Volume 58, Issue 8
Arcadia High School 180 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA
April p 2010
Gov Team Conquers Capitol Hill
In this issue:
Photo by ELLIOTT LEE
SPORTS pg. 12 Ready, Set, Go: The AHS Track Team kicked off April by hosting the annual Arcadia Invitational.
Photo courtesy of FRANK HUANG DOMINATING IN DC After 15 years, our AHS Constitution Team brings the National Championship title of the “We the
People: The Citizen and the Constitution” Competition back home to California. By HANA RUDOLPH Staff Writer Photo courtesy of ANONYMOUS
POSTSECRETS pgs. 14-16, 28 It’s that Time of the Year Again: AHS students participate in the 2010 Postsecrets project.
Photo by AMY LEONG and photo courtesy BLOGCATALOG COM of BLOGCATALOG.COM
FEATURES pg. 23 The Secret Life of the American Teacher: Where did our teachers work before AHS?
The journey started exactly one year ago, thirty names on a single sheet of paper. Thirty names representing the thirty people who would make up the ‘09-‘10 AHS Constitution Team (Gov Team). Since then, Gov Team members have proven their commitment through countless hours of dedication. They have attended every Monday night practice without fail, gearing up for competition in the City Council Chambers. Since Gov Team is divided into six units, each with a different focus on the Constitution and its role in our government, the units hold their own weekly meetings. They have researched the philosophical ideas of Cicero, Toqueville, and Locke; they have memorized citations from the Magna Carta and provisions of early state constitutions. They have referenced executive orders and have read the full lengths of relevant court cases, tirelessly devoting their senior lives to studying the American government… all for the joy of competing in the 23rd annual “We The People” National Competition.
“We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution” National Competition, named after the first line of the Preamble to the Constitution, is a competition testing American high school students about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and is held on a regional, state, and national level. Since California has ten regions composed of 53 congressional districts, those ten regions were represented at the state finals, as well as two “wild card” teams (teams that were allowed to advance despite having lost their regional competition). Not surprisingly, the December regional competition was a breeze for the Gov Team members. It was State that brought a fierce level of competition. Only the team that won first place at State could go on to the National Finals—but even through State, Gov Team showed its ability to bring the heat. In February, Gov Team won first place at State and the right to advance into Nationals. Nationals, held Apr. 24 to 26, had 50 teams representing the 50 states and an additional two teams from Washington, D. C. and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands—1,100 students all vying for first place. The competition format consisted of
two days of preliminary rounds on Saturday and Sunday and a final round on Monday for the top ten teams which were announced on Sunday night. Advancing teams would compete in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Gov Team, having placed second after the two preliminaries, competed in the last round—but no one could have dared to hope for the final result. In the countdown to the announcement of the final placement of the national competition, the Gov Team members were anxiously gripping each other’s hands as senior Madyson Cassidy said, “I just want you guys to know, no matter what happens, I love you guys.” A few seconds later, the championship team was announced: Arcadia, CA. After California was announced the national champions of the competition, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proudly stated, “I am so proud of the students at AHS...These young men and women are the future of our state and today they proved that our future is bright.” In a finale of events, Gov Team has conquered a nation. hrudolph@apachepowwow.com
NEWS
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attract much-needed donations and sponsorships. This year, AHS’s Constitution Staff Writer Team along with Pow Wow were given booths to promote their activities; ConOn a fair-weathered Sunday on Mar. stitution Team sought out funding for 28, the Santa Anita racetrack hosted its their national competition in Washington second annual “Santa Anita Uncorked.” D.C. while Pow Wow hoped Sponsored by Monrovia’s Wine of to attract advertisers and inthe Month Club, the event showterested wanderers. “I would cased a wide array of fine wines, say the event was an overall delectable cuisine, and exquisite success; people had fun, there art pieces during a day of races. was good food, and the donaFor $60, a package of wine tasttions definitely didn’t hurt,” ing, culinary sampling, and live said senior Andrew Lin. racing was provided. The event concluded as Beyond exploring different everyone left with their belfood possibilities was the feature lies filled and their $60 well of artist Erica Nordean’s “Unspent; the proceeds from Sancorked” art exhibit and the musita Anita Uncorked will bencal backdrop of AHS Orchestra. efit Rotary Club Youth SerLocal upscale restaurants such vices and the AHS Athletic as San Marino Seafood, Matt Boosters. The event pulled in Denny’s, Ruth’s Chris, Café 322, an outstanding $8000 for the Charcuterrie, and Santa Anita’s Photo courtesy of PAUL KALEMKIARIAN school with 30% of the funds Front Runner offered bite-sized morsels of their signature dishes AN EVENT TO REMEMBER Pow Wow going toward the Parent for the public to taste. “The food members Cora Ormseth, Anna Naran, and Lena Teacher Student Association, 30% to the Athletic Boosters, was amazing, especially the Kalemkiarian pose with the owners of Jinetes. 30% to the Music Boosters, and the final Ruth’s Chris Kobe beef sliders and apple a winner of more than 4,000 races and 10% toward Pow Wow. crumb tart but everything else was just as is a finalist for the Thoroughbred Ractasty!” said senior Andrew Chang. ing’s Hall of Fame. kyuan@apachepowwow.com Various wineries like Zaca Mesa With so many people in attenGraphics courtesy of and Jinetes held their own booths at the dance, student organizations took ISTOCKPHOTO.COM event, offering up a multitude of wines advantage of such an opportunity to for attendees 21 years or older to enjoy. Jinetes, a company producing wine at a Mendicino, CA-based vineyard, is owned by top jockeys Mike Smith and Alex Solis, along with thoroughbred owner Tom Lenner. Solis is currently
By KEVIN YUAN
Jennifer Hang and Kayla Pang Joanna Chuang Michelle Chien and Christine Xu Eleana Chiang and Cora Ormseth Melissa Ma and Sammi Wong Velinda Liao and Kate Trinh Elaine Tsui and Emily Yang Kristie Tom and Victoria Tran Jenny Lin and Joe Tian Lauren Wong Melanie Yuen Alwyna Lau Michelle Mak and Bonnie Tam Debbie Jong and Joanna Shen Elliott Lee Carl Trigilio Laureen Ma
Writers News Staff Andrew Chang, Ashley Chi, Evan Delgado, Alex Ethridge, Andrew Lin, Raphael Lu, Brandon Pang, Justin Park, Jasmine Wu Opinion Staff Andrew Chang, Ashley Chi, Kate Harwitz, Tiffany Gu, Derek Ha, Kaitlyn Jeong, Nuria Mathog Performing Arts Staff Katherine Bay, Eileen Chow, Pamela Huynh, Hana Rudolph, Christina Zhou Student Life Staff Debbie Jong, Lena Kalemkiarian, Esther Lin, Anna Naran, Jade Shao, Rhiannon Yee Features Staff Katherine Bay, Theresa Lee, Amy Leong, Jenny Li, Ryan Liu, Joanna Shen Sports Staff Katherine Bay, Alex Ethridge, Joyce Liao, Andrew Lin, Regina Liu Academics Staff Christopher Chen, Sally Chung, Derek Ha, Joanna Liao, Oishee Shemontee, Nancy Xiao Calendar Staff Beverly Chen, Eileen Chow, Kate Harwitz, Theresa Lee, Cherry Mo Advertisement Staff Kevin Liu, Becca Lu, Raphael Lu, Shannon Ng, Brandon Pang, Nancy Xiao, Kevin Yuan Photo Staff Evan Delgado, Maurice Ip Copy Editing Staff Ashley Chi, Lena Kalemkiarian, Joanna Liao, Regina Liu, Hana Rudolph, Oishee Shemontee, Nancy Xiao Fundraising Staff Alex Ethridge, Lena Kalemkiarian, Becca Lu, Raphael Lu, Anna Naran, Shannon Ng, Cora Ormseth, Brandon Pang, Jessica Sunkamaneevongse, Nancy Xiao, Rhiannon Yee Web Staff Sally Chung, Alex Ethridge, Elliott Lee, Andrew Lin, Ryan Liu, Nuria Mathog, Lauren Wong, Sammi Wong Adviser Mr. Johnny Lee
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. A student’s work does not represent the views of Arcadia High School or the Arcadia Unified School District. Address letters to the editor to: The Apache Pow Wow, 180 W. Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA 91007. To place an advertisement in the newspaper, call (626) 821-8370 ext. 1148. Advertisement rates vary from $30 for a business card advertisement to $300 for a full-page black and white advertisement, with quarter-page, half-page, and advertisement insert options available. Graphic courtesy of ONTHEROADWITHDAVE.COM
Rocking the Vote: City Council Debates By ANDREW CHANG Staff Writer
As part of what could possibly be the most intense city council election in Arcadia’s city history, six city council candidates vying for three vacancies gathered on Mar. 25 and Mar. 31 to answer questions regarding their campaign platforms. On Mar. 25, the candidates gathered at the Arcadia Woman’s Club to approach a variety of issues brought up by the Arcadia community. The night began with the candidates’ opening statements. Out of the six—Jason Lee, Bob Harbicht, Sho Tay, Peter Amundsen, Paul Cheng, ER and Mickey SeMILL gal—three are RRY E endorsed by the Arcadia Police Officers Union, a hot topic of discussion. Other topics addressed revolved CITY COUNCIL around DEBATES Paul the “Don’t Cheng and Peter V o t e Amundson discuss for Paul the city’s issues at the C h e n g ” Woman’s Club Forum. car, and the reasons behind it. Gov Team member and senior Greg Chen said, “At first I thought this smear campaign was being run had something to do with Mr. Cheng’s character. However, this forum really allowed him to explain himself and my perception has changed.” The informative benefits of the Mar.
25 Woman’s Club forum carried over to the Mar. 31 City Candidates’ Forum held at the Santa Anita Inn. This forum, relatively similar to the previous one in terms of organization, was moderated by AHS’s Constitution Team. In this debate, the questions were split into three sections— Y MILLER RR quality of life, TE economics, and politics. Some topics discussed include the city sign ordinance and the excessive COUNCILMAN amounts of MICKEY campaign SEGAL finance Mickey Segal this time received the around— most votes from Harin this year’s bicht’s election. $10,000 to Cheng’s $107,000. From Amundsen’s explanation of police union endorsement to Harbicht’s remarks on state housing requirements, each and every candidate had something to say to the community. Today, we find ourselves with three new councilmen: Mr. Harbicht, Mr. Segal, and Mr. Amundsen. But in the end, we must not forget the process that led to the election of our new city leaders, and we know one thing for certain—our citizens are at least one step closer to making the informed decisions that Arcadia needs.
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Editors-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editors Opinion Editors Performing Arts Editors Student Life Editors Features Editors Sports Editors Academics Editors Center Spread Editor Calendar Editor Campus Focus Editor Advertisement Editors Executive Copy Editors Photography Editor Webmaster Fundraising Chair
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Editors
Photo courtes yo fT
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April 2010
Santa Anita Uncorked Wine Tasting Raises Funds
News
BRIEFS
April 29-30
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2
achang@apachepowwow.com
- Orchesis Spring Production, 7:00 p.m.
May 1
- SAT Test Date
1
- Orchesis Spring Production, 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
3-12
- AP Testing
6
- PTSA Installation/ Honorary Service Lunch Matt Denny’s 10:00 a.m.
6
- Chinese Parents Booster Club Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
12
- Korean Parents Booster Club Meeting, 11:00 a.m.
15
- Prom, 8:00 p.m.
17
- WASC Late Start Day
20
- Senior Awards Night, 6:00 p.m.
28
- WASC Late Start Day
31
- Memorial Day, No School
NEWS
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April 2010
CAHSEE Cheating Raises Questions at AHS
Believe It...
Healthcare
By ANDREW LIN Staff Writer
In lieu of the traditional Weird News in its usual column, we present to you something that matters: health care reform. Here are a few of the many things Congress sets out to address in its legislation: The Mandate: This provision won’t kick in until 2014, and it requires most Americans to buy health insurance or pay a penalty that will rise to no more than $2,085 by 2016. Subsidies: Households without insurance making up to $88,200 a year will get tax credits to help with health care costs. The lowest income group (which consists of families of four making less than $33,075 a year) will pay 2 to 4.6% of income on premiums, with the rest paid for by the government. Exchanges: States will run so-called “exchanges,” which basically collect information about various health insurance plans and put them in one place. It’s supposed to allow people to compare and shop. I imagine it’s kind of like being in a Progressive Car Insurance commercial except with health insurance and there’s no health insurance provider trying to get you to buy from them. Medicaid: Beginning in 2014, families of four making $29,327 a year or less will qualify for Medicaid, extending coverage to 16 million new recipients. Young Adults: Young adults qualify for coverage under a parent’s group health insurance policy until age 26. Abortion: Health insurance plans in the exchange can offer to pay for abortions. However, people who receive subsidies, or government money, do not get to pay for abortion coverage with government money. They must make separate payments. Pre-Existing Conditions: Starting 2014, insurance companies can’t exclude people with pre-existing medical problems. Canceling Coverage: Starting in about six months, insurance companies may no longer cancel policies. Lifetime Coverage Limits: Insurers may no longer limit insurance coverage over a lifetime. Employer Penalties: Employers with 50 or more workers must offer coverage or else pay a penalty of $750 per worker. Also, workers get subsidies for insurance. Medicare Cuts: To help pay for health care reform, Medicare benefits will receive cuts at around $632 billion in subsidies in various areas over the course of the next ten years. Who’s Covered: Around 94% of nonelderly Americans (as Medicare kicks in at age 65) will be covered, compared to 81% today. Cost: $1.5 trillion over 10 years. This is by no means everything that the recent health care reform legislation does. To get a better sense of the recent changes to government health care policy, supplemental reading can be found with a simple Google search. alin@apachepowwow.com
Graphic courtesy of SHOESENSATION.COM
By ASHLEY CHI
that the person who had taken the photo had Staff Writer crossed the line. Sophomore Tiffany Shar said, The California High School Exit Exam “Even if people thought that the problem was (CAHSEE) is an exam administered yearly funny, taking a picture of [it] and violating to all high school students, except freshthe rules was taking the joke a little too men. The passing of the CAHSEE is one far.” Freshman Jeffrey Wu agreed, of AHS’s graduation requirements. “I think the student [who took the Lately, rumors about a photo of a picture] was dumb, because it is not test question began to circulate. A stuworth breaking the law just to have dent in Bakersfield taking the CAHa good laugh afterwards.” SEE had taken a picture of question According to AHS’s admin92 in the mathematics portion with istrator of assessment, Mr. his cell phone. The photo was postCraig Wiblemo, “[This ed on the social networking site incident serves] as a Facebook, and an AHS sophoreminder [of] the ubiqmore student was “tagged” in uity of cell phone camthe photo. Consequently, the eras and how quickly photo appeared on other AHS and easily they can be students’ newsfeeds and quickly used to cheat on exams, spread among teenagers throughout from routine quizzes in California. The photo had originated [the] classroom to statewide from Bakersfield, and the Califorassessments and nia Department of Education college enand Educational Testing trance exams.” Services both launched inAlthough vestigations. If caught, the it doesn’t appear student who took the photo as if AHS had will be suspended from anything to do Graphic courtesy of with the origin school, have his CAHDISOVERYEDUCATION.COM of the photo, the SEE test invalidated, be TO CHEAT OR NOT TO CHEAT incident serves subject to criminal charges and prosecution by the Evidence of students cheating on the as a reminder to local district attorney’s of- recent CAHSEE were traced to AHS; students to think fice, and a civil lawsuit for fortunately the students implicated before you leap, were not at all involved. copyright infringements, especially when because the CAHSEE is copyrighted material. cheating is involved. Even if its meant to be Although it is also rumored that the pho- funny, some lines just can’t be crossed. to had been taken to “make fun” of the ability level of the question, AHS students agree achi@apachepowwow.com
3
Believe It...
Or Not
By EVAN DELGADO
Staff Writer
1. New York City’s oldest library says one of its ledgers reveals that George Washington has racked up 220 years’ worth of late fees on two books he borrowed but never returned. One of the books was the “Law of Nations,” which deals with international relations. The other was a volume of debates from Britain’s House of Commons. Both books were due on Nov. 2, 1789. 2. Jonathan Trappe was flying high, lifted by the balloons that had lifted him 8,000 feet into the skies above North Carolina. At 5:35 p.m. Saturday, Trappe harnessed himself to several dozen helium balloons at Raleigh Executive Jetport and soared into the record books by floating for nearly 14 hours, traveling 109 miles over his home state before touching down at 7:10 a.m. the following day. Trappe stated the cluster ballooning is the most “pure form of flight.” 3. Lukas is touted as the world’s smartest horse, having mastered the ability to count, discern different shapes, spell his name, fake disability, and boast 30 other skills. 4. Philip Haseley, an anthropology professor at Niagara County Community College, expressed the opinion that evidence of the existence of UFO’s warranted credited college courses on the subject. Haseley believes there are enough reliable eyewitness accounts, photos, videos, radar reports, and even landing traces to indicate that something out of this world is taking place. edelgado@apachepowwow.com
ASB Email Pranks Gone Awry...When a Bad Prank Goes Too Far Jasmine Wu
You’ve got a new e-mail from:
AHS ASB
On Mar. 31, many students opened their inboxes to find what appeared to be an early April Fool’s prank from ASB Executive Council inside. The fraudulent e-mail informed students that Prom was being cancelled due to issues with safety and lack of money to reserve another venue. However, soon after, ASB followed up with a legitimate e-mail clarifying the situation for students: the e-mail regarding Prom was not an attempt at an April Fool’s joke, Prom and Prom royalty nominations would continue as planned, and the e-mail was not produced in affiliation with ASB. Many students breathed a sigh of relief because their Prom was still proceeding as planned, but others raised questions: who sent the email? Would they do it again? One of these questions met an answer a few moments later: the unidentified individual, still feigning as ASB, sent out another e-mail saying that the schedule for a day would be reversed. However, because of the incident with the Prom e-mail, students receiving the message were more hesitant in believing it, and most students were unaffected. On Apr. 12, a third e-mail was sent by the unidentified individual. Senior Joni Yamagishi said, “After receiving so much response from the [first email], they probably thought they would get even more response if it was done again.” However, this time, instead of containing jokes that could be taken lightly and brushed off, the e-mail contained a false list of Prom royalty nominations and was received with more seriousness, as 12 individuals were singled out. ASB President senior Leah Wong said, “It really hurt me to see this person deliberately attack innocent students.” Activities Director Mr. John Tung said, “The content of the e-mails began as misinformation created to confuse individuals hoping to elicit student reactions. However, the most recent letter targeted specific students with intent to harm.” After the third e-mail was sent out, actions made by ASB to discover the identity of the anonymous sender became more obvious: To prevent future confusion, ASB would instead communicate to students through the Student Bulletin and not through the ASB e-mail address. Also, in an effort to apprehend the sender as quickly as possible and prevent future e-mails, ASB put up a $100 reward for any individual that came forth with evidence that would lead to the successful identification of the anonymous sender. “I hope it will be an added incentive because many tech-savvy students out there are already determined to help find this person,” said Leah, “We have the tech department from the district working on this and the administration is ready to take disciplinary action on the person for harming fellow students.” Though the anonymous sender has not yet been discovered, everyone can be assured ASB is taking all actions needed to reveal the individual’s identity. Mr. Tung said, “Many on campus want to expose the individual with or without a reward. ASB, as well as administration and police, are aggressively investigating this and believe we will find the person(s) responsible.” Graphics courtesy of MAIL.GOOGLE.COM and THEWWWBLOG.COM
jwu@apachepowwow.com
4
OPINION
Forgive and Forget
By TIFFANY GU Staff Writer
They say trust is like a new piece of paper—white, pristine, perfect. That is, until someone breaks the pure perfection with a pen mark, a pencil skid. Just a mar, a scratch, nothing that can’t be erased or covered up with a stroke of white out. But what happens when the mark builds up? Am I supposed to give up, exasperated from trying to wipe out the imperfections and allow the marks to procreate and eventually hide each other? Or do I frantically try to exorcise them from my trust paper? There’s only so much that can roll over the blemishes before the masses of too-white tape are even more of a distraction than the original scrapes. And what happens when someone rips the paper? Am I just going to never trust anyone ever again? Or would it be better to painstakingly take some packaging tape and piece it all back together, making the paper just that much stronger and resilient, resistant to the mark of pencil? They also say to forgive and forget. That forgiveness is such a great, wonderful virtue. It worked for Joseph and his rainbow coat, didn’t it? And that apparently forgetting is just absolutely impossible because nothing ever leaves this fortress of human memory. Because, of course, memory is just that reliable. That’s the reason why nobody ever forgets anyone’s name or to do math homework—memory. Sarcasm aside, forgetting is so much easier than forgiveness. We are taught from the beginning to apologize when you hurt somebody, and for a short while, it worked. Sorry could fix things, sorry was the panacea for wrongdoing of all sizes. But now, forgiving requires so much more than that. It requires being a bigger person; it requires being able to actually, actively do something, as opposed to just passively forgetting. Forgiveness requires having to face whatever it is that needs to be forgiven, to acknowledge it, greet it, tell it, “you have hurt me but I’m okay with that and I am willing to let you back in my life, knowing that you might do the same again.” Forgetting is like fooling yourself into believing that things can possibly be the same again. Whereas forgiveness is rinsing an open wound, nursing it until it heals, forgetting is relatively effortless and infinitely safer emotionally. Forgiving and forgetting are two completely different things, and to lump them together as equals when they differ so intensely in difficulty is just bad advice. To me, trust is a typewriter with one of those really long rolls of paper installed inside that goes on until forever, and life is the words on the page, constantly typed out to make sense or nonsense. Sometimes there are typos and mistakes and blemishes on trust, but compared to having to aim a little wedge of white-out and flick it over each individual offending letter, instead of having to confront and forgive every single mark, it is far easier to simply let go and forget. Easier to keep on typing, because eventually whatever happened will reside in the past, out of sight, out of mind. Easier to go with the flow, because after one mistake you’ve got a mountain to fix. And easier is always better, right? tgu@apachepowwow.com
apachepowwow.com
April 2010
A Singular Dilemma
By KAITLYN JEONG Staff Writer
You scan the hallway looking for someone, anyone, who is relatively good looking, nice, and single. Well, if they’re not that attractive, that’s fine; nice and single is still ideal. Not so nice either? That’s okay, too; the key word here is “single.” It’s not that you’re desperate—it’s that you’re, uh, out to make new friends. No one’s going to buy that excuse. Well, maybe it’s because you’re lonely. No, that’s not it either. Something, or rather, someone, is missing in your life. Everyone (your mother) has been telling g ne you that you don’t need someone else to complete you. That you’re re pe pperrrfect the way you are. Well, they y ((she) shhe) haven’t (hasn’t) seen that zit oon n yo yyour our u nose big enough to be a helicopter ter e llander an nd’s fu ffull l off ll ing site or your frizzy hair that’s enough static to generate enough ghh eeleclecle c tricity to power an office building. ng. g. No, how would they (she) know w that you’re in need of someone ne who will tell you that your gargantuan zit is hardly noticeable as they try their hardest not to hit their heads on it, to tell you that
it’s perfectly normal to attract every balloon in the state to your head. After all, they’ll say, you are very attractive in all respects, even in the eyes of inanimate objects like balloons.
Then again, why would you need someone to reass reassure you, to ttell te ll yo you things you alrea al already know? W y would you Wh Why r ly on someone re rely el lse’ else’s opinion, w wh hen when they’re sseeing se ein the same tthings th in ng that you seee wh when you look in n the mirror (unle esss it’ t s one of those less it’s fu un mi mirr r or rr fun mirrors)? Y Yo o You spend eac ea c and every each dday da y seeking approval: a pat on the head, a gold star, or a quick nod of the head. In actuality, the one who you should be
looking towards for acceptance is you. You can just as easily tell yourself that you are a wonderful person and a strong human being with a great personality. Waiting around for someone else to confirm your beliefs will do you no good. You want instant gratification or immediate self-assurance? D.I.Y. “Dang, I’m Yummy.” Telling yourself “D.I.Y.” over and over again is an example of a way to boost your self-esteem without that special someone there to compliment you. Are you simply fishing for compliments? If so, I hope that there’s someone to remind you that confidence in yourself can come from only one source: you. I hope that you know, deep down, that you don’t need anyone to define you, or to make you who you are. Most of all, I hope you understand that no matter how big your zit is, a helicopter will not land on your face. kjeong@apachepowwow.com Graphic by CHERRY MO
DATELESS During prom season, students are on the prowl.
The Ghosts of Classmates Past By TIFFANY GU Staff Writer
There’s a certain phenomenon that often happens to the people who have had a limb amputated called phantom pain. At some time or another, you’ll feel a pang of pain in your lower left leg—innocent enough. Except that your leg isn’t there anymore. You’ll want to scratch your left arm, but it’s lying in a bucket of ice somewhere, decomposing. Somewhere else, not attached to you anymore. And such is the fate of those who are gone from our lives. The ones we’ll always miss. The people you miss aren’t your friends. They’re not your family. They’re not the people you make any sort of effort to be with. They’re the ones who make up every other aspect of your life. The people you never quite got to know too well, the people with whom you never interact outside of the confines of those four walls, the people to whom you always wave in the hallways but never utter more than hello, hey, and the occasional empty promise to hang out. And this missing comes up at the most random of times, the most inconvenient of times, the most innocuous of times. You’ve never noticed the eerie silence of your math class before because that guy’s always been there, tapping his pen during every test, every moment. Remember that girl who always mispronounced “philanthropic” (“philantropic,” she always said—benefactors in the Caribbean). You remember them all, the leaders in your extracurriculars: the editors, the section leaders, the captains, the presidents. And in
TCID:
their stead there is you—younger, lost, missing them. Watching these people leave and missing them proves to be just another step in the process of growing up. All of a sudden, they’re gone, leaving with you only a myriad of cluttered and assorted memories and an oddly shaped hole in your heart. But the thing about this hole, what makes it special, is
that you never expected it to form in the first place. It came out of nowhere. I know it’s too early to get sentimental and weepy-eyed with nostalgia. I still have a month before graduation, a month to enjoy the last dregs of my childhood, to enjoy the company of the people who have helped me get this far, and this place, however small, where
I’ve spent my entire life. But now, the concept of “missing” somebody has become clearer than ever. I’ve said many a goodbye last June, thinking that that was that—a quick hug, flippant parting words, come visit soon, I’ll miss you. Phrases tossed out without thought. I’ll miss you. But the thing about goodbyes is that you say them once; then that’s it—you’re done. Missing somebody, on the other hand, lasts forever. The empty hole they leave never goes away. It’s that pang of realization that there are people who are no longer in your life, people you may never see again, ever: people whose lives used to be intertwined with your own, but have now degenerated into a completely different path. They’re gone, and so are all the opportunities to say what you never could say, and now, you never will. Gone are the memories you never made, the things you never did. It all comes flooding back to you again when you see the back of a head that looks exactly like this one guy’s and realize that you never did tell him how annoying it was that he kept kicking the back of your chair. You never quite missed him until it dawned on you that every day in history class, your chair has been completely and utterly still. The guy turns around as you realize that you are mistaken, that these thoughts of yours will never reach the ears for whom they are intended. Phantom pain strikes again. tgu@apachepowwow.com Graphic by CHERRY MO
PHANTOM PAIN You may not
feel it until they’re gone, but then it will be too late.
April 2010
OPINION
apachepowwow.com
Living on Deadline
5
2010 AP® ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION FREE-RESPONSE QUESTIONS Question I (Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.) By NURIA MATHOG Staff Writer
The game works like clockwork—but then again, perhaps that was the intent all along. The plastic timer twists to the 40-minute mark; expectant grins quickly twist into grimaces of horror. Thirty prompts lie neatly stacked on the front table; thirty hands dig mechanically into backpacks for lined paper and ballpoint pens. It’s a curious game, the timed writing—a device designed to test not only our ability to write under pressure, but our capacity to come up with insightful responses to the dullest topics imaginable. Small wonder it’s a universally dreaded assignment. As much as I gripe about it, though, deadline writing is a necessary evil. Sans a clear due date, I tend to find myself staring at a blank Word document, typing in a few words, deleting them, typing in a few more words, deleting those, too, then scowling as the animated paperclip pops up and sneers, “Do you want help with that?” But with a looming deadline, my fingers fly over the keyboard, racing to upload files before the turnitin.com window slams shut. Time limits may make me squirm, but they’re critical in shaping distracted thoughts
into something workable. And until the buzzer goes off, I am totally focused—able, for once, w to avoid deviating into bored margin drawings. I’m no stranger to apathy; in fact, we’ve been friends for as n remember. I long as I can find all sorts of creative mee, ways to wastee time time, each one crazierr than hen the last, and wh when ’m m acI realize that I’m in ng, g I complishing nothing, mee sso o waste even more time o t I don’t have to think abou about d llo ong ong it. Sometimes I spend long n thee hours plucking notes on hat guitar, learning songs that I never quite finish, telling myself that someday, honestly, I’ll have the whole thing down by to indiffer-heart. I don’t mean to sink into asy proence, but it’s a frighteningly eeasy cess. There are always more days forr ng and learning, more days for practicing nd yet getting better, too many to count and far too few for comfort. So as I brace myself for yet another timed
writing, I w wonder: if I died tomorrow—if I onnd knew, of a stopwatch, that new ew,, with ew with the pprecision wi r m llife my if would draw to a close at exactly e act ex acctl 4:00 a.m., for instance, would woul wo uld it be enough to break the ul spell? IIt’s t a scary thing to imagine:: a lifetime’s repine condensed d de into 24 hours. A buzzer’s quiet beep and a heart silenced forever. Pencils down, P essays eesssa say stapled and turned in. What would there bee time for? A few touch-ups, a couple few to fe oucchh--u ty ccorrections orrre of hasty and a rushhed d conclusion, connclus ui rushed a hurnalle to ow ried finale what should have been a m much happier ppiier sto story. ory ry. Now, w,, add an extension. s on si on. A week’s week week we k’ss advance adv d anc an n notice, a month’s, yyear’s. ar’s. Mo a ye More time to flesh out meaning, ing tto pick out dreams and pursue them vigorously, to distinguish the crucial difference between living and simply being alive. Maybe that would convince me to focus. Just maybe, if I knew my days were numbered,
I wouldn’t treat them like an endless commodity; I’d find value in every moment until the clock struck that final second. If I had all the time in the world, I’m sure I’d get nothing done. A hundred years from now, I’d still be stuck on the opening riff of “Free Bird,” confident that someday, maybe, I might actually progress to the solo. A thousand years after that, I might consider tackling all the work I’ve left unfinished (but probably not). A million years later...who knows? It’s too far ahead. Much too far to think about. So I’ll start my stopwatch and learn to live in the present. And I only intend to answer a single prompt: cease worrying about tomorrow, stop grieving over yesterday, and start concentrating on today. I couldn’t tell you what Shakespeare intended to say in the given passage, though if you give me a minute or two to Google it, I might have a more definite answer. Sorry for the weak response. I just can’t see myself searching for someone else’s purpose when I’m still trying to figure out my own. nmathog@apachepowwow.com Graphic by BEVERLY CHEN
TIME’S UP! Unlimited time means unlimited apathy.
Excessories: Fashionably Preoccupied By KATE HARWITZ Staff Writer
I don’t know how it happened, I swear. Oh, it all happened so fast! I was innocent, with not a care in the world until—! Snowballing out of control, I couldn’t stop it, I tell you! Beware, for once it gets set in motion, once the beast is released, there will be no stopping it. It will utterly consume your life, and it will penetrate and entangle itself into everything you do. When I wake up in the morning, it stares me in the face. When I sleep at night, it invades the privacy of my dreams. Day and night, here and there, it’s everywhere! Behold, the fearsome, fierce, and ferocious force that is fashion. It all began as a simple experiment, a harmless one, I thought. Rewind back to the first day of my sophomore year. I awoke that particular day with an overwhelming feeling of ennui. How bored I had be-
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come with school, with my peers, with my nonexistent social life. I felt so dull, so ordinary…but my, wouldn’t it be splendid if I could somehow make these monotonous and dreary school days more interesting? If I could somehow spice up my life? It was tenth grade; it was a new school year. I wanted—needed—a change. Ding! “Aha! I shall fashion-ify myself!” I began by simply paying attention to the cut of my jeans, but what started as an occasional indulgence quickly became an obsession. Skinny. Skinny. Jeans. Jeans. Jeans. All I wanted to do was to jam my legs into their suffocating grip. I refrained from bending over—untied shoes and dropped pencils seemed suddenly less important in the name of fashion. Then came the shirts, for I needed, craved, more than cut cute graphic print tees— tank tops, cardigans, button-downs, blouses, on and the list goes on…Then came the sunglasses. Scarves. Necklaces. Rings. Headbands. Hairclips. Ba Bandanas. I couldn’t get e enough of accessories. I needed that fix, I l longed for that feeling, i only fleeting, of selfif satisfaction that came with finding a nice hat or big hair bow. I became drunk with the power I felt while shopping; racks and
racks of clothes were at my mercy and would only leave said racks at my discretion. The catch? Money now jumps out of my wallet and into the hands of cashiers at Forever 21 and H&M the way smitten preteens launch themselves at Justin Bieber. I became preoccupied with thinking of outfits and ways in which I would next present myself to the public, because from the first “I love your outfit today, Kate,” I was absolutely hooked on fashion. Previously able to dedicate my brainpower solely to schoolwork, I now walked through the hallways noting outfits, shoes, hairstyles, anything related to public appearance. Fast forward to present day. This unhealthy obsession has invaded my home and my homework hours. Now I find it necessary to check my favorite fashion blogs daily, seven and counting, to quell my unquenchable thirst for…dare I say it? Fashion. Now and then, if I catch a glimpse of my reflection, I wonder how many minutes I have wasted buttoning shirts, tying bows, doing my hair. How many precious minutes do I waste a day on fashion? How much money have I thrown away on expendable pieces of fabric? Since when has it been necessary to own three pairs of sunglasses? These are questions that I just cannot answer. I honestly miss the days when I was content to throw on a pair of jeans and a hoodie, but I know I can never go back. What would the public think? Perhaps nothing, because
I’m being too egotistical. Perhaps everything, because maybe my outfits have become a sole beacon of hope and beauty in an all-too-dreary reality. What would my parents think? (Ignoring the fact that they’d actually be pretty relieved that their wallets are suddenly fatter). Fine, fine, I can see the way you’re looking at me! I admit it! Maybe I am taking a few liberties here and there to boost my ego… But it’s not my fault! Fashion made me this way, I’m telling you. It dug its perfectly manicured claws into my life and has refused to let go. I could never go back to my carefree self, because now I am aware of my public appearance. Now I feel guilty when I am too tired to pick out an outfit or when I go out in public in anything less than…well, an outfit (outfit defined here as “clothes that have had at least but are by no means limited to one minute of thought behind their presentation”). What a mental and emotional drain! Fashion is a slave driver, I tell you. A second and extremely naggy conscience that just takes and takes and takes… Despite the torment, the hours of anguish, the frustration, the blood and tears (okay, that part was a bit of an exaggeration) I wouldn’t give up my love of fashion for anything—I am too far gone to ever turn back. kharwitz@apachepowwow.com Graphic by KATE HARWITZ
WANT DISTRESSED LEATHER? Prepare for a distressed life.
6
OPINION
apachepowwow.com
April 2010
I’ll Pretend You’re Still My Friend
By NURIA MATHOG Staff Writer
In the beginning, in those first few starting-out days when you’re still learning about each other, beginning to recognize the little quirks and idiosyncrasies that will eventually form the hallmark of your friendship, when you realize in astonished delight that you both love sour cream Pringles, Nickelback, and the color green—in the beginning, who would have guessed that something so wonderful would end so disastrously? Maybe you met on the playground at elementary school, bonded over your mutual love of swinging. Maybe it wasn’t until middle school, on a day you were feeling down and lonely, that the kid you’d never before spoken to swung around a metal pole and into your life. Or maybe it was your sophomore year of AHS, as you and your desk partner struggled to complete a frustrating biology lab, that you felt that connection, the unity of two individuals united against an impending (and potentially grade-destroying) crisis. And from those humble beginnings, time forged something lasting and substantial. Fast forward to the present. You proudly share the banner of friends, a title culled through years of witty banter, inside jokes, and late-night phone calls. You’ve seen each other at your best and your worst, commiserated over rejection, engaged in hour-long
laughing fits over something that in retrospect wasn’t actually that funny. Just spending time together fills you with a profound sense of well-being. Crummy grades, rotten luck, who cares? You have a friend. And that’s all that matters. But then—something changes. It’s a small change, nearly imperceptible, a tiny suspicion that perhaps things aren’t quite as they should be, a strange and subtle feeling of alienation. It’s when you discover the paradox that you can hug someone, hold them as close to you as humanly possible, and still feel the distance stretching between you—long, cold, and impassible. That you can miss somebody even when he or she is standing right next to you. And you wish you could still find words to fill the silence left by brok e n c h a t t e r. A sentence here, a phrase there— thoughts that once meshed perfectly against each other grow rough and jagged at the edges. Laughter gives way to awkward pauses, averted glances, and “have to go now, sorry”s. You’ve been told that breaking up is by far
the worst experience a person can go through, even though, in many cases, it’s pretty much inevitable. But you know, now, that it’s a thousand times worse to lose a friend, because your friends are fixtures in your life, never questioned, never doubted. They’re simply there, come what may, always there for you whenever you need them, and you for them. Except now, for some reason, they’re not. And you struggle desperately to cling to the way things were, all the while feeling it spiraling inexorably out of control, slipping from your grasp as easily as water trickling through a sieve. You wonder if there’s a repair kit for friendship, an instruction manual detailing what needs to be trimmed, hewed, tightened to get things in working order again. More time, you reason—that’s all I need. Time, the universal band-aid. And maybe a little duct tape...isn’t that supposed to fix everything? So you try. You try to ignore the uneasy suspicion that you’re a stranger in your own world, that the spot you once occupied has been irrevocably filled by someone else. You make half-hearted plans, one-sided conversa-
tion, anything to appease the terrible ache left by their absence. And the more effort you put into reconnecting, the more discouraged you become, because you find yourself speaking to someone you would not have recognized three, five, ten years ago. A completely different person. And you’re forced to confront the difficult conclusion that even though you’ve grown up together, you’ve grown apart as well. Letting go isn’t easy. There’s a certain finality about the word good-bye that frightens us, the knowledge that once we make the conscious choice to sever that connection, it’s all over. No going back. But as difficult as it is, we have to move on; sometimes it’s all you can do. You’ll still acknowledge each other in passing, maybe even exchange fleeting smiles. And someday, perhaps, you can look back on those cherished moments with gratitude, and remember not the friendship that you lost, but the wisdom that you gained. nmathog@apachepowwow.com Graphic by BEVERLY CHEN
THE PARADOX It’s possible to miss people even when they are standing right next to you.
EenieMeenieMineyMoe, Catch a College by Its Toe By TIFFANY GU Staff Writer
April 1 has come and gone, and with the exception of a few of us on waitlists or trying desperately to appeal for just one more shot, the cards for the next four or so years of our lives have been all but dealt. Our big envelopes sit in front of us, with their attractive “Congratulations!” and bright colors. Some of us have a stack of these, a pile taller than textbooks, while others have just a few. No matter the number, at the end of the month, we’ll only be able to pick one college to attend. Just one. Where in the world am I going to go next year? So we need to find out what matters most to us, what factors are going to determine our lives for the next four years. This deci-
sion could potentially alter our lives forever, but it might be a bit overdramatic of me to say so. Maybe right now we don’t know what we want from this, but we’re going to find out, if only because there’s no other choice. There are so many things in our lives that we take for granted, the absence of which could make dramatic differences in our day to day activities. Are there vegetarian meal choices? Are you deathly allergic to all sorts of nuts, barring the human kind? Is the campus wired with wifi? Do you not know how to ride a bike? But aside from personal quirks and idiosyncrasies are other things of importance. Like libraries— you know, the place that you will ostensibly get some studying done. Number, specialization, comfort level of chairs, and pr proximity of desks to each other. And social life. Life being the question the operative word and basically th Sports teams, is whether it’s dead or alive. Spo or lack thereof, aand, in tande dem, level of school s p i r i t might factor mi
CONFLICTED Will I be a Trojan, Bruin, Bear, Anteater, Bobcat, or Banana Slug? TCID:
in as well. Want a potential soul mate? Factor in those gender ratios, too. The different things each college has to offer seems to be as impossible to solve as a puzzle with infinite pieces, with each fitting together to create a completely different result. But remember that these colleges want you and that’s a nice feeling to relish once in a while. But the thing about these situations is that you can never know if something is truly a pro or a con until you experience it. As a rule, things sound good on paper. Maybe not so much in real life. And where the everhandy pro-con chart falters is the magnitude. Stadium-style classes may seem inviting to some slackers, but the ease of skipping class remains unparalleled by the benefits of an interactive education. And at the end of the day, the whole purpose of college is, well, the education aspect. But the small facets of everyday life combine to form a solid home away from home, a comfortable place to learn and thrive. But sometimes, after countless hours lining up those pros and cons before deciding on the absolute perfect fit for you, the choice might not even be yours to make at all. In spite of the fact that we are all practically adults now, the parental figures still have far more authority than we’d like, the authority to all but make
this life altering decision for us—just because they control the purse strings. And in the case in which your parents don’t want you to go, there’s no way to win. Though you can easily see through their transparently fallacious arguments, their true reason for limiting your horizons and sending you to a specific school lies deep within them. They themselves may not even be conscious of it, but with that buried deep down inside, there’s no hope for a victory on your part. So maybe the choice was clear from the start. Maybe it evolved out of careful thinking. Maybe you will end up flipping a coin. Maybe you’ll fall in love and have your hopes and dreams shattered by forces you can’t control. The whole college decision process has been so unpredictable thus far—how could we expect the very final decision to be any different? But I firmly believe that the places we end up, though they may not be where we expect, will be the right ones for us. It’s unclear now what the future holds, but one day we’ll know that this particular turn of events was appropriate. But, of course, we’ll forever wonder about everything that might have, could have, would have been. tgu@apachepowwow.com
April 2010
OPINION
apachepowwow.com
Modern Chivalry By NURIA MATHOG Staff Writer
It’s an era of equal rights, equal opportunities, and general equality that women have actively crusaded for throughout the past century, determined to shed the opinion, once and for all, that they were the “weaker sex.” As a society, we’ve secured egalitarian suffrage rights, campaigned aggressively for closure of the pay gap, and continually come closer to ensuring that gender is never a factor in determining individual capability. And yet we’re still under the impression that it’s the guy’s responsibility to pay for everything, hold open doors, and act as though his significant other needs his assistance in virtually every arena: treatment that can only be classified as preferential. This is especially true around Prom, or any social function, for that matter. Around the same time that the hopeful askers show up with bouquets of flowers and elaborate posters, the inevitable question of whose wallet will cover the expenses likewise surfaces, and it’s not uncommon to hear girls confidently state, “Oh, he’s paying for it.” This would make sense if their male counterparts were still the traditional breadwinners, but in a nation that doesn’t merely encourage female representation in higher education, but expects it, today’s young women have countless opportunities to achieve their own success in the workplace. So what’s with the stereotype? Chivalry used to have a slightly different connotation in the old days; it was an institution of virtue, courtly love, and of course, the idolization of women: knights would place
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their ladies on an untouchable pedestal and vow to honor them to the best of their ability. Understandably, these aspects (particularly the last one) continue to appeal to us—after all, who wouldn’t want to be valued so highly? But this was a different time period, one in which women had limited rights, a time in which marrying well and becoming a loyal housewife were all the average girl could ever hope to achieve. Chivalry was simply compensation for this lack of basic equality; the alleged divine status was really only an illusion. I’ve heard innumerable complaints that “guys are jerks,” that true gentlemen are a dying breed fast being eclipsed by the deadbeat. In reality, that depends on your definition of gentleman. Sure, it’s not as common these days to see a guy rushing to hold open a door for every girl who crosses his path, but there are plenty of genuinely nice guys out there, though they show it in more subtle ways. They’re the ones who don’t differentiate based on gender, who recognize that two X chromosomes do not define you, who’ll gladly have an in-depth conversation with you about multivariable calculus and won’t assume that you’re too ignorant to understand it. Of course it’s nice to be treated like a princess, but we can take care of ourselves now. We’re self-sufficient beings capable of accomplishing any goal we desire—both the law and contemporary social attitudes are on our side. So why settle for any less? Is that what we truly want or deserve, or do we merit recognition as equals, rather than inferiors? In many ways, that’s a far better compliment than the most admiring words of flattery. nmathog@apachepowwow.com
7
I Like Footsketball
By DEREK HA
Staff Writer
For those who avidly follow sports, spring is apparently a pretty important season, and this year is no exception. From the longawaited return of Tiger Woods to the lead-up to the NBA Championship, the sporting season has been in full swing, j u s t like any other year. In other words, I don’t know anything about it. My knowledge of sports starts and ends with what I managed to pick up through P.E. class. You know, the basics— enough to get by. I mean, one must be completely socially inept to not know the rules and objectives of footsketball, right? Still, my lack of athletic expertise has rendered me incapable of participating in many a conversation. Believe me, I have tried to fake my way along, but it almost never works. For the longest time, I have been content to blame my parents for this unfortunate condition. Yes, it was my beloved father and mother who failed to indoctrinate into the American sports culture when we moved here all those years ago. They have set me up for social failure. After all, my mother is the one who once referred to baseball as “that one game where everyone looks like they’re wearing pajamas.” But when I caught my dad one day watching ESPN (did you know there are two of them?) I knew that something else was go-
ing on. From a young age, I have—for one reason or another—closed my mind off to anything sports-related. Words like “three-pointer” or “goalie” tend to hit my overly thick skull and bounce off onto the ground like a useless piece of metal. Similarly, other people choose to shut their mental capacities at the first mention of history, physics, politics, literature, China, Greek mythology, rural farming methods, proper techniques for belting out operas, ways to flush the toilet in public—anything you can think of. It dawned on me that at any point in time, I could have simply made the choice to switch my brain back on when listening to people talk about athletics. Imagine if we all did that! How many uninvented inventions, unpainted paintings, and unsung songs would suddenly sprout to life? I’m not saying I’m going to do it anytime soon. But still. dha@apachepowwow.com Graphic by CHERRY MO
YES, I KNOW THE LAKERS They’re my favorite baseball team! Right next to the Saints, of course.
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PERFORMING ARTS
Being Merry on the Chorus Go-Around
By CHRISTINA ZHOU
Staff Writer
If you think you’ve heard enough about our award-winning choral groups, think again. Just this Tuesday, choral ensembles Chanteurs and New Spirit accompanied Treble Choir and Concert Choir for the annual Choral Carousel at the Arcadia Presbyterian Church. The audience was swept away with the energy of each performer and every musical note. The performers were fully enthusiastic; they gleefully sang their hearts out. The show choir performances incorporated playful dance numbers with lively songs from past competitions, and the night also showcased senior soloists and AHS’ many choirs. The show started off with a bang when New Spirit girls wowed the crowd with their program. They performed their 2010 competition show that included “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend,” “You Don’t Own Me,” “Lollipop,” “All Alone Without You,” and “Da Doo Ron Ron.” Soon after, Chanteurs members picked up where New Spirit left off and performed their competition show, singing, “Seize the Day,” “You’re Just In Love,” “Let the River Run,” “I Get Along Without You Very Well,” and “Rock this Town.” Following Chanteurs was the Treble Choir, presenting the songs it had been meticulously rehearsing throughout the semester. Even as the show progressed late into the night, the energy and excitement was fully preserved. As the senior soloists William Zhang and Hana Rudolph stepped out to sing, they were greeted with applause even before breathing a word into the microphone. “It was really nerve-wracking, but such a wonderful and amazing experience,” said Hana. Men’s Choir, Women’s Choir, and Concert Choir followed with their respective song choices. To wrap up the concert, all performers were called to the stage and sang “Say With A Song” together in a spectacular finale. Although the Choral Carousel is an annual performance, this year’s performance was certainly more memorable than the preceding performances—it was Choral Director Mr. Rollie Maxson’s final concert before retirement. Teaching for 38 years for the AUSD Choral Department, Mr. Maxson has worked hard to strengthen and improve the choral program. “He will forever be missed because of his dedication and will to make his students better,” said junior Micah Kwok, “I think that he has influenced many people and has been a true icon in the show choir world.” Sophomore Marissa Xing agreed, “We will miss him! I think that even though he won’t be here next year, the girls and boys of choir will always remember him and how he stepped into our lives and left footprints.” This year, The Choral Carousel bid farewell to a well-accomplished Choral Director while entertaining audiences with their outstanding energy and performance. czhou@apachepowwow.com
apachepowwow.com
April 2010
Let’s [Bass] Kick the Show into Action! wouldn’t love it,” agreed ODC Director Ms. Liza Tedford. The show will feature choreography created in bulk by the ODC students themselves; after all, ODC was created as a student-
movement, such as the director of Rhetorical Dance Company, the director of Lineage Dance Staff Writer Company, a certain Disney Choreographer, and Have you seen the posters? It’s that time Jia Huang, who has starred on the TV show, of the year: Orche“America’s Best Dance Crew.” sis Dance Company This is a show that has been (ODC) is once again created and perfected throughout about to host their the span of the entire school year annual show, this thus far, and Ms. Tedford will be year titled, “Let the the first to say how much time and Bass Kick.” Named effort the group has put in. “They after the opening work really well together,” she song, the show will proudly stated, “with a clear fofeature the 25 memcus on becoming strong artists and bers of ODC in 22 dancers. “ They have diligently dance pieces, two persevered through hours of prachours of amazing tice throughout the year—the ODC choreography and commitment is extraordinary, and skills. The show is its members amazing. Which probrunning now, so if ably makes this show so exciting to you haven’t bought its members: “It’s exciting to see the a ticket yet, get to whole year’s work finally pay off,” it! Performances are was junior Tyler Reeves’ sentiment. being held from Apr. “It’ll be a really great show; so 28 to May 1. much hard work and effort!” agreed From hip-hop Dance Captain senior Katreina Layto tap to lyrical, field. Ms. Tedford said the members modern, Chinese and of ODC were real “go-getters from hula dancing, ODC’s the beginning”; their model from Photos courtesy of LIZA TEDFORD show this year is the start was to go the distance, and bound to be abso- DANCE DANCE Orchesis members practice full-out in preparation since have been working really hard lutely stunning. “It’ll for their upcoming performance. to create an ODC ’09- ’10 that may kick you off your continue to surpass previous years. chair!” exclaimed President and senior member based choreography class. Accordingly, half the In the words of Katreina and Kristin, it’s Kristin Kimura. After all, with so many genres show was choreographed by the juniors and se- bound to be a “kick-bass show”! and styles of dancing, there’s something for niors of ODC. Guest and assistant directors also everyone. “There’s no way anyone who came helped to polish the choreography and refine hrudolph@apachepowwow.com
By HANA RUDOLPH
Orchestra’s Golden Gateway to Success By PAMELA HUYNH Staff Writer
With charter buses packed to the max and the air filled with laughter and excitement, many Orchestra 2 and 3 members left AHS for their four-day Orchestra Spring Tour. The tour left for San Francisco on Apr. 15 and returned on Apr. 18. This invigorating opportunity was open to all Orchestras 2 and 3 musicians who wished to go. Luckily for the members who didn’t attend, this opportunity is held once a year. Usually the destinations alternate from San Francisco to San Diego, but every four years the orchestras fly to Florida. San Francisco was not the only stop for the performers; they also explored the legendary Fisherman’s Wharf and the prominent amusement park, Paramount’s Great America. But the main reason for coming out was the Heritage Festival competition held at Foothill College. The audience consisted of not only other regional orchestras, but also a panel of three judges. Orchestra Council Treasurer and senior member Joan Lee felt that this competition was a “great reflection of [our] hard work throughout the year and [it was] really a time for the two orchestras, as well as
the school year didn’t bring the talented musi[the] directors, to shine.” While the musicians waited for the results cians together, the tour definitely united them as of their respective performances, they spent the one team. Orchestra Council President, senior day at Paramount’s Great America. After eight Julia Namkoong of Orchestra 3, noted how their mutual feelings of pride for hours of rides and atrepresenting AHS brought tractions, the Orches“motivation and inspiration tras met at the pavilion that encourage[d them] to for dinner, the muchperform [their] very best.” anticipated awards, and Orchestras 2 and 3 a dance for all the comwent out to San Francisco peting orchestras. to showcase their talent and Orchestras 2 and 3 hard work. After the Orboth participated in the chestra Spring Tour, Julia San Francisco Heritage noticed how “the Orchestra Festival and each earned students [got] closer [from] Gold Ratings. Orchestra 3 won first place in Photo courtesy of JULIA NAMKOONG the whole four days [spent] together, whether it was their category, with a ORCHESTRA FAMILY from traveling on the bus solid score of 95, and Orchestra members leave their for several hours, or preparthe Orchestra Sweephearts back in San Francisco. ing for the Heritage Festistakes Award. Just like Orchestra 3, Orchestra 2 won first place in their val, or spending a day together” at Paramount’s class. Orchestra Director Mr. Rick England was Great America. The tour was also a learning exproud to say that Orchestras 2 and 3 were “rec- perience for most, even if it was having a taste ognized as the Outstanding Instrumental Music of independence or even freedom. Sophomore program, beating all the band programs.” The Jody He of Orchestra 3 learned that “other than orchestras also won the Adjudicator’s Award, running around and having fun, we [became] independent” to having to take care of ourwhich marked the end of a perfect night. The four days spent together really selves rather than being babied by parents. If brought each Orchestra member closer you asked anyone that went on the Orchestra to one another. Junior Leslie Chang Spring Tour, they would definitely recommend felt that with the “different environ- this trip because of the special friendships that ment where [we spent] three nights formed, the laughter that was shared and above and four days with the same group of all, the life experiences that will forever remain people, [we] naturally [got] to know with them after years to come. each other better.” If all the previous competiphyynh@apachepowwow.com tions and performances from the beginning of
April 2010
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PERFORMING ARTS
9
Champions Impress at Dayton Competition By EILEEN CHOW Staff Writer
After long hours of practice, numerous competitions, and unyielding dedication and perseverance, they finally made it here. They took the stage, standing side to side with the elite. This year’s 2010 Winter Guard International competition (WGI) in Dayton, OH drew over 11,000 participants from all over the world. Our very own World Guard and Varsity Percussion (VPR) were a part of that crowd of performers, proudly representing the Colorguard and Percussion performing groups of AHS. While the rest of us were relishing spring break, World Guard members traveled to Dayton for their WGI World Championships from Apr. 6 to 10. World Guard has led a successful season so far, attending the Roosevelt HS Invita-
Regional at Riverside Community College from Mar. 20 to 21. After their WGI World Championships, World Guard members also performed at the WGASC Championships on Apr. 18 at Rancho Cucamonga HS. The Colorguard ended the season on a high note and took home the gold medal at the Southern California Championship.
great to be able to demonstrate all of our hard work for the past four months working on creating a successful show.” VPR’s own WGI Championships occurred after World Guard’s, as members competed at Dayton from Apr. 15 to 17. VPR season so far included the WGI Regional at Rancho Cucamonga HS from Feb. 20 to 21, WGI Regional at Temecula from Mar. 20 to 21. At the Valencia HS Southern California percussion Alliance (SCPA) show, VPR placed second with its total score of 71.95. VPR member junior Daniel Zaki concluded by explaining, “[this season] was amazing. I truly couldn’t ask for more, it had its ups and downs but I definitely think we’re pushing strongly to the end.” VPR members showcased their show, “Legend,” and were able to obtain fifth place in the preliminary rounds with their score of 90.738. In the final round, they scored seventh place in the nation with an overall score
competition]—the atmosphere, the chance to compete with [his] peers from nearby schools, [and] the chance to grow as a person.” Junior Jason Mulyadi, a member of the VPR Quad section also agreed, and said how he “felt that the whole trip was an incredible and unforgettable experience [and] performing for that crowd at Dayton was just plain amazing.”
Photo courtesy of MARK TORSTENBO
FLAWLESS ENDING VPR mem-
Photo courtesy of GREG MAR
PERFECT UNISON World Guard
bers deliver a great end to their show and season.
members shine in one of their assemble moments at finals.
Photo courtesy of WGI.ORG
LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT World Guard members raise their flags victoriously. tional at Corona (Feb. 6), Marina HS Invitational at Huntington Beach (Feb. 20), and Downey HS Invitational (Mar. 27). They competed in the WGI San Diego Regional at Rancho Bernardo HS during Feb. 27 to 28 and the WGI Riverside
World Guard started out with a score of 89.60 in the preliminary round, ranking fifth. They placed fifth again in semi-finals with a score of 91.75 and their final score of 91.5 placed them sixth overall. Colorguard squad leader senior Coco Ching remarked that “this year’s experience was amazing,” and she was “really glad that [she] had the chance to end [her] senior guard season this way.” Colorguard Captain senior Katherine Chin also enjoyed performing at the world championships, explaining that “being able to perform in a large arena to thousands of people is absolutely thrilling. It’s
Photo courtesy of MARK TORSTENBO
NATIONAL SUCCESS VPR members celebrate their win. of 92.00. VPR member junior Richard Lo said that he “just love[s] everything about [the WGI
World Guard and VPR both deserve a great round of applause after their successful seasons. Junior Eric Phan, member of the VPR bass section, said that he would always recall “Dayton [as] the best experience [he has ever] had in [his] life... and [how] drumming with the best of friends is a life changing experience.” With the conclusion of these events, the memories of competing will always remain with these performers, as they remember and cherish standing on the performance stage of the WGI competitions. echow@apachepowwow.com
Advanced Drama Makes AHS Their Stage
By KATHERINE BAY
and people will actually get it and enjoy themselves.” The romantic couples category may be Come thee hither! Methinks the upcomself-explanatory; however ing production of the Advanced the show will feature many Drama Department (ADD) shalt interesting couples that are be a turn of the century. Senior not usually mentioned as Drew McDaniels said, “[‘All the significant in Shakespeare’s World’s A Stage’] is a showcase plays. Since the range of of various Shakespearean scenes, distinctive duos are apparsonnets, and plays, where the auent, audience members will dience gets to see Shakespeare certainly have a kick out of come off the page.” On May ADD’s exciting versions of 7 to 8, ADD will be acting out the characters’ personalities scenes and compilations of variand actions. Although the ous Shakespearean work. With so specific plays were not menmany different types of categories tioned by ADD, Tricia hinted at hand, the members of ADD will that one couple is definitely portray their performances in eifrom Romeo and Juliet but ther one or more of these categoPhoto by ELLIOTT LEE the power couple being fearies: audition monologue, worktured in the showcase is not ing class, romantic couples, theme SHAKESPEARE Romeo and Juliet. Another collage, large group drama, and COMES TO LIFE monologue that will be fealarge group comedy. ADD member Chris tured is a dramatic monoThose who present an audi- McKinley showcases tion monologue will represent a his rendition of Othello’s logue from “All’s Well that Ends Well.” Shakespearean character in an monologue. Numerous collages that extremely exaggerated manner. Sophomore Tricia Lin will be playing an emo- are centered on an assortment of different scenes tional Juliet from “Romeo and Juliet” for her will consist of many unique categories; such as dramatic monologue and also cross-dressed thematic, working classes, and disguises. The Viola from “Twelfth Night” for her humorous themed collages will consist of many different monologue. She commented, “[The showcase Shakespearean plays linked together into one is] Shakespeare modernized, in some aspects, performance that all revolve around a common Staff Writer
theme. While the stories of the plays are still cutting scripts to emotionally preparing during intact, the collages express the ADD members’ class, ADD members have much ahead of them own little twists and interpretations of them. as they rehearse to embody true Shakespearean As a group, many members of ADD will characters. Sophomore Nick Muñoz said, “We perform a scene from “Comedy of Errors” begin to memorize our lines and rehearse. Once which is a “comedy based on the plot line of our lines are memorized we can start the real twins who were separathard work...emotion ed at birth end up in the prep! It sounds kind same town. It’s a bit like of weird, but it’s not Tia and Tamara from the uncommon to see us old Disney Channel if theatre geeks sitting you’ve watched that, but in a corner talking to with guys,” said senior ourselves and then Linda Luo. This scene bursting into tears. will consist of humor It’s what we call ‘getwith twists and turns all ting into character.’” around. It’ll surely be a With that, the mystery as to how they show won’t consist will cross-dress, but one of any extravagant will just have to watch Photo by ELLIOTT LEE costumes or sets, but the showcase to find out. only chairs. The variDRAMA-RAMA ADD members Linda also exous and creative ways plained, “We will be strut their Shakespearean stuff onADD uses the chairs performing our pieces stage. will definitely be an in Drama Teachers Association of Southern eye-catching “scenery,” as Nick put it. Junior California (DTASC) style, which involves cut, Clark Shao said, “It should be really exciting timed scripts with extensive focus on stage pic- because the actors get to bring about an essence ture, stage usage, and creative use of chairs as of theater long forgotten. It’s also really cool props.” The preparation for “All the World’s a since the actors will perform on a platform as Stage” is a little bit lax if compared to the previ- the audience is seated around the stage so there ous productions that have been done through- is no front or back because the actors will be out the year; however, their efforts are still at facing in kind of a 360º manner. the same level, if not higher. From finding and phuynh@apachepowwow.com
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April 2010
Arcadia Invitational
By JOYCE LIAO
Staff Writer
There are only two days a year when one can go stargazing under the glare of brilliant stadium lights, and there’s only one place to do it. At the 43rd Arcadia Invitational that took place Apr. 8 to 10 at Salter Stadium, the stars have never shone brighter. The official start to the boy’s decathlon and girl’s heptathlon took place on Thursday, Apr. 8. Gunnar Nixon of Sante Fe High School stole the show, scoring a US #2 all-time record of 7,573 points. Kevin Lazas of Brentwood High School took third on the US all-time list with a total of 7,510 points. The Arcadia Invitational now boasts the top three nationally ranked marks in the men’s decathlon. The Friday session on Apr. 9, also dubbed the “burning batons” section of the invitational, resulted in many broken school records, some state leaders, and even some US leading times. Our own Apaches took to the track and set it on fire. Even against strong competition, Girls Varsity Track took first in the seeded 4x800 with a time of 9:36. The team consisted of seniors Veronica Yee and Casandra Llamas, junior Catrina McAlister, and freshman Glindyll Mancia. Three teams of distance boys also ran in the Friday night 4x1 mile. The first team,which included senior Charlie Johansen, juniors Ammar Moussa and Eric Garibay, and sophomore
Sergio Gonzalez, placed third. Sophomore Alejandra Quintero took part in the open women’s 3200-meter race, finishing with a personal record of 11:08. Other highlights include Long Beach Poly’s current national mark of 9:07.55 in the Girls 4x800, St. Joseph-by-the-Sea’s 7:49 in the Boys 4x800, Xavier College Prep’s 20:31 in the Girls 4x1 mile, and Dana Hill’s 17:27 in the Boys 4x1 mile. In the sprints, Long Beach Poly smoked a 1:36 in the Girls
tations from spectators, coaches, and athletes alike. The Arcadia 4x400 team participated in the open Saturday morning sessions, and the girls ran a season best of 4:05. Sergio and sophomore Francis Lee ran great races, placing 4th and 11th respectively. Catrina competed in the 3200-meter race, and represented AHS well, flying a jaw-dropping personal best of 10:27. She had gapped the leaders by the one mile mark, and widened
Photos by ELLIOTT LEE
FROM ACROSS THE NATION Track and field athletes from all over the United States come to compete against Arcadia’s finest at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational. From left to right: Catrina McAlister, Khyber White from Martin Luther King High School, and David Lim. 4x200, and the Rio Mesa boys posted a 40.69 in the 4x100. Even Allyson Felix, an Olympic silver medalist in the 200-meter race, stopped by at the Arcadia Invitational for a visit. She was the athlete of the meet at the very same Arcadia Invitational in her high school days. With such amazing results from Friday’s relays, Saturday came with very high expec-
it as the raced continued. Positive thoughts and concentration helped her retain her lead. “It was weird to see such a big gap, but I kept telling myself, ‘This is my track,’” Catrina added. Ammar also raced in the 3200, arguably the deepest, most competitive one in meet history. Sixteen boys ran under 9:00 in the 3200, led by an astonishing performance from Jake
Hurysz of North Carolina, who lit up the track with an 8:49. Ammar also dipped under the 9:00 mark, with a time of 8:58. Despite running a personal best, Ammar was disappointed with his race. “It was not the weekend I was looking for. I wanted to come out here and prove myself,” he explained. Though the men’s 3200 was the highlight of the Saturday races, other astonishing marks came in the girl’s distance medley relay, where Redondo Union led three teams under the 12 minute mark. Kori Carter of Claremont also defended her 100-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles title, running US leading marks in both. Ashton Purvis of St. Elizabeth High School took the 100 and 200-meter races, marking her third straight consecutive win in both events. On the boy’s side, Josh Mance of Don Anotonio Lugo High School earned a 46.79 in the 400meter race, and Johnathan Cabral of Agoura High School sailed over the hurdles, running a 36.83 in the 300-meter hurdles. However, the field portion of track and field also deserves some credit. Michael Woepse of Mater Dei High School cleared 17 feet in the pole vault, of which AHS’s senior David Lim was a part of. Sam Crouser of Gresham High School posted huge double wins and national marks of 66-04 in the shotput, and 205-10 in the discus. True to our motto, when the lights went on, the stars came out. jliao@apachepowwow.com
Boys Golf Rounds Out Its Season in the 18th Round By JOYCE LIAO Staff Writer
A good slice sure can hit that sweet spot. For those of you who are not privy to the esoteric terms associated with golf, both are important words in the sport. However, most of you probably known what a hole in one is and luckily, it’s all you need to know on the subject to be up-to-date on the scores of Boys Varsity Golf. In other words, the members of the Boys Varsity Golf team are back and determined to exceed their performances last year: an impressive league championship. In fact, they were only cut right before the state game! This year, they hope to win league, stay undefeated, and qualify for state. “We are planning to make it farther than last year,” stated Captain sophomore Richard Jeong. Though their expectations and goals seem big, they don’t want to settle for anything less. Hopefully, their confidence, talent, and hard work will help them achieve their goals. However, they are starting off their season just right, beating out Glendora with a final score of 197-205 on Mar 2. Golf can be a tedious sport and takes up much of the players’ time. Unlike most other sports, the members of the Boys Varsity Golf team must miss entire days of school in order to
go to a competition. 203. The next day, they played to perfection, “Golf is really a game of management and beating Glendale with a score of 208-266. patience. It can get boring at times, but as long When the team played against San Marino as you are dedicated to the game, it probably on Mar. 17, the Apaches won with a close call is one of the most competitive sports,” said of 133-144. However, the next day, the team sophomore Jason Park. experienced its first and After all, those who are only loss of the season successful in the sport in their second game end up rich, famous, and against San Marino, loswell-respected. ing 334- 314. For those of you In the Ayala Tourwho are interested in the nament, the boys took sport, do not be discourthird in a strong field and aged. According to the against harsh conditions. captains and members They also won the Glenof the team, all it takes dale tournament. is patience and the deTheir first league termination to succeed. meet, which was hosted “You have to put in a at the Oakmont Country minimum of two to three Club on Mar. 29, only hours a day at the driving proved the Apache’s range and/or play on the dominance. The team course almost every day. beat out the three other It takes a strong desire to teams in attendance, Photo by ELLIOTT LEE with a final score of improve and a great deal of dedication to the game BOYS GOLF Sophomore Johnny 392 to Crescenta Valley of golf,” explained Coach Chu admires his swing, hoping to High School’s (CV) 413, Mr. Robert Greep. Burbank High School’s complete the course under par. So far, the team’s re(BHS) 435, and Jesse cord is practically spotless. On Mar. 10, Arcadia Bethel High School’s (JBHS) 443. slid by against Glendora with a score of 192At the second league meet, which took
place at the DeBell Golf Course on Apr. 15, Boys Varsity Golf once again emerged victorious. They were first, totaling a 371 to CV’s 397, BHS’s 388 , and JBHS’s 412. Their most recent league meet, again at the DeBell Golf Course, proved no different. On Apr. 21, the team shone, scoring a mere 369 points in comparison to CV’s 401, BHS’s 412, and JBHS’s 403. The boys’ steady improvements over the course of the season showcase their progress, and, hopefully, a successful conclusion to their 2010 season. Currently, the team is 19-0 overall and 16-0 in league. Boys Varsity Golf has accomplished feats other than dominating at league meets. They took out Oak Park, edging out the school in a close 393-403 on Apr. 12. The team itself is very close. With only 17 boys on both the varsity and junior varsity teams, the members know each other very well, and their close relationship might be a factor in their past, current, and future success. “Our plan for CIF is to win the Central division then move on to CIF team finals where we’d like to qualify for State. AHS golf has never made it to state and the boys would like to be the first team to do so,” concluded Coach Greep. jliao@apachepowwow.com
April 2010
SPORTS
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By ANDRE ANDREW EW LIN Staff Writer
Last mon month, nth, cross country and track runner junior Ammar Mou ussa visited Bydgoszcz, Poland and ran in Moussa the World Jun Junior Cross Country Championships, an roughly 4.97 miles, finishing in 66th place 8K race, rou out of 118 other world class endurance runners and w with a time of 25:00. Representing Team USA, USA A, he h competed in an international arena th that hat bboasted runners from all over the globe, from Kenya to Canada to Japan. fro But before he could race, Ammar pparticipated p in a qqualifier
competition in Spokane, Washington and managed to make the cut by a hair’s breadth—only the top six finishers could move on to Poland, and Ammar was sixth. However, to simply describe the criteria by which Ammar was selected does not do him justice. Consider the following: after touching down on the Polish tarmac and after having flown for 26 hours, Ammar went out for a run. Apparently, what we find strenuous exercise is the equivalent of a yawn and stretch for runners of Ammar’s caliber. What is work for most is pleasure for Ammar, who described his runs along the Brda River with gr reat rapture, amazed by the “churches that great lin ne th line the river and make for an amazing skyline.” line But when he wasn’t running, Ammar was wa experiencing Bydgoszcz. According to Ammar, there was not a lot to see: “Th “The surrounding area happened to be a fairly industrial city, so there wasn’t much ffairl do, but we explored their Old Town and tto do sampled samp ssa amp numerous cafes.” For Ammar and the rest of Team USA, tth hiiss m this meant that they had to make their own For one, they met with the locals. “The ffun. fu unn.. F Polish Po P olis lis people were all incredibly intrigued li bby y us u Americans being in their country,” ex explained xplla Ammar. “[On] the first day, numerou m merous people approached us, after seeing our Team USA clothing, asking us why we
POLAND
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were in their little city. They were all happy to see us.” And on top of that, Ammar spent a lot of his time getting to know the other teams, as well as his own. “Amazing!” was how he described his fellow teammates. “Not just the juniors but also the seniors. We all got along really well, and we really bonded. Just having the honor of representing the United States was an amazing feeling. As corny as it sounds, I actually felt a pride that I’ve never felt before.” As for those from other countries, they were “amazing to interact with, as long as we could somewhat communicate. We learned about their culture, and what they thought about Americans.” When asked to recount his fondest memory, Ammar related, “Well the night before the race, a couple of us guys ran around the hotel trying to find hair clippers to buzz ‘USA’ in our hair. We saw the Spaniards using some clippers, so with my amazing Spanish 2.5 skills I was able to ask them if we could use their clippers. They told me that it was out of batteries and then proceeded to laugh at us. We walked away. Then we made sure to beat them the next day.” And being only a junior, Ammar is far from peaking with his career. As for his plans for the future, he expressed a desire to “run in the World Champs next year and... [train] in a different manner, to get [him] to give the top 20 performance” he knows he is capable of. alin@apachepowwow.com
Arcadia Goes World MALAYSIA By REGINA LIU Staff Writer
Badminton, a commonly under-appreciated sport in Arcadia, has been brought into the light by sophomore Iris Wang. Iris and her team, the outstanding USA Uber Badminton Team, qualified for the Women’s Team World Badminton Championships, also known as the Uber Cup Finals, after defeating Peru on its home ground on Feb. 21 and winning the qualifiers. Thus, in less than a month, Iris and her team will be traveling all the way to Malaysia to compete for the Uber Cup. This year, the USA Uber Badminton Team is perhaps one of the strongest teams ever seen, made up of Olympian Mesinee Mangkalakiri and Eva Lee, a Pan Am Continental Youth Olympic Champion, and several Pan Am Junior Champions. This year, Iris has joined her elder sister, AHS alumna Rena Wang, on the team and they will both be fighting for the Team World Badminton Championships together. Iris said, “I’ve been on the same badminton team with my sister before, but to be competing with her for the Uber Cup is a whole new and exciting experience.” The final match against Peru, which would decide whether or not the USA team would qualify for the Uber Cup Finals, was off to a nail biting start as Rena took to the
courts against Peru’s Claudia Rivero in the longest match of the qualifiers. Rena won the first game at 24-22, but Rivero had the edge during the second game and the rubber. During the second singles, USA Olympian Eva faced Peru’s Christina Aicardi. This game was a USA victory, leaving the score tied at 1-1. The third singles, with USA’s Cee Katpura against Peru’s Alejandra Menteverde, put the USA 2-1 up. During the last match, USA’s top pair, Olympians Eva and Mesinee, won two straight games and ensured USA’s spot in the Uber Cup Finals. Although Iris and her team won the match, 3-1, the journey towards success was hardly an easy one. The team had to practice for long hours in order to prepare for the upcoming matches. Iris recalled that she often went home exhausted from practices. However, there are 11 teams (Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Denmark, Malaysia, India, Russia, Germany, Australia, South Africa, and China) who will be competing against the USA team for the Uber Cup Championship. On Mar. 8, for the preliminaries, the teams were split into four groups of three teams each. The USA team has been grouped with that of China, the defending champions for the Thomas and Uber Cup, and Malaysia, this year’s host nation.
M ayy The Uber Cup finals will be held from Ma May um mpu pur, r, 9 to 16 at the Putra Indoor Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ays ys a “I can’t wait to go to Malaysia. It’s always otthe h r her great experience to be able to compete in another a acountry. My team has already proven itself ccaoI pable of qualifying for the Uber Cup Finals, so ve think with a little more practice we could have just as fair a shot as any at winning the Uberr Cup,” Iris said. Although not many AHS students will be able to accompany Iris all the way to Malaysia for an entire week, everybody w wi lll bbee with with h hher err iin n sp sspirit, irit ir it,, su ssupporting ppoorti pp orting ng hher e er will fr rom hher eree at A AHS HS.. from here AHS. rliu rl liu i @a iu@a @apa pach pach chep hep epow owwo ow wo w wow. ow. w.co c m co rliu@apachepowwow.com
Photos courtesy of IRIS WANG, MILESPLIT.US, DYESTATCAL.COM, and INDIANA.EDU
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PostSecret Project
By KATHERINE BAY Staff Writer
Sharing a secret in public: humiliating. Sharing a secret anonymously: doable. PostSecret is a project created by Frank Warren that aims to let people express a secret they have never spoken aloud before. The anonymous factor encourages people to reveal their deepest, most empowering secrets to the world. In 2007, Warren launched the PostSecret project as a mere site on Blogspot. The concept wasn’t fully developed yet, but the project proved to be a success from the start. Every week, Warren would add 10 new postcards, until others started adding secrets of their own. From that point on, PostSecret enabled people to express themselves in a way without being judged by others. PostSecret is said to unleash healing powers to those who write the postcards and provide hope to those reading them. This entails an “anonymous community of acceptance” according to the PostSecret Community. Now let the habits, hopes, and dreams of AHS students be unveiled. kbay@apachepowwow.com
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Nine Years In The Making, OSB Makes U.S. Top 10
By JOANNA LIAO Staff Writer
For the first time in nine years, AHS’s very own Ocean Science Bowl (OSB) qualified for Nationals. On Apr. 22, OSB flew to St. Petersburg, FL to compete in the national championships, which lasted until Apr. 26. Captain senior Jason Jong bravely led his team in a battle of oceanography knowledge, ranging from biology, chemistry, and physics of the oceans to the more in-depth marine policy and geology of the seas. Members competed in Jeopardy-style tournaments that tested their knowledge in ocean science and agility with the use of buzzers. OSB usually meets twice a week: once after school on Monday in E-5 for an hour, and again over the weekend at Jason’s house for two hours. But preparing for Nationals required more than just the usual meetings. In anticipation for the meet, OSB met for ten hours a week, which did not include individual study times. Members did most of their studying after school at the public library. While AHS students were enjoying spring break, OSB members were meeting nearly everyday for two hours. In addition, the diligent team members had a seven hour meeting at Jason’s house the Sunday before the competition. OSB arrived at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront Hotel after a six hour flight. The actual competition began on Apr. 24 from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and took place at the University of Southern Florida. The teams that survived the Double Elimination Rounds continued to compete from 9:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. the following day. During the competition, OSB struggled to stay in the top ten. Senior Sherry Kuo remembered that the team’s “main competition was Punahou High School, which was preventing
AHS from advancing to Double Elimination Round Five that would commence on Sunday.”
School, the defending champion from Wyoming. Unfortunately, though with a great start,
Photos courtesy of JASON JONG
WHOO! On top of perfoming superbly at the competition, Ocean Science Bowl members also enjoyed a nice stay at Florida, meeting famous people while Captain senior Jason Jong pilots a private plane from place to place. In the four round robin games on Saturday, AHS managed to get a record of 3-1, losing only to Punahou High School. Hence, OSB went into Double Elimination as the sixth place seed against two teams that had gotten a perfect record in round robin. AHS easily advanced past another team from Hawaii. However, OSB had to step up against Marshfield High
AHS was not able to make up the deficit and lost. Therefore, Arcadia entered the losing bracket, with only one lifeline to spare. OSB had a quick loss to Dexter High School with a score of 69-39, but sadly, members had to face Punahou again. This was the grudge match: would OSB succeed, just like in
Regionals? Unfortunately not, and the defeat ended the members’ competition. In the end, Marshfield High School won first place, while AHS placed eighth. Sherry said that placing eighth “is actually not bad at all for not having gone to Nationals for nine years. Most of the teams there usually go to Nationals every year, so they have more experience. For me, going into Nationals didn’t exactly feel real. In the beginning of the year, I remember that I felt that we weren’t even going to be part of the top three at Regionals. For Nationals, we were worried that we wouldn’t even make it past round robin, but we were able to make it to Double Elimination and place eighth. I’m extremely proud of my fellow teammates and grateful for everyone who has helped us this year.” During their free time, OSB members visited the zoo, the Florida Aquarium, and Desoto Beach to not only enjoy St. Petersburg, but also to enhance their knowledge of oceanography. “It just so happened that Good Morning America was doing a documentary on manatees, and so we met Jacques Cousteau’s grandson as well. We went to the Florida Aquarium where we saw a variety of oceanic organisms, then we went to the beach for dinner and relaxation,” said Sherry. Upon the return date, a thunderstorm delayed the flight back home. Sherry admitted that, “It was kind of scary because we didn’t know where we could go.” On the plane flight back to LAX, another thunderstorm caused major turbulence and anxiety to the team members. “I hate flying”, confessed junior Sam Zeng, “I was so afraid we’d get fried by lightning.” In the end, OSB returned safely at 1:00 a.m. Tryouts for OSB will occur in mid-May, so be sure to attend if you are interested in this nationally ranked team. Once again, congratulation to OSB on placing eighth at nationals! jliao@apachepowwow.com Graphic courtesy of ABOUT.COM, DIGITAL-TOPO-MAPS.COM, and DO2LEARN.COM
Speech and Debate Bake Up Success in Bakersfield entirely different level of intimacy because it’s a one-time experience. It’s indescribable, the different relationships that build. You have special bonds with your roommates, and you have different, but still special bonds, with all of your other teammates.” As for the competition, AHS Speech and Debate had four members, senior Virginia Ma, juniors Ray Chao and Mi-
tough, learning from other speechies is always a great experience. I feel truly blessed to even Staff Writer be at State Champs.” This year, Ray legged All year, Speech and Debate has been comto State Champs, placing peting and doing well, but all in preparation for first in both varsity tournawhat? The Speech and Debate State Championments. At State Champs, ship Tournament! Ray won the title of 2010 From Apr. 16 to 19, 15 members of Speech California State Chamand Debate traveled to Bakersfield, CA to compion in Original Advocacy, pete against other teams from all across the along with a $1,000 scholstate. The competition lasted three days, with arship for being the highpreliminary rounds on the first est placing non-senior stutwo days, and elimination rounds on the third. This tournament had Graphic courtesy of CITY-DATA.COM dent in his event. Ray said, “It’s a shame that there is the same events as most of the chelle Zhu, only one trophy for the state champion because previous tournaments, ranging and sopho- my title doesn’t recognize the dozens of people from arguing the credibility of more Nancy who have helped me get to where I am today. lobbyists in Public Forum DeXiao, break My parents, coaches, friends, and teammates bate to telling stories about fat into semi- who have motivated and pushed me to reach kids with matches in Original finals, but new levels didn’t receive any recognition, but Prose and Poetry. Freshman Raonly Ray they certainly deserve to because they made me chel Ann Gasparini commented, placed in who I am today. Without this amazing speech “I really enjoyed watching Exfinals. Mi- team and its undue support, none of us would pository speaking, in which prechelle said, have succeeded. I think it’s a travesty to look at senters have props with lights “It is such the title in such narrow terms...we should really and music.” For others, the best an honor to recognize the team as a whole, especially our part of State Champs wasn’t the Photo courtesy of RAY CHAO break into coaches who work endless hours just to make competition, but the bonding and friendships amongst team AWARDS Junior Ray Chao and coach semi-finals sure we have this once-in-a-lifetime opportuat State nity.” Ray never stops talking, but it’s a wonmembers. Junior Janna Singer- Ms. Josipa Casey pose with awards. Champs. I derful thing. Baefsky said, “Because there are After the awards ceremony, a dance was so few people who go to State Champs, you get feel like everyone has worked hard, and everyreally close with everyone there, and you get an one deserves this. Although the competition is held to allow the members to celebrate and so-
By NANCY XIAO
cialize with members from other teams. “It was very interesting to see people I met in such a professional setting, such as a speech competition, dancing in such a carefree setting,” said sophomore Andy Qin. Overall, the members of this year’s team attributed their success to their coaches, Ms. Josipa Casey and Ms. Ashley Novak, who had been out on a maternity leave. Clearly, Ms. Casey did a wonderful job maintaining the the team and helping it improve to an insuperable level. Junior Angeline Nassif commented, “Even though this is my first year on the team, Ms. Casey helped me feel welcome into the family. All her dedication inspired me to do my best.” Despite being the inspiration and driving force behind all of the team’s success, Ms. Casey humbly focused on the team’s accomplishments, rather than her own, and said, “The team had a fabulous weekend at State Champs. It was a lot of hard work but we had a great time competing and meeting new people. I’m so proud of the entire team and its accomplishments. It has been an amazing year.” I think every member of AHS Speech and Debate can agree that the coaches, friendships, and competitions have made the ’09-’10 speech season the best one thus far. Congratulations again to the members who had performed so superbly this year and to the team for maintaining such a wonderful record! Way to make AHS proud! nxiao@apachepowwow.com
apachepowwow.com
April 2010
ACADEMICS
SO They Stated, “We’ve Improved.”
By SALLY CHUNG
Staff Writer
If you have ever walked by E-8 on a Thursday afternoon, you would have seen a class full of students working diligently on laptops or completely absorbed in books. You are probably wondering why these students spent their valuable time studying when they could have been sleeping. It is not because they find memorizing a binder full of facts memorable, but because they find winning enjoyable. Science Olympiad (SO) spent its entire year preparing for the State competition. All of the members’ hard work paid off as SO placed fourth, an improvement from the fifth place from the two previous years. On Apr. 10, the top 26 SO teams from Southern California arrived at Valencia High School ready to compete, including AHS’s archrivals, Troy High School and North Hollywood High School. However, SO came with a confident mindset; it dedicated countless hours during spring break preparing for the competition and fixing any problems it encountered during Regionals. Like Regionals, State consisted of written exams, labs, and building events—the only big difference was the inten-
sity. Every team competing was a top scorer in they had put into it throughout the year. Senior Sophia Chung reminisces, “SO is one of the best its own region. SO received a cumulative score of 190. experiences I’ve had in high school. It taught me to appreciate chalUnfortunately, lenges. It was through since only the SO that I learned to apfirst place team preciate what science proceeds to has to offer.” Nationals, SO Evidently, SO is did not qualigradually improving evfy. However, ery year, which means the members members will be back were more next year with a deterthan pleased mination to place even with winning higher. Co-Captain sefourth place. nior Eddie Xue stated, Senior Jason “I’d like to see next Jong stated, year’s team continue “we were comthe will to win and turn pletely caught Photo courtesy of DEREK CHOU Arcadia into a Southern off guard. It was truly all of TEST RUN Senior Eddie Xue tries out his California powerhouse for SO.” our individual mousetrap vehicle one more time. Congratulations SO efforts in each event that ultimately made us a better team this for all of its hard work! The team will be back next year, ready to surpass any obstacles. year.” After seeing their success this year, SO schung@apachepowwow.com members truly appreciate all of the hard work
09-10 Quiz Bowl Ends Its Season By DEREK HA
The tournament has a somewhat misleading name—State Championships—because it Staff Writer merely follows a series of competitions attendOn Saturday, Apr. 3, the AHS Quiz Bowl ed by teams from around the Southern Califor(QB) team competed at the State Champion- nia area. Generally, the teams in the top 15% ships at the Uniat any event earn a place versity of Califorat Nationals. The A team nia, Los Angeles from AHS had already (UCLA). This event accomplished this feat by concludes yet anothcoming in second place at er successful season Tournament Without An for QB. The A team Interesting Name back in will be advancing to October. Thus, the goal at the national comUCLA was to place anothpetition, which will er AHS team within the top take place over Mefive, qualifying both to the morial Day weeknational tournament. end in Chicago. QB members had Photo courtesy of CHUNG CHAN an early start on Apr. 3, “We were hoping to qualify two SOLVING Junior Patrick Han and meeting at 6:15 a.m. in the teams to Nationals,” sophomore Chung Chan partner up! school parking lot before said senior Stanley making their way to the Yuan, the Co-Captain. “Even though we fell tournament. There, the teams were randomly short, it was a good experience because our distributed into different bracket, with each team level of performance across the board was playing everyone else in its bracket. There was high.” a break for lunch, after which the teams were
placed into new brackets according to how they performed earlier. The results from the second half determined who qualified. Unfortunately, while the A team successfully came in fourth place, the B team was only able to secure sixth place. “Considering how tough the competition was, we have very little to be ashamed of,” said senior Alex Hu, the other captain. “We can only look forward to the national competition now.” Indeed, all four of the teams QB sent to UCLA finished with solid records. Only the A and B teams qualified for the championship bracket in the afternoon, but C team still finished with a positive win-loss ratio overall. The D team suffered in the morning, but remained undefeated for the remainder of the day. Despite ending on a somewhat disappointing note, the ’09-’10 QB season has been both enjoyable and fruitful for its members. We wish the A team the very best of luck in Chicago! dha@apachepowwow.com
The AHS Physics Bowl is Ready to Strike
By CHRISTOPHER CHEN
Staff Writer
Ready for a new “Bowl” team? Consider joining the recently re-established Physics Bowl team! A previous Physics Bowl was composed of a small group of friends who wanted to test themselves on a higher level. Thus creators juniors Vincent Li and Daniel Liem have spent their time since September chasing a chain of command to find the right authority to grant them permission. “It turned out that it was not as easy as it seems. We were directed to Dr. Sutro, who directed us to ASB, which then directed us to the Science Department Chair Head Staff Ms. Rapacon, who directed us to the Vice Principal Ms. Lashier,” explained Daniel. After getting the approval for the Physics team, Vincent and Daniel recruited members. Around mid-March, try-outs were held. Basic exams were given to test the level of performance and knowledge in students. Though the team was actually open to
all students, those who had taken the AP exams Physics Bowl Qualifying Test Competition in for Physics B or C had a priority in becoming April. The top five students in each of two divisions will compete in Nationals. a member. In the The team is also trying to inteend, 16 students grate itself into other regional were chosen, competitions. Co-Captains Vinwho seemed cent and Daniel are looking forready to “give ward to matching the previous their fullest dedPhysics Bowl’s championship at ication and comState and second at Nationals. mitment, putting Even though Physics Bowl the team on their has just been reestablished, top priority list,” members are already working described Danhard to expand the team and join iel. competitions. Best of luck to Since PhysPhysics Bowl! Also, we would ics Bowl will Photo courtesy of DANIEL LIEM like to congratulate the Co-Capnot be a class, the members ROLLING The Physics Bowl is now tain of Physics Bowl, Vincent Li, for making the U.S. Physics will have one to in action and seeking progress. Team. three hours every Tuesday in E-4, and extra meetings will be cchen@apachepowwow.com held in anticipation for upcoming competitions. The goal for the team itself is to prepare for the Graphics courtesy of DAILYCLIPART.NET
19
College Column: Northeastern U. By DEREK HA Staff Writer
No, it is not a typo. There actually is a Northeastern University, and as far as anyone can tell, the founder was not trying to pass it off as the more well-known Northwestern University. Established in 1854 and located in Boston, Northeastern was recently ranked 80th amongst American universities by the U.S. News and World Report. The same publication ranked Northeastern number one in terms of best career services. Northeastern boasts a strong pre-med program, recently forging a partnership with the Tufts University School of Medicine. Other popular majors include business, engineering, and health services. Students who are especially ambitious can enroll in the honors program. Northeastern University’s true claim to fame, however is its co-op internship program, one of the largest and oldest of its kind in the entire world. Students can alternate between academic studies and a paid job which is related to their major, graduating in either four or five years. The school regularly places its students in jobs at Disney, the White House, United Nations, and much more. It also provides housing for co-op students in New York City and Washington, D.C. Moreover, Northeastern is located in the quintessential college town, with schools like Tufts University and Boston University in close proximity. From Fenway Park to shopping centers, there is simply no end to the recreational, cultural, and culinary activities that students can partake in. Unsurprisingly, getting into Northeastern is no easy task. It has the third highest number of applicants—behind New York University and Boston University—amongst American private colleges, and only about 33% of applicants to the class of 2013 were successful. Like most private universities, Northeastern charges a high tuition. All students and applicants are encouraged to apply for financial aid, which is both need and meritbased. Admission Statistics: SAT scores: Critical Reading: 580 - 670 Math: 620 - 700 Writing: 580 - 670 ACT Composite: 27 - 31 Acceptance Rate: 35.2% Tuition for 2009-2010: $34,950 dha@apachepowwow.com
Photo courtesy of NEU.EDU
WRONG PLACE? No, education at Northeastern can be just as good.
20
STUDENT LIFE
apachepowwow.com
April 2010
Trivial Pursuit:
All Aboard the Queen Mary!
By JADE SHAO
nominees also partook in a fashion show and a variety of other amusing games and activities. Executive Copy Editor The male nominees were seniors Robel Abdella, Tim Boehr, Alex At the Sadie HawkChang, Israel Coleins Dance in March, Juman, Jamie Griswold, nior Council announced Calvin Hang, and Garthat this year’s Prom will rett Tuck. The female be held on the Queen nominees were seniors Mary on May 15, from Pallavi Bugga, Ashley 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Ethridge, Virginia Ma, Junior President Jon Ma Cora Ormseth, Nancy feels “lucky to get such a Pulciano, Kiko Sunata, great [location]” and anand Becky Yamane. ticipates that this year’s Four nominees—RoProm will be the best bel, Jamie, Pallavi, and one yet. Kiko—did not particiAlready, speculapate in Mr. and Miss tions of paranormal acArcadia because they tivity on the Queen Mary were in Washington have been circulating Photo courtesy of MEDIAPROUNIVERSITY.ORG D.C. for the Constituamong students, many of tion Team National whom are excited at the SEASIDE SERENADE Prom will be held on the Queen Mary in the elFinals. However, their prospect of having Prom egant Grand Ballroom, where students will enjoy a night of dancing. on a ship this year. Known as “The Grey Ghost” Council hopes to achieve a beach-like, romantic names were still listed on the voting ballots. during her years as a troopship in World War atmosphere with this theme, along with a color Students voted for Prom Royalty on Apr. 29, and the results will be revealed today, Apr. 30. II, the Queen Mary is still commonly associated scheme of blue, white, and silver. In addition, this year Senior Council Junior Council and Prom Committee are with ghosts to this day. While the ship is now permanently docked in Long Beach as a historic hosted the first-ever Mr. and Miss Arcadia, a still busy planning out every aspect of the dance hotel and musuem, there are still reported ghost talent show that introduced the Prom Royalty to ensure an enjoyable night for everyone.“It’ll sightings from time to time, especially in areas nominees during Senior Seminars. Essentially, be very fun and memorable, so make sure you where deaths had occurred. To allay student Mr. and Miss Arcadia will be the equivalent to come!” Winnie encouraged. It will definitely be fears, Junior Senator Winnie Hui assured every- Prom King and Queen—the only difference is an unforgettable voyage, so get ready to set sail one that the ship is safe and nothing will happen that this new concept “gives the senior class a for this year’s Prom aboard the Queen Mary! chance to meet who they are voting for,” Senior to students at the dance. djong@apachepowwow.com At the House of Representatives meeting President Meghan Daly stated. Prom Royalty
Poetry Month
on Apr. 14, Winnie announced that the theme for Prom 2010 is “Seaside Serenade”—truly befitting this year’s unique dance venue. Junior
By DEBBIE JONG
Staff Writer
We celebrate National Poetry Month in April, as well as the birthday of one of the greatest poets of all time, William Shakespeare. 1. Where was Shakespeare born? Stratford-upon-Avon. 2. What was the name of the playing company Shakespeare was in? Lord Chamberlain’s Men, or the King’s Men. 3. According to Robert Frost, what “has made all the difference”? “The Road Not Taken.” jshao@apachepowwow.com Ms. Casey, English Teacher C 1. Stratfordupon-Avon. X 2. Royal Shakespeare? Global Theater? C 3. “The Road Not Taken.” Score: 2/3
Mary Guyer, Freshman C 1. England? Stratford-upon-Avon. C 2. Lord Chamberlain’s Men. X 3. The journey? I don’t know.... Score: 2/3
No Mistake, We had a Great Break Compiled by JADE SHAO & RHIANNON YEE
Mina Zomorod, Sophomore C 1. Stratfordupon-Avon. I got this! C 2. King Chamberlain’s Men. X 3. Oh shoot...this sounds very familiar. I don’t know. Score: 2/3
“My dad’s band [The Cauze] played at a huge event in Lake Elsinore called Warrior Dash where people race through mud, flames, and all kinds of stuff. [My dad] let me sing ‘Paranoid’ by Black Sabbath with his band. After singing in front of huge crowds since I was five [the nervousness] wasn’t so bad...I love the feeling when I get on stage and I feel the audience’s energy!” — Keelan Ellis, senior
Staff Writers
While most students spent their spring break slaving away at piles of homework, not everyone chose to be shut inside the house. From hanging out with friends to traveling, find out what your peers did during the break! jshao@apachepowwow.com ryee@apachepowwow.com Jeff Xiao, Junior C 1. Stratford, but there’s more. Stratford-blah-blah.... X 2. D’Oyly Carte Opera Company. C 3. The Frost poem is “The Road Not Taken.” Score: 2/3 Photo courtesy of SHANNON HSU
Macie de Castro, Senior C 1. England! Um, Stratford-uponAvon, right? C 2. King’s Men! X 3. Umm...love? Score: 2/3 Photos by JADE SHAO
“Carnegie Hall is every musician’s dream. Luckily, I was not the only musician from AHS to have been selected for this fantastic opportunity. [Freshman] Kathleen Chen was also selected to tour and was my roommate. While in New York, we took master classes at Juilliard, rehearsed at Steinway Hall, and finally performed in Carnegie Hall. I was so nervous! New York was a wonderful experience—I hope to return soon.” — Shannon Hsu, junior
Photo courtesy of KEELAN ELLIS
“[Senior Virginia Ma] and I went to a bikram yoga class. It is similar to normal yoga, except the room is heated to 110 degrees with 60% humidity. The heat supposedly increases flexibility and has a detoxifying effect, but it is excruciatingly painful. We almost passed out during the 90-minute class, contorting our bodies into different poses and sweating. The class was so intense that several others in the class cried (but not us). Despite all the torture, the class was extremely refreshing, rewarding, and worth the pain.” — Ray Chao, junior
Photo by JADE SHAO
“I went to Chuck E. Cheese with my friend [senior Manny Rosas] and his family. We went so that his little sisters could play the games and use up old tokens…well we ended up getting really into it and tried beating all the high scores possible. It was so fun bringing out my inner kid again. ” — Phillip Juarez, sophomore Photo courtesy of PHILLIP JUAREZ
April 2010
apachepowwow.com
STUDENT LIFE 21
Shooting for Victory GSA: Our Lips are Sealed [are] over,” explained Freshmen President Tricia Xu. Staff Writer It was a short, fast-paced competition. Forty-five seconds. That is all the time About 20 people signed up and participated evgiven to the players to show their shooting abil- ery day during the weeks the competition was ities. Every held. After all Tuesday and players had their Thursday from final chance to Apr. 13 to 22, prove that they students comdeserved the peted in the prize, Freshmen Three-Point Council tallied Shootout held up the total shots in the North each participant Gym hosted made. They deby Freshmen clared the winner Council. to be freshman Students Josh Kusmuentered the lyana with 13 gym at the shots. Josh had beginning of Photo by LENA KALEMKIARIAN decided to enlunch, eagerly because “[he BEATING THE BUZZER Participants of the ter awaiting their likes] to play time to shine. Three-Point Shootout had 45 seconds to shine. basketball and Participants spent about ten minutes practicing [likes] to shoot three-pointers.” He added, their shooting. Before they knew it, it was of- “There is really nothing to do at lunch besides ficially time for them to begin. The members of the normal stuff!” Freshmen Council set up three basketballs on It is given that Josh is happy that he won marked spots along the three-point line. After the Three-Point Shootout not only for the glory each participant took a shot, council members of being a good shooter, but also for the grand would catch the balls and return them to the prize he received: a Yogurtland gift card. marked spots. “[Basically,] you go around the three-point line and back until your 45 seconds lkalemkiarian@apachepowwow.com
By LENA KALEMKIARIAN
By ESTHER LIN
Staff Writer
On Apr. 16, Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) participated in the Day of Silence (DOS), a nation-wide event to spread awareness of the mistreatment of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community. For years, people have been driven to extremities, such as committing suicide, because of the harassment they have endured. On a day-to-day basis, people abuse words like “gay” without consideration. The insensitivity has caused the LGBT community to have lower confidence. The key to changing this is awareness. As GSA adviser Ms. Madeline Antilla stated, “We want people to stop and think.” Stemming from student-led action on the campus of the University of Virginia in 1996, the DOS has transformed into an annual tradition. In April 2002, students organized the DOS in more than 1,900 schools across the country, with approximately 100,000 students who joined the effort. The DOS began at AHS approximately eight years ago and the tradition still remains strong. It continues to be an efficient and nonviolent method of attracting attention to an important and widespread issue that transcends the boundaries of our school. Even though only 20 to 40 AHS students participated
this year, most being members of GSA, their influence is significant and they continue to aim for greater equality for the LGBT community that has been unfairly discriminated against. Through this single event, LGBT people are encouraged to stand proud for themselves because who they are should not be affected by those who do not understand. Participants attained permission from their teachers beforehand. Since it would ultimately be distracting to the learning atmosphere to have students resist speech during class, participants of the DOS were encouraged to participate in class when necessary. Writing was also permitted. However, students carried around a card during the day that they presented to other people to explain what they were doing. Sophomore Jessica Pineda was proud of the results because “we didn’t expect a lot of people to participate, but when I looked around the school, I saw quite a few people with tape on their mouths.” In addition, she was also glad that “compared to last year, the people who weren’t participating didn’t tease the participants.” Overall, Apr. 16 was a day for many to take a stand for their beliefs. Now a question for you: What are you going to do to end the silence?
“What will YOU do to end the silence?”
elin@apachepowwow.com
Two Snapshots of Stanford University science major, is taking an iPhone application class, and meets weekly with CEOs about inGuest Writer ternship offers, enjoying a great community of Stanford University is at a perfect geo- exceptional minds. In my own field of civil engraphic location for three reasons. First is the gineering, you can participate in amazing projdistance from home; while it is not as far as ects like the Defense Advanced Research Projcolleges in the East Coast, it is not as close ects Agency (DARPA) Urban Challenge, solar as UCs and private universities located in car races, and revolutionary energy research. Southern California. Of course, the other sciences and This means you are humanities at Stanford are also close enough to comgreat, and you will find no other fortably return home college with engineering and enfor the holidays, but trepreneurship opportunities like far enough that your Stanford. parents can’t easily surAnother quality that sets prise you in your dorm. Stanford apart from other univerSecond is the beautiful sities is its one-of-a-kind student California sunshine, atmosphere. Stanford prides itself but I assume you alon providing an extreme social ready understand the life with an unusual student body. benefits of that. Third is Our mascot is literally an ugly Stanford’s proximity to tree that dances around and makes two amazing locations: fun of other college mascots. One San Francisco and San of the most ridiculous traditions Jose, home of the Siliat Stanford is fountain hopping, con Valley. which involves gathering a group Photo courtesy of DEREK OUYANG If you are interof your crazy friends at midnight ested in engineering, computer science, or en- and jumping into the many ice-cold fountains trepreneurship, Stanford is an especially suit- on campus. If you are slightly more restrained, able choice because you will be at the heart of there is an amazing hiking destination in the today’s biggest innovations. The founders of foothills below Stanford, a vibrant ballroom Google, Yahoo, and other successful compa- dance community, or plenty of places to just nies went to Stanford, and you will find many relax in arguably the most beautiful campus in buildings named after famous leaders includ- the nation. Every week you can find amazing ing Bill Gates, Bill Hewlett and Dave Pack- shows, parties, speakers, and other events that ard, and Jerry Yang. I have already attended only happen at Stanford. Because it is so isolatmany job fairs with employers like Facebook ed from other top private universities, Stanford and Apple who have high expectations of truly presents a unique, untraditional college Stanford students. My roommate, a computer life that rewards hard work with lots of fun.
By DEREK OUYANG
my regular classes are just as remarkable. My multivariable calculus class uses the same Guest Writer textbook as an equivalent class at MIT, but With sand under my feet, cool water we went through the entire book much fastaround my legs, and gentle winds blowing, I er than the class at MIT did. Why? Because strolled on the beach. As I walked further away while most universities (including MIT) use a from the beach house where I was staying, my fifteen-week semester system, Stanford operfriends’ laughter faded into the sound of crash- ates on a ten-week quarter system. Though the ing waves. The sun was setpace of classes is definiteting, casting an orange glow ly faster, we get to choose over the landscape, and I took classes 12 times as undera picture. I can hardly rememgraduates, as opposed to ber another time when I was only eight times in semesthis thoroughly happy. This is ter-system universities. what the last eight months of The atmosphere at my life has been like. This is Stanford is rather laid Stanford. back. The cutthroat comThat weekend, my resipetition and snobby elitdential assistants had rented ism commonly associated two beach houses to accomwith top institutions simmodate all 40 people in my ply don’t exist here. Afdorm to mark the beginning of ter all, Stanford’s campus Spring Quarter. The camera I used to be a large farm, used was a Canon EOS 5D, an and I suspect its idyllic almost professional SLR that a and pastoral past infects class equipped me with. Photo courtesy of PAUL CHEN the spirit of whoever sets This class titled the Techfoot upon our beautiful nical Aspects of Photography is taught by a campus. physics Nobel Prize laureate, Dr. Douglas OsMy peers are the nicest, most caring, and heroff, who happens to be an avid photographer. most diverse group of people I have ever met; There are countless professors like Dr. Osheroff not to mention they are all extremely intelliat Stanford—professors who want to share their gent, talented, and passionate about what they passions, professors willing to spend thousands do. From the Icelandic polyglot aspiring to on camera equipment for you, drive you to be a neurosurgeon to the Massachusetts enscenic locations on photo excursions to “gain trepreneur who already owns a multimillion field experience,” and then treat you to lunch dollar company; the Malaysian winner of the simply because you share the same interests as International Mathematics Olympiad to the they do. Californian violin prodigy who worked at the Aside from these interest-driven seminars, White House, this is the essence of Stanford.
By PAUL CHEN
FEATURES
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kbay@apachepowwow.com Photo courtesy of EPICURIOUS.BLOGS.COM
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♫ Satisfy Your Cultural Curiosity Cravings OM
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“Hello ma’am. May I take your order?” asked the waiter. “Yes. Could I have a Modern Toilet Chicken Curry in a toilet bowl and Honey Green Tea in a urinal bottle?” replied the customer. “Of course. Would you like a side order of Onion Rings in a bathtub?” “Sure. And please add Chocolate Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce in a squat toilet.” “Coming right up.” Describing Modern Toilet Restaurant and its peculiar menu as bizarre is definitely an understatement. Try going to The Grouchy Chef restaurant, which has rules such as not cleaning your plate prevents you from ordering dessert. Not quite your type? No worries. There are tons of wacky restaurants all over the world that offer unusual food or services, or are located in otic pl exotic places, for you to try a meal in. K Ohelo: An active volcano even a mile Ka way fro away from you may seem problematic; building a restaurant on the rim of one is practically insane. Although the view from the top of Kilauea Caldera on the Big Island of Hawaii may be stunning, shuddering from the fact that the volcano could erupt at any time adds a huge drenalin rush to any meal. adrenaline On World Everybody Eats: What’s odd One bout thi about this restaurant is that it is a non-profit organization that helps people see the beauty of savoring food. You can come in and have an organic meal in which you eat as much as you can and pay as you eat. If you don’t have money to pay for your meal, there are volunteering opportunities in which you can wash dishes or work n the res in restaurant’s garden as compensation. Arc Archipelago: In the center of London is a restaura restaurant where anything is possible. Instead ti European pastries with tea, customers off eating can order entrées consisting of African crocodile bites or spiced Australian kangaroo fillet. If you’re feeling daring, you can add side dishes such as chili and garlic locusts with crickets or even ven n cho choc chocolate covered scorpions to your meal. Tre House Restaurant: Not only is this Tree New Zeal Zealand restaurant built on top of a tree, butt it iis also made of numerous books called Yellow, which is similar to the U.S. Yellow Pages. The light weight of the pages of Yellow that cover the exterior construction of the resurant m taurant makes the structure both eco-friendly ndd uniqu and unique. Grouchy Chef: Walking into this restauGro rant, you instantly see tons of handwritten signs found along its walls. The chef lives up to his name, as he becomes extremely temperamental d not follow his absurd signs. iff you do Hobbit Hob House: The wait staff in a pub located ated in tthe Philippines is friendly and polite— two characteristics a customer would hope they’d be. What sets them apart from the norm is their minuscule, dwarf size. Despite the waiters’ height difference, this restaurant is a great place to listen to jazzy music. The diversity of all of these restaurants shows how unique every culture is when it comes to what we chow down. From peculiar locations to absurd themes, restaurants worldwide don’t have a limit to creating one-of-akind experiences for each and every customer.
sb
Staff Writer
Besides math, music is a global language everyone can understand. The first musical instruments found were dated back to 7,000 BC, showing that music has been a staple of everyday life for millenia. But in this modern world, what does your favorite music tell about your personality? A survey by researchers in the psychology department at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh asked 36,000 music lovers worldwide to describe their personality traits and to list their favorite genres of music. The results show a direct connection to the music people enjoy and their personalities. ♪ Rock ‘n’ Roll lovers were found to have high self-esteem and discovered to be creative, hard-working, and comfortable with themselves, but not very kind or generous. ♫ Blues lovers were found to have high self-esteem and discovered to be creative, outgoing, and comfortable with themselves. ♪ Rap lovers were found to have high self-esteem and discovered to be extremely outgoing, bold, and selfconfident. ♫ Country and Western lovers were found to be hard-working and outgoing. ♪ Indie lovers were found to have low self-esteem and little motivation but described themselves as creative. They are not very kind or gen generous. ♫ Heavy Metal llovers were found to be creative and comfortable with themselves and have high self-esteem, but were not very outgoing or hard-working.** self♪ Classical lovers were found to have high self-esteem and to be creative and at th ease with themselves, but not outgoing.** **The study has shown that lovers of classical music share much of the same personality ttraits as heavy metal fans. According to Professor Adrian North, the leader oof the study, both heavy metal and classical fans like music that is dramatic and theatrical, meaning that hard-core Metallica fans have a higher chance of trying Beethoven than country fans are willing to try Kayne West. Music is clearly an important indicator of people’s personalities, as research has shown that people start to bond with their music because it is profoundly linked to their identities. So go out there and meet people with the same interests in music as you because you’ll soon find out that’s not the only thing you have in common.
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By KATHERINE BAY
The Soundtrack of the Soul
April 2010
Ph
Eccentric Eateries
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Ryan Liu
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ryanliu@apachepowwow.com
By JOANNA SHEN Executive Copy Editor
costume is set aflame to ensure the creation of a new bear the following year to celebrate the harvest. Lopburi, Thailand: We are used to holidays celebrating people and the comforts of family. However, every November, the Thai celebrate an intelligent and curious animal, the monkey. The Lopburi Monkey Festival is a relatively new holiday in which more than 2,000 Macaque monkeys are served a buffet of delectable treats including fruit, ice cream, and even grilled sausages. These monkeys parade the town, wreaking havoc and stealing food from the hands of pedestrians. But no one minds because monkeys are rumored to bring prosperity to their town. Gloucester, England: People from all around the world flock to Cooper Hill during May to participate in the exciting Cheese Rolling and Wake event. As one of England’s most popular events, the tradition is rumored to stem from Roman times or to have been involved in pagan healing rituals. The game begins when a round of Double Gloucester cheese is rolled down from the top of Cooper Hill. When the cheese begins rolling, g, competitors race down the hill after it, scrambling to catch the cheese before it crosses the finish line. Because the cheese can reach speeds of up to 70 mph, the OM R.C feat rarely LLE
We gorge ourselves with delectable dishes of food on Thanksgiving, sing carols around Christmas, and clink glasses of apple cider on New Year’s. These traditions reflect the typical American experience when it comes to holidays—simple and heartwarming. While these practices seem relatively common and normal to us Americans, people of other countries are accustomed to celebrating their holidays in the most bizarre ways. Bunol, Spain: Known as the famous La Tomatina, this Spanish holiday that occurs every August revolves around honoring the town’s patron saint, San Luis Bertran. The townspeople honor him by spending a week throwing, hurdling, and barraging people with overripe tomatoes in the streets of Bunol. After a few hours of intense battling with tomatoes, firefighters spray down the streets and the participants alike with gallons of water. Though the epic food fight occurs for religious reasons, it’s safe to say the Spanish also have a lot of fun participating. Whittlesey, England: Every January, the English celebrate what is known as Straw Bear Day, an ancient festival revived in 1980 by the Whittlesey Society. One young boy dons a five-pound bear costume made out of straw and performs celebratory dances in the streets in exchange for gifts of money and food. The E bear is often followed by a procession of about ANH nd D a K 300 dancers, musicians, and performers. The O.U G.C following Sunday after the parade, N I L L -RO the “Bear Burning” cerESE E H emony takes place, fC sy o urte in which o c tos Pho the bear
occurs, so the first person to cross the finish line wins the competition. A number of injuries have occurred in the cheese frenzy, ranging from sprained ankles to concussions due to the steepness and unevenness of the terrain, which is why first aid service is now provided at the event for safety precautions. Needless to say, hundreds of other wacky holidays occur throughout the world, and these are just a few to spark some international interest. With these in mind, you are now justified in engaging in vicious tomato fights, parading around in straw, feeding monkeys your unwanted vegetables and desserts, and last but not least, rolling cheese down hills. After all, you are simply appreciating the diverse cultures of the world. jshen@apachepowwow.com
CATCH THAT CHEESE! The Cheese Rolling and Wake event is just one bizarre holiday tradition on the other side of the world.
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April 2010
The Secret Life of the American Teacher By AMY LEONG Staff Writer
The teachers at AHS are truly one-of-akind. They are known not only for assigning their huge heaps of homework and their terrific teaching talents but also for their incredible flying skills, historical interests about hardware, or even superb ice cream scooping skills. Take our very own teacher Mr. John Panza for example, who, fresh out of college, managed his own McDonald’s and “cooked up crazy food concoctions” known as “Panza-burgers.” But after his 18-month endeavor of “having 80 employees under [him],” he transferred “into accounting for about three years with a medical insurance firm.” However, dealing with spreadsheets all day long wasn’t his cup of tea; Mr. Panza’s real dream job was flying—specifically a plane for the airlines. Like in every fairy tale, his dream came true, for he became a flight instructor for two years and taught others how to fly. But soon enough, “the events of 9/11 caused a career shift and [he] translated [his] love of teaching people to fly into teaching at AHS.” If Mr. Panza’s flying lessons blew you away, you’ll be amazed by Mr. Oliver Beckwith’s heartwarming tale. It all started at a hardware store, where our history lover was charged with telling “customers about the history of a tool, or when a certain plant was first imported to the United States.” His coworkers also “told [him] that [he] should be a history teacher because [he] was teaching them more about history than their high school history teacher,” which
hardware store; it was also meeting his future wife at that same location. They have been married for 27 years. A n other story strikes our attention even further. Currently teaching Biophysical Science and Human Physiology, Ph Mr. Tal M Jones is also very fascinating when Graphics courtesy of BUSINESSWEEK.COM, LOFTYYELLOWPAGES.COM, OM WORDPRESS.COM and photos by AMY LEONG and courtesy of SOUTHERNOB- it comes to SERVER.COM his previous occupaA WINDOW INTO THE PAST Mr. Panza, Mr. Beckwith, Mr. tions. DurJones, and Mr. Woodin show us that teachers are people, too! ing college, led him down the path to becoming a teacher at he worked as “a back hoe operator at a cemAHS. However, it was not just the facts of tools etery, digging graves” and “worked in a surgical that sparked Mr. Beckwith’s attention at the ward, transporting patients to the surgical suites
Four Mean, Green Routines By JOANNA SHEN Executive Copy Editor
With the surge of save-the-environment notions being promoted by celebrities, major companies, and the media, we are now familiar with the usual “green” actions—switching to fluorescent light bulbs, turning off the faucet when brushing our teeth, and recycling. However, many of us don’t know that there are many other subtle changes we can make that are not as blatantly apparent but can make dramatic changes to resource conservation. And since Earth Day was on Apr. 22, let’s prove that we can continue to help our planet not just one day, but every day. For many of us, cell phones are our lives. But they can be one of the most energy-consuming electronic devices we own. When we charge these phones, only 5% of the power in the charger is actually used to charge. The he other 95% of power is lost simply because the he charger is plugged into the wall. If just 10% % of cell phone users unplugged their chargers, s, the energy saved could power 60,000 homes es for a year. Toilets often use more water than neccessary to remove waste. To solve this probblem, fill an empty plastic gallon-jug (a milk k container will suffice) with several inches of gravel or pebbles. Fill the rest of the jug up p with water and cap it. By simply placing the he jug in the toilet tank and allowing it to sit at the bottom, you can convert your toilet into o a low-flush toilet. The displacement of water er caused by the jug will result in a toilet that at reduces water usage by more than 50%.
Clean the lint filter in your washing machine. Leaving excessive lint will block the circulation of hot air and will require the machine to work much harder than it has to, reducing efficiency by 30% and consuming more energy as well. Traditional household cleaners account for more than 10% of toxic exposures to the environment. So opt for homemade mixtures that are more environmentally friendly. For cleaning sprays, combine 2 cups water, 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1/4 tsp. tea tree oil, and 1/4 tsp. lavender oil in a spray bottle to produce an organic mixture. We don’t have to reverse our lives completely to save the Earth. These alternatives are simple, and most can be accomplished within minutes to have an everlasting impact. So spread the word, make a change, and, as cliché as it might sound, save the world. jshen@apachepowwow.com Photo courtesy of WHATARETHEYWAITINGFOR.COM
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for their surgeries.” Later in life, Mr. Jones and his brother “owned and operated two Baskin Robbins (BR) stores in Utah, actually open[ing] the first drive-thru BR in the nation.” For seven years, he had a lot of fun in the ice cream industry, but eventually turned to teaching at AHS. Last but not least, Mr. Matthew Woodin takes it away with his insightful experience on the field. In high school, he started off mowing lawns, working in a screenprinting shop, and earning money through other odd jobs in his neighborhood. He said, “In those days, the money went for gas, surfing, records (vinyl discs that you played on a record player). My first ‘real’ job [in which you have to pay taxes] was at Penguin’s Frozen Yogurt—it was like Yogurtland, but it was not do-it-yourself.” Along with all those outside job opportunities, Mr. Woodin added, “Then I delivered flowers until I went to college. This was eye-opening. It taught me why education is important because without it you are stuck! I made a delivery once and the lady refused the flowers—weird!” And with all that exciting information, he leaves us with this advice: “Each job you do says something about you. If your heart’s not in it, then get out. However, if your education and skills are limited you may be stuck for life. Thus, choose wisely, scholar!” So the next time you enter AHS, think twice about your college careers and summer jobs—vacations filled with memories to be embedded in your heart forever. aleong@apachepowwow.com
Rock, Paper, Quidditch! By THERESA LEE Staff Writer
Have you ever seen an odd sport on TV and wondered how that could possibly be considered a sport? Sorry to break your bubble, but news flash! There are far weirder sports in the world than dodgeball or snooker. Take a look at these astonishing activities: Rock Paper Scissors: If you thought that this little game was just a simple way to settle trivial matters like who gets to eat the last scoop of rocky road ice cream, think again. The USA Rock Paper Scissors League has held annual tournaments since 2006 for players wishing to show off their battling skills, with the champion winning $50,000. There is even an international set of rules and regulations for this quirky game. Talk about rocking fame. Extreme Ironing: This isn’t what your mom has to do for your clothes every weekend because you are too lazy to do it yourself. This is EXTREME IRONING. Originating in England, extreme ironing is ironing in extreme places, whether it be on a river rapid, atop a Redwood tree, underwater—anywhere! It combines the thrill of an extreme sport with the simplicity of a daily chore. Quidditch: Okay, maybe this isn’t a real sport. But this popular game that originated from Harry Potter has evolved into a somewhat widely participated activity in colleges. Occidental College, for example, has its own team. Termed “Muggle” Quidditch, this sport is very similar to the actual game in spirit and excitement. Players run around a field with a
broomstick between their legs and try to scoree y the most points by tossing a ball ll he ooppothrough the nent’s hoop. op. C Catching S the “Golden Snitch,” a runner enclosed in golden costume, brings even n more points. It’s like a dream come true for many of us. Don’t we all wish at some point we could live in the world of Harry Potter? Wife Carrying: Hey tough guys! Think you’re strong enough to carry a 50 lb weight around a 250m obstacle track? Well, then how about carrying a woman through it? That’s right. Invented in Finland, wife carrying is a contest to see how fast someone can carry his wife through a course. Certain rules apply, of course, like the weight requirement of the wife. Though major competitions take place in Finland, there is a North American Wife Carrying Championship that takes place every year in Maine. I know you guys are not yet eligible for this sport (hopefully), but maybe you can convince your parents to try this peculiar challenge. It might be time for mom to go on a diet though! And these are just a handful of the many bizarre sports played by people all over the world. Learning about them is quite interesting, although I must admit that it makes me wonder what people were thinking when they first invented these sports…. tlee@apachepowwow.com Photo courtesy of PHOTOBUCKET.COM
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CALENDAR
April Word J U MB LE
Accepted By KATE HARWITZ
Directions: Unscramble the given letters and write the answer in the boxes right below it. Then using the letters in the circles, unscramble the word for the solution of the puzzle. The answers are all words that have some relation to the month of April.
Pache’mon PostSecret By BEVERLY CHEN
123456789 Sudoku Check your answers at apachepowwow.com
Courtesy of WEBSUDOKU.COM
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April 2010
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Party Hard, Rock the Boat By CHERRY MO
Save Water, Turn Your Faucets Off By CHERRY MO
CALENDAR
25 Spice Up Your Life at May’s Chicken) come with a free soda and are priced at $4.49. And the Chef’s Combo lets you Staff Writer choose one dish from a few options (like any Don’t look now, but there’s a creepy figure wings or shrimp) with an additional choice of stalking you. Oh wait. My bad. It’s just those rice or fries and a free soda all for $6! Drinks AP exams lurking around the corner! And you include soft drinks, Boba milk tea, ice cappucthought you had more time to study, huh? Now cino, and about 20 smoothie flavors ranging would be a good time to dust off that textbook from $1 to $3. and start reading. It also wouldn’t hurt to pick Now let’s get down to the food. Starting off up your pencil and actually do your homework. with the Fish n’ Chips as an appetizer provides a hearty start to my afternoon meal. The fried fish fillet has a crispy outer layer, tender inside, and a slightly salty taste that harmonize with the tangy tartar sauce. The fries crunch when I bite into them, but let out a steamy sigh of the potato-y insides. Next up, the clam chowder. I can only describe it as a thick buttery and sprinkled garlic essence that melts through my taste buds into a mouthwatering creamy paradise. The diced potatoes and clams evenly mixed throughout create a divine balance between the Photos by GLUTTON GIRL soup and ingredients. I also have the pleasure of eating a combo of the Cajun shrimp over THE SPICE GIRLS APPROVE spaghetti and vegetables. Shrimp is prepared Cajun Shrimp and pasta make the either with the shell or without. The Cajun flaperfect pairing. vor tastes very authentic, spicy and smoky, but Just kidding, West Siders! With these tests not too overpowering with the fragrance of garrolling in, I know you all have been studying lic and onion. And the spaghetti is smothered hard so let’s spice it up and try something new: in cream sauce. A few bites leave my mouth May’s Cajun Kitchen on 215 E. Foothill Blvd, tingling but longing for more. The Boba milk a fairly new and small eatery in Monrovia that I think deserves more attention. I don’t know about you, but I know I sure can’t study on an empty stomach, so let’s see if this eatery makes the grade or fails to pass the taste test! May’s specializes in shrimp and wings, Cajun style. Cajun is not all they offer though. Their Cajun cuisine fuses with Asian and features a few American items as well, as it is more of an Asian fusion cuisine. The interior is definitely cozy and makes me feel at home. In one corner, there is a large flat screen TV (ideal for watching sports with company) and along SERVING UP THE CLASSICS the banister, numerous flower arrangements to May’s offers the usuals, like the celebrate the beauty of springtime. But what Teriyaki Ch icken and Rice. catches my eye the most is the amount of posters for the food selections available. From the tea (only $1) is not exceedingly sweetened but outside to the inside, the walls are plastered it does have a slightly bitter aftertaste, though I with papers, posters, and pictures all display- think that is a unique touch. I also tried a saming the abundance and variety of entrees served ple of the Mango Pineapple (Pango) smoothie, at May’s. I must say it’s a good thing though. a tasty slush that I highly recommend. The glaMay’s has an enormous assortment of food cial mixture is very refreshing even on a chilly choices, and I don’t exaggerate when I say day. Bonus: for those health conscious, the that. smoothies are made with only pure sugar cane As for the menu, let’s just say, you get the sugar, nothing refined here! The only complaint best of both worlds! Their specialty consists of I have about the food is the wait time. It is not wings (Sesame, Cajun, and Buffalo) and shrimp horrendously long, but then again, the owners (Louisiana Cajun, Garlic Butter, and Lemon are the ones preparing the food so it is easily Pepper), both moderately priced, compared to overlooked. The service is excellent because Wingstop or KFC. Appetizers include a vari- the owners truly care about satisfying the needs ety of fries, fish n’ chips, sausages, corn, and of their customers. my personal favorite, the clam chowder soup. Overall, the personality of the dishes fares May’s offers some pretty sweet deals with it’s differently than most other Asian restaurants. daily speTheir Cajun specialty, cozy atmocial bowls sphere, friendly service, and inexand compensive menu all contribute to the bos for originality, which makes May’s an you guys ideal place to grab a meal at. And looking for what is even better is that no MSG some savis added in the food and the sauces ings. The are all homemade. Nope, none of Daily Spethat artificial stuff! So there you cial Bowls have it. Try something new, treat (with Cayour stomach, and reward your jun, Terihardworking mind to this delecyaki or THE FRESHEST CATCH table restaurant! S w e e t The Fish n’ Chips is a combination of & Sour crispy, golden, and delicious. gluttongirl@apachepowwow.com
By GLUTTON GIRL
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