The World Is Our Campus Volume 63, Issue 9
Arcadia High School 180 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA
April 2016
Percussion: Living “the Dream”
In this issue:
Photo courtesy of JOBLO.COM
FEATURES pg. 7 Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Explore the magical wonders of Hogsmeade at the new Hollywood theme park.
Photo courtesy of AHS.AUSD.NET
BRINGING HOME THE BRONZE Arcadia Percussion is now ranked 3rd in the nation, medaling at the national level
for the second time in AHS history. By THOMAS HUI & TITUS WU
Staff Writers
Photo courtesy of TAEJIN HWANG
STUDENT LIFE pg. 15 Student Feature: Senior Taejin Hwang combines his talents for mathematics and music to create something new.
Photo courtesy of KEVIN HSU
SPORTS pg. 16 Phillip Rocha Signs with Colorado: Fellow Apache Phillip Rocha recently signed with a NCAA Division I university. 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 theapachepowwow.com.
While many students returned to school after spring break, Arcadia Percussion brought home the bronze in the prestigious WGI (Winter Guard International) Percussion World Championships from Apr. 14 to 16 at Dayton, Ohio. Arcadia Percussion consists of three groups: A-line, Open Line, and World Line. These past months, they competed in the Southern California Percussion Alliance against local groups, winning accolades and building up their ranking. They managed to rank in the top 15 in the nation, qualifying them for the WGI Championships to close off the season. However, such an achievement only came with hard work and dedication; members practiced three to four times per week in order to fully master their indoor season. Practices took place afterschool and occasionally on weekends, with sessions lasting until 9:00 p.m. Indeed, Percussion is notorious for its long rehearsals. Despite the long hours, “I really enjoy this program,” said World Line
member senior Ethan Chen, “because it does not only just teach me musicianship, but also work ethic, organization, responsibility, and other life skills.” Similarly, current World Line member senior Jessica Repko stated that the whole crew has “been working hard to load, prepare and compete in the future, to prepare for Dayton, Ohio and the culmination of such has proved to be grand as to the main scheme of the entirety.” For the championships, Arcadia Percussion performed an indoor performance titled “The Dream”. Percussion season, as opposed to marching band percussion, takes place mainly indoors. This allows the routine to be more fluid and bring together exemplary percussive and musical skills in a show that demonstrates all 30 to 40 members. The indoor season focuses more on the front ensemble, also known as the Pit, and the marching drummers, also known as the Battery. The concept behind “The Dream” is rather abstract. “I think it’s basically a mother telling a story about an astronaut mixed in with the child’s imagination of becoming an astronaut,” said World Line member senior Selena Chow, but she noted how even for the members themselves, the message is up to interpretation.
Regardless of the message, the competition was huge, including preliminary, semifinal, and final rounds. “Prelims is more for getting a feel of the arena and preparing for finals,” said Selena, but even so, Percussion was not prepared for the full stadium, loud cheers, and multiple cameras that documented their performance on TV. “There were like thousands of people in there,” she said. Ethan recounts that when they “announced Arcadia as the Bronze Medalists, they were all ecstatic and appreciative of all the staff members” who brought Percussion to the elevated prize medal that they won. He stated that the team is all very grateful and appreciative, as none expected the win to happen. Ultimately, by winning bronze, Arcadia Percussion now ranks 3rd in the nation. But even more than that, this is the first time Arcadia has won medals in at least the past five years, and the second time ever in AHS history. Medal or no medal, win or loss, “we had a fantastic last performance,” said Jessica, “and I am incredibly proud of the hard work each and every one of us put in.” thui@apachepowwow.com twu@apachepowwow.com