12 minute read
NEWS Casualties of the Drought: More than
from December 2016
The World Is Our Campus
Volume 64, Issue 4 Arcadia High School 180 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA
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Photo courtesy of CAPSWEB.ORG
NEWS pg. 2
Casualties of the Drought: More than 62 million trees in the state of California have died this year.
OPINION pg. 4
The Man Under the Chimney: A reflection on outgrowing the legend of Santa Claus and appreciating the true makers of Christmas.
Photo courtesy of THINLYSPREAD.CO.UK
CALENDAR pg. 18
A Little Sweetness: Try this recipe for sugar mice—they’re as fun to make as they are to eat!
December 2016
Also in this issue:
FEATURES pg. 9
Rewind: Pow Wow puts together a timeline of this wild ride of a year.
PERFORMING ARTS pg. 12
Moves for Good: The Charity Dance Show was a major hit, contributing to the Joanne Domenici Memorial Fund.
STUDENT LIFE pg. 14
Holiday Music: Students weigh in on holiday music: is it overplayed or underappreciated?
ENDING ON A HIGH NOTE Band looks to finish off its marching season by performing in the Rose Parade with 18 other bands from around the world. This year’s parade theme, “Echoes of Success”, honors those who help others reach success. By HOLLY LUNG
Staff Writer
It’s been four weeks since the competitive marching band and field show season has ended, but Band and Color Guard aren’t ready to hang up their instruments and flags just yet. Despite the conclusion of their competitive seasons, Band and Color Guard have not ceased their preparation for performances coming up this month. With the Rose Parade, Band Fest, and the Spaghetti Dinner still to look forward to, these groups have continued their demanding practice schedule since they ended late November.
As Band and Color Guard look ahead to these next events, it is also important to note the wave of success they have ridden since their season began in August. Having excelled in competitions such as the Mt. Carmel Band Tournament, Ramona Field Show Tournament, Riverside King Band Review, and the SCSBOA Championships, the performances ahead may just be a continuation of their wonderful season. “Overall, we did really well,” senior Caitlin Tran revealed. “Each competition we went to we steadily improved our performance, and once we got to championships we put our best ever performance onto the field which is the greatest thing we could ask for!” Senior Caleb Huang of Color Guard, however, believed their routines “could have been improved in many parts” but ultimately found that “the moments [they] had with each other were more important than the placements.”
Despite some minor disappointments, the tide of success from this past competitive season certainly brings with it hope for excellence in these last few performances, particularly the Rose Parade. In order to prepare for this nationally acclaimed celebration, Band has been practicing by marching every day on Campus Dr. to its march song of the season, “Purple Carnival,” and its march song for the Rose Parade, “America,” both of which will be performed during the event on Jan. 2. With a few of the largest TV networks broadcasting the Rose Parade across the nation annually, it is estimated that a 31.5 million viewers will focus their attention on our very own Band as it marches. The sizeable audience is a source of excitement for the Band members. Sophomore Chazmin Tho said, “I’m really excited to perform in the Rose Parade. This is a great opportunity for our band to get more exposure and to show our entire year’s hard work to a larger audience.” Caitlin also shared that “performing in the Rose Parade is a huge reward in itself, and being chosen to perform in it just shows how talented and hardworking our band really is.”
The Rose Parade is indeed a great way to top off a great season, although it certainly is not the last event of the year. With the Spaghetti Dinner still to go for both groups, and Band Fest and Winter Guard still to go for Band and Color Guard respectively, these hardworking performers won’t be taking a break anytime soon. Band has been spending one day out of every week solely to practice its music for the Spaghetti Dinner, a celebratory event that allows family members and AHS alumni to see what music and routines it has worked on this year. Band has also spent every Thursday out on the football field doing runs of this year’s field show “A Rose By Any Other Name” just for Band Fest. Color Guard, on the other hand, has an entirely new season of Winter Guard to prepare for and is looking forward to the new competitions and performances that follow in the coming weeks.
Whether they are celebrating the near end of a successful season or raring for another set of competitions, Band and Color Guard have much to be proud of in terms of their accomplishments this year. As they move onto the Rose Parade, Spaghetti Dinner, Band Fest, and Winter Guard, it’s clear that their talents will continue to impress and entertain those of us on the sidelines.
Teenage Girls Launch First Private African Satellite
Nature Deficit Disorder
By KAITLIN LEE
Staff Writer
South Africa has not been the greatest innovator in space exploration, but a team of teenage girls from Cape Cod is aiming to change that. Despite their ages, they have already designed and built a satellite to scan Africa’s surface. The information it collects, such as data on agriculture and food security within the continent, will be used toward disaster prevention. The satellite is set to launch into space in May 2017. If this is carried out successfully, it will be the first satellite to be launched from Africa by a private company. “We expect to receive a good signal, which will allow us to receive reliable data,” exclaimed Sesam Mngqengqiswa, a student at Philippi High School. “In South Africa we have experienced some of the worst floods and droughts and it has really affected the farmers very badly.” Mngqengqiswa is referring to a drought induced by El Niño, which has led to a downfall in maize production in South Africa since April 2016. She hopes that this satellite will boost the economy by avoiding another similar accident. The group of 14 is being taught by satellite engineers from Cape Peninsula University of Technology, as part of a program by South Africa’s Meta Economic Development Organization. The program hopes to encourage young women to join STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields, especially astronomy. The girls had already programmed and launched small satellites using weather balloons before moving on to this project. They are using small format satellites, as they present a low-cost and efficient way of acquiring data. So far, tests have involved gathering thermal data that is then analyzed to detect floods or droughts. Mngqengqiswa hopes that she will make her mother proud by becoming a space engineer or astronaut. “Discovering space and seeing the Earth’s atmosphere, it’s not something many black Africans have been able to do, or do not get the opportunity to look at,” she said. The schoolgirl is right, since no black African has traveled to outer space in the half century that space travel has existed. She wants to experience these things for herself and to show to fellow girls that they don’t need to limit themselves to housework, and that, for them, any job—even engineering or space exploration—is possible.
It is only recently that Southern California has had weather that actually feels like winter. With the seasonal drop in temperatures, our world is gradually becoming grayer. These colder days are often spent huddled up in classrooms or at home with our eyes glued to various screens—phones, laptops, TVs. Because of this, we don’t pay attention to nature. Recently, Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD), has become a buzzword. This phrase was coined by Richard Louv in 2005, and it has stuck ever since. Although it is not an official medical condition, NDD’s effects on health can be worrying. Not having contact with nature on a regular basis can lead to a decrease in mental health. Since physical movement is in our biology, it is important that we move around and connect with nature instead of remaining sedentary inside. However, Dr. Ross Cameron of Sheffield University noted that the little things that people notice in nature can help cure NDD. “Basically any interaction with green space seems to have some potential,” he said. In short, despite the cold outdoors and the lure of the heater inside, it helps a great deal to just step outside the house and simply wander around the neighborhood for a bit. Instead of sitting and working on a computer all day, get outside and appreciate the beauty of the nature in our surrounding environment.
klee@apachepowwow.com Photo courtesy of CNN.COM
By SANDI KHINE
Staff Writer
skhine@apachepowwow.com
Fidel Castro (1926 - 2016)
By ATUSSA KIAN
Staff Writer
A sign reading “Viva Fidel!”, hangs from a Cuban government building located in the Cuban capitol. Fidel Castro’s death spews opposition, hope, and for some, sorrow. On Nov. 25, Castro’s brother Raul announced the death of his 90-year-old brother in a televised statement, giving way to a strong clash of emotion as Cuban people across the world reacted to the death of their communist president of 30 years. In the meantime, jubilation rocked the streets of Little Havana in Miami, Florida as people took popped champagne, cheered, and danced in reaction to the death of the Cuban revolutionary. Reporters swarmed the scene, prompting question after question, which extracted interesting stories that told how Castro’s regime had affected individual Cuban lives. “This is a celebration, but in a way, not a celebration of a death—but it’s a celebration, hopefully, of a beginning of liberty that we are all waiting for, for many years,” one reveler informed CNN. “The hope is that not just because Castro died, but also hopefully it opens up the people in Cuba a little bit more to go against what’s happening there.” Castro’s deep interest and pursuit of a Marxist society led Cuba’s economy to a crippled state, while oppression ruled the nation. Many Cubans were forced to flee to neighboring Florida, where they flourished under American freedom. Many believe that the fear Castro inflicted was one of the primary reasons why he was able to stay in power for so long. Now, Cubans and Cuban-Americans look forward to the future. However, one key question remains: will Castro’s death benefit the Cuban economy and the country’s relationship with the U.S.? Now that Fidel Castro is dead, his brother Raul has taken full power after years of supporting his brother behind the scenes. Many insist that Cuba is still stable; thus, it is probable that the current Cuban system of government will not change. One of the prime reasons why Cubans residing in Little Havana have chosen to take to the streets in order to celebrate Castro’s death is because the event is deeply symbolic of the diverse sentiments of an entire nation. The death of Castro signifies the end of a tyrannical regime while simultaneously representing new beginnings for the younger generations, which could lead to a brighter future of success for the country of Cuba. Such a historical moment in the history of Cuba has certainly been met with strong, opposing reactions; Cuba is now caught in a web of uncertainty. Without a definite path to follow in sight, the nation faces a weighty decision that will dictate its future for years to come. Despite this, Cubans, especially young, forward-thinking citizens, are firmly optimistic about the future of their nation, while other Cubans around the world mourn the tragic loss of their past revolutionary leader.
California’s Dying Trees
By REIKO INOUE
Staff Writer
Although it is common knowledge that California has been greatly affected by severe droughts in recent years, the impact that the drought has had on our forests was unexpected. Last month, the U.S. Forest Service performed a survey of California’s trees and found that 62 million trees have died this year—much more than the estimated 36 million. Now, the number of dead trees in this state has risen to 102 million. This number surprised even officials: according to Randy Moore, a forester for the U.S. Forest Service, the “scale of the dieoff is unprecedented in our modern history.” The most desolate parts of our forests are in the Southern and Central Sierra Nevada regions. Trees have been dying off in Northern California as well. The Siskiyou, Modoc, Plumas, and Lassen counties have been especially affected with this mass die-off of trees. The continuing California drought is the primary reason behind this environmental crisis. For five years, California has been hit repeatedly by severe, dehabilitating droughts that put trees under immense stress and make them easier, more vulnerable victims for insects and parasitic animals. To make matters worse, this past summer’s high temperatures increased the trees’ already urgent need for water. Northern California has experienced a good start to its water year, but Central and Southern California are still trapped in what officials have called an “extreme” and “exceptional” drought. Max Gomberg, the climate and conservation manager at the State Water Resources Control Board, stated that the “staggering and growing number of tree deaths should be concerning for everyone,” because it “helps us realize just how intense and extreme this drought has been,” especially in the regions of Central and Southern California.” Indeed, we should all be concerned about these dead trees, as they pose various dangers to our environment. They fall more easily than strong, healthy trees, putting the safety of humans at risk. In fact, Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency and formed a tree-mortality task force just last year. The U.S. Forest Service also distributed $43 million in California to perform restoration along roads, trails, and recreation sites for multiple safety reasons. More worrying is the increased danger of wildfire. This summer, California was hit by numerous deadly wildfires. Some of these fires are said to have been caused by dead trees. Because of the fuel that fallen trees provide on the forest ground, fires burn hotter and damage the soil. Consequently, rainwater is not able to easily sink into the earth, creating the danger of mudslides and destroying root systems. When there is a fire, it burns the trees on the ground and climbs up to the crown of a tree. Once there, a wildfire can spread quickly across forests. Tom Vilsack, Secretary of U.S. Agriculture, stated that the “dead and dying trees continue to elevate the risk of wildfire, and complicate our efforts to respond...to fires when they do occur, and pose a host of threats to life and property across California.”
