The World Is Our Campus Volume 63, Issue 7
Arcadia High School 180 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA
February 2016
Gov Team Heads to Nationals
In this issue:
Graphic courtesy of FLICKR.COM
NEWS pg. 3 Metro Gold Line: Officially opening on Mar. 5, the Foothill extension will connect our cities to farther reaches.
Photo courtesy of VICKY LU
CONSTITUTIONAL EXPERTS Gov team’s recent victory at the state championships in Bakersfield, CA, isn’t going to slow down its members, who are determined to win at Nationals. We wish them the best of luck in D.C.! By CHRISTINA READ & TITUS WU Staff Writers
Photo courtesy of NAOMI SILVER
STUDENT LIFE pg. 13 Student Feature: Dancer, check; actor, check; musician, check. How does sophomore Naomi Silver handle it all?
Photo by ANDREA LIU
SPORTS pg. 16 Kicking Forward: Girls Varsity Soccer continues on with its winning streak, using its teamwork and dedication for success. Have a question, comment, or concern about The Apache Pow Wow? Email the Editors-in-Chief at eic.powwow@gmail.com. Find us online at apachepowwow.tumblr.com
This month, Constitution Team—better known around campus as Gov Team— placed first in its state championship and earned a spot to represent California at Nationals, a feat Arcadia has achieved only twice before in the past 28 years. Gov Team, officially called “We the People: the Citizen and the Constitution Team,” is an academic team with a focus on the U.S. Government. But senior Michael Chien believes it is so much more: to him, “what defined [Gov Team] was the feeling of being wholeheartedly committed to something, and all the benefits that come with that passion.” And Gov Team isn’t simply a high school affair, either. Each of its six units is helped by a volunteer coach from the community, including Kevin Fox, Miriam Lopez, Mark Hong, Carl Nielsen, Bob Garrett, and Mayor Gary Kovacic. These esteemed citizens contribute countless hours to the team, providing invaluable assistance and advice to its members. Mr. Hong, coach to Unit 4, shared that “the coaches are proud of the team and everyone on it...While we expect them to win [at Nationals], if they do not it will not be for lack of effort, intelligence, or overall awesomeness.” This strong community backing of Gov Team has been a fixture
since the team’s inception over 28 years ago. In fact, Mayor Kovacic has, in his words, “had the pleasure and honor to be a coach” since 1995, when his own daughter participated on the team. To prepare for their competitions, which consist of simulated Congressional hearings, Gov Team dedicates hundreds of hours to practice testimonies, unit meetings, and most of all, to research. “Research is a huge part of the preparation process,” senior Fred Wang explained, and “some nights, we’ve stayed up until 4:00 a.m. trying to put together drafts.” Senior Christina Wang expanded, “We’ve dedicated countless hours to research and discussion...Now that we’re preparing [for Nationals], you can probably find us camped out at Starbucks working on our new questions.” This time spent researching paid off throughout the year with more than just knowledge, however, as Gov Team members also enjoyed hours—and hours—of bonding time. According to senior Katie Chiou, “Spending numerous hours with our own units researching also allowed [us] to get to know [our] teammates a lot better.” Katie believes the hours of practice were well spent, as they allowed her and her teammates to “form close friendships” and become extremely supportive of one another. This intense combination of practice, community, and friendship was clearly a winning formula: Arcadia snagged an impressive 1st place win at state championships this February. Senior Joshua Jen shared that “right before
they announced [2nd place], we were all holding hands in anticipation, not hoping to hear our name...When they finally announced 1st, we all stood up and cheered. That moment was one of the highlights of my high school career.” Meanwhile, senior Isidro Santa Maria added that he “didn’t even know or care if [they] were going to win.” After a grueling day of testimonies and questioning, Isidro was simply “satisfied because [they] did the best [they] possibly could.” And team coach Ms. Megan Leahy shared her pride in the team by stating that “the countless hours they put in have paid off. They have grown tremendously both as people and as a group.” Nationals will take place in Washington D.C. this April. Although competition will be fierce, the team hopes to repeat its State performance and become the national champions—as Fred recalled, “One of the coaches...joked that he would never talk to us again if we didn’t.” Christina added that regardless of what happens, the team is “honored and excited to be able to represent the state of California at our nation’s capital.” The team has created a GoFundMe (https://www.gofundme.com/ahsgov16) page to fund its trip to Nationals, so please contribute to help our state champions become national medalists! cread@apachepowwow.com twu@apachepowwow.com