STUDENT LIFE

December 2016

studentlife.powwow@gmail.com

STUDENT LIFE

14

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

By CHRISTY QIU

Staff Writer

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

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! "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

"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

By ROSELIND ZENG

Staff Writer

As the chill creeps up on us with the coming holidays, we brace for the final barrier preventing us from reaching winter break. Our teachers try the best they can to prepare us, putting special emphasis on the word “study”. But if it only were that easy, with the few spare hours we can muster on our measly weekends. Most students have a minimum of four subjects and chapters upon chapters of material to cover, and even if we had the time to sleep, we wouldn’t rest very easy. But here are some tips to optimize your potential and ace your finals!

First off, think about your work environment. Is it cluttered? Too dark? Too small? Too cold? These are all things to consider. If you are made physically uncomfortable by the things around you, then your brain has a tendency to focus on those things instead of the matter at hand. Think about maintaining the optimum place to start studying. Avoiding loud environments, making sure that you’re comfortable, and preparing all the tools required beforehand can make studying less of a hazard for your sanity. It also doesn’t hurt to turn off your phone. Of course, you can argue that the little piece of glass and metal infused with light-emitting diodes is essential to maintain your vital functions and that deactivating it would lead to your mental breakdown. But all of the things you can do on a phone can be transferred to a computer, which poses less of a distraction and has a bigger screen, making it less of a strain on the eyes. In short, find a quiet place, and get rid of all the things that could give your mind a negative influence.

Another point worth mentioning is to figure out what type of learner you are. You’ve most likely heard about it before—do you learn better with pictures and patterns, or do you absorb material more easily from a textbook? How do you organize things while you’re learning? You might want to think about flashcards or a special technique you can use to memorize facts or word definitions. Associating concepts with objects, making a story, and creating mind maps are all great ways to get started. Using these tools to your advantage can help to cut back on the amount of time and effort it takes for your brain to process the information you present it.

And finally, we get to studying. Don’t waste your time mulling over every single word in the textbook; instead, have a purpose to what you’re trying to find. Know what your weaknesses are, and branch off from there into unfamiliar territory. Try out new methods and see if they improve your understanding. Make an effort to start earlier in the year so that you don’t have to feel the stress of cramming. That way, you can give yourself more time to ask questions about the things you don’t understand. Creating your own study guide can help you find all of the basic things you should cover, but if you want to ace things, look up the obscure and the complex information, and add that to your arsenal of knowledge. Trying these things out with a friend or a group can help ease the tension, and they might try a different approach on some things that just might work. But always remember: don’t push yourself to the brink of a caffeine-infused madness and stay up until the wee hours of the morning. Sleep is crucial to school performance, and so is taking breaks, which help you regain your focus.

There are many ways you can set up your success for the finals. But finding more innovative ways to boost your learning, as well as eliminating the problems that may surround you, can help you power your way to that ‘A’. Happy studying!

rzeng@apachepowwow.com

Graphic by ANDREA LIU

By WILLIAM WANG

Staff Writer

On Nov. 19, History Bowl won 1st and 2nd place in the San Diego Fall History Bowl (SDF), one of three regional history bowl competitions held annually. National History Bowl is a buzzerstyle competition in which teams of up to six players win points by answering toss up questions and categorical questions.

The National History Bowl Organization strives “to promote history education throughout the U.S., and around the world.” In both Varsity and Junior Varsity divisions at high school levels, teams of varying backgrounds and abilities dive deep into the study of human development in an effort to provide participants with a historical background that will serve them well in the future.

In that spirit, co-captains senior Donna Sayphraraj and junior Roger Lin carefully arranged the team into three subsets (A, B, and C) in order to best utilize veterans while simultaneously preparing newcomers to carry on the legacy.

A team, made up of Donna, Roger, junior Matt Forster, and sophomore Andrew Hoagland won 1st in the Varsity division at SDF. Meanwhile, B Team, featuring seniors Alan Lu and Kevin Hsu and juniors Jacob Glass and Xiaoke Ying, ran a close 2nd. The SDF competition also allowed C team, consisting of sophomores Calvin Nguyen and Cindy Qi and freshmen Rekha Liyanage and William Lee, to test the waters of the Junior Varsity competition and grow accustomed to the intensity of actual competition.

Though the team’s triumph is an impressive achievement, it is not unexpected. Since its founding in 2010, AHS’ History Bowl team has consistently ranked as the best in Southern California and has often sent players to national level competitions. Of course, the continuous accumulation of trophies and accolades isn’t an inexplicable phenomenon; it results from intensive preparation and a true passion for the activity.

Alan recounted that the team “didn’t have many tense moments” during the competition “except during a round against Los Alamitos” likely due to its extensive practice. As Calvin put it, “History Bowl is a seriously competitive team that encourages you to study and learn things on your own accord...It is very difficult.” The training regime consists of weekly meetings, practice exams, mock tournaments, and dedicated self-study. Andrew remarked that, during practice, “sometimes, the pressure gets to me. The buzzer is hard to press when my palms get sweaty.” In the end, as Alan recalls, competition had “more funny moments” featuring “hilarious responses that worked” than intense ones. Yet despite the inherent difficulties and long hours spent maintaining the standards of the team, History Bowl members find passion in their strenuous pursuit. Having joined out of a natural love for history, Calvin sees History Bowl as “a great learning opportunity” where “every detail you learn is important” because even the smallest of things can change the outcome of a tournament. Similarly, Andrew chose to join after “Quiz Bowl had piqued [his] interest in this style of competition”, and he gradually “fell in love with the topics.” Now, he “[looks] up to the individuals who defined history.”

From ancient Egypt to modern day, military doctrine to sports and entertainment, History Bowl is a testament to the vast diversity of experience that permeates human development. In devouring historical texts, study guides, and practice packets on the road to competition, History Bowl members gain a fundamental understanding of the human experience that is hard to replicate and well worth the effort. Congratulations to History Bowl and best of luck down the road!

sports.powwow@gmail.com December 2016

KICKING OFF STRONG:

BOYS AND GIRLS SOCCER

By COLLIN GAJA

Staff Writer

The Boys and Girls Varsity Soccer seasons have just begun, and it looks like both teams are having a great start. The teams have chosen their players and are already starting off practice for the intense season they have ahead of them. Though it might be tough, with time and effort they’ll fly through the competition.

When starting the season, one big goal was always to maintain last year’s success or even improve. Boys Varsity Soccer started off better than last year thanks to the way it’s been practicing hard for the upcoming season. Sophomore Alex Yen believed that “the team has been doing pretty well recently. We only lost to Pasadena High School (PHS) and it had an amazing season last year.” Alex also stated that “for the future we have to win more games, so we have a chance to make it to CIF.” To maintain how the team plays, one key factor is for the “midfielders do well, if they do well then our whole team does well,” stated Alex.

To improve its play, the team is working on communicating more and sharpening passes. Alex shared that the team has to “freshen up on [its] switches and [has] to get outside backs to go up the field.” This year, the team believes it should to have a better record than last year,

BACK TO BASICS Boys Varsity Soccer has been working on tightening up the fundamentals, to sharpen the team’s game. BREAKAWAY The team demonstrated their quick skills as senior Harrison Siefke passed the ball to his teammate, while Glendale struggled to catch up.

and its goal is to make it to CIF.

In order to achieve this goal, the team has to be able to “take a lot of shots and get crosses into the box. If we can get those to work we’ll win more games,” stated Alex. So far, the season looks promising, and with hard work and effort, the team can certainly achieve its aspirations and goals.

The Girls Varsity Soccer team is also looking forward to another strong season, as its start has been even better than that of the boys. The team has been training since the beginning of the school year to beat its competition this season. Winning its first game against PHS with a strong score of 4-0 was just the beginning of the team’s promising season. In order to improve even more, the girls are working on communicating more with teammates, improving the defense, and maintaining accurate passing. The girls are definitely looking to guard their title as League Champions, and with their training and spirit they can surely go far in CIF.

So far, both Boys and Girls Varsity Soccer have had fantastic starts to the season. They’re prepared to meet strong competition, and while the season ahead may look tough, with time and effort these teams can achieve great results. Good luck on the rest of the season!

cgaja@apachepowwow.com

Photos by BRANDON CHEN

READY TO MAKE A SPLASH

By CHRISTIE WANG

Staff Writer

The Girls Varsity Water Polo team started off its season by crushing the opposition, a sign of more victories to come! On Nov. 22, the Lady Apaches played a game away from home against La Salle High School (LSHS) at the Arcadia County Park. The final score on the board was 15-1, proving that they are a force to be reckoned with. With such a decisive first win under their belts, the girls are confident and ready to conquer League, then hopefully move on to success in CIF. Junior Susan Harrison exclaimed, “Our game against LSHS was a great start to our season and even though we have things to work on, I have very high hopes for the future!”

This year, the team’s roster has seven seniors making up half of the team. As a result, they have more pressure than ever to do well and end their final seasons on a high note. Senior Loreny Valdez remarked on this year’s members: “This year, our varsity team consists MAKING A SPLASH Girls Varsity Water Polo won its three opening games, but lost to South Pasadena High School in its fourth match of the season.

of mostly returning seniors, so we all want to do well. Our goal is to make it as far as we can in CIF.” In addition to the seniors on the team, other returning members bring experience and strength to the team.

Not only does the Girls Varsity Water Polo team have the experience and skill to achieve their goals, the players have the hard work and attitude to back it up. The team has been practicing late and coming in for early-morning weight room in order to get ready for the rest of its tough season. Susan reflected on the progress of the team and said, “I would say that our team has vastly improved from the beginning of the preseason and everyone on the team has a great attitude.” Loreny also added, “We all made mistakes, but these things can be worked on as the season progresses.” Last year, Girls Varsity Water Polo had an overall record of 4-8, a disappointing result well below expectations. Out of the overall record, which includes tournaments, the girls’ League record was 3-2. As in its season opener, the 2015-2016 team defeated LSHS, but with a score of 18-3. But while this season’s win against LSHS may be a flashback to last year, the girls are hoping for different results in their other games.

With a promising start to the new season, the team is determined to improve and do well within its league. With the team’s hard work and determination, anything is possible.

December 2016

theapachepowwow.com

17

By BRADFORD YAU

Staff Writer

Winter season has just begun, and that means that a number of sports are starting to kick back into gear, including Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball. Basketball is commonly known as “the most popular sport in the world”, as many different countries have been inspired to try and pick up the physical yet technical sport of basketball. Right now, our Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball teams are getting ready to get on the right track for a successful season. Boys Varsity Basketball, despite its less than perfect record last year, has improved throughout the post-season to hopefully turn its losing record to a winning one. After finishing off its intense schedule last season, the boys hit summer league play and tournaments to help sharpen team chemistry and gain experience overall. The team’s most significant game was against Chino Hills High School, which is currently ranked number one in the nation. Although Arcadia lost by quite a margin, it gained valuable experience by playing a highly ranked team that has won multiple tournaments, not to mention playing against skilled players such as the well-known “Ball Brothers”. Junior Jay Yoon described this experience as “great to learn from, as we got to see real time players that we can try to emulate.”

Looking ahead to the season, many of the team members believe that great things are to come, since many experienced players are returning. New additions bring fresh energy to the team with their arrival this year. Junior Josh Ma stated that, “although our team is new and we are still trying to sort out chemistry, our endless supply of energy will be what helps us win.” The boys are off to a very solid start, beginning the season at a modest 3-1 record. Boys basketball is on the rise, and AHS has a lot to be excited for.

Girls Varsity Basketball also started the season on a high note. After putting in a good amount of hours last year, the girls have come back very hungry for not only a good record overall but also a possible berth to the CIF Championship. The last few years for the team have not been the most promising, as last season they finished with an overall record of 1513 with a record of 7-7 in League play, but the girls are looking for this season to help bolster their claim of being one of the best sports that AHS has to offer. So far, the girls have started with a 4-2 record, and are hoping to improve throughout the season.

Overall, the basketball program of AHS is steadily on the rise, with high expectations that they are working hard to reach. Both teams are ready and excited to put in the effort to achieve their dreams. With their hard work and perseverance, the Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball teams should be excited for a good season ahead of them. Girls Varsity Basketball is kicking off its League play with a home game on Jan. 3, so make sure to come out and support them! AHS wishes the team good luck.

SHOOTING FOR SUCCESS (left to right): Sophomore Ashley Lee and junior Clarissa Kiyomura practice dribbling on the court.

byau@apachepowwow.com

Photo by NATHAN GUO Graphic courtesy of CLIPARTPANDA.COM

GIRLS XC TAKES STATE

By HOLLY LUNG

Staff Writer

HIGH STAKES AT STATE This fall, Girls Varsity Cross Country qualified to State for its third season in a row.

With thousands of miles under its belt, the Girls Varsity Cross Country team has finally finished its grueling season. With training beginning in mid-June, the season lasted a long six months, ending in late November with the team’s last and highest stake race, the CIF Championship State Meet held in Fresno, CA.

The prestigious state meet allows the best cross country teams across California in each division to compete for a place on the podium and a spot in the annual Nike Cross Nationals (NXN), the race that determines the national champions. Senior Joy Huang explained that ¨it has been the girls’ dreams to compete at the national level at NXN since [her] sophomore year.¨ After coming in 3rd at the State meet last year and missing an invitation to NXN by just one place, this year, the girls made it their ultimate goal for the season. Individually, junior Eryca Yamane revealed that many of the varsity girls ¨just wanted to improve their times and places from last year.¨

Given all the expectations these AHS runners had for what was possibly going to be their last race of the season, tensions and nerves ran high as they took the line. With four seniors, two juniors, and one sophomore in the starting blocks, the Apaches took off, averaging a 5:45 first mile.

They continued to make their way up in the race through the second mile, which featured a large hill, and gave it their all in the last mile, just as they had planned. The team’s top five scorers ultimately came in 22nd, 32nd, 50th, 60th, and 66th place out of a total of 819 athletes competing in the meet. Despite their best efforts, the girls came in 4th as a team, failing to make it to NXN yet another year.

The season as a whole may have been rocky for the girls, but it still managed to be a memorable and fun time, which junior Jasmine He cited as her reason for joining cross country in the first place. ¨I love running because I love going to practice and laughing with my friends for miles on end. The millions of conversations and jokes we’ve had in the hundreds of hours that we’ve spent running makes every race, failure or victory, a success,¨ the runner said, reminiscing. It’s clear that to these girls, running is much more than just winning a race— it’s friendship and a lifelong bond.

Although they fell short of their ambitious goal of NXN, the runners are far from disappointed in their season as a whole. After dominating the Pacific League for yet another year, and placing in the top five teams for nearly every top notch invitational, Girls Varsity Cross Country has a lot to be proud of. There is no doubt that these girls will continue to chase their dreams of NXN and finally reach them in the years to come.

By ASHLEY LEE & CHRISTIE WANG

Staff Writers

RACING TO VICTORY Senior Holly Lung has competed on the Girls Varsity Cross Country team for all four years at AHS.

Another great season for the Girls Varsity Cross Country team has come and gone. This past season, they ran thousands of miles and beat dozens of records. AHS’ runners are known for being amazingly talented and remarkably driven, and senior Holly Lung is no exception. This year, Holly was bestowed the incredible honor of Pasadena Star-News Runner of the Year. Holly’s new title, as well as her victorious running season, carries on Arcadia’s proud tradition of excellence in cross country. Holly is just as ecstatic as one would expect, exclaiming “I guess I’m pretty surprised that I was chosen because my season last year was actually a lot better than this year’s. I’m really happy that they chose me as Runner of the Year and it’s definitely nice to have this on my resume when talking to prospective college coaches!”

Being on the Girls Varsity Cross Country team alone is hard work enough, let alone being outstanding enough to earn such a high community accolade as Runner of the Year. Just what makes Holly such a phenomenal athlete? In her case, hard work and dedication are the answer. Holly joined the team in her freshman year and has participated in many races since then. Countless hours of practices were put in, with plenty of after school workouts. During this year’s season, Holly ended her final year on the team as a Pacific League Champion while also finishing 4th in State.

Holly’s passion for running has led her stay on the team for all four of her years at AHS, from start to finish. During that time, her running accomplishments will have surely caught the interest of potential college coaches. Although her high school cross country career may have just come to an end, Holly herself looks toward the future and says, “Yes, I definitely plan on running in college!” Running is her passion and while this achievement is only one honor, we look for more to come as she moves on to achieve even greater things. Go Holly!