December 2016
studentlife.powwow@gmail.com
STUDENT LIFE
14
By CHRISTY QIU Staff Writer
By JOSIE CHEN Staff Writer
Christmas is a holiday full of joy and cheer. One of the many traditions that occur during the celebratory season is the exchanging of gifts with friends and family. With Christmas right around the corner, students of AHS have begun to think about what they would like to receive this year. “For Christmas, I want a motorbike from Amazon so that I can ride to school.”—Kirti Madireddy, 9 “I want Minions because they are cute and cuddly.”—Lillian Wang, 10 “I want sporty and comfortable clothes. I would want them in black and white, so it can match with anything I wear.” —Jenny Namkoong, 9 “For Christmas, I would like to get a kitten.” —Grace Hong, 9
jchen@apachepowwow.com Graphics courtesy of PIXABAY.COM
The holidays are unquestionably one of the most festive times of the year. For some, this time of the year inspires joy, but for others, the festivity may be a bit too much. Christmas music is a conflict for this divided audience. Many mainstream artists have dedicated entire albums to holiday songs. A couple examples include Justin Bieber’s Under the Mistletoe and Ariana Grande’s Christmas and Chill. Even more remarkable, this Christmas festivity has broadened to East Asia, as illustrated in the K-pop boy band EXO and its album, Miracles in December. If there are albums dedicated to December holidays, why aren’t there any dedicated solely to Thanksgiving or Halloween? AHS students have varied views when answering this question. Junior Shubhita Verma exclaimed that there is a reason to the success of Christmas-dedicated albums, as “Christmas is special.” However, she understood the views of those who think the festivity can get a little overboard. She contends that “if Christmas music is playing before Thanksgiving, then it is overrated, because that’s just killing Thanksgiving.” However, the truth is that many radio stations play holiday songs even during the first week of November. Junior Emma Huang revealed, “I don’t listen to the radio station.” As someone who doesn’t hear Christmas music starting from the beginning of November, Emma appreciates the vibe of Christmas music, stating that it “helps put everyone in a more festive mood, and it makes everyone more excited for Christmas.” Many AHS students agreed that Christmas music deserves its own genre. One such student is junior Armine Kasabyan who blatantly stated, “Christmas music is amazing.” Moreover, she argued that “there should be albums dedicated to all holidays.” After all, a festive spirit for only two months of the year is not enough. Other students, such as junior Chi Tsai, thought otherwise. Without a second of hesitation, she argued that Christmas music is “overplayed and overrated” and that she does not “want to hear the same Christmas songs on the radio so many times.” Still, the majority of AHS students agreed that Christmas music is enjoyable and special. Students seem to always be listening to music, whether it is secretly in class or at home while doing homework. Music plays a large role in AHS, as seen through the school’s renowned band and exquisite orchestra. So, as people who seem to understand music well, AHS students have developed their own views on Christmas music. Overall, regardless of opposing views, enjoy listening to Christmas music as long as you want.
cqiu@apachepowwow.com
"What do you call a bagel that can fly? A plain bagel!" —Wesley Kam, 9 "Why do fish hate Fridays? Because it's FRYday!" —Erika Luu, 11 "If everyone loves Christmas so much... Why don't they just Merry Christmas?" —Rose An, 11
By FRANCES CHEUNG Staff Writer
As the end of the semester is quickly approaching, there’s a lot of stress for both students and teachers to complete tasks and assignments on time. Now, with finals happening before winter break, first semester is ending quicker than ever. Many students are giving their last burst of effort in order to raise their grades to the highest possible before the semester ends. As students work hard in school, teachers have to finish their recommendations for particular students, grades, and writing finals for classes they teach. With so much going on, it’s hard to find time to take a deep breath and just relax for a bit. Here are a couple jokes, puns, and quotes that students gave for some light hearted laughs in spite of whatever you may be going through. Enjoy!
"Who is Santa's favorite singer? Elf-is Presley!" —Katie Wen, 10 "What did the cat say to the other cat? All I want for Christmas is mew!" —Karen Thai, 11 "What do you call Santa's elves? Subordinate Clauses!" —Arianna Togelang, 11 fcheung@apachepowwow.com Graphics courtesy of ICONARCHIVE.COM
