April 2011

Volume 59, Issue 8

April p 2011

Arcadia High School 180 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA

Remembering Alice

In this issue:

Photo C Ph Courtesy ourtesy off ARC ARCADI ARCADIASBEST.COM ADIASB ASBEST EST.COM COM

PERFORMING ARTS pg. 11 Percussion Makes History: Our newly crowned national champions return from Dayton.

Photos courtesy of VICTORIA LU and graphic by ALWYNA LAU

FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS The tragic accident that claimed junior Alice Zhang’s life has had a profound effect at AHS: friends and peers have come together to help her family with their loss as well as to honor her memory.

Graphic courtesy of ANONYMOUS

CENTER SPREAD pg. 14-15 CAMPUS FOCUS pg. 28 PostSecret: Students shared a brief hope, dream, or idea during March.

Photo by ELLIOTT LEE

SPORTS pg. 24 2011 Arcadia Invitational: AHS hosts talented track and field athletes from all over the country.

Have a question, comment, or concern about the Pow Wow? E-mail the Editors-in-Chief at editorsinchief@apachepowwow.com or find us online at apachepowwow.com.

By EILEEN CHOW & ALWYNA LAU Performing Arts Editor and Center Spread Editor On Apr.10, AHS felt the loss of fellow Apache junior Alice Zhang, who was fatally struck by a car at a pedestrian crossing near Duarte Ave. and Baldwin Ave. Alice was a loving daughter, diligent student, and dear friend to many. While Alice’s passing has been a tragic time for many, it has also brought our school together and prompted many to show support for Alice and her family in different ways.

A wave of people wearing purple were seen throughout the school on the Friday following Alice’s death as many donned her favorite color as a tribute to her. Alice’s passing has also acted as a catalyst for change, spurring students to petition City Hall to add more safety measures to the road crossing in order to ensure that a tragedy similar to this will never occur again. As Alice’s fellow AP English classmate junior Lixing Chang explained, their “goal is to create a formal complaint to take out the crosswalk or make it safer.” A memorial was erected for Alice at the site of the accident and what had started out as a few bouquets of flowers and well-wishing cards grew to be a large tribute to Alice as the whole community—and even people from neighboring

cities—brought flowers, candles, and cards to commemorate the short but influential life Alice led.

Alice was an active student and participated in many different clubs and organization across campus and many of these groups have been doing what they can to demonstrate their gratitude for their lost member. Senior Daniel Liem, who was on Physics Team with Alice, said that “she was indeed an integral part of our Physics Team.” Daniel, along with members of Physics Team, has been collecting donations to show support for Alice and her family. According to Daniel, “We feel obligated to help her family in an effort to reduce the pain caused by this tragic incident.”

Following the likes of Physics Team is AHS Peer Tutoring, which Alice was a member of as well.

Peer Tutoring has been collecting money as an organization and as adviser Mr. Gerry Wang said, “We did this to show our appreciation for Alice’s contributions to the Peer Tutoring Program.” While Alice was only a member just this year, effects of the loss are still present. Similarly, Leo Club is also planning its own fundraiser to support her as well. As adviser Mr. Mike Pasqua recalls, “There was something about Alice that stood out.” Alice had been a Leo Club member for entire school career and had the potential of even becoming an officer her senior year. As a sign of respect and gesture of support, Mr. Pasqua added that “the officer team is working to develop some sort of fundraising drive on behalf of her family.”

Efforts to raise money for Alice and her family have extended to her classmates as well. Fellow

junior classmate Albert Hu said, “Quiet yet always heard, Alice was without question one of the most valuable assets in the classroom.” Classmates in Alice’s AP English, AP US History, and AP Physics classes have been pooling in money as well to express condolences for a lost classmate.

Reaching beyond the AHS campus, the Girls Cross Country team is planning to start an annual Memorial 5K Run/Walk in Arcadia Park during Alice’s birth month of June in order to commemorate its “guardian fairy.” Senior Nancy Lam states, “Alice [has] always wanted to donate to cancer research, and through this fundraiser, not only her cross country family but the entire community gets the chance to live her dream for her.” The team wishes to have the support of the community by creating an opportunity for everyone to get together to not only celebrate Alice’s life, but to reach out to cancer patients as well.

The AHS family and the Arcadia have been doing an excellent job in raising money and honing their support and condolences. Never has the entire community been so deeply affected by such an incident. While Alice may have left us, her death has sparked unity in the community and this is just one more blessing Alice has given us. Alice’s final impact is clear through all the efforts that AHS students and the community have been making to ensure that Alice’s memory will live on. echow@apachepowwow.com alau@apachepowwow.com

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NEWS

apachepowwow.com

April 2011

Revolutions Spread in the Middle East Governor Jerry Brown’s 100 Days in Office

By MICHAEL PAI

By CHRISTOPHER CHO Staff Writer

Syria

Tens of thousands of protesters calling for the removal of their national government have gathered in Syria to demand the release of political prisoners. President Bashar Assad, attempting to quell the revolution with conciliatory gestures, offered to free all prisoners with the exception of those he claimed were “criminals against the homeland and its citizens.”

Dismissing President Assad’s minor concessions, protesters demonstrated a sense of humor as they marched down streets holding soccer-inspired yellow penalty cards in a gesture to express their discontent. On Apr. 15, tensions on both sides finally sparked into violence as protesters battled with the police in an attempt to reach the center of the city of Damascus. Approximately 200 people were killed in addition to hundreds more jailed.

Libya

As Muammar Gaddafi attempts to maintain his crumbling hold over Libya, residential neighborhoods have been caught in the crossfires of the war between the rebels and the government. Described as a inhumane, Gaddafi’s forces have employed the use of cluster bombs that, due to their inaccuracy, pose a grave threat when fired into populated areas. With the rebel army and Gaddafi’s forces locked in a stalemate, the United Nations has attempted to uphold its mandate of protecting innocent civilians. Although entire towns have been reduced to rubble, the people of Libya have displayed astounding strength in a seemingly endless conflict. ccho@apachepowwow.com Photos courtesy of WIKIMEDIA.COM and MSNBC.COM

In Memory: War Photographers in Combat

By BRANDON PANG

bpang@apachepowwow.com

Jerry Brown

mpai@apachepowwow.com Graphic by ASHLEY CHI Photos courtesy of SACBEE.COM and LAIST.COM

The World Around Us:

Offshore Drilling: Part of the Problem or Solution?

Staff Writer

War photographer: one who captures images of life during war to portray it in all its aspects. What this definition does not include, however, is the risks these people take to share their work with the world. On Apr. 20, two war photographers, Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros, gave the ultimate sacrifice when they were killed while photographing the Libyan revolution.

During an attack by Muammar Gadhafi on the rebel city of Misurata, a shell struck a building containing both photographers, immediately killing Hetherington and fatally wounding Hondros. Both were world-renowned for their work; Hetherington, an Oscar-nominated filmmaker for his Afghanistan War documentary Restrepo and Hondros, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated photographer for his work in Liberia. While they may have passed on, these two men will be remembered for making a difference in the world by capturing evidence of war’s atrocities.

Staff Writer

Ever since Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency, the 100-day mark has become an indicator of how well one will serve in office. When California Governor Jerry Brown approached his 100-day mark this month, he had little to show. Considering that he inherited a $26 billion budget deficit, however, his lack of visible progress is certainly understandable.

Governor Brown has already planned a $12 billion cut by reducing 10% of the state’s public employees’ takehome pay and shifting funds from certain programs. Additionally, welfare Medicaid fundand M ing wi will be cut by $3.2 billion billion. He plans to reduce this funding by re restricting patient vvisits and the number of times that families can claim welfare numbe benefits. Furthermore, the governor has planned an ext extension of 2009’s tax hikes for another five years. This will include a 0.25% increase in personal income taxes and a 1% rise in sales taxes.

The 20 2009 tax hikes also include an increase in vehicle llicensing fees, which will come to an end on June 330 this year. Keeping true to his campaign promis promise, Governor Brown will allow Californians to vote on the tax extensions in June before they

possibly come into effect. If the extensions do not pass, Governor Brown will have to cut funding from K-12 schools, public safety programs, and higher education.

The most evident impact of the cuts can be seen in our very own school district. Faculty members will certainly be cut, along with vital programs such as Advanced Placement classes. Class sizes are likely to increase well past the thirties and teachers will face an increased workload. In the years to come, student performance levels may fall or stop improving due to the fact that such class sizes will result in a less effective educational experience.

Freshman Brian Wada relates the situation to “when President Barack Obama inherited the trillion dollar deficit.” Freshman Calvin Wang said, “I believe he knows how to bring California back. Just give him time.”

There is still a long while until Governor Brown finished his term, and Californians wait to see whether he can fix our state’s mess.

By ALISON FU Staff Writer

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS Tim Hetherington and his picture of a young fighter in Liberia (above); Chris Hondros and his picture of a woman in Tahrir Square after the Egyptian revolution revolutio (below).

Graphics by ALEXANDRIA ETHRIDGE Photos courtesy of EXAMINER.COM, GUERNESYPHOTOGRAPHYFESTIVAL.COM, INQUISITR.COM, and LIFE.COM

Gas prices all over the nation have been steadily increasing since 2001, and more Americans are once again feeling pressure at the pump.

Congress has been debating how to deal with these rising prices, with the Republican Party suggesting offshore drilling as a solution to the oil crisis.

More than 70% of the offshore acres under lease by the federal government are currently unused. With this statistic in mind, Republicans in the House of Representatives have proposed three bills to begin offshore drilling on these untouched acres. Through these bills, they hope to boost America’s oil supply, create more jobs, lower gasoline prices, and lessen America’s dependence on foreign oil. If passed, the bills would create more oil rigs off the coasts of California and Alaska.

Still polluting the minds of many is the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of last year that reminded the world of the devastating risks of offshore drilling. Spanning three months and leaking approximately 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the British Petroleum (BP) oil spill was a catastrophic hit to marine wildlife and the coastal economy. Though BP has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to rehabili-

tate the area, neither the environment nor local residents have fully recovered. Some locals are now even experiencing health problems, both psychological and physical.

Democrats and other opponents are worried that expanding offshore drilling will lead to another accident and will not lower gasoline prices at all. As Democratic Representative Lois Capps stated, “California is looking forward to a 21st century energy policy, not [backward], and House Republicans should do the same.”

Junior Stephanie Huang voiced her concerns about these plans, saying, “I don’t think we should put the environment in harm’s way.” On the other hand, though junior Hanning Xing believes in increasing “safety measures to prevent explosions,” he supports the Republicans’ bills, since he thinks the U.S. “shouldn’t depend on the Middle East too much.”

Right now, the main question is whether or not the potential benefits of offshore drilling would outweigh the risks, and if drilling would even relieve the current oil situation at all. With gasoline prices skyrocketing, it seems as if Americans must yet again endure, in hope that prices will decline sometime soon. afu@apachepowwow.com Graphics courtesy of CNN.COM and CLIPART.SILHOUETTEGUIDE.COM

NEWS

news@apachepowwow.com

April 2011

2012 Election Shutdown: A Crisis at Capitol Hill before the deadline, averting the shutBy EVAN DELGADO Update down. The deal included $38.5 billion Staff Writer

By KERRY WANG Staff Writer

It seems like it was just the other day that President Barack Obama made history by becoming the first AfricanAmerican president of the U.S. In actuality, years have gone by, and it is time for the 2012 campaigning season to begin.

While the number of possible candidates running against President Obama is in the twenties, only two are firm in their decision to run. Mitt Romney, a Republican and former governor of Massachusetts, is considered to be the front-runner of the Republican party in the upcoming presidential election.

Renowned for his financial knowledge, many believe Romney would be able to handle our current economic struggles.

Another close contender is Mike Huckabee, also of the Republican party and the former governor of Arkansas.

The 2012 presidential election is bound to be one of the most exciting, and while President Obama has already gotten a head start, we can certainly expect a heated race in the upcoming months. kwang@apachepowwow.com Graphics courtesy of HIGHER GRAPHICS.COM

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” These words were spoken by Abraham Lincoln, and at the moment it seems as if our government is more divided than ever. A government shutdown can happen when a legislative body cannot agree on a budget. What this means is that in the absence of appropriated funds, the government discontinues funding for non-essential services at the beginning of the affected fiscal year. After returning to the White House from Chicago earlier this month, President Barack Obama signed legislation funding the federal government for the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year, averting a government shutdown. It has become clear that very strong ideological and policy differences are held between the Republican leadership and the White House, and at this juncture at least, neither appears to be willing to budge.

The primary reason for the threat of a government shutdown is due to debate over how government programs should be financed. It is very probable that a government shutdown on Apr. 8 would have occurred if a budget resolution had not been passed by that date, which would have caused the furlough, or temporary leave of absence, of over a million civilian federal employees. However, a deal was reached with just hours remaining

Striving Together for the Million Dollar Goal

By CHRISTOPHER CHO Staff Writer

With an impending budget shortfall of at least $5 million, the Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) treads in financial uncertainty. Amid the uneasy tensions of potential layoffs, the Million Dollar Fundraiser personifies AHS’ ongoing effort to combat the reduction of funding to Arcadia’s schools.

While the emotional and physical repercussions of budget cuts can be felt by teachers, students, and parents alike, teachers are left to confront the most devastating front of the blow. Although healthy funding reserves allowed Arcadia to buffer budget cuts in the past, “we’re unable to do that anymore,” according to AUSD Superintendent Joel Shawn.

In addition to the loss of 22 teachers, the number of students per classroom will greatly increase and far fewer Advanced Placement (AP) courses, Performing Arts programs, and electives will be available to underclassmen.

In the “Call to Save Arcadia Schools” rally on Apr. 12, ASB President senior Jon Ma called for students to participate in the AHS Million Dollar Fundraiser.

Emphasizing the importance of education in Arcadia, he continued by asking each student to donate at least $500 in order to reach the school wide goal of $1 million.

The campaign’s principal objective was to raise funds to donate to Arcadia Education Foundation (AEF), which would then use the money to prevent teacher layoffs. At the event’s initial finale on

Apr. 22, a total of $235,000 was raised.

“The Million Dollar Fundraiser has been an exhausting experience, but it’s entirely worthwhile. We’re going to save Arcadia schools and we’re establishing a culture,” Jon affirmed. He confidently added, “We need to create a giving culture in Arcadia.” On Apr. 21, teachers picketed on Duarte Rd. and Campus Dr. in an effort to protest potential layoffs. Holding signs reading “Support AHS through AEF!”, teachers handed out fliers regarding the current financial situation of AUSD. Raising awareness, the participants encouraged others to donate to AEF “as a stopgap measure” to budget challenges.

Mr. Jorge Munoz, a participant, stated, “We will be losing a great deal of talent and knowledge. Teachers who are being laid off will be losing their livelihood, which is tragic.”

Even with the support of Arcadia’s concerned individuals, AUSD remains locked in financial turmoil. Although the Million Dollar Fundraiser succeeded in raising both awareness and funds, a greater effort is needed on our part for Arcadia to rise above its current state of crisis. Due to popular demand, the Million Dollar Fundraiser has been extended to Apr. 29 and is just beginning to pick up stream. While many view the situation from a bleak outlook, a glimmer of hope still remains if we as students unite in support of our school. ccho@apachepowwow.com Graphic courtesy of ELLISONEDUCATION.COM and ALEXANDRIA ETHRIDGE

in cuts from what had been budgeted for 2010, in addition to another $10 billion in cuts that had been imposed.

The same situation occurred on Apr. 15 as well. One of the more controversial items on the floor was Planned Parenthood, which was brought into the spotlight when Arizona Senator Jon Kyl stated that 90% of the program’s resources went toward abortions. When confronted with the fact that the correct figure was only 3%, a spokesperson for Senator Kyl stated that he had not meant his statistic to “be a factual statement.” Other controversies had plagued the budget debate, and as tensions rose the shutdown looked more and more likely.

The dispute over the budget has led our government to the brink of a standstill. Although the crisis has been averted for the moment, it is clear that this problem will not go away easily.

Possible government shutdowns will be present in the future, and the next major battle is expected to be over raising the limit on the national debt. At the end of the day, legislators and the White House must be willing to compromise when debating the future of this country and its citizens. edelgado@apachepowwow.com Graphics courtesy of POLITICO.COM

The Nation’s Future Educators

By ARIANA ARZANI Staff Writer

As more and more obstacles threaten America’s teachers, fewer students are willing to pursue degrees in education. While teachers receive pink slips, students across the country are regarding teaching positions as unstable careers. Combined with the large number of baby boomers retiring in the upcoming years and an abundance of children enrolling in elementary school, the decline in interest in the field of education parallels a serious decline of the value of the U.S. education system.

The number of people studying to become teachers has plummeted, and education experts warn that this trend is likely to continue. In California alone, the number of teaching credentials issued annually has dropped 29% through the last five years, according to the State Commissioner on Teaching Credentialing. The biggest decline was the number of teaching credentials for multiple subjects, usually required for elementary school teachers, which fell nearly 50%.

Not only will high school students today feel the effects of these layoffs, but students decades from now will suffer as well from these layoffs and the corresponding decline in teaching degrees. aarzani@apachepowwow.com

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

Kristie Tom and Christine Xu Melissa Ma Ashley Chi and Alexandria Ethridge Kaitlyn Jeong and Elaine Tsui Eileen Chow and Rhiannon Yee Grace Song and Nancy Xiao Katherine Bay and Jenny Li Regina Liu and Victoria Tran Sally Chung and Yejean Kim Alwyna Lau Beverly Chen Cherry Mo Becca Lu and Shannon Ng Rachael Tang, Elbert Wang, and Josie Yang Photography Editor Elliott Lee Webmaster Leo Chuang Fundraising Chairs Lena Kalemkiarian, Anna Naran, and Jessica Sunkamaneevongse

Writers News Staff Ariana Arzani, Christopher Cho, Evan Delgado, Alison Fu, Michael Pai, Brandon Pang, Justin Park, Kerry Wang, Jasmine Wu Opinion Staff Mya Ho, Jeanne Kuang, Utthara Rameshbabu, Melissa Song, Sophia Tang, Josie Yang, Valerie Yu, Vanessa Yu Performing Arts Staff Annie Huang, Karina Laigo, Stacey Ng, Carrie Qiu, Christina Zhou Student Life Staff Arnav Chaudhary, Edward Chao, Evan Delgado, Courtney Hang, Karina Laigo, Sophia Tang, Elbert Wang, Rita Wang, Valerie Yu Features Staff Ellison Chen, Mya Ho, David Ke, Laureen Ma, Carrie Qiu, Sarah Quon, Rita Wang, Michelle Zhang Sports Staff Edward Chao, Stephen Chu, Belle Chuang, Stacey Ng, Andy Qin, Christine Sun Academics Staff Apoorv Chaudhary, Christopher Chen, Andy Qin, Rachel Thai, Elbert Wang, Shibo Zhong Center Spread Staff Vanessa Yu Calendar Staff Christopher Cho, Karina Laigo, Brandon Pang, Sue Wang, Michelle Zhang, Christina Zhou Campus Focus Staff Courtney Hang Advertisement Staff Arnav Chaudhary, Apoorv Chaudhary, Belle Chuang, Leo Chuang, Ryan Hajiheshmat, Annie Huang, Chris Lee, Laureen Ma, William Tzeng, Kenneth Vuong Photo Staff Ellison Chen, Tommy Liao Copy Editing Staff Alison Fu, Courtney Hang, Stacey Ng, Adviser Mr. Johnny Lee Publication Information: The Apache Pow Wow is a student publication distributed monthly throughout the school year. The paper has been continuously published since Arcadia High School opened in 1952. Unsigned articles appearing on the opinion page reflect the opinion of The Apache Pow Wow editorial board. A student’s work does not represent the views of Arcadia High School or the Arcadia Unified School District. Address letters to the editor to: The Apache Pow Wow, 180 W. Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA 91007. To place an advertisement in the newspaper, email ads.powwow@gmail.com. Advertisement rates vary from $30 for a business card advertisement to $250 for a full-page black and white advertisement, with quarter-page, half-page, and advertisement insert options available.

Photo courtesy of MRBHUVANESHWAR.WEEBLY.COM

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OPINION

A for a Grade Misconception

apachepowwow.com

Open Your Ears, Not Your Mouth

By JEANNE KUANG Staff Writer

By JOSIE YANG Staff Writer

“Oh, my gosh,” you groan, “I completely failed that test! I probably got a B on it.” It would be the understatement of the century to say that AHS is competitive; in fact, I’m pretty sure our school is where the phrase “dog eat dog” comes from. We judge each other on grades and fight tooth and nail to outshine our peers, but do we have good reason to do so? Put simply, are our grades actually a reflection of our intelligence, or are we competing for meaningless labels? Unfortunately, upon closer examination I think we’ll find that our grade griping is not quite worth it.

Perhaps the biggest reason for this is whole grade misconception is that we assume everyone works his or her hardest in school, which simply isn’t true. The grading system can only be considered an accurate reflection of how smart we are if we all put in the same amount of effort. However, in some cases our smartest classmates are the slackers, and our not-as-smart classmates are the overachievers. The grades we receive, then, would be a better indicator of how lazy we are, not how intelligent.

So when we judge others for getting lower or higher grades than other people—don’t deny that you do it—we are wrongfully deciding their intellectual worth.

There is also that other reason, the one we dare not utter near a classroom lest it be taken the wrong way: the teachers. Let’s look at it logically for a minute. Teachers are the ones who give us our grades. Teachers are also human, and prone to bias. Therefore, teachers are biased when they give us grades. The behavior we exhibit in certain classes affects the generosity of our teachers when grading. Now, this may be unintentional, but it still happens. It’s the situation that occurs when the obnoxious (but smart) scholar asks for an extension and is turned away, but his charismatic (although admittedly less intelligent) classmate gets away with late work and make-up tests. Is this right? Nobody can decide for sure, but in the eyes of many, it is a logical trade.

So does that mean we don’t deserve our grades then? Of course not. It just means that there are more factors at work here. We can’t fairly say that someone is not smart just because they do poorly in a class, but neither can we say that grades don’t matter at all. If anything, grades can be considered indicators of who we are as people, and not just as students. They show that we were responsible enough for an A, that we had the interpersonal skills for an A, but not necessarily just that we had the intelligence for an A. So congratulate yourself if you get a good grade; you’re a well-rounded person. But don’t worry if you didn’t either; it just means you’re as irresponsible, antisocial, and foolish as the rest of us. jyang@apachepowwow.com

April 2011

Person A: I’m so stressed out, and my grades are terrible.

Person B: Oh, don’t worry! Compared to me, you’re fine!

As demonstrated by this often-overheard conversation, or perhaps by your own lives, it’s a stressful time of year, and with stress invariably comes that building need to o vent. But with so many people talking, alking, it’s saddening that very few people are actually listening.

No matter what Perys, son B says, Person A is going to worry. A is not look-

ing for a solution, not expecting to magically feel better. A is seeking comfort. And it’s true that this can be grating and exploitive. It’s true that A is using B as an outlet for stress. But when we’re all so high-strung, the most important thing for all of us is to have a friend who weathers the storm with us. We enter conversations not to get someone to help us fix our problems but to have someone to help us through our problems.

But this doesn’t happen. So often, we bru brush each other off. So often, we offer halfhear hearted attempts at a positive outlook, or jump at the chance to show the other person how our own problems pr are worse. My friends and I have played ffar too many rounds of “At Least You Have So-and-So Part of Your Life Figured Out”. We hear each other, bu but we don’t listen to each other. We grasp at straws to make people feel better; we bring out example after example of our com competing problems so that they will be qui quiet. Truthfully, we do all this because we are convinced we must respond aand we don’t know what else to say. W What many people don’t realize is that we don don’t have to say anything.

We don’t have to be some kind of reactionary force. We just have to listen, stand there, and absorb what they are saying. Sometimes when someone’s having a bad day, all they need is for another person to know. It’s not too much to ask.

And of course, there are those who simply don’t want to listen. Again, this is understandable—no one likes hearing others complain. But when we pay no attention whatsoever to the problems of others, when we decide to focus purely on our own troubles and stop listening altogether, one of two things happens. Either everyone eventually stops talking from lack of listeners, or everyone, in their own little worlds, keeps talking to no one, steadfastly believing that their own laments rule over all others. Either way, we’ll drown out all sound and live in a muted, silent world.

I recently had a discussion with a friend about the difference between sympathizing (feeling for someone) and empathizing (knowing how someone feels). It’s hard to find empathy or to truly empathize with one another, and maybe that’s one of the great tragedies of being free and diverse people, but if we can’t do that, we can at least try our best to sympathize. If we keep swimming in a sea of our own pride, our own self-pity, never stopping once to grasp a friend’s hand, then sure, we’ll one day end up on dry land. But we might do so only to find that we’ve all become a group of lonely individuals, just trying to stand. jkuang@apachepowwow.com Graphic courtesy of CI.MARYVILLE.TN.US

Confessions of a Wallflower

By MYA HO Staff Writer

working on the hardest problem in the back of the math book? Who in their right mind would choose to spend their Saturday at the mall with over-priced clothes and frustrating commotion over staying home and diligently finishing the homework that was assigned for the next week AND homework for the week after that? Most people I’ve met would choose the first options and would wash every precious hour that could be used for studying down the drain. And for what? For socializing? For their image? For… it pains me to say it…having fun?! Last time I checked, Harvard doesn’t care whether you

went shopping with Lisa or to a party with Jimmy. It’s a simple fact of life.

On that note, I will say this: who needs friends? Friends are the individuals who hold us back from our priorities in our high school careers. Friends equal distractions. Also, beware of close relationships, because they will almost certainly end in heartbreak—a guaranteed recipe for disaster. Would it not be ridiculous to say, “I bombed my math test because I was stressed over (insert pointless gossip here) with my friend?” From this I believe it is fair to draw the conclusion that friends are the sugarcoated, undeniable doom of us all.

Maybe I’m coming across a bit too vehement, or too over-opinionated about the way people should live their lives in general. If that is how I’m perceived as being, then good. Somebody has to tell the world they’re going about life the wrong way. I must be the only one who sees the escalating problems in our society, so I take it as my responsibility to change the lives of others before it’s too late— before everything turns into fun and games. Let this be a lesson learned if, of course, you are willing to. Otherwise, don’t complain the day I am the President of the United States and can use you as my footstool, all because you went to the mall while I stayed home and studied.

I am socially awkward. I walk through the halls with my head down, focusing on my sneaker laces while making sure to avoid eye contact with the streams of students headed to class. I hear snickers, so that in itself is enough to make me not want to look up. I clutch my AP Biology book—it is my only friend.

There are the jocks, the cheerleaders, the ASB members, and the Speechies. There are the Goths, the AP-everything students, the musicians, and the fashion zombies. The list goes on and on and on. This must mean there has to be something for absolutely everybody, right? No matter who you are, what your reputation is, or how inseason your clothes are, there is always a niche to squeeze into and belong to… right? After years of careful observations and, regretfully said, experimentations with undesirable results, there’s one thing that can be concluded: I am a wallflower.

A wallflower is a metaphor for someone who blends into the background because he or she does not possess any quality that particularly stands out. Essentially, it is a label for somebody who has no life whatsoever. Admittedly, the name sounds like a harsh title, but I find it nothing to be ashamed of. I mean, who Graphic by TIFFANY LAI would choose to go to a school football WALLFLOWER POWER Wallfl owers know that game with friends all decked out in the studying now and partying later can lead to success. school’s colors instead of delightfully

TCID:

mho@apachepowwow.com

April 2011

OPINION

opinion@apachepowwow.com

High-Strung About High Stakes

By UTTHARA RAMESHBABU Staff Writer

me out!” shove a wedge between the closest friends. Soon enough, a casual weekend phone call turns into a spy mission and a request to borrow your laptop becomes a conspiracy theory. Your best friends become your worst enemies and you are left in the corner, sweatshirt drawstring closed around your face, in a fetal position, guarding an essay from the world as if it were the One Ring.

It sounds dramatic, but we are veering off the straight-shooting path we once set into a land of ugly suspicions and conspiracies. No longer can we objectively focus on the goals we once set for ourselves nor enjoy the fruits of our labors with friends because we have convinced ourselves that true friendship lies in eternal and unconditional servitude from our so-called “friends”. We become so high-strung that every step someone else takes to further their success seems like a threat to our own. All rational thinking goes out the window—any consideration for others’ time is replaced by selfish, cynical, and subjective perspectives.

Objectivity allows for fast, painless decisions. It opens our eyes to every possible situation, so we can get things done in a timelier, more efficient manner, and it helps keep our business from mixing with our passions. However, this vital attitude is shockingly scarce in our school community today. Perhaps by removing ourselves from the equation, we can all avoid Graphic by MICHELLE ZHANG those oh-so-hideous Gollum moments.

tion has driven us to break down relationships in the name of building up our GPAs. Now more than ever, it seems that the high school rat race is every-student-for-him/herself, and we can never let our guard down for fear that someone is always trying to “sabotage us” or “stab us in the back”.

Take the example of those English group projects. Things start out as a friendly test of wits and creativity between two friends (who have incidentally been placed in different project groups), but soon suspicion starts to build. Thoughts like “What if she’s only hanging out with me to steal our ideas?” and “He’s probably only being nice to my face to psych

Ah yes, April, the most tense academic month in every high schooler’s calendar— when the summer skies (and programs) rear their ugly heads to terrorize students everywhere. We all know that competition is fierce here at AHS, but lately, tensions have gotten too hot for anyone to stay in the kitchen—uh, classroom. We’ve all been extremely nervous and high-strung about APs, SATs, and (particularly for our lovely juniors) summer programs and impending college applications, which is all perfectly understandable. But what happens when competition turns ugly and starts taking over not just our academics, but our personal lives as well? It seems that, so caught up in the idea of personal gain, many of us lose the objectivity we need to tackle these monsters with clear heads.

In fact, most people are so personally and emotionally invested in everything they do, it’s hard to make a snap decision or a fair call without feeling hurt, or hurting someone else. Sure, everyone is entitled his or her own views, but when these skewed views impede our ability to make rational decisions, we’ve let things get out of hand.

It seems everyone is so engrossed with the idea of being the best, that they let their passion get ahead of them and make rash decisions on false premises. Of late, we’ve taken the “friendly” out of “friendly competition”, and have let a very cutthroat spirit THE FINISH LINE Without objectivity, overrun every aspect of our lives. Competi- “friendly” competition will get the best of us.

urameshbabu@apachepowwow.com

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

By VANESSA YU Staff Writer

If someone were to ask me what I would bring if I were stranded on an island, I wouldn’t say clothes, pictures, or food. No, it wouldn’t be my treasured stuffed toy or even a survival kit. All I would need is hope. What is hope?

It’s the belief that things will turn out for the best, that what is wanted can be had no matter how impossible it seems. It’s that glowing candle that appears out of the dark, that hand that’s holding on to us during ominous times, that shimmer that erases our inner doubts about ourselves. Most importantly, hope is the key to success, the missing element needed to achieve our dreams and wishes.

In situations that seem doomed, I have discovered that having hope is comforting. So many times, I feel as if it’s worthless to keep p going, but then I remember that there’ss always hope, that there’s always a chance to o reach whatever I desire, no matter how small mall that chance is. With hope, we are able to have immunity to those overpowering thoughts hts such as “I can never do this” and continue to o persist in our journeys.

Without hope, hardship and despair air can mark one’s future as an unbeatable monster. onster.

But with it, the future turns into a challenge lenge that can definitely be won. With our dreams eams just over the horizon, we become more motivated to reach them with a renewed, wed, inspiring energy. Aren’t there times that seem like you have an unknown forcee that suddenly emerges inside you, that’s pushing shing

TCID:

you to reach your dreams? I remember a time when I was running for a leadership position in middle school. Defeated in the first semester, I was scared and skeptical that I would not win if I ran again. But I wanted to remain in student council for all three years of middle school, with this being my last year. My dream was so close, literally just one speech away. And you know what? I ran with the hope of winning, and I got the position. In those doubtful times of uncertainty, the thoughts that my dreams could still definitely be reached inspired me to run and filled me with an ambition to reach my goal. With hope providing much-needed reassurance, I could say to myself that yes, I can and will achieve my dreams.

We all think that hope is merely a confident, unwavering wish for something desirable. But it is so much more than that. On g that’s known to the outside, it is jjust a feeling push us to keep going.

But unknowingly, it is the inception of a stronger will, the start of a burning perseverance, the beginning of a growing faith in yourself.

Hope brings so many qualities that many people seek, all bundled up in just one thing that anyone can possess. These traits make up the equation to success, the things your interviewers look for—a hard-working, strong-willed, optimistic person. That is why hope is essentially the only thing we will ever need; it brings everything we need for success.

Humans have a tendency to overreact and emphasize negative situations, leading to the assumptions that things are worse than they really are. Having hope counterbalances this and helps us see the positive effects of things, in turn allowing us to see new possibilities and opportunities that weren’t seen before. In the long run, having hope will allow us to be successful, endure through obstacles, and believe tha that things will work out. Yes, I know just how har hard it can be to have hope at times, especially wh when it is because of repeated rejections over thin things we want. But we have got to keep in min mind that hope is always there for us and can be aattained at any time. It is the space we jump int into when the next step would have been the cl cliff. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “If you lo lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that kkeeps life moving, you lose that courage to bbe, that quality that helps you go on in spite oof it all.” Ultimately, hope is the glue in the fo foundation of our lives, holding us together aand strengthening us for our futures.

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A for Academic Worth

By JEANNE KUANG Staff Writer

The school year is charging forward at full speed, and the debate about grades as indicators of intelligence rages on. Naturally there is no rule that can possibly apply to every student, but for the most part, higher grades usually signify higher intelligence.

Intelligence is a pretty relative idea— it all depends on your surroundings. And so do grades. The reason an A is considered high is not that it’s nearly a full score; it’s that an A is so much higher than average.

Assuming that every student learned the same material in the same amount of time, a student with a higher grade clearly understood it better or faster or in a more complex manner than a student with a lower grade.

Maybe this just proves that the student with the higher grades is better at understanding things, but understanding is the crucial first step to higher intelligence, and this student has taken it.

There is a common belief that school is not the only place to gain intelligence and that brains go beyond academics. This is not untrue. But it would be unreasonable to say that intelligence isn’t at least partially related to academics. Higher intelligence doesn’t come from nowhere; academics are its foundation. Truly intelligent people would have the basics covered. If their comprehension and thinking exceed that of the curriculum, then surely their grades, which measure their understanding of only the curriculum, are more than solid. I have a friend who makes the subtlest connections and the sharpest decisions and whose mind, all in all, operates in an entirely different dimension and on a different plane from that of the curriculum. But she had to build all that up from somewhere, and she started with acing Biology and Calculus and working from there.

Put simply, intelligent students know what to do to get a good grade. A misconception about grades is that they only recognize that a student can follow directions based on what is taught. But as our classes get harder and the content gets more complex, an A isn’t achieved by simple memorization anymore. Following directions is no simple task, and the most intelligent follow them the way that earns the most points. Each test has different problems; each prompt poses a new question. Intelligent students can take the directions from what is taught and apply it to each situation.

Of course, there is a certain disclaimer involved in this. Grades are good indicators of intelligence, but they are not as good indicators of unintelligence. It is true that intelligence comes in many forms, and ultimately, every student is different and learns differently. So if you don’t get a high score on something, it doesn’t mean you are not smart. But if you do, congratulations!

There’s a good chance that you are. jkuang@apachepowwow.com

Photo courtesy of BLOG.MOZILA.COM

vanyu@apachepowwow.com

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OPINION

apachepowwow.com

April 2011

Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself

By VALERIE YU Staff Writer

Fear holds the power to paralyze and petrify. Fear, that creeping shadow that seizes the soul and festers in its hidden chambers, feeds off uncertainties and magnifies the horror through imaginations run wild and nightmares twisted askew. There’s ablutophobia, the fear of washing and bathing; ancraophobia, the fear of wind; cacophobia, the fear of ugliness; lachanophobia, the fear of vegetables. There’s even rhytiphobia, the fear of getting wrinkles.

Most common fears include the fear of flying, public speaking, heights, failure, and spiders.

But there’s one phobia missing from that list, one that we may not know we even possess.

That fear, paradoxical and contradictory as it may seem, lies in the faith of our capabilities, fearing not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our deepest fear, our deadliest fear, but a fear that we can definitely overcome.

Rewind back to that moment before that SAT test or audition, that interview or tryout.

You’re standing outside the door, apprehensive of what’s to come, heart beating, head throbbing, caffeine-fueled butterflies ricocheting off the linings of your stomach. It’s in that moment, riddled with the poison of our fear of being too good, that we become afraid, jittery, shaken. I’m just my little, old self. I’m a wallflower, unable to amount to anything, even if I tried. If I put too much confidence in myself to

be popular, shining, perfect, I will fall and never reach those standards. We condemn ourselves for losing the battle before it even starts.

We’ve all suffered through that moment, that one moment of insecurity, weakness, diffidence. I, for one, have relived that moment many times, most clearly after catching sight, even thinking about people more well-rounded, people juggling five AP classes and still managing to ace every test, win at sports meets, and earn first-chair in Orchestra. I can’t help but think that their brilliance, their beauty, their awesomeness always outshines mine. There goes perfect so-and-so, every stylized hair in place and all those straight, pearl-white teeth sparkling. That so-and-so is a tennis champ, a Speech and Debate captain, an ASB officer, a club president, a straight-A student, a member of the National Honor Society, and a violist section leader—likable and loved by everyone.

With these thoughts, again, welling up inside me: Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous like them? At a swim tryout, my very first experience at competitive swimming, I remember thinking how much faster and stronger my opponents were, how much more competent they were than I. I can’t win.

I can’t be them. The fear of doing that was unimaginable, because again, standards would be too high for me, I thought. I would just be disappointed. And I lost.

Content to lose? Content to watch from the sidelines, to sit in the bleachers? I am ashamed to say yes. If I took center-stage, I would be

the center of attention. Gasp! An inexplicable emotion of fear at that, of being in the limelight, great, popular, someone people look up to, choked at me. So exposed. Nothing and no one to hide behind. These lowly feelings wash over, bury alive the hope, the potential and bright futures, the chance of truly living life and enjoying every bit of it, the faith that I can be the best if I wanted. I feared the very idea of being equally skillful, equally competent, equally superb.

Looking back though, I find it absurd.

I should have answered Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? with Who am I not to be? Who am I not to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? After all, that untapped spring of talent must be within me as it is within everyone else.

I learned this lesson more so in Orchestra than any other place. A violist in Orchestra for six years now, I used to be the one hiding behind stronger players with a willowy thin sliver of sound, the hair on my bow barely touching the string, my hand only slightly moving. I believed that the piercing sound of my instrument would be worse than fingernails scraping a rough, raking screech on a chalkboard or chickens being strangled. But my music instructor, Mr. Danielson, began making every student play with more bow so the sound would come out louder, even if it sounded terrible. Listening to the top players in the front row, I yearned with my heart to play like them. I found that the fear of being as good as them, in the first row, stopped me, and I didn’t want to play as loud. But once I

began sliding the notes out with fluid strokes of my bow, I suddenly felt an enlightened sensation, almost like a balloon had swelled inside of me, inflated and untouchable. I could do it!

I was talented as well. I had the capabilities. It was a realization, an opening up and abandoning of my deepest fear that kept me cramped and crouched low, quiet and soft-spoken. Shining like a star, once I did, was not so bad. It had been that fear of actually thrusting myself into the spotlight that had kept me from really living, becoming outstanding beyond my wildest dreams.

The kid that sits there but isn’t really there, a pair of eyes watching the brilliant and the beautiful shine. The violinist that plays in the corner, her reed-thin musical voice drowned out by richer, louder, more beautiful sounds washing over her squeak. The fear of triviality, of adamantly believing that we are weak and inferior, afraid and unable to accept that we may transcend that, is our deepest fear, one that we all share. As Marianne Williamson said, “It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” Overcoming this deepest fear, playing the first note of strong and invincible melody, is breaking that wall down, the wall that keeps us from being brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous. Because, after all, who are we not to be? valyu@apachepowwow.com

Top Secret: Internet, Me, and our Love-Hate Relationship

By SOPHIA TANG Staff Writer

Dear Internet, I love you, I really do. Words cannot express my gratitude towards the expediency you have brought to human life. Your international expansion of social networking, web browsers, and file sharing has brought so much joy and relief to me. You’re the glowing screen through the night that is always supporting humankind, progressing technology, and connecting us around the globe.

Yet sometimes I hate you. You give me no reason to hate you and sadly, it’s my own fault that I hate you.

And why is this? The rest of your dutiful followers/lovers and I can agree that we cannot exist without you. A decade ago, everyone handwrote their essays in pen and found facts in encyclopedias. We, as products of the 21st century, develop hand cramps at line eight and shudder at any contact with books that have spines exceeding an inch. You save us from muscle cramps and the evil Britannica—what’s not to love?

But you have a bad influence on me. Whenever I log on to you to do homework, you just beckon me to check my email, read the latest gossip, see what friends are doing, and visit all my favorite websites along the way. Suddenly, the buttons I press, the friction I cause—it is all out of my control. Only my habitual reflex is responding: must see more funny Tumblr pictures…

A relationship is not just about what we provide each other (you console me, I give you a “Google” workout) but the connection we have between us. And every time I try to finish my work before checking the fun websites, your annoying convenience allows me to multitask…inefficiently. Ironically, our connection withers under your network connection.

I love you, I really do. But our relationship breaks apart each time the chain reaction of visiting websites gets longer. I might not be able to continue logging on. I’ll have to succumb to libraries and good penmanship, all because I pushed your buttons. It’s my fault, not yours, that I cannot stop visiting you—even into the late hours of the night. I’ll have to leave you because it’s what’s best for the both of us. This relationship cannot continue.

But about halfway through reading an encyclopedia last week, I realized that no matter how dependent I and many others are on you, I cannot expect you to change your habits just for me alone. Alas, I know you have many other lovers out there. I’m the one who’s supposed to deal with what you can give to me. You’re there for my benefit, and I’ll have to adapt to what you can bring for us.

Dear Internet, I believe that if we sit down and solve all our problems together, we can work this out. I don’t want to give up the best relationship that the 21st century has given to me. I don’t want to lose you without knowing what else your hard drive really has in store. I want to get to know you more before you slip from the touch of my fingertips. From now on, “less is more” and I will not be extra clingy nor will I visit you too many times. In order to keep this love glowing, I will have to adjust my wicked ways of unnecessary refreshing and “Googling”.

However, you do not have the privilege of staying up late with me. I need my beauty sleep. Respect that.

Love, Sophia stang@apachepowwow.com Graphics courtesy of SELIGMANHISTORY.COM and WEBDESIGNTUTORIALS.NET

April 2011

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10

PERFORMING ARTS

ORCHESIS By: annie huang

Many members of the Orchesis Dance Company (ODC) had an early spring break boarding their plane early Friday morning on Apr. 1 for their trip to Florida. ODC stayed at the Disney All-Star Music Resort along with Orchestra, Chanteurs, and On the first week of April, Orchestra flew across the country to Florida to participate in numerous competitions, including the World-Strides National Heritage Festival (Heritage Festival), and even performed at Disney World. This yW weeklong spring break extravaganza not only gave many memories to the students who hadn’t been a part of the program when all of the groups went to Florida before, but gave them numerous trophies as well. With its many hours of practice and dedication, Orchestra was able to sweep the competition with ease!

When the members entered the Heritage Festival, they played four songs consisting of “Polka”, “Sarabande”, “Bouree” and “Eureka!” which brought them nine trophies and seven plaques and “Gold in every single category we participated in,” commented The sparkling beaches, soothing weather, and most of all, the magic of Disney World, entice people from all over the country to spend their vacation in the enchanted city of Orlando.

For the members of Chanteurs and New Spirit (NS), there would have been no better way to spend the spring break than to share their musical legacy with audiences in Florida, and to spend time with their friends at the Orlando Disney World Resort.

On Apr. 1, the singers boarded the flight to Florida to compete at the Orlando Heritage Festival on Apr. 2. Chanteurs and NS performed their show and waited anxiously for the award ceremony at Wet ‘n Wild Water Park on Saturday evening. There were over 600 students from all over the nation that competed in the festival, and both Chanteurs and NS performed outstandingly, dominating the entire competition by sweeping the best choral awards. Senior Sandrine Lipana

New Spirit (NS). When asked about a significant memory she had from the trip, senior Georgine Mooney replied, “Chanteurs and Orchesis had an intense light saber battle!” On Apr. 4, ODC performed onstage in Downtown Disney in front of a large audience made up of the other Performing Arts (PA) groups from AHS and visiting tourists.

The audience size did not faze the members of ODC, having already performed in front of hundreds at the Charity Dance Show. However, this was the first time they performed dances from their upcoming show. Ranging from fast paced numbers to slow contemporary dances, the performance

definitely impressed the audience. In the crowd were also members of Orchestra and the show choirs, showing their support for ODC. “Being able to capture the attention of people from all over...to come and watch...showed just

ORCHESTRA By: karina laigo

sophomore Willy Liang. And true to the bitter nature of competition, “some schools were actually pretty bad sports, making remarks like ‘Oh, wow, I’ve never seen so many Asians

April 2011

how successful the show turned out to be,” said senior Adriana Benevento. For the rest of the trip, ODC bonded and shared new experiences while exploring Florida. For the remaining days of the week, the members explored Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, and Universal Studios and many other places together. ODC ended its adventurepacked week flying back on Thursday. This experience has helped ODC prepare for its show and strengthened the connection between the members. ahuang@apachepowwow.com in my life,’” Willy continued.

But Orchestra wouldn’t be put down! So after it had, what is now coined, “swept” Heritage Festival, they performed at Disney World!

Downtown Disney played host to another Orchestra performance which included the songs of “Eureka!”, “Celtic Fiddle Tune”, “Circle of Life”, “God Bless America”, “Feed the Birds”, “Waltzing Matilda”, and “Stars and Stripes Forever”. While this wasn’t a competition per se, Orchestra performed to the best of its ability along with the other PA groups! klaigo@apachepowwow.com

ning 1st place in each category!” Seniors Regina Mayhew and Megan Truong and junior Shawn Liu won best soloists, and Chanteurs and NS tied for 1st place in the show choir category.

After a successful competition, Chanteurs and NS spent the day commented that “whether itt was choir, Or-chestra, Band,, or dance, a fa-CHANTEURS & miliar ‘and Gold d goes to Arcadia ia NEW SPIRIT High School!’ was reBy: CARRIE peated throughout out the entire ceremony. ny. We QIU even won the Sweepstakes Award for win-

apachepowwow.com

touring at Universal Studios, performed at Downtown Disney on Apr. 4, and spent three exhilarating days exploring the gigantic Disney Kingdom. All members had a blast and an unforgettable experience. Junior Luther Chen remarked that his most memorable experience at Disney World was during the ride Tower of Terror; the intensity of the ride was mind-blowing. However, the weather wasn’t always on their side through the week. Luther commented that they “encountered a relentless rainstorm during [their] visit to Disney World”; senior Vania Wang stated that “no one was prepared for the unexpected weather.”

Sandrine captured the sentiment of many when she said that “it felt so rewarding to know that all our hard work had been recognized nationally, and our reward was not just a trophy, but also an amazing week around Orlando!” cqiu@apachepowwow.com

Photos courtesy of EMILY LIN, PIN CHEN, STEPHANIE CHAN, and VANESSA QUINTERO and Graphics courtesy of CLIPARTIST.NET, DEVIENTART.NET, FLICKR.COM, ISTOCKPHOTO.COM, PERFECTLYSPACED.COM, PIBETAKAPPA.US, TWITROUNDS.COM, TYLERDAVIDS.COM, and WEBSITESANDSOUNDBITES.COM

performingarts@apachepowwow.com

April 2011

PERFORMING ARTS

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Percussion “Rises” Up as National Champions

By RAPHAEL LU Staff Writer

For JV Percussion and Varsity Percussion, April was a month filled with much excitement—Percussion participated in a medley of competitions, starting from the Southern California Percussion Alliance (SCPA) Championships to the grandiose Winter Guard International (WGI) World Championships.

On Apr. 2, Apr. 3, and Apr. 9, our A, Open, and World Line competed in the 2011 SCPA Championship at Great Oak High School in Temecula, California, and later at the Coussoulis Arena in San Bernardino. At the SCPA preliminaries, A and World Line placed 1st in their divisions with scores of 88.90 and 94.50, respectively. Although Open Line did not place in the Preliminaries, it ended knowing that it had given its all. A Line sophomore Michael Chen said “competitions are really fun... after you play, you have a whole day to bond with your friends. It’s [also] nice to play and get judged [and] scored because we get to see

where [we] stand in Southern California.”

With great expectations from its victory at preliminaries, on Apr. 9, A Line placed 4th with 88.84 points. Percussion Instructor Mr. Kevin Sherrill added that “A Line did the best

al’s with a score of 95.24. Mr. Sherrill said that “Varsity performed their best show of the year.

The crowd really responded well to them. I was very proud of the performance, and very happy that the students’ hard work was rewarded.”

BATTLE OF THE DRUMS Percussion wows the audience with their routine, placing first at nationals.

show of the year... considering that there were over 40 groups in this division, I was very pleased with their performance and placement.” Victorious again, World Line placed 1st at Region-

Teams at the competition were scored out of a scale of 100, based on their overall general effect, performance quality, and visual appeal.

Taking this great achievement with them on Apr. 13 to 18, they

traveled to Dayton, Ohio to compete in the WGI. For the first time in Arcadia history, World Line brought home the gold, making it the best Percussion ensemble in the nation. Scoring 97.525 out of 100, senior Mark Torstenbo reflected, “We started the season off a little slow... but once we had a full show, we started doing really well, and...our focus became extremely refined.” This was reflected in World Line’s show, which was fittingly entitled, “Rise”, to parallel a student’s rising journey through the Percussion program.

But the road to 1st place wasn’t the easiest climb. For the last five months, and throughout winter vacation, Percussion members have given up hours for rehearsal. “We’ve had all-day rehearsals, nine hour rehearsals, and almost everyday after school, we have three hour rehearsal blocks, not counting in-class practices. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it,” said junior Simon Luong. And with a national gold medal in World Line’s possession, it’s proven that their work was worth the effort. rlu@apachepowwow.com Photos courtesy of MICHAEL CHEN

You’ll Want to Dance ‘Til You’re Dead with Orchesis

By VANESSA YU Staff Writer

Are you looking for a show w that will feature the best dancers (26 to o be ex exact!) in our hing school? Or are you searching for a dance performance with a level of profesessionalism inble comparable to other high schools?

Well, look no further than our own Orchesis Dance Company’s (ODC) spring dance show Heads Willl Roll”that will be showing from m Apr. 27 to 29 at 7:00 p.m. with an additional matinee showing on Apr. 30 at 2:00 p.m.!

Anticipation for Heads Will Roll began at the beginning of the school year and has only grown in excitement for ODC members as the first show’s date arrived. ODC Secretary junior Veronica Yu said that “all the dancers are super excited because [they] have been waiting since the beginning of the school year to perform in this show.” By March, members had all their dances carefully learned and perfected with the addition of the many rehearsals that began after spring break. Once school had resumed, strenuous rehearsals took place every Saturday and Sunday

that ran from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Not only do they have vigorous rehearsals on the weekend, but also a whopping seven hours every

to their new director Jia Huang’s choreography.

ODC Treasurer senior Sophia Ning explained how the show starts off with “the company be-

ROYAL SHOWDOWN Hearts and spades battle it out, but reconcile and come together for the remainder of their dances.

day after school!

ODC President senior Wendy Wu remarked that with the many hours that were put in preparation for this show “we are nothing but prepared, living up to the expectations Orchesis is always perceived to have.”

Unlike their Charity Dance Show in December, only ODC members will be performing in this show, featuring dances that are student choreographed as well as additional pieces that renowned guest choreographers have created especially for ODC’s production. So what’s the meaning behind the name “Heads Will Roll”? ODC had decided to name its show after its opening song “Heads will Roll” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, with the dancers performing

ing split into two sides and starting a ‘battle’.” Wendy also elaborated on how the show showcases “the clash of two polar opposite colonies: the spades, who are regal men of science and reason, versus the hearts, who believe in the arts and love life.”

With so much effort invested in “Heads Will Roll”, it will be sure to provide a memorable night of entertainment for all those who attend. There is sure to be something for everyone to enjoy, with the 23 diverse pieces ranging from hip-hop, lyrical, Bollywood, hula, jazz, and many other genres of dance.

But for the members, this is much more than an ordinary show. Wendy explained how ODC members hope the show will “challenge our audience to relate to real emotions and experiences in ways they’ve never seen before.” Veronica also added how this

show and previous ones “show how hard we’ve been working and the beauty of dance.” ance.

Profits gained from “Heads Will Roll” will be greatly appreciated as the program

ha has been faci facing major budget cuts, and will be contributed to fund next year’s OD ODC. So come support our ODC members by watching “Heads Will Roll” tonight at 7:00 p.m. in the Little Theater.

Ca Can’t a t come tonight? worry, there are Don’t w still two more shows available tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.! Come prepared to watch because as Veronica said, “Heads ll definnitely i it will roll!”

vanyu@apachepowwow.com Photos courtesy of LLOYD FUJIWARA Graphics courtesy of FUNDRAW.COM, INSTRING.COM, and MANIACTIVE.COM

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PERFORMING ARTS

WGI: In the World and on the Stage of Colorguard

By CHRISTINA ZHOU Staff Writer

The echoes from cheers and screams, the blurs of tears and hugs and pep talks, the final reassuring glances, and the “good luck” kiss on the infamous wall located in front of the stage entrance. These are the few final moments that Colorguard experienced together as a team in Dayton, Ohio; the moments that they worked six hard months through blood, sweat, and tears for. And with a final deep breath, they entered the arena, and held their heads high as they performed their show “The Long Goodbye” for 10,000 spectators.

For the past six months, Colorguard has been vigorously working toward its successful Winterguard season. Starting from their Thanksgiving break, members have sacrificed countless of hours to make this season memorable not only for them but for their fans. “During spring break, I visited Kentucky, and was approached by a random stranger. I just so happened to be wearing my Colorguard jacket that day, and he told me how much he loved

our Colorguard and that the 2011 World Guard show touched him deeply. It just goes to show that our hard work really is appreciated and that we have supporters from all over the world,” said sophomore Christy Tang.

And while Christy was vacationing during spring break, World Guard was busy preparing for its WGI finals. Coming in 8th place with

thirties, doesn’t even have her own special experience that she can say has touched her,” said senior Pearlyn Lii. A n d the end of their season starts the beginning of the final farewells. “Colorguard is a tight family,” says sophomore Holly Yamagata. “I have met so many spectacular people because of this program, and they’ve all made a huge impact of my life. The seniors are like my older sisters, and this entire program and experience with everyone in general will forever be imprinted in my memories.”

If you haven’t watched the 2011 Colorguard show and are HEART OF A PERFORMER Colorguard yearning for a taste, mark your calendars on May members give a performance of a lifetime 7, because Colorguard onstage at the WGI competition. and Percussion will be exhibiting their Wintera score of 88.30, each Colorguard guard shows in the North Gym for an entry fee member has a reason to be proud of of $6. This will be one of their final performancthemselves. “I feel really lucky to es, so make sure to come and support. have experienced something that I can share czhou@apachepowwow.com with my fellow Colorguard members when I’m Photos by CHRISTINA ZHOU and just in my teens. My sister, who’s in her midcourtesy of MINDY COBB

A Timely Talent: How PA Members Manage Time

By STACEY NG Staff Writer

Aileen Ju, sophomore Colorguard/Winterguard member Practice times: Monday and Wednesday: 4 hours daily Friday: 4-5 hours Saturday: 5-12 hours Competition hours: Early morning-12 a.m.

How she manages her time: “I try to get most of my work done before practice so I don’t have to worry as much when I get home.”

It’s a hectic time of year for us students here at AHS. With the school year closing in, teachers are assigning projects and essays left and right. And the upcoming Advanced Placement (AP) tests only heighten the pressure. But add the practice and performance times that our Performing Arts (PA) groups have to dedicate, and the result? A tad bit of chaos and a whole lot of time management.

Here’s how some of our performers stay on top of things.

Jasper Tsay, senior Diana Kwok, sophomore Orchestra Publicity Officer Pep Squad member Practice times: Practice Times: Monday-Friday: In-class pracMonday-Thursday: 2 or more hours daily tice daily Performance times: Half-day competitions Performance times: 4 hours How She Manages Her Time: “When I come home from How he manages his time: “My practice, I take a break before I start doing my homework so I strategy is to set my priorities [to have energy to study. It’s hard to stay off Facebook and You- let me] know which things are tube, but at the end of the day, I kick myself off the computer more important so that I could to finish homework.” do them first.”

Sandrine Lipana, senior Vanessa Quintero, junior Chanteurs member Orchesis Historian Practice times: Practice times: Monday-Friday: In-class practice daily Monday-Friday: 7 hours daily 3 hours or more twice a week Saturday: 12 hours During lunch Performance times: Half/whole day Performance times: 7 or more hours How she manages her time: “I have been starting my homework How she manages her time: The upcoming May Show has cause “rehearsal at “10:30 p.m. every night and I bring my homework or study mato start getting hectic again” so “it motivates me to finish my work before re- terials with me everywhere. I have to personally commit or else I’ll hearsal since I’ll be getting home late.” Also, since “Chanteurs has not been never get anything done. Distractions creep up everywhere and try as busy as when I first joined choir two years ago, it’s a lot easier for her to to win me over, but, once I set my mind to it, I focus well.” manage my time in comparison to before.”

Brandon Mittman, senior Megan Truong, senior Ashley Poon, sophomore Pep Band leader New Spirit member Theater 2 member Practice times: Practice times: Practice times: Monday-Friday: In-class practice daily Monday-Friday: 2 times a week for 3 or more hours each At least 30 hours per competition Sectional practice 1 ½ hours a week Competition times: Half/whole day Competition times: 1-2 days 3-hour rehearsal every Wednesday How she manages her time: “It’s actually really hard How she manages her time: “When Performance times: Whole day sometimes when practices come up because not everyone How he manages his time: “I just make sure I have practice, I go home and finish can go to every single rehearsal, but when they do come I don’t leave myself any homework to do on my homework as fast as I can to preup I usually push everything else aside to make space for Wednesday night. Anything that’s not done by vent myself from going to sleep late.” my practices. If I have homework or other plans I norWednesday morning will usually have to wait stng@apachepowwow.com mally take care of them after my practices.” until later in the week.”

Graphics courtesy of BLOGSPOT.COM

apachepowwow.com

April 2011

The Road to Las Vegas

By STACEY NG Staff Writer

VIVA LAS VEGAS Pep members travel over to Sin City.

Las Vegas: a hotspot notorious for gambling, alcohol, and…dance competitions? On Apr. 14, 15 Pep Squad members flew eastward to contend in the Sharp International competition hosted at the Cashman Center. Having placed 1st to a Janet Jackson mix two years ago, Pep Squad was hopeful to regain the title as it performed to a medley of songs by Jackson’s partner-in-wardrobe-malfunction crime (circa 2004’s Superbowl): Justin Timberlake.

Although daydreams of frivolous Vegas escapades were emminent, the team’s sole purpose of competing was always the its first priority.

Practice for the Sharp competition, hosted by La Serna High School, and a two-week long audition hindered preparation time for the Vegas competition.

Consequently, that left an approximate one-week period for the construction and perfection of the performance piece. No strangers to time crunches, the members of Pep Squad practiced daily from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. and even took time out of their spring break to practice almost every day. The long hours were spent choreographing, teaching, learning, and cleaning the dance piece.

Despite being in an oasis, where you would imagine tourists sunbathing and frolicking, the team practiced and perfected its routine just a day after its arrival. And the next day, Apr. 16, Pep Squad stepped into the Cashman Center, eager and ready to perform. Because the event was international, competition proved fierce. The styles of hip hop that were performed ranged from smooth isolations to krumping. Pep Squad’s routine also displayed that kind of diversity, with their performance piece being compiled of both hard-hitting hip hop and dance technique such as pirouettes.

Disappointed that you missed out on its award-winning performance? Well don’t be! Pep Squad will be exhibiting the routine in the Spring Assembly.

Apparently what happens in Vegas doesn’t necessarily stay in Vegas, because Pep Squad’s success has come back and made a victory of the Apache name. stng@apachepowwow.com Photo courtesy of SANDRA CHAN

April 2011

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April 2011

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PROJECT 201115

By VANESSA YU Staff Writer

Locked in our hearts, we all have secrets and dreams that we don’t dare to say aloud, not even to our closest friends and family. There are those embarrassing moments that we all make in class, surreal beliefs that we keep close to our hearts, and those hard-to-break habits that seem to creep everybody out. We may not easily admit to these, yet they are the hopes and dreams that we wish every day to come true. From a guilty pleasure that would only be confessed anonymously to a strong belief of the existence of Pokémon balls, the well-known blog PostSecret has it all. PostSecret is a mail art project that was created by Frank Warren in hopes of giving inspiration to those who read them, healing the wounds of those who write them, and to form a community of acceptance in a fun way. From the beginning of March, Pow Wow also created a place for secrets to be anonymously sent through boxes that were set up in select classrooms. Now, published in Center Spread and Campus Focus are hilarious, sad, and relatable PostSecrets about hopes, beliefs, or dreams. Who knows? There might just be a secret that’s yours too. vanyu@apachepowwow.com

FEATURES

16 Laughter All Month Long

By LAUREEN MA Staff Writer

Apr. 2011 is the 35th anniversary of National Humor Month and was founded

by Larry Wilde, director of The Carmel Institute of Humor back in 1976. The purpose of celebrating National Humor Month was to bring awareness to the joy and therapeutic effect of telling jokes to people and spreading laughter to everybody. National Humor Month proves that laughter really is the best medicine and that we should all take time out of our days to celebrate it.

The benefits of laughter include improving one’s health, boosting morale, as well as increasing communication and interaction skills with others, not to mention making somebody a little happier and brighter on a day-to-day basis.

It has been scientifically proven that the power of laughter has increasingly grown throughout the years.

Wilde chose April as the National Humor Month not only because April is often considered one of the most stressful times of the year due to taxes, but also because it is the month of April Fool’s Day, a day when telling jokes and pulling pranks is an absolute must.

You may be wondering, how can I celebrate National Humor Month?

There are multiple ways you can go about celebrating and not just by telling jokes to those around you.

You can start off by playing a funny practical joke on a close friend or family member. Remember, do not go too far as these pranks should be taken lightly. You can also celebrate National Humor Month by making a collage of all your funny faces and posting it somewhere in your household to remind you of all the fun times whenever you are feeling down. Remember, humor is not only all about telling jokes but also getting smiles from people, including strangers.

If you want to make somebody’s day, why not do a good deed and make him or her smile like paying somebody’s coffee bill while you are waiting in line.

As you can see, there are multiple ways to celebrate National Humor Month for Apr. 2011. Don’t let this opportunity go to waste and go make somebody laugh!

apachepowwow.com

April 2011

The College Entrance Test Battle

By MICHELLE ZHANG Staff Writer

In a place like AHS, where even the delinquents are college-bound intellectuals, Advanced Placement (AP) test season is a time of great panic and hysteria. We complain about how we aren’t ready, and freak out over the consequences of failure. But we should count our blessings. The Chinese counterpart to the AP and other tests which college admissions officers use as references is similar to the AP test, but with an extra dose of cruelty.

In China, the National Higher Education Entrance Examination, also known as gao kao, is the sole factor in determining the college a student attends. Even if students maintained perfect grades in high school, participated in academic competitions, and volunteered, bombing the gao kao would send them straight to McDonald’s. Technically students can take it again the next year, but that would be a year completely wasted.

And because it is the only test colleges look at, it is much more comprehensive than any of the AP tests. Though it varies from province to province, the gao kao requires students to take English, Chinese, math, and two other subjects of their choice. But wait, the gao kao gets worse. In the United States, the curve for an AP test is the same whether a student lives on the East Coast, the West Coast, or anywhere in between. However, in China, there are rigid quotas for the number of students from each province allowed to attend certain universities;

therefore students from certain provinces need to score significantly higher on the gao kao than students from other provinces to be accepted by the same college.

A popular complaint when reviewing reviewinng for

the AP te test est is that students have to review a whole year’s worth of material. For example, by the time students in AP U.S. History cover Richard Nixon’s presidency, they’ve practically forgotten who George Washington was. But, because the gao kao is only taken at the end of the senior year, it covers four years worth of material. Some elite high schools in China spend around half a year solely reviewing for the test.

The gao kao also spans two to three days, with each subject im mmediately following the other.

That leaves noo time to study in between since students needd to t be well resteed for the next test.

In comparisoonn, the AP tests ttake two weeks to cover all the suubjects that studdents want to take.

That leaves sttudents time tto cram—not that they would nneeed to, of coursee.

For students s in Ch hina, even rest is sometim mes difficult to co ome by due to the immennse psychologicaal pressure and the co onstant fear of contracting a cold, succumbing to food f poisoning, or becoming an insomniac. Families have gone so far f as to give female students birrth control pills to m prev vent menstruation menstruation, as well as book air-cconditioned hotel rooms so that stud dents can have a good night’s rest.

Some stud dents venture to hospitals to seek professionaal help, as vomiting and delusion have becomee increasingly common symptoms of stress. Thhe pressure from the gao kao has even led to nervous breakdowns and suicides.

So for tthose moping over their AP tests, it could be much m worse. As the Chinese saying goes, forr every mountain there is a higher mountain, and for every person there is a better person. College Board still has much more to learn about testing students from those in charge of the gao kao; maybe College Board should take a prep class for that. mzhang@apachepowwow.com Graphics by MICHELLE ZHANG

Screening Yourself from the Summer Sun

By BRANDON PANG Staff Writer

As April comes to a close, the season of spring begins to wane and the arrival of summer beckons. The new season marks the start of California’s famous summer sun. Although the sun means beaches, swimming, and enjoyable summer activities, it also means that it’s time to put on sunscreen.

Sunscreen, also known as sun block, sun lotion, and sun cream, is a type of cream, lotion, or spray that protects the skin from sunburn by absorbing or reflecting the harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. Yet like any other product, there are different brands, so here’s a friendly guide to explain the pros and cons of the most popular ones.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Coppertone Sport Sunblock Dry-Touch Dry-To ouch Sunblock SPF 55 Lotion SPF 30

- Good choice c for athletes - Lightweight Lightw and non-greasy - Sweat-resistant - Broad spectrum protection

- Has high hi quality UVA/UVB protection to protect sskin from damage - Water resistant, perfect for swimming or going to the beach g - Lightweight, non-greasy, and non-scented - Doesn Doesn’t have any antioxidants - Is not ideal for facial use

No-Ad Sunblock Lotion ot o SPF 45 - Inexpensive Inexpe - Broad sspectrum protection - Water-resistant an - Has antioxidants

- Unple Unpleasant chemical odor

- Contains Contai fragrance that may not be pleasant to all people - Difficult to locate in stores

bpang@apachepowwow.com lma@apachepowwow.com lma@apache heepo p wwow Graphic by KATHERINE BAY

Photos and graphics courtesy of BEYONDBEAUTYBASICS.COM and CONSUMERSEARCH.COM

April 2011

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Earth Day: It’s in Our Hands

By SARAH QUON Staff Writer

Many people do not get involved in learning about Earth Day because they think that it is only about planting trees. But planting trees is only one of the many ways to celebrate Earth Day. In fact, Earth Day is about being green, whether it is planting trees, or turning off the lights when you aren’t using them. The 2011 Earth Day campaign’s elements are: A Billion Acts of Green, Athletes for the Earth, The Canopy Project, Green Schools, Women and Green Economy (WAGE), Creating Climate Wealth, and Art for the Earth. Here are some of the inside looks at some of the elements: A Billion Acts of Green: One main m agenda of Earth Day is the A B Billion Acts of Green campaign.

The Th goal of this campaign is to get people, organizations, and corporations to participate by pledging an act to save the planet before the next Earth Summit meeting in 2012. As of right now there are only about 80.5 million acts of green. You can participate and create your own act of green, or pledge to other acts of green by going to BillionActsofGreen.org.

Athletes for the Earth: It doesn’t matter what sport they d play, people everywhere look up to p famous fa athletes. Olympic and other professional athletes take part by being spokespeople to create awareness for Earth Day, and

By RITA WANG

generally, being nicer to our environment. Some of the athletes that are participating include Olympic gold medal swimmer Aaron Peirsol, NFL linebacker Dhani Jones, and more. Each of these athletes are taking a step to help our environment, and you can take that step with them by promising to help our environment.

The Canopy Project: This p project’s goal is simple: plant trees where w they are most needed. While it may not seem ideal to go around the world planting trees, this project does make a difference.

Green Schools: Did you know that t one-fifth of the American population is in school? With green u schools also comes a healthier ens i vironment for us students to learn in. Additionally, with students learning, it gives them the opportunity to learn more about the environment and how to improve it. These are the key reasons for green schools. It is a way to get one-fifth of America’s population to also recognize that it can do something to help improve that environment.

So next Earth Day, make sure to think about becoming more green, before we leave a big carbon footprint on our planet. squon@apachepowwow.com Photo courtesy of UNIVERSETODAY.COM

FEATURES

17 Why Bunnies on Easter?

By MYA HO Staff Writer

Easter Sunday is one of the most important and oldest festivals celebrated by Christians for to recognize the resurrection of Jesus Christ. According to Scripture, Christians believe that Christ rose from the dead three days after he was killed on the cross. Anyone who believes in Him automatically receives eternal life with Christ…but how did a bunny become involved?

Most of us grew up, Christian or not, collecting Easter eggs in our backyards to find the chocolates and coins that were encased within the plastic shells. Some of us would be so lucky as to receive a chocolate bunny— hollow or not, it was the highlight of the day. Now looking back on how I used to celebrate the holiday just makes me wonder why I did those things if I didn’t even fully understand the holiday’s purpose to begin with. None of us ever question why bunnies are included on this day, but it does have an interesting background.

The Easter bunny seems to have its origins in Germany, where it was first mentioned in German writings in the 1500s. As the most fertile

animal known at the time, the bunny was chosen to symbolize Easter because it represents new life during spring. It was brought over to America by German settlers who arrived in the Pennsylvania Dutch country during the 1700s.

Back in the day, just like children would get presents from Santa Claus, the Easter bunny came bearing gifts as well. Building their makeshift nests out of colorful skirts and bonnets, children would wait for the Easter bunny to fill it up with treats. Later however, baskets took the place of the cloths, but were still stuffed with chocolate candies. A popular song that almost every American child has heard of is, “Oh! Here comes Peter Cottontail, hoppin’ on the bunny trail, hippity hoppity Happy Easter day,” a perfect example of how the Easter bunny is integrated into the lives of children at a young age.

In the end, it’s all about the candies and money, but hopefully people will realize the important message behind a holiday that’s suppose to bring together families and friends. mho@apachepowwow.com Graphic courtesy of COTTON-TAILS.COM

Disney Movies Throughout the Ages Staff Writer

Before we were born, Disney had already become a household name. Whether it is Walt Disney, Disneyland, or Disney World, families around the globe enjoy the magical effects of Disney through its giant collection of short films and movies. The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923 by brothers Walt and Roy Disney, and today, it encompasses various companies ranging from Marvel Entertainment and Pixar Animation Studios to television networks such as American Broadcasting Com-

pany (ABC).

With over 555 Disney films, people have enjoyed Disney movies in the comfort of their own homes for years.

Beginning with his silent short film series Alice Comedies, Walt Disney eventually led the era of sound films with the first sound short film with completely post-produced music and dialogue titled Steamboat Willie, starring the iconic character Mickey Mouse. Though it is only seven minutes long, Steamboat Willie is one of the most recognized black and white car-

toons to this day. However, a highlight of Disney’s career was the production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Based on the old tale by the Brothers Grimm, this movie is the first full-color animated feature film in the United States. This movie marked many “firsts”, but most importantly, it marked the first full-length, cel-animated (meaning that every frame was hand-drawn) film ever. The animators also used a technique called rotoscoping in which liveaction footage is taken to help depict human actions more realistically. Rotoscoping is also used in animating Peter Pan and Beauty and the Beast. Animated

films were continuously produced, but soon enough, Disney began incorporating live-action into its films.

In 1940, Fantasia, starring Mickey Mouse, was the first Disney film to incorporate liveaction, although animation still dominates most of the film. The renowned orchestra conductor Leopold Stokowski appears in the movie with his orchestra and conducts various musical

pieces throughout the movie. Because of this film’s success, the sequel Fantasia 2000, was produced, and this time with music by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. However, the first completely live-action Disney film was Treasure Island, produced in 1950. Based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Treasure Island, it follows the journey of a young boy named Jim Hawkins who sets out to find the buried treasure of Captain John Flint. In 2002, Disney adapted the novel again, but

this time into an animated film called Treasure Planet with Joseph Gordon-Levitt voicing Jim Hawkins. Treasure Planet uses a special technique of drawing 2D cel-animation with 3D computer animation laid on top. Other live-action Disney films include the Pirates of the Caribbean series and the 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland, both of which incorporate computer animation to create the treacherous sea tides and whimsical fantasy worlds of each movie.

One of Disney’s most popular subsidiaries is Pixar Animation Studios. Pixar currently

has a total of 11 movies with three more on the way, including the sequel Cars 2. The first Pixar movie, Toy Story, was produced in Nov. 1995, and follows the adventure of a group of toys as their owner Andy grows up. It has two sequels, with the recent release of Toy Story 3, which made over $1 billion in gross revenue. Pixar’s use of computer-generated imagery has led to the success of all 11 of its films and the popularity of its hilarious Pixar shorts.

In 2010, Disney produced its 50th animated feature film called Tangled, a modern interpretation of the Brothers Grimm’s Rapunzel.

This musical film retells the fairy tale without the stereo- typical damsel in distress replacing her with a heroic and courageous heroine. Though the two Disney brothers started from their uncle’s garage, today Walt Disney Company is one of the biggest media and entertainment businesses in the world. All in all, Disney’s success has proven that “all our dreams can come true—if we have the courage to pursue them.” rwang@apachepowwow.com Graphics courtesy of AOLCDN.COM and CLOUD.GRAPHICLEFTOVERS.COM

18

ACADEMICS

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April 2011

The Conclusion of Qualification Season

By ANDY QIN Staff Writer

The entire season had led to this. The AHS Speech and Debate team (S&D) goes through an annual process that begins as early as the summer of the previous year.

It begins with acquainting the new members, or Novices, to the world of S&D, with S&D Officers volunteering their homes to hold S&D workshops. These workshops are an exhibition of the diversified events of the S&D competition and also introduce the premier source of motivation: having the opportunity to represent AHS at the California High School Speech Association’s California State Tournament.

The Southern California Debate League State Qualifier is a two-day event. The first day holds three preliminary rounds, and of the competitors of the preliminary rounds, those who do well enough advance to the semifinal and potentially the final rounds, which both occur on the second day.

AHS took control early, and by the end of the first day, when all three preliminary rounds had concluded, the papers with the names of the semifinal contestants were posted. S&D had an astonishing 32 of those names. Screams of joy were heard and hugs exchanged at the end of the 12-hour first day before S&D members had to regain their composure for the more significant second day of competition, which occurred

QB Qualifies for Nationals

By ELBERT WANG Staff Writer

After first qualifying for the High School National Championship Tournament (HSNCT) in November 2010 at Technophobia and winning at successive tournaments, Quiz Bowl (QB) finally double-qualified for Nationals at the 2011 NAQT Southern California State Championship (State Champs) held at UCLA on Apr. 16.

QB brought two teams of four and one team of five to the competition. With top teams from Torrey Pines High School and University High School, QB faced tough competition.

At the end of the tournament, QB’s ATeam and B-Team tied for 4th place with Santa Monica. The top 3 teams of the tournament qualified for HSNCT held this year in Atlanta, Georgia from May 27 to 29. AHS’ B-Team and Santa Monica’s qualified. Several individuals performed exceptionally well at State Champs, including freshman Boyang Jiao and seniors Derek Chou and Jeff Xiao, all placing in the top ten individually.

Derek commented that QB members were ecstatic because “this was the first time in four years that AHS has double-qualified for the HSNCT.” Another notable accomplishment was all three teams being in the top bracket, a sign that QB members have improved so much since their first tournament TWAIN XI. Congratulations to QB for their amazing accomplishments and good luck at Nationals! aqin@apachepowwow.com

on Sunday, Mar. 6. Arcadia eventually qualified an astounding 16 individuals to the State level of competition. The stage was set for these 16 to later perform at the official venue of State, San Diego State University.

As detailed in a previous publication, senior Patrick Han and junior Gina Oh entered into the National Forensic League (NFL) Nationals qualifier for debate on Feb. 26.

The NFL Nationals tournament is the largest academic competition in the United States, calling more than 2,000 competitors from districts located in every state in the nation to compete. S&D’s district, East Los Angeles, was ranked the 10th most competitive district in the nation, according to Rostrum Magazine.

This year’s NFL Nationals tournament is hosted in Dallas, Texas and will occur from June 13 to 18. S&D brought its speech division to San Marino High School on Mar. 18, where it would contend in a nerve-wracking two-day competition that would accept only the top three finishers in each of the main events of speech.

Juniors Andy Qin and Jason Ouyang were fortunate enough to qualify in Original Oratory and Humorous Interpretation, respectively. The following week, junior Amit Akula found his rhythm to qualify in the House of Congressional Debate.

These weeks in May, which are known as ‘‘qualification season’’, are the roughest on S&D members. Amidst homework, upcoming

Advanced Placement tests, and the wear-andtear nature of stress in general, these students had to assume the courage and dig deeper than the rest to guarantee themselves spots at these prestigious tournaments.

Speaking as not just a reporter but as a member, I can say that I am inexplicably proud of each and every member of my beloved S&D. The season has had a successful conclusion.

Those who qualified are listed below.

Results: Congressional Debate: Richard Li - 2nd Original Oratory: Andy Qin - 2nd Ray Chao - 5th Original Advocacy: Nancy Xiao - 2nd, National Extemporaneous Mary Guyer - 3rd Alison Chang - 6th Oratorical Interpretation: Gina Oh - 1st Nadia Saleh - 2nd Amy Wen - 3rd Michelle Zhu - 4th Humorous Interpretation: Jason Ouyang - 2nd Clark Shao - 5th Liam Swan - 9th Original Prose and Poetry:

Jason Ouyang - 2nd, Humorous Interpretation Liam Swan - 4th, Humorous Interpretation National Extemporaneous: Nancy Xiao - 4th Dramatic Interpretation: Kate Zha - 2nd Alex Ethridge - 7th Duo Interpretation: Ray Chao & Michelle Zhu - 6th, Original Oratory and Oratorical Interpretation, respectively SCDL Debate State Qualifier: Public Forum debate: Patrick Han & Ray Chao - 3rd East Los Angeles District National Qualifying Debate Tournament: Public Forum debate: Patrick Han & Gina Oh - Qualified East Los Angeles District National Qualifying Speech Tournament: Humorous Interpretation: Jason Ouyang - Qualified Original Oratory: Andy Qin - Qualified East Los Angeles District National Qualifying Congress Tournament: House: Amit Akula - Qualified aqin@apachepowwow.com

Nerdy Guide to Getting a Prom Date • If the axis is not desired to be shown, press [2ND] [FORMAT] [↓] [↓] [↓] [→] [ENTER]. Repeat the first two steps.

• Place the cursor on the point you want to begin drawing. Press [ENTER] to turn on the pen, and then just move the cursor. As the cursor moves, the drawing appears on the graph one pixel at a time.

• Press [ENTER] again to turn off the pen.

• To continue drawing on the graph, move the cursor to a new position where to begin drawing again, and then repeat the steps above.

• To cancel Pen, press [CLEAR].

• Save the picture by pressing [2ND]

method of asking that special someone. We nerds can customize these for our own purStaff Writer poses. Cleverly place notes in their AP Biology textbook, or place a couple of hints at the back Prom’s right around the corner, but not evof their math book, graciously marking the releryone has the luxury of having the suave style evant answer sections for the day’s assignment of a hotshot hottie. You know, those tanned and while you’re at it. This small gesture of kindtoned studly “scholars” who can’t tell the back ness shows how much you really care for your end of a calculator from the front. For you endodate’s mental well-being. thermic nerds out there, this article has a num4. The gamer also has a variety of geeky ber of helpful methods for any parameter ways to ask someone to prom. Spelling out For each scenario, a bouquet of the question using units in a real-time strategy angiosperms is recommended, not regame will serve the dual purpose of showing off quired. Think of them as extra your gosu Starcraft skills and casually slipping credit. Here are a couple of in the question. examples, though the answers 5. A love poem with a scientific you may receive for even the theme can be bitter to write, but the prododd-numbered ones are not ucts will be worth the activation energy. found in the back.

This following example is for the phys1. A mathematician’s trusty ics whiz. Using your massive knowledge TI-84 can be used for much more than of physics, it wouldn’t be difficult at all Riemann sums or playing Tetris. With to write a poem as magnetizing as Kerry a little BASIC knowledge, you can Paty’s new single, T.E. (What? Isn’t that easily program a calculator to Disp() what it’s called?) the crucial question.

6. Nerds and daring deeds are usu2. If you’re an extremely skilled ally not homogenous; therefore, it mathematician/programmer, you can is my theory that, for a nerd at one-up the previous tip and actually least, asking a girl to prom in a find the functions that will spell out very public way will show her your date’s name, along with the word how special that person really “Prom” beneath it. Take a [2ND] to Photo courtesy of BROOZNOLL.COM is. This can be done a la Jon understand the [DRAW] and [PEN] Ma (the all-school assembly), or in commands, and find a place to [STO] CLEVER AND CREATIVE Need an extravasome other way unique to you. all you newfound knowledge. After gant way to ask your date to prom? At a school like These tips should be enough to get that, just [ENTER] your message, pix- AHS, executing these nerdy but cunning tips will you started. When asking, try to have the el by pixel, into your calculator. Use surely catch your date’s attention. confidence of a Rokstarr. Think of your own that 96x64 screen to its full potential. unique way of asking that special someone.

To draw a picture directly on the calcula- [DRAW] [→] [→] [ENTER].

• Press [0] - [9] [ENTER]. The graphic is Good luck! tor: saved under the file name pic0, pic1, pic2, etc.

• Press [2ND] [DRAW]. szhong@apachepowwow.com 3. Scavenger hunts are a tried and true • Press [↑] [ENTER] to access A: Pen.

By SHIBO ZHONG

April 2011

academics@apachepowwow.com

ACADEMICS

DI Shows the Fruits of Its Labor

By RACHEL THAI Staff Writer

the whole story after Regionals because some team members couldn’t compete,” said Laura.

However, it wasn’t all work. Sean stated, “We had a really fun time working on everything.”

“We enjoyed competing but didn’t expect to get 1st,” stated Laura.

The team members of 3-2-1 Glucose!

While some spent their spring break in Las Vegas or visiting colleges, Destination Imagination (DI) was hard at work preparing for State Finals. The members’ work definitely paid off, as they dazzled their judges on Apr. 9.

DI competed in State Finals at Yosemite High School. AHS teams that competed in the State Finals were Phenomenon, the squishy tomatoes, Veloci-DI, They-WhoCannot-Be-Named, Minds on the Go, 3-2-1 Glucose!, Your Wurst Nightmare, and The Seven Wonders. Veloci-DI placed 1st in the challenge “Spinning a Tale”, 3-2-1 Glucose! placed 3rd in the challenge “Verses! Foiled Again!”, and Phenomenon placed 4th in the challenge “Unidentified Moving Object”.

The team members of Veloci-DI are seniors Laura Tsu, Sean Pham, Steven Lee, Mya Maw, Chi Chi M Min, and Ryan GO BANANAS 3-2-1 Glucose! trumped Hsu and juniors Jod Jody He and Iris competition with its hyperactive enthusiasm.

Chan. For their ch challenge, they succeeded in creating creati a three-act story include juniors Lynn Huang, Jeanne Kuang, around like a cycle by Courtney Nguyen, Victoria Shi, Wendy Wong, that continues arou acting out the life oof a flukeworm. As Michelle Zhang, and Shirley Zhou. 3-2-1 Glusounds, the team spent cose! conquered this challenge by making ten simple as it soun a lot of time work- prototypes that would hold the most amount of ing out their skit. weight using only wood planks and aluminum “We had to redo foil. For their skit, each character was the ele-

ments carbon, helium, um, h y d r o g e n , einsteinium, or oxygen. gen. Team members decided to have theirr protagonist, aluminum, be foiled at thee end as a pun. “We didn’t expect to get 3rd place, but when they didn’t call us for 4th or 5th place, we held our breath waited. Then h and waited they called out 3-2-1 Glucose! and w e burst out in exaltation,” said Courtney.

The team members of are Phenomenon juniors Michelle Kwok, Christie Loh, Victoria Orolfo, Trista Tam, Rachel Thai, and Shannon Xue. Phenomenon overcame its challenge by building a scissor lift that would lift a toy-machine-like claw and bring items from the top of an eight-foot tower to the bottom and items from the bottom to the top. The challenge also included a promotional skit for which team members alluded to movies and literature in which the machine would have been useful for helping move people up and down. “It was definitethe ly exciting, and even though it was stressful, it was really fun,” exclaimed Victoria.

Because only 1st and 2nd placing teams continue to Global Finals, only Veloci-DI qualifies for the next round. Good luck to Veloci-DI in the 2011 Global Finals at Knoxville, Tennessee! rthai@apachepowwow.com Photo by RACHEL THAI

How to Stay Focused in the Last Stretch

By APOORV CHAUDHARY Staff Writer

As we rapidly approach the end of yet another year of our high school careers, for some, the last year, we need to stay focused and finish in a manner that we can take pride in. The following is a grade by grade guide for finishing this year successfully.

Freshmen: Although you don’t have the additional stress of Advanced Placement (AP) tests as your year comes to a close, you still have the burden of working hard and finishing second semester off with great grades. Be wary of the rumor that freshman year grades do not matter for college because they most definitely do. Freshman year classes are often the easiest to do well in, so succeeding in them is vital for a good high school career.

Sophomores: As you approach the end of

your sophomore year, many of you will have the fortunate (probably unfortunate) experience of AP classes and the dreaded AP test. The key to succeeding on your AP tests is to be sure to review the entire year’s worth of material over again. Take practice tests and be diligent, and good results will follow. AP tests aside, sophomores also need to be sure to maintain high grades.

Juniors: Often referred to as the most important year in high school, the end is as equally important as the beginning. With multiple AP tests, SATs, and other important things, the end of junior year is anything but a cakewalk. One important thing to remember as you pull all nighters is that giving up is not an option—you have to persist. As cliché as it may sound, hard work will always lead to excellent results. With that said, buckle down and work the last few months of junior year like never before.

Seniors: Many of you may be wondering why I even bother with this section—I mean do seniors really have to do anything as second semester comes to a close? However, second semester senior year is quite important. While one does not have to maintain a perfect GPA, D’s and GPAs below 3.0 are generally grounds for a college to rescind its offer of admission.

Furthermore, AP tests factor into whether a student skips or picks courses earlier than other students in college. While seniors have more room to mess around, they definitely cannot completely disregard their obligations to their schoolwork.

As the school year nears its end, all grade levels still have significant hurdles to clear.

Staying focused is, in my opinion, the best method of succeeding. apchaudhary@apachepowwow.com

Science Olympiad Makes a Statement at State

By CHRIS CHEN Staff Writer

The time for Science Olympiad to compete at the state level had finally arrived. With a little over a month of extra time after Regionals, the team had to prepare for the same 23 events.

These events included such tasks as building mouse trap vehicles and wind generators and tested in various subjects such as biology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy.

The state competition was held at Canyon High School on Apr. 9. Another 25 teams from high schools across Southern California came to compete to advance to Nationals. Additionally, 26 middle schools also competed that day at Canyon High School. The only middle school

in our district that competed was Dana Middle School, which got 12th.

The final score for each team is calculated by adding up the places each team received in each event, the lower the score the better.

At the end of the day, AHS SO placed 3rd overall, getting the top six spot in eight events, getting 1st in two, and an overall score of 169.

AHS was beaten out by North Hollywood, which scored 120, and the 1st-place Troy, which scored 61.

The season may be over for SO, but not the team’s work ethic. The members intend to keep working toward qualifying for Nationals.

However, the season was a successful one, as Co-Captain senior Derek Chou was happy that this year’s team was “better than the past

two years” and that being 3rd in State was “well deserved” and the “highlight of the year.”

The team will be electing new captains May 19 and tryouts for next year’s team will be held late September or early October.

Derek commented that “after three years, it’s really hard to have to say goodbye” to the team; “I didn’t want this to happen, but it must.

Eventually I’m sure that the juniors will be able to hold up the team, even though they might not think so at the moment.”

Derek also stated that the “general plan is to improve every year, but since North Hollywood’s team said that 2nd place belonged to it, SO should aim for 1st place.” cchen@apachepowwow.com

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Mock Trial Goes to State

By RACHEL THAI Staff Writer

Most people would cringe at the thought of spending a day in court. However, the members of Mock Trial (MT) look forward to it every day.

As a team only in its second year, MT rose above its underdog status to win six straight trials, qualifying for the California Mock Trial Finals. It competed in the California Mock Trial Finals at the Riverside Hall of Justice from Mar. 25 to 27.

Only Team A, comprised of seniors Ray Chao, Michelle Zhu, Alexandria Ethridge, and Patrick Han, juniors Nancy Xiao, Gina Oh, Andy Qin, Farihah Chowdhury, and sophomore Nadia Saleh, competed at the tournament.

However, Team B, seniors Sandrine Lipana, Ronald Mak, and Richard Li, juniors Caroline Young, Greg Chang, Amit Akula, Amy Wen, and Johanna Gunawan, and sophomore Ryan Liu, cheered them on from home.

MT competed in four rounds, switching between prosecution and defense, and against 31 other county champions. During the competition, they were given a case with witness statements and a fact situation. Using the information, they had to conduct a “mock trial” about the case.

“The mock trial starts off with the pretrial which argues the legality and constitutionality of the counts and whether the judge should or should not dismiss the count,” explained Gina.

Then comes the actual trial in which “both sides (the prosecution and defense) present their opening statements…and begin questioning the lawyers and the witnesses…

After all witnesses get questioned [in] direct and cross examination, both sides of defense and prosecution give their closing statements.

Here, you gather all the evidence that is permitted in the case and make a conclusion and try to convince the judge whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty,” she went on.

Among attorneys, people have different roles: pretrial, opening, closing, cross examination, and direct examination. Everyone on the team has a different role, so not everyone is an attorney; people play witnesses, and the bailiff and the court clerk.

Ultimately, MT placed 13th, “which is unbelievable and amazing for only our second year as a team,” stated Ray. Additional awards they received were the award for Best Lawyer, given to Ray, and Best Detective, given to Alexandria. The State Champion was La Reina High School, a private school in Ventura County.

“Mock Trial has been an extraordinary experience for me, and I’m sure I can say for the rest of our team as well. It’s not just a team of 18 different members from our school, but through wins and losses, we’ve grown more into a close-knit family… I know it’s cheesy, but it’s a friendship that will carry on past high school and one of those friendships that could as well last a lifetime,” reminisced Gina. rthai@apachepowwow.com

20

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April 2011

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STUDENT LIFE

22 It Smells Like Spring

By EDWARD CHAO

Staff Writer

A certain time of the year has come and gone. It was the time when students did activities as diverse as catching waves in Malibu or burying their noses in their textbooks. Yes, as most of you know, spring break has passed.

Let’s take a look at what some AHS students did during their spring break!

“I just had soccer practice and hung out with my friends and boyfriend most of the time.

I also enjoyed my time off from school with lots of sleep and relaxation.”

-Chloe Torres. 12 “My band [Almost Hero] and I did a photo shoot in Glendale. We also shot a music video entitled ‘Who is Almost Hero’ to promote ourselves and our new EP. Basically, it was a personal interview of each member of the band.

Later during the week, we finished up filming our music video for our new song ‘Heartstruck’, which took four days in total.”

-Chris Beloud, 12 “My friends and I went UC window shopping! All we really did was go up north and visit some of the UC colleges there. We saw UC Berkley, UCLA, UC San Diego, and also Stanford.”

-Tricia Lin, 11 “I went to Malibu with the rest of my family. While there, I learned how to surf, and I also zip lined, which was really fun to do. Overall, it was a really relaxing and exciting spring break for me.”

-Nick Pulciano, 10 “I was actually really lonely during spring break because my best friend went on a trip to China and my other close friend went on a trip to Las Vegas. I consoled myself with hours upon hours of television, as well as tubs upon tubs of delicious ice cream. Ben, Jerry, and I had a grand old time.”

-Anonymous, 10 “During my spring break, I spent my favorite moments at my Percussion competition at California State University of San Bernardino, playing as a member of A-Line. But even though we only placed 4th, it was still a memorable experience, and I loved every moment of it. But other than my Percussion competition, I also did a lot of campaigning stuff for ASB.” -Johnson Hui, 9 “I seriously just went on my blog and reblogged and posted up pictures of Julian Casablancas everywhere. He’s so beautiful!”

-Cheryl Chan, 9 Now, we are back in school, wondering, “How in the world did one week feel like one day?” Well, I think that’s what most people are thinking. As for me, I’m just counting the days until we get the day off for Memorial Day. echao@apachepowwow.com Graphics courtesy of POPFI.COM and RWINVESTING.BLOGSPOT.COM

apachepowwow.com

April 2011

In Particular, Extracurricular

By SOPHIA TANG

Team takes dedication and work, but it is worth so much more than you put in.” She looks forward to seeing next year’s Gov Team members and remarked, “Rest assured, they will be in for an amazing senior year.”

marked that interacting with her team members and performing at competitions has made it all worth it.

The human voice is power, according to In the rush of choosing classes, students freshman Albert Gianatan. He commented that may forget about the abundance of extracurin Speech and Debate, riculars at AHS. Joining one of “the skills they learn these many teams and clubs can make a huge impact add an extra spice to your schedon people’s lives.” ule and even become a crucial This is why Albert is part of your life. Students who extremely passionate have taken advantage of AHS’ about this activity, activities reflect on how their and loves bonding experiences left impressions on with his team durtheir lives and on their growth as ing workshops and students. tournaments. “I am Pre-Med Club President always extremely senior Daniel Liem described excited for the next Pre-Med as the “best extracurtournament, dinner ricular” he has ever participattogether, or even aned in. He has “grown with the other day of class in club…like a family,” and as the Speech and Debate,” president for two years, he has he said. How better increased the club size to almost to spend your school a hundred members. Daniel now days than with a hunhas a goal to become a surgeon, dred other familiar which would never “have hapvoices? pened without Pre-Med Club.”

Though extraThough Pre-Med Club has accurriculars take time complished much, Daniel still A FULL PLATE Don’t bite off more than you can chew! and effort, these stuknows “that [it] is at its beginning Freshman Nicole Phan said, “Band is very dents have proved their activities’ worth. From and has much more to learn and grow.”

Senior Flora Liu stated that joining Consti- time-consuming…and took away from my fam- being a driving inspiration to forming friendtution (Gov) Team was “one of the most impor- ily and friends, but Band is like a second family ships that will last lifetimes, extracurriculars are tant decisions of [her] high school career!” She full of friends.” Band members bond together more than just lines to fill out on your résumé. instantly felt at home with her unit and team- during Hell Week, an event which Nicole destang@apachepowwow.com mates. “The best part was that while we were scribed as “hours of marching and playing and Graphic courtesy of having fun, we were also learning so much,” drilling in the summer heat.” Although being EDUCATIONBLOGFORUM.COM Flora said. She added that “being a part of Gov a member of Band is exhausting, Nicole reStaff Writer

College Knowledge from the Wise

By ARNAV CHAUDHARY Staff Writer

As the clock struck two, a number of seniors pulled out their laptops and smart phones and frantically began entering in login information and recalling a variety of passwords from their memories. Some let out exasperated sighs as they read their shocking rejection letters; meanwhile, others pranced around elatedly as they discovered that they had just been accepted by the university of their dreams.

People deal with college decisions differently. Some are extremely happy with their choices while others are not. It is important to understand that this is an extremely touchy subject for most seniors, as they have poured their last four years into making sure they get into their dream institution, and then watching this dream crumble can be quite devastating.

How exactly do they know if the college that they have chosen is the correct choice for them? Making sure that one’s college caters to their happiness is extremely important. For senior Alwin Li, he believes that he won’t “truly

know until [he’s] actually there.” As of right now, Alwin is pleased with his college decisions and is entering college with a positive outlook.

He also warns underclassmen that “the amount of work you put into your work will show in the final outcome. Slack off and you’ll fall behind; persevere and you’ll shine.”

Senior Esmond Wei asserted confidently that he is “happy with [his] college decision.”

He knows that he “chose a school that [he] will thrive in.” Most seniors get too caught up in the prestige of a school and its ranking. They fail to look at the school as a whole and also at differ-

ent aspects of the school which will help them be successful. Esmond has a message for underclassmen: “Start early on your college choices and know what you want to do in the future.”

Esmond believes that people should know what they want to do throughout college, otherwise it ends up leaving the person “more stressed down the road.”

Senior Celeste Cheung advises that before applying to a certain set of colleges, students “should be able to see themselves happy at each and every one of those colleges.” She states that students should “find themselves content” even if they are “forced to go to their safety schools.” Celeste also emphasized that “you never know what’s going to happen with college decisions” and therefore should “pick other schools that will make you happy.” As for her, she is “happy with [her] decisions for the most part.” archaudhary@apachepowwow.com Graphic courtesy of MIXEDRACEAMERICA.BLOGSPOT.COM

studentlife@apachepowwow.com

April 2011

STUDENT LIFE

A Shot a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

By COURTNEY HANG Staff Writer

Before the start of the next school year, all students entering 7th through 12th grade are required to get a Tdap shot. What exactly is a Tdap shot? Tdap is a vaccine that protects against three dangerous diseases: tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough). This new requirement is aimed to protect the people in our community from whooping cough, a highly contagious bacterial disease that causes violent coughing fits that can last for months. In recent years, whooping cough has been proliferating in the United States, and many schools in California alone have been forced to shut down due to the overwhelming outbreaks o f whooping cough.

Sophomore Priscilla Yon Bai “got this vaccine when [she] was in third grade, so [she has] to get it again.”

Priscilla said, “I’m terribly afraid of shots and I’m not looking forward to

it, but I know this requirement is a great way to make sure that everyone stays healthy.” When asked about the gravity of the issue, AUSD Superintendent Joel Shawn said, “Our students’ health is our top priority and we encourage all incoming 7th through 1 2 t h g r a d e students to be vaccinated...

or make sure their inoculations are up to date and have the required documentation. Students should do this now and not wait till the summer, when doctors and clinics may be very busy handling these new requirements. New state law requires schools to check that students are properly protected from pertussis before permitting them to attend school next fall (2011).” Junior Amit Akula said of this requirement, “Although I absolutely hate getting shots, I’ll be happy to comply.” It would behoove students in AUSD to follow Mr. Shawn’s advice and Amit’s example.

Undoubtedly, this new requirement is incredibly important in maintaining the health and safety of our community. If there are any students without proof of immunization before next year, they will not be allowed to start school until proof is provided. Although this issue may sound somewhat bleak and grim, it will ultimately save our school and keep our city flourishing. Stay safe, stay healthy, and save the country! chang@apachepowwocom Graphic courtesy of LEGALJUICE.COM

A.P. Tests Arrive Nationwide

By RITA WANG Staff Writer

As April rolls around, many students gleefully realize that there are only about two months left of school, and for seniors that means graduation time. However, the upperclassmen, as well as some lucky sophomores, realize that April marks the onemonth countdown until Advanced Placement (AP) tests begin. For most seniors, it is their second time around taking these dreaded s t a n dardized tests, and for most juniors and some sophomores, it is their first time encountering these AP tests.

So how are some of the students at AHS feeling about these upcoming tests?

Senior Jackie Chen revealed that she is feeling less pressure this year because she has learned from last year on how to effectively manage her time. According to her, “AP tests are still important, but they seem less of a big deal now,” since she has gotten over most of the fear last year. AP tests are long and tedious and in order to avoid testing fatigue, it is important to get a lot of sleep so that you do not run out of energy in the middle of the test. Both Jackie and senior Daniel Liem agree that it is better to get sleep than to cram the night before because you would not retain any facts anyway. Daniel advises, “ Just get enough rest and feel like you’re taking the AP test like it’s some video game” to

get you through the entire exam.

In preparing for the test in general, Jackie says, “I would highly suggest turning off any possible distractions like Facebook and IM. Turn off your computer completely, and go somewhere quiet to focus.” Procrastinating usually leads to negative outcomes, and it is certain that you do not want to end up wasting all your efforts this

year to end up failing the test.

With preparing for such a large exam as the AP test, many are confused as to the approach they should take toward the exam.

Senior Derek Chou comments, “You already know everything that’s going to be on the tests, but you just have to put it all together in a long test format.”

Many first-time test-takers may blow miniscule details out of proportion and not know where to begin, but Derek insists, “Aim for consistency in knowledge; if you get the gen-

eral idea of most of the stuff and the specifics to go with them, it should be fine.” Confidence in what you have learned over the past year will help you get that 5, and doubting yourself will only make you more nervous.

As for the day of the AP test, Daniel warned, “You want to have extra pencils, lead, and pens if needed. The worst possible nightmare during an AP test is if you run out of lead and you don’t know what to do.” You lose time and this can even hurt your AP score. Having your cell phone go off in the middle of the test can also result in your scores being disqualified, so as the clock continues to tick until AP testing begins, spend the rest of April cramming in any last details, instead of cramming the night before. Try out practice tests because the secret to acing an AP test is learning the material thoroughly and reviewing. Most importantly, a good breakfast will start off your morning in a positive way. And especially to those of you taking it for the first time, Jackie said, “Don’t let the answer sheet scare you with its seemingly endless unmarked bubbles. You will do well!” Good luck to all students taking AP tests this year!

23

Earth Day

By VALERIE YU Staff Writer

Celebrated in more than 175 countries, Earth Day (Apr. 22) marks a special day set aside for us to think about and appreciate the precious planet that has given us so much.

More than ever, caring about the environment is the key to a better future of pollution-free air and a healthier world. Here at AHS, acts of appreciation and respect for our environment abound, as students commit to making Earth cleaner and greener.

On our very own campus, dozens of eco-friendly activities in honor of Earth Day were planned. Campus Environmental Club’s agenda consisted of a beach clean-up, the Los Angeles River Clean Up, and various Earth Day festivals in the greater Los Angeles area. Joining forces for the sake of promoting awareness about Earth Day, Students Sierra, Campus Environmental and AP Environmental Science students plan to host an environmental awareness fair on campus for elementary school students. According to Students Sierra Club President senior Heidi Lung, the fair “will take place in the last week of May, as there are too many activities and events going on during the weeks close to Earth Day itself.”

Celebrating the planet means not only recycling bottles and cans, but also spreading awareness of environmental issues and promoting a sense of responsibility to protect our planet. After all, caring about Earth is everyone’s job. Campus Environmental Club President senior Laura Tsu explained, “If we instill others with a feeling of responsibility, then that helps the long-term preservation of the Earth.” Campus Environmental Club Vice President junior Amber Young added that “Earth Day encourages people to step up and decide to cut back on wastes and make a difference.” For sophomore Shirleen Cheng, Earth Day and appreciating the environment means “keep[ing] this beautiful planet spinning and full with life,” allowing her “to preserve what [she] loves.” Senior Carpus Tin, ICC president and organizer of the bimonthly Campus Clean-up events, said, “We should change Earth Day to Earth Year, or Earth Years, so that we may constantly be on our toes about this pressing issue.”

Let’s treat every day as Earth Day. Whether it’s just throwing an empty bottle into the recycle bin, carpooling with friends, or simply, as Carpus said, “us[ing] less electricity by turning off appliances that [we] do not need to use,” every little gesture counts in respecting and caring for our dear planet Earth, as these students have demonstrated—especially here on our very own campus. Happy Earth Day!

rwang@apachepowwow.com Graphic courtesy of WILLIAMOFWALES.BLOGSPOT.COM

valyu@apachepowwow.com Graphic courtesy of CITYWINDSOR.CA

24

SPORTS

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April 2011

The 44th Arcadia Invitational

By ANDY QIN Staff Writer

In terms of running prestige, the tiny city obscured by Los Angeles known as Arcadia boasts a number of sizeable accolades. For starters, it is home to the 2011 California State Champions in cross country, the same team that went on to win Arcadia’s and California’s first national cross country title. But even before this running achievement badge of honor was pinned on Arcadia’s chest, Arcadia has always been the home of the largest high school track and field meet in the nation, the Arcadia Invitational.

Just as a brief historical background, the Arcadia Invitational is the home of 24 national records, meaning that in the history of the United States high schools, the marks recorded are the fastest, farthest, longest, or highest marks that high school students have ever achieved. As a result, the Invitational has always been a gathering of the nation’s best and has always adopted high standards for qualifying for competition. In the past, the stadium has seen the likes of some of the world’s most brilliant athletes in history including American mile record-holder Alan Webb, Beijing Olympic gold medalistt Allyson Felix, legendary hurdler and three-time ime gold medalist Gail Devers, and tw two-

time Olympic medalist and world-record holder in the long jump, with an immortal leap of 29 feet, 4.5 inches, Mike Powell. These names are only a few of the 125 future U.S. Olympians who competed. All this could not have occurred without the work of former AHS Track Coach Doug Smith, who envisioned a meet that would recognize the talents of all schools within the San Gabriel Valley. The first Arcadia Invitational was held in 1968 and only hosted six schools, whereas now it beckons the top talent from every powerhouse school in the United States.

Perhaps one of the most remarkable aspects of the meet is the drastic transformation that the stadium undergoes. The AHS Track and Field team begins by sweeping the track of any Astroturf particles or trash before a highpressure jet of water is used along the perimeter of the track, polishing it until it appears to be brand new. A JumboTron screen is wheeled onto the grassy area near the stadium, where it is wired to the intercom system, as well as four video cameras, one located on each corner of the track. Large canopy tents are set up all along the basketball court area, providing an outdoor coaches’ lounge. The throwing events, discus and shot put, receive special treatment, as a long tube system conout of PVC con structed ou pipe acts as a system to retrieve ve shot puts after

they have been thrown. The horizontal jump events are definitely not forgotten, as each long jump and triple jump pit’s sand is replaced with fresh sand and raked and leveled until it is at prime competition standards. In the middle of the football field is a pole vaulting runway and pit constructed piece by piece. All of this could not be possible without the generous assistance of the volunteers and coaches. The day before the competition begins, performance indicators, coolers of complimentary water and Gatorade, wind gauges, and, of course, the traditional lime-green cones that line the inside border of the track are the last items to be put on the track. That is, besides the premier athletes themselves.

Dyestat.com, the media organization that has been most loyal to reporting high school track and field statistics, often puts speculation reports on who it believes will be the main athletes to watch out for in upcoming seasons. The star athlete that Dyestat.com predicted to make the biggest waves on the national scene in the triple jump and long jump events was Marquis Dendy, a senior out of Middletown, Delaware.

In his junior year, Dendy astounded the nation by setting a nation-leading mark in the triple jump of 52’0.75” and an explosive 24’5.25” leap in the long jump. This year, he set a brilliant mark of 24’9.75” in the long jump, but was injured early in the triple jump, his premier event. Other names inclu include Simi Valley High School’s Sar Sarah Baxter, a freshman who to took the fastest time in the nation in her first year of high school. Decathlete Gunnar Nixon out of Santa Fe High S School in Oklahoma was also se set on taking the national Deca cathlon record of 7909 points set by decathlete Curtis Beach in 200 2009, which was set coincidentally at this Arcadia meet. Nixon unfor unfortunately scratched three times in the shot put event, costing him a ccrucial numbers of points in the series oof ten events. But after throwing again on international implements, was able to beat Beach’s record, set-

ting a mark of 7577 points. Nobody, though had a better night than Agoura High School senior Jonathan Cabral, who had the pressure set on him to defend his win last year in the 110 meter hurdles. He defended his title the best way he knew how— running a personal best and Arcadia Invitational meet record of 13.43. Just to top things off, Cabral went a personal-best 36.42 in the 300 meter hurdles, asserting his role as the king of high school hurdles, all in the course of one night.

As mentioned previously, to even have the qualifying marks to compete in this competition is by itself incredibly impressive. Only a select few of AHS Track athletes received the opportunity to represent AHS on its home turf.

Among them was senior Ammar Moussa, who is no stranger to the spotlight. Most recently, Ammar received 32nd in the world for runners under the age of 19, which is the fastest time for United States high school runners and certainly factored into the intimidation he brought to Saturday night’s 3200-meter invitational race. Ammar was accompanied by some of the best distance runners in the country including Matthew Jablonski, a senior out of Maryland who placed 2nd in the race with a scorching time of 8:50.80.

But he was 2nd place for a reason; Ammar felt especially brilliant that night and, as the classic hometown hero does, he took first place, running a personal best 8:49.59, breaking the 8:50barrier and improving his personal best by more than seven seconds. AHS also entered a Girls 4x400 relay as well as a Girls Sprint Medley relay and a Boys 4x400 relay which each wellrepresented AHS on its home turf.

In total, this year, the 44th annual Arcadia Invitational was a groundbreaking success primarily because it had lived up to all it had been predicted to be. When one brings together the elite athletes from all across the nation, sprinkles in a couple hometown heroes, and adds in a dozen nation-leading marks to be set, what one ends up with is an unforgettable meet. True to the slogan of the Arcadia Invitational, this meet demonstrated that “when the lights go on, the stars come out.” aqin@apachepowwow.com Photos by ELLIOTT LEE and TOMMY LIAO

sports@apachepowwow.com

April 2011

SPORTS

Boys Golf Swings into Action

By BELLE CHUANG Staff Writer

the number one golf team in league.” From the looks of their scores so far, that doesn’t seem to be a problem. ent from other sports Golf is differ differa match, all of the in that during Pacific League schools in the compete at once. can Though the team plays against all the teams in league rather than just one specific team, junior Brandon Truong commented that he doesn’t “really feel [pressured],” whereas during “huge

As May rapidly approaches, the Boys Varsity Golf team has more on its plate than usual. sual.

Besides worrying about upcoming SATs, APs, and CSTs, the Varsity team, composed mostly ostly of juniors and seniors, is striving to secure a position in CIF State Finals—a feat that has yet et to be accomplished at AHS. ders, With golf bags slung over their shoulders, the members of the Boys Varsity Golf team eam trek across the rolling greens, determined d to trump their competition. Donning matching g red polos and black slacks, the boys radiate confi onfieam dence—and they should. This year, the team shows “more promise than ever before,” commented Captain junior Richard Jeong. Since last spring, the team has grown literally and figuratively. The addition of a transfer student, sophomore Bryan Shin, who has been playing tournament golf and can compete at a high level, has proved to be beneficial to the team. Coach Photos by TOMMY LIAO Robert Greep com- BOYS GOLF Junior Anthony Pidlaoan concentrates on mended Bryan’s efforts his swing, which could win the match. on the golf course, stating that “during league play the boys stepped it tournaments, [he] feels [pressured] because up with Richard and Bryan, [who played] very [when] representing AHS’ golf team outside of [strongly] in the last match.” The players, “now our city, there is a bit to prove.” As of right now, juniors and seniors, have improved from when the team upholds a near perfect record, having [they] were” underclassmen, and are capable only lost two games; the overall record is 10-2, of playing to their full potential. Senior Jake while its league record is 7-0.

Jake realized that the boys are “nearing Bergara stated that it is a goal of the team to “shoot good scores because [they] want to be the end of the season,” that they “have done

pretty well so far,” and “are steadily improving [their] game.” Although the team seems on track for success, there are some setbacks.

However, with mistakes come improvement and the members of the Varsity team want to improve as much as they can “so [they] can be prepared for next season because it will be the last season for a majority of the players on the team,” Brandon disclosed. Brandon, as well as fellow teammates Richard and junior Jason Park, agreed that a major problem that is holding the team back is inconsistency. Their inconsistency is attributed to poor performances during some matches, but the team has only lost a few matches, all to schools outside of their league. Brandon reflected that one match was against a “tough team [they] don’t normally play” and that they had only lost by a margin.

However, “if [the boys] are going to be successful, [they] cannot play like they have in the past few matches,” explained Coach Greep. Despite the mar on the team’s otherwise impeccable records, it has managed to hang on to its current undefeated league title.

Richard set his expectations high, expecting “the team will do better than [it] has ever done in the past.” His expectations are not as unattainable as they seem, with all the strengths that the team possesses. Jake found that a strength of the team is that the boys are able to recover when they “get in bad situations and never lose [their] cool.” The various golf tournaments and matches have tested the team’s strengths and also allowed the boys to really bond and get to know each other. Their bonds have helped to strengthen teamwork on the golf greens. This year with teamwork and effort, the boys are on a sure path to success on the greens, prevailing over their competitors. bchuang@apachepowwow.com

This Swim Season Goes Swimmingly

single meet. The coaches are more strict this year because they want to see every swimmer Staff Writer improve their times.” Complimenting the effort Swimming is an art. The strokes, the and motivation this team has, Coaches Janice breaths, the uncanny ability to flip and return Clark and Ray Mynster understand that there the opposite direction must be perfectly pracare championship contenders here. ticed and placed. Watching our AHS Boys and Although this is a common goal among evGirls Varsity Swim team is like watching an artery team, our very own swim team seems much ist paint a masterpiece. Like an accomplished closer to accomplishing artist, AHS Varsity Swim this goal than the rest. Emhas always dominated ily stated, “There are a lot its competition, and this of returning swimmers that year is no different. found new events to pursue 2010-2011 Boys for CIF, so there are some and Girls Swim are off changes in who swims what to a quick start, floodevents this year. Overall, I ing away the competifeel like our team has such tion. Captain senior a strong connection that we Clark Fisher said, “Our grew closer as a family as team has been working well.” hard since last year to The 2010-2011 seaachieve these goals and son is well underway, but we hope to see a major the League Championship improvement from last Photos by TOMMY LIAO trophy seems to have been year’s performances.” already decided. Boys and With easy wins against BOYS AND GIRLS SWIM As the season commences, it becomes steadily Girls Varsity Swim continBurroughs, Glendale, more evident that the Boys and Girls Swim team is on its way to earning the ues to sweep its opponents, and Hoover, this team League Championship trophy. with very little setbacks, and of talented swimmers is ready for a triumphant posing teams, destroying their confidence, and is primed for huge success in the immediate fuseason. The team seems determined to improve boosting the team’s morale. Captain junior Em- ture. on last year’s great season while dedicating this ily Chow said, “Everyone is training at their top season to hard work and immense talent. Clark level so we can all perform our best at every schu@apachepowwow.com

By STEPHEN CHU

said, “Last year the majority of swimmers who made it to the CIF level were juniors; therefore we have a great deal of senior talent that has matured and trained hard over the past year to make this year one of the best years.”

A trend here at AHS seems to be the growth of powerful and victorious Boys and Girls Swim teams. Both have been known to wreak havoc on the op-

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Sergio Chen

Photo by ELLISON CHEN

By CHRISTINE SUN Staff Writer

As kids, we were always taught to pursue our dreams and unceasingly persevere.

Even when hardships ensue and may get the best of us, we should always press on, and as the old cliché goes, “Never give up”. If you ask senior Sergio Chen, a two-year veteran of the Boys Varsity Volleyball team, this is a testament that he definitely holds true. In fact, with this uplifting mindset constantly in play, he’s been able to achieve many of his long sought-after goals, including being on the Boys Varsity Volleyball team. Sergio noted that as a freshman he didn’t make the cut, but the following year, the dedication and effort he invested were definitely rewarded, as he not only made the Frosh/Soph team, but also became the MVP that year and “led [the team] to be undefeated.” And from there on out, it’s all been history.

For the last two years, Sergio has been an active member of the Varsity team and as he noted, being on the team has definitely helped him gain determination. He stated, “The longer I’ve been on [Varsity Volleyball], the more I want to better myself for the team.” In addition to his constant determination, Captain senior Preston Lee believes that Sergio’s “best quality is his bright personality.” Sergio’s “extremely carefree” persona allows him to “always keep things interesting” with his many jokes and one-liners from songs. Preston revealed that not only is Sergio “always the first to cheer for or high five his teammates,” but he also “provides the most laughs during practice.” In short, Preston stated, there’s “never [been] one dull moment” with Sergio.

As his senior year winds to a close, so does his last year playing high school volleyball as an Apache. Over the years, Sergio has shared many exciting experiences with his teammates, but of the numerous memories he’s had with the team, the “most memorable part is [ultimately] the tournaments.

You spend the whole day with your teammates doing what you love to do, and that is to play volleyball so what can be better than that?” Sergio said. But of course, like most things, there is another draw to it, and in this case, it’s the “amazingly delicious food [the team parents bring] for [the team] to eat!”

So whether it’s the food or the experience, Sergio is more than grateful for the chance to share these unforgettable times with his teammates. csun@apachepowwow.com

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CALENDAR

Race to The Derby for Prom Night

By GLUTTON GIRL Staff Writer

Prom. Prom. Prom. Prom. Prom. For this past month, I’m sure we’ve all been hearing about nothing but prom from our fellow peers and ASB members. And I’m sure everyone is pumped and excited for the annual extravaganza in their own little way. Girls, that means dress and shoe shopping. Boys… uhh, well, unless you’re not fully paying for everything like the girls expect you to, your excitement will most likely come from choosing a nice restaurant to take your lovely date. And so to make the night even more memorable, why not choose one of the most legendary restaurants in Arcadia that has a history with the renowned Santa Anita Racetrack?

Still don’t know what restaurant I’m talking about? Take a couple of hints. The restaurant is primarily a steakhouse, and highlights championship horses like Seabiscuit. Still have no clue? Well, you’ve probably driven past the establishment at least a good 24 times and overlooked it, despite it being located right next to Souplantation on Huntington Dr. Think you’ve got it now?

Yup, you’re correct! It’s The Derby!

Growing up in Arcadia, it’s sad to see such a historical part of our city be overlooked by so many of our peers. How many of us can honestly say that we’ve experienced dining in this historical establishment?

Very few of us. And so to make this Prom even more memorable, take a trip down to The Derby and take a quick history lesson all the while enjoying great steaks and refreshments.

We’ve all seen The Derby before: colorful stained glass windows, clay jockeys near the entranceways, brown paint, and a wild ar-

Photos by GLUTTON GIRL

MEAT AND POTATOES Filet mignon steak is wrapped in bacon and served with a side of baked potatoes and onion rings. ray of flowers at the edges of the pathways.

But despite how beautiful the sight seems to be, the interior brings the exterior to shame.

Once you walk in, you’re greeted with a calm, classy ambiance. The lighting is dim, soft music is played throughout the restaurant, and small, soft chatter is heard from each set of diners. Once you request your seat, you’re welcome to wait in the small lounge area where large cases of race track memorabilia are kept. Pictures of Seabiscuit, his jockey, as well as other famous horses and collectables overstock the shelves, allowing you to fully

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April 2011

The Ugly Truth

BY CHRISTOPHER CHO

learn about the history and victories of the Santa Anita Race Track.

After learning more about the city that we all love and grew up in, my table was called, and after winding around bright red booths, a fireplace, and the kitchen, we ar-

DERBY DELIGHT Prime top sirloin is served with a tangy mustard sauce, string beans and creamy mashed potatoes. rived at our destination. Forming a C-shape, the booths allowed extra space for arm and leg room, making the seats more comfortable than expected. In addition, booths were generally spaced far apart to ensure privacy within groups.

Not long after we sat down, our server came by with some garlic cheese bread and swiftly took our order. Making a critical mistake, my friend and I decided to only order two entrees, not informed of the 40-minute wait for our steaks to arrive. We simply ordered a Derby Delight and The Derbys’ most famous steak, the Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon.

By the time the steaks finally came, my friend and I were starving. Not even bothering with any form of communication, we both grabbed our set of knives and forks and DUG IN. The first thing I noticed was the great quality of the steaks. Both steaks had the perfect proportion of meat and fat, and it created the strongest flavor possible. The meat was extremely tender and juicy, and it was hands down, the best steak I’ve ever had in my life. The Derby Delight’s light mustard sauce matched the steak perfectly, creating a collision of sweet and meaty flavor, and the Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon had a light flavor that was simply irresistible.

Overall, I think The Derby is a great place to dine at. And if you’re fussing about whether you’ll feel awkward eating in your prom dress while sitting around others in simple jeans and t-shirt. No worries! The Derby requires dressy attire, so you don’t need to fret about looking too out of place.

The food, namely the steaks, were spectacular, but the only thing that killed me was the waiting time. All in all, I probably waited an hour total for seats and food. So be smart and get a reservation, it’ll save you lots of down time. I give The Derby an 8 out of 10. The food and the aura was great, but knowing that I spent half my time waiting, really killed part of my mood. And who am I? That’s a secret I’ll never tell! You know you love me, XOXO, Glutton Girl. gluttongirl@apachepowwow.com

A Shakespearean Tragedy

BY MICHELLE ZHANG

Spring “Break”

BY MICHELLE ZHANG

Graphics courtesy of BLOG.COM, ETC.USF.EDU, FRONTROWKING.COM, LOSTGIRLSWORLD. COM, PICABOO.COM, WORDPRESS.COM

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April 2011

ask KAY

The Wishlist Evolution Need advice? Send your questions to

BY MICHELLE ZHANG

askkay@apachepowwow.com or formspring.me/AskKay

CALENDAR 27 123456789 Sudoku

Q A

My friend and I got into this big argument a while ago and it really tore our friendship apart. Now it’s mended, yet sometimes I feel like we’re being really fake and I feel that he/she still harbors hateful feelings for me. How should I deal with this?

Firstly, remember to keep your feelings out of it so that you can understand the problems you have with your friend. Then, I think that you should sit down with your friend and discuss these feelings of worry and discord. Though it might be a very touchy topic that the both of you would rather avoid, leaving the problem on the back burner will only cause it to fire-up and explode another day. Try to find a good moment when you and your friend can talk seriously about your strained relationship. Then remind your friend that it’s all in the past and that if he/she values your friendship, then a simple fight can’t prevent you from being friends. Then remind your friend of all your past memories together and if he/ she values your friendship, then a simple fight can’t prevent you from being friends.

Hi, I’ve been feeling really out of touch with my best friend lately. I feel like I never see or talk to him/her anymore. Whenever we try to meet or talk, one of us is always busy. I don’t want us to just grow apart like this. Any tips?

This has happened a lot with me, and I understand your situation completely. From my experience, all you have to do is simply set a time and date, without breaking it whatsoever.

Plan a hangout or bonding event that has a special meaning to your friendship and just let your past friendship take over from there. Try going to a place that you’ve previously visited and have had good memories to remind him/her of your long friendship together.

Though the first few moments might seem hard to bear and slow, once the two of you start talking, you will find yourself on that normal track of friendship and happiness again.

I’m in the closet right now and I’m having trouble coming out for fear of what others might say or think, especially my friends and family. What should I do?

I’m glad that you have finally accepted who you are! For that first step, there are other people you can talk to besides friends and family if you aren’t as ready to tell them; for example, a guidance counselor or someone you trust completely. While telling your friends and family is a difficult process, it’s not fair for you to hide your true self from your loved ones. Don’t be ashamed of who you are! The main point is that there will always be people who will love you for who you are.

I’ve had feelings for a close friend of mine. I’ve asked him/her out before and got put in the friend zone. Now we’re getting closer and I think I have a may have a chance, but what if it’s just all in my head? Should I risk asking only to get hurt again? Or just trust that his/her feelings have stayed the same?

You need to understand that your feelings can’t be forced onto another person. I know it is hard to deal with having unrequited feelings, but don’t be hasty. Don’t push your feelings onto this person immediately a second time; you should always gauge your actions. In this situation, you should just give it some time. Wait for them to make the first move. This person already knows that you like them and so if they do start to develop mutual feelings, they will open up to you or approach you first themselves. Though it might just be “all in your head”, don’t give up hope. Though it’s cliché, it still rings true: if it’s meant to be, it’ll happen.

Q A Q A Q A

Find The Odd Egg Out

Puzzle courtesy of WEBSUDOKU.COM

Energetic Aries Mar. 20 - Apr. 20

By SUE WANG Staff Writer

As the school year winds down and summer approaches, you Aries will be on a lucky streak until May. In April, you are nearing the beginning of a brand-new cycle that will start on your birthday. Even though April is off to a sluggish start, more activities will arise in the middle of the month, and as you hone your leadership skills, you should also be careful of not acting too egotistically.

You are a courageous and responsible leader who is selfreliant and independent. Since you have an immense amount of energy, you prefer extremes in all aspects, making you a very spontaneous and unpredictable individual who may sometimes be argumentative and highly opinionated.

In relationships, you are candid and direct, serving as an enthusiastic and generous friend who brings a lot of fun into your friends’ lives. However, you are also known among your friends for your quick temper.

To boost your luck, you should wear red or scarlet, and your lucky number is nine. Tuesday is your lucky day. People who are compatible with you are usually Leos and Sagittarians; however, you might also be drawn to your polar opposites, Libras. Some famous Aries include singer Mariah Carey, talk show host David Letterman, and poet Maya Angelou.

Having a tendency to be outspoken, open, and decisive, you are quick to speak and even quicker to act. You are not someone who lingers around and ponders over problems for a long time. Because you are a person of action, you demonstrate little subtlety and are prone to impatience and arrogance.

As a person who enjoys challenges and championing causes, you get bored easily and lead a fast-paced and hectic life that causes most people to feel overwhelmed. In addition, you dislike waiting around and admitting failure.

Jumping from project to project, you rarely find a single thing to settle on; instead, you are a curious individual who delves into new areas and explores many different fields of interest. For a change, try channeling all your energy into a single task, and you are bound to accomplish something extraordinary. swang@apachepowwow.com

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April 2011