18 minute read
ahs class feature: chanteurs [pg
from March 2022
13 AHS CLASS FEATURE:
CHANTEURS
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By SOPHIA LI
Staff Writer
Although the Arcadia Choral Program has been around since the start of Arcadia High School (AHS), the program itself is underrated. Over the course of several years and under the direction of several wellpraised directors, the program has developed into one with passion, artistry, and a love for music. Of the two programs, Chanteurs and Concert Choir, Chanteurs is the advanced choir, the most notable with the highestquality productions.
Since Chanteurs is an advanced, auditioned choir, students must audition in the Spring to secure their spot on the team. In the first half of the year, students perform as a traditional concert choir, performing at festivals, school concerts, and concerts around the community. Then, in the second half of the year, after becoming more familiar with the process, students are able to raise their performances and transform themselves into a show choir. From here and on, the advanced show choir competes in local and state competitions, wowing audiences with not only their vocals but stunning costumes and performances as well.
In 2020, Chanteurs had two main performances, one at the 2020 Burbank Blast Competition and one with a take on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem for his late father.
In the first performance, the choir sang their own versions of “The Greatest Show” by Zendaya Coleman, Zac Efron, Hugh Jackman, and Keala Settle; “A Million Dreams” by Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, and Ziv Zaifman; “Never Enough” by Loren Allred; “Rewrite The Stars” by Zendaya Coleman and Zac Efron; “This Is Me” by Keala Settle and The Greatest Showman Ensemble. The performances were showstopping to say the least, as every member of the choir had elaborate costumes, resembling characters from the movie. Everyone was into the music, and the performance was a Dreidel” by Rick England, “The First Noel” arr. by Dan Forrest, and “I’ll Be Back for Christmas” arr. By Michael Hopkins. To add on, there was a stellar trio performance that sang “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson. Then, to make a statement, the AHS Symphony Orchestra and Combined Choirs delivered a grand finale of “Festival Sanctus” by John Leavitt and “Sleigh Ride’ by Leroy Anderson and arr. by Mark Brymer! Overall, the concert was a huge success, as various musical groups came together to put on a fantastic show. Everyone’s love for music and having a good time really shined through to the audience. As of right now, the Chanteurs choir is currently preparing for their third concert of the year and is in preparation for the Disneyland and Angel Stadium trips.
“Our Concert Choir will also join us on these trips and will make the choir even bigger and fuller,” Ms. Tu said. “For our May concert, we will showcase students individually and Chanteurs will put on a show choir number. Although we will be very busy, we are very much looking forward to the next few months.”
Sophomore Kelly Hong is one of the many performers in Chanteurs, and this is her first year in choir. In the beginning of the year, she really enjoyed the concert choir, being able to come together and sing unique songs. Hong was able to meet a lot of new friends and is looking forward to performing as a show choir! She is excited to perform because they will also have choreography and costumes to go along with the songs.
“I enjoyed Concert Choir during the first semester because it was great practice and re ally prepared us for advanced choir right now, especially with music theory and rhythms,” Hong said. “It really helped people who were more new to music learn how to read and understand music notes.”
Sophomore Emily Tran is also a member of Chanteurs and has been in the program since freshman year. Through Chanteurs, Tran has been able to further explore her interest in music/singing. Originally, she was in a choir outside of school, but being exposed to an environment in school was cool to be able to learn more things and create bonds with people. Since Tran was in Chanteurs since freshman year, she also performed virtual performances.
“My favorite virtual performance was the Winter Concert because we were divided into small groups to learn different Christmas carols!” Tran shared. “Christmas is my favorite holiday, and I enjoy performing holiday songs. This year, my favorite song during the in-person Winter Concert was Sanctus by Libera and Robert Prizeman because it was so fun to perform with the orchestra as our accompaniment.”
However, Tran is not on her own, as Hong also enjoyed the Winter Concert the most.
“It was the most memorable because we were able to dress up in holiday attire and we got to do some more silly songs instead of traditional ones like a song from Alvin And The Chipmunks,” Hong said.
So far, the Chanteurs have gone off to a great start, being able to incorporate teambuilding skills along with a passion for singing and music. Good luck to Chanteurs for the rest of this year, as they have a really strong team of singers!
huge success overall! Additionally, the 2020 Chanteurs choir also performed Pie Jesu from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem!
Now, fast forward to 2021-22, Ms. Connie Tu is the head director of both choir programs at AHS and the Chanteurs group has performed several times so far, from football games to winter concerts. Ms. Tu has been singing in choir for several years, and this year was her very first year teaching choir! She loves teaching choir and enjoys every second of it, as the students are very engaged and easy to work with.
“My students always have a lot of energy and that’s what I look forward to coming to school every day,” Ms. Tu shared. “We worked on a variety of repertoires, and I am very proud of the progress that we have made thus far. Since this is our very first ‘real’ year back since the pandemic, a lot of events and concerts have been altered and modified.”
Kicking off the year strong, Chanteurs performed the Star-Spangled Banner for the Salter Stadium on Oct. 1, 2021, during a football game! It was an awesome experience to gain more exposure to the school and show off everyone’s talent.
Then, Chanteurs sang at the Winter Concert on Dec. 10, 2021, which also featured Arcadia orchestras and a few people from the AHS band. Chanteurs performed amazingly as they gave off jolly holiday spirit, and sang from a wide selection of pieces.
To start, they performed several pieces from “A Ceremony of Carols, Op.28” by Benjamin Britten, then “Sing my Song for You” by Demi Lovato ft. Joe Jonas, and “Everywhere Christmas Tonight” by Joseph M. Martin, and more. Afterward, several musical groups like the orchestra and singers performed pieces like “Christmas
sli@arcadiaquill.com Graphic courtesy of FLATICON.COM Photos courtesy of DCI
PACIFIC/RIO HONDO CHALLENGE VARSITY TRACK MEET
By HENRINA ZHANG
Staff Writer
With stormy skies and anticipation, Arcadia Varsity Track participated in the Pacific/Rio Hondo Challenge Varsity Track Meet on Mar. 5. As the track meet season continues, the Varsity Track team practices endlessly to build up their speed, endurance, and techniques. Track meets are the places for them to show off their capabilities and push themselves to the limit. With many ups and downs in the Pacific/Rio Hondo Challenge Varsity Track Meet, Varsity Girls placed 1st overall, with a score of 108.5, and the Varsity Boys placed 2nd overall, with a score of 98.
Overall, the Arcadia Varsity Track team performed very well, even if many members mentioned that the bad weather held them back. Despite this, however, they managed to push through, with multiple PRs and 1st place titles. For example, senior Sy’rai Yarborough, who placed first in the 100 meters, and senior William Kelley who placed first in the 800 meters, managed to outrun all their competitors. Full results can be seen on the Athletic Net.
When asked how the Pacific/Rio Hondo Challenge Varsity Track Meet was, many participants stated that while it was not their best, Arcadia as a whole still did amazing.
Senior Jacob Flores, who ran the 4×100 relay, 400 meters, and 4×400 relay, said, “One thing our team can improve on is technique. I find that our team has natural talent, but hard work can beat talent. If we can learn to use proper techniques, we can improve a lot.”
Sophomore Elizabeth Chan, participating in the pole vault, triple jump, and long jump, agreed that along with working on their technique, improving on the field events and the specific events for each person, expressing how “Something the team could work on is having more practice doing our field events.”
Other than the improvements to be made, the Arcadia Varsity Track team has just as many strengths. The highlight of the meet, according to multiple participants, was the 4×400 meter relay, since the team was able to recover the lead when they were behind. With the freezing weather, morale was fairly high, and Arcadia pushed through.
To prepare for the meet, the Varsity Track team has a whole list of things they do. Preparing for a track meet isn’t just a physical thing; it’s a mental challenge as well. Even before the track meets, participants make sure never to eat anything heavy, and to attend all the practices leading up to the meet.
Junior Irene Lema Madueno also men hzhang@arcadiaquill.com Photo courtesy of DCI
La Quinta Swim Meet
By SABRINA LO
Staff Writer
The Arcadia High School Varsity Swim team won first place out of twenty teams at the La Quinta High School Swim Meet on Mar. 5.
This meet was a co-ed relay-only meet, meaning unlike usual meets where boys and girls are separated, they swam together. The teams were picked by swim team coaches, Coach Janice Clark and Coach Sam Norconk. Varsity members were placed on the A-Team, while JV members were placed on the B-Team. The B-Team placed 12th out of the 20 teams.
In each event, there were four boys and four girls, alternating, with the exception of the 12x50 Freestyle Relay with six boys and six girls. Every place has a number of points attached to it, with the first place receiving 34 points. Second place received 31 points, and the following places received one-less point each. A disqualification would result in 0 points.
The events held at the meet were the 8x100 Individual Medley, 12x50 Freestyle Relay, 8x50 Breaststroke Relay, 8x50 Butterfly Relay, 8x50 Backstroke Relay, 8x100 Freestyle Relay, and the 8x50 Medley.
I spoke with sophomore Jolene Shen and senior Bethany Chow from the swim team regarding their experience.
“Because this was an only-relay meet, we all had to cooperate to place first! Swimming alongside my friends was extremely fun,” said Shen. “The other schools’ swimmers did put up
tioned how she wanted “to work harder and more efficiently during practice.”
In addition, track is a very injury-prone sport, so many participants work endlessly to recover from their injuries as fast as they can. They also focus on their warmups, which give their minds a chance to prepare themselves, and their bodies a chance to loosen up.
The Pacific/Rio Hondo Challenge Varsity Track Meet had definitely given many people the motivation to work for their goals.
For instance, Chan’s goal is “to understand
a good fight, but the reason why I think Arcadia placed on top was because of our good synergy as well as all of us being placed in our strongest types of strokes.”
“This meet was actually formally called the Los Amigos relay meet because it was held at Los Amigos High School…I would say the change in location played a big part in making this year different,” shared Chow. “Because La Quinta High School has a much more open pool deck, it allowed more spectators…[creating] a really encouraging atmosphere for everyone.”
How fun was the meet?
“It’s always fun to swim co-ed just because it’s so different from what swimmers are used to,” said Chow. “In our individual events, we always swim against the same gender, and normal relays are also competitions against the pole
vault better and break 32 ft for triple jump.”
And Flores’ goal was “to just improve on my time and not focus on what place I get.”
Whether their performance was disappointing, or if they broke a PR, these athletes are determined to work even harder to do better in the future.
same sex.”
“The whole experience was absolutely unreal. Our team captains outdid themselves by buying us breakfast, bringing snacks, and taking photos,” said Shen. “Obviously, waking up early was a pain, but being with your friends for the whole morning was really fun and winning the meet was the cherry on top.”
Arcadia’s swim team will continue to have many meets. Hopefully, they will be able to continue their winning streak throughout the season!
Apaches vs Apaches vs Bulldogs 3/8 Bulldogs 3/8
By DARIN BUENALEZ
Staff Writer
The Arcadia High School (AHS) Apache Junior Varsity Softball team secured a sweeping victory over Pasadena High School (PHS), ending the match with a score of 25-11 on Mar. 8. From beginning to end, the Apaches showed their skills through their continuous shutout of the PHS Bulldogs inning after inning.
The game started off strong, with the Apaches scoring 10 runs in the first inning. Though PHS put up many strong pitches, the Apaches managed to get in some solid hits. However, this impressive scoring came from more than just hits. A series of missed catches by PHS allowed the Apaches to steal several bases and convert those bases into runs. AHS’ capitalization off of their opponent’s mistakes would prove to be a crucial factor throughout the game.
Following this solid opening to the game, AHS ensured that their opponents wouldn’t be able to easily keep up, shutting down the Bulldogs in the bottom of the first inning. The Apaches were able to keep the number of hits the Bulldogs got to a minimum, and the few who made it on base would be tagged out through a series of agile catches and throws. The first inning would end with a score of 10-0.
The second and third innings would be largely reflective of the first, with the Apaches continuing to increase the points gap. The Bulldogs, becoming increasingly frazzled, began to start walking more and more batters. This only continued to favor the Apaches, who ended the third inning with a dominating score of 20-0.
The fourth inning finally slowed down the pace, with neither team scoring any runs. Though both teams successfully got multiple batters on base, neither could capitalize on the situation, and the long inning would end in a stalemate. This would be foreshadowing to the fifth and final inning.
Initially, it seemed that the fifth inning would be the one that would crack the Apache shield. PHS racked up 11 runs, their first points of the game. It seemed as if the Bulldogs would slowly but surely begin to claw away at the massive lead that the Apaches had created. The Apaches were struggling to keep the batters at home plate, with the Bulldogs getting several strong hits into uncovered spots of the outfield. However, this hope would be dashed, as the Apaches finally were able to secure the three outs needed to end the game. The ApachesBulldogs matchup ended with AHS winning with a sound 14 point lead.
The Apaches commanded the flow of their game against the Bulldogs from the very first hit, and the results of each inning and of the game overall speak for themselves.
dbuenalez@arcadiaquill.com Photo by AMANDA CHANG
15 Athlete Feature:
Evan Huang
By ASHLEY CHAN
Staff Wrtier
At Arcadia High School (AHS), our Varsity Baseball team has proven to be a formidable opponent this season and is most definitely a force to be reckoned with. Junior Evan Huang, outfielder for the AHS Varsity Baseball team, offered insight into the ongoing season and detailed his personal experience with the sport.
Huang began playing baseball at eightyears-old, and “ever since then, [he has] fallen in love with the game.”
“To be honest, I started playing baseball because one of my friends encouraged me to join. I played soccer and football before, so baseball was not my first sport. However, in the end, I stuck with baseball and haven’t looked back since,” Huang claimed.
You can catch a glimpse of Huang hard at work during practices and games, alongside the rest of his teammates. From practicing and pushing himself to become better day by day, that is evidence enough to demonstrate how much he loves the sport.
In addition to his genuine love for baseball, Huang strongly believes that “one of the greatest perks of baseball is the team aspect and the memories you make as part of the team.”
“My favorite part of baseball has to be, hands-down, the everlasting relationships you create. Just this year, I have gotten close to some of the seniors and players on the Varsity team. It is going to be sad when the seniors leave after this season,” remarked Huang.
On Mar. 8, the AHS Varsity Baseball team started their season with a spectacular winning record of 8-0 against Hart High School. Not only did they start their season as a major threat to the competition, but they also won the Pizza Chalet Tournament for the third time on Feb. 24. They defeated Charter Oak, Northview, San Dimas, and South Hills in this tournament.
Huang acknowledged, “I think that the AHS Baseball team is doing so well this season because of the team’s work ethic. Although it isn’t seen, we practice executions that play a pivotal role in winning games. As one wise man once said, ‘practice makes perfect.’”
In terms of practices, Huang stated that “practices are fun” and that they “usually have the same routine every day.” Of course, the degree of practice depends on the team’s performance from the day before. In those cases, “the intensity of practices can be ramped up or turned down.”
The relationship between all players on the team is crucial to the group’s success because a dysfunctional team has no chance of achieving as great of accomplishments as a team that blends seamlessly with one another.
“Our team chemistry is truly unmatched. We always have each other’s backs and will always pick one another up. I’ve known many of the players on our team for at least five years. We crack jokes all the time and are having a good time together,” Huang said.
Although the season is not nearly complete, the team already has spent a lot of time together, on and off the field, and has created handfuls of fond memories together.
“My favorite memory is when our catcher got ejected during a game against Northview. It was a heated moment, and one of the most iconic so far. Unfortunately, he did get suspended for one game,” Huang jokingly reminisced.
The AHS Varsity Baseball team has composed goals to strive for and reach throughout their season, both individually and as a whole team.
Huang personally looks forward to “going undefeated and getting better as the season goes on. [He] wants to make every moment special and not take it for granted, and ultimately win a Division 1 CIF Southern Section plaque.”
To all the rising baseball players out there, Huang put it best: “Have fun and be confident. Confidence goes a long way, and it starts with believing in yourself.”
Keep up the great work, AHS Varsity Baseball team!
women’s history month
who’s your favorite woman from history and why?
“My favorite woman from history is probably Catherine of Aragon because her tragic story as the first of six wives to Henry VIII got me interested in history. Especially since her achievements and popularity are overlooked because she was a woman, I mean she led England to victory during a war while pregnant, yet she’s only known as Henry’s first wife.” —Stephanie Li, 10
“Mary Wollstonecraft is one of my favorite women from history. She is one of the foundations for feminism and she argued for equality for women. Being an athlete, there aren’t as many opportunities for women as there is for men. There are also a lot of women that drop out of their sport once they get to high school. But from her foundations ,there are an increased amount of opportunities for women now, and once male-dominated fields are now dominated by women.” —Olivia Ip, 9
“While I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m celebrating per-say, I definitely kept it in mind during the month and was aware of it.”—Jodie Tran, 9
do you plan to celebrate women’s history month?
is there an issue pertaining to women’s rights that you’d like to see addressed?
“There are so many issues I could talk about, from abortion rights, wage gaps, to blatant sexism, however the issue that I’m most concerned about at the moment is hygienic product accessibility. Periods are normal, but also super expensive. From pads, tampons, diva cups, heating pads, and even chocolate, having a period is expensive and taking care of it can be a luxury as they are also highly priced and taxed. Because of this, those who aren’t as privileged or fortunate have to choose between going hungry or taking care of their basic hygiene which shouldn’t be an issue in the first place. Feminine products shouldn’t be a luxury and should be accessible to everyone because everyone deserves their right to hygiene.” —Stephanie Li, 10