December 2014

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World Is Campus The T heThe W World or ld Is Is O Our urOur C Campus am pus Volume 62, Issue 4

Arcadia High School 180 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA

December 2014

In this issue:

Photo courtesy of DAILYMAIL.CO.UK

OPINION pg. 4 Arcophobia: Sometimes you can’t be afraid to fall; the higher the place, the greater the rewards.

Photo courtesy of RYAN FORAN

MUSIC IS THEIR FORTE Orchestra and Choir put on their best performance for two winter nights, keeping their audience warm with popular holiday songs and melodies. By MADELINE LEE Staff Writer Photo courtesy of WIKIMEDIA.ORG

FEATURES pg. 6 Traversing LA: Have nothing to do over the break? Here are some great spots to explore alone or with friends!

Photo courtesy of E-MANONLINE.COM

ACADEMICS pg. 15 Onwards to State: Gov Team wins 1st at Regionals and will now be advancing to the next stage. 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 arcadiapowwow.wordpress.com

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of gift-buying and tree-decorating, our very own Performing Arts department has been busy putting together its annual Holiday Concert, just in time for Winter Break and the peak of the holiday season. Encompassing all orchestras and choirs, this two-night spectacular featured Orchestra I, Treble Choir, Harmonix, and Mixed Choir last Wednesday and Orchestra II, Chanteurs, and Symphony Orchestra last Thursday. Coming off their previous performances just weeks before, this is quite an impressive feat for all groups to have learned brand new material in such a short period of time. Each orchestra featured a piece originally rendered by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra under the direction of Ms. Pin Chen and Mr. Jeff Collins while all choirs performed a vast assortment of holiday and traditional arrangements directed by Mr. Rick England. While Mr. Tom Forbes originally planned to conduct Orchestra II, he has successfully undergone and is slowly recovering from a recent heart surgery and instead demonstrated his immense support with his presence on Thursday night. Focusing on the latter day and featur-

ing the more advanced Orchestras and show choir, Orchestra II kicked off the holiday concert with instrumental renditions of popular songs. As always, the hours of rehearsal and dogged efforts in practice from the talented musicians of Orchestra II shone. Under the direction of Mr. Collins, the musical runs, dynamics, and rhythms in every piece were played beautifully, rousing the audience and treating the performers to rounds of applause. Next, Symphony Orchestra took the stage to showcase a few more choice songs. Senior Kelly Hui, who was among those playing in the orchestra, noted that it “played a variety of magnificent pieces, [one being] ‘First Essay’. Everyone played with enthusiasm and all of us had a great time.” Symphony Orchestra member senior Calvin Chiang agreed, adding that “for the past five weeks, [Orchestra members] have been dedicating over three hours a day” to the performance, and were committed to having a great concert. The featured members from Band III were also extremely committed to the music and went out of their way to ensure a flawless show. The second piece was conducted by Mr. England as part of an annual concert tradition that invites past conductors to take the stage once more. Rehearsals were filled with laughter over Mr. England’s accounts of Wagner’s elaborate autobiography and the emotional piece was one that everyone really resonated with and tuned into. Concert-

master Evan Chuu delivered a flawless opening solo. Finally, with the addition of several electric guitars, a drum set, and extremely talented percussionists, “Sarajevo” and the sounds of discordant strains filled the hall for a spectacularly fast-paced end to the set. After clearing the stage, Chanteurs delivered powerful vocals under the direction of Mr. England. In a combined finale and ode to Mr. England’s last year of teaching at AHS, Symphony Orchestra returned to the stage to perform John Higgin’s “Christmas on Broadway”. Incorporating themes from classics, this Hollywood-esque piece was the perfect swan song for Mr. England and his last time conducting on-stage. On the performance as a whole, Mr. England stated, “The students had been working diligently on their music since the end of October. Many challenging and complex compositions were presented which showed the diversity and depth of the Arcadia Music Program.” Fortunately, if you missed out on the showcase this time, the holiday assembly this Friday will include a performance from members of Orchestra and Band. That performance will be the final one of the year, but our PA groups will return in 2015 for another undoubtedly great year. mlee@apachepowwow.com


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