February 2009 by The Arcadia Quill

Volume 57, Issue 6

Arcadia High School 180 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA

February 2009

Budget Deficit Strikes Arcadia

In this issue:

Photo Courtesy of CARA ALLEN

FEATURES pg.11 Broken Heart Remedies: Five ways to put back the pieces after Single Awareness Day. Graphic by REGINA FANG

AHS BUDGET CRISIS As the United States plummets into an even larger deficit, AHS is starting to feel the financial burden, resulting in budget cuts that will affect the entire district, including both teachers and students. year’s state budget was just passed this month, and criminatory process is absolutely necessary and By ANDRÉS DELGADO Opinion Editor

Photo by ASHLEY JOHNSON

STUDENT LIFE pg.18 Arcadia’s Got Talent: An exclusive look at the unique skills held by your fellow Apaches.

Photo Courtesy of MRS. LESLIE GOLPER

SPORTS pg.21 Todd Golper Tackles UCLA: Senior Todd Golper signs to play football next year at UCLA.

Now is not a good time to be a public institution. Our country rests on shaky economic foundations. The stock market is in freefall, the deficit is $10,846,141,730,472 and rising, and Congress has just passed an $879 billion stimulus package to combat a crisis with no end in sight. No one has gone completely unscathed, and the state of California is grappling with financial woes of its own. The state deficit is roughly $41 billion, and only recently were state law makers able to pass a budget. What does this mean for us? History shows us that when deficits hit, one of the first places to feel the impact is education. “We live in a state that balances the budget on the backs of our children,” said principal David Vannasdall, and the intrusion of politics on education is clear to see. Bad fiscal years often bring large cuts to education, a consistent trend in California legislation. The recently passed California state budget cuts K-12 education by 11.6 billion and introduces a blanket 10% cut to the UC/CSU system. Schools across the state are struggling to mitigate the damage. The Arcadia Unified School District determines its three-year budget based upon funding projections released by the governor’s office in January. With the budget gridlock, however, last

the financial picture looks grim. As a result, AUSD will have to make significant sacrifices next year. The most visible element of this reorganization is the potential staff cuts. State law mandates that by Mar. 15, teachers and other staff members serving in the district must receive notice that they could be let go. This does not signify that they are laid off, but rather indicates that they could be laid off at the end of this school year, depending on the financial circumstances. All schools in the district will be affected. There are several important things to remember about the staff cuts. First, there will be no mass layoffs of teachers. Most of the teachers notified will remain in their posts. As part of school district policy, the district must inform employees of the possibility of their dismissal. The number of employees in danger changes daily. “It’s a moving target,” said Mr. Kevin Fox, teacher and Arcadia Teacher’s Association Bargaining Team member, “it’s not that the district won’t tell us, it’s that they just don’t know.” At the moment, Mr. Vannasdall believes that as many as 10-15 teachers and at least one administrator may leave AHS, but again, that is subject to change. Second, this kind of cut, known as a Reduction In Force cut, is not performance based. The administration will give no aptitude tests before deciding whether or not to retain a teacher. Some students may see this as unfair, but this nondis-

contractual. The school must demonstrate that the cuts are motivated purely by budgetary concerns, so only seniority and credentials may be considered. Third, some students may be wondering why teachers need to be laid off while the school continues to spend money on construction. Why not divert some of that money to paying additional teachers? Measure I, passed by local voters, gave the school money to improve its facilities. However, those funds may be used for construction only, and the administration does not have the discretion to use it how it wishes. No matter how much they may want to, they cannot use it to supplement teachers’ paychecks. No public school in California will be able to escape the budget crunch, and AHS is no exception. “Cuts like these are inevitably disruptive to learning,” said Mr. Vannasdall. However, he remains optimistic that strong community support will help us pull through this crisis and allow us to continue offering the teams and clubs that give AHS its character. No matter how much worse the situation may become, we can be sure that AHS will continue to thrive. In the words of Mr. Fox, “We have to remember that we’re a lot better off than most other districts in this state because of the careful management of the district and community over the years.” adelgado@theapachepowwow.com

NEWS

News

Briefs

February 26-27

- Drama: Coffee House

- Orchestra Benefit Dinner

March 2

- Junior Parent meeting (7 p.m. in North Gym) - Grad Night meeting (7 p.m.)

- Sophomore Parent meeting (7 p.m. in North Gym)

- Freshman Parent meeting (7 p.m. in North Gym) - Swim Test during lunch - Orchestra Vertical Concert

- ELD Parent meeting (6:40 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.) - AHS PTSA Meeting (7 p.m.)

10-11

- CAHSEE

- SAT Test only

- Sadie Hawkins Dance

23-27

- Traffic Safety Week

theapachepowwow.com

February 2009

We Swear Never to Swear Again tinues updating his website, nocussing.com, which consists of over 20,000 members interStaff Writer nationally. Realizing Hatch’s attempt to raise awareness of cussing, senior Nick Wang said, On a typical school day, students can hear “I admire McKay’s move to stop something vulgar language from across the halls to within worldwide and think it’s inferior for people to the walls of the cafeteria. From the geeks to the [cuss].” jocks, dirty language is, no doubt, a common So why the foul language? Accordtrend. But would a club chartered at AHS ing to junior Kevin Yuan, “People cuss to to motivate students to stop cussing actumake themselves seem tough.” Used often ally succeed? in movies and television shows, profanity In 2007, 14-year-old McKay Hatch is often accepted by society. As our generchallenged a couple of his classmates to ation is drastically different from previous stop using profanity. His classmates acones, the habit of swearing reaches down cepted the challenge, but of course, some to even the youth. failed. Because of that, Hatch decided to Hatch sees the increasing usage of start a club in his junior high in South foul language as an overwhelming problem Pasadena to prevent the usage of profanin modern society. Until the day profanity ity. The club, known as the “No Cussing ceases to exist, Hatch vows to unwaverClub,” soon became the target of harassingly continue spread his philosophy. He ers. has been on various television shows, inHatch has received thousands of Including Jay Leno and Dr. Phil, and wrote ternet death threats, pranks, and calls from a book titled The No Cussing Club, How strangers through his e-mail, mailbox, and Photo Courtesy of NOCUSSING.COM I Fought Peer Pressure and How You Can telephone since he started his club. The harassers consider Hatch’s club an effort THE NO CUSSING CLUB Hatch and his club Too! The next time you walk through to restrict the freedom of speech. Senior members asks if you are up to the challenge. the hallway and hear a dirty exchange of Kyle Kim said, “I think if there is such a club, it qualifies for a Yes for Cussing Club be- with my bare fists.” Similar terrorizing threats words, think of McKay Hatch, the young boy cause both would allow a person to exercise his have prompted Hatch and his family to contact who decided to stand up for what he believed freedom of speech.” On the other hand, junior the police. Detectives are currently investigat- was harming his peers. When Hatch started his Raymond Tsai “personally thinks that a simple ing the numerous anonymous messages sent to global club, he challenged not only his classmates to stop cussing, but also the rest of the club supporting the usage of a better language Hatch to capture the harassers. But Hatch, now merely 16 years old, be- world. has nothing to do with the freedom of speech.” But one threat crossed the line. He received lieves that these non-supporters are “bullies” jlin@theapachepowwow.com a call while he was visiting a family member and is determined to not let them win. He con-

By JENNY LIN

in the hospital saying, “I know you’re gone, you’re not there, and I’m in front of your house and I’m going to kill your family.” Another sent a frightening e-mail stating that “Every time I see your stupid [expletive] braces on those stupid [expletive] teeth of yours on that stupid [expletive] face of yours I just want to kill you

Virginia Tech Tragedy: Part Two Pack Your Bags For Another Vacation By MICHELLE CHIEN Staff Writer

Virginia Tech, still reeling from the bloodshed that took thirty-two innocent lives nearly two years ago, is back in the news once again as this beleaguered institution of higher learning deals with yet another horrific event—the brutal and mysterious decapitation of a 22-yearold graduate student. What began as a normal day for Xin Yang, a 22-year-old graduate student from China, ended in a devastating tragedy. In a puzzling sequence of events, Yang was murdered on Jan. 21 by her 25-year-old companion, Haiyang Zhu, as the two were having a coffee together at an Au Bon Pain restaurant at the school’s Graduate Life Center. Even stranger, witnesses report that there was no sign of an argument or disagreement before the attack was even made—in fact, the two were getting along perfectly fine. So no one could have foreseen what was to come in the next few moments. Around 7 p.m., Zhu shocked the patrons of the restaurant by pulling out an 8-inch kitchen knife and then proceeding to murder his companion; when police arrived at the scene of the crime, they discovered a bloody Zhu holding Yang’s head in his hands. He did not resist arrest. Yang had arrived on campus two weeks earlier to study accounting. Alone in a completely new country, Yang reached out to other Chinese students in hopes of establishing more stability in her new home—one of whom was Zhu. Though the two apparently did not know each other particularly well, Zhu was listed as one of Yang’s emergency contacts according to school file, hinting at possibly an even stronger connection between the two. However, nothing is for certain. Why Yang was so brutally mur-

dered, still remains a complete mystery. “All of his friends are very, very shocked,” Kim Beisecker, director of Virginia Tech’s Cranwell International Center, said to reporters. “They all indicated that they would never have expected this of him and are searching for understanding, for an explanation, as we all are. And we just don’t have one.” Despite the enigmatic nature of the crime, the backlash of the occurrence has impacted the school greatly. Still suffering from the after effects of Cho Seung Hui’s gory massacre, the school hasn’t managed to escape the tragedies as well the cultural tensions it creates. Much like the reaction to the South Korean community two years ago, in the wake of this bloodshed, the school has received countless emails, letters, and phone calls attacking foreigners. In an open letter to the campus, university president, Charles Steger, expressed his regrets for some of the comments that were made by others in response to the attack and retains that the school is an open and accepting community, noting that nothing of the attack seemed to connect to ethnic issues. “What happened was truly unfortunate, but I also don’t think this should cause any racial tensions. This could have happened for many other reasons, but I’m pretty sure it didn’t happen because of this guy’s race,” said junior Helen Chen. When it seemingly could not get any worse, tragedy struck Virginia Tech once again. Yet, unlike the previous attack, the reasons behind this decapitation may forever remain an unexplicable mystery - Virginia Tech’s tragedy: part two. mchien@theapachepowwow.com Photo Courtesy of CLKER.COM

By ELAINE TSUI Staff Writer

Another vacation. Five fewer school days would provide all students with another break in the seemingly never-ending school year and more time to sleep, study, and play. But what if another vacation also means less time to study for that net ionic quiz? Caused by the budget deficit, yet another proposal to cut state spending erupted in Sacramento. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger supports the plan to shorten the school year by five days for all public schools throughout California. Although it would save the state an overwhelming $1.1 billion, parents and educators are protesting against this possible measure, worried about the consequences that they believe would ultimately hurt the students. However, students at AHS believe that five fewer school days would give them another break from the hectic school year. “I would love five more days off from school, but if it means learning the material in each class at a faster pace, I rather keep the original 180-day calendar,” said junior Shirley Chang. According to Shirley, despite the appealing idea of having five fewer days of school, she recognizes that there may not be enough time to cover the standards required by each class, which will only hurt her own education. A school-year calendar of 175 days would mean a limited amount of time to cover the state standards, if they are taught at all. Parents fear that the overall quality of the education would deteriorate if school-day cuts are added to the low-funded public school system. Critics also believe that the U.S.,

which already requires less time in school than other countries such as China and India, will continue to fall behind internationally if it shortens the school year. Many critics of the proposal accuse the governor of failing to understand the struggles of most Californians, especially because the governor sends his own children to private schools. However, supporters of the governor’s plan argue that many school districts that do not want other more severe funding cuts approve of his proposal. Some school districts want to avoid funding cuts that would inevitably lead to employee layoffs and cuts to arts and music programs. However, Mr. David Vannasdall asserts that Arcadia will not be affected. “The state is balancing a budget on the backs of kids and I believe that’s wrong. Regardless of budgetary issues, there’s no redoing education.” He believes that the state does not and cannot dictate what goes on in schools. “As much as [the governor] likes to talk...the notion is comical; it’s laughable,” he said. Despite this, a $4 million deficit in the district’s budget still exists. As a result, staff members will be laid off, creating larger class sizes to make up for the budget cuts. The way the school decides who will be laid off is first determined by department and then by seniority. Cuts to the school budget are inevitable, and AHS will see many changes in the next year. Whether they are more breaks in the school year, less teachers, or smaller class sizes, all students must eventually adapt to them, even if it means studying harder for that chemistry quiz. etsui@theapachepowwow.com

February 2009

theapachepowwow.com

A Window of Opportunity

have been really troublesome to keep the competition. His family contacted the taking the ring off. I don’t think there’s police immediately, and like often seen Staff Writers anything more grief-bringing than hav- in movies, a police report was compiled, All it took was one open window. ing one’s wedding ring stolen. That’s just and fingerprints were dusted for. But this One window they could climb through heart-breaking.” was no action flick, and according to AnAccording to the Arcadia Police drés, there probably will not be a happy easily. One window they could use to reach the gleaming jackpot. And by the Department, the recent burglaries share ending. “It’s unlikely that the perpetratime someone realized what happened, similar characteristics. Most have oc- tors will be caught because the police they would already be done with what curred during daytime hours on week- simply do not have the time or the money days, when most houses are at their most to pursue all these break-ins to the fullest they came here to do. With the economy in a downward vulnerable state—completely empty. extent.” Although his home was comprospiral and unemployment rising at an The burglaries were also committed by mised, he still felt that “Arcadia is one of alarming rate, 50 residential burglaries organized groups of thieves, which was the safest places to live, comparatively.” have occurred in Arcadia since Jan. 1, exactly what happened to Sherry. “Our As a result of this incident, his family 2009, and nine burglaries occurred with- neighbor thought [the burglars] were installed an alarm system, complete with in only one week earlier this month. As our gardeners…because apparently, one door alarms and motion sensors, to preexpected, when break-ins sweep the city, of them snuck in through the back win- vent future burglaries. AHS students will inevitably be swept dow, and opened the front door for his Recently, Arcadia was named the other accomplices,” with them. “Best Place to Raise she said. A few months ago, Kids” in California by The Police Desenior Sherry Wang’s Business Week, and partment agrees that house was broken into, along with this title, the increase in resiand her family lost somecame the message that dential burglaries “is thing priceless that day. Arcadia was a safe and due in part to our curOn that seemingly ordihealthy environment rent economic crisis, nary day, Sherry returned for children growing as well as the profit home around 6:00 PM afup. Despite this, the reter her part-time job, and Photo by REGINA FANG that is made from Photo by REGINA FANG cent burglaries portray her mother notified her S H E R R Y W A N G property stolen by ANDRÉS DELGADO Arcadia as still a reguthat their house had been Her home sweet home thieves,” according He finds his home just a lar city susceptible to robbed. Drawers were will never be the same to Detective Troy tad different from when the effects of the ecohe left it. Hernandez. dumped out, and closets again. nomic downturn. A couple months after Sherry’s were rummaged through. Her step-dad’s They watched the house for a week old money collection and their jewelry home was broken into, senior Andrés and observed all the residents’ living was stolen, but most upsetting, was her Delgado was forced into the same star- patterns. They are ready to commit the mother’s wedding ring. “The fact that tling predicament. However, Andrés and crime. Now, all they need is one open they took my mom’s wedding ring re- his family were up in Sacramento for the window of opportunity. ally made me angry,” said Sherry. “She’s Constitution Team State Competition a nurse, so she has to wash her hands during the break-in, and they only disetsui@theapachepowwow.com many times throughout the day. It would covered the break-in upon returning from tyao@theapachepowwow.com

By ELAINE TSUI & TRACY YAO

Sasha and Malia in the Eyes of the World By MICHELLE CHIEN Staff Writer

With so many Americans headover-heels in love with the first family, none of the Obamas have so quickly garnered as much attention as the first daughters, Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10, prove that “change” has swept the nation in more ways than one. Children of past presidents have always attracted a flurry of media attention, and the Obama girls are no different. In a time where photos and videos can be snapped by anyone with a cell phone and uploaded on the worldwide web in a matter of mere seconds, the risk of overexposure runs high. Still, Obama and his wife, Michelle, have made it clear to keep their lives as normal as possible, despite the extraordinary circumstances. However, in the days following the election of President Barack Obama, the company that brought the world Beanie Babies introduced two new dolls in their Ty Girlz collection named “Sweet Sasha” and “Marvelous Malia,” seemingly fashioned in the likes of the first daughters. Initially, Ty executive, Tania Lundeen, told the Chicago Sun Times that the girls were the inspirations for the dolls; however, in the wake of harsh criticism from the first family, Lundeen later recanted that statement and denied

the girls have become the latest targets of consumerism and its shrewd entrepreneurs looking for the next big thing to sell to the masses. To reflect this growing mentality, talent and modeling scouts are now on the lookout for young girls who resemble the first daughters. Most recently, magazine powerhouse, Harper’s Bazaar, cast a six-year-old model bearing a strong resemblance to Sasha Obama for a photo spread showing an African-American family in the White House. Since then, there has been an increased demand for the first daughter look-alikes at some of the biggest agencies, including New York’s Wilhelmina Kids. Proving that there’s nothing like a powerful “brand” to boost sales, J. Crew’s website crashed because of the overwhelming internet traffic it received the very same day the Photo Courtesy of ABCNEWS.COM girls donned the brand’s outfits at the inFIRST DOLLS The first daughter dolls auguration. Thus, it comes as no shock that the are cute, but are they appropriate? children of the biggest celebrity of the “I don’t think the dolls were made moment, Barack Obama, are currently to make fun of the girls or cause any seen as two of the most lucrative and harm,” says junior Helen Chen. Junior bankable “business ventures” out there. Leah Wong said, “I think it’s cute. I mean But the Obamas’ desire for normality they sell High School Musical dolls, why may be hard to achieve. The public’s fasnot Sasha and Malia dolls?” Although cination with Sasha and Malia begs the the company has fervently denied accu- question: have the first daughters become sations of the doll’s relationship to Sasha merely capitalism’s newest product? and Malia, it would be a stretch to call mchien@theapachepowwow.com it a mere coincidence. Unfortunately, any direct association, saying, “Sasha and Malia were beautiful names that worked very well with the dolls we were making.” In response, Michelle Obama’s staff immediately released a statement, “We feel it is inappropriate to use private citizens for marketing purposes.” Two weeks later, Ty took the dolls off the shelf.

NEWS

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

Lisa Chang and Laura Kelly Veronica Lim Iris Chen and Erica Win Andrés Delgado and Kayla Pang Kristen Shields and Daphne Tan Melissa Chen and Cora Ormseth Eleana Chiang and Emily Rueter Kristie Tom Tracy Lee Jennifer Hang Velinda Liao and Emily Litvack Joanna Chuang Michael Chen Christine Xu Regina Fang, Yentl Ip, Ashley Johnson, and Gregory Zajac Billy Cao and Yentl Ip Christine Howard and David Yao Aisha Elmasri

Writers News Staff Michelle Chien, June Ko, Jenny Lin, Elaine Tsui, Tracy Yao Opinion Staff Tiffany Gu, Nuria Mathog, Kate Trinh, Christine Xu, Emily Yang, Bill Zhou Performing Arts Staff Katherine Bay, Eileen Chow, Tiffany Gu, Laureen Ma, Sammi Wong Student Life Staff Debbie Jong, Lena Kalemkiarian, Esther Lin,Melissa Ma, Linda Wang, Christine Xu, Melanie Yuen Features Staff Celeste Cheung, Amber Kakish, Alwyna Lau, Amy Leong, Gloria Liou, Joanna Shen, Kate Trinh, Marissa Xing, Melanie Yuen Sports Staff Aisha Elmasri, Shawna Lim, Andrew Lin, Victoria Tran, Tracy Yao, Gregory Zajac Academics Staff Celeste Cheung, Richard Fu, Ivy Jenn, Jenny Lin, Sean Maroongroge, Oishee Shemontee, Joe Tian Center Spread Staff Lauren Wong Calendar Staff Katherine Bay, David Hernandez, Lisa Hung Campus Focus Staff Angela Shen Advertisement Staff James Chung, Gavin Fu, David Hernandez, Lisa Hung, June Ko, Stephanie Lee, Gloria Liou, Erik Stratton, David Yao, Ashley Young Photo Staff Peter Huang Web Staff Jennifer Hang, Peter Huang, Ashley Johnson, Stephanie Lee, Amy Leong, Velinda Liao, Emily Litvack, Laureen Ma, Nuria Mathog, Angela Shen, Joe Tian, Victoria Tran, Melanie Yuen 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. Student’s work does not represent the views of Arcadia High School or the Arcadia Unified School District. Address letters to the editor to: AHS Apache Pow Wow, 180 W. Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA 91007. To place an advertisement in the newspaper, call (626) 821-8370. Advertisement rates vary from $30 for a business card advertisement to $380 for a full-page black and white advertisement, with quarter-page, half-page, and advertisement insert options available. Photos Courtesy of TALKWORTHY.COM ACCLAIMIMAGES.COM

OPINION

theapachepowwow.com

February 2009

What We’ve Learned, What We’ve Earned, and Where We’ll Go From Here S E N I O R Graphic by DAVID HERNANDEZ

By TRACY LEE Academics Editor

First semester: 23,578,239,857 hours working on apps, 395 crying over apps, 2,304,857 trying to keep up my GPA for the mid-year report for apps, 12,434 rewriting essays for apps, 34,858 worrying that my apps didn’t get in on time, 3,452 worrying that I missed something in my apps, and yeah…applications. Second semester: All fun, all the time! No work! 90 days of relaxation ahead! This was seriously what I thought. For a while. I clung to the hope of a brighter future, and this hope kept me afloat during the long hours and late nights of tears over college applications and the three years before. For three-and-a-half years, I had this naïve belief that I would only have to force myself to continue with ridiculous overachieving until second semester during senior year. Then I could relax. Just until second semester, just until second semester… Unfortunately, now that I’ve weathered the first few weeks of my imagined glorytime, I’ve come to realize that second semes-

Graphic by DAVID HERNANDEZ

S O P H O M O R E

By ELAINE TSUI Staff Writer

Call us the Lost Generation. The Nobodies. Skipped over and forgotten by the myths and legends of AHS, we’re inevitably the awkward class. No longer innocent freshmen, sophomores are expected to be as responsible as juniors, but in no way can we enjoy the perks of this responsibility. We’re still considered immature and naïve. We’re the class that complains so much about easy classes and one AP. Yet, we’re also expected to be the exact opposite—mature, composed, and able to make the right decisions—because we already have one year of experience at this school. It’s a balancing act for us. And after one semester, we have finally embraced our role as the nobodies of the school hierarchy, and it has dawned on us that we no longer and will never again get a free pass. For some of us, sophomore year has already been difficult (and unfortunately, I am aware that it only gets worse), but after one semester, we’ve adapted to the few allnighters we’ve endured and the fact that we

ter is not super, awesome deluxe. I envisioned myself as a second semester slacker senior, a giant transformation into a relaxed, happy, regular teen, but nothing has changed much. Why is this so? Why am I still sleep-deprived and half-insane from doing homework and studying for tests? Nothing is different at all. The truth, though, is that I know why nothing has changed. I’m not slacking off around the clock and pulling off one-woman bake sales, because after three-and-a-half years of high school, and probably the entire 17 years of my life, I have had the overachiever trait ingrained in me. There’s too much pride to drop below a 3.5 GPA, too much guilt in disappointing all my teachers by turning into the worst student ever, and too much habit in sacrificing sleep to complete every homework assignment. There’s not much else for me to do at 2:00 a.m. besides homework. And the anxiety is mounting as those college letters and emails start to arrive. The stress feels a thousand times worse when I’m not busy. Laziness was not as fun as I thought it would be. So here I am in late February. I’m still a goody two-shoes kind of student, but I’ve resigned myself to the idea that there’s nothing else I can do, and to just have fun without too many expectations of superior bliss. Pragmatism, I guess. But my friends and I are having our baking party this weekend and planning for future excursions to Koreatown. The sweet taste of lemon bars shall carry me through the coming months. tlee@theapachepowwow.com have to work harder in order to maintain the grades we want. We are comfortable—maybe too comfortable—with being sophomores. Here is where the problems lie. As we become more accustomed to our sophomore classes, we fall victim to bad habits. Like a drug, procrastination has constantly been hanging over our heads, tempting us, leading us astray, and eclipsing that little voice telling us to just do our work. We wait until the very last moment to start our projects and homework, fully aware that we may have just sacrificed a night of sleep. Sophomores are masochists, almost enjoying the lack of sleep we force on ourselves, and as the year progresses, we become the definition of lazy. With junior year looming on the horizon, we are in no hurry to finish the school year, nor are we prepared to. Sophomore is more than just a grade cushion-—we want to enjoy the last year we have of the untarnished freedom of childhood. Despite our status as nobodies and our seemingly boring lives, sophomore year is the last year we can spend before the worries over college finally take up residence in our minds, thoughts, and lives. Sophomore year is the last year we can spend obsessing over insignificant, trivial things. And we all hope to savor this time before it’s all over. The end of sophomore year is also the time for us to start considering what mark we want to leave on AHS. No longer are we watching from the outside. No longer are we uninvolved in the events at school. We have the power to change this school, and the question now is: are we willing to do it? etsui@theapachepowwow.com

TCID:

Graphic by DAVID HERNANDEZ

J U N I O R

By KATE TRINH Staff Writer

The first semester of the notorious junior year has rolled to a finish, and we juniors wish for nothing more than a long overdue break (or hibernation session) to catch up on some much-needed sleep. However, as much as our bodies demand rest, our teachers relentlessly continue to thrust assignment after project after test into our faces. The transition from first semester to second semester has been almost seamless, exactly the same but with twice the pain. Immediately after an exhausting week of studying into the wee hours of the morning for finals, we only had the usual, pathetic, two-day weekend to recuperate. The coming of the second semester serves as a reminder of the much-dreaded AP tests in May. We feel the pressure to obtain the coveted five more strongly than ever, and strive to clean up our acts to prepare ourselves for the inevitable exams. With the additional stress from the SATs and extracurricular activities, we wonder, why did we decide to take so many AP and honors classes in the first

F R E S H M A N Graphic by DAVID HERNANDEZ

By IVY JENN Staff Writer

Upon our first entry into the “realm of maturity,” also known as high school, we freshmen underwent a drastic change of environment. However, as we acclimated to our new school, we picked up a few “tricks of the trade,” so to speak. No longer do we roam the hallways in a frenzied state, searching for classrooms that never seem to appear. No longer are we ridiculed for our oh-so-adorable and endearing freshmen innocence. We have shed our naiveté and become fully accustomed to a once-foreign world. The arrival of second semester sparks a renewed interest in school activities. Stress regarding transcripts and examinations are, for the time being, non-existent. We are presented with multiple opportunities to enhance ourselves socially and academically. Second semester will certainly be an improvement upon the first, because we have a firmer grasp of high school standards. With the conclusion of first semester, we must utilize the knowledge that we garnered in the past several months to propel ourselves to success. To the jaded read-

place? We were warned, but we stubbornly refused to take heed. Influence and competition amongst peers compelled us to enroll in these grueling courses and continue to motivate us to do well in our classes. Second semester also offers us a clean slate, a chance to start anew and learn from the mistakes we made the previous semester. The pristine A’s at the start of the semester are a beacon of hope; if only we could maintain these grades for another tedious four-and-ahalf months! Day after day, we will continue to face unpopular in-class essays, history projects, unmerciful calculus tests, and ruthless science exams and labs. “Oh, no, we will not procrastinate anymore,” we say, a promise bound to be broken. We all know we will be awake those nights before assignments are due, busily engrossed in trying to write that last paragraph or to figure out that one perplexing problem. But through those long nights, our friends are the ones who struggle and laugh with us, and it is because of them that we can remain sane. We have a mental clock constantly ticking away, reminding us that we only have three more semesters to fret about before finally leaving Arcadia High. Our futures depend on our college educations (and my, doesn’t the economy make this so much easier for us?). In spite of all the pressure and stress, we are much too fixated on successfully graduating from high school and college to give up just yet. And quite frankly, I think it would do us all a bit of good if we stopped complaining once in a while. ktrinh@theapachepowwow.com ers cringing at the mention of a fatigue-inducing and somewhat clichéd thought, I bear a message that may provide insight. While there exists a handful of the student body that wishes to approach the dawning of a new semester with a cynical outlook, I resolve to confront the second eighth of my high school career with a sense of unfeigned enthusiasm. I may discover that my newly assigned teacher’s educating style better suits my method of learning. Perhaps the alterations to my schedule provide a commuting route that is to my advantage. Instead of tackling a new class placement as if it were the melodramatic crumbling of my social agenda, I will eagerly anticipate the prospect of becoming acquainted with other personalities on campus. Although my idealistic vision of second semester may seem excessively optimistic to some, I sincerely disagree. For sophomores, juniors, and seniors, second semester is of no significance—they have already experienced their “firsts” in high school. For us freshmen, second semester is a noteworthy milestone in our high school career. It pinpoints the completion of our transition from undeveloped children to mature adolescents. We have reached the conclusion of our time as newcomers to high school and have effectively adapted to our new environment. We are no longer branded by upperclassmen with adjectives such as inexperienced, immature, green, “wet behind the ears,” etc. Change is inevitable, and if you are well aware that a particular thing is inescapable, why oppose it when you can embrace it? ijenn@theapachepowwow.com

February 2009

OPINION

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Black Cat Got Your Tongue? An Ode To By EMILY YANG

Staff Writer

Black cat! Eek! Somebody hand me some White-Out, quick! Oh my gosh, don’t take one step indoors until you close that umbrella first! Stay away from that crack—your mother will thank you. With the recent occurrence of Friday the 13th, it’s no surprise that a few of us are feeling a bit superstitious. To be honest, I am one of them. I find myself wearing my lucky T-shirt during every physics test, and making wishes about improving my writing skills at 11:11 p.m. Sometimes I do well, and sometimes I don’t, regardless of any superstitious methods. But, I still fall back on these irrational beliefs in the end, even when they don’t truly contribute to my successes and losses. Of course, there’s no expectation that superstitions will succeed. I never got the pony I wished for on my fifth birthday, and Santa never dropped down my chimney, despite how nice I tried to be. I was disappointed both times. Yet, I still hoped that some way, somehow, I could still magically achieve what I wished for—that knocking on wood would prevent disasters, that handling a mirror with care would keep me safe for the next seven years. No amount of failure could discourage me. For some, superstitions are a safety an-

chor. When nothing else seems to be going right, it doesn’t hurt to carry around that penny found head side up. Beliefs such as this may seem silly to us, but they are a show of faith that can often carry us through hard times. Sometimes we just need something, anything, to make us feel like the impossible is possible. It doesn’t matter where we find this inspiration, but rather the idea that we have hope, something that can keep our spirits up when there doesn’t seem to be any other way out of the difficult times in our lives. Carrying a lucky token around may not bring real, end-of-the-rainbow good fortune, but having something comforting Graphic by DAVID HERNANDEZ can boost our spirits when nothing else will. CATS AND LADDERS For some, the Sometimes superstitions can sources of their greatest accomplishments bring about self-fulfilled luck as and their worst failures are one and the well. Oftentimes, wishing hard enough for something can motivate same: superstition. us to work extra hard to make our dreams come them, like how walking under a ladder can true. I remember wishing for weeks to get an bring bad luck. But when they can motivate A on one of my essays—a feat I thought was us to work harder, they become assets. And it quite impossible. To fulfill this wish, I worked wouldn’t hurt to believe in a horseshoe or two; twice as hard for twice the amount of time than why not raise our chances at success? I normally would have, and it paid off. Some superstitions may seem to lack logic behind eyang@theapachepowwow.com

An A By Any Other Name is Just a B+ By TIFFANY GU Staff Writer

him lingering in the classroom, long after the bell has rung. Hiding amidst the cover of his departing classmates, he works up his best sad face, channeling emotion to his eyes, squeezing in some artificial tears for good measure. Whatever it takes to get the grade, he’ll do it, regardless of cost. In a quixotic chase for whatever grades we desire, we become so focused upon the end, the destination, the grade, than for the learning experiences that come along with it, forgetting what the true purpose of these grades are. The truth of the matter is, the value of an A isn’t a 4, or a 5, or anything numerical or tangible. The value of an A is dependent solely upon the personal effort put into achieving, of succeeding, of going above and beyond. The A that comes from a hard-begged B+ carries no such feeling, and the joy and pride accompanying it is negated as well. In the end, when we get right down to it, an A is an A, a B is a B, and no amount of pleading and crying will change that. As hard as it is to descend from our moral high horses, when the end of the semester rolls around, we can’t help but connect with the boy in our math class. We all have a little bit of that kid in all of us, clinging onto whatever hope we can before we’re forced Graphic by DAVID HERNANDEZ to let go.

make a difference, exactly what sets aside an actual A from one derived from pity and wheedling? If a B+ is so easily transferred to an A with a few quick strokes of the keyboard, does this diminish the value of an A? As a direct effect of the massive point-grubbing phenomenon, a B+ is no longer recognized as truly distinctly different from an A-. With this, getting an A becomes significantly easier, to the extent that this letter no longer separates the adept from the inept, but is instead fixated upon the skills of the cajoler. Speaking of the cajoler, you’ll find

There’s this guy. You know him. He’s in your math class, your chemistry class, and your English class. Actually, he’s in all of your classes. You can observe him best in his natural habitat at the end of the semester. As soon as grades are posted, you’ll inevitably hear his cry. It’s unmistakable and sounds something like this: “What? No! I have an 89.999999%! I’m so close! I’ve been working hard all semester, can’t you just give me one more point, just one tiny little point, that’s all I need to get an A. Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to raise this? I just can’t get a B+.” Put that way, an A really doesn’t seem so far from a B anymore. The fine line between accomplishment and complacency wavers and blurs. A B+ becomes synonymous with an A-, when in reality, those are two completely different letters and achievements. It seems so silly that one meager point can effectively alter anyone’s life course that significantly. Yet we still get worked up about the inherent injustices involved in getting a B+, whining and thrashing about how ending up with such a grade is “unfair,” regardless of how good or bad our actual work ethic was during the course of the semester. If all it takes is one point, SO CLOSE, AND YET SO FAR As students scratch and or five points, to so drastically claw to cross the ninety percent threshold, integrity is lost.

TCID:

tgu@theapachepowwow.com

Our Dearest APN

By NURIA MATHOG Staff Writer

Dear APN, allow us to affectionately say That no news isn’t good news on an APN-less day. For keeping us so well-informed (you’re like our other half) You’ve earned the heartfelt admiration of the Pow Wow staff. Dear APN, admittedly we’ve had a few disputes, A rivalry that stems from our identical pursuits. How often we would argue whether AHS preferred The liveliness of broadcast or the thoughtful, printed word! Dear APN, for many years we’ve been your biggest fan— It seems that we’ve been watching you since time and space began Oh, we may feign disinterest, but we sheepishly admit That our admiring view of you has never changed one bit. Dear APN, we cannot lie, and in all honesty We’re glad to see your letters flash across the class TV. You bring us campus info with such humor, class, and style; Your jokes and clever parodies have always made us smile. Dear APN, we’re thankful that at last we’ve made amends— Communication’s crucial between any lifelong friends. Our ally in the media, you’re a veritable dream— We’re glad to coexist with such a dedicated team. Dear APN, you’ll always have our staff’s sincere respect, For in one crucial aspect is our gratitude unchecked. Yes, we await each episode, for nothing can surpass Your weekly interventions during Friday’s longest class.

With lots of love, The Apache Pow Wow nmathog@theapachepowwow.com

OPINION

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February 2009

Celebrating Love (of Money and Presents) By LAUREN WONG Staff Writer

Thank goodness. Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and we can concentrate on the more significant aspects of our mundane lives. Did you fall victim to the holiday’s clutches, creating brilliant plans to surprise your girlfriend or boyfriend and buying boatloads of mushy presents to distribute to loved ones? Or were you more sensible and pennypinching in this time of economic recession, saving yourself time, thoughts, and money by either making simple cards or simply ignoring the silly holiday altogether? I picked the latter, because to me, Valentine’s Day is a huge waste of my energy. And no, this disdain doesn’t stem from the fact that I’m single and currently broke. Ever since we were in kindergarten, first learning about the origins of holidays, the popular legend has been that Valentine’s Day was commemorated first by St. Valentine. It sounds believable enough. However, my own personal suspicion has always been that Valentine’s scheming girlfriend was behind the creation of this day, planning a time when she could legitimately freeload off her family and friends, acquire ridiculous amounts of flowers and candy, and exude the impression of being loved and popular. If you think about it, this is actually plausible. In the drama-filled life that we call high school, if a boyfriend refrains from properly celebrating this day by presenting his girlfriend of four months a gift on Valentine’s Day, she’ll most likely feel hurt and confused and appoint her posse to shun the poor boy for

neglecting to shower her with his affections. I somewhat pity the boys. They must have so much pressure to do the right

thing at the perfect moment on Valentine’s Day, or otherwise risk either an upset or potential girlfriend down the drain. And speaking of gifts, when in the world did bouquets of flowers, boxes of expensive chocolates worth a dollar a bite, and diamond jewelry become the only acceptable gifts for Valentine’s day? How did this holiday become associated with white birds, known to some as doves, and naked, winged babies, shooting at unsuspecting, innocent people? I have no clue. Personally, I

see no correlation between allergy-stimulating plants, high-calorie foods, flying infants, and Valentine’s Day, better known as a lavish celebration of money and gifts. Excuse me; I completely meant the celebration of love. And joy. And ap-

ALACK, ALAS

Highmaintenance girl D informs her new VI DA boyfriend, “ This isn’t y b ic h good enough. If you really p ra G loved me, you would have gotten me two dozen roses, a bigger card with extra glitter and glitz, Godiva chocolates, etc...” HE

A RN

preciation for others. And whatever else you scribbled to take up the glaring, blank spaces in the cards to your loved (and even liked) ones. Some may argue that Valentine’s Day is only a single day out of the year when people can truly display their appreciation for those who actually matter in their lives. That makes perfect sense and all; in fact, I even applaud the idea that people are willing to dedicate a special day to show their affections for others. But, technically speaking, aren’t we supposed to show our love for the people we appreciate every single day? Do we really need a designated day to tell somebody, “I love you?” And does that mean that all 365 days of the year, we provide the ones we love with flowers, candy, romantic candlelit dinners, balloons proclaiming the number of years spent together, etc? Valentine’s Day would be fine and dandy if it weren’t for those darn elaborate presents. If it were just about celebrating people, I think I could live with it. But since we’re such a mass consumer society that is obsessed with spending money and commercializing everything, the initial idea of Valentine’s Day has been cheapened and degraded to the packs of Hugs and Kisses bought at the nearby CVS. But don’t get me wrong. I’m not a scorner of love. I’m not a scorner of gifts, either—hey, I’ll take both. But, what I won’t tolerate is an overrated, silly day of pricey gifts lavished on others, disguised as a classic holiday meant to celebrate the people in our lives. Cupid would be ashamed. lwong@theapachepowwow.com

February 2009

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PERFORMING ARTS

Got Spunk? Pep Squad Tryouts

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February 2009

For the Love of Performance: Entertainers Speak Up Although Valentine’s Day has passed, members of these groups pay tribute to the activities that they love.

By LAUREEN MA Staff Writer

Pep Squad is giving all prospective members a chance to join the team. The squad is looking for people who are energetic, strong, hard working, and spirited. Anybody interested in trying out for Pep Squad must be in grades 9-12 during the 2009-2010 school year and must possess a desire to work hard and bond with their fellow teammates. The tryout process starts with an informational meeting in the Little Theatre, which parents must attend. After the meeting, interested applicants must fill out and submit applications containing their information and reasons for wanting to be a part of the ’09-’10 squad. This process also requires an interview with the Pep Squad advisor, Ms. Tamra Erickson. During the clinics, which are held on Mar. 16-27, graduating Pep Squad members teach applicants the basics, a routine, and a cheer for them to use when they try out. The basic techniques needed for Pep Squad vary from group to group: Pep Flag basics include tosses, Cheer basics include stunting, and Song basics include technique. Additionally, Pep Squad hopefuls must supplement thirty seconds of original choreography. Returning members must also attend clinics and try out every year to maintain a position on the squad. Tryouts will be located by the Quad and JBuilding on Apr. 1-3. Freshmen Kelly Mock, Hazel Chuang, and Bella Muljana all said of last year’s tryouts: “We were so nervous...but excited at the same time.” Although it is hard to put a number to how many people the squad accepts, senior Lizzie Paschal said, “We take the most talented and most promising for improvement.” Cheer co-captain senior Alison Chien added, “It is always very interesting to see the different variety of applicants each year. Trying out last year was definitely exciting because I was confident. I was going into my fourth year of being on the team.” Pep Squad takes determination, motivation, and commitment to achieve greatness. Alison said, “Being a member of Pep Squad requires a lot of hard work and dedication but you get involved with all the differents sports and teams throughout the campus while supporting fellow Apaches.”

s so difuad because it’ “I love Pep Sq or sport, y other activity d and ferent from an ow cr e mping up th and I love pu hool. ” part of our sc g bi being a

“I love ADD because it br ings a very diverse grou p of people together through a co mmon passio n. It is so wonderful to see friends be family who come a are able to w ork together to create and live in a diff erent world on stage.” -Hanna Lee,

, 12

-Alison Chien

PEP SQUAD

DRAMA “I love Ne anteurs because I w Spirit be “I love being in Ch cause it fe e really goo th of all ter Af els y. da d y er to perform ev get to sing , es for people ss cla a ic n d em ad b ac ri r fo n g do jo to ve y to the work I ha period to sing and though it takes a lo m. Even t of work a I love going to fifth ve ha p ractices, it nd mily.’ Plus, we is so worth dance with my ‘fa r c it when cto o re m di l p ica e ti us m ti g o in n az season com the most am es. P the dresses ever!” are so prett lus y.” 12 , do -E ra velyn Law -Trixie Pa , 11

ORCHESTRA

“I love Orchestra because I love music and love being able to hear the end result of all our many rehearsals and practices...and because I can be around friends and just relax around them during my Orchestra period, concerts, trips, and other events.” -Alison Hsieh, 11 “I love Orchesi s because I get to spend hours da ncing with peop le who love to da nce just as muc h as I do, and I ha ve friendships that will last a lifetime.

CHANTEURS & NEW SPIRIT ARD

GU LOR

ORCHESIS “I love Colorguard because of the competition, and the experience that comes with it is absolutely enthralling, especially when people call out ‘ARCADIA!’”

cause it’s full of “I love Pep Band be niest people to be the greatest and fun really hard to fularound. They work times difficult me so fill my odd and a really bad day requests, and even on can make me smile.”

-Christine Lee, 11

lma@theapachepowwow.com

-Paul Bump, 12

BAND

like n because we’re “I love Percussio her, ot e all love each a close family. W . am te a e e do is lik and everything w ” It’s really fun. -Neil Tahani, 9 Photo by GREGORY ZAJAC

SCHOOL SPIRIT Senior Alison Chien leads the cheer routine during the Winter Assembly.

PERCUSSION Photos Courtesy of SHIVANI REDDY, GREGORY ZAJAC, & PETER HUANG

-Connie Kuo, 12

February 2009

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PERFORMING ARTS

Jaclyn Wang, AHS’ Own Dancing Queen

groups outside of school—such as a company minute presentation in which called Dream Dance Contemporary Arts II. students depict how a particular Staff Writer Additionally, Jaclyn is an active competitor in program has changed their lives. If dance were a song in which every move- national dance competitions such as ShowJaclyn stated, “Orchesis has not ment was part of the lyrics, senior Jaclyn Wang stoppers and Star Power. With all these only taught me how to be a betwould be one of the most graceful compos- hours invested into dancing, one can easter performer on stage, but to live ers in our school. Currently the vice president ily tell that Jaclyn lives and breathes to life as a performer as well.” Withof Orchesis Dance Company, Jaclyn has been dance. out dance, Jaclyn would not dancing ever since she was a little girl. The pasHowever, Jaclyn’s journey as have been taught the lesson sion that she has as a performer is evident in a dancer has not always been a of determination and the every leap, every turn, and every move that she smooth ride. Having sustained art of achieving whatever makes. She describes dance as the “pinnacle of injuries such as sprained ankles you desire as long as you [her] day and the one thing that allows [her] to and dislocated kneecaps, Jaccommit to it with hard forget [her] troubles and just move effortlessly lyn has definitely gone through work. through the room.” some hard times of her own. With high expecGiven the amount of time that Orchesis Even despite all of the bumps tations set for this takes up, it is a wonder that Jaclyn is still able in the road, Jaclyn is still optiyear’s Orchesis to find time to participate in any other dance mistic and grateful, claiming that Dance C o m p a n y, her “ability to still Jaclyn, as well as other officers, dance at all acts as a is extremely motivated to push gift on its own.” Her the boundaries into a “higher level persistence and conthan they have ever gone before.” She personstant motivation have ally claims that there are no reasons to hold shaped Jaclyn into the back “if the 24 dancers around [her] are all dancer that she is today. striving to achieve their personal best.” Dancing With such a Photo Courtesy of SHIVANI REDDY stunning cast in has without a doubt won Jac- ELEGANCE Jaclyn Wang practices Orchesis Dance lyn awards and Company this her extension during rehearsal. recognitions year, Jaclyn enin years passed, and this year, it courages us to see what she and everyone on is no different. Jaclyn has had the team are truly about in their annual spring the honor of being nominated for production that is coming up in late April and Regional Occupational Program early May. They surely will have no problem Photo Courtesy of SHIVANI REDDY (ROP) student of the year, repre- in exhibiting their passion for dancing on the GRACE AT ITS BEST Jaclyn, second from senting the Orchesis Dance Com- stage. the right, presents a rehearsed routine with her pany. The process in winning this fellow dancers. particular award requires a fiveswong@theapachepowwow.com

By SAMMI WONG

Sing, Sing a Song: New Spirit Competes By KATHERINE BAY Staff Writer

New Spirit represented Arcadia at their first competition, Brea Ladies Center Stage, on Feb. 20 at Brea Olinda High School. They couldn’t contain their excitement as they executed their competition set with skill and talent. President Eunice Eo said, “I’m proud of New Spirit girls as a president and also as a member [of the family] because [they have] put up with my anger, pressure, and frustration, and still [are] very understanding.” New Spirit’s dedication lit up the stage as the audience sat in amazement during their performance. A first soprano, sophomore Annie Liao, said, “The girls, of course, are fantastic. We’re all united by one passion: singing. We help each other express this passion in shows and competitions.” With sessions that consisted of working on facial expressions and cleaning up routine work, New Spirit’s endless preparation certainly paid off during their competition. From blend and dynamic changes to focusing on the choreography, New Spirit sometimes “forgot when [they were] supposed to breathe, get softer, or get louder,” said junior Evelyn Law. The most difficult song they had to sing was the ballad “A Red, Red Rose” because they had to sing in a cappella. Since the Arcadia show choirs, New Sprit and Chanteurs, are known for being the best groups to sing in a cappella, there was a lot of pressure put on New Spirit when they competed. They had to hit each note flaw-

lessly or else their mistakes would be obvious, recognition as the best singing group is the considering that they had no background mu- greatest gift we can ask for at the competisic to cover it. Another difficulty was “keeping tion.” Others were eager to meet other allthe energy level up,” according to first soprano, girl groups and schools. Lastly, Evelyn said, sophomore Maria Ongkowidjojo. Other than “My hopes for this season of competition that, Maria said, “All of the songs are easy to are to win awards of course, every award sing, once learned. Since I’m a first soprano, we possible. Even though that seems ambitious, get to sing the melody 90% of the time.” Ad- it keeps me motivated to really work hard ditional songs they had to sing at their competi- and do well in the competitions.” All of New tion were “I’ve Got the Sun in the Morning,” Spirit agreed that their inspiration was from “Sugar Time,” and “60’s Chicks.” The entire Mr. Maxson. New Spirit did wonderfully in show was led by Mr. Rolland Maxson, the cre- their competition, placing 2nd and winning ator and conductor of the entire show. the Outstanding Musicianship Award; their Before the competition, the girls had mixed hard work obviously paid off. feelings about their show. When they watched kbay@theapachepowwow.com Chanteurs’ first competition, they noticed how well all of the other schools executed their performances and realized that they had to step up their game in order to beat the schools that were also competing in the women’s advanced division at Brea Olinda High School. Eunice, a senior, said, “It would be rewarding if we scored the highest in muPhoto by GREGORY ZAJAC sicianship and get the musicianship LOVELY VOICES The girls of New Spirit practice their award. Getting choreography and songs for upcoming performances.

The Caffeinated Drama of ADD By EILEEN CHOW Staff Writer

Photo by GREGORY ZAJAC

MEMORIZATION Junior Virginia Ma and senior Derek Tran run lines. Forget Starbucks, forget Coffee Bean, and forget Hyper Coffee—because AHS’ Advanced Drama Department will be presenting their newest production, Coffee House, on Feb. 2627 in the Little Theater. With the purchase of a $7.00 ticket, not only will attendees be able to enjoy all the amazing ADD performances, but they will also be surrounded by a comfortable, artsy atmosphere, with coffee and snacks provided. Coffee House is unlike ADD’s usual productions. In fact, according to senior Shae Palic, the atmosphere of Coffee House has such a relaxed feeling that audience members will “almost want to snap after each performance.” It is quite “different from normal plays because of the intimate setting, and the audience is onstage, so it feels like they are actually part of [Coffee House],” said senior Hanna Lee. This showcase includes bits of different acts compiled together. Some of the acts will feature unique usages of chairs and even some slight acrobatics. Scenes of mixed genres, different acts, monologues, and music will also be presented. A number of acts that will be performed are also award-winning performances that ADD students presented at a Drama Teacher’s Association of Southern California (DTASC) competition. In addition, some ADD students will perform the acts that they will carry out at their upcoming competition in Fullerton. Hanna said that Coffee House is pretty much “preparation for Fullerton. It’s so that we can get the feel of the audience and some audience feedback.” ADD has been working on some of their main acts for the year while also rehearsing for Coffee House. “For this particular showcase, we do more individual work than as a whole cast,” said Shae. Coffee House will contain “amazing acrobatic performances where chairs are stacked and thrown and used as props,” said senior Torie Jee. She also revealed that one of the performances will show ADD students “pretend[ing] to hang [themselves] and dive off of chairs into arms.” There are also scores of different types of scenes, from grand comedy acts to heartbreaking dramatic scenes. Torie loves Coffee House “because there’s a huge variety of performances that keep you on your toes. You’ll be laughing one second and crying the next.” Shae loves it because “the audience is up on the stage with [the actors], there is such an intimate setting, and it really lets [them] see how [a] piece affects the audience. There is such a raw feeling to Coffee House. It really highlights the fact that an actor is not a performer but more so an artist.” echow@theapachepowwow.com

FEATURES

You Are What You Eat By KATE TRINH Staff Writer

Angelina Jolie loves Cheerios. Jennifer Aniston prefers tortilla chips. Mel Gibson craves jelly beans. According to Dr. Alan Hirsch at the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, studies reveal that food preferences can reflect one’s personality. From the following, select your favorite fruit to see if you truly are what you eat: Apples People who prefer apples are typically spontaneous and candid. They are quick thinkers suited for leadership responsibilities, albeit a bit disorganized at times. Apple lovers tend to enjoy traveling and display great zeal for life. Oranges Orange aficionados can often persevere through anything with their unyielding determination and patience. They are undaunted by hard work and complete tasks slowly but meticulously. They love others with all their heart and tend to avoid conflict. Usually reserved, orange cravers make dependable and faithful friends. Bananas A love for bananas indicates a compassionate character. Because people who eat bananas often have low self-esteem, and others can sometimes take advantage of their gentle nature. Pears Pear enthusiasts are inclined to be whimsical and have difficulty finishing tasks. They love discussions and anything else that stimulates their minds. Vivacious pear lovers easily make friends as well. Pineapple Those who love pineapples tend to be rash and bold. They are organized and can fearlessly face any task. Typically independent, they are sincere with other people. Mangoes Mango fanatics can be described as extremely stubborn, persistent, and love to hold the reigns over any situation. Studies show that lovers of this fruit relish taking part in mental challenges. Cherries Cherries may taste sweet, but fans of this fruit do not exactly lead a sweet life. As a result of their creative pursuits, they tend to live a roller coaster life with many ups and downs. Despite these obstacles, cherry lovers remain genuine and loyal. Peaches Peach lovers exhibit an air of friendliness and charm. They cherish friendships a great deal, but also easily forgive and forget. Very self-sufficient and aspiring, peach fans pursue their passions and love life! ktrinh@theapachepowwow.com

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February 2009

13 Surprises on the Infamous Friday By ALWYNA LAU & AMY LEONG Staff Writers

5. Happy Sick-day! “Friday the 13th was on my birthday. I got home and I was really sick. My mom told me that since I was so sick, we shouldn’t go out to celebrate. Also, at that time, I was turning 13.” -Lisa Hu, sophomore

9. Salt, Spice, and Everything Nice “I used to know someone whose birthday was Feb. 13th, and one year his birthday happened to fall on a Friday. Against my better judgment, I decided to bake him cupcakes--a bad idea, since I’m really not kitchen-compatible. Anyway, so they actually turned out pretty well, except for one minor detail: I had mistaken a tin of salt for sugar (IT WASN’T LABELED!!!), and ended up creating heavily salt-saturated cupcakes. They were pretty disgusting. I ended up scrapping the cupcakes and just buying him a card.” -Arvia Sutandi, senior

Some people shudder at the thought of Friday the 13th when it comes around the corner, while others 6. Slip ’n’ Slide barely recognize the date “ I was upstairs in my and hold no superstitions house and my taquitos about it at all. Studies downstairs in the kitchen have shown that the were done cooking in notion of Friday the the toaster oven. I got 13th paralyze some really excited because people with so much 10. Mountain Fly a TV show I liked was fear, that they don’t “A really long time ago, on a Friday the coming on the TV at even want to leave 13th, I went sledding. It was perfect because the same time, so I ran the house. This fear there were mountains of snow in the backyard down the stairs, slipped, of Friday the 13th is of our cabin, and I was pretty little so they and landed on my back.” called paraskevidekaseemed even huger. I went down the tallest, -Michelle Mantriaphobia. biggest slope one last time, and I was gin, freshman People’s fear of going at super speed! And then I Friday the 13th and its consaw a tree. I knew I was gonection with evil or bad luck has ing to hit it. As I was about Photo by REGINA FANG been lingering around to cry and scream, I tried for ages—but it can FOUND: ANDREW JACKSON to pull back. But then! I be traced even further Freshman Jose Guan-Zhou remembers flew over the tree! It was back to an ancient when he found a $20 bill. so cool because it felt Norse myth. This myth tells the story of twelve like I was flying—on a 7. Bumper Cars gods having a jubilant dinner party in heavhuge neon yellow cir“I can only think en, when suddenly, a wicked intruder enters cle—in one of those kid of one memorable with the intent to murder the goddess of joy movies, where it’s all experience that has and happiness. This malicious uninvited 13th slo-mo and there’s epic happened to me on a guest, Loki, succeeds in his plan of killing the music. I wish I could do Friday the 13th. I was goddess, and as a result, the day is filled with that again!” in elementary school sorrowful mourning and lamenting. -Julie Chung, junior and biking down That myth may have left a a street near my depressing impression, but 11. And the Total Photo by REGINA FANG Friday the 13th is not alis… AND THE TOTAL IS... Junior Isaways a day filled with “My sister got into bella Urrea recalls an unfortunate car rotten happenings and a car accident and she toaccident. frightened people. Here taled the car.” are some of the un-Isabella Urrea, junior house. I live towards luckiest, funniest, and the foothills and this strangest experiences 12. Burnin’ Straight (not up) street had a pretty that AHS students and “I was straightening my hair when the steep slope. Anyway, teachers have to share straightener got stuck and burned it. Then, I I hit the back bumper about this dreaded and had to cut it off.” of a parked car (yeah, I revered day of the year. -Brenda Cruz, sophomore know, I’m thinking about that T-shirt that says “I’m 1. Muddled Puddle 13. Door no More so stupid...I get hit “I fell in a puddle once “In my first year of teaching by parked cars on Friday the 13th. I got wet and I went to close the door to my Photo by REGINA FANG dirty.” classroom and the door knob -Joey Wu, soph- BUMPER CARS Senior Michael completely came off. I fell omore Tam reminisces about his biking misbackwards on my bum in fortune. front of all my students 2. Mist(her) T(ee) with the door knob in too”) and let’s just say “On the last day of school, which was my hand! Yes, it was I got to the bottom but Friday the 13th, I pre-ordered a T-shirt but I funny! I had to call my bike didn’t.” forgot to get it so I was really mad. It was bad the teacher next door -Michael Tam, luck because I lost an awesome T-shirt.” to open the classroom senior -Victoria Lu, freshman door to let us out.” -Ms. Heather 8. Bye, Bye Bir(die) 3. Double the Trouble Brown-Hom, teacher “One time on Friday “I remember when Friday the 13th fell on the 13th , I was passing by the second week of October, and I was suspiThough often associated a house on Park Street and I cious that it might be extra unlucky, as Octowith bad luck, Friday the saw a dead bird on somebody’s Photo by ALWYNA LAU ber is known as a spooky time of year. Turns 13th is not always a day lawn. It was a clumped out, the only unlucky thing about it was that I up black body lying DOOR NO MORE Ms. Brown tells of misfortune. So be on had to study for two tests the next day.” on the grass. When I of her hilarious, yet unfortunate, teach- the lookout—anything -Andrea “Annie” Gardea, senior can happen. drove past it going the ing experience... other direction a couple minutes later, it just 4. Found: Andrew Jackson miraculously disappeared!” “I found a twenty-dollar bill!” alau@theapachepowwow.com -Celeste Li, junior -Jose Guan-Zhou, freshman aleong@theapachepowwow.com

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February 2009

By GLORIA LIOU & JOANNA SHEN Staff Writers

Couples Valentine’s Day fortunately fell on Saturday this year, giving couples the entire day together without school or homework to obstruct their plans. Many couples got creative and many planned several surprises throughout the day. Whether they had just started dating or had been established for a while, the couples of Arcadia High School all got fired up for that special day to spend together. Each couple took a different approach to planning the date. Most split the day (and the pressure) between each other. “I didn’t know what he was planning for me, and he didn’t know what I was planning. We decided to surprise each other,” said senior Amanda Chandra about the date she had with her boyfriend, senior Allen Kim. By dividing the date into two, both participants were able to be pleasantly surprised. Others also planned the date together, ensuring a date both would enjoy to its fullest. Some pairs wanted to keep their Valentine’s Day plans simple and spend a relaxing day with their significant other. Many decided to take the nice, dress-up dinner route. Alum Tim Sae-Koo shared, “We went to a nice dinner. I wanted to take her to a fancy restaurant

Photo by GLORIA LIOU

CUTE COUPLE

Senior Amanda Chandra smiles with her boyfriend, senior Allen Kim.

FEATURES

Not Love, but Horror on Screen

because we had never dressed up for a date before so I thought it would be fun.” A few took advantage of the morning and afternoon to go on an adventure. Seniors Beatrice Li and Jeff Macdonald took a trip over to Catalina Island to go kayaking. As you can see, couples were chalk full of good ideas on how to spend Valentine’s Day. Whatever their plans were though, the most important criteria for a great V-Day was filled: spending time together. Singles Loss of funds, limited freedom, and potential emotional damage-–these are just some of the side effects that the undervalued population does not have to fret about, the people without that “significant other.” On the notorious Valentine’s Day, singles everywhere live in fear of being caught in the back draft of awkward make out sessions, accidentally whacked in the face by flamboyant balloons and flowers by giddy girls, and the inevitable corniness that comes with couples proclaiming their love for each other. Valentine’s Day should not only commemorate the love between two people but also the greatness in being single. So if you’re feeling somber about not having that “special someone”, here are many great aspects of the single life that people fail to recognize and appreciate. 1. More fish in the sea to catch Singles, by not being tied to another individual, have the opportunity to meet a myriad of interesting new people without feeling restricted and can live up to the phrase “single and ready to mingle.” Junior Jacqueline Huang commented on the joy of the single life, adding that “[she] can concentrate on things other than emotions and not feel restrained when meeting new people.” So, sink-and-draw, reel it in and see what’s at the end of your line. Singles have more fun. 2. More time in your hands Singles have greater freedom and control of their lives, living as independent individuals with spontaneous schedules. Use the time to rekindle fading friendships, spend a day with mom or dad, or focus on your own goals and ambitions. Senior Nick Wang added that he has “more time for other

By GLORIA LIOU Staff Writer

Photo by JOANNA SHEN

HAPPILY SINGLE

Junior Jacqueline Huang poses with her valentine, APAH. activities and ergo, [is] more focused on [his] studies.” Not only does the single life offer a broader variety of activities but relieves the possible stress of being tied down to a single person. 3. More cash in the wallet As the holidays roll around, that perfect gift in the window display causes you to empty out your pockets to please that significant other. In addition to the high stress level involved in racking your brain for gift ideas, your wallet has just recovered from the birthday gift shopping. Singles don’t have to fret about finding the ideal but affordable and practical but sentimental present. Whatever Christmas money that comes sliding into your wallet can now be spent on yourself. The next time your friend comes around the corner flashing her pearly whites and carrying a bouquet in one arm, remember that life consists of more than just relationships. It’s not the destination that matters, but how you get there. So, sit back, enjoy the ride and if you’re feeling adventurous, go fishing. gliou@theapachepowwow.com jshen@theapachepowwow.com

Some Quick Fixes to Cure those Broken Hearts By ALWYNA LAU Staff Writer

A day of flowers and chocolates, Valentine’s Day is a guilty pleasure. We outwardly mock it with our friends, while secretly hoping for a valentine from that special someone. In approaching the crush you’ve admired from afar, you meet one of two fates: indescribable euphoria or bitter dejection. Well, if the latter option was your fate, than the first step on the road to recovery is venting out your feelings. Well, take a deep breath, and let the healing process begin.

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alau@theapachepowwow.com

Helping Hands

Photo Courtesy of CARPUS TIN INTO THE BLUE Key Club members greet Into the Blue guests as they enter the community center.

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g n i d n te t A r o f u o Y ue l k B n e a Th Into Th Staff

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February 2009

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nual nd an to o c e s sked ted its By L b hos nts were a e and u l C tude , Key of blu eb. 13 y dance. S majority rom AHS F , y a f a it id On Fr lue” char t required d students ile raising a B e h h d t e i w th t ion ov de ce pr a fun nigh organizat t “Into a dress co n a d an ha he s follow lothing. T gh school undation, o g r a m s t e i r o v c h p F o e t t s g ne in ive to l n whi round aptain Pla i n n o v a t he world r i u t s i d o and r the C n c o u r a g e around t ties.” In ad sted o f y e e i h t ho u un mon t e d t o “ nd yo heir comm Club also id on a a n c i e in t ded Key hildr uld b blems wer c sales, tudents co enjoyed empo mental pro om ticket s e of hich n peopl fr enviro ng money uction in w he dance, ds outside ly t a n si al to rai tine’s Day udents. At with frie ce was re .” n t n g a s e n l d d i e it e er iz a Va , “Th e really lov th oth nd social d i i a w s s l date ancing a peop e Lam d ichell old out, and w.com M r both o es owwo uni r J p e e . l w h o s c apa scho ful, ticket @the ss lwang succe G WAN INDA

PERCUSSION BENEFIT CONCERT By LAUREN WONG

Staff Writer

d their On Friday, Feb. 20, Arcadia Percussion hoste dia. Arca in annual benefit concert at First Baptist Church production Much hard work and dedication went into this numerous to make it possible, including the performers’ money for dress rehearsals and practices. Meant to raise isted of cons ert conc the ts, new equipment and instrumen singing from ing rang , performances of a wide spectrum Nick own very dia’s to dancing to humorous skits. Arca lio, Trigi Carl ni, Hoey, Alex Liu, Joann Park, Thomas Taha dia Arca the Scott Fairbanks, Johnny Wu, Chris Joe and s Jame als B-Boys performed, as well as adult profession uctor instr Yoshizawa, percussion major at CSULB, and senior ram, prog e entir the ut ugho Kevin Sherrill. Thro event along Derek Ouyang, who planned and organized the various with s video ve fi cased with the varsity team, show ped wrap nale fi big A far. so short clips of the varsity season e entir the ut ugho Thro up the fantastic show around 9 p.m. thly, smoo ing runn show, emcees helped keep the show ing the providing transitions between each skit and allow ce. rman set up crew to prepare the stage for the next perfo day. the of Altogether, over $2000 were made by the end lwong@theapachepowwow.com

Photo by RE h Senior Nic E BAND H a T y G rb e IN MAK oves D Daphne L in g to emulates p le S ta rv im “S g n o th e ir s

A R C A D IA Photo by RE N ID O L GINA FANG J u n io r J o “Georgia O a n n P a rk n My Mind s in g s ,” Charles, a s a perform originally sung by R ay er in the b enefit con cert.

February 2009

theapachepowwow.com

Photo by R The boys EGINA FAN of Wong F G u Produc photo wit tions h fans Ju stin Chi, e, Kevin Holly Tsai, and Carpus T in.

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Helping Hands 13

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Photo by GREGORY ZAJAC REACHING HER FORT E Sophomore Paloma Hennessy focuses on her sheet music to make sure she hits every not e.

tras 1, Who: Orches

Wong Fu Productions By ESTHER LIN and MELISSA MA Staff Writers

On Saturday, Feb. 7, the boys of Wong Fu Productions joined hundreds of students as they all gathered for a night of video screening and laughter to raise funds for the Door of Hope, a charity organization situated in Pasadena, California. The organization aims to “break the cycle of homelessness permanently” and ensure the smooth transition “from homelessness to selfsufficiency to permanent housing.” Wong Fu Productions is an independent production company consisting of three UCSD graduates: Wesley Chan, Ted Fu, and Philip Wang, all of whom have decided to pursue their dreams in video production. They are most known for their videos “Just a Nice Guy” and “Yellow Fever,” which, together, have

gathered over a million hits on YouTube. Although the majority of viewers see their work as purely entertainment, Wong Fu actually reaches out to various organizations every now and then to better the world. Past projects have included a music video for the 2005 Invisible Children Campaign intended to raise awareness for the underprivileged children in Uganda. Project Michelle and the American Cancer Society are two other campaigns they have supported. Philip commented that with thousands of fans “watching us and following us, we know that we have these eyes and these ears… I would like to believe that the image and the kind of mindset that we have is positive and we hope that … it will rub off on them and that’s kind of how we hope that we will influence the world.”

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Graphics Courtesy of ezorderschoolsupplies.com, visualparadox.com, and archives.gov

ACADEMICS

Gov Love Ranks 3rd in State By RICHARD FU Staff Writer

And so it ends, the journey of 26 remarkable individuals who have been dedicated to a singular mission over the past 10 months. With a third-place finish at State, they displayed determination in an increasingly competitive field. And while members were deeply disappointed not to have qualified for nationals, their coach is proud of what the team has accomplished. From the competitive, nerve-wracking selection process to weekly practices at the City Chambers Hall, Constitution Team learned together, ate together, helped one another, supported each other. They became a big family. Team member Christine Shen described the team as “the environment and forum for such a discussion with people equally passionate—to not only learn about issues, but compare a variety of opinions and develop a personal one.” Coached by Mr. Kevin Fox, a highly qualified and experienced teacher, the team breezed through the district and regional rounds of the competition, arriving in Sacramento to fight for a first-place finish. The event was divided into two days: on Thursday the team competed twice, each time delivering a prepared response followed by impromptu Q&A. Upon learning that they had advanced to the final four, the team then took the stage again Friday at the State Capitol. They finished third, maintaining the team’s legacy of placing at state finals. Mr. Fox said he was very impressed by the way “the team rose to the occasion,” and that “every individual unit can be proud of what they did at state.” But perhaps more importantly, the experience brought the team even closer. Constitution Team isn’t just about competing, for the process had exposed members to diverse learning conditions they will encounter in college and beyond. The season may be over for the team, but the journey has only begun for the individuals. rfu@theapachepowwow.com

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February 2009

A Tip For the Romantically Desperate computer? Your techno-savvy boyfriend will transform your fantasies to reality. Nerds are eerily aware of the technology market. How Staff Writer is it that they always have prior knowledge of From the very commencement of our eduunreleased devices? How is it that they always cational careers, we have been indoctrinated to manage to acquire such items in advance from both A) shun nerds shamelessly and B) associunmentioned sources? I suspect a covert underate with them only in times of academic crisis. ground nerd communication system exists. Ostracized from those of superior status, nerds 5. You will never feel compelled to fritseem unsuitable to ter away your funds fulfill the role of boyat tanning salons. friend. However, beNerds tend to shy fore callously rejecting away from outdoor that intelligent, timid, activities, preferring academically-inclined to linger in dimly fellow, consider the lit rooms and the perks of dating a nerd. gentle pulse of their 1. By dating a gadgets. Therefore, nerd, you are inforyou can assume that mally recruiting a tunerds would not distor—free of charge. Photo Courtesy of XKCD.COM approve if you did Why squander away not seek superficial SIGNIFICANT OTHERS If he gets this, you know he’s the nerd you’re looking for. your golden years on methods to darken tedious assignments when your boyfriend can 3. Nerds offer intellectual conversation your skin. In all likelihood, nerds would predo them for you? But you argue, “What of my consisting of grammatically correct sentences. fer girlfriends with similar pallid complexions. fervently upheld principles? My conscience?” In an average high school environment it is Having a nerdy boyfriend is the most effective Thrust aside your guilt complex—there is no astonishingly rare to encounter mildly enlight- approach to skin cancer prevention! shame in seizing opportunity. This particular ening discussion. Alas, high school is a period Nerds is like wheatgrass-flavored soy ice situation would benefit both parties. Spared of our lives when our minds are muddled with cream. The average population symbolizes confrom fatigue-inducing and time-consuming scattered fragments of pop culture and other in- sumers of generic ice cream flavors. If such incoursework, you are able to embrace your fleet- significants bits of information. Nerds, perhaps dividuals were requested to sample wheat-grass ing adolescence. In true nerdishness, your de- due to their lack of a social life, have developed flavored soy ice cream, most would recoil in voted boyfriend will complete the assignment immunity and ignorance towards such informa- distaste and reluctance. If people were to sumwith sincere enthusiasm (and a 99% accuracy tion. mon even a smidgen of enthusiasm to taste it, rate). Envision the sheer gratitude he will ex4. Nerds are always in possession of the they may be pleasantly surprised. press to you for so considerately providing him latest gadgets. Have you been fantasizing of a with entertainment. It would be simply unethi- recently released cell phone, music player, or ijenn@theapachepowwow.com cal to deprive him of such pleasure. 2. Payment fees and lengthy quarrels with unaccommodating assistant managers no longer concern you. A nerdy boyfriend is equivalent to a technology god. Why splurge on repairs when your boyfriend can reprogram your software system within a nanosecond? His services will exceed in efficiency and swiftness beyond those of any professional “technology specialist.”

By IVY JENN

Three Tournaments for Three Times the Fun place on Feb. 21, at UCSD. Although this competition was open to all members, the questions Staff Writer were of a harder level, requiring players to have On Jan. 31, Quiz Bowl went to its first more detailed knowledge of subject matter. Arcompetition of the semescadia rose to the challenge ter, sending two teams magnificently, and remained to UCI’s Baby Anteater undefeated until after lunch, X, a competition eligible when A Team suffered to first- and second-year some losses, but still ended members. Despite placingup coming in third place sixth and ninth overall, QB all-around. Senior Derek retains glory in the individSun placed fourth in the ual standings, where senior individual statistics under George Dewey and junior the nom de plume ‘Speedy Alex Hu each scored more Gonzales,’ scoring a total of than 500 points as ‘WafPhoto Courtesy of TRACY LEE 450 points in the day. fles’ and ‘Darwinian’. The next few weeks IN BATTLE The final between RanIts following tourna- cho Bernardo and Arcadia. hold several upcoming tourment, Triton Bowl, took naments for Quiz Bowl, in-

By OISHEE SHEMONTEE

cluding one that will happen right here at AHS. On Feb. 28, Quiz Bowl will host its annual competition, Arcadia Carnal Embrace (ACE). The name is an allusion to Tom Stoppard’s play Arcadia, where a ‘carnal embrace’ is defined as hugging a side of beef. This will be the third ACE, and it is expected to be a highly enjoyable experience, giving players an opportunity to see how it feels on the other side of the buzzer. No matter what competition they go to, whether they win or lose, QB has always been a tight-knit group, learning from past mistakes and using it as a means to bring them closer together. Perhaps senior Jacqueline Yue says it best when she explains, “We are an awesome team - not just because we’re smart, but because we think of each other as family.” oshemontee@theapachepowwow.com

The Shining Individuals of Academic Decathlon By CELESTE CHEUNG Staff Writer

Photos Courtesy of MONICA SHEI and SABRINA SUN

OUR MYRIAD WINNERS Gov outside and inside the capitol on the first of their competition days.

Academic Decathlon participated in a twoday Los Angeles Regional Competition on Jan. 31 and Feb. 7 at El Rancho High School and the Galen Center at USC, respectively. They competed against 66 other teams, but because of the extensive preparation, still placed well. Throughout competition, each member presented a written four-minute speech and an impromptu two-minute speech, and had a seven-minute interview with a judging panel. In addition, each person wrote an essay that was graded by professors and AP English teachers from Los Angeles County. The other seven subjects were each tested using a 50-question multiple-choice format, and the Super Quiz made use of both a 40-question multiple choice portion and a 10-question oral relay portion.

Co-captain senior Charlie Tsouvalas said, in the science and economics; co-captain se“[Decathlon] has made me a well-rounded in- nior Michelle Lee, who won eight medals and dividual. [It] is unparalleled received one of only three with anything else our school perfect essay scores; and has to offer, [as] we have freshman Lynn Huang, members from all GPA levels, who received six medals not just the top-top students.” and topped Art. In addiJunior Alison Hsieh agreed, tion, Decathlon took four saying, “[It’s] really tough, of the nine possible top but it was worth it in the end scorers in their division. just to hear our school being When asked about called so many times.” her last competition, MiFebruary 12 was much chelle said, “I feel like anticipated as the day of the Photo Courtesy of MICHELLE LEE we’ve done really well, awards banquet. Though De- RELAY The super quiz relay is the since only Charlie and I cathlon placed 18th overall, are returning members, only publicized event of all 10. they still took home third [and] L.A. County is the place for their division and a total of 39 individ- most competitive region in the nation.” ual medals. Top contenders included Charlie, who received nine medals and was top scorer ccheung@theapachepowwow.com

February 2009

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ACADEMICS

Sleep, Slack, and Still Succeed By SEAN MAROONGROGE & JOE TIAN Staff Writers

For all of you procrastinators out there, and for all of you who wish to join the ranks, here’s a guide to help you along the way to becoming a high-achieving sloth. Who? Not just any lazy person can master the art of procrastination. Much like hard work, procrastination is only suitable for a special population. Know your limits; if you tend to stress out near due dates, or are simply too inefficient to slack, then stop reading this and go finish your work already. Seniors, welcome to second semester. We wholeheartedly recommend that you relax a “little” more in your last semester of schooling. After all, even though some alumni claim that college will be the best time of your life, there are some distinct advantages to living at home that you might never enjoy again. Working all of those hours away would just be poor prioritization, so heed our advice (if you haven’t contracted senioritis yet) and have some fun! Overworked students, learn to take a break. When you get to college, due dates will be less structured so that you will have to plan your own work schedule. Within the bounds of your current schedules, exercise your freedom to rearrange your plans as you see fit.

How? Before we get into the how part, we want to make one thing clear: procrastination doesn’t necessarily mean wasting time on trivial matters. Yes, you delay the time at which you start working, but you have to plan on how to work efficiently to minimize the amount of time wasted. Planning and time management are the linchpins of successful procrastination. An important part of time management is making a to-do list. As procrastinators, our todo list — if we ever make one — is either sorted by the order in which we received the assignment or by the dates that the assignments are due, which is much more effective, but weak nonetheless. The key to making a good list is breaking complex assignments down to easier, smaller pieces and placing them in the right order. We naturally tend to do what’s trivial first and delay important tasks until they become urgent, so having a big project broken into pieces will make the job significantly easier (since there will not be a massive portion to do the night before it’s due to give us pain). The product is much better as a result because when we work at separate times, our minds are refreshed so we can catch mistakes that would otherwise be automatically corrected by our brains. The following chart is from Steven Covey, and it will be an extremely handy tool when you are overwhelmed by too much work.

Why? It’s human nature. If you have ever felt like not doing your work, then you know about the natural urge to avoid it and maximize pleasure at the present. If you profess to believe in carpe diem, then you must already be a slacker. It’s only a matter of time until you convert fully.

As slackers, we tend to work on assignments that belong to Quadrant III or IV, although the logical thing to do is work on Quadrant I. One thing that can help us finish Quadrant I is breaking down the complex tasks into smaller, easier pieces. If that doesn’t help, simply cross off Quadrant III and IV since they are probably not worth the time (disclaimer: we are not promoting qualities such as not doing your homework). Then you’ll find yourselves working on things that are important and due soon. Then go to Quadrant II and repeat. Once you finish, you will have more free time to do what you wish to do. Procrastinating is not wrong—just make sure you do the right things. One more thing to remember is that time, like matter, cannot be created out of nothing. Unless you can filter out the least important tasks of your day, then each minute you spend on task B instead of task A is still less time for you to sleep, because you will still have to work on task A eventually. Be cognizant of the fact that most of the time, procrastination is a practice in rearrangement, not alchemy. Your last minute deadlines will always cause stress. If you aren’t prepared to do the work under time pressure or suffer the consequences with a lower quality grade commensurate with your lower quality work then don’t procrastinate! Otherwise, just think of it as good time management. In making the decision to put off one duty until later, you make room for more important (and oftentimes more fun) activities. We would tell you to get started as soon as possible, but since this is all an exercise in procrastination anyway, take your time getting around to it. But more importantly, enjoy doing it. smaroongroge@theapachepowwow.com jtian@theapachepowwow.com

Science Bowl: Second in Place, First in Hearts pated match against five-time regional competition winner Santa Monica High. After a single Staff Writer eight-minute half, the teams were tied. When the game resumed however, Santa Monica took Two years of preparation. Seven domains and maintained the lead with quick buzzer acof science. Sixteen minutes of furious quiz- tion. zing. But the day was not over. After reflecting On Feb. 7, AHS’s Science Bowl team on their loss, the team focused on winning the competed at the LA county regional Science loser’s bracket. They swiftly beat University Bowl competiHigh to ensure tion, hosted by second place the Jet Propulsion and, more imLaboratory. After portantly, ana grueling day of other chance to cramming, buzztake on Santa ing, and answering Monica’s hundreds of probteam. lems against 23 The fiother teams from nal match was the region, the again held on AHS team, conthe stage of sisting of seniors Von Karman Jeffrey Chen, RusAuditorium, in sell Igarashi, Sean front of over Maroongroge, and 150 competiAlan Xie, and jutors, coaches, nior Eddie Xue, staff Photo Courtesy of SEAN MAROONGROGE JPL left with a re- BITTERSWEET The team and advisor Mrs. Mynster members, and sounding second take a group shot in front of the Galileo mission. reporters. The place victory. crowd watched AHS’s aggressive style of play allowed intently to see if AHS could topple the reignthem to dominate much of the competition. ing national champions. AHS took the lead goThey blazed through most of the round robin ing into the half, but once again fell short with session to earn a beneficial seeding in the dou- minor mishaps and unfortunate split-second ble elimination bracket, where they beat Hun- buzzer races. tington Beach and Calabasas. With their wide About the competition, Alan noted, “the margins of victory giving them a confidence final round was a bit disappointing, but we got boost, AHS’s team headed onto the much antici- really close. Overall it was a really good result.”

By SEAN MAROONGROGE

Russell added, “Having an entire room full of people cheering you on - hoping that you beat the national champions - is just unbelievable. We didn’t win, but we proved that Santa Monica isn’t untouchable. I think next year is going to be the end of Santa Monica’s dynasty and the beginning of Arcadia’s.” To nods of approval by officials and competitors alike, captain Sean Maroongroge echoed a quote of Jeffrey’s during the team’s victory speech. Jeffrey observed, “While we may not have won the competition, we have won the hearts and minds of the audience.” Teams that had competed against AHS earlier in the day cheered them on and consoled them after their defeat. Opposing coaches congratulated the team personally, and other players asked to shake hands with the second-place finishers. Along with the respect of the audience, the AHS team took home medals and bags embroidered with the JPL logo. The Arcadians were mentioned in the Sunday edition of the Los Angeles Times and had a picture in a Chinese publication. Coach Cherryl Mynster received a limited-edition viewfinder memorializing a JPL mission and the opportunity to enroll students in a private tour of JPL facilities. Although the team will not be flying to Washington to compete in the national competition in the spring, the group of five hopes to have more fun on the trip to Catalina that they earned for their strong performance. Congratulations once again to this magnificent band of science elites who captured the hearts of the crowd, proudly representing AHS and setting the bar higher for years to come. smaroongroge@theapachepowwow.com

OSB Rides the Wave to Third By CELESTE CHEUNG Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy of PAUL CHEN

TRADITION Another of OSB’s regional traditions is their “fountain” picture. Ocean Science Bowl’s (OSB) regional competition took place on Feb. 21 at the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies. In preparation for this event, formally named the Los Angeles Surf Bowl, OSB has been learning about supercontinent cycles, mating habits of platyhelminthes, and corals under stress, among other aquatic facts. Five Team A members, seniors Paul Chen, Kelly Guan, Russell Igarashi, Alan Xie, and Nicholas Solichin, competed against the other teams for a chance to travel to Washington, D.C. and compete in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl Finals. Team B members juniors Shadman Chowdhury, Jason Jong, and Sherry Kuo and sophomores Jessica Liang and Sam Zeng traveled along to provide support for Team A. The event was a buzzer-format competition about oceanographic trivia, with occasional short-answer rounds where the team members worked together to solve questions. It started out round-robin, before going to a double elimination round where the top four teams competed against one another. The judging system was simple—the winner was the team that earned the most points and lost the fewest games, and they received the honor of later traveling to Washington, D.C. to compete at the national level. When asked about AHS’s chances of making it to the national competition, captain senior Alan Xie said, “Our main competition is Troy and Santa Monica, although Woodbridge and University might be pretty good this year. [As for nationals,] I think Arcadia is pretty overdue.” OSB went through round robin 5 – 0, before defeating Troy High School. However, they then lost to Santa Monica High School a second time during double elimination, as, according to Russell, “[They] knew everything [they] needed to—it was just a matter of losing buzzes by a fraction of a second.” In an unexpected twist, North Hollywood High beat Santa Monica to take home a first place finish in their Regionals debut. In the end, OSB came home with a third place finish, showing that their arduous marine biology textbook indulging has paid off. ccheung@theapachepowwow.com

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February 2009

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STUDENT LIFE

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February 2009

Arcadia’s Got (Very Strange) Talent

By ALWYNA LAU Staff Writer

Amongst the myriad of talents displayed at AHS, there are the few that stand out more than others. From break-dancing to singing, AHS students can do it all. AHS students have also demonstrated other hidden talents and extraordinary abilities. Here is a compilation of unique abilities and talents here at AHS. alau@theapachepowwow.com

Sophomore Yanitza Berrios

Junior Becky Yamane

Senior Morris Shieh

Elbow-Licker

Human Pretzel

Eyeball-Roller

Senior Russell Igarashi

Junior Jocelyn Huey

Senior Cathy Wang

Juggler

Mickey Voice Mimic

Elbow-Tucker

Freshman Gwen Vahey

Belly Dancer Photos by ASHLEY JOHNSON & ALWYNA LAU

BSU Celebrates Black History Month By ESTHER LIN Staff Writer

As February, Black History Month, comes around, it’s time to once again turn our attention to a unique club on campus and how far its members have come in their accomplishments. AHS’ Black Student Union (BSU) was formed by Mr. Carter Spruill in October 2007 with the intention of creating something that would unify the African-American students in the school. The club helps its members familiarize with certain aspects of their heritage through its Wednesday meetings in D-1. As students discuss ongoing events in the world and plan events both school-wide and club-only, BSU encourages awareness of a minority group at AHS. Mr. Spruill wishes to “shed light on black history, which is sometimes overlooked since the [black] population in AHS is so small.” Though it was “formed with black students in mind,” the club is actually “open to anyone.” As you may recall from last year’s spring pep assembly, there were a number of AfricanAmerican dancers performing. These dancers

belong to the BSU and performed a step routine its many of her new friendships to the BSU, said it gave her “the chance to meet [new put together by President Imani Wanto By LINDA WA NG Pho acquaintances among] Arcadia’s zo. One of the club’s main contrivast number of students.” In butions to the school was the a way, the BSU is a winTuskegee Airmen presentation on Feb. 13. On that win society because it gives her “someday, students listened thing to call [her] to accounts from an own and belong African-American to [and informs pilot, Mr. Claude Davis, who flew her] of current events involving airplanes during African-AmeriWWII. cans.” Junior In addition to its efforts to Maury Bruce inform others of B L A C K African-American culture, the Black STUDENT Student Union is also UNION Ms. a club where members Barbara Haynes, can socialize and form a guest speaker at lifelong relationships that a BSU meeting, talks stem from having a comabout growing up as an mon heritage. Vice-president junior Ashley Ethridge, who credAfrican-American in Texas.

claims that being in the club “gives [him] more pride to be a part of this generation of AfricanAmericans.” During the spring of 2008, members of the BSU participated in an event at Pasadena City College (PCC), where they got to know the Black Student Unions from other schools. Together, students partook in various workshops that focused on college prep information, career 101, and scholarship opportunities. Come May 2009, the BSU will once again head on over to the PCC campus for another one of these events. In addition, the club plans to host a dance that will tentatively take place in April. In regards to Black History Month, the BSU attended a performance about Frederick Douglass on Feb. 18 at the Huntington Library. On Feb. 21, the BSU attended a Black History Parade in Pasadena. In an effort to inform AHS students, members will be appearing on APN to speak about certain African-American inspirations, such as Ella Baker, President Barack Obama, and Lebron James. elin@theapachepowwow.com

February 2009

STUDENT LIFE 19

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Soaring Through the Ages By CORA ORMSETH & EMILY YANG Student Life Editor & Staff Writer

AHS’ Black Student Union (BSU) hosted a presentation by Claude Davis, an 89-year-old Tuskegee Airman, in the North Gym on Feb. 13. Mr. Davis told a story “written in [his] heart,” describing his experience as one of the first African-American pilots during WWII. Born on Jan. 11, 1920, in New Kensington, PA, Mr. Davis decided early on that the normal standards for African-Americans

higher than two stories.” Soon he was learning to fly planes 5,000 feet in the air, and after 12 months of training he became combat pilot Lt. Davis. He recalled one incident during training when he disobeyed instructions and flew above the clouds for a better view only to end

and Nagasaki. “Orders are cancelled, the war is over, pass me some margaritas,” he said. Coming back to a segregated United States after the war, Mr. Davis found that he was discriminated against because of his race. However, instead of becoming angry, he felt “sorry for” those who lost business solely for their deep hatred based on the color of his skin. He lived under the ideal his father told him: “Don’t get mad, get smart!” At the end of his presentation, Mr. Davis gave advice to everyone in the audience, making sure all of the students realized what a precious time high school is. Though he taught

Trivial Pursuit

By MELANIE YUEN Staff Writer

Black History Month celebrates the remembrance of important people and events in African-American history. Further your knowledge of this extraordinary month. 1. Who was the first black major league baseball player? (Jackie Robinson) 2. Who was the first African-American Supreme Court Justice? (Thurgood Marshall) 3. What date did Martin Luther King, Jr. Day fall on this year? (January 19) myuen@theapachepowwow.com Ms. Laura Galloway, history teacher C - 1. Jackie Robinson C - 2. Thurgood Marshall C - 3. It’s always on a Monday, Jan. 19 Score: 3/3

Photos Courtesy of CLAUDE DAVIS & ASHLEY JOHNSON

Rachel Thai, freshman C - 1. Robinson something … Jackie? X - 2. I don’t know C - 3. Monday, Jan. 19? Score: 2/3

FLYING ON THE WINGS OF CHANGE Mr. Davis, from his twenties to his eighties, leaves his mark in history.

of his time were not g o o d enough for him. At the age of eight, he decided that he was not going to “be a coal miner” like his father, and by the age of 22, he found himself in the military. Prior to his enrollment in the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, Mr. Davis had “never been

up plummeting into a cotton field in Georgia. “Watch the rules,” he advised, “they’re there for a purpose.” The Tuskegee Airmen performed valiantly during the war and never lost a bomber. Despite their heroism, however, they were not admitted into the white officers club because they “happened to have too much brown on [them].” Lt. Davis had been in service for three years when President Truman ordered the atomic bombs to be dropped on Hiroshima

years of history through his speech, he ended with a statement valid for any time past, present, or future: “Enjoy the moments!” cormseth@theapachepowwow.com eyang@theapachepowwow.com

Red Cross & SMW Host Blood Drive By CHRISTINE XU Copy Editor

Since February is celebrated as the month of love, it is only fitting that the Arcadia chapter of the American Red Cross held their annual blood drive at AHS on Wed., Feb. 25, to give a little love to those in need of blood. The event, held at the North Gym, spanned the entire school day, and was headed by volunteers from the Arcadia Red Cross. The campus Red Cross Club for students and Senior Men and Women (SMW) played a role in the blood drive by advertising the function and working the sign-up tables during the first week of February. In addition, members of SMW were “checking students in and out, making sandwiches for those who did not eat breakfast, and talking to those donating blood to keep them alert,” said SMW member Scott Fairbanks. Donors were given a

free T-shirt and a coupon for a free appetizer at Mimi’s Café in Monrovia. General requirements for participating in the blood drive include being at least 16 years of age and weighing at least 110 pounds. Donors were given the option of either drawing blood containing white blood cells and valuable red blood cells, or using the ALYX system, an automated red cell collection machine that draws two high-quality samples of red cells. However, donating on the ALYX machine is a longer process and requires more restrictive rules for participants, such as donating only Type O or Type B blood, refraining from donating again at least four months later, and meeting specific height and weight requirements. Female donors should be at least 5’3” tall and weigh at least 175 pounds, and male donors should be at least 5’1” tall and weigh at least 150 pounds.

“A single donation can save up to three lives.” - Senior Matt Schroyer

The Arcadia Red Cross, along with its partners, continues to hold this blood drive because “a single donation can save up to three lives. There is always need for blood in our area and we are just doing our part to help keep the supply there for those who need it,” says SMW member Matt Schroyer. Blood donor senior Ping King, president of the Red Cross Youth Corps, commented, “I’ve been a blood donor for about a year now. I was first pushed to do this back during the last SMW blood drive and I am glad that I did. I do this because this is something that I, as an individual in the position that I’m in, have the power to do to make the world that much brighter. I’m saving three lives! And that idea really is reward enough.” In addition, Miss Cari Barbour donates blood “because it’s what [she] can do to help others.” This year’s blood drive totaled 198 units of blood. If you missed this incredible chance to donate blood, you have the opportunity to donate every Monday at the center of the Arcadia chapter of the American Red Cross from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. cxu@theapachepowwow.com

Michelle Zhu, sophomore C - 1. Jackie Robinson! X - 2. I have no idea… C - 3. Uh, is it Jan. 19? Score: 2/3

Robel Abdella, junior C - 1. Jackie Robinson C - 2. Thurgood Marshall X - 3. It’s on a Monday, Jan. 18 Score: 2/3

Cameron Miller, senior C - 1. Jackie Robinson C - 2. Uhh … Thurgood Marshall? C - 3. Third Monday of January, 19 Score: 3/3 Photos by MELANIE YUEN

SPORTS

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February 2009

Girls Soccer Slide Tackles into CIF Round Two By AISHA ELMASRI Staff Writer

Struggling against opponents. Competing continuously. Pushing the limits of energy. Varsity Girls Soccer does all of this to experience the immense gratification that follows the blowing of the whistle, knowing their effort has paid off. The bond that the girls have forged with one another is unlike any other, and their camaraderie extends beyond the soccer field. With CIF in full force, each player is fighting not only to win, but to ensure that each game will not be the last that they play with one another. Arcadia started off the second half of their season with high hopes and motivation. The girls played against Glendale on Jan. 21 at AHS, and after their loss to Crescenta Valley the week before, the girls were desperate to secure a solid win. They started out strong and didn’t falter once; they had their minds set on restoring their confidence and improving their game. With hard work and the ability to connect passes, the girls beat the team, 6-0, with ease. Arcadia continued on to play Burroughs of that same week, securing another win of 4-0. On Jan. 28, Arcadia played against Pasadena, and although they won the game 3-2, they were disappointed with their meek performance. With their game against Burbank that Friday of that same week, the girls had a shot at redemption. The girls started the game strong, scoring their first two goals early on. As the game continued, the girls began to lose focus, and the defense let up two goals as a result. With little time left in the game, junior Joleen Pimentel scored the winning goal. The following week, the girls played games against Muir (12-0), and then Hoover (7-0). The next game against Glendale was a practice session for the girls, who won, 6-0. Arcadia was focused on their game against Crescenta Valley, for this was the game that would determine who won league and who would be

forced to accept the less desirable second place position. them and aimed to secure a win. Senior Ann Marie Tangorra scored On Feb. 12, Arcadia made their way to CV to play the decid- the first goal of the game by following up on a pass back from ing game of their season; both teams had been tied for first place. Valencia’s defender, going in for the ball, beating the keeper and Just five minutes into the game, passing the ball smoothly CV had already scored two into the right corner of the goals against Arcadia’s struggoal. During the second gling defensive line. Sophomore half, Valencia fired back Vania Robles was determined by scoring off a throw to make a comeback, scoring that the defense was unArcadia’s first goal in the 13th able to clear; making the minute of the game. Immediscore tied 1-1. The last 20 ately afterward, CV struck back minutes of the game were by dribbling the ball down the extremely high-paced, side of the field, and then sendand both teams had an ing it in for a quick cross. A CV equal opportunity to win. midfielder picked it up and took Arcadia’s perseverance a successful shot. The first half out-shined Valencia’s ended, 1-3, and as the second lucky goal, and off a pass half began, CV scored another from Vania, Ann Marie goal off a corner kick that was scored yet again. Arcadia Photo by GREGORY ZAJAC finished the game with a poorly defended. However, Arcadia finally got their act to- GIRLS SOCCER Junior Amanda Papac brings the ball 2-1 win, and every girl on gether and began playing better down and dribbles around her Hoover opponent, readying the team was responsible collectively, connecting passes herself to make a spectacular cross to the other forwards. for their spectacular perand communicating well. Sadly, Vania’s second goal of the game formance and successful finish, but with a cost: Emily was redwas not enough to give AHS the win they had wanted. The game carded after receiving two yellow cards for necessary fouls, which ended 4-2 and CV was crowned the new Pacific League Cham- prevented her from playing in the next game. pion. Arcadia played Harvard-Westlake on Feb. 24 in their second Despite yet another loss to CV, Arcadia used the game as round of CIF. The girls dominated the entire game, but could not a learning experience, discussing what went wrong and how to seem to finish their shots. Valencia’s goals were not earned, but prevent the mistakes from happening again. Arcadia looked for- merely the aftermath of miscommunications between Arcadia’s deward to their first round of CIF to be played against Valencia on fenders, which ended the Apaches’ CIF advancement. Thursday, Feb. 19. The girls were anxious to play the game they had been preparing for all season, so they put everything behind aelmasri@theapachepowwow.com

Girls Basketball Dribbles Through a Tough Year By VICTORIA TRAN Staff Writer

With the girls of Varsity Basketball entering their second round of league, anyone could tell that this team was not giving up hope. Their previous losses were a thing of the past and their recent wins proved Arcadia was no longer a “doormat.” Since all the teams play against each other twice a season, games that they lost the first time were won as the team got stronger. “If we can win the rest of the games, and every other team starts beating each other in a different manner, we can get in a tie to make it to CIF,” said junior Madyson Cassidy. On Jan. 23, Arcadia faced rival Crescenta Valley, and despite the girls’ best efforts, the Apaches lost 60-42. At Burroughs, they suffered an extremely close 43-44 loss on Jan. 28. John Muir, who is undefeated in league with their spot-on shooting and impenetrable defense, destroyed the Apaches on Feb. 4; Arcadia lost, at an unfortunate 26-59. Arcadia, once again, faced

Photo by GREG ZAJAC

Crescenta Valley on Feb. 12 but fell short and lost 36-49. However, the Apaches did not give up hope. In their game against Pasadena on Jan.

30, they won 31-26. The girls did not back down to Pasadena’s physical nature; in fact, they responded back even more aggressively. Countless rebounds from center senior Christine Howard helped win the game. They won against Burbank 45-42 on Feb. 2, which was a significant victory due to the fact that they had previously lost to them earlier in the season. The girls then won against Glendale 35-33 on Feb. 10. On Feb. 6, Arcadia was going into the game with high expectations for a win against Hoover. When the fourth quarter came around, both teams were equally working hard for a win. With only a few seconds left, senior Kim Wong rebounded the ball from Hoover and took it down the court untouched. Looking for an open player, she passed the ball to guard senior Tawney Kim. Tawney went up for the basket and scored the game-winning shot, 38-37. “We won not by pity or luck, but because we wanted to win more than Hoover did. Throughout the game we hustled on defense and worked together to earn this at-the-buzzer game victory,” said Kim. The team feels that they’re making a comeback and with CIF on the horizon, winning every game they can is crucial. Unfortunately for the girls, they did not win enough games to qualify for CIF, for their league record was 5-9. But despite their failed attempt, they won six more games than last season’s team and went from last place in league to tying for fifth place. In the end, the girls proved they were able to work together as a “unit [instead of] individuals,” said Coach Don Young, “I’m proud of the girls for stepping up and gaining respect for AHS Girls Basketball. I’m excited about the next season.” vtran@theapachepowwow.com

Boys Basketball Finishes Their Season Short of CIF By ANDREW LIN Staff Writer

To examine the Boys’ Varsity Basketball league record is to witness one of the more peculiar phenomena in sports. If you were to look at their record a month ago, and then compare it to the end result, you would be struck by the surprising disparity in wins and losses. Whereas they once had a disappointing overall record of 5-11 and league record of 1-4, they concluded 10-15 overall and 6-8 in league. On Jan. 21, Boys Varsity Basketball rocked Glendale in a 64-53 win. However, they lost the next three games against Crescenta Valley, Burroughs, and Pasadena. Though they lost by a single point against Crescenta Valley in a close 51-52 point game, John Burroughs and Pasadena won by a slightly larger margin of 46-62 and 33-60, respectively. But since then, according to Coach Jay Ryan, “the team has made a strong effort to play more for each other and not themselves and,” as we can see from their consequent games, “the results have been positive.” The Apaches faced off against Burbank for the second time, and crushed them in a 70-58 win, compensating for Arcadia’s previous 42-69 loss. When asked how they accomplished this victory, junior Alex Chang answered, “Well, we knew right before the game that if we lost we wouldn’t have a chance to make CIF, and that’s where our motivation came from.” Coach Ryan explained that “when we limited our turnovers, we were hard to beat.” Through a combination of “consistent defense, rebounding and big shots,” said Coach Ryan. Using that momentum, the

them 47-29. And on Feb. 6, they pulled off yet another victory against Hoover in a blistering overtime game of 62-51. Though they went into overtime tied, they outscored them 13-2 in those last minutes of the game. “We didn’t give up and we just played harder because we wanted it way more,” explained Alex. With just two more games left, the Apaches triumphed over Glendale on Feb. 10, losing control for a hair-raising moment in the fourth quarter, but finishing with a comfortable nine-point cushion. All Arcadia needed was one more win to qualify for CIF. They played CV and knew fully well what was at risk. They played unrelentingly, but fell short, 71-56. “There are just some games,” reflected junior Ashiq Syed, “when you feel like you’re fighting your opponent, their whole crowd, and the refs.” And though they missed CIF, there is still much to look forward to. A few seniors will leave for college this year, but many players will return. “Over this whole season we grew closer as teammates,” said Ashiq. “Winning four out of our last five games, we came together and overcame many doubts people had about our team. As the seniors from this year’s team leave us with much bigger plans for years ahead, we

Photo by GREG ZAJAC

can always look back and remember that our team was the definition of a brotherboys rode through their hood.” opponents from John Muir 44-40, beating a team that had previously beaten alin@theapachepowwow.com

February 2009

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SPORTS PROFILE

Senior Todd Golper Signs With UCLA By RICHARD FU Staff Writer

State the next. Coach Dimalante described him as “smart, tough, intelligent.” And so it was little surprise when colleges came knocking. For Todd, it came down between Stanford and UCLA. He appreciated Stanford’s academic prowess and prestigious program, but ultimately couldn’t turn down a chance to make his lifelong dream come true. His father and brother were both UCLA law school alumni, and Todd grew up having rooted for UCLA all his life. He put it simply, stating that it was “a dream come true.”

On Feb. 4, 2008, UCLA officially offered a full scholarship. Todd committed on Mar. 8. At his signing conference, Todd humbly thanked all his teammates, coaches, family, and AHS. Todd’s journey as an athlete may not have the dramatic elements of those who overcame personal trauma to go onto professional careers. But his determination, focus, character, and talent cannot be denied. He diligently prioritizes everything in life, never letting a particular aspect consume or destroy his overall balance. He maintains a mature, far-sighted perspective of who he is and who he wants to be. For Todd, it was all about staying confident and sticking with it even when the going got tough. And now that things have worked out, he described himself as “a big believer” in hard work and persistence. There were times when even he had doubts about himself, but he never lost faith for what he believed in his heart. Todd’s dedication has likewise inspired us to fearlessly pursue our dreams. Photo Courtesy of Mrs. Leslie Golper Thanks, Todd.

Every morning at 5:30, as crickets chirp and beds shift, squirrels dart, and procrastinators panic, the weight-room machines of Arcadia High School creak, inch by inch as they struggle against the forces of human will, power, and determination, each motion bringing senior Todd Golper one step past his last dream and closer towards his next one. Todd plays middle linebacker on the Arcadia football team. He accomplished what few have done-–making Junior Varsity his freshman year and Varsity his sophomore year. His father put together a highlight reel and sent them to colleges, and aided by a strong season from the Arcadia team, recruiters took notice. Todd became first team All-League COLLEGE BOUND Senior Todd Golper officially signs with UCLA that year, and All- for a full scholarship to play football for them next season.

rfu@theapachepowwow.com

Water Polo Overcomes a Rugged Season By TRACY YAO Staff Writer

Girls Varsity Water Polo has endured countless struggles this past season, but their dedication to the sport has never faltered. Starting the season as a young team with only four returners, the ladies trained hard and practiced to improve their teamwork. Facing off against San Marino in the first game, the Apaches suffered a 7-12 defeat. Instead of moping over the loss, they saw it as motivation, and doubled their efforts. However, they were opposed by yet another difficulty: a broken pool. The team was only able to work out in the weight room, setting back their training in the water. After three weeks, the pool was finally fixed and the ladies were ready for a fresh start in 2009. Junior Nancy Pulciano said, “I absolutely love our team because everyone on it is a strong individual, but it’s a struggle to stay on pace the whole game because we only have two substitutes.” The team started the new year off with two losses but evened it out with two wins against Glendale and Hoover. Unfortunately, the Lady Apaches faced a bitter defeat in the CIF deciding match against Burroughs, with a score of 7-8. Senior Chisa Koda said, “I do regret not being able to go to CIF, missing it by one point in the deciding game, but we worked hard and I am proud of what we

Janice Clark said, “We are going to have a have accomplished.” Girls Water Polo has truly accom- young team again next year, and it is going to plished much from where they first began be very similar to this year. We are looking to this season. Sophomore Michelle Fry said, the JV players to step up.” For the Junior Varsity team, the season “We met our expectations to come together as a team and be able to work together. A started out strong, but took a turn for the sign of our improvement is that we beat La worse as it progressed. The Apaches had a Salle in overtime this year. We lost to them dominating victory in their first game against San Marino, with a score of 15-6. However, last year.” Along with sharpened skills and new this success was short-lived. The ladies faced devastating defeats in their nine techniques, another essential element ensuing games. It seemed to their improvement was a as though that first win strong team bond. In adwould be their one dition to practices in and only victory. the water, they spent However, the much time with one team did not another outside let the streak the pool, which keep them strengthened from trying their bond as a their hardest, team even more. nor did they The countless let it dampen movie nights, their spirits. pasta dinners, and In the game tournaments were against Hoover, all aimed to bring the the girls triumphed, team closer. with an amazing score Nancy expressed of 11-5. Sadly, in how much the closeness of the team meant to her by Photo Courtesy of Joseph Lee their next game, ladies lost to saying, “We’re a family. GIRLS WATER POLO The Arcadia the Burroughs with a We bump heads, but we girls dominate Glendale’s Dynamiters in score of 2-6. The never take it outside the their battle for the ball. JV team wrapped water. Everyone fights in the pool, but we are all friends outside of up their season 6th overall in league. it. That’s the great thing about water polo.” tyao@theapachepowwow.com Looking towards next season, Coach

TAYLOR LAGACE

By ANDREW LIN

Staff Writer

Photo by GREGORY ZAJAC

Who Taylor Lagace is varies, depending on who you ask. If you spoke to his teammate junior Alex Chang, he would tell you that Taylor is simply a “really talented and athletic” guy. His coach, Jay Ryan, would say that “there is room for improvement, especially with individual and team defense.” But if you were to compile all of their comments and go through them for that one unifying and recurring idea, you would find and come to know that freshman Taylor Lagace loves basketball. “I have a passion for the game,” says Taylor, “and I would love to play division one basketball in college.” Having played the sport for most of his life, it would only make sense if he continued to play going into and throughout college. Introduced to the game by his older brother and father, Taylor participated in the Arcadia Youth Basketball league from fourth to eighth grade, all the while playing for Foothills Middle School in the seventh and eighth grade. As it turns out, his love is no secret. He “brings a lot of passion to the sport,” according to Coach Ryan, and it shows when “he is on the court, as well as in practice and when he is on the bench.” In short, it shows whenever he’s in the game. His passion is reflected in his performance, because, after all, to quote his coach, “being a freshman on a varsity basketball team says a lot.” Taylor’s drive translates into quite a few other areas of his life as well. He’s energetic when it comes to basketball and, apparently, school. English is his favorite subject “because it challenges [him] the most.” He welcomes the difficulty because it makes the process of playing or learning that much more thrilling, because it makes the end product that much more rewarding. All in all, the general consensus has been that Taylor Lagace has had a pretty successful first year, which Coach Ryan believes “should be a springboard for him to come back for a strong sophomore season.” Alex agrees that he “has a pretty big future” and “the more experience he gets, the better he will be.” When asked to reflect upon his flaws, Taylor admitted that he had some more work to do and that, with the help of his “family, pastor at church, and Dave Lutzier,” he’ll remember to work on “stay[ing] humble.” Luckily, he’ll be around for a while, and we’ll get the chance to see just how good he’ll make of those resolutions.

CALENDAR

theapachepowwow.com

Ladies, Ladies, Don’t Take this Kid to Sadies By DEBBIE JONG

February 2009

Did You Know? By EMILY LITVACK Calendar Editor

Ever notice that countless fast food restaurants and gas stations alike use the colors red and yellow in advertising? Well, it’s not by mistake. Research shows that these colors most effectively entice consumers by inspiring compulsive behaviors. So, next time you’re sitting in the drive through at McDonald’s or pumping some gas at the Shell station, think twice about why you’re there. Maybe good ol’ red and yellow got you again. Have a “Did You Know?” of your own? E-mail it to elitvack@theapachepowwow.com to have it printed in our paper!

The Adventures of Emily and Velinda

elitvack@theapachepowwow.com

By EMILY LITVACK and VELINDA LIAO

A Dude’s Gotta Do What A Dude’s Gotta Do

Sudoku

By DAVID HERNANDEZ

Courtesy of WEBSUDOKU.COM

Check your answers at theapachepowwow.com

theapachepowwow.com

February 2009

Oh, How Quickly the Hours Do Pass By Anne-Elise Horth

CALENDAR

Can YOU Master the Pow Wow? Check your answers at theapachepowwow.com

From Teriyaki to Tempura By GLUTTON GIRL

I could tell that a myriad of stories were being exchanged; people laughing and enjoying Staff Writer themselves filled all four corners of the room. If Morning, lower west siders. Glutton Girl you’re looking for a steal, the lunch specials are here, your one and only source into Arcadia’s only $8-10 for a selection of two to three things guilty pleasures. L –spotoff the menu. And ted– perusing in Pasadena. if you’re pro-Nemo Today, she had an appetite and abide by fish befor Japanese at Gin Sushi. For ing friends, not food, those counting calories, bear there’s a selection in mind that Japanese food of teriyaki plates and is some of the healthiest out vegetarian rolls. My there- just beware of the tuna, favorites are the Teriwhich is delicious but scanyaki Salmon with the dalously calorific. Fresh, high Dragon Roll on the -quality sushi for a low price side. Where else can and low calorie count? You I get grilled fish, temreally can have your cake and Photo Courtesy of GOOGLE.COM pura appetizers, soup, eat it, too. “Konnichiwa!” PASADENA’S PREMIERE They salad, rice, and an orThe friendly chef greeted me der of sushi for $9.50? with a grin stretched from ear have a reputation rivaling upscale, Bang for your buck. to ear; he continued to work expensive sushi joints in LA. And if you pretend the sushi rolls as we waited to be seated. The it’s your birthday, you get a special little treat. only thing anyone would have to be weary of Tsk, tsk, L. So, for personable service, great is the crowd that builds up during afternoon food, and even greater prices, Gin Sushi is hours, but it was worth the wait. It was a spayour one stop shop. And who am I? That’s one cious restaurant with an ample sushi bar and secret I’ll never tell. You know you love me. an apt amount of seating. The atmosphere was XOXO, Glutton Girl. that of an old school Japanese restaurant, but rather than sitting on our knees, we get chairs. gluttongirl@theapachepowwow.com

ACROSS 5. Pep Squad tryouts take place here (Performing Arts) 6. The common abbreviation that single people use on Valentine’s Day (Features) 8. Recently hosted a benefit dinner and concert (Performing Arts) 9. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed having ______ fewer days in the school year (News) DOWN 1. This month’s photo contest theme (Calendar) 2. This freshman basketball player has high expectations for the upcoming season (Sports) 3. This movie came out on Jan. 30 (Features) 4. Joe Tian profiled this college (Academics) 7. Glutton Girl indulged in some Japanese food here (Calendar)

CAMPUS FOCUS

theapachepowwow.com

February 2009

Sweet Treats on Valentine’s By ANGELA SHEN Staff Writer

Pink hearts, flying cupids, and boxes of chocolate wrapped with satin bows can only mean one thing—Valentine’s Day. While some absorb the sentimental aspects of the holiday, others claim it is a scheme devised by Hallmark as a tribute to capitalism. But whatever their outlook may be on the highly debated holiday, AHS students have decided to contribute their ideas and feelings about Valentine’s Day. Even for those without a Valentine, these poems, pictures, and letters are sure to warm the heart. By ANONYMOUS Guest Writer

Graphic Courtesy of ARVIA SUTANDI

By NURIA MATHOG Staff Writer

Love is Infinite, Unbounded by Limits I’ve known you for the longest time, and yet I must confess I still recall the day we met (in algebra, no less!) How quickly I transformed from taking notes so carefully To writing my expressions in the terms of You + Me. My calculations took the form of “Is it safe to look?” And I admit my gaze would stray quite often from my book. For once, I had a problem that equations could not tame. Each day, I sought an answer... my solution never came. I thought myself in love then, but the episode soon passed— This later substitution, though, I feel will surely last. You’ve always been a constant, someone I can truly trust, While others proved mere variables who left me in the dust. I see your real value when I read between the lines: You’re wonderfully positive, with no conflicting signs, Compassionate and honest, so intelligent and kind— A genuine composite of the traits I hope to find. Our greatest common factor’s the ambitiousness we share; Distributed between us, its a force beyond compare. We’re similar in many ways, sometimes for what we aim. And I will tell you now, although you may not feel the same: My love is exponential, a continual uphill climb. My interest never wanes—it just accumulates with time. My heart is isolated, but its quantity’s unknown... And your identity, dear X, you must solve on your own.

Photo Courtesy of CELESTE LI

By LOR N. WONTON Guest Writer

Upside Down Roses are blue, Violets are red, Sometimes my world turns upside down But you make it right again.

By EMILY LITVACK

An Ode to Love You are the one, Nothing in the universe can change that You’re like a song on constant playback, Music, no, you, saved my life and I’m loving you through day and night With you, it’s all right You are, my star, and I’m your number one fan Please, be my man, Try as I might, I just can’t stop this love, love, love, And you know it’s something that nothing can rise above This love I have for you is so deeply ingrained Part of my heart, my soul, my eyes, my brain When I’m without you, I just hope to let it rain Every day, I’m fallin’, fallin’, fallin’ deeper and deeper Really, Tablo, I promise I’m no creeper I just can’t let go.

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

Calendar Editor

Dedicated to J. Alfred Prufrock S’io credesse che mia risposta fosseA “no”, I certainly cannot now For your pathetic monologue of fear and of tragedy Has assured me—endlessly—that I have a fictional companion Although you’ve conversationally coerced Women to write you off with a snicker, Sometimes with a sigh I spend five days a week in this room, dear friend This room where no man speaks of Michelangelo By ANONYMOUS AP MANDARIN No man cares to look nor to listen STUDENT The words trip on my tongue Photo Contest Winner They fall from my lips Elliott Lee Guest Writer They are awfully shy, painfully shy Dear Tang Dynasty Poems, We’ve been everywhere together. We really have. You’ve And depart as but a mumble…But a mumble Love is an intangible thing, and often enough taken me to see your hometown as well as to frozen lakes You talk of lonely, dark streets you cannot see the full effect of love until afup in those miserably cold mountains. And I love the way And I of romanticism and realism ter it is over, or some time has passed. Love is You fear femininity, oh, Jasper the imagery, created by your seven- syllable structure, blind, but hindsight is 20/20. Coincidentally I fear man just wraps around me, enveloping me in the soft spoken enough, my submitted photo was made with a whispers of Du Qiu Niang and Li Sheng. But it’s just not But our ticket to freedom awaits at the floor of the 15-second shutter exposure, and even though sea working out. I can’t pronounce you correctly. And every I knew nothing about what it would show up time we meet, I have to recite you over and over and over We will escape to the Caspian, you and I as (I waved flashlights around like a moron And this February will not be a misery, but a and over again. So I guess it’s goodbye. It’s for the best, during said exposure), it was rewarding to splendid adventure really. look back when it was over and see the results. Love, …Shall we now? Anonymous AP Mandarin Student Photo Courtesy to their RESPECTIVE OWNERS