first win, Luckily, the majority 219-288.

Burroughs of the roster consists was successful, winof young players. “We ning 210-206, but lost have two freshmen, the next game against five sophomores and Arcadia, 225-239. They a senior in the starting trumped over Cresenta line up. The good thing Valley four times, winis we’re only losing ning 225-233, 221-223, one senior starter so 218-227, and 208-225, Photo Courtesy of ROBERT GREEP most of the top golfers and tied them once, 210-210. Arcadia won GIRLS GOLF Freshman Gwen Vahey will be returning to the against San Marino prepares to tee off during Arcadia’s team next year,” said Greep.

197-207 and against match against Crescenta Valley.

Mark Keppel 208-248. vtran@theapachepowwow.com Last year’s record for five girls was 229,

By VICTORIA TRAN

they played their postponed game against Monrovia and once again, sadly, lost 22-18.

Staff Writer After an abundance of losses, the team reWith the Boys Varsity Water Polo team off deemed themselves at Pasadena High School, to a rocky start, the Apaches had set high hopes on Oct. 21, winning 11-8. They account their for a win in their game against Hoover on Oct. victories to being “consistently strong through7. Their constant effort on goal demonstrated out the game.” Since their win, every aspect of their game has improved. Each point is the retheir drive to win, but, sult from a tremenunfortunately, it was dous amount of team not evident on the effort and passes are scoreboard. Hoover’s connecting to the defense stayed on top each player. of things and made sure Expectations the Apache offense were set high for couldn’t get through. this year’s team, With only 12 seconds especially after last left and ahead by two season’s success, points, 12-14, Hoover when the team made took their time with the it into the CIF quarball as the buzzer went Photo by STEPHANIE LEE ter finals. A considoff, which signalled the end of the game BOYS WATER POLO Junior Scott erable factor was the and a list of things for Campbell eagerly readies himself to pass limited number of to an awaiting teammate. experienced players Arcadia to work on. on the team; with Coach Janice Clark said, “One thing that hurt us in the game only four returners this year, the big question is was the fact that we threw 14 bad passes, a how far this year’s team will go.

But with the season still young and more number of which were deadly when Hoover capitalized on our mistakes to counter back and challenging practices to endure, Coach Clark score.” Practices following this game were fo- plans on focusing on winning the upcoming games in order “to stay in the top half of the cused on improving on the passing game.

Their next game against Glendale on Oct. league teams and qualify for CIF playoffs. That 9 brought Arcadia another disappointing loss, remains our goal, and we will focus our efforts losing to the Dynamiters, 10-21. The boys trav- on improving those fundamental skills in order eled to John Burroughs High School for their to reach that goal.” game on Oct. 14. Burroughs came out victorivtran@theapachepowwow.com ous, winning a close game, 10-9. On Oct. 17,

By VICTORIA TRAN

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Hey, Shakespeare: There’s Nothing Tragic about This Hamlet!

October Crossword See theapachepowwow.com for answers

Staff Writer

Photo by EMILY LITVACK

Hamlet 214 S. Lake Ave. Pasadena, CA 91101 (626) 449-8520

PATIO DINING Hamlet offers customers the choice of dining outside.

DOWN: 1. The fear of gravity.

2. The main point of the Water Fest was to promote ______ conservation.

4. The ________ Drama Production will perform Fools from Nov. 4 to Nov. 8 6. To shuffle songs on the new iPod nano, you must give it a _____.

7. For the 2009 Royal court, Courtney Lee was crowded the new Rose ______.

8. Pinkberry filed a lawsuit accusing ______ of copying its logo.

ACROSS: 3. We observe Red Ribbon Week to mourn the death of ______.

5. The AHS choir will help clean your vandalized house on _______.

9. A toxic chemical that recently apperead in foods made by China.

elitvack@theapachepowwow.com

The Most Original Halloween Costume Ever

By David Hernandez

October 2008

Can You Master the Pow Wow?

By EMILY LITVACK My dad drove through an obscure backstreet in search of something new; I, on the other hand, wanted something safe and dependable. We ended up at a restaurant called Hamlet.

While at the table, I noticed the brick walls and high, wood-beamed ceilings. Clearly, Hamlet is very urban and casual. A friendly and charismatic waitress promptly came to us with menus. I was pleased to find a veggie burger which, by the way, was really delicious as I acknowledge that a veggie burger is rarely so. Better yet, it came with french fries that gave McDonalds a run for their money. My dad was likewise pleased to find an $8 lobster bisque and an $11 turkey sandwich. Later he mentioned the “richness” of the bisque and that the shrimp and crab in it was “excellent.” It came with two slices of homemade garlic bread. His turkey sandwich, called “The Morgan,” came on grilled sourdough bread with avocado and warm, caramelized mushrooms in it.

Our waitress returned often to make sure we were doing alright. I noticed her affirmativeness and how she would say things like “most definitely” or “you got it,” and admittedly took a sort of pleasure in it.

Although we were there for an hour and a half, give or take a few minutes, the wait was well worth it. So if you are looking for five-star service with three-star prices, one word: Hamlet.

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October 2008

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PHOTO OF THE MONTH

AUTUMN CANDY CORN FALL GHOST HALLOWEEN HOMECOMING PUMPKIN ROYAL COURT SATS SPIRIT WEEK SPOOKY TRICK OR TREAT

“One In A Million” Photo Contest Winner: Yentl

The Evolution of Halloween Costumes

By Marissa Xing

The Adventures of Emily and Velinda

By Emily Litvack and Velinda Liao

Ip

I’m taking your theme and flipping it on its head. Rather than looking at some ‘special’ individual, I want people to see the bigger picture. That lone water bottle is one of many that people neglect to recycle. Make a difference. Keep Mother Nature happy. Recycle!

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October 2008

Like a Flower that Brightens your Day

By ANGELA SHEN

Staff Writer

We see them as we’re passing from class to class. They are the giant panoramas representing Arcadia students’ creativity, diligence, and artistic talents. The wall murals, one of AHS’ unique qualities, reside proudly between hallways for all to see. This year, the students of Mrs. Tuttle’s Art Honors class will be painting six new murals. The students are currently working on the displays, which are expected to be finished by the end of first semester. The soon-to-be murals include a picturesque view of the famous Hollywood sign, a natural scene of eagles, and a whimsical, imaginative world of strange animals and creatures. “I wanted to put a lot of bright, vivid colors in the hallways,” said senior Emily Huang, the artist of “Animals.

Junior Michelle Lee admires the piece she is working on, “California,” and said “I like how there are Disney characters in it. It links it to California Adventures.” For “The Valley” creator junior Tiffany Hayashi, the mural was inspired by one of her other paintings. “It’s [The Valley] actually an extension of the story of this character,” she said. The character she referred to was a young girl falling from the sky, overlooking an ancient city. Senior Albert Hsu, an artist of “Future,” said, “the color orange and the iron giant inspired this mural. I like the contrast of the colors.” This mural illustrates a futuristic world of robots and the city.

The tradition of annually re-painting the murals has been carried on for 15 years. “I like the process of coming up with the ideas and the idea of rotating them [the murals], keeping them fresh,” said Art Honors teacher Mrs. Tuttle. “They’re also nice to look at when we’re walking through the hallways.”

Like flowers in a garden, the vivid wall murals at AHS can brighten anyone’s day. ashen@theapachepowwow.com Note: Please do not hang posters upon the unfinished murals. Thank you.

Eagles, by junior Niki Chen and junior Rosaline Zhang

The Valley, junior Tiffany Hayashi and senior Cassie Yan

Animals, by senior Emily Huang

California, by senior Alex Eng, senior Chihiro Ito, junior Michelle Lee, senior Moses California, Kim, and senior Jennifer Rahardjanoto

Hollywood, by junior Danika Parker, junior Nancy Pulciano, and senior Andrea Vallejo

Future, by senior Albert Hsu, , senior Vincent Lai, and senior Sean Machiachi

PHOTOS by ANGELA SHEN and Photos Courtesy rampantscotland.com, impressive.net, cssnz.org/flower.jpg, imagecho.com, dkimages.com, missouriplants.com, josserand.net, and istockphoto.com