May 2022

TheArcadiaQuill

@arcadiaquill

The World is Our Campus

EST. 1952

180 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA 91006

By VRITTI GODANI Staff Writer Over the past few years, podcasts have become a staple in the lives of many people.

People often opt to listen to a podcast over watching a movie or listening to music. Podcasts have risen as a source of not only entertainment but also a source of information.

This sudden emergence of podcasts has posed one question: why and how have podcasts become so popular?

For starters, podcasts are simply more convenient than other visual forms of entertainment. People can listen to podcasts while driving, folding their laundry, working, etc.

Podcasts pose as a great source of “background noise” that doesn’t completely lack substance and allows listeners to multitask and catch up on the latest news and events. Podcasts are also found on many popular audio streaming platforms such as Spotify, making them easily accessible and available to download whenever listeners feel the need to listen to a podcast.

Another reason why podcasts have grown in popularity is that they are entertaining. There are a variety of podcasts and

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SPORTS SCORES Arcadia v. Crescenta Valley VARSITY BOYS BASEBALL (3-2) Arcadia v. St. Paul (6-4) VARSITY GIRLS SOFTBALL Arcadia v. Crescenta Valley VARSITY GIRLS SOFTBALL (11-6)

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NEWS: Arcadia High School’s Math Team hosted its 8th Annual Arcadia Math Challenge on April 15. Aside from serving as a fundraiser for the team, the challenge helped promote and provide a fun experience for non-math team members to compete in the subject. Students were offered the opportunity to participate in individual rounds, a written test... |

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genres that cater to different audiences. Many audio entertainment companies have started to create podcast shows, that are like a typical TV show but just the audio, consisting of a plot and different characters. There are also many business podcasts, health and wellness podcasts, drama and gossip podcasts, and more that appeal to the taste of many people, and there is basically a podcast for everyone on the internet.

Many influencers and popular figures on the internet have also started to create podcasts, drawing in their regular audiences and more people that might find the podcast interesting.

By bringing special guests and talking about popular topics, these figures bring in tons of listeners.

Podcasts have also made their way into the education system, with teachers assigning pod-

what’s inside

8TH ANNUAL ARCADIA MATH CHALLENGE [PG 5]

in this issue:

ISSUE 4 VOLUME 69

Podcasts Are Taking Over the World

ARCADIA HIGH SCHOOL

Photo courtesy of Arcadia Math Team

May 2022

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THE ROSE BOWL FLEA MARKET [PG.8]

Photo courtesy of FLICKR.COM

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FEATURES 8

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FEATURES: If you’re looking for something fun to do over the summer, a day at the Rose Bowl flea market should be on your list.

On the second Sunday of every month, vendors from all around Orange County come together to sell various trinkets and treasures. You could find anything from a vintage pair of shoes to a rare Pokemon card. The outdoor

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casts as homework assignments as opposed to watching a video or a movie. For example, some AHS AP English Language students had to listen to a podcast and complete a journal and write part of an argumentative essay, all circling around the podcast. The AHS Constitution Team recruitment process also incorporated a podcast, showing how podcasts aren’t just for entertainment and can also provide people with information.

“I think podcasts help people multi-task easily and I also like who they help build multi-tasking skills,” stated AHS junior Selina Ho. “Podcasts aren’t just for entertainment either and can still provide information on news and current events. I liked the podcast assignment because it was efficient. I didn’t have to sit down and designate time to watch a movie or read a book and I could do the assignment from anywhere.”

Overall, podcasts have emerged as a new source for information, entertainment, and more. With more and more people listening to podcasts every day, it is safe to say that they are a relevant and important part of today’s society and with the multitude of genres, there is something for everyone and something that everyone will like.

vgodani@arcadiaquill.com Photo courtesy of Vika Strawberrika

COLORGUARD PERFORMANCE AT NATIONALS [PG.12]

Photo courtesy of Sebina Rothschild |

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A&E: The Color Guard team at our school due to their incredible talents and hard work had performed in the Winter Guard International Color Guard Championships, traveling all the way to Dayton, Ohio.

This event is one that takes dedication, perseverance, and true talent to be able to compete. At the end of the World Championships for Color Guard Arcadia placed ...

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POLICY

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THE ARCADIA QUILL GENERAL STAFF Staff Writers: Kira Camacho, Caitlyn Chau, Becky Chen, Leslie Chen, Wesley Chen, Serena Chin, Aahana Dutta, Jorge Espinoza-Gonzalez, Kylie Ha, Dhruti Kulkarni, Robinson Lee, Zoe Lin, Sabrina Lo, Ainsley Najafzadehl, Emmaline Pan, Kate De Prima, Rebecca Tao, Lorin Teng, Vanessa Valentino, Kai Wetterau, Anya Yang, Henrina Zhang, Ashley Zhao Media Staff: Staff Caitlyn Chau, Wesley Chen, Emmaline Pan, Kate De Prima, Lorin Teng, Ainsley Najafzadeh, Vanessa Valentino Advisor: Mrs. Lesley Lee Advisor

EDITORIAL BOARD Editors-in-Chief: Catherine Chan, Lilian Chong, Enzo Goebel Editors-in-Chief News Editors: Stephanie Wang and Madison Yee Opinion Editors: Ashley Chan and Chloe Wong Features Editors: Editors Darin Buenaluz and Pamina Yung Arts & Entertainment Editors: Editors Anna Odell and Maryam Sadeghifard Sports Editors: Sophia Li and Sohana Sahni Media Editor: Editor Amanda Chang Campus Focus Editor: Editor Michelle So Publicity Manager: Manager Vritti Godani

MAY 2022

MAY 2022

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EDI POLICY The Arcadia Quill acknowledges the systemic inequities persistent in our country and community, and therefore we maintain a dedication towards equity, diversity, and inclusion. As a student-led organization, we strive to inspire high school students to use their voices to discuss issues that affect them in conjunction with our goal to provide a space of journalistic integrity and professionalism. We expect ourselves to be inclusive and respectful of everyone regardless of identity—including but not limited to race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic identity, immigration status, socioeconomic status, ability, and religious belief. We strive to put our values into action by doing the following: - Highlighting the stories and experiences of students from backgrounds that have historically faced inequality.

- Assessing how The Arcadia Quill can improve by taking steps to avoid contributing to cultural appropriation and systemic injustice.

- Working to educate our staff on the impact of systemic inequality, and equipping them with tools on how to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion within their own means.

Following standards set by Arcadia Unified School District to confront systemic injustice including racial inequity. We hold ourselves to high standards in advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding these efforts

by The Arcadia Quill, please email eic.arcadiaquill@gmail.com.

STAFF

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Social Media & Comments Social media will be used to promote appropriate media, to promote published content, and to engage with Arcadia and Arcadia High School’s community. The Editorial Board reserves the right to remove comments deemed inappropriate, offensive, or threatening.

The information posted on social media platforms (i.e. Instagram) will be held to the same standards as all other reporting in terms of information gathering and fact-checking.

Editorial Policy The Arcadia Quill will not print anything in our publication (online or print) that is deemed libelous, obscene, or otherwise offensive or inappropriate, in accordance with the Supreme Court’s justified standards. Rights are reserved to postpone, edit or withhold from publication anything submitted which does not meet the specifications.

Unsigned editorials represent the view of The Arcadia Quill Editorial Board. It does not necessarily represent the view of other Quill staff members. The Arcadia Quill refuses to print criticism which is not constructive and not supported by fact or evidence.

The editors and adviser will make the final decision on all material appearing in The Arcadia Quill.

The Arcadia Quill will not intentionally invade the privacy of any person or publish facts and quotes given off the record. Opinions will be clearly marked and found on the editorial pages or as designated on other pages (i.e.- front page). Signed opinion articles and commentary are the expressed opinions of the author and not of The Arcadia Quill and its editorial board, adviser, or Arcadia High School’s faculty or school board.

Staff members are guided by the Canons of Journalism of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, a code of ethics which outlines the principles of responsibility, fairness, and accuracy.

Corrections Policy Corrections will be printed when brought to the attention of the staff. Original stories will carry bylines but additional contributors to a story will be listed on the byline.

Plagiarism Plagiarism of any form will not be tolerated. Story ideas and article content are to remain completely original with the exception of the use of outside graphics/images/quotes, which are to be duly credited.

Bylines If more than one person works on a story or an editor has to rewrite a significant portion of a story (as determined by the editor), all names of contributing writers will be listed on the byline of the article. All articles, graphics, photos, and other media, with the exception of staff photos, will be bylined with the photographer or contributor’s name. All bylined writers will be held accountable for their work and the information contained within.

Quotes Quotes are representative of a single opinion; they do not represent the beliefs of the student body and staff. Quotes are to be written in past tense with the correct style guide format.

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NEWS

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MAY 2022

2022 STATE OF THE DISTRICT ADDRESS

After Dr. Vannasdall’s explanation, the audience was presented with a list of Staff Writer guest speakers. The first of which was Dr. The Arcadia Unified School District Brent Forsee, the assistant Superintendent.

(AUSD) held its State of the District event at Dr. Forsee talked about the importance of the Arcadia Performing Arts Center on May unity and lauded the strong education that 10. The purpose of this event was to reiterate Arcadia has provided during the pandemic.

AUSD’s principles and share its accomplished He emphasized the flexibility that all AUSD goals with the community to celebrate the staff have presented during these hard times success of AUSD’s hard work. and congratulated every staff member for their Before Mrs. Leigh Chavez, the School dedication. Dr. Forsee then highlighted the Board President, opened the event, the Arcadia consistency that AUSD has shown, especially High School Orchestra provided a quartet that in terms of providing free meals to students. entertained waiting audience members with “Since the 2019-2020 school year, we numerous renowned works of Beethoven. distributed almost 700,000 meals to students Once the quartet finished, Mrs. Chavez and kids under 18 years old,” said Dr. Forsee. opened the event with the Pledge of Allegiance “We could not have done this without the help and a personal introduction. She gave thanks of teachers and staff, alike, who stood outside for the opportunity to be this year’s School through sun and rain to distribute these meals.

Board President and explained that the School Thank you.”

Board Vice President, Mr. Fenton Eng, would “I was shocked,” commented senior not be able to make the meeting.

Sanya Sheth, Arcadia High School (AHS) Mrs. Chavez’s introduction was followed student, “I remembered sitting there with my by an explanation of the Local Control mouth open in awe!”

Accountability Plan (LCAP). The plan is Then, fellow senior Ava Woo, the Student divided into six different sections: creating Representative to the Board, talked about high-performing expert learners; providing the importance of student voices regarding an engaged, connected, and empowered safe the Board of Education, bringing a student and healthy school climate; using the Multi- perspective. She mentioned the ways that Tiered System of Support through world- people use school, even if it was over Zoom, class instruction and support (looking at ways to connect with others. Woo then proceeded to support students at all levels); providing to talk about the Food Science Club on highly effective staff committed to all campus, as well as the fundraisers that AHS students; highlighting AUSD’s fiscal integrity administered last year. (conservative budgeting); meeting state and county requirements. These goals were then backed up by the numerous speakers, mentioned below, who accompanied the Board of Education to prove that AUSD met all of these goals this year. Mrs. Chavez then passed the mic to Dr. David Vannasdall, the Superintendent.

Dr. Vannasdall emphasized AUSD’s transparency and explained the action strategy that the district has been utilizing: to only act when enough information ensures safety for each move. His explanation allowed audience members to understand not only the COVID-19 plan that the district is following but also the general plan about the budget, rules, and every aspect that AUSD manages.

After Woo finished her presentation, the audience was greeted by another quartet, the Arcadia High School Chanteurs, who sang a piece from Disney’s The Lion King, acapellastyle. Directing them was Ms. Connie Tu, the director of the AHS Choir Department and assistant director of the AHS Orchestra.

The rest of the meeting included shorter presentations about the COVID-19 situation and what AUSD has done to ensure safe education. Here’s a list below in the order they presented: Mr. Raymond Cheung, Board of Education Member: Talked about the risks that AUSD has to take in terms of innovation.

Restated Mrs. Chavez’s explanation of the LCAP goals.

Mrs. Jennifer Vargo, Arcadia ParentTeacher Association (PTA) President: Stressed the significance of parent collaboration during the pandemic and encouraged parents in the audience to get involved to continue the success that PTA has had in the last two years.

Dr. Andrea Mendoza, Coordinator of Instructional Integration: Talked about the accomplishment that the school had in terms of collecting data about student achievement— including student output regarding mental health—in partnership with the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

Mr. Greg Gazanian, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer: Highlighted the impact that COVID-19 had on their department and showed the audience the numerous ways that

Autism Awareness Month

Speaking of fun, the event had music, snacks, prizes, and raffles! The prizes that were awarded included Nike Arcadia Invitational Backpacks, Cross Country shirts and hoodies, and Autism Awareness Month keychains, bracelets, and pins, provided by Peer Mentors!

The Nike backpacks were given away to the top 3 donators, the participants who ran the most laps (who is not a member of track and field or cross country), and the winner of a raffle ($15 entry fee).

Banghao Li won the most number of laps, and received a free backpack! The top donators consisted of Vania Ahmadi, Breeanna Pham, and Emma Samvelian, and each received their pick between a duffel bag, backpack,

By JORGE ESPINOZA

By SOPHIA LI

J o g -A-T h o n Sports Editor

Think back to your elementary school days. Remember your younger self and the amount of fun you had at Jog-A-Thons, competing with your best friends to outdo each other and see who could run the most laps?

What about being a sweaty mess afterward but having ice-cold water to refresh yourself?

You’ve probably been reminiscing about your elementary school Jog-A-Thons and wished for a moment you could travel back in time to relive them. Arcadia Cross Country and Arcadia Peer Mentors hosted their very first jogathon known as Autism Awareness Month

Jog-A-Thon. Arcadia Peer Mentors is a stu dent-run organization, dedicated to the inclusion of students with autism and other disabilities at AHS. The event aims to raise awareness and fundraise for the two organizations.

Joshua Tran, junior president of Peer Mentors, was very excited about the event, as he was a part of the planning committee.

“I can’t wait for this Friday to come, because I’m really looking forward to having a good time and meeting new people,” Tran shared. “One of the things I’m most excited about is the raffle because everybody has a chance to win prizes! I just know that it will be a lot of joy and fun.”

Gazanian took to ensure student safety. Told the audience what the department is currently doing in terms of the fight against COVID— keeping up with local regulations.

Dr. Kevin Hryciw, Head of Human Resources: Shared that during the pandemic, the district filled 100% of needed staff spots and will continue to do so in the future.

Mr. Ryan Foran, Chief Communications Officer: Mentioned the internships available and emphasized all of the communication that the district has been sending home, from COVID-19 updates to general safety precautions.

Dr. Katherine Mahoney, Special Education Director: Presented a strong special education program although it is severely underfunded, and stressed the importance of the home environment in regards to special education.

Mr. Scott Bramley, Chief Technology Officer: Informed on the usage of Chromebooks in the classroom and reflected on the changes that AUSD has faced due to new technology.

Mr. David Vong, Fiscal Services: Presented the budget structure that AUSD works with and talked about the fact that although AUSD is among the lowest publicly funded public schools in California, it has managed to thrive.

Mr. Barrios, Facilities and Operational Services Director: Talked about the hard work of staff to maintain a healthy and safe school environment.

Mrs. Kay Kinsler, Board of Education Member & Mrs. Shirley Yee, Board of Education Clerk: Gave concluding statements and asked the audience for any questions.

At the end, the Board thanked parents and community members for coming to the event and for caring about the education of students in AUSD. “The matter of fact is,” exclaimed Dr. Vannasdall, ”that the state of the district is stronger than ever!”

jespinoza@arcadiaquill.com Photo courtesy of APN and drawstring. Charlotte Huang and Andy Zhang won the raffle, winning a drawstring and backpack!

Freshman Elizabeth Gladson-Pang, a member of Arcadia Track and Field, is excited to not only volunteer and help but also jog with her friends.

“I told a lot of my friends to come, and surprisingly, a lot of them agreed! I signed up for the otter pops distribution, as well as the clean-up crew. I want to make sure that everyone has a good time, but also that the track is cleaned up afterward. I can’t wait to participate!” Gladson-Pang remarked.

All in all, this event was something for all students at AHS to get excited about! On April 29, from 3:30-4:30 pm, many students from a variety of backgrounds and organizations gathered at the Salter Stadium Track, to unite to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

sli@arcadiaquill.com Photo courtesy of Joyce Pang

news.arcadiaquill@gmail.com

MAY 2022

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By SABRINA LO Staff Writer Arcadia High School’s Math Team hosted its 8th Annual Arcadia Math Challenge on April 15. Aside from serving as a fundraiser for the team, the challenge helped promote and provide a fun experience for non-math team members to compete in the subject.

Students were offered the opportunity to participate in individual rounds, a written test, and/or “bowl” rounds, which were essentially teams of up to 4 people competing against each other with buzzers. The price was $5 for individual, $3 for bowl, and $8 for both. Though the prices were relatively low, prizes to first prize participants in individual rounds included getting a guaranteed spot on Math Team!

There were four categories that students could compete in, according to their current math class. These included Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2/Algebra 2 Honors, Pre-Calculus/Pre-Calculus Honors, and Calculus. There were over a hundred signups.

The first-place winners of each category respectively were 8th grader Kevin Wu, freshman Kevin Huang, sophomore Richard Cai, and junior Charles Pei. Students heard about this competition from teachers, flyers, and Math Team members.

NEWS

8th Annual Arcadia Math Challenge “I wanted to test my own math skills, and see if I had what it took to get into the Math Team,” said Wu. “I felt that this was an opportunity to express my math skills and interest, and also my willingness to adapt to situations. I like math, plus it was an extra credit opportunity,” said Cai. On each individual test, there were 20 questions and participants got an hour to do as many as they could.

While Wu and Cai both expressed that the questions were a bit more difficult than they expected, Huang and Pei both felt that the test was relatively easier than the American Math Competition.

“The questions were definitely easier than I expected. I was preparing for questions like those one would see on the American Math Competition (AMC),” said Pei. Though these four won’t be able to join the competition in the upcoming year, they owe their great achievements to their teachers, parents, luck, and of course their own studying.

“I’m really excited about [being on the Math Team]. I hope that I can discuss difficult

and interesting problems with people who really love math,” shared Chen.

For the bowl, participants Jessica Soehartono and Jianson Huang described the atmosphere and their thoughts. Both had three other teammates and expressed that they enjoy the buzzer-style competition more than traditional written tests.

“This way was different than a paperpencil traditional math test because those were more stressful…We only had 30 seconds to answer, [making] answering difficult as there were some parts where you had to do some tedious work,” said Soehartono.

“Not being physically able to see the question is a challenge as mishearing a tiny part of the question means that your answer would be wrong…

It was different because it requires quick thinking, and is more intense and fast-paced,” said Kevin Huang.

The event was considerably well organized, according to Math Team members.

“We had several volunteers making sure that everything was working smoothly,” said junior Henry Khine.

“As a first-time volunteer, I was astounded

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by the excitement and positive energy surrounding the entire event,” said sophomore Grace Khan.

Aside from all volunteers being on Math Team, questions on both the individual and bowl rounds were written by fellow Math Team officers.

“One month prior, all Math Team members submitted at least 2 problems for the competition. Officers…would pick the best of the submitted questions to be included,” said Senior Ruth Berkun, a captain of the team. “Finally, each officer checked another officer’s test to ensure quality and solvability.”

Math Team is advised by Mr. Nils Miller and Mr. Mauricio Eguez, and they meet weekly on Tuesdays in room G105. Members work on competitive math and prepare for upcoming competitions.

“My favorite part of being on Math Team is that I get to learn new types of math, like competition math,” said freshman Atharv Prabhutendolkar.

“Members increase the surface area of their brain while simultaneously destroying it!” mentioned senior Selena Zhang.

If Math Team sounds suitable for you and you want to try your shot at joining, tryouts will be held in the fall of next school year. slo@arcadiaquill.com Photo courtesy of AHS Math Team

SANTA ANITA SAYS HELLO TO TH E FAIR he

By KAI WETTERAU Staff Writer Recently, a new attraction has been announced to open up at Santa Anita Park, letting visitors enjoy a day of fun starting Jul. 21. It’s been called the “State Fair,” no relationship with the official California State Fair though, held every year in Sacramento.

The full fair is set to run until Aug. 20, with attendees being able to buy tickets online.

This event will host live bands and other forms of entertainment, including but not limited to delectable fried treats and traditional fair rides. Such an attraction almost always comes around to Arcadia, giving people something to do during the summer.

It’s almost an annual tradition, following its loss in 2020 due to coronavirus. Past events have included such esteemed performances

by Barefoot Nation and Led Zepagain, and this upcoming season will surely host more.

Tickets are needed to be bought for parking as well as for admission, though both can be purchased for reasonable costs ranging from $10 to $30. From there, visitors have the freedom to choose how much

money they want to spend on food, and can go on rides for as long as they please with hours ranging from about 4 p.m. or 11 a.m. to midnight. As the fair is a mostly outdoor and nighttime experience, it’s important to dress appropriately and prepare for cooler weather.

Health guidelines for the safety of all attendees mainly incorporate whatever the CDC puts out, and further information that changes as time passes can be accessed on the fair’s website.

Other popular forms of entertainment present at this summer’s fair include a barbershop quartet and a dual-act of both comedy and juggling. The variety of such an event highlights the openness of the fair to all, meaning anyone from all ages or backgrounds can have a good time while attending the fair. Things as

remote as motorcycle stunt shows are currently scheduled for showing, bringing in an even bigger demographic of people. Sophomore Brandon Lee really enjoys the thought of this; the variety of shows interests him.

“When I heard about the summer fair, I was ecstatic about what was to come! I especially enjoyed hearing about the motorcycle stunt show and the daring feats that demand attention!”

Traditional food will be available for purchase, such as funnel cakes and turkey legs; in conjunction with this, other foods friendly to dietary restrictions will be present, whether that be a salad or non-wheat products. Guests are able to enjoy their food while at one of two concerts per weekend, or while waiting in line for classic fair rides.

The fair closes its gates as of 11 p.m., meaning visitors have to act fast to get in late before the event is over. While in the last few hours of each day’s exhibit many things begin to close down, those at the fair can still look at and buy different items and products while at one of numerous vendor stands selling a great variety of things.

Freshman Rohan Thakur explained what he wanted from these many shops, as some things sold here only come once a year.

“I really want to get something that shows summertime at the fair, as usually places never sell anything for the season.

This includes towels, plushies, chairs, clothes, and more.”

The so-called “State Fair” is one event people shouldn’t miss; it’s a place for visitors to come for as many weeks as they want. It’s something that will make this year’s summer much more enjoyable and busy, and can serve as fun for everyone attending.

kwetterau@arcadiaquill.com Graphic courtesy of COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG

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OPINION Final Exams Don’t Help Students

By KIRA CAMACHO Staff Writer Arguably one of the most stressful things about being a student is tests and exams. From quizzes to AP exams in May, tests put unnecessary stress on students. On top of hours of homework, there are always hours of studying to pile on after. But, the most stressful of all exams are finals. At the end of the year, we’re expected to recall everything we’ve learned in each academic class and be able to take a test on it. In my opinion, final exams don’t actually help students.

Final exams are meant to test students on what they’ve learned over the year, but they can’t possibly measure students’ learning. Many, many people are subject to test anxiety. Before, during, or while testing, these people feel extreme pressure to do well. When feeling this type of anxiety and stress during a test, your answers may not accurately portray your knowledge.

Stress and anxiety exhausts your brain, draining your ability to focus, concentrate, and recall information. These three things are crucial during tests.

When feeling test anxiety, your score won’t be an accurate representation of your learning.

Test anxiety only increases during finals, as these multifaceted tests usually count for a big chunk of your final grade. No matter what you did that year, the final will determine your grade. Due to stress and test anxiety, finals (which are meant to measure students’ learning throughout the semester) do not yield accurate results.

The entire education system revolves around tests. You learn something, practice it, memorize it, and then test on it. In almost all of the academic classes I’ve taken, this was the pattern, and it has been the pattern for a very long time. But studies in neuroeducation and cognitive psy-

chology are now proving that memorization isn’t the actual key to learning.

“Learning means that information is related and connected to the learner.

If it’s not, you have memorization, but you don’t have learning,”wrote Sara Briggs.

“Standardized tests rely on memorization, but they do not necessarily reflect (or measure) learning.”

It’s scientifically proven that standardized tests do not reflect learning, so why do we still take finals? They’re the ultimate test, forcing us to prove what we’ve learned over the semester. Plus, they don’t help students. In a rush to memorize and cram information, many students won’t actually think about the information they need for finals. Instead of learning the information long-term, students will quickly forget it.

“Your memory is a product of what you think most carefully about,” said David Willingham, a cognitive scientist.

“What students think about most carefully is what they will remember.”

So, finals and tests in general are pretty much useless. But what’s the solution?

Projects. Many teachers already offer project finals instead of traditional test-finals.

Projects let you actually use the information you’ve learned to complete a task.

This careful thinking during a project will increase your chance of memorizing the information for longer. Plus, much (if not all) of the stress of a test is relieved, and students can focus more on learning than grades.

Unfortunately, finals probably won’t be going away very soon, if ever. As I mentioned, education still relies on a pattern of memorization and testing. Though many classes and programs break the mold to include more hands-on learning, testing continues to be the default. Even though we still have to go through finals, hopefully those pieces of information from Willingham and Briggs will help you

kcamacho@arcadiaquill.

Graphic courtesy of SUBPNG.COM

arcadiaquill.com

MAY 2022

Ruling Out “Majority Rules”

By MICHELLE SO Campus Focus Editor

You and a group of friends are trying to decide where to go for lunch. The group has been stuck on the decision for 15 minutes already, with no result. Perhaps one of the most common ways to pick is to do a vote, or in other words, go with “majority rules.” It’s In-N-Out with 5 votes to McDonald’s with 2, so In-N-Out will end up being the restaurant chosen. This seemingly effective method of choosing actually presents harmful consequences, especially when dealing with cases more serious than picking where to eat.

The “majority rule” method is most commonly referred to through its role in the Supreme Court. In a majority rule system, the option which earns more than 50% of the votes wins. One reason this may be harmful is that it undermines the voice of the minority.

Although there are certain rules to try to prevent the minority from being disregarded or stripped from their rights in United States Laws, such a system in other countries may result in larger issues.

“Majority rule is a way of choosing, while democracy is a system that ensures that the government is responsive both to majorities and to individuals,” said Professor Michael Munger in this video.

For example, a country that is ruled by a so-called democracy may have wealthy and elite government officials, while 70% of the country is composed

of poor workers. Such majority rulemaking decisions would not be beneficial to the country, as the government is solely focused on itself.

To make it simpler, let’s bring it back to daily-life scenarios. Having majority rule become a habitual way of decision-making may lead the minority to hide their feelings. Take a group of elementary schoolers – those who have a lesser-favored opinion may feel the pressures of keeping away their true thoughts, such as “go with the flow”.

Some may argue that when decisions are to be made quickly, majority rule is the most logical and quick way to come to an agreement. This is true, to some extent. Majority rule can be a great system, but any abuse of majority privilege will reverse all benefits.

When the majority always gets what they want, they start to believe that their beliefs must be what is correct.

It’s hard to completely erase majority rule from the society, especially as it is already so deeply implemented in many places. However, the emphasis should be placed on how to ‘use’ it safely. Perhaps, next time a group of classmates wants to decide on which ice cream to buy for the class party, listen to everyone’s rationales before coming to a resolution. Sometimes it is the minority who have valuable ideas; they just need to be heard.

mso@arcadiaquill.com Graphic courtesy of PIKPNG.COM

opinion.arcadiaquill@gmail.com

MAY 2022

OPINION

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Eteri Tutberidze: The Abuse in Figure Skating Needs to End

By SABRINA LO

Staff Writer

If you’re caught up with Olympic Women’s Figure Skating, you may have noticed that, recently, a lot of the medalists come from Russia, under the same coach: Eteri Tutberidze. Her career began in 2014, when Tutberidze coached Yulia Lipnitskaya, a 15-year-old figure skater competing in the Olympics. Lipnitskaya performed almost perfectly at the Sochi Games, calling attention to her and Tutberidze. Ever since, Tutberidze became famous for coaching Russian girls who excelled and dominated at the Olympics.

However, as her fame continued, fans began to notice a concerning pattern in Tutberidze’s girls. Each of them began retiring early, around the age of 17, with severe injuries: a byproduct that isn’t worth the short-lived excellence.

For example, let’s look at Evgenia Medvedeva, one of the world’s most famous figure skaters. Coached by Tutberidze, Medvedeva won every major competition in 2016 and 2017, and she was consequently the favorite to win the 2018 Olympics. But when Medvedeva turned 18, she began to fall in her routines, and her 15-year-old teammate— Alina Zagitova—took the spotlight. In

the 2018 Olympics, Zagitova ended up winning gold, and Medvedeva earned silver.

This pattern continued with Zagitova, and fans began to connect each of the girls’ experiences. Yulia Lipnitskaya retired at the age of 19 and suffered from hip injuries and anorexia afterward. Evgenia Medvedeva retired at 22 with a chronic back injury that prohibited her from turning to her left. Alina Zagitova peaked at 15 and took her hiatus at 17, the age that fans have dubbed the “Eteri expiration date.”

Clearly, Tutberidze’s methods have an evident lack of sustainability. Although she’s revolutionized figure skating, figure skaters are permanently breaking their bodies to fleetingly dominate a sport. Historically, this isn’t normal: other renowned skaters didn’t retire so young, nor did they retain the same injuries in such short amounts of time. For example, Michelle Kwan, a former American figure skater, retired at 41. So what sets Tutberidze’s coaching methods apart from everyone else’s?

In short, Tutberidze’s tactics revolve around body weight. Typically, to perform triple jumps and quadruple jumps, a figure skater needs a lot of muscle and strength.

Before 2018, quadruple jumps in women’s figure skating were practically unheard of.

However, Tutberidze found that, instead of relying on muscle, it’s possible to instead utilize a low body weight and a prepubescent body.

Teenage girls happen to have the ideal body type for performing quadruple jumps, as lighter, leaner skaters have an advantage in getting up in the air and spinning faster.

Puberty, on the other hand, tends to add more weight, height, and fat to a woman’s body, therefore hindering a woman’s ability to perform difficult jumps. Under Tutberidze’s guidance, her skaters worked to prolong their skating career by delaying puberty—or, in other words, by not eating.

Former Tutberidze girls spoke out about their experience under her coaching, claiming her methods have led to injury, bulimia, and anorexia. During the 2014 Olympics, Lipnitskaya had a diet of solely powdered substances. Furthermore, during the 2018 Olympics, Medvedeva and Zagitova were forbidden from drinking water throughout the competition, out of fear of swelling and excessive weight. In an interview, Zagitova explained how they could only rinse their mouths with water and spit it out afterward. Along with these damaging practices, Tutberidze girls have described daily weigh-ins, collapsing in pain after

skating, inhaling smelling salts to keep from fainting, and retaining injuries from overtraining.

Rafael Arutyunyan, the coach of Olympic gold medalist Nathan Chen, criticized Tutberidze’s unsustainable coaching methods.

“I don’t really like drinking coffee from disposable cups,” said Arutyunyan.

“Similarly, I don’t like onetime champions.”

Assuming that Tutberidze’s coaching stays the same, the cycle of “expiration dates” will likely continue with her next girls, who will fall victim to the same consequences their predecessors faced.

Tutberidze, and other coaches like her, undeniably deliver remarkable results, but the cost is overwhelming. Their abusive methods ruin and discard children’s bodies for a medal, and as shown

by Medvedeva, the consequences of this kind of skating will follow them their entire lives. These girls should not be taken advantage of or viewed as disposable; this pattern of abuse in figure skating needs to end.

slol@arcadiaquill.com Graphic courtesy of PINCLIPART. COM

Why Single-Sex Schools can be Beneficial

By ANNA ODELL Staff Writer A lot of people believe that singlesex schools are beneficial for a few reasons: fewer distractions, improved student achievement, and a tailored curriculum.

These are very good reasons as to why they are better than co-ed schools. But it is more than just limited distractions. In fact, the way men and women function in school is so different from each other that separating them can benefit both sexes.

In my opinion, teenage girls and guys have a tendency to want to impress one another. This can get in the way of paying attention in class, and it can consume valuable time outside of school. Most students are naturally competitive, but this can be detrimental if the objective is the attention of the opposite sex. For example, it can cause a fixation on appearances and lack of self-esteem. So why not eliminate this stress and need to impress?

To back up my statement supporting single schools, ThoughtCo said, “When students are among peers that are physically similar to them, they do not feel as if they have to prove something about their biological sex.”

Obviously there are exceptions, including people who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community or naturally competitive people for whom the need to impress or outshine other members of their own sex remains unabated even in a singles e x school.

How-

ever, for m o s t teenagers single-sex schools c a n be less stressful and less competitive.

Personally, I think that if I was at an all-girls school, I would not only be a lot less stressed, but also I would be more confident. I have noticed that the boys in my classes tend to raise their hands more than

the girls. When I researched this, I found out that men are more likely to raise their hands even if they don’t know the answer because of their competitive nature. Girls, o n the other hand, will typically only raise their hand when they know the answer, and they are confident that it is correct.

“Studies have shown that men are more likely than women to project confidence when they’re uncertain, and that women are particularly hesitant,” stated Huffpost.

Girls tend to be intimidated by overlyconfident, loud, and assertive boys. During school, I tend to be more shy when rais-

ing my hand as I am fearful of saying the wrong answer. If I weren’t in the presence of boys who are more confident than I, I would be more inclined to raise my hand and step up to leadership roles. This is because there would be less competition between me and them.

In addition, compared to co-ed schools, those in single-sex schools perform better, and there are statistics to back this up. Our Kids the Trusted Source explained that girls in single-sex schools performed better on the SATs compared to girls who attend co-ed schools.

In conclusion, single-sex schools have many benefits, and in some personal cases, they are better than co-ed schools.

They offer a more relaxed environment because students will feel more comfortable with their peers and perform better, and there is less competition for the attention of the opposite sex. Single-sex schools should not be overlooked when determining what school a person should attend.

aodell@arcadiaquill.com Graphic courtesy of PINCLIPART.COM and SEEKPNG.COM

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FEATURES THE ROSE BOWL

FLEA MARKET

By KIRA CAMACHO

Staff Writer

If you’re looking for something fun to do over the summer, a day at the Rose Bowl flea market should be on your list. On the second Sunday of every month, vendors from all around Orange County come together to sell various trinkets and treasures.

You could find anything from a vintage pair of shoes to a rare Pokemon card. The outdoor market, hosted by R.G. Canning, is one of the largest flea markets around with over 2,500 vendors. Most of these vendors don’t take card, so remember to bring cash.

The market is split up into different colors to organize vendors: pink, purple, red, blue, and yellow. There is also a white area, which is for parking. A lot of people bring their vintage cars to the flea market, so look around!

In the pink, blue, and red areas, you’ll find new merchandise.

Usually, these areas are the most expensive of the whole flea market. New small businesses will usually be found here, selling everything from handmade clothes to wonderfullyscented candle sculptures.

In the orange area, you’ll find antiques and collectibles. This section is sort of hidden,

the first time I went I didn’t get to spend too much time in this area because I only found it at the last minute. It’s quite a big area, and you’ll find all the antique trinkets you’d ever need here.

Sometimes you can even catch the vintage Doc Martens booth. You’ll see art, records, old record players, and maybe even your grandmother’s jewelry.

In the white area is vintage and general merchandise. This is the first area you walk into when you go through the gates of the market. The first thing you see are free flea market maps and packs of matches. On the vintage side of things, you’ll find old keys, tupperwares, and other irresistible knick knacks.

Once, I found a plethora of Simpsons merchandise.

Lastly, in the yellow area you’ll find more new and general merchandise. You might find your newest succulent, or Funko Pop figure. If you’re a fan of vintage clothes, racks and racks of T-shirts, denim, hawaiian shirts, and leather can be found here.

Usually, the vintage clothes are priced quite affordably.

The next Rose Bowl flea will be on Jun. 12, so mark your calendar! Admission is $12 for general admission from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. There’s also VIP tickets, which include early admission from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. for $20. You can find tickets online on the Rose Bowl website. Happy shopping!

kcamacho@arcadiaquill.com Photo courtesy of COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG Graphics courtesy of FREEPIK.COM

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MAY 2022

THE HISTORY BEHIND WOMEN’S POCKETS

By VANESSA VALENTINO Staff Writer As a girl, I can never comfortably fit my phone, wallet, or much of anything else into my pocket. Inexplicably, this is an issue that encompasses the entire female gender. On any social media app, you can find a woman raving about a dress’ pockets or complaining about the lack thereof in all her other pants. Meanwhile, men’s pockets easily fit a phone and a wallet, with plenty of room to spare. For no clear reason, there’s a large gap between the room in men’s pockets versus women’s. Although many have theorized about companies’ tactics to sell women more purses, the more tangible reason for this inequality lies in the evolution of fashion and problematic views of gender.

In the Medieval era, men and women were equal pocket-wise, and both wore fanny-pack-like bags around their waist. These “external pockets” would be hidden under clothing and accessed through slits cut in jackets, petticoats, and dresses. Like a small purse, the external pockets were able to fit a lot: things like food, money, sewing kits, writing materials, and keys. In the late seventeenth century, pockets became permanently sewn into men’s clothing. Women’s pockets, on the other hand, did not follow, marking the beginning of the gender divide in pockets.

Although this wasn’t a problem at first, fashion during the French Revolution began to cater more towards formfitting dresses and skirts, posing a new challenge.

The pouchy pockets of the mid-eighteenth century were unsuitable for the new trends, so women’s options for storage had to change accordingly. By the end of the 1700s, reticules and chatelaines replaced their bulky counterparts. Reticules were decorated purses that were comparatively miniscule, and chatelaines were waist chains that put women’s belongings on full display. Despite their varying inconveniences, other options were sacrificed to maintain a good silhouette.

During the French Revolution, concepts of property, privacy, and propriety were extensively challenged. Because women’s pockets were private, they indicated a sort of freedom, and taking pockets away

would successfully take away this freedom.

Moreover, women’s pockets were deemed unnecessary, since it was common for husbands to carry the money and necessities.

As fashion continued to evolve, women’s clothing began to permanently integrate pockets, like how men’s had decades before. However, unlike men’s perfected pockets, women’s pockets were impractical. In dresses, they were put in uncomfortable places, like at the hem of a skirt. During the World Wars in the 20th cen-

tury, women’s pants pockets were finally sufficient—until women’s clothing evolved again, and slenderness became the priority. Thus, functional pockets were compromised for a better figure.

“The privilege of having decent sized pockets should not be privy to just men’s clothing,” said freshman Hally Nguyen. “Most women I know carry almost twice the amount men have on their person. In the new world where things are changing, we should take this step in improving equality and the lives of men and women in general.”

While men’s pockets are designed for utility, women’s pockets are designed for beauty. This choice, conscious or not, only iterates the idea that women exist to be looked at, rather than to do something of importance. Even if this message is unintentional, themes in the French Revolution confirm how sexism has been instilled into history and, accordingly, into our clothing, too.

vvalentino@arcadiaquill.com Photo courtesy of Jessica Jaeger Graphic courtesy of FREEPIK.COM

MAY 2022

FEATURES All About Ramadan

By SABRINA LO

Staff Writer

April 1 marked the beginning of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim Calendar. This month is holy to Muslims and is a time for them to strengthen their faith.

During the one month of Ramadan, it is traditional practice for Muslims to fast from dawn to sunset. are:

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There are five pillars of Islam. These

Shahada: faith in Islam Salat: praying five times a day Zakat: donating to the needy Sawm: fasting during Ramadan Hajj: minimum one-time visit to the holy city of Mecca There are many reasons for fasting.

I spoke with senior Zayanah Rasyamond, president of the Muslim Club at Arcadia High School about Ramadan.

“Ramadan is both a cultural and spiritual month, and many people feel like they can connect with God through fasting as a constant reminder of their faith. It is important to me because I get to connect with family and friends through this shared experience,” said Rasyamond.

According to Vox, “The practice of fasting serves…to remind you of your human frailty and your dependence on God...

man frailty and your dependence on God...so you feel compassion for (and a duty to help) the poor and needy, and to reduce the distractions in life so you can more clearly focus on your relationship with God.” People usually start fasting once they reach puberty, which is around 14-years-old. However, nutrition expert Nazima Qureshi said, “By age 10, most kids can do the full day, if they want to.”

“When I was younger, I would fast ‘half days’, meaning I broke my fast at lunch time because I was too young to go through the whole fast…When I got into middle school I was able to fast the whole day each day of the month”, says Rasyamond.

Though fasting is such a huge part of Ramadan, this isn’t the only thing Muslims strive to do.

“Fasting means…also abstaining from bad habits and sins such as smoking, gambling, swearing, gossiping, arguing, fighting or being disrespectful, cruel or selfish. Sexual activity is also banned during the hours of fasting,” writes the Birmingham Mail.

Exceptions for fasting include elders, the ill, or women who are menstruating, pregnant, or breastfeeding. In other words, fasting during Ramadan should not be detrimental to one’s or breastfeeding. In other words, fasting during Ramadan should not be detrimental to one’s health.

In fact, one can actually make up the fasting by donating food or just fasting at another time.You can learn more about this from Zakat. Because much of the body’s energy comes from food, fasting during Ramadan can affect peoples’ daily lives, especially students who attend school. The risk of dehydratiuon is a key factor in this.

“Physical activities do become more taxing, so it is important to conserve your energy. That being said, exercise is still possible and actually helps if you do it in moderation!” said Rasyamond.

“In middle school, I did take some days off of PE with a written note. However, as I get older I find I am able to get through any activity even if I am fasting (ex. I was part of a 4-hour dance rehearsal).”

A common misconception about Ramadan according to Rasyamond is that people think it is an unhappy time for Muslims.

“Many people think [Muslims] are forced

to ‘starve themselves’. In reality, it is very much the opposite; most of us choose voluntarily to fast and enjoy the spiritual closeness and health benefits that fasting brings us,” said Rasayamond After Ramadan is over, Muslims celebrate Eid-al-fitr, the first time Muslims can eat during the day. This holiday lasts one to three days, and Muslims have large feasts with family (and friends?). This year, Eid-al-fitr will be on May 2. “Eid-Al Fitr is a day of festivities that usually begin with a congregational prayer, followedby delicious meals and many parties. This year, I am quite busy with school so I will probably be partaking in the morning prayers and then going to school,” said Rasyamond.

“Families visit each other bringing homemade dishes like mini potlucks, and everyone greets each other with Mubarak!”, or since we also celebrate with the Malay culture, we say “Selamat Hari Raya!”

Whether one is Muslim or not, it’s always important and beneficial to get to know different cultural events. Thank you again to Zayanah Rasyamond for taking the time to answer questions about Ramadan!

slo@arcadiaquill.com Graphic courtesy of PIXABAY.COM

Girl Scouts of America

By ASHLEY CHAN

Opinion Editor

From Thin Mints to Samoas, almost everyone has heard about Girl Scout cookies before. Although Girl Scouts have gained popularity throughout the years due to their famous cookie sales, Girl Scouts are so much more than cookie-selling machines.

In reality, Girl Scouts is an organization that enables girls to empower themselves and others, and it promotes character, leadership, entrepreneurship, and citizenship through actions that benefit the community.

There are six beliefs in Girl Scouts: make friends, find adventure, give back, be a boss, earn recognition and awards, and have fun.

Make Friends: Through the Girl Scouts environment, girls will interact with one another and create meaningful friendships.

The camaraderie of the troop and the relationships created at camp offer opportunities for girls to learn more about their communities, themselves, and others. Girl Scouts get to expand their networks, develop communication and social skills, and learn about new perspectives.

Arcadia High School (AHS) sophomore Alison Yamada stated, “Girl Scouts has let me make new friends and interact with people that I would have not been able to before.”

Find Adventure: There are plenty of journeys that Girl Scouts could take. From

journeys that Girl Scouts could take. From camping in parks to traveling to new communities and cities, there are a handful of ways that Girl Scouts can experience the world and let their inner adventurers run wild.

“I like having a troop to do fun activities with, like camping and going hiking,” said AHS junior Lana Diep.

Give Back: Girl Scouts always give back to their communities, no matter how big or small the gesture is.

Some troops organize donation drives, develop programs in educational facilities, advocate for certain changes in their communities, and more. Girl Scouts are most known for giving back through their Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards.

AHS junior Kailey Leba claimed, “My troop has completed the Silver Award together, and I am currently starting my Gold Award where I am working with a school district.”

Be a Boss: By being a Girl Scout, you learn more about decision-making, work on team building, and focus on being both fair and responsible. Girl Scouts get to set goals for the-

mselves and their troops and work towards these goals through adversity that may come their way.

Diep remarked, “Selling Girl Scout cookies has taught me important business and people skills that I would not have gained otherwise.”

Earn Recognition and Awards: There are badges and awards that exemplify a Girl Scout’s hard work and dedication to certain tasks and projects.

Earning awards shows the world that a new skill was earned and how this skill was used to make a difference in their community.

“I have sashes with a lot of different badges from various activities that I have completed with my troop.

It’s cool to see all of my work being put together on a memento,” Yamada said.

Have Fun: Girl Scouts is meant to be a refreshing, exhilarating, learning experience that can be enjoyed every step of the way.

Girl Scouts create memories, learn more about things around them, and earn a feeling of accomplishment and home.

“I like Girl Scouts because I get to spend time

with friends and go to fun activities with the money we raise from cookie sales,” Leba stated.

Yamada reminisced, “My favorite memory was helping decorate the Rose Parade and going camping with my entire troop.”

The Girl Scout Organization stated, “Everything Girl Scouts do builds their curiosity, kindness, and can-do spirit. And as they earn badges, help their community, and deepen their friendships, they’ll also have a blast along the way. It’s what Girl Scouting is all about.”

No matter your grade level, you can always join Girl Scouts! At any point from kindergarten through twelfth grade, the option to become a Girl Scout is welcome with open arms. Kindergarten to first grade is when girls will become “Daisies”; second to third grade is when girls will graduate to “Brownies”; fourth and fifth grade is a milestone in which girls become “Juniors”; sixth to eighth grade is when girls transition into “Cadettes”; ninth to tenth grade is the transformation into “Seniors”; eleventh to twelfth grade is the fledge into “Ambassadors.”

Go support your local Girl Scouts!

achan@arcadiaquill.com Photo courtesy of FLICKR.COM

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SENIOR

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‘21-’22 EDITORS-IN -CHIEF SENIOR COLUMNS

MAY 2022

COLUMNS

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By Robinson Lee Editor-in-Chief Senioritis. An alias that burnout hides under along with its nicknames procrastination and laziness. No, you are not lazy. That doesn’t encompass your being. You love to read, to learn, to socialize, to feel like you are doing something meaningful, and spend time with the people around you. Your laziness manifests in not wanting to move the mouse and keyboard from your workspace to your room to play Europa Universalis IV. When you ended up crashing hard when quarantine first started, spending weeks playing Fire Emblem: Three Houses, that was an indication that your mind and body wasn’t getting the rest it needed to so your subconscious took the steps that were needed that you weren’t planning on taking yourself. And now what you’ve been dealing with is severe burnout. The end of a long journey is nigh, and you finally have that sense of certainty that you’ve been looking for since Mar. 2020. Objectively, you’ve had the least amount of work you’ve had in these past four years. Yet each page of Japanese homework still intimidates you, and sometimes thinking about these small tasks gets your preemptively overwhelmed. Take a deep breath and do what you can each day. You’ll have the time ahead of you to enjoy yourself.

By Kylie Ha Editor-in-Chief “The biggest thing I find myself most grateful for is the very reason I was so despondent about my senior year. When I struggled with sitting alone at lunch, I wouldn’t have known that in a couple months, I would make friends simply by eating lunch and conversing with students with autism.

Week after week, there was a newfound excitement that I got to share with them. They’re equally as elated to see me at lunch, to wave a big hello in the busy hallways, to take group selfies to show family, and to telL me about how I’d love their dogs. The i ~ mpacts they’ve had on me through the art of conversations—exchanging trivia of every animal A-Z, of colorful shirts, and of cartoons—will stay with me for a lifetime.“

By Anya Yang Editor-in-Chief “The strangest things have brought me joy throughout these muddled four years. Collectible Japanese kewpies, late-night drives with the sunroof down, oddly-specific Spotify playlists, sunny days spent skateboarding in the suburbs with my best friend, USA Today crossword puzzles, and gorgeously written fanfiction have all served as perfect little outlets for me to cherish my own happiness. In the glow of my pink childhood room, I laugh and cry with friends over our telekinetic moments and guilty pleasure TV shows. It’s during these innocent instances of pure contentment that I feel so grateful to be who I am, surrounded by the people I love...A quote from my favorite book reminds me of the lessons I’ve learned from my time at Arcadia. Haruki Murakami states: “a certain type of perfection can only be realized through a limitless accumulation of the imperfect.” And when I reflect on all of my high school failures—embarrassing social blunders, consistently low math grades, and of course, my iconic freshman year badminton journey—I cringe, of course, but I also accept and acknowledge that they’ve made me who I am today. I’ve stopped attempting to force myself into a mold that doesn’t fit me. If an Arcadia ice cube tray won’t accommodate my tears, Smiski figurines, asymmetrical eyelids, and dearest friends, I will simply create my own.”

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May 2022

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COLOR G UARD PE RF O R M ANC E AT N AT I ON A LS

By Maryam Sadeghifard and Kira Camacho A&E Editor, Staff Writer The Color Guard team at our school due to their incredible talents and hard work had performed in the Winter Guard International Color Guard Championships, traveling all the way to Dayton, Ohio. This event is one that takes dedication, perseverance, and true talent to be able to compete. At the end of the World Championships for Color Guard Arcadia placed seventh in the nation. The impressive and inspiring team of Color Guard placing this in the nation is a great strive, making the students at Arcadia High School (AHS) proud.

“The championship has more pressure as performers and viewers around the world have the opportunity to watch our show,” said senior Ella Nancarrow “Along with that, we compete against the best high school Color Guard teams in the nation.”

The roles everyone played in the championships all helped make the team prosper on so many levels that otherwise couldn’t have been done without the leadership and teamwork that they have learned.

“My role in ‘Making Our Scars Gold’ was all equipment which was saber, rifle, and the gold flag towards the end of the show,” said Nancarrow.

“I am proud to say I am the only member in the show that spins all pieces of equipment that are showcased in making our scars gold,” said senior Sebina Rothschild. “My equipment includes: rifle, saber, silk, part one flag, and the flag feature flag. Some notable parts I have in the show are: the opening flag toss and a featured flag toss before the flag feature.”

“For the majority of the show I spin flag, I also spin rile and dance throughout the show,” said junior Giselle Meeks.

“I take pride in being one of the many talented soloists in this production,” said senior Shawn Pardo. “Not only would I dance, but I spun my mediums: rifle and saber. On top of spinning the equipment, the costume helped us embody liquid gold, flowing and dancing our way to ‘heal the scars of the past.’ So even as a soloist, the costume would help me blend with the rest of the members so that we could be one.”

After dealing with a long time away from Color Guard due to the two years that were taken away from them because of COVID-19, this experience was a truly unforgettable one for all the team. There were many highlights of the night as well as a result of this.

groups (professional groups) perform,” said Rothschild. “Watching independent [Color Guard] is always mind blowing as the tricks and choreography are so complex. When watching independent [Color Guard], the energy in the arena is insane! The crowd is so supportive of every group that competes.”

“Not only was performing a special moment for me, but what happened behind the scenes made things more magical. I loved the little things we would do, like our inside jokes, going bowling, and obsessing over a stupid claw machine. Having such a close bond with all of the members on this team glued our family-like relationship into a secure friendship, making us incredibly comfortable with each other. This positive energy we shared also spread throughout our perfor-

the bus,” said Nancarrow.

With the blood racing among all the audience and competitors especially, when the results were announced this was a very special ergy in the arena is insane! The crowd is so supportive of every group that competes.”

With the blood racing among all the audience and competitors especially, when the results were announced this was a very special moment for Arcadia.

“In all honesty, I felt that we could’ve been placed higher,” said Pardo.

“I know how strong we are as a team, and I know we could’ve performed a better show.

But despite the flaws of that performance, I’m proud of how far we’ve come as a team, and I’m so incredibly proud of being the seventh best scholastic Color Guard nationally.”

mance, being one of the reasons why our performances are always so strong.” said Prado “Performing was definitely one of the highlights for the night,” said Meeks. “We always have a group scene where we get all of our jitters and nerves out right before we enter the arena. Our instructors say their messages, then our captains and our upperclassmen. At this point, everyone is ecstatic, cheeks are plumped and our bodies are running full of adrenaline.”

“One of my highlights of the night of semifinals where we had to refold our floor since it was raining right after our show and while we were waiting in the bus for our trailer, we were having a little dance party in the bus,” said Nancarrow.

“By the end of the night, I was relieved we had finished champs on a good note! We had solid runs throughout the whole week and made memories that’ll last a lifetime.” said Rothschild “I was proud of our family and what we had accomplished this season, being seventh in the nation was a big deal, especially since the Guard had not placed in finals for some time,” said Meeks. “It’s an incredible moment where I am surrounded by people who have gone through this whole season with me and who I am honored to call family. As well as watching other World Class performances, getting to see shows live is a different experience then watching behind a screen on YouTube. Some perfor-

mances literally gave me shivers. It was an unmatched feeling to be in the crowd cheering and supporting those on the floor.”

“I felt really relieved that we got through the week since it was a pretty long week, but I was really happy that we did score a lot better than we did back in 2019!” said Nancarrow.

Even though everyone was proud of their work as a team, they also learned a lot and gained more experience for the future to come.

“Over these past months, our team has learned resilience, confidence, and trust.

We’ve all pushed through this arduous journey, discovered talents we never thought we were capable of, and trusted one another, all leading to an amazing season.”

“Usually Dayton would be an annual thing for the guard to fly out to participate in,” said Meeks. “But due to COVID-19, the event could not be hosted for three years meaning that for most of us, this was the first time that we would experience going to Dayton for championships. We got to experience how supportive the Color Guard communities were in other states and how we all had the same struggles. We also got to see the different techniques that they used while spinning equipment. All in all, this experience brought a new definition of what Color Guard means to me personally, and as a family,” Make sure to congratulate the Color Guard members for their achievements, regardless of the ranking, their hard work and dedication to Color Guard is worth much more than imaginable!

kcamacho@arcadiaquill.com msadeghifard@arcadiaquill.com

Photo courtesy of Sabina Rothschild Graphic Courtesy of FREEPIK

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REM E M BE R ING P OP UL A R C H I LD H O O D BOOKS

By VANESSA VALENTINO Staff Writer In elementary school, my class visited the school library every week. We’d make a bee-line to the shelves that held the most popular books and grab the last copy of Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief or the newest Geronimo Stilton book.

These stories impacted us throughout childhood, especially at such an impressionable age, and were often one of our first interests.

No matter which elementary school you grew up in, many of these common childhood books are a shared experience.

Harry Potter is a book series written

by J.K. Rowling. Since 1997, when it was first published, it has expanded into a variety of other forms of entertainment, including amusement parks and movies. It focuses on a boy named Harry Potter who discovers that he’s a wizard and is enrolled into Hogwarts.

Throughout the series, Harry Potter and his friends go on various adventures with the goal of avenging his dead parents and defeating Voldemort.

“When I was younger, I started reading Harry Potter so that my aunt would take me to Universal Studios,” Arcadia High School (AHS) freshman Megan Wong said. “I en-

joyed reading it, and I still rewatch the Harry Potter movies today.”

Written by Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson & The Olympians follows a teenager named Percy Jackson who discovers his father is the Greek god Poseidon. Soon after this discovery, he’s thrusted into a camp for demigods and into conflicts between the gods.

AHS freshman Ryan Shoushi said, “I found the idea of all these kids banding together to complete seemingly impossible tasks really cool, and I liked how the author made the characters relatable.

Looking back now, I can recognize a lot of the villains from The Odyssey.”

Written by Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid is the fictional diary of a middleschooler named Greg Heffley. Diary of a Wimpy Kid incorporates simple illustrations and stands out through its humor and Greg’s unique and arguably mediocre character.

“I remember a lot of people reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid in elementary school, including me,” sophomore Kaylee Chang said. “I’d say it definitely had a place in my childhood.”

Magic Tree House is a children’s historical fantasy book series written by Mary Pope Osborne. It follows two siblings, Jack and Annie, who find a magical treehouse that can take them back in time. Their adventures range from helping a queen in ancient Egypt to meeting inventors at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1889, and many of their endeavors serve as an interesting and indirect history lesson.

“Looking back now, I can say Magic Tree House books were always a thrill to read,” said AHS junior Olivia Widjojo. “I remember coming home from school and just getting straight to reading on the couch. I’ve always loved fiction, but Magic Tree House was the first series that got me to explore different types

of fiction through the wide variety of adventures and missions the main characters went

through; it was a truly positive part of my childhood.”

Targeted for a younger audience, Geronimo Stilton is about a rodent publisher who embarks on various episodic adventures, such as dealing with a doppelganger and losing luggage in New York City. In addition to the original series, the author, Elisabette Dami, has written several spin-off series: The Kingdom of Fantasy, Cavemice, Spacemice, and more. Geronimo Stilton is unique for its colorful text and illustrations throughout each book, making it an especially fun read for children.

“Like a lot of my peers, I was really into Geronimo Stilton as a kid,” remarked freshman Emma Chen. “I still have about 20 of its books at home.”

Within the Arcadia community, these five book series were undoubtedly important to our childhoods, whether it be through first- or second-hand experience. The media we consume as a child shapes our character and perception of the world around us, and to share something so monumental is extremely valuable.

vvalentino@arcadiaquill.com Photo courtesy of UNSPLASH.COM

MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS

By KIRA CAMACHO

Staff Writer

Warning: This review contains spoilers!

On a muggy Sunday afternoon, I went to see the new Dr. Strange movie. It’s very far from my favorite Marvel movie, but it was extremely entertaining. The whole movie is basically everyone versus the Scarlet Witch (Wanda), who is trying to take the power of a young girl (America Chavez) with the ability to move throughout the multiverse.

Wanda kills everyone in the Kamar-Taj during the first 30 minutes of the movie, so it’s up to Stephen Strange, zombie Dr. Strange, evil Dr. Strange, Christine (Dr. Strange’s love interest), Wong, and Chavez to save the multiverse.

I really enjoyed seeing Wanda so powerful in this movie, but her villain arc was a bit disappointing. Throughout the movie she was acting like a crazed, delusional “mother,” trying everything to get back to her two annoying children, who aren’t even real and sing creepy songs about ice cream. Wanda only realized her wrongdoing within the last 20 minutes of the movie, and then died.

Maybe. But overall, I love her character, she was my first favorite marvel character and

still is. She was especially amazing during the jump-scare scenes.

America Chavez, on the other hand, was a fairly decent character: your average sassy young kid with the power of multiversal travel. Chavez and Strange’s friendship was nice too, yet it didn’t make up for her slightly irritating moments. Chavez continuously claimed that she couldn’t control her powers and that they only worked when she got scared. Plenty of terrifying things were happening during the movie, but they never sparked her ability to travel into a different dimension. After a pep talk from Strange’s zombie variant at the end, she suddenly had full control over them even though she never tried to take control over them before.

Moving onto the plot, it was sort of a zombie-comedy-suspense-thriller. They tried to pack too many genres into the movie, but the thriller/suspense/horror aspects were honestly pretty good. A lot of the jump-scares actually got me. It wasn’t terrible, I just think they tried to pack too much into this movie. Some students, like Alice Young, had similar thoughts about the movie.

“The movie definitely had a lot of twists - some were interesting and some felt unnecessary. They had a lot of ideas for the movie and just decided to do everything.” said Alice Young, a junior at AHS. “It was pretty chaotic at times which occasionally led to a really great scene. Wanda’s development into a villain felt somewhat rushed in the beginning which led me to believe she wouldn’t stay evil for long.

Then she started

killing everybody. She was the most interesting part of the movie for me, and hopefully this won’t be her last appearance in the mcu.

Also, she’s really hot. Overall, I really enjoyed the movie despite some of its flaws, and I’d recommend it to others,” The script was wonky, with unnecessary, confusing dialogue surrounding unfunny jokes. A lot of the jokes and plotlines sort of took me out of the story. For example, the Illuminati. Apparently the Illuminati are a group that protect interdimensional travel, and hate Dr. Strange. Also, John Krasinski and Charles Xavier are quite active in the group. Does Xavier’s involvement in the Illuminati mean that the X-Men are also associated? So many questions. That said, a lot of the story and awkward moments did sort of work. Looking back at the movie, some of the ridiculous plot points and jokes weren’t really that bad.

Overall, it wasn’t that bad. Not as bad as Morbius, at least. I think I just expected more from the trailer and Sam Raimi, the director.

A little more Raimi and a little less Illuminati would do this movie some good.

kcamacho@arcadiaquill.com Graphic courtesy of FREEPIK

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SPORTS

ATHLETE FEATURE: SHRIYA VELICHALA

By KYLIE HA

Staff Writer Senior Shriya Velichala has been running track since freshman year, but has quickly stepped up to be one of the fastest runners and hurdlers in California’s Division I Track & Field. After her initial introduction to running and athletics as a soccer player, Velichala’s passion for running grew. Over the course of four years, her drive for running has only expanded—even adding the 300m hurdles as an event her last year.

As a member of the Girls Varsity Track & Field team, Velichala runs the 400m, 300m hurdles, 4x400m relay, and occasionally, may participate in the 100m and 200m—scoring significant marks in all five events. According to Velichala, her favorite event is the 4×400 relay.

“Track can feel like such an individual sport sometimes, so I really enjoy the relays because of the team aspect,” said Velichala.

Her newest and most significant event has now become the 300m hurdles, which she started in the beginning of this year. Not only has she finished 1st place consecutively between league meets, but also finished 1st overall at CIF preliminaries. One of her biggest accomplishments, according to Velichala, was breaking the school record for the first time.

Coming in at 44.81 seconds, Velichala

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couldn’t contain her excitement, expressing that she couldn’t “believe what had happened, considering having run the 400m an hour before.”

and a sprained ankle), but I did the best I could.

Now, having made state, I’ll focus on that for this week,” she stated. “I decided to try running hurdles the summer before senior year started.

Velichala ran in CIF finals on May 21, placing 5th out of nine with a time of 44.96 seconds.

“I was nervous this entire week because of my small week-long injuries (tendonitis

My club and school coaches encouraged me to try it out because of the stamina they knew I had from running the 400m. I trained a lot during the summer and during preseason. I started enjoying how technical the event

MAY 2022

was and gained a lot of respect for it.”

Despite her lengthy accomplishments, Velichala has had one continuous goal since the beginning of her running career.

“While breaking my personal records is important, something that I put more effort into is making sure I give it my all in every race. I want to make sure that I’m doing my best in practices and races, even though I may not be feeling the best,” she stated.

With her high school track season slowly coming to a close with the end of the school year, Velichala remains ecstatic for the future.

Having committed to Claremont McKenna College for Track & Field, Velichala will prepare for the 400m hurdles.

“I’m very ecstatic and grateful for the opportunity to continue running in college. I am also excited to start learning how to do the 400m hurdles because it’s a longer race than what we run in high school. I know it’s going to be challenging but I’m looking forward to seeing what the next four years have in store for me,” said Velichala.

Thank you, Shriya, for sharing your hurdling experience, and best of luck to the next four years at Claremont McKenna College!

kylieha@arcadiaquill.com Photo courtesy KYLIE HA

SWIM TEAM MEMBERS ADVANCE TO CIF

By ROBINSON LEE

Staff Writer The Arcadia High School (AHS) Swim team did an amazing job throughout the year.

Most notably, several Swim team members individually qualified for CIF this year.

To qualify for CIF, a swimmer must swim either an automatic time or a consideration time in one of the eleven different swim events, according to Girls Varsity Swim team member, senior Hannah Aguilar. While an automatic time means that swimmers go directly to CIF, a consideration time means that swimmers will go to CIF only if they are one of the top 40 swimmers in their overall event in the CIF championship meet. Achieving a CIF time is no easy feat, considering that both the Boys and Girls Swim teams currently compete at the Division Two level.

“For the [preliminaries], we qualified [in] our Girls Medley Relay, 200 Freestyle Relay, and 400 Freestyle Relay,” Coach Janice Clark stated, when asked about the status of the Swim team CIF qualifications. “Individual girls who qualified for preliminaries were Emily Xu, in the 200 Freestyle and 100 Freestyle, and Jocelyn Wang in the 50 Freestyle. The boys who qualified individually for the preliminaries were Jonathan Liu in the 50 Freestyle, Ethan Chua in the 100 Backstroke, and Gavin Santoso in the 100 Breaststroke. [Arcadia] also qualified [in the] Boys Medley Relay and 400 Freestyle Relay.”

During that same week, at CIF finals, the AHS swim team continued their streak with amazing times all around, from both the boys’ and girls’ sides.

50 Freestyle Jocelyn Wang (25.06) - 14th place Jonathan Liu (21.84) - 15th place 100 Freestyle Emily Xu (50.91) - 1st place 200 Freestyle Emily Xu (1:51.22) - 1st place Boys Medley Relay Arcadia (1:37.65) - 8th place Boys 400 Freestyle Relay Arcadia (3:16.93) - 16th place 100 Breaststroke Gavin Santoso (58.27) - 5th place Additionally, Varsity Swim team member senior Emily Xu qualified for the CIF state and placed 9th in the 200 Freestyle with a time of 1:50.94, and 8th in the 100 Freestyle, swimming a 50.65.

When asked about how she felt about qualifying for CIF state, Xu said, “It’s a great way to end my high school career, that’s for sure. I’m proud of how far I’ve come from freshman year until now. During freshman year at Division 3 CIF, I placed 7th and 8th in my events. This year at Division 2 CIF, I placed 1st in both events, and qualified for CIF State Championships…I’m glad I was able to end on a high note.”

Xu added by saying, “I’m super proud of our accomplishments and couldn’t have done it

without the efforts of each and every swimmer on the team.”

Swim team member senior Jonathan Liu also commented on his CIF qualification stating, “It’s my last year, so I was pretty elated when I found that I’d be going to CIF, for an individual event and two relays no less. I didn’t think I’d make an individual event after seeing the automatic times, as it required a near-best time from me to qualify. However, I managed to achieve it during the swim season— in our last dual meet, too!

Making the relays was also nice because that meant I’d be going with a group of friends and be a leader to these underclassmen who can proudly call this their first CIF.” Liu continued to say that “this past year with the swim team has been a roller coaster. I met a lot of new people, bonded with old ones, and overall had a LOT of fun. I do wish that our season was longer or [that] I had another year on this amazing team, but I really can’t complain when I’ve literally met some [of my] new favorite people and reignited old friendships.”

Reflecting on the year, Aguilar said, “I love the swim team with all my heart. I truly believe that we are like a large family. We all

encourage one another to be better athletes and better people. We celebrate each other’s accomplishments and support each other during times of need. I have been privileged to have been a part of the team for my four years of high school. I have made countless friendships and memories that I will cherish for the rest of my

life.”

Congratulations to the swim team and everything that they have accomplished this year! We look forward to their next season, and are excited to see what they can do next year!

robinsonlee@arcadiaquill.com

sports.arcadiaquill@gmail.com

MAY 2022

ARCADIA HIGH SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD

WW

SPORTS

DOG SPORTS

By ZOE LIN Sports Editor

By JORGE ESPINOZA Staff Writer Once again, our Track & Field team has made impressive progress. This time, it was triumphing at the CIF Southern Section Division Finals on May 14. The event had schools all over Southern California and the scores of our athletes were very impressive.

There were three coaches, Coach Christopher Schultz, Coach Jacques Sallberg, and Coach Harji Singh, who accompanied our athletes to the meet at Moorpark High School, in Moorpark, California.

With a mark of 3:56.83, our girls 4 x 400 Relay team of freshman Layla Roslan, seniors Shriya Velichala, Jane DePrima, and Sy’rai Yarborough, finished 7th in Division 1 and 10th overall. They were one spot short of qualifying for the Master’s Meet. They currently hold the 15th fastest time in California and are ranked as number 136 in the United States.

For a lot of athletes, it was their last season, with graduation being only days away.

And although competing isn’t a new thing to them, worries arose, but failed to hinder their performance.

“I was very nervous,” shared Yarborough, “but I was excited to do what I love, running.”

“I, too, was nervous about making it to the Masters Meet,” added Velichala, senior “but I was [also] excited to be around such competitive athletes.”

The training for CIF was tough, but it made use that our athletes stayed robust and showed them the meaning of resilience.. Sy’rai shares that apart from the exercises and rigorous training that the team underwent, they added their own exercises on top of everything.

“I really focused on warmups, and made sure that my exercises were thoroughly done,” Yarborough stated.

“I focused more on speedwork. I was going over hurdles almost every day and I also worked on my start out of the blocks because that is a part of the race that I needed to work on. I also try to visualize the race in my head. It helps me stay focused and remember what I need to do when it comes time to race,” Velichala stated.

Although collaborative, the event highlighted a few athletes: Senior Shriya Velichala finished second in the Division 1 300-meter hurdles. For the third week in a row, she ran a personal best and a school record in 44.78 seconds. She qualified

for the Master’s Meet this week by placing 3rd overall in all 4 divisions (Divisions 1-4).

Senior Matthew Le finished 8th in the Division 1 Long Jump (20’9″) and 9th in the Triple Jump (42’11.5) to cap off a successful season.

“After my 300m hurdle race, I felt good because I ran a new personal best time and qualified for the next round.This gave me more motivation for my next event, the 4x400m relay.

I knew I had to run one of my best races in order to help my team have a good chance of making it to the next meet. I did end up running my fastest split of the season. Unfortunately, we did not qualify for the next round but I was still really proud of my team because we all gave our best and improved our time by 3 seconds from the week before,” said Velichala.

But what stands out the most is the team camaraderie that occurred. The remainder of the contending institutions were up against a tightknit group that would be difficult to overcome on that Saturday morning. And this group will be very much missed!

“I will miss the family atmosphere of Track & Field and the dynamic among all of us [teammates],” added Yarborough.

“What I will miss most about the Track & Field Team are my teammates and my coach.

My teammates have been my biggest support system throughout the year. They are always encouraging me to do my best and hearing them cheer while I run makes the biggest difference for me during my races. I am also going to miss our coaches. Since my freshman year Coach Schultz has always pushed me to believe that I can do more. I think it’s hard to find a coach that is as dedicated to his athlete as Coach Schultz is so I am definitely going to miss having him as a coach,” Velichala stated.

So next time you see them, congratulate our Track & Field athletes. They have had a very successful season and look forward to their accomplishments in the future! Go Apaches!

jorgeespinoza@arcadiaquill.com Photo courtesy of AUSD.NET

When someone mentions sports, the first thing that comes to mind usually aren’t the sports our furry little friends partake in.

Although it may sound surprising for some, dogs actually have a long list of competitive sports that they can participate in.

Dog sports can be categorized into the following categories: herding, obedience, tracking and hunting, agility, and water sports.

Herding Originated in Wanaka, New Zealand, sheepdog trials are competitions that test the herding abilities of certain dog breeds.

Typically, these competitions are held with sheep; however, other animals such as cows or ducks may be used as well. In competition, dogs guide the animals through multiple obstacles and are judged on aspects such as flexibility, control, movement, and accuracy of the dog’s work. There are varying scoring systems and requirements for eligible breeds and the number of dogs and sheep, but all dogs work together with a handler throughout all the trials.

Obedience Obedience competitions test a dog’s ability to perform a set of obedience tasks when instructed by its handler. During the trial, the dog and its handler will execute a series of predetermined tasks, which will then be scored by judges based on accuracy. Dogs can earn more points if they perform the tasks with increased accuracy and style.

Tracking and Hunting In tracking, a dog follows a scent trail to find an item, leading its handler. There are multiple different tracking and hunting competitions, one of them being hound trailing, which involves specially bred hounds racing against each other along a scent trail. What makes this competition different from most tracking and hunting races is that hounds complete the race completely unassisted by their handlers.

Agility In agility, handlers direct their dogs through an obstacle course, which they must

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complete within a certain time frame. Dogs must make jumps, navigate through tunnels, walkways, weave through poles, and jump through tires, all in a specific order. They are directed by their handlers through the course.

The competition is judged on both time and how accurately the dog is able to make its way through the obstacle course.

Water sports Dock jumping or dock diving involves dogs jumping from a dock and into a pool or body of water, competing for distance or height.

The dog’s handler first throws an item into the body of water, and the dog then runs along the 40 feet long dock and jumps off to grab the item in the water. The competition is based on either the longest or highest jump.

“I never knew there were so many different sports for dogs, and I think it’s really interesting how competitive these sports can be,” said senior Helen Zhang. “I was surprised at how obedience can also be a type of sport that dogs can train to!”

Dog sports are an excellent way for dogs to get physical exercise and mental stimulation.

It’s also a great way for dogs to bond with their owners. The world of dog sports is a vast one, and there are a wide variety of recreation suited for all breeds of dogs.

zoelin@arcadiaquill.com Graphic courtesy of CAITLYN CHAU

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CAMPUS FOCUS

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MAY 2022

mother’s day 2022

Describe your mom’s ideal outing.

“My mom’s ideal outing, ironically, is not to go out at all. After asking her what she wanted for Mother’s Day, she did not want a home-cooked meal; instead, a takeout order to eat at home, sitting in the living room would suffice.” ~ William Pan, 9 “Her ideal outing would be to go on a hike, take some nice pictures, and then go out for lunch.” ~ Sonia Zhang, 12 “My mother’s ideal outing would be to walk along a shoreline path at the San Francisco Bay area, soaking in the ocean and greenery around her.” ~ Nicole Klatt, 12

What’s something (item or not) that your mom has been wishing for?

“Something my mom has been wishing for is more plants! She’s always eager to grow our garden and accomodate more vegetables or flowers.” ~Amiruthaa Amudharasan, 10 “My mom does not want any tangible items. She wants to spend time as a family, as my brother is soon leaving to go to college.” ~ William Pan, 9

How did you celebrate this past Mother’s Day? “I made breakfast for her and wrote her a nice card.” ~ Sonia Zhang, 12 “My sister and I made flower bouquets for my grandma and mom. We also wrote a card to our mom and [had] a family dinner.” ~Audrey Lim, 10 “My family had a relaxing day at home and bought sushi to celebrate Mother’s Day!” ~Nicole Klatt, 12