September 2010

Volume 59, Issue 1

September p 2010

Arcadia High School 180 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA

One Step Closer to the “900 Club”

In this issue:

Graphic courtesy of PERKSOFBEINGAJAB.COM

OPINION pg. 4 Oops! I Did It Again: Come on.

Look at Spongebob. Nothing’s as bad as that.

Graphic by ALWYNA LAU

JUMPING THE NEXT HURDLE Over the last few years, AHS’ Academic Performance Index (API) has continually risen to reach 890 in 2010, and we are hoping to break 900 in coming years.

By APOORV CHAUDHARY & SHIBO ZHONG Staff Writers Graphic courtesy of MANNYT MAN NYTHEM HEMOVI OVIEGU EGUY Y COM COM MANNYTHEMOVIEGUY.COM

PERFORMING ARTS pg. 9 Finding AHS’ Waldos: Check out our tips on how to identify our performers on campus.

Photo by ELLIOTT LEE

CENTER SPREAD pg. 12-13 Blueprint to a New School: AHS is finally about to see the first fruits of campus construction.

Application Programming Interface, American Press Institute, Academic Performance Index? With its ambiguous interpretations, do you know what API is and why we should concern ourselves with it? Academic Performance Index (API) measures the academic performance and growth of schools on a variety of academic measures. This past year, AHS increased its API by 14 points to achieve a whopping 890, beating Crescenta Valley High School (CVHS) for the first time since 2002 and becoming the 36th highestperforming high school in California.

The importance of API often goes unnoticed by students. Based on the California Standardized Test (CST) that each student takes, the state of California assigns an API score from 200 to 1000 as an indicator of how well a school has done on the CSTs and the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). This score also plays a role in determining the housing values of homes near AHS, as it is an indicator of a school’s overall

educational strength. Unlike AP exams, the CSTs and the CAHSEE are required for all students, providing a more holistic view of a school’s ranking. Schools with higher APIs indicate to colleges a better quality of education and in turn, tougher curriculums.

An API above 800 is generally considered decent (about 100 schools achieve this) and only the very best schools in California can hope to get an API above 900. In 2005, AHS had an API of 808 and has since been improving. We now have a good chance of breaking into “the 900 club” of approximately 25 schools, though it faces elimination in the 2014-2015 school year due to the implementation of a new nationwide test that will supplant the CST, and the API. AHS’ Vice Principal Craig Wiblemo attributes this success to “a real focus in the classrooms.” One of the most noteworthy aspects of our API of 890 is how high it is in comparison to our student population. In relation to other schools with over 2,000 students, we’re first in the state.

Ultimately, to whom do we attribute this success? True, we as students have put in a lot of effort into achieving these results; however, the teachers are the ones who truly deserve

to be applauded. According to Vice Principal Wiblemo, “the amazing work that our staff and faculty do behind the scenes make it possible for us to produce such outstanding results.”

The focus on going beyond state standards is what really sets AHS apart from other schools and has led us to this achievement. This accomplishment has been met with great enthusiasm from students. Senior Kevin Liu commented that he was “really proud that the class of 2011 could help improve AHS’ API.” However, the journey is not over yet.

Students should have the attitude of sophomore Allen Miao, who sees “it as his job to step up and carry on this tradition of improvement and success.” This outstanding score of 890 has brought us closer than ever before to this elusive “900 club”. Our job? To give one final push and break the barrier into the elite group while we can. As students, it is vital for us understand that our performance on these standardized tests not only affects us but also faculty, parents, and the community as a whole.

With that said, well done Apaches. apchaudhary@apachepowwow.com szhong@apachepowwow.com

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NEWS

Believe It...

Or Not

By EVAN DELGADO Staff Writer

1. At the San Francisco Zoo, a Nintendo DS was stolen by a gorilla. A little boy dropped his DS into the exhibit and Bawang, the massive primate, picked it up. Needless to say, the incident ended with Bawang chewing on the toy and walking away. A zoo trainer was eventually able to trade Bawang a shiny apple for the DS. 2. A toilet seat belonging to famed musician John Lennon sold for £9,500 ($14,740) around the start of Sept. at auction. The buyer has not been identified, but it is known that this Beatles “memorabilia” will be traveling overseas.

3. A Malaysian man’s bag, bursting with 95 live boa constrictors (and a turtle), broke open on a luggage conveyer belt at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Keng Liang Wong, 52, was charged Wednesday in a district court for exporting the endangered boas without a permit, and pleaded guilty.

All of the animals are alive and under the care of wildlife officials.

4. A Polish man living in Germany took about five years to discover that he had been shot in the back of his head with a .22-caliber bullet. The man remembered being struck with a blow to the head around midnight at a New Year’s party, but had forgotten about it because he was drunk. The wound later healed around the bullet and was only discovered when the man decided to have the lump examined because he was experiencing recurring pains.

5. Brenda Allison is a human magnet.

The British woman, age 50, can hold coins, safety pins and magnets to her head and chest for 45 minutes, and her presence blows light bulbs and sets off car alarms. She also sets off her son’s battery-operated toys simply by walking into his room. As a child, her family made constant calls to the television repairman because she caused interference with the set, and wristwatches would never work at her house.

6. A New York City man, after having plunged 39 stories from the rooftop of an apartment building, survived by crashing onto a parked car. Witnesses said 22-yearold Thomas Magill leaped from the highrise at West 63rd Street and landed in the backseat area of a Dodge Charger. He broke both his legs and police said he was in critical condition.

7. The University of Baltimore is offering a class that focuses on the study of the undead! When taking English 333, students will read zombie comics and watch 16 classic zombie films. Instead of a final research paper, they may design their ideal zombie flicks.

8. In San Francisco, a man was arrested for scaling the exterior of a 58-story downtown skyscraper. Veteran skyscraper climber Dan Goodwin, also known as “Spider Dan”, used suction cups but no ropes to scale Millennium Tower, a 645-foot residential building. edelgado@apachepowwow.com

apachepowwow.com

Salmonella Breaks Out of the Egg Shell

By CHRISTINE SUN & KERRY WANG Staff Writers

Eggs. Whether you eat them poached, boiled, or scrambled, there’s no denying their place in the typical American diet. However, due to the recent outbreak of salmonella, this beloved breakfast food may be missing from shelves for a while.

The salmonella-infected eggs came from two Iowa farms: Wright County Egg Farm and Hillandale Farm, and have spurred a salmonella scare that led to a nationwide recall last month. The farms have together recalled more than half a billion eggs, and have been linked to over 1,500 cases of salmonella poisoning. Infected eggs were distributed around the country under popular brands such as Lucerne, Albertsons, and Ralphs, among others.

“The egg companies have their work cut out for them,” said sophomore Anna Wang, commenting on the hassle of recalling the eggs.

The root of the problem is the salmonella bacteria, the most common form of food poisoning. The bacteria grow inside the shells, causing unsuspecting consumers to be unaware of the danger in what looks perfectly harmless on the outside. In other words, its

seemingly normal exterior belies the real nature of an infected egg. The bacteria can be killed, however, by thoroughly cooking the eggs. According to Junior Vashisht Madhavan, “We just have to be on the watch” and be wary about the foods we buy and consume.

Currently, the CDC and the FDA are working with state health departments to investigate the outbreak. According to the CDC, this salmonella outbreak is the worst that has occurred in more than 30 years. Tainted chicken feed and uncontained manure have been named as the main souces of the salmonella outbreak. The exact number of infections is unknown, but Wright County Eggs Farm alone has traced over 1,000 infections from their eggs, and many more will go unreported.

Eating eggs, however, does not guarantee salmonella poisoning. As freshman Kelly Chang explained, “Of course I’m anxious over this, but I also know that if you cook your eggs well enough, this won’t be such a big problem.”

Hopefully, in the next few months, recalled eggs will be returned or discarded, allowing us to resume our daily consumption of eggs. csun@apachepowwow.com kwang@apachepowwow.com

September 2010

WORLD NEWS

IN ONE MINUTE

By ALEXANDRIA ETHRIDGE News Editor

International

The effort to rescure Chilean miners trapped in a cave-in since Aug. 5 has made progress, as a drill reached them on Sept.

20. Chile hopes to relieve them as soon as possible, and has sent supplies to make the miners as comfortable as possible.

Pop Culture

Oscar-nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe has created controversy over her cover for Elle magazine. Many believe there are more experienced African-American actresses who deserve the honor, while others say that the magazine is attempting to manipulate and demean ideal African American beauty by using Sidibe as a covergirl.

Environmental

A new highway through the Serengeti National Park is being considered, despite the disruption it would bring to the wildlife.

Opponents to the plan hope to influence voters before the next election in October.

Political

“The outbreak paints a very disturbing picture of egg production in America.”

- Bart Stupak, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee

Pop musician Lady Gaga delivered a speech on Sept. 20 to repeal the U.S. government’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell military policy. Her efforts were futile, as the repeal was rejected by the Senate on Sept. 21.

Graphic courtesy of TUTSKING.COM

Graphic courtesy of ANNEFLECK.CO.UK

New Orleans: A Strong Recovery from Mother Nature’s Wrath

By ALISON FU & JASMINE WU Staff Writers

Over the past few years, New Orleans has been struck with a torrent of natural disasters, namely Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf oil spill.

After Hurricane Katrina hit on Aug. 29, 2005, criminal activity skyrocketed, and police officers were overwhelmed. Most of New Orleans was flooded, and government response to evacuate survivors was slow.

On Apr. 20, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico, causing a massive leakage of oil. At first, New Orleans was not much affected or much concerned with the spill; British Petroleum (BP) promised to act before much oil escaped. Unfortunately, many attempts to stop the seepage failed. After 87 days, BP capped off the well, but enough oil had leaked out that New Orleans felt the consequences in the tourism and seafood industries.

Today, New Orleans is still making efforts to recover from the two calamities. Despite the large time interval between Hurricane Katrina and present day, 30% of ruined neighborhoods have yet to be repaired. Non-profit organizations have built only 5,000 homes out of the 200,000 needed. In addition, back in June, President Barack Obama had promised those who were affected by BP’s mistake that whoever filed claims would receive compensation.

Nearly $400 million in claims have been paid, but the residents of New Orleans are still unsatisfied. To them, President Obama’s response of the oil spill is reminiscent to former President

Bush’s slow reaction to Hurricane Katrina.

On Aug. 29, President Obama paid a visit to New Orleans, bringing plans for further restoration of New Orleans and promises of a brighter future. He noted the many improvements already made, including the opening of a Veteran Affairs hospital and $1.8 billion contribution for New Orleans parish schools.

President Obama went on to list several more improvements he had planned for New Orleans, one of which was the repairing of the levees that failed during Hurricane Katrina. However, there is still speculation about whether or not these plans will be fulfilled. Freshman Erica Han is doubtful of the President’s promises because she “can’t trust that he will do all [these] things until he actually [finishes] them,” while sophomore Jackie Li believes President Obama has “done enough, [though] he can do more.”

Though he is faced with a daunting task, President Obama has made reassurances to the people of New Orleans that he is ready to make up for past slow government responses: “My administration is going to stand with you—and fight alongside you—until the job is done.” afu@apachepowwow.com jwu@apachepowwow.com

A STRONG RECOVERY (top to bottom) BP places a cap over the leaking well, oiled pelicans wait to be cleaned, and President Obama visits New Orleans.

Photos courtesy of LATIMES.COM, WORLDCORRESPONDENTS.COM, and NPR.ORG Graphic courtesy of PSDLIST.COM

September 2010

NEWS

apachepowwow.com

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President Obama’s Golden Rules for Success

By EVAN DELGADO Staff Writer

On Sept. 14, President Barack Obama gave a “back-to-school” speech to the students of the United States. President Obama began the speech by mentioning how he and his wife

were preparing their own children for school, and thanking the establishment at which he was speaking. He went on to state the importance of school, and how America’s future lies in the hands of its students.

President Obama then addressed the fears that many students face when going back to school with special emphasis on those entering high school. He recognized the strains of working through school in the midst of harsh times, and noted that many students have to handle important issues such as the recession and responsibilities for their families.

Above all, President Obama stressed that no one can write one’s destiny but oneself. He stressed the importance of hard work, and believes that anyone can achieve their dreams through determination. Mrs. Ashley Novak,

an English teacher at AHS, described Obama’s speech as “clean, simple, and accessible to all,” and noted her appreciation for “the collective responsibility he [put] upon the country for the success of students.”

Wrapping up his speech, Obama addressed the students of the United States and said, “If you guys work hard and [focus] on your education, you keep fighting for your dreams and you help each other reach each other’s dreams, then you’re not only going to succeed this year, you’re going to succeed for the rest of your lives. And that means America will succeed in the 21st century.” edelgado@apachepowwow.com Graphics courtesy of FAQS.ORG, ISTOCKPHOTO.COM, and SKETCHINGDRAW.COM

CHRISTINE SUN & JASMINE WU

Away With the CSTs, in with Nationwide Tests When spring rolls around, what comes to mind? Depending on your personality, your thoughts might drift either to plans for spring break or toward the impending doom of AP testing. But either way, for students all over California, spring—particularly March and April— brings the California Standards Test (CST), a tedious week-long process that many don’t look forward to.

On Sept. 2, California, along with 43 other states, officially decided to replace the generalized state tests with new nationwide tests that will assess students on “what really matters”. The new nationwide exams will be computer-based and will serve as an evaluation of teacher performance as well as student learning.

The tests will seek to evaluate a student’s academic level in terms of reading, writing, and listening. State officials hope the new system will be implemented by the

2014-2015 school year.

With this new nationwide test taking shape, state officials are eager to cast aside the old-school state standardized tests. This means the end-of-the-schoolyear exams for the participating 44 states will no longer be in use. It also signifies an end to the ranking of schools based on CST scores and the usage of Academic Performance Index (API). In the long run, however, the nationwide tests will benefit individual states financially, as states would no longer have to spend billions of dollars each year producing standardized tests.

What are the students’ opinions on this future test? Junior Lawrence Bai stated, “In my opinion, firsthand experience always trumps standardized tests.

We might need to take standardized tests to see where students are at, but I don’t think a change in tests will really do any-

thing in increasing students’ knowledge.”

Sophomore Junior Priscilla Cheung also believed the new test would not make that great a difference. “It does save money, but what we learn can be shown on the results—[even] if the teacher teaches well or not,” she said.

This new nationwide test is far from being completely set, and developments will surely continue throughout the years leading to the commencement of the first nationwide test. Not many details are yet known about this new testing system, but one thing is certain: it will definitely affect AHS students of the future. csun@apachepowwow.com jwu@apachepowwow.com Graphics courtesy of MARKOTHEPENCIL.COM and GEO.HUNTER.CUNY.EDU

July 2011: Goodbye Afghanistan, Welcome Back to America Obama has set a date for American military forces to pull out of Afghanistan: July 2011. The idea of cutting American Staff Writers involvement in both its wars within a year is appealing to many people, On Aug. 18, a convoy of but some are critical of the date, 14,400 U.S. combat troops crossed since 2010 has been the most into Kuwait, a bordering country violent year in Afghanistan yet. and the U.S. exit route out of Iraq.

Sophomore Eric Cheng stated, This exodus signified the end of “Personally, I would prefer to U.S. combat missions in Iraq while have our soldiers continue fight50,000 military advisers were left to ing. Withdrawal may mean more assist in the transition of power from attacks on the U.S.” American forces to the Iraqi military.

President Barack Obama Though people all around America made a speech on Aug. 31 about were delighted to see the seven-year the end of U.S. combat missions war finally come to a close, there are in Iraq. In his speech, he praised still many U.S. troops left fighting the soldiers of the war, but reand struggling in Afghanistan. mained that the war was an overThe U.S. has been involved in Afgh Afghanistan ghhan anis ista is t n si ta ssince nce 2001, with an esPhotos courtesy of HUFFINGTONPOST.COM, all mistake. He also discussed the P KIDNEY.ORG, and VAKASYS.COM resulting domestic issues from timated 100,000 troops tima m ted number of 100,00 00 tr troo o ps the war such as the economy and currently cu urrently serving. America has bbeen een en COMING COMI CO MIN BACK HOME MI figh fi gghting ting in Afghanistan againstt tthe he Pres President esid es i en Barack Obama meets with U.S. trillions of dollars in war debt, terror terr r or group, Al Qaeda, which at- troo troops ops in Afghanistan, who may be back by which he said must be overcome by “energy and grit and sense of tack tacked ck ked the World Trade Center in July y 2011.

2011 common purpose.”

New Yo York on Sept. 11, 2001. Remore tax money and American lives.” nearly weak ceiving near arrly nno o support from the wea ak mor cchen@apachepowwow.com government, American North Afghan governmen en nt, A Ame meeri ricann aand nd Nort r h In rresponse to the lack of a decisive mpai@apachepowwow.com Organization (NATO) Atlantic Treaty Orga gaani n zation (NATO O) U.S. victory in Afghanistan, President

By CHRISTOPHER CHEN & MICHAEL PAI

forces have been fighting a bleak war.

Freshman James Lin said, “The war in Afghanistan is helpless. As long as the war goes on, the U.S. will just waste

f t f a s Editors Editors-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editors Opinion Editors Performing Arts Editors Student Life Editors Features Editors Sports Editors Academics Editor Center Spread Editor Calendar Editor Campus Focus Editor Advertisement Editors Executive Copy Editor Photography Editor Webmaster Fundraising Chairs

Kristie Tom and Christine Xu Melissa Ma Ashley Chi and Alexandria Ethridge Kaitlyn Jeong and Elaine Tsui Eileen Chow and Rhiannon Yee Kate Harwitz and Nancy Xiao Katherine Bay and Jenny Li Regina Liu and Victoria Tran Sally Chung Alwyna Lau Beverly Chen Cherry Mo Becca Lu and Shannon Ng Rachael Tang Elliott Lee Leo Chuang Lena Kalemkiarian, Anna Naran, and Jessica Sunkamaneevongse

Writers News Staff Christopher Chen, Christopher Cho, Evan Delgado, Alison Fu, Michael Pai, Brandon Pang, Justin Park, Christine Sun, Kerry Wang, Jasmine Wu Opinion Staff Yejean Kim, Karina Laigo, Utthara Rameshbabu, Hannah Redberg, Melissa Song, Sophia Tang, Josie Yang Performing Arts Staff Annie Huang, Karina Laigo Chris Lee, Stacey Ng, Carrie Qiu, Jasmine Wu, Michelle Zhang, Christina Zhou Student Life Staff Edward Chao, Courtney Hang, Karina Laigo, Justin Park, Grace Song, Sophia Tang, Elbert Wang, Rita Wang Features Staff Ellison Chen, Tommy Liao, Raphael Lu, Laureen Ma, Carrie Qiu, Sarah Quon, Michelle Zhang Sports Staff Arnav Chaudhary, Stephen Chu, Belle Chuang, Stacey Ng, Matthew Ormseth, Andy Qin, Christine Sun, Kerry Wang Academics Staff Apoorv Chaudhary, Christopher Chen, Yejean Kim, Andy Qin, Rachel Thai, Elbert Wang, Shibo Zhong Center Spread Staff Yejean Kim Calendar Staff Christopher Cho, Brandon Pang, Michelle Zhang, Christina Zhou Campus Focus Staff Courtney Hang Advertisement Staff Arnav Chaudhary, Belle Chuang, Ryan Hajihashmat, Annie Huang, Chris Lee, Laureen Ma, Brandon Pang, Hannah Redberg Photo Staff Ellison Chen, Tommy Liao Copy Editing Staff Courtney Hang, Hannah Redberg, Elbert Wang, Jasmine Wu, Josie Yang 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.

Graphics courtesy of AYELLOWWOOD.COM and WEBEXHIBITS.ORG

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OPINION

apachepowwow.com

September 2010

The Game of Life: Making the Right Moves

By MELISSA SONG Staff Writer

Welcome to High School-opol School-opoly, ly, a nerve-racking strategy that gy game tha at high school students nts across the nation are playing.

The goal? Simply mply staying in front ront of everyone one else—it’s it’s all about keeping the spotlight on yourself. And there’s only one way to distinguish the winners: whoever manages to get accepted to the best colleges.. It has become mandatory to dress up college applications plications as best as possible, which means planning ing these four years strategically.

It seems as if I, and all the other high gh school students out there, really have no choice but to play this game, because a lot more is at stake here than fake money, and the ones who don’t play it well are kicked to the curb. But are they? Sure, the prospect of ending up at a college that falls short of my overachieving expectations is something that keeps me tossing at night (sarcasm intended), but I take a big step backward and begin to ask myself, “What in the world am I doing?”. This board game of high school is controlling my life, and it’s not even fun.

In this game, AP classes earn me extra points (and A’s earn me even more!), and volunteer service and extracurricular activities are also brownie points that push me forward

a couple of steps by adding color to my college applications. Because my schedule can only spare one elective spot, I’ve debated betwe tween being in Orchesis and Pow Wow since freshman year. The main question isn’t which one I enjoy more, but rather what looks better on my college application. But no matter which one I finally decide to pursue, there’s always a nerve-wracking fear that the decision I made is something I will regret later on, and I’m always forced to take a step back and reconsider. I don’t know what the right move is until I realize that I’ve made the

wrong one. The summer before freshman year, otherwise known as the last peaceful days of my childhood, my parents forked over $625 to have me take a college elective during summer school because I thought I would have no opportunity to take an elective during the school year. Not only was the class horrible, it wasn’t until this year that I finally realized that the class I took was completely useless, an utter waste of both my time and money. I can curse myself for not planning my four-years better and being able to predict every unpredictable thing that comes across

my way, but because it’s impossible to go back in time, there’s nothing I can do about it.

Every since stepping onto AHS (and even before that), I became completely devoted to making my college application look better and completely discarding my interests and talents.

But there are times in life when you suddenly get a “Eureka!” moment, or when you suddenly start to see life clearly. I had one of those moments, and I realized that I’m tired of treating my high school years as a game that I am completely obsessed over. By making strategic moves, I created a front that I thought colleges would like to see, but eventually I started to ask, “What’s wrong with the real me?” Instead of simply being a pawn, doing what I am told to do, I should be able to decide what I want to do. So rather than taking every AP class

that comes my way just because they give extra points, I’ve decided to slow down and take only the ones that I find interesting. And

instead of poking around on the internet for hours looking for volunteer ideas that would give me an extra push on that cursed board game, I ask myself, “What do I want to do?”

Once I start thinking of my interests, the options are endless, and they’re all things that I would be more than happy to do. My only regret now is that I didn’t realized this sooner, because I could’ve saved myself a lot of migraines.

I’m not trying to say that I have completely rebelled against my parents and lost all my determination to get into a good college, but sim simply that I’m playing the board ga game with my interests in mind.

The prospect of winning this board game and getting into the college of my dreams is still something that pushes me forward, but how I move forward has changed. Instead of me conforming to what the board game demands as the right way to succeed, I’m carving a new direction that screams me, even if it might not necessarily be the most effective way. After all, life isn’t all about winning, sometimes you have to slow down and smell the flowers. msong@apachepowwow.com Graphics courtesy of SQUIDOO.COM and FREEPATENTSONLINE.COM

The Contemporary (XX/XY) Chromosome Chism

By YEJEAN KIM Staff Writer

I’ve given my younger brother tender advice such as: “If you refer to a girl as a ‘chick’ one more time, I will shave your head while you’re sleeping.”

I was trying to teach my brother respect for girls. It never occurred to me that I was undermining girls myself by acting like the stereotypical angry feminist. So I talked to him like a normal person about respect, and thought this worked best. I was wrong.

This realization came when my brother asked me, “Hey, how do you say ‘woman’ backward?” After pondering this for a shamefully long time (I thought he was literally asking), I gave in and said I didn’t know. He gave a great guffaw and said, “Kitchen! Ha ha ha!”

I was silent. Being too busy pondering whether or not to throttle him, I neglected to laugh. He looked puzzled and then seemed to realize something. “Oh, yeah,” he said, “I forgot, you don’t laugh at those jokes because you think they’re sexist.” Rolling his eyes, he walked away.

I wasn’t really mad about the joke; it was more like a wake-up call to how sexism is embedded into our lives. My brother got this joke from an app on his iPod Touch dedicated to sexist jokes. That’s how common it has be-

come to treat and take sexism lightly, which ment that a guy can’t help himself is invalid should never happen even if it’s everywhere. because boys presumably have as much self I believe sexism, especially in high control as any human being. It takes two to school, goes both ways. One of the biggest tango, so I don’t understand all these assumpexamples, and something I could never quite tions that guys can’t help cheating. wrap my head around, is what I call the cheatAnother thing that got me was something ing phenomenon. that happened freshman year when the When a guy cheats on a girl, the girlissue of sexist songs hit AHS. I was friend tends to go after or get angry sitting in English when my teacher y att the other party. That is, she mentioned a comment she had read goes after the other girl. on an article post about the issue. l There’s a lot of It said something along the lines oof,, “Oh, she definitely see eof, “Those girls who are getting duced him! [Insertt mad about the songs are the ugly boyfriend’s name ones who would never get asked here] would never o to dances anyway.” out have cheated on me I was like, huh? What? otherwise.”

WHAT?!

WH There was similar outI don’t believe rage from both the girls and the a word of it. Putting all boys in i my class. of the blame on the otherr W Whether it was a boy or a girl is of course sexist in a girl who wrote that comment, it very obvious way, but it is was deme demeaning e to both sexes. If sexist to the guy, too. I’m she were a ggirl, then she was basiaware that we are all under cally saying that only “ugly girls” the influence of hormones, are uunhappy. If he were a boy, then he but no guy I’ve ever met is iimplied that a girl’s looks are what’s imdumb enough to sucportant. Nobody wins with Graphic by MICHELLE ZHANG cumb to a one sexist assumptions. Sexsided tempta- THE TWO WAY MIRROR Sexism ism has worked itself into tion. The argu- can definitely go both ways. our beliefs, such as: Girls

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tend to be worse in math than boys. I believed this for a long time because a misinformed individual told me that boys’ brains are hardwired to specifically be able to do math better than girls. I eventually realized I was horrible at math because my brain wasn’t hardwired to think in numbers (and derivatives, and constants, and blah, blah, blah).

Another common sexist assumption is boys can’t write, which funnels out into the monster sexist assumption that boys aren’t as emotional as girls. That is bogus. Boys are emotional; it’s the sexism in society that says, “be a man” and “what are you, a girl?” that keeps them from expressing their feelings. It’s the sayings like these that keep sexism alive.

I think, as we get older, sexism becomes less obvious, and thankfully, less accepted.

Some people’s beliefs will never change, but common sexist assumptions can. When I sit in AP English and read papers, a lot of the best ones are by boys. Many girls excel at math, and everyone becomes equally emotional during finals. Mannerisms, ability, or personality have nothing to do with gender, only character.

I have a healthy respect for both genders, and hopefully, with a little helpful (not mean, angry, hysterical, or emotional) encouragement, my little brother will too. ykim@apachepowwow.com

September 2010

OPINION

apachepowwow.com

The AHS Academic Black Market

By YEJEAN KIM Staff Writer

GIRL NO. 1: He was like, you can get a new phone if you get all A’s, and I was like, that’s never gonna happen, and he was all, fine, a new phone and new clothes, and I was like, Yay! GIRL NO. 2: You’re so lucky! All I get when I get A’s is ten dollars for each A! GIRL NO.1: Ugh, that sucks. (flush) GIRL NO. 2: Yeah… (flush) If two such stereotypical girls existed, we would have an even bigger problem, but thankfully, the above conversation is an imaginary composite of many conversations I’ve begun to hear in the halls and my classes with alarming frequency. I speak, of course, about the disturbing trend of bribing kids to bring home good grades in exchange for money or material possessions.

Obviously, good grades are important to those at AHS (biggest understatement ever).

However, the motivation to get good grades isn’t always pure. While some (maybe two people in each of your classes) want to get good grades because of their hard efforts and to prove that they’re actually learning, others (everyone else) strive to get good grades due to the force of nature otherwise known as paren-

tal pressure, or the newest form of it: bribes.

Wait, some may protest, ‘bribe’ is just too strong of a word. I too, pondered this, but I don’t think ‘bribe’ is too harsh a word. The definition of bribe: Anything given or serving to persuade or induce (thanks, dictionary. com) is exactly what this new practice is. Even the example they give fits perfectly: The children were given candy as a bribe to be good.

Yeah… those children are us, and the candy has been upgraded into an iPod Touch.

Of course not everyone is bribed into getting good grades, but don’t think this practice doesn’t affect everyone negatively one way or another. Students happy with a B in a subject they love are happy with that B until the kid who got an A because it guaranteed them an easy $20 says in disbelief, “You only got a B? I thought you actually liked math/history/English/science!”

This can make the B student feel like a loser, especially when everyone else has gotten A’s and says something similar. I am frequently the B student in this situation, and when someone says that to me, I always feel like they’re mocking me—probably thinking, “Ha, she probably gets nothing for a B!” Um, I get a raised eyebrow from my dad, thank you very much. When I get that rare A and someone says, “Lucky! What are you going to get?” I always feel shame in replying, “Uh… nothing?” They always stare at me, like I’m a quaint girl stuck in the past. This makes me

feel even worse, and I start thinking, well, I do need new jeans.

When people get better grades for cash or possessions, the rare students who love learning become discouraged, or even worse, they start to think the same way. One thing leads to another and the corrupted students infect others with their greed. Eventually everyone will be infected and we’ll just be a school of gradecrazy, materialistic zombies. Or, let’s be honest, crazier about grades than we are now.

This instant reward system is fatal to our generation’s work ethic. Getting good grades should be indicators that you’re actually learning, not signs that you’re working hard because you’ll get something in return. In the real world, there’s no such thing as an instant reward. If you asked your boss at work for a raise or promotion because you were doing exactly what you should be doing, they would probably laugh you out of their office. Getting good grades shouldn’t be rewarded with material goods or cash, nor should these rewards be motivation to excel. Call me old-fashioned, but when my mom sees that I worked my tail off to get an A, not because she promised me anything in return but because I wanted to learn, she looks me in the eye and tells me she’s proud of me. In my opinion that’s the best reward I, or anyone else, can get. ykim@apachepowwow.com Graphic courtesy of AUSD.NET

First the Playground, Then the Whole World

By UTTHARA RAMESHBABU Staff Writer

When I was five, I wanted to be a doctor. In fact, five-year-old me was indeed a very straight shooter. I had my eyes set on a goal, and I would not waver. And anyone or anything that would get in the way of achieving that goal would pay (I was a violent little one, too). Every night before I went to bed, I would set out my clothes and every morning, I would brush my teeth before and after breakfast. At school I’d voluntarily overachieve, because I actually felt the need within myself to crush others under my academic prowess (again, I was very passionate about everything I did).

Every moment oment was an oppportunity to shine, so there was never a time not to show off a talent or try something new, and believe m me, e, h and every one I took each with enough gh confidence to blow even Rachel Berry off the stage. Ever since entering the high-stress gh-stress realm of ”, hhowever, owever, I have “adulthood”, looked back k at this almost foreign persona na condescendingly, with the mind-set that with age comes a new level of d practicality. wisdom and Children, ren, after all, are sential example the quintessential

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of irresponsibility and play. They run around in the fresh air, get muddy, and don’t care how they are perceived by the world around them.

We teenagers, on the other hand, are much more refined. For the most part, we tirelessly work, obsess over our non-existent reputations, and breathe as little fresh air as possible—so as not to waste any of our precious and fleeting time. My personality as a child— whimsical, carefree, and adventurous—seems to be a more effective approach to life than my flustered attitude toward it today.

In retrospect, the philosophies of childhood, perseverance, risk-taking, and courage seem overwhelmingly more progressive than those standards we hold to ourselves now: get A’s, straight A s, go off to a prestigious

university, universit eventually and eventual new raise a ne drones generation of dron over that will do it all ov biggest again. The bigge conundrum to me is this why we pursue th lackluster mundane, lacklust doesn’t routine if it doesn Furthermake us happy? Furthe growing more, what about growin someone up and putting someon before else’s goals for us befo our own?

For example, if my five-year-old self were asked why she tried so hard to impress (and suppress) others in school, her answer would probably be so that she could go to a good college and become a world-famous doctor. In that respect, not much has changed. But if asked about her motivations behind wanting to be a doctor, five-year-old-me would probably answer, “So I can save lives and have fun doing it!” If asked the same question about a year ago, my answer would most likely have been: to get rich and buy a yacht—so much more superficial, don’t you think? The ambition and sheer goodness in the five-year-old’s answer that teenagers so self-righteously refer to as naïve is more mature, even wiser, than the teenager’s reply. The pressures we feel as teenagers are directly reflected in this reply. We only do things to fulfill the aspirations and live up to the expectations of our parents, teachers, and peers, rather than make ourselves proud.

The freshness and uninfluenced attitude of my five-year-old self motivated the actions that went into everything I did as a child.

Those traits, in fact, were what kept all of us constantly intrigued and motivated to solve the puzzles in the world around us. Having a heart-to-heart with my inner child has shown me that the best way to keep progressing is to lose the superiority complex that often comes with growing up, and to not be afraid to take some risks and occasionally fall because the end result will be so much more satisfying. urameshbabu@apachepowwow.com Graphic by TIFFANY LAI

WHEN I GROW UP Being older doesn’t necessarily make you wiser—or any more prepared for life.

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The Question Mark Crisis

By JOSIE YANG Staff Writer

“Life is a mystery / Everyone must stand alone.” Powerful words sung by a powerful woman—and true at that. We are each on our own mysterious life journeys, and they seem to get more and more difficult as we go along. Will things ever become clear? Well, the truth of the matter is that life is one big fat question mark. It is a curious bit of punctuation, the question mark, for it represents our lives and outlines a path that we can only meekly follow. The beauty of life is in the struggle, and we need to enjoy life despite what troubles it may bring.

People start out at the top of the question mark and go through the majority of their lives in a slight curve. Winding down the path of the question mark, nobody can see what is ahead, so every encounter seems to be the biggest dilemma of a lifetime. The situations vary—when we are little it is getting a toy taken away, later it is failing a math quiz. We make mountains of molehills because this gentle turn is all we know, and it seems treacherous to us.

We think, “Why does life have to be so difficult?” However, most of these conflicts are only the first part of the question mark, generally an easy and gradual turn. We lament about problems that are trivial, never realizing that we haven’t experienced anything serious yet.

Nothing is as bad as we make it out to be, and life has even greater challenges in store after the initial rounded portion of the question mark. For at the end of that gently bending path is a sharp turn, in which things veer off in a completely different direction. Just when we think that we have it all figured out, life changes yet again and throws something at us that we never even saw coming. That final conflict, that right angle in the question mark of life, leads to a (depending on one’s penmanship) short but sweet stretch of straight line. After overcoming the major obstacles in life, things become clearer and all the tedious turning stops. We finally get to follow the easy part of the question mark, the only bit of smooth sailing in sight. The problems we face now and the worse ones to come will pay off when we reach that point in our lives.

So there’s life: a difficult and seemingly pointless series of curves, followed by a sharp turn that proves to be the greatest struggle yet, and then a straight path the rest of the way. It is, in other words, a “?”.

Most of us need to be reminded that we are only meandering along the beginning of the question mark, and that the latest “crisis” we are dealing with is just another little arc on our way to happiness. And what is the point to all the random wandering?

Well, put it this way: when we reach it, the end of the question mark plays out like an exclamation point. Clear, concise, and an altogether amazing ending. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride, even with all the bumps in the road. jyang@apachepowwow.com

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OPINION

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September 2010

Spotlight’s on Me and My Egotistical Self

By HANNAH REDBERG Staff Writer

What is the purpose of embarrassment?

After millions of years of human evolution, ion, there is a reason behind its lasting existence: nce: our need for public approval. hing I didn’t know that I was doing something wrong. I didn’t know that running behind the cashier-side of the cash register was such h a terrible crime. I just wanted to play with the gigantic Mickey Mouse at the amazing Disney ney ize, Store in Disneyland. Eyes locked on the prize, I dashed toward it, until someone stepped d in front of me and grabbed my arms, pinning ning them at my sides. “STOP RIGHT THERE! RE! Don’t you know any better than to run behind a cash register?! Have some sense, and act your age.” It would have been the perfect fect moment for an alien invasion. Or a tsunami. ami.

Anything to distract the spectators from what had just happened to me. I felt the blood rushushke a ing to my face and my heart pounding like ural drum. No otherworldly interference or natural disaster came. I looked up to see faces peering ring down at me from all around the store, and I felt humiliated and alone. My trio of friends that was with me could see that I was on the verge erge of tears, and they wordlessly pulled me outt of the store. To make matters worse, I called my mom, crying, and begged her to pick me up, but to no avail. Instead of getting over myself self nds and moving on, I ended up making my friends

miserable with my hysterical sobbing and selfpity, which only added to my shame. I thought Disneyland was supposed to be the happiest pplace on Earth.

I was in i eighth i h h grade d when h this hi happened, and it still haunts me to tthis th is day. Such an intense feeling of shame makes me wondderr what made me so embarde rassed rass ra s ed by

ing of everyone staring at me, ready to judge the jumble of words rolling off my tongue. I blush at compliments. I blush at insults. I blush when I think I might g be blushing. g The same d doesn’t doesn ’tt go for f everyone, everyone bbecause some people l crave any kind of attention they can get. But I think it’s safe to assume that everyone has been embarrassed some time or another.

Embarrassing g blunders can happen pp anyy time, or so it would seem to a clumsy person like me. I’ve been through it all— fly down, sauce on chin, shirt inside-out, boogers hanging out of nose—you name it.

I would agonize over the trauma, replaying

this particular occurrence. What makes a person n embarrassed in general? It all boils b down to social accepashamed tance. I was as shamed to look socially inept at a time when I just wanted to fit in, embarbecause emb barrassment is the follows feeling that fol llows considered an action consid dered inapprosocial priate, or a soci ial blunder. I’m the kind of person who w will blush at anything. It used to be so bad that I would pray that the teacher wouldn’t HOW EMBARRASSING The next time you are call on me. I hated the feel- caught in an embarrassing situation, blame your ego.

it over and over again in my head, trying to guess how long my fly had been down before I noticed. I would think to myself that surely no one on Earth would want to be friends with wh ho did no ot kknow the difference besomeone who not in nside andd th tween the inside the outside of her shirt.

T on nce said, “Man is the only Mark Twain once animal that blushes. O Or needs to.” Now, you interp pret it in m ma could interpret many ways, but I persontaake it as “man is such an egotist that he ally take t be take en down a peg.” In other can’t bear to taken wordss, we constantly constantly worry about how other words, peoplle perc ceive us, an people perceive and we don’t want to apl than pe pear tto be less perfect. But we shouldn’t ok perfectt w have to loo look when we’re not. We are alwayys so ppreoccupied preoccuppied with standing in the always golden bea am of soc cia perfection that have golden beam social forgootten that t no on ne is perfect, and no is exforgotten one pected to be. pected Perhhaps if we ju Perhaps just did not care about the waay other otheer peoplee sa way saw us, they would stop caaring to oo. Then n, tthere would be nothing caring too.

Then, stoopping g us from m being our own embarstopping rassing selves—in seelves—inn an ideal world. However, rassing thaat’s no ot the wor rld we live in. Everyone’s that’s not world alw ways w always watching,, aand opinions are formed tant. So ffor now, I’m going to keep in an inst instant. conceerning my yse with—that’s right— on concerning myself tical self. my eegotist egotistical hredbe erg hredberg@apachepowwow.com Graphic Gra aphic by CHRISTOPHER CH C CHO and cour courtesy rte of WPCLIPART.COM

Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming

By UTTHARA RAMESHBABU Staff Writer

As but a tiny clown fish in the vast ocean that is AHS, I constantly find myself feeling insignificant—always racing and struggling to compete with the big fish. Sometimes it feels like the all-nighters and the incessant coffeeruns spent trying to keep up with the rest of the group are just not worth my time or money if I’m always going to get left in the dust, or, should I say, the bubbles. All of us here at AHS are great at academics, and if sleep deprivation were a sport, we would win CIF. And it is this faith in our school which gives me faith that, in the future, I have the potential to succeed.

But competition, academic and otherwise, is fierce, and nd rejection has become somewhat mewhat routine. So I ask the question: uestion: What is the use of potential if that’s as far as I’ll get?

I have pondered d about this his w o r d — “potential”. l”. And for the longest time, me, I have thought of it as patronizing atronizing and ung, because, after promising, all, second-best nd-best just meant first-loser to me. But recently I’ve dis-

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covered that potential carries more merit than what meets the eye, and is truly the first cataract taract into the flowingg rivers off success.

Last s year I felt as st though I had plateaued in all aspects s spects of life—I had achieved h hieved all that I could, and a that was the end of the t road. A disappointing quiz grade r rade or two, coupled o oupled with thee burning sensation nssation in my legs egs after miserably seerably failing at grand battements was enough to ttell ll me th thatt I wasn’t going to get as far as I had hoped.

And after said streak of minor, but str frustrating, defeats, still frus I essentially gave up on trying. I know many people can relate to such feelings of inadWhether it was missing equacy. Wheth a desired grade by a hundredth of a

percent or barely losing a basketball game by two points, the sting of just barely not makingg the cut burns far more than missing it alAlways together. Alway ys in envy of those to whom just everything ju ust comes eeasily—those who don’t even have to try to get a perfect 4.0 G GPA or have great hair—many subconsciously hold ourof us subcons sselves back from achieving success. clear example of this A cle mentality all of last was my m year. Very early on, I had ppretty much decided my fate in n some of my classes (and theyy weren’t vvery pleasant), and then simply lived up to from th en on, I si expectations. my low expectati ions. I had let the word “pome, believed that I was catential” get to me e, as I belie pable of nothing m more than that initial glint of disappeared after the second intelligence that disappeare point, I left everything week of school. A At that poin that success was not to fate; I had the mindset th work, just simply a really ll a product d t of hard wo when everything was matter of luck. That’s whe rendered pointless, because it seemed as if control anymore. But nothing was under my cont ultimately, I found that dooming myself to failure in my mind was the biggest contributor to my tangible failure.

The critical mistake I made is common among AHS students who feel too caught up in everyone else’s success: I was too cynical to see the intended meaning of the word “potential”—the positive meaning. The posi-

tive connotations of the word “potential” are often overlooked in that the word isn’t necessarily a euphemism for second-best. “Potential” carries a certain weight, that, when taken constructively, can do wonders for your confidence and actually boost your spirits and your ability to accomplish your goals. Many people think of it as a boundary, which, once reached, is the cap for your ability. However, having potential simply means that you have a good starting place—a wealth of knowledge and skill—which, when accessed, can lead to amazing achievements. Ultimately, I’ve found that everyone has the potential to be great, but it is what one does with that potential that dictates whether he or she is successful.

This year I’ve resolved to pick up those blocks and rebuild my tower higher than ever before. I’m going to convert every ounce of potential energy in each of those blocks into the kinetic energy needed to mount them high and strong. Potential is no longer a term of condescension to me, as much as it is one of encouragement; to think otherwise is simply counterproductive. In other words, it’s time to break out those lucky fins and kick off the school year with some optimism; otherwise, we’ll never make it to P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney, or even just get some well-deserved, satisfying rest. urameshbabu@apachepowwow.com Graphics courtesy of BUBBLES.BTIK.COM and ENGLISHEXERCISES.ORG

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September 2010

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8

PERFORMING ARTS

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September 2010

BOC Members Make Up Their Very Own Camp Rock

By KARINA LAIGO & STACEY NG Staff Writers

While the average high school student spends his/her precious last days of summer sleeping in, others use it to fuel their passions.

The latter are the many members of Band, Orchestra, Colorguard, and Percussion (BOC).

From Aug. 20 to 25, these talented students retreated to the mountains of Idyllwild Pines and Camp Maranatha to bond and perfect their musical and physical ability.

At 7:00 a.m. each day, students congregated in the cafeteria for breakfast and practiced until noon. After lunch, they participated in group performances in which they displayed their talents. When the performances ended, the students were given time to explore and socialize, relax, or work on unfinished homework. Dinner came next at 5:00 p.m., which was then followed by nightly activities, ending at the 10:00 p.m. curfew. Campers bonded further with each other through nighttime activities. On the first night, the seniors in each cabin arranged a set of games to play with both their campers and a partner cabin.

But “Game Night” was not the only bonding experience offered. Every evening was different, with “Skit Night”, “Unity Night”, and a dance. “Skit Night” gave students the opportunity to collaborate with members of different groups and perform short pieces for all of BOC. At “Theme Night”, everyone dressed up according to a theme and voted on costumes.

Finally, it was “Unity Night”, and it truly put the bonding experience in context. On that night, each member met every person that was in the camp, fortifying all the new friendships that had been made while at camp. According to sophomore Band member Ryan Tsao, “Unity Night [is] when everyone forgets about which performing arts group they’re in and creates a bond with one another.”

To achieve responsibility, campers were

required to carry around a wooden block all day. The higher the grade level, the smaller the block. Blocks ranged from the size of a brick to a box no larger than the average Rubik’s Cube. Campers caught without their blocks (which were usually stolen by seniors) were subjected to punishment.

With seniority came special privileges. Seniors were given priority during mealtimes and a smaller block to carry around, but with these privileges, seniors also realized that it would be their final week of camp at

AHS. Senior Carpus Tin, Vice President of Orchestra Council, said, “There’s really something different when we know that we are doing something for the last time.

Everything becomes more precious.” Carpus elaborated, “Orchestra drill downs are taken more seriously [and] ‘Theme Night’ becomes more interactive.” Camp was “where I made so many memories and some of my greatest friends,” Orchestra Council President senior Joseph An remembered, “I will forever hold the

OUTDOOR FUN Diligent BOC members practice in the warm sunshine.

Photos courtesy of RONALD LEE and graphic courtesy of GASLOGSFIREPLACESANDMORE.COM

memories of music camp with me.”

Freshmen, who were first-timers at camp, noticed the camp’s beneficial aspects right from the start. Freshman Colorguard member Catherine Huang admitted, “I’m so glad to be starting off this school year right after music camp because you can see people at school that you just [spent time with].” Fellow freshman Orchestra member Deedee Chuang agreed, “I met a lot of new people which prepared me to be more outgoing…it [also] taught me to be responsible because we had to carry [the] blocks around.”

All the members had their own specific lists of the pros and cons of camp. Junior Lawrence Bai relished free time but admitted that it was a pain to “wait in line to shower,” while Colorguard Co-captain senior Nicole Benipayo thought the dust in the mountains and sock tans were the worst parts of camp. Junior Leila Chee replied that it was “so amazing when it comes to the last day [and] you hear and see what you’ve been working towards [with] Band, Colorguard, and Orchestra.”

We can expect that our BOC members will provide us with an amazing season. Orchestra Director Ms. Pin Chen noted that “the ensembles have strong talent in all, and the students have positive attitudes, ready to learn, improve, and make music together.” In addition to their usual performances, BOC will be touring in Florida during spring break, competing in the Heritage Festival, and also making an appearance at Disney World. Its first concert will be the Fall String Concert on Oct. 28 at Pasadena High School at 7:00 p.m. Also, during the week of Apr. 7 to 9, Colorguard will be in Dayton, Ohio for World Championships, and a week later Percussion will be performing as well. BOC has such a promising year, all guaranteed by a one week retreat in the mountains of Idyllwild Pines and Camp Maranatha. klaigo@apahcepowwow.com stng@apachepowwow.com

A Chance to Dance: Orchesis Dominates TV Screens Worldwide

By CARRIE QIU Staff Writer

Although it has only been a month since school started, Orchesis Dance Company (ODC) already showcased its skills at its first performance of the year. On Saturday, Sept. 25, at Club Nokia, select ODC members had the privilege of performing live at a worldwide TV broadcasting program called Top Idol on ETTV, a Chinese/Taiwanese news channel airing in America and China. Top Idol is a talent search for singers and dancers, much like America’s Got Talent. Ever since ODC’s first appearance on the television program, it has been invited back annually as a guest performer. Each year, ODC performs an opening piece for the show and members said that they were “honored to be able to represent AHS in an event that has flourished over the years.”

An audition process was required to perform at this event. This year, ODC’s new director, Ms. Jia Huang, choreographed the dance and responded to numerous challenges in the process, including working with the style of hip-hop, an approach that was not as familiar to ODC as other forms of dance. Members who wished to participate had to learn and perform a

portion of the choreographed routine at the audition. From there, Ms. Huang chose qualified members who would be a part of the dance. The style that Ms. Huang worked with this year was

jazz funk, a combination of classical jazz techniques with funky street-style hip-hop movements. The music number was an upbeat song entitled “Maneater” by Nelly Furtado. Ms.

Photos by ELLIOTT LEE and graphic courtesy of VIVAX.COM

DANCING WITH THE STARS Ordinary high school dancers transfom into international TV stars with their performance on Top Idol.

Huang referred to this song as “fun and sassy with a hip-hop sound” and a “girl empowerment” feel to it. For the past few years, the style of the routine had been upbeat and energetic to “fit the ambiance of the show and [was] always a crowd pleaser,” said senior Heidy Lam. To make sure that the routine would be perfect, selected members rehearsed every week during the month of September.

The performers were all thrilled to dance at this event. ODC President senior Wendy Wu said, “Everyone in the dance [was] excited to have such a great opportunity to… really see what it [was] like to dance on camera....[and] the dance [was] amazing. Jia really [knows] what she’s doing and everyone is super excited to work with her this year.” Ms. Huang saw this opportunity as a chance to prepare the dancers for their future careers. Heidy expressed that “this performance opportunity [truly enriched] our dance experience, as we [were] being exposed to a whole new form of entertainment.”

She said that through this performance, ODC was able “to experience the excitement of performing for a live TV audience while learning the logistics of the television industry.” cqiu@apachepowwow.com

September 2010

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PERFORMING ARTS

9

A (Dummy’s) Guide to Spotting a PA Member Profile Portfolio: Staff Writers

Band: You might see this kid during class or in front of you in the lunch line, to name a few places.

Yes, the one tapping his/her heels up and down (aka “marking time”) to a silent beat. Don’t be surprised if you also see his/her head bobbing to the same beat, or if you notice his/her fingers pressing down on invisible instrument keys. It’s a second form of breathing for band kids. On Wednesdays, especially during the band season, it’s easy to spot this PA member donning the oh-so-familiar maroon band shirt—after all, there are only about 300 band kids on campus.

Orchesis: Stay hydrated. That is advice most gym teachers and nutritionists would give to athletes. Even though many people do not take that suggestion to heart, you may occasionally see people carrying huge water bottles, while walking so gracefully it seems like they are practically floating. If the huge water bottles also happen to be beautifully decorated, and their owner is wearing a burgundy v-neck shirt and dark grey hoodie, it probably belongs to a member of Orchesis.

Colorguard: As the school year progresses, there will be more students with torn binders and snapped rulers fixed with various types of tape. But amidst all the typical, boring types of Scotch tape, some vividly colored electrical tape might also be spotted.

This distinctive tape belongs to none other than a Colorguard member. Electrical tape is a staple for members because it is used to fix all the various pieces of their equipment.

Since they have practice from 7:30 a.m. until the end of first period on school days, and from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, you may see them with bags under their eyes from lack of sleep.

Percussion: Tap. Tappity tap. Tappity-taptap-ta-tap. That kid sitting next to you in math might get on your nerves sometimes, with their incessant table tapping and the occasional head-bobbing, but that’s okay— they’re probably in percussion!

Need to check? Ask to borrow a calculator or something and if they reach inside their backpack for the calculator and dig up three pairs of drumsticks instead, you’ve got your answer.

Pep Squad: Sometimes in class, a loud, energetic voice might jolt you out of your bored stupor. While looking for the source of that voice, you may see a member of Pep Squad decked out in a cheer uniform, bubbling with enthusiasm. Depending on the members, Pep Squad may carry flags or pom-poms in their AHS duffle bags. With an abundance of school spirit, gymnastic ability, and Advanced Drama Department (ADD): On passion, the the first day of school, there was that one kid with members of a thousand-megawatt smile on his/her face. As the Pep Squad are days passed, his/her range of facial expressions ready to cheer and moods ranged from sad, to absolutely giddy, people on! or to completely nutty. Don’t worry Orchestra: In PE, did you ever notice that one kid’s though, as there’s no need to check strange left hand spasms? Those come from Orchestra memfor bipolarity—these members are bers’ amazing ability to quickly shift from note to just good at what they do! Despite note, string to string on their instruthe random mood swings, they’re ments. If you’re confused, check out all really nice people. Just don’t a video on YouTube and watch the speed be surprised if with which their left hands move. Add this to they’re a bit the fact that many of them practice anywilder than where from an hour to several hours you thought! a day and their seemingly odd left hand spasms will suddenly make sense!

New Spirit: Since the start of school, many students have lost a little of their spirit, but that one girl wearing a pink polo and occasionally a bejeweled, knee-length dress seems to always be smiling. She’s probably in New Spirit, which is not called New Spirit for nothing! Upon getting to know her better, you’ll find she has a sweet voice and an even sweeter personality.

Ms. Chen

We’ve all heard of Waldo, the kid who seems to be addicted to red-and-white-striped clothing and who loves hiding in large crowds all around the country. But in the end, he’s always found because of his not-so-obscure red and white outfit. Like Waldo, the ladies and gents of the performing arts department have their distinguishing characteristics as well. Here are a few tips to help you spot them!

Chanteurs: Though they will not spontaneously burst out into song like the characters from High School Musical, there are other ways to recognize them.

Sometimes as you walk by the choir room, you may see people in Chanteurs hoodies. And if they seem to be humming a tune, or making gestures as they mouth words, you have found a member of Chanteurs.

Photos by ELLIOTT LEE and MICHELLE ZHANG, and courtesy of KENNETH YU and RONALD LEE, and graphic courtesy of ALICENSETOTHINK.COM

jwu@apachepowwow.com mzhang@apachepowwow.com

Photo courtesy of ARCADIAMUSIC.ORG

By JASMINE WU & MICHELLE ZHANG

MUSIC MENTOR Ms. Chen smiles brightly as she prepares to start her new duties as Orchestra director.

By CHRIS LEE Staff Writer

As the famous inventor Alexander Graham Bell once said, “When one door closes, another opens.” This saying certainly proved true at AHS’ Music Department: When Mr. Rick England transferred to the Choral Department, Ms. Pin Chen, the new Orchestra director, stepped up to take his place and assist our other Orchestra director, Mr. Tom Forbes. However, in addition to directing Orchestra alongside Mr. Forbes, Ms. Chen will also be helping Band at its morning practices with formations and music in its field show. She will be teaching Music Appreciation in the spring as well.

Growing up in Irvine, Ms. Chen attended Woodridge High School. She was an outstanding violinist and graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Music degree with Honors in Instrumental and General Music Education. Adding even more to her impressive background, Ms. Chen is also fluent in three different languages: French, Mandarin, and English.

With Ms. Chen’s arrival, senior Leslie Chang hopes she will bring a wave of renewal so that Orchestra will “be able to perform more difficult pieces and wow our audiences away.” So far, Leslie has found Ms. Chen’s great enthusiasm for music “contagious,” which makes the experience of “playing her instrument so much more enjoyable.” Senior Kaitlyn Zheng agreed with Leslie, confidently asserting that she believes Ms. Chen truly “has the skills to guide us so that we can expect nothing less than greatness.” Although Ms. Chen may be new to the job, her wide-ranging and remarkable music background implies that she will be a great source of help to many students while they continue to grow as musicians. “Her charismatic personality and approachable demeanor really helps everyone connect with her,” said Kaitlyn.

Even Band director Mr. Tom Landes looks forward to Ms. Chen’s contribution to the music program. He stated that her “background as a solid string player will be tremendously beneficial” to the music program. Whatever Ms. Chen may do, Mr. Landes guaranteed that Band and Orchestra will “successfully finish strong this year.” clee@apachepowwow.com

FEATURES

10 The Art of Sleeping

By ELLISON CHEN

Staff Writer

As a new year of sleepless nights and listless days began, many teachers asked students to set goals. Predictably, many set one of their goals as “to get more sleep”, “go to bed before 12:00 a.m.”, or some variation of that. Here are a few tips on how to achieve that goal.

Use your agenda. One of the main reaU why people do not get enough sleep is sons ons w because of procrastination. Students constantbecau ly tell themselves, “I’ll do it later. How long could it take anyway?” and lose perspective on the actual time required to complete their daily assignments. This is where your handy-dandy agenda comes into play. When teachers post homework, write it down and beside each assignment put an estimated time on how long you think it will take you to finish it. Before you start playing Starcraft, look to see how long you can play and still have enough time left over to finish all your homework and get to bed at a reasonable hour.

Avo Avoid all-nighters. Unfortunately, the human uman bbody is not a machine that runs on caffeine. eine At some point, you will have to sleep.

Since you were awake the whole night, you are most likely to going to fall asleep during that exam you have been cramming for. More importantly, pulling all-nighters completely wrecks your internal clock. Once you stop sleeping at the appropriate time, your body will start feeling sleepy during the day and active in the night. At that rate, you are getting fewer hours of sleep every night until you adjust your internal clock back to normal.

Take naps. This may seem like someTak hing ing to tod thing toddlers do but it is a practice that could extremely beneficial to students taking mulbe extrem iple ple A AP tiple AP’s as well. When you feel sleepy, take a short nap that is no longer than 30 minutes and get up reenergized. Sluggishly doing your homework will only make the process more agonizing and painful than it already is. Moreover, your brain works slower when you are tired. So, when you find yourself stuck on a problem for more than 15 minutes, chances are that you need a nap. Napping not only boosts your brain performance, which enables you ou to finish your homework faster, but is also a great way to replenish the hours of sleep you lost st on a previous day.

Only go to bed if you’re sleepy. Yes,, beOn Onl ing ng able tto go to bed at 10:00 p.m. is wonderful erful but it can also be unrewarding if you are just rolling lli around in your bed until 11:00 p.m. m. If you are still wide awake after lying in bed d for 15 minutes, it is time to get up and do a quiet activity. Whether it is reviewing your notes es or ook, previewing the next chapter in your textbook, it is much more productive and soporific than tossing and turning in bed. Instead of wasting sting an hour trying to get to sleep, fall asleep faster aster and actually spend that time sleeping.

Se mes Set an alarm clock for bed. Sometimes you are so engrossed in your homework k or that you forget what time it is. So,, set game th an alarm to remind yourself that it’s time to l o go to bed. You may be reluctant to stop what you are doing but I am sure you’ll be glad of it in the morning.

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September 2010

A Guide to Energy-Boosting Snacks

By LAUREEN MA Staff Writer

With summer in the past and school blowing full speed up ahead, are you developing bad habits like drifting off into outer space during class or taking afternoon naps before you start on homework? If so, these energyboosting foods will help you solve your problem so you can get a head start on homework and start getting A’s!

When you wake up in the morning, whether it is at 6:00 a.m. or 7:50 a.m., a good morning wake-up call is fresh bananas and apples. Bananas provide Potassium, which is an electrolyte that helps maintain normal nerve and muscle function. Potassium is unlike other nutrients because it is not stored in the body for a long period of time. Potassium levels easily fluctuates during times of stress and strenurenuous activity so it is vital to eat bananas in order to maintain a healthy amount of Potassium. Fruitss are usually a great source rce of vitamins and minerals

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when you need a boost of energy to get boos throughh the th th dday. Another great breakfast choice is eating yogurt with cereal.

When eating yogurt, a Magnesium-rich food, you will absorb protein as well as carbohydrates and the cereal will help increase your energy. Oatmeal is also an option when choos-

ing what to eat early in the morning. It contains vast amounts of fiber and stress-lowering Vitamin B, which helps convert carbohydrates into usable energy.

Is your stomach grumbling during class and is lunch still hours away? The perfect snacks to get you through homeroom include an assortment of nuts like almonds, cashews, and walnuts. They are packed with good fats so they help you stay full and also have Vitamin E and Omega-3. The only downside to munching on this snack during class is that it is hard to control how much you eat in one sitting. A simple solution is to get an empty Altoids container and fill it up with as many almonds, cashews, and walnuts as you can and you’ll be good to go for the day.

Right after school, you head on home and

from the crackers as well as the protein from the cheese will give you a boost of energy that actually lasts. The cheese includes nutrients like Calcium, Zinc, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B12, Magnesium, and Vitamin D. I recommend using Swiss cheese because it has the biggest amount of Vitamin B12, which is also known as the energy vitamin. Edamame makes a great afternoon snack because it has a high protein and healthy fat content. It is a combination of energy in exchange for only a few calories. Hummus with veggie sticks is also a smart option as a midday snack because it is a nutritious food that is high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

With this quick go-to guide for what to eat, you are set to get a burst of energy before, during, and after school. Also remember to always with water as we transition y stay y hydrated y seaso from summer to fall. seasons lma@apachepowwow.com lma@apachepo

what is the first first thing you do? h Do you start on homework and turn on the computer or plop right in front of the TV with a bag of chips in hand? In order to stop this bad habit of eating a bag of chips a day or eating a second lunch after school, the right snack for you includes crackers with cheese, edamame, or hummus with veggie sticks. Eating wholegrain crackers with just a small amount of cheese will not only satisfy your hunger but also fuel your brain and body so you can power through your homework. The carbohydrates

Photos courtesy of BLOG.WRAPPEDINFOIL.COM, DAJAZ1.COM, FOODSUBS.COM, JENNASHWORTH.CO.UK, JULIAUHR.BLOGSPOT.COM, GLOBALPACKAGEGALLERY.COM, and TRADENOTE.NET

E-books: Are They Worth the Price?

By SARAH QUON Staff Writer

Recently, a new piece of technology called e-book reader has come out. This new reader is much thinner than regular paper books are. E-book readers can store many different books in them and, if needed, one can annotate and/or highlight the text. De-

pending on what e-book one gets, it can also have internet access, games, and more. Unlike regular books, e-book readers do not require paper to be produced. Despite that fact, e-book readers do cost a lot of money. Are e-book readers worth it?

E-book readers use electronic ink (E Ink) to display the text. The E Ink is able to look like paper, but it is only able to show up in shades of gray and black. The downside of E Ink is that there is no backlighting so it will bbe hard to view in the dark. With technology continuing to advance, e-book technolo readers ccan have a full color LCD screen, so it w will be easier to view in the dark. E Inkk also al o ttakes a little time to redraw itself and chang change the text for the next page someone is reading. read Bookworms can spend more time read reading because E Ink is able to conserve mor more energy.

E-book readers can be both considered E-bo eco-friendly and non-eco-friendly. They are eco-friend only cons considered eco-friendly in the sense that they do not use paper and ink. On the other hand, hand when making an e-book reader, toxic subs substances that are not biodegradable are used. Like any other situation, disposal of the e-b e-book batteries can harm the enviIt is easier to get a book when having an e-book reader. Instead of going to the store or w waiting for a book to be shipped, with an e-bo e-book reader, there is no delay because a perso person can purchase the book through

the e-book reader or online. Many books are also free online. However, many different formats are not compatible with particular e-book readers. Therefore, books are limited because of the specific format that is needed.

Many e-book readers also have different features in addition to reading books. Some of them are able to play music, videos, connect wirelessly to the Internet, and download application. E-book readers can also be able to have a LED lighted touch screen for more hands on interaction. For students, e-book readers have buttons you can press to highlight and annotate it.

The cost of just an e-book reader can range from $150 to over $300. Just like any other product, however, the price goes up as the product has better and more features. In addition the costs of books are just like regular books. Therefore, they range from $7.15 to $11.40 or more. With e-books there is no such thing as selling the book over again.

Rarely, though, some places allow people to borrow or rent e-books for a couple weeks.

E-book readers can be very useful when it comes to being a student and as e-book reader technology progresses, the features will improve. E-book readers are not for everyone, however, with the newest e-book readers, it is worth taking a serious look at. squon@apachepowwow.com Photos courtesy of FLICKR.COM and CDN.SLASHGEAR.COM and

FEATURES

11 Health is the Only Wealth Backpack Adjust is a Must September 2010

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By ELLISON CHEN Staff Writer

To the average student at AHS, there is nothing paramount to exams and getting into the most prestigious colleges. But truthfully, health is the only wealth. So, for students who have replaced the philosophy of being fit for life with fat for life, joining a gym is a vital step toward a healthy lifestyle.

Here is a breakdown of two gyms in Arcadia: LA Fitness and 24 Hour Fitness.

Amenities Both LA Fitness and 24 Hour Fitness have three lane pools, a cardio workout area, basketball court, Jacuzzi, mechanical weights, as well as showers and restrooms.

The biggest difference is that LA Fitness has more mechanical weightss and waiting for a machine is a rare spectacle.

Also, LA Fitness cardio machines have individ- u a l television screens that enable you to watch whatever you desire and an iProduct connector that transfers your workout information onto your iProduct for future reference.

Both gyms also offer plenty of group classes

including but not limited to yoga, pilates, cycling, kickboxing, aqua and step classes.

Experience LA Fitness is more spacious than 24 Hour Fitness. Since it has only been open for seven months, LA Fitness doesn’t have an overcrowding issue that often occurs at 24 Hour Fitness. Despite an ample amount of machines on the second floor, 24 Hour Fitness has an insufficient amount of equipment to accommodate its plethora of members.

Members are limited to working out during weekends and on Fridays.

Price In exchange for a healthy body, there is a price to pay for a gym membership. Both gyms offer month-to-month memberships. For LA Fitness, a platinum membership is $69.99 per month and includes: towel service and guest passes for up to two guests. A fo Hour Fitness membership is 24 H F $34.99 per person and every additional family member is $10 more. echen@apachepowwow.com Photos courtesy of ASIA.CNET.COM AND INSIDESOCAL.COM

By SARAH QUON Staff Writer

The backpack that a student has can be more than just a fashion statement; it also can also cause an injury. Some backpacks are not designed to hold a student’s load. However, by simply looking out for the right features in a backpack and wearing it properly, one can prevent such pain related to wearing a backpack.

When looking for a backpack, a person should always try it on and add a few books to see if it feels comfortable to them. No matter what, backpacks should always have these features: Straps: There should always be two straps. Using only one strap puts unnecessary stress on your back and strains your neck because the weight of your backpack is unequally distributed. It is also recommended that the straps be wide and padded. Wide straps will help prevent the strap from digging into your shoulder and causing discomfort.

Curved straps will also be more comfortable, rather than

straight straps, because they align with the body shape better.

The Back: Like the straps, the back is recommended to be padded. The padding will provide more cushioning and help reduce the feeling of the items inside your backpack from poking you.

Waist Belt: To distribute the weight more evenly, a waist belt can be used. The waist belt helps keep your back “attached” to the back of your backpack. By keeping your back attached to the back of the backpack, it will help prevent your spine or back from curving. When trying on the waist belt, it is supposed to feel snug, padding, and comfortable.

Compartments: Having more than one compartment will allow the items to be evenly distributed throughout the backpack and help a student become more organized.

The Fabric: The fabric of many backpacks is thin and can easily get worn down.

While looking for backpacks 630-denier ripstop nylon and Cordura fabric are the toughest and longest lasting fabrics. It would also be beneficial for the backpack’s cloth to be made of some water-resistant substance to protect your items from water damage.

These simple rules and recommendations can help anybody become more comfortable and satisfied. For any type of student, nothing is more important than backpack safety! squon@apachepowwow.com Graphic courtesy of MVMFACS.COM

Distraction Subtraction: Learn How to Avoid Them!

By CARRIE QIU

Staff Writer

A frequent complaint of students at AHS is the overload of homework. The school year has just started, and many students, especially those with AP classes, are already pulling allnighters. The average time a student spends on homework every day is approximately three to five hours, and that number may escalate dramatically varying directly with the number of APs that student is taking. Most of us can agree upon the fact that we are burdened with more homework than necessary, and we spend more time studying at home than in class. It certainly feels that way, but we don’t realize that we devote at least one-fourth of our alleged “homework time” on Facebook, AIM, texting, or other forms of multitasking. Most of our distractions come from varied forms of communication devices, but also from the people around us. This will help you pinpoint some major distractions students encounter while doing homework and how you can avoid these distractions to feel more productive.

1. Chatting Programs Though technology has created fantastic ways to enrich our learning experiences, it also plays a role of time-waster. It is undoubtedly helpful to have friends online who can help you with homework, but usually what starts as an attempt to understand some homework problems gradually digresses into a gossip session. It is important to keep in mind the purpose of your conversation with your friends.

If you are asking for some homework help, be sure to talk about homework and IM them back to chat after you’re finished. It is also helpful to close all chat programs while doing

homework, and only log on when you need assistance. Try this a few times, and soon it will become a habit. Don’t check the box that says, “Automatically Sign Me In”; that’s setting yourself up to waste time.

2. The Internet The computer’s role as both an educational tool and a means for distraction increases the appeal of doing several things at once. I’m sure many people’s

yourself a time limit. Keep your mind focused on your homework, and everything else can be saved for later.

3. Social Networks Every time we turn on the computer, Facebook is probably one of the first places students check out. It is the perfect place to satisfy our meddlesome nature as human beings: we al-

original intent for turning on the computer is to do some research or to type up an essay, but it is so hard to be on task when YouTube is one click away. The best way to avoid such temptations is to disconnect the internet while typing up essays, or in case of research, give

ways want to know what is going on with the people around us. The truth is that we go on Facebook because we get tired of homework once in a while. Facebook does not relieve your stress. It is important to have a scheduled timeline of your study time at home, and vital

to have a break every hour or so from studying. Long periods of studying time may result in unproductiveness and lethargy. So next time when you feel like going on Facebook without a specific purpose, it means it is time to stand up and stretch, or to eat some snack to recuperate from exhaustion.

4. Television Most people are used to multitasking, and watching television doesn’t seem to distract them from doing homework. But the truth is, students are taking longer to complete their assignments while absorbing less information than they would if they were concentrating exclusively on schoolwork. The best way to conquer this temptation is to focus on your homework first and set a specific time to watch your favorite show. This way, you can really understand your homework and enjoy the show without stressing.

The most prevailing methods to be productive at home are to create a tentative schedule, find the appropriate environment, and be consistent and motivated. Try to develop a habit of focusing and avoiding procrastination. Don’t wait until the last minute to write a ten page essay that your teacher assigned the week before because you were on Facebook or YouTube. We all know it’s not a good feeling. Start to develop that habit today by setting a consistent studying space and schedule, and always keep your schedule and purpose in mind. This way, your homework time will radically reduce, and you will be able to get the sleep that you’ve always wanted. cqiu@apachepowwow.com Graphics courtesy of CHRISTMASTREE.ORG KERCHOONZ.COM, SLIPPERYBRICK.COM, and TCD.IE

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l a p i c n i r P e A Note from th nt Services e d tu S e th e d nclluu p soon. The ttiion updattees iin u c u g r t tr in s h n o is c n e fi e m So iilll b f ence Centteer w ie i c S e h th t s by the end o u d n to a r le b a l il i a Centtee v s wiilll be a good in the g s n k in i o d l il i lo u g b e in h th t th ery keys ttoo make surree ev hings will n is e rn h th t l fu l il i e w th e ll W A al. toberr..

Octo for ake an approv m o to t r ed five years e it d rd r a o w n e i in s W g . n g in i d in l i il bu excit hich is reallly w , w e n d n ra ht! be b we want it rig g around the n d n ri a e , v g u e in n d a il m u on this b ce might not t I would give n a ta th is e d ic t s v e d a rt o e sh Som nt routes. The ested halls re g n fe o if c d y y n tr a m to e g th school is t. Try avoidin s e k ic u q e th always be very say that I am to e k also. li t s ju nes , I would . We are the o y it il ib x As a final note e fl ’ ts t the next 50the studen a ll th a o f s o n e o v ti ti c ia u tr apprec dia from the cons in a p e th future of Arca e ll a th g r fo e c fi ri absorbin sac . njoyed. It is a aling with this e e e d b r n fo a s c u rs lo a u e y be t fab be prepared to ts here are jus t n s e d ju , tu n s e e p o th y d an nall uildings are fi b w e n e th n e Wh blown away.

ll a d s a n n a V . r -M

Pictures by ELLISON CHEN and ELLIOTT LEE and graphics courtesy of AHS.AUSD.NET, WIKIPEDIA.COM, CI.MAPLEWOOD.COM and CARLIANGRAPHICS.COM

September 2010

The Science

The S Services

September 2010

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Constructi

Facility Nam e Student Serv

ice Building

Science Build

ing

Coming Soon: The Performing Arts Center

Performing A

rts Building

Modernizatio

n

Stadium Blea

chers

on Dates Constructio

Mar. 2009

- Aug. 2010

Feb. 2009 -

Aug. 2010

Aug. 2010 -

Nov. 2011

July. 2010 -

Dec. 2012

Apr. 2010 -

Aug. 2010

By YEJEAN KIM

Center

Student Building

n

Amidst the banging and jack hammerin g, an up-to-date sta to emerge from the Staff Writer dium and two new dust at AHS. These buildings are about structures are about school-improvemen to become the first t projects. officially-completed Although the stadium has only been unde r construction for a be revealed in time short time, its revam for Homecoming ga ped look will m e on visitor bleachers, a Oct. 8. Improvemen new press box, and ts include a new tra to ck, home and pping it all off, new The new two-story lights.

Science Center (SC) is on the southern pa Its entrance is marke rt of the campus on d by a landscaped co Duarte Road. urtyard similar to th with state-of-the-art e one at J-Building. labs for chemistry an It is equipped d classrooms designe physics. These will d especially for study be separated by lect ing biology and ure rooms, adding a these additions soun collegiate feel to th d complex, the build e school. Although ing is designed for the Center, so there easy flow of traffic will be no more snar be tween B-Hall and ls of students in the to our science progra halls. The SC will be m and provide a ha a major asset ven for students to modernity, it will ra foster their love of ise standards for stu sc ie nce. With its de nt performance, whi appeal. le adding to our cam pus’ aesthetic On Campus Drive, the Student Services Ce Little Theatre. Ever nter (SSC) is adjace y part of the two-sto nt to the current loca ry building is dedica tion of the attending to our need ted to help each stu s. The SSC will be dent at AHS by academically benefi special education cl cial, as it contains bo assrooms, lecture ro th general and oms, and a career ce with sections for co nter. It will also ensu unseling, health, an re our well-being d administrative serv because the center w ices. Elective course ill have three compu s will also benefit ter labs, a television electives like Digita studio, and classroo l Photography and G ms designed for ra phic Design. All thes the best school expe e features will help rience possible. The students have SSC is also consider Campus Drive, and ed the “front door” will truly be an impr to the campus on essive sight. Like th there will also be w e SC, the SSC is mad hole sections of wal e with brick, but ls made of glass. Th look will ensure that e building’s modern visitors will be prop an d high quality erly welcomed with education at AHS. H an environment that owever, the design fi ts the level of is no t with the landscapin over conspicuous, as g surrounding it. it was designed to be harmonious As the SC and SSC buildings are finish ing up, the Perform All AHS students w ing Arts Building w ill reap the benefits ill be coming soon. of all the buildings construction is an in academically and pe convenience now, th rs on ally. Although e occasional bangin pay for a beautiful ca g and jack hammerin mpus. g is a small price to ykim@apachepoww

ow.com

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ACADEMICS Academic Decathlon

Academic Team Dictionary

By CHRISTOPHER CHEN & ELBERT WANG Staff Writers

Note to self: Study the following AHS terms to spruce up my AHS experience. The following will give me a vast knowledge of all the academic teams on campus.

Academic Decathlon (AcaDeca) 1. a team that tests subjects ranging from topics such as Math and Geology to Economics with this year’s overall theme as the Great Depression 2. meetings held twice a week in F-9 with adviser Mr. Albert Sylvia / Last year, AcaDeca received 36 invidual medals and 2nd place at the Super Quiz Oral Relay.

Constitution Team (GovTeam) 1. a team of 30 seniors who study the U.S. Constitution and have mock congressional hearings 2. required to take the AP Government Team

Talk Nerdy To Your Date

By ANDY QIN &CHRISTOPHER CHEN Staff Writers

In anticipation of Homecoming, win your date over with these creative academic pickup lines! With these, you will be heading down the road to romantic success.

1. May I compare thee to an exothermic reaction? Thou art hot. (Exothermic chemical reactions release heat.)

2. I’ve always wondered what our coefficient of friction would be.

3. I’m holothuroidea and I’m falling apart for you. (Holothuroidea are sea cucumbers that can throw up their non-vital organs.)

4. Our limit goes to infinity.

5. I sublimate whenever you’re around.

(Sublimate is to change directly from a solid to a gas.)

6. Let’s pretend like I’m cos^2 and you’re sin^2 so that together we’re one. (sin^2+cos^2=1 is a trigonometric identity.)

7. I don’t think we’ll need L’Hopital’s help because our love is determinate.

(L’Hopital’s Rule is a method of finding limits in calculus.)

8. The gravitational force between people is negligible except for ours.

9. We have an incredible amount of potential chemical energy for our combination reaction. aqin@apachepowwow.com cchen@apachepowwow.com

course with Mr. Kevin Fox in B-2, tryouts no longer available / For the first time in 17 years, GovTeam was declared the 2010 National Champions of the “We the People” competition.

Destination Imagination (DI) 1. a team that harnesses problem solving skills through creative expression, and specializes in performance challenges covering a wide variety of topics 2. An informational meeting will take place in D-3 on Sept.

29. Meetings are usually held once a week after school. / DI received 1st place at the regional competition and competed in the state competition last year.

Math Team (MT) 1. a team that studies all areas of math, including calculus, linear algebra, combinatorics, and advanced geometry 2. practices held every Wednesday in P-2 with adviser Ms. Kerry King, tryouts no longer available / This past year, MT placed 3rd in the Bay Math League, and two of its members were invited to take the American Invitational Mathematics Exam.

Ocean Science Bowl (OSB) 1. a team that participates in fast, buzzer -based competitions about ocean science 2. meetings held twice a week in E-5 with adviser Ms. Christina Chow, tryouts no longer available / OSB placed 1st in the regional competition and 8th at the national competition.

Physics Team (PT) 1. a new team composed of dedicated members who display a vast knowledge and affinity for Physics 2. meetings held twice a week in E-4 with adviser Mr. Mauricio Eguez, tryouts on Oct. 24 / Last year, PT placed 2nd at state competitions in the Physics Bowl Competition and 8th at the national competition.

Quiz Bowl (QB) 1. a team with trivia-based, jeopardy style competitions that cover diverse topics 2. practices Monday and Wednesday at lunch, and Tuesday after school with adviser Mr. Christopher Schultz in P-6, tryouts no longer available / QB received 43rd at the national competition.

Science Bowl (SB) 1. a team with fast-paced, jeopardy style competitions pertaining to science 2. meetings held once a week after school

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September 2010

Speech and Debate in E-8 with adviser Mrs. Cherryl Mynster, tryouts no longer available / SB won 1st in Regionals last year and 4th at Nationals.

Science Olympiad (SO) 1. composed of a testing team that takes written tests, and a building team that creates contraptions that focus on science 2. meetings held twice a week in E-8 with adviser Mrs. Mynster, tryouts in the first week of Oct. / SO got 2nd at the regional competition and 4th in the state competition last year.

Speech and Debate 1. a team that specializes in public speaking, be it through acting or debate 2. a class required for first-year members led by advisers Ms. Ashley Novak and Ms. Josipa Casey in C-3, tryouts no longer available / Last year, a dozen Speech and Debate members competed in the state competition, four advanced to the semifinalists, and one advanced to the finals. cchen@apachepowwow.com ewang@apachepowwow.com Graphics courtesy of WIKIPEDIA .ORG and STANDFASTBOOKS.COM

The College Rivalry Continues

By RACHEL THAI Staff Writer

prised by this news. The Daily Trojan credited its rising climb on “major advances in the quality of USC’s undergraduate curriculum, extensive research opportunities for students, and increased fundraising for its professional schools.”

Despite these beliefs, USC’s climb in rankings could cause an increase in applicants and a decrease in acceptance rate. Additionally, USC’s comparatively smaller class sizes to UCLA could increase its appeal. With California’s budget cuts, UCLA has had to eliminate small classes and increase the number of students per class.

However, many still argue UCLA is still the better school despite the drop in rank. Academically, UCLA very competitive and hard to get into. According to collegeboard.com, 92% of the students accepted into UCLA had an unweighted GPA of 3.75 or higher in high school while only 50% of the students accepted into USC had an unweighted GPA of 3.75 or higher.

USC’s rise in rankings has only created additional tension to their already unyielding rivalry. This has increased the school’s ego, school spirit, and determination to beat UCLA. Likewise, UCLA, who has always been academically ahead of USC, is more tenacious about beating USC than ever before. Peace between the schools will not draw closer anytime in the near future.

Still, “in the end, the city wins when we have two outstanding research universities, one public and one private,” said UCLA Associate Vice Chancellor Lawrence Lokman.

University of Southern California (USC) and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have always been rivals, with USC dominating the football field and UCLA conquering the basketball court.

Even teachers take sides when it comes to the rivalry between USC and UCLA. UCLA alumna, Mrs. Charmaine Cordero covers her classroom with UCLA flags and decorations, while Mr. Matthew Woodin refers to UCLA as “the school that shall not be named.”

It’s no wonder that when the news broke out that USC beat UCLA according to this year’s U.S. News & World Report’s annual college ranking, students from both schools spread the news via Twitter and Facebook.

According to the 2010 rankings, USC and Carnegie Mellon are tied at 23rd place while UCLA ranks just one place lower. This controversial news sparked a celebration among Trojans and an angry uproar from the Bruins. The Bruins blame the change in UCLA’s criteria.

The U.S. News has recently added high school Either way, many scholars believe that unicounselors’ opinions to the criteria to determine versity rankings are unscientific and complain the college rankings, which clearly benefited that “The U.S. News in particular focuses too USC. The Daily Bruin stated that “these rank- much on selective admissions, the size of enings must be kept in perspective as the measures dowments and the opinions of other university tend to favor private universities.” Many UCLA leaders,” according to The Los Angeles Times. students think state budget cuts also rthai@apachepowwow.com may have hurt their college’s ranking. TIP THE SCALE USC closes the gap and surpasses Graphics courtesy of UCLABRUINS.COM, Nevertheless, USC is climbing UCLA in college rankings, now making them neck-andSCHOOL.DISCOVEREDUCATION.COM, and SPORTSAPPARELSUPERSTORE.COM steadily. Many Trojans are not sur- neck in competition.

September 2010

apachepowwow.com

ACADEMICS

17

A Fresh Face of AHS: Ms. Angela Jeng

By ELBERT WANG & SUE WANG Staff Writers

Ms. Angela Jeng is a new teacher and welcomed member of the AHS staff, having previously taught at Oakland High School, Life Academy, and Mission San Jose High School for the past three years. She is currently teaching Junior English (American Literature) and AP Language and Composition.

Some interesting and lesser-known facts about Ms. Jeng are that she can ride a unicycle and do the Jerk dance!

Ms. Jeng expects a lot out of her students in her rigorous classes; she argues that even though many students think that achieving the bare minimum should earn them an A, the fact of the matter is that an A student should “exceed the rest”. Despite her high expectations, she is a fun, approachable, and unconventional teacher.

She has many favorite books including “The Giving Tree”, a children’s picture book

by Shel Silverstein, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, The Princess Bride, and the Bible, just to name a few. She thinks that The Princess Bride is really witty and funny, while she praises that the Bible is “amazing” and has “beautiful literature”.

After majoring in Business Administration and Mass Communications at UC Berkeley, Ms. Jeng decided to attend graduate school and major in education. It was in graduate school where she discovered her true passion for teaching. Her interest in becoming a teacher stemmed from her experiences in teaching college fresh-

man composition workshops at Berkeley. She ing new knowledge about the English language. enjoyed discussing the current issues in edu- Rather than high grades and scores, she considcation and found it fulfilling to see people en- ers it more rewarding to see students value the joy learning. She attributes skills they acquire. The information ttributes her love of writing and languagee to her AP that her students Language and Composimposilearn in her class tion teacher in high school, is truly important. whom she still seeks advice Her pet peeves as from today. Deriving a teacher include g inspiration from her, she teaches “grade-grubbing” using methods that she he found because she beeffective as a student. lieves that learnt.

If she were not ing is about accua teacher, Ms. Jeng mulating new ng would have wanted abilities, not d to become a moviee about scores director or screenor points. The writer.

Furone question that thermore, irritates her the most she loves is when a student asks, movies with “How many points is a deep mesthis worth?” sage and As for recommovies that mending a best make people strategy for think upon seeing studying, Ms. them.

Jeng shares a bit As a teacher, she of her wisdom. “absolutely adore[s] teenagShe suggests that ers” because she finds students should ds them really funny and delightful. incorporate themes, lightful.

She loves literary disPhotos by ELLISON CHEN c u s s i o n s , seeing her students en- WELCOMED NEWCOMER Ms. Angela Jeng fit right and diffijoy learning into the AHS staff with her charismatic personality and enthu- cult vocaband acquir- siastic outlook on teaching. ulary into

their everyday conversations. This way, students get a lot more practice.

By being a teacher, Ms. Jeng feels that she can make more out of her life by mentoring future leaders who are honest and intelligent. Rather than becoming the next doctor or lawyer, she finds it extremely fulfilling to guide the young minds of future generations. After coming to AHS, the students she teaches here remind her of herself when she was a teenager.

She can relate to the student’s expectations, stresses, and struggles since she too attended a very competitive high school.

Surprisingly, her high school experience was very similar to many AHS students, as she was very busy all the time and involved in high school. She was in Journalism and was an editor for her school newspaper. Her myriad of extracurricular activities also included National Honor Society, Speech and Debate, Math Club, and tennis. Additionally, she volunteered at the library, took music lessons, and attended Chinese school.

However, it was not until she left high school when she discovered her passion. It was in graduate school where she found what she was truly passionate about: teaching. There, she fulfilled her thirst for education and found mentoring the future thinkers of America exceptionally worthwhile and rewarding. ewang@apachepowwow.com swang@apachepowwow.com Graphics courtesy of BLOGSPOT.COM, BRANDONCANNON.COM, MAURICEROBINSONSPORTS.COM, and PAGES.CPSC.UCALGARY.CA

‘Pache’s Declassified: Guide For The Bullied Year

By YEJEAN KIM Staff Writer

Hi! Wait—you’re a freshman? eshman? Well come on over and sit right down, because I’m going to teach you how to survive in this big pot of soup up we call AHS. Why soup, you wonder? Well, everyone becomes es as indistinguishable from m each other as the ingredients in a soup in the halls during passing periods, and everyone always seems to o be on the edge of boiling over ver ich leads me because of the pressure. Which to my first tip: 1. Don’t let the pressure ure get to you.

By pressure, I mean any y prestarting sure you’re feeling about starting high school. You’ve probably bly heard a lot about what a shock k the change from middle to o high school is, and how much h harder it’s going to be, but honestly, the change from freshman man to sophomore year is a bigger chang change n e than the one from middle to o high school. So don’t be stressed just yet—AHS is a lot like your middle school, except there aree more Michaels than the two that were in your ur 8th grade math class. Just relax, and whatever er you do, do not walk around looking scared or anxious. That

less it’s at an assembly where you should: 3. Ignore the booing.

At assemblies and other school wide events, you will be booed. Loudly. It’s an upperclassmen-asserting-their-dominance thing, and it would most likely be diagnosed as some disorder if it were psychoanalyzed (borderline authoritarian personality?). So just sit there, looking as unaffected as possible, and everyone else will get over themselves and stop.

4.Don’t be a hyper monkey at lunch.

When you are a part of a huge mob of squealing students milling around ound eating and running all over the place, it couldn’t be more obvious that you’re a freshman unless l ss you had it written on your forehead in sharpie.

Super loud exclamations (OMG! NO WAY!) should also be avoided as much as possible.

The only reason you should be screaming during lunch is if that monster from Cloverfield comes out, or worse, Cloverfield starts playing.

5. Just relax at school dances.

Dances like Homecoming and Sadie’s are just for fun. They aren’t some forum to prove that you’re mature enough FEELING LOST While freshmen may to be a high school student. feel lost in the large AHS crowd, they can Clearly you’re all already mamaintain their freshmen pride if they follow ture enough to have gotten into Pache’s advice. high school, so don’t ruin how

is a huge indicator of being a freshmen. If you walk around like someone just waiting to be ppicked on,, yyou’re ggoing g to be ppicked on, so just hold your head high and walk around with But not too confidence. B confidence, bemuch con cause this can attract attention. negative Speaking of negative attention, Look out for 2. Loo sophomores.

I kknow what thinking: but you’re th were just freshthey wer man…Exactly.

So man…Ex they think they have something to prove, and they prove iit by picking So be careful on you, see? S packs of sophoof roving pack mores, although of course sophomore you see every sophomo will not pick on you, just the anyone—not just insecuree ones. If anyon sophomores—calls out to you saying, freshman!” just ig“Freshman! Hey, freshm have a name of nore it, because you hav should use it. your own, and they sh Not too many will pick on you, un-

others see you by over enthusiastically grinding, playing tag on the dance floor, or worse, just standing around in a pack talking to each other. It’s called a dance floor for a reason, so let loose and have fun. But not too loose (see above).

6. Don’t fall behind in schoolwork.

“Freshman year doesn’t count.” Oh yes, it does. It may or may not have any effect on your college applications, but freshman year has a huge effect in your study habits. If you are one of those types who gets straight A’s without trying, try to form good study habits anyway, or so sophomore year will kick your butt (specifically AP Bio).

7. Be carefree.

I know what I said just in Tip 6, but it’s not too bad. You’re going to have to take responsibility for yourself—you’re in high school now—but the word “fresh” is in your title for a reason. You will have a much easier time learning new things because your brains are still soft and unformed, not hardened by drinking endless caffeine like everyone else.

So take advantage of it, and make as many mistakes as you can, because people will let them go—for now. ykim@apachepowwow.com Graphic by TIFFANY LAI Graphics courtesy of BRUTALWAVES. COM and SODAHEAD.COM

“What are YOU going to do to end the silence?”

18

STUDENT LIFE

Oopsies &

Whoopsies

Compiled by KARINA LAIGO & EDWARD CHAO Staff Writers

If there’s one thing that no one forgets, it’s someone’s most embarrassing moment. Sure, it’ll die down once it happens, but fast forward a couple of months or years and one day your friend will say, “Hey! Remember when…?” and you’ll be done for. But cheers to these brave few who aren’t afraid of bringing their embarrassing moments up and laughing along at them.

Too bad most of them are anonymous.

“I got some barbeque sauce on my face and it got spread on my lips to my cheeks. It even got onto my forehead. And after I finished eating, a couple of guys came up to my friends and began to flirt with us. One of the guys then went, “How’s it going, Joker Face?”

- Anonymous, sophomore “I was riding my bike and I saw the girl I liked across the street. She saw me too. I waved at her and as I did so I rode right into a pole.”

- Anonymous, sophomore “I was at a party, and I was hanging outside with my friends. I began to walk around and I tripped on a crack on the floor, and accidentally landed on another guy’s face.”

- Anonymous, senior “A young lady asked me, ‘Hey, can I sit wherever I want?’ And in my head, I formed the sentence, ‘What do you think, I’m stupid?’ And so I said, ‘What are you, stupid?’ It was terrible; she never gave me any forgiveness.”

- Mr. Kevin Fox “On my first day of student teaching, I was observing a class. I stretched from my office chair to lean over the trash can. Next thing I know, I’m on the floor in front of the whole class because the chair slipped out from under me...I also missed the trash can. The class turned pale and their faces dropped....The teacher, Ms. Cordero...did a double take as she asked, ‘Are you okay?’ I jumped up from the floor and hands in the air shouted, ‘Ta da... I meant to do that.’”

- Ms. Josipa Casey “I noticed students whispering to each other and they kept looking at me. Finally during break, some kids came over to me and told me that my dress was inside out. I was mortified and immediately ran into the bathroom to get my dress correct. I was so embarrassed.”

- Ms. Claudia Diaz Now, go up to those unashamed heroes and clap them on the back, tell them what happened wasn’t that bad, and then laugh in their faces. Chances are they’ll laugh back. echao@apachepowwow.com klaigo@apachepowwow.com

apachepowwow.com

September 2010

Relay for Life: One Day May Save Many Junior Amy Leong, a member of Red Cross Club, raised $600 of donations. She stated, “I always love to raise money for such good causes and even by getting that $1 from each person, really adds up.”

As people walked, tents from each team

cated to their loved ones. “Emotions are all over the place at Relay for Life, from tears of happiStaff Writer ness to tears of joy. Many [joyous] feelings are apparent at Relay,” said Ms. Tamara Erickson, a One day in a lifetime might not seem immember of The A-Team and AHS Math Departportant, but it takes only one day to save lives. ment Chair.

From June 26 to 27, people from all over ArcaBy Sunday, the event had raised over dia came together at the Santa Anita Race$110, 000 worth of funds. The money from track to honor survivors, commemorate the this event has gone toward research for findlives lost, and walk toward a cure for caning the cure for cancer, and providing supcer at the American Cancer Society’s Relay port and help to individuals who have been for Life. The event lasted from 11:00 a.m. diagnosed. Best of all, the money will be on Saturday to 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. This used to organize more Relay for Life proevent has not only been held in the United grams.

States, where more than 3.5 million people Carter Spruill, Event Chairman of Arfrom 5,000 communities participate, but cadia’s Relay for Life, said, “The American also in 19 other countries worldwide. This Cancer Society set a goal for us at $80,000 is a global contribution towards ending canand we shattered that goal by raising over cer, the disease that doesn’t discriminate. $110,000, and the money is still coming in.

From each of the 50 teams, at least one Next year, I am hoping to see even more member was required to walk on the track at all times. There had even been reports MISSION: POSSIBLE Over $110,000 have money raised, and I challenge the students of [AHS] to raise at least $17,362.29 for of people walking the track nonstop for the been raised by this year’s Relay for Life. next year’s event.” entire 24 hours.

On Sunday, as the sun dawned on the San“I think that it shows people who have or were set up along the track, offering cancer have battled this disease that people of all walks pamphlets, selling snacks and drinks, and offer- ta Anita Racetrack once more, people walked of life are supporting them,” remarked Leann ing fun games to play. A local Girl Scouts group away from Relay for Life with more hope and Solis, Event Co-Chair and Team Recruitment was giving out free lap bead trackers. Partici- inspiration toward fighting cancer. In one day, Chair, “and that people, even strangers, care pants picked up a wire with a single starter bead they had celebrated the lives of survivors, reon their first lap. As they continued around the membered their loved ones, and discovered about the quality of their lives.”

Teams like the Arcadian Police Officers track, they picked up a bead for every lap they how big an impact cancer really had on their Association, The Arcadia Firefighters Asso- completed. To keep people on their toes, live community. But come another day and year, Arciation, Nothing’s Bigger than Love, the Red performances from a band, singers, and dancers cadia will be walking in Relay for Life again, Cross Club, and The A-Team, joined up as one made music travel throughout the Santa Anita in the hope that the disease will someday be obliterated and there will be more days saved to fight the disease. The American Cancer So- Racetrack.

When the night started winding down, the for more lives. ciety gave participants a personal goal to raise $100 each. Many have surpassed that mark due Luminaria ceremony began. Each participant lit their own candle to carry around the track, dedistang@apachepowwow.com to their dedication and passion.

By SOPHIA TANG

Fall into

By GRACE SONG Staff Writer

This season, something else has weaved its way back into the world of fashion that hasn’t been seen since the 1950s. It’s true; your grandmother’s (and grandfather’s) closet is now back in style, but a good comeback is always attached to a modern twist. Say hello once again to classy!

Fashion

!

1) The Sophisticated Lady Say goodbye to the “grunge” look that features baggy clothes that won’t accentuate your physique. Instead, move up a maturity level that will give the word “lady” a whole new meaning—and I’m not talking about pearls, girls. This fall is all about structured and sophisticated accessories like square-shaped shoulder bags and belts that define your waist. Usually, we reserve pencil skirts and blouses for the office, but they have made a magnificent breakthrough to this season’s front cover. Exchange your wavy flower skirt for a more conservative and defined pencil skirt that goes great with feminine blouses. Around the 1970s, women everywhere carried the simple yet refined “pocketbook” bag. Now, the traditional square and long-strap look from the past has come back with a modern take (exotic prints and rich hues) while staying true to its heritage. The reason why it keeps coming back is that it’s timelessly vogue and incredibly practical. In the end, it’s all about looking polished and put-together, which brings me to my favorite item: the belt. We have long overlooked the importance of the belt because it has always been hidden beneath our shirts and used only for security purposes. But with a new season comes new functions, which take the belt to a whole new level of utility.

Why not add a nude-colored belt to a dress for a more refined feel or a wild-colored one to make your belt the center of attention?

2) The Classic Gentleman This fall, invest in the classic black blazer that adds a hint of sophistication to any ensemble. This look might be a bit formal for some guys, but by adding a laid-back V-neck or a knit sweater, you can look sharp rather than frumpy. Amp up your closet with a bit of rock n’ roll because the original James Dean bad-boy look is back. And yes, I am talking about the red leather jacket he wears when he jumps out of the car in Rebel Without a Cause. Red should be reserved for the true daredevils, so for the rest of the male populace, opt for a lightweight biker jacket that oozes instant stealth. Forget about conventional black or blue ties that give no personality to your outfit. Instead, go for ties with funky plaid prints that have a thinner cut and a smaller knot. Add that to a white button-down and camel coat and you’ll look cooler than ever. We’re living in a period in which everything that was old and outof-date is now endlessly modern. So why not take a chance and break out in the original sailor khakis? Khaki pants are incredibly diverse and practical since they go great with a tux-jacket, knit sweater, or blue blazer all the while keeping you grounded in casual land. Some items that should always be in your closet are: plaid shirts, beanies, windbreakers, and oversized coats. gsong@apachepowwow.com

September 2010

apachepowwow.com

ADVERTISMENTS

19

20

SPORTS

By STACEY NG Staff Writer

Photo by ELLIOTT LEE

Passion begins early in life. Junior Anthony Kuo’s passion for water polo started at the age of 12 when he joined a water polo club. His love for the sport continued and when he was a sophomore, Anthony further pursued the sport and earned a spot on the varsity team, which is definitely no small feat. He regards playing water polo as his “fun time” and a “relief from coursework,” which, as it does for most students, consumes most of his time. According to Anthony, water polo serves as a way for him to ease the inevitable stress of juggling both his responsibilities as a member of Speech and Debate and all the work from a handful of Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors courses. He elaborated that playing water polo “just lets [him] take a break from all [the] craziness [of projects and schoolwork] and lets [him] enjoy playing.”

Everyone needs their own outlet for stress, and Anthony is just the same.

It is no secret that students at AHS receive pressure to get good grades from their parents, peers, and often even themselves. Anthony, however, argues that if he has learned anything from water polo, it is that there is more to high school life than studying and stressing over grades. He developed this point of view after learning about his teammates’ diverse schedules, filled with extracurricular activities. “I look at my teammates,” he said, “and they are in so many different activities like Advanced Drama Department (ADD), Speech and Debate, [as well as] different clubs on campus.” Their involvement in school activities inspires him to do the same and this mindset helps him to define himself as a great athlete.

In addition to excelling as a student, he is superstar in the water. “He is very coachable, listens well, and works hard,” previous coach Janice Clark complimented. His motivation is drawn from both his team and family, but most importantly, from his cousin who inspired him to play and promised it to be “a good experience throughout high school.” In the near future, Anthony hopes to become captain of the team, but until then, he will be making all of us proud in the classroom and the water. stng@apachepowwow.com

apachepowwow.com

September 2010

Dear Apache Athletes, Welcome back to another exciting year of Apache Athletics. The 2010-2011 school year is going to be a great one, and I’m fired up to watch you compete. As some of you may know, I’m an Arcadia High School alumnus and I bleed cardinal and gold. I’ve been around the Apache Athletic Program for over 16 years. Throughout this time I have competed, coached, and been a spectator of Apache Athletics. I have observed first hand why the Arcadia High Athletic Program is so special. It’s a program where student athletes prepare extremely hard and compete at a high level, all while exhibiting unparalleled sportsmanship and class. I’m looking forward to seeing all of you uphold the pride and tradition of Apache Athletics for another season. It’s an absolute pleasure to be your Athletic Director. I will be there to support all of you throughout this school year. Good luck!

-Coach Ryan Press Photo by TOMMY LIAO

Nothing But Mileage and Smile-age

By ANDY QIN Staff Writer

It must feel terribly intimidating to be waiting at the starting line of a cross country race and learning that the opposing team is our Boys Varsity Cross Country team. Personally, I would feel mortified to be amongst some of the best high school runners in the state of California. Whispers of names like seniors Ammar Moussa, ussa, Allen Leung, and Sergio Gonzalez zalez make common appearances es on national high school running ning websites and do not do any good in calming the nerves of opponents.

Powerade The Po Fab 50 Boys Cross Country Rankings Ra as a well as the a Harrier H Magazines agree, both AHS h ranking p second place in the nation.

However, Ho the willingness to ingn train races in n for race excess five kiloess of ers is not gained meters easily. ly.

T h e Boys Cross Country team is led

by Coach Jim O’ Brien, who has led the boys to numerous finishes ous top three at the State he California Meet. et. These boys rise at the crack of dawn tto begin outs, w theirr workwhich is inevitably interrupted by a seven hourr break called “school” aand then moree workouts follow aft afterward.

The demand of stamina is essential for the success of the program and as a result, very few cross country members take part in any other extracurricular activities. The boys acknowledge that despite the seemingly end-

less toil, they would not have it any other way. surpassed many of his upperclassmen peers and The team is known to frequently eat together now rounds out the top of the junior class. during lunchtime, verifying the human tendenT h e team’ss goal for this seateam cy to bond with those who suffer together. But sonn was put very bluntly as Esblu the hours of practice pay off the moment they mond ond stated it in “five words: leave for competition; the team is immersed in wee want to win sta state.” Doing an entirely different kind of stardom on a scale so will be simple task. The no simpl much larger than that found within the limits of defending State champions of efending ch high school.

Dana Dan Hills pose Dyestat, the largest database of high school a significant cross country and track and field statistics can threat to the th be seen as the ESPN of the high school running course.

Adc world. In fact, ESPN Rise and Dyestat have reditionally, cently merged in order to best optimize resourcthe Cross es for the sole purpose of documenting races. It Country is not uncommon for Ammar to be featured in team of articles, interviews, and photos as a kind of ceTrabuco Trabuc Hills has lebrity from AHS. Ammar was one of only six its own share of seindividuals chosen to represent the USA in Bydniors that th similarly goszcz, Poland,. for the 38th IAAF World Cross desire the elusive Country Championships. Ammar ran against California State Califor the best runChampionship.

Champi Photos courtesy of VIVIAN N CHAN ners under Though the Th the age of BOYS CROSS COUNTRY image of victory TRY 19 from all Summoning their last bit of energy, is awe-inspiring, aw gy, the countries of boys of cross country make it past the members themmemb ast the the world, finish line at first place. selves see their team including as a kind of haven the dominant team of Kenya. Ammar eventu- away way from negativity. Junior Luis ally came in 66th place, racing against competi- R a m o s transferred from football fr tors that may have been as much as three years just what it was like st to experience wha older and commonly ran the eight-kilometer to be on best-performing AHS’ best u as he exraces. Arcadia is also a common guest at Nike t e a m .

Luis’ eyes lit up Cross Nationals, held in Portland, Oregon. With plained, “The team is like one big ained, such prestigious running accolades, it’s no won- f a m i l yy. ” Luis is so proud of his pr der that competitors are often left in the wake of choice that he described his relocation as the cross country team, trembling in their short- “one small step for man, and one giant leap for shorts.

Luis Ramos.” Luis wasted no time after admitThis year, runners in the class of 2011 had ting this to rush back to conversing with his felbeen hailed on the circuit since they were fresh- low runners. The inevitable truth is that whether men. These now-seniors include reigning state or not our boys take home the championship, champion Ammar and Allen as well as Eric their moral bonds have already demonstrated Garibay and Esmond Wei. Moreover, standouts just how much they have already won on the infrom the class of 2012 such as Sergio, Francis side. Though obstructions like masculinity and Lee, and Charlie Shen have become ultimate pride often deny these aspects of the team, their favorites as well. Perhaps one of the most well- friendship is only too apparent when observed. known cross country stories is the massive In any event, this year has the potential to be the improvement of junior Ryan Vargas. At first best in school history as we wait patiently for tagged an average freshman runner, Ryan ulti- the official season to commence. mately seized control of his running and rose up the ranks. Through work and dedication, he aqin@apachepowwow.com

September 2010

SPORTS

apachepowwow.com

21

Boys Football Punting Off the Season

By BELLE CHUANG Staff Writer

all the more reason for players to look forward to Friday night football games.

With a 2-7-1 record from last year, the Apaches ended the season on a sour note. Despite a rough season last year, the Boys Varsity Football ll team has only gained a desiree to learn from past mistakes. Those who were new Varsity players ayers last season are using the experiences they’ve gained to their advantage this year. ear. Last year’s unfortunate rtunate losses have taught aught bers the team members o to “continue to persevere” through the hardships, and to give it their all during

If you think football is just a sport, think again, because there is more to it than meets the eye. To an unknowing observer, the main objective of the game may be to score as many touchdowns as possible. However, to the Boys Varsity Football team, the goals of football involve becoming better team players and maturing as individuals in the process. For them, it is more than some type of adrenaline rush; it serves life lessons for high school football players.

Junior Lawrence Chan declared that, on top of using innovative strategies and techniques, the true components to victory are “the efforts” put forth and “the dedication to the game”. This season, the varsity team is striving to perform better than it did in prior years, secure league championships, and continue from that point on. Coach Jon Photo by ELLIOTT LLIOTT LEE Dimalante hopes to have ack junior a “fundamentally sound BOYS FOOTBALL Quarterback field. eld. football team [that has] Myles Carr looks to pass downfi great chemistry, and that wrence said. can play well together.” To keep the team’s goal workouts,” Lawrence ies from last in sight, this can only mean three things for the Several strategies players—practice, practice, and more practice. season have been updated ge is making Though most preseason practices were grueling, and the change re prepared some were pleasant. According to junior Kevin the team more nents. PreGiammalva, practices were usually dependent for future opponents. mages on “on the overall mood of the coaches.” These season scrimmages nst Rosepractices provided innumerable opportunities Sept. 3 against Boys V Varsity i F Football b ll team for the team to bond, and Kevin “would like to mead High’s B maintain the unity” established among the play- not only gave the Arcadians a sense of their ers. The unity that the team has achieved gives strengths, but also forced them to focus on the

goals set for them. The optimism of the team was unmistakable, and the team’s performance, on Rosemead’s turf proved that the optimism wasn’t wasted. Though not an official game, the scrimmage brought out the competitiveness te of our team.

The boys’ efforts on the field that Friday changed all previous conceptions about c team and spectators are expecting a strong the team, start tto the season. On Sept. 10, the Apaches kicked off the first game of the season kic ag against the St. Francis Knights. “St. Francis had a good solid team,” said Coach Dimalante, and “we gave them all they D could handle, which was an improvement from the last couple of years.”

H However, the team’s performance wasn’t enough to win the game, and the Boys Varsity Football team lost the game 27-42. Luckily, the game was only the first test. Coach Dimalante commented that the there is “a lot of football left and a lot of positive things” to look forward to. He po encourages that all students come out and enc see “these kids play. They’re an exciting group; I’m extremely proud of them and grou prou proud to be their coach.”

Wins and losses don’t define the team; it is the effort and dedication that do. By the looks of the end results, the varsity th tteam’s efforts are finally paying off, so maybe, just maybe, by mid-month November we’ll looking at Pacific League champions. As Coach Dimalante said, “The future looks bright for AHS footbball.” bchuang@apachepowwow.com

Girls Volleyball: One Chance to Win It All

By MATTHEW ORMSETH Staff Writer

achieve it, you have to believe it!’”

The girls started the season with a scrimmage against La Canada on Sept. 9. La Canada, ranked a division above AHS, proved a tough

adversary, and our Lady Apaches lost the first game in a wild, back-and-forth finish with a score of 28-30. The starters took a seat in the second game when Coach Freburg gave the substitutes a chance to play, and the team lost 18-25. The team finished on a high note, however, with a come from behind, winning the game 25-23.

The scrimmage is not included in the team’s record, and treated as a tuneup for the season. However, senior Brianna Halberstadt found a silver lining in the La Canada scrimmage.

“The third game was our most accurate representation because we really pulled together as a team and pumped the energy up,” she said.

While the circumstances have come together to set the stage for a magical season, they also have generated enormous pressure for the girls to win, and to win now. “We need to take advantage of this situation because we will never get an opportunity like this again,” said Taylor. “I think there’s a slot of pressure,” she continued. If the team chokes or stumbles, they don’t get another chance. There isn’t another season. This is it. Taylor said, “This is our one shot, our one opportunity to Photo by TOMMY LIAO make a name for ourselves. We will have another chance as great as GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Seniors Joy Kang and never we do this year.”

The ‘72 Dolphins. The 1992 U.S. Olympic Basketball team. The “Showtime” era Lakers. In history, certain sports teams have stood out amongst the others—the sort of teams that come along once in a generation. While some of you may be surprised to discover that a “dream team” of our own is on this very campus, the girls of Varsity Volleyball know that they are “the team to beat,” according to senior Michelle Kha. The circumstances could have come straight out of a mid-‘90’s, low budget sports flick. Coach Chuck Freburg said, “We dropped a division in CIF, and one half of our previous division moved up. This gives us a pretty good shot.” Since the team was moved down a division, this essentially means that the team will face easier competition. And the team is laden with seniors—8 of the team’s 14 players will graduate after playing this year. But Senior Taylor DeGraaf said that she is “very confident in the team’s ability” because they “have a lot of talent individually and [they] connect really well.”

Coach Freburg has been employing “Wooden-isms” in the vein of basketball Coach John Wooden’s famous catch phrases to create a focused and healthy mindset for the season. “We’ve been doing ‘Wooden-isms’ every day, just trying to get their brains working,” Taylor DeGraaf prepare to defend their court against explained Coach Freburg. Michelle said, “EvSan Gabriel High School. ery day at practice, Coach would tell us: ‘To

mormseth@apachepowwow.com

By CHRISTINE SUN Staff Writer

Photo by ELLIOTT LEE

Golf. It may look like an easy sport to play, with only ball and a club, but in reality, it is so much more than that. In fact, junior Katherine Guo, a three-year veteran of the Girls Varsity Golf team, considers it “one of the hardest sports in the world.”

Why? Because golf involves a lot of tactic and skill, as well as precision and concentration. As difficult as it is, Katherine has been playing golf since she was four years old. She recalled that her father first introduced her to the sport, but over time, she developed her own sense of passion for the game. And now, here she is, playing and competing against some of the best players in the league.

With the golf season just beginning, Katherine hopes to “improve [the team’s] game and win league again.” When asked about her expectations, she replied, “I hope that we can do better in CIF and advance further than we did last year.” Katherine’s competitive mindset is shown through her strive to win and compete. As described by Coach Robert Greep, coach of the Girls Varsity Golf team, Katherine is a “bulldog of a competitor” who is able to “handle adversity with her tremendous competitive drive.” Coach Greep, who had nothing but nice things to say about Katherine, also added that she is able to “lighten the mood of the girls” while at the same time “be a leader when needed.”

As a junior, Katherine has a lot on her hands, balancing schoolwork and a sport.

Currently, she is aiming for a golf scholarship to a university and hopes to play Division I golf there. However, getting into a good college should be the least of her worries. With the track record she has, including “more than 10 wins in competitions outside of school, with more than 20 top 3 finishes over all,” there’s no doubt she has a bright future ahead of her. Her success is the result of hard work and dedication, and also, according to Katherine, “practice on a daily basis for the last few years.” For now, Katherine hopes to focus on golf and bring her A-game to each competition; after all, she is, as Coach Greep put it, a “huge asset to [the] team.” csun@apachepowwow.com

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CALENDAR “Megabytes” at Nano Café

By GLUTTON GIRL Staff Writer

Phew! With summer winding down and school picking up pace, it’s getting harder and harder to find time to hang out with friends, may that be either for a quick study session or to catch up on summer gossip. Well, in order to find a nice quiet place to satisfy those studying/socializing needs, I roamed around after school with my friends and happened upon a small café, a “Nano Café” that happened to fit the bill.

Nano Café, located on 441 West Duarte Road in Monrovia, is an Asian-owned American breakfast bistro. At 7:00 a.m., (a nice time for last-minute cramming) Nano Café provides an extremely quiet yet homey environment. The interior is crafted from a deep mahogany wood, which gives the entire café a nice warm, cottage look. The staff is warm and quirky in its own little way—staff members all have an eager-to-please attitude and immediately seated me and my study buddy with bright smiles.

For a breakfast and lunch bistro, Nano Café has a reasonable price range. The majority of their dishes are priced from $6 to $9 (like the tempting Banana Nut Belgian Waffle for $6.95). I ended up or-

Photos by GLUTTON GIRL

MELTED GOODNESS The Tuna Melt Supreme sandwich is loaded with creamy avocado and cheese. dering a Tuna Melt Supreme with avocado for $8.49, which not only included a side of fries (or hash browns), but also included a small bowl of New England Clam Chowder. On the side, I had also ordered a small cup of hot chocolate to keep myself warm in the early morning weather.

The food didn’t take long to arrive. My Tuna Melt Supreme was a different take on a classic tuna

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CAN YOU FIND YOUR WAY TO CLASS?

sandwich. Grilled on a stovetop, the bread had a nice golden brown tint that made a shy crunch when bitten.

The tuna was neither salty nor bland, but had a nice balance of tastes and textures due to the accompanying

EARLY BIRDS Nano Café is open for brunch from 6:00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. on weekdays. avocado and cheeses. It was sweet yet tangy, and soft yet crunchy. Each bite seemed to fall apart and simply melt in my mouth.

But the two sides that accompanied my Tuna Melt seemed like two tone-deaf backup singers to the amazing star. The New England Clam Chowder was nothing at all like clam chowder; in fact, it was minestrone. The soup had a tomato base and featured vegetables and chicken, and it was nothing special.

The fries however, left a slightly larger impression than the soup.

They were cut into thick one-inch strips, and although they were fried to a beautiful golden shade, they weren’t crunchy at all. The fried shell was soft, and the fries tasted more like a baked potato than fries.

Overall, Nano Café was a pleasure to dine at. The environment was positive—even at 7:00 a.m. and the service was excellent.

Food-wise, it was pretty appetizing and filling, save for the fries. Nano Café is definitely something worth waking up early for, especially since its hours only span from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on weekdays. Nano Café scores a total of seven out of ten, mostly because of the staff’s spectacular service. Until next time Westsiders! And who am I? That’s a secret I’ll never tell! You know you love me, XOXO, Glutton Girl. gluttongirl@apachepowwow.com

Graphic courtesy of SANGABRIELVALLEYMENUS.COM Graphic courtesy of JONATHANMOORE.COM

Puzzles courtesy of DISCOVERYEDUCATION.COM Graphic courtesy of DISCOVERYEDUCATION.COM

Hypocrisy

BY MICHELLE ZHANG

September 2010

September 2010

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CAMPUS FOCUS

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Photos by ELLIOTT LEE and graphics courtesy of MARRAMGRASS.ORG.UK, TUTORIALFREAKZ.COM, MOREINTELLIGENTLIFE.COM, ISTOCKPHOTO.COM, XARA.COM, INMAGINE.COM, NATURALCOLLECTION.COM, EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG, and PHOTOBUCKET.COM.