February 2014

The World Is Our Campus Volume 61, Issue 6

Arcadia High School 180 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA

February 2014

Heading to the Top

In this issue:

Photo courtesy of MEDIA.WASHTIMES.ORG

NEWS pg. 3 Students Sue the State: Nine California students have recently challenged state laws on teacher tenure.

Photo courtesy of YUSUF ELMASRI

DOMINATION ON THE FIELD Seen as underdogs, the Boys Varsity Soccer team has come out of the blue to

dominate during the season, accomplishing spectacular feats on the field and moving closer to the CIF Quarterfinals.

By MELODY LIN Staff Writer Photo courtesy of MHSTRAILBLAZER.COM

OPINION pg. 6 Pros & Cons: Does the emphasis Valentine’s Day puts on romantic type of love disregard the other forms of love?

Graphic courtesy of PROJECTACCESS.COM

FEATURES pg. 15 Flappy Bird Fanatics: A frustrating yet addicting game, Flappy Bird has become an international phenomenon.

Have a question, comment, or concern about the Pow Wow? Email the Editors-in-Chief at eic.powwow@gmail.com. or find us online at apachepowwow.com.

This season has been anything but predictable for the Boys Varsity Soccer team. The boys fought on despite half the team being injured, winning two league matches against Burbank High School (BHS) and Herbert Hoover High School.

For the first time in three years, the boys beat BHS. In a league full of strong teams, the boys struggled to stay afloat, but emerged victorious as a wild card going to CIF. Even at CIF, they put up a formidable fight against Jurupa Valley High School (JVHS) and Santa Maria High School (SMHS), both on enemy turf, and surged on to beat Knight High School (KHS).

For the first time in eight years, the Boys Varsity Soccer team played at CIF. On their way to JVHS, the boys were pumped to play their first CIF game. First, the boys started out with a solid warm-up, preparing themselves for an excitingly challenging game. The boys started the game off well. Senior Harrison Ma recalled, “We possessed the ball, passed it around, and defended it well.”

Then, the game became a little rocky for the boys.

Senior Brian Wada explained, “We all had some jitters and a defensive mistake allowed a goal in the first ten minutes.” Harrison described, “On one of their attacks, our defender had a bad pass to the goalie. They took it and had an open net to score.”

However, the score 0-1 startled the players into a stronger defense and offense. Brian acknowledged that the goal against them at the start of the game

“really opened [their] eyes” and gave them the determination to come back 2-1 by the end of the first half.

Co-Captain senior Jack Heer scored two points, both headers! Although JVHS was given a penalty kick, senior Yusuf Elmasri was able to block it, saving the penalty kick. Even against a strongly structured team, our boys came out on top, winning 2-1.

Jack, normally a defensive player, got the opportunity to score a couple of major goals. He recalled the first goal, “When the play happened, Angel crossed the ball over everyone’s head and I just headed the ball into a small gap between the goalie and a defender.” This goal was the definitive goal that tied the game. Ten minutes later, off of Adam’s cross, he floated into a space where the opposing team wasn’t guarding, and Jack headed it into the right side of the goal. Jack described this as “one of the most exciting feelings in his life. Not just to score a goal in a game, but in a CIF game with the stakes so high.” This was without a doubt the highlight of his season.

On Feb. 20, the boys traveled to SMHS to play their second round of CIF. SMHS was ranked second in CIF and undefeated at home all season until the Apaches showed up. When the game started, the boys had minimal defensive errors, maintaining a clean sheet, but had trouble scoring a goal. Brian speculated, “Maybe the atmosphere was so intense that some of us were nervous, or maybe we were just unlucky.” The score ended 0-0 at full time. The score quickly changed to 4-3 because of the penalty kicks with one more kick given to SMHS. With a quick dive by Yusuf, the Apaches won the game. Co-Captain senior Angel Cortes described this game as “fast and intense; there was no time to think.”

The boys beat KHS on Feb. 25 in their third round of CIF. It was clear that the other team had good control of the ball, but our boys were better. “We were very solid in the back and we attacked at every opportunity we had,” said Angel. The score was 1-0 with the goal made by Jack. Jack’s precise analysis and aim allowed him to make the free kick. In that moment, he thought, “Alright I got this,” keeping a calm head under pressure. He explained his process; “I looked at the goalie that was standing a bit too far to the left and I knew if I cracked a shot into the corner, the goalie would have no chance. I took a chance and with a bit of luck, it went off the post and in.”

The boys fought hard as a unified unit, maintaining a strong defense against a tough team.

Getting so far in CIF was a surprise for everyone and a delight for the boys. Angel emphasized, “we came in as the heavy underdog.” Harrison stressed, “People didn’t believe us. They counted us out. No one thought that we would be here right now, but we made it this far and we’re still going to fight.” They had persevered through injuries and losses to come out victorious, advancing beyond what anyone expected. The euphoria the boys feel is best characterized by Jack; “It’s a dream come true, coming from not being in playoffs to making it to the third round.

It’s unbelievable. We are living a true Cinderella story.”

Congratulations to the Boys Varsity Soccer team for making it so far. Quarterfinals will be on Feb. 27 in an exciting home game so come out and be part of the Red Sea. We are all rooting for you guys! mlin@apachepowwow.com

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NEWS

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Highlights of Sochi 2014

By MICHELLE HUANG Staff Writer

This year, the Winter Olympics was held in Sochi, Russia. Kicking off with pre-ceremonial activities, performances were given by the Russian pop duo, t.A.T.u., and the Ministry of Internal Affairs choir, who showed off their singing skills by covering Daft Punk’s award winning song, “Get Lucky”.

The traditional opening ceremony began around 8:00 a.m. PST. Titled “Dreams of Russia”, the first act was a video that featured Liza Temnikova endearingly reciting the Russian alphabet, in which each letter is associated with a famous Russian person or landmark, and flying across portrayals of the Russian landscape. Almost immediately after, five large snowflakes dropped down and opened up into the five Olympic rings. Despite technical failure on one of the rings, Russian President Vladimir Putin was unabashed, and he entered the stadium triumphantly.

The Olympic flag was brought into the stadium by eight flag bearers, and while it was being raised, an opera singer sang the Olympic Anthem in Russian. The Olympic Oath was taken by Russian speed skater Ruslan Zakharov on behalf of the athletes, Russian judge Vyacheslav Vedenin for the judges and Russian coach Anastasia Popkova for the coaches. For the finale, a chain of Russian athletes passed the torch to one another until it reached the hands of hockey goalkeeper Vladislav Tretiak, who lit the Olympic cauldron alongside figure skater Irina Rodnina.

Over 88 nations competed for medals this

year, but only 26 of them won. Coming in at first, Russia dominated, totaling 13 gold medals and 33 overall. Norway came in 2nd, just 7 overall medals shy of Russia’s total. Although Canada had an overall medal count of 25, 3 less

than the U.S., which placed third, it still conquered by winning more golds and silvers.

The Netherlands came in 5th, followed

by Germany, Switzerland, Belarus, Austria, France, Poland, China, South Korea, Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Japan, Finland, Great Britain, Ukraine, Slovakia, Italy, Latvia, Australia, Croatia, and Kazakhstan.

Although the games were a success, a slew of controversies arose around Sochi. Russia was constantly under international criticism of anti-

LGBTQ laws, leading to increased boycotts and human rights activities. Many reporters tweeted about how bad rooming conditions were on Twitter under the tag #SochiProblems. There were also event judging issues, perhaps most notably regarding possible unfair judging in the Ladies’ Single Figure Skating final between Russia’s Adelina Stonikova and South Korea’s Kim Yuna.

The closing ceremony, reusing aspects of the opening ceremony, again featured Temnikova, but added four more performers to the show. They were surrounded by 204 poles, while an image representing the Black Sea projected below them. Volunteers dressed as angels formed to combine four Olympic rings, a shout out to the previous malfunction in the opening ceremony. The Russian flag was then carried into the stadium by 13 Russian Olympic champions from the games.

The National Anthem was sung by the Big Children’s Choir, while flag bearers of each participant nation paraded around the stadium. Medals were awarded for the women’s 30km mass start freestyle, which were all won by Norwegian athletes, and the men’s 50km mass start freestyle, which were all won by Russian athletes.

The Olympic Hymn was sung as an honor guard lowered the Olympic flag and passed it over to the mayor of Pyeongchang. A sneak peak of the 2018 Winter Olympics, set in Korea, was then given by South Korea. The Olympic Flame was finally blown out by a polar bear mascot, officially declaring the end of the games. mhuang@apachepowwow.com

Graphics courtesy of WIKIPEDIA.ORG

The Ups and Downs of Flappy Bird

By MEGAN HONG Staff Writer

During these past few weeks, you’ve probably seen multiple screenshots of a small yellow bird next to green Nintendostyle pipes all over Facebook, frustrated tweets and posts about a “high score of 5,” or even people huddled over their phones frantically concentrating on one game— Flappy Bird.

After achieving world fame because of its simple, addictive, and frustrating nature, the app was sadly taken down on Feb. 10 by its creator, Dong Nguyen.

However, its fame isn’t as short-lived as the game itself, as parodies of Flappy Bird are also gaining popularity with exFlappy Bird players, and critics are predicting its significance over future gaming apps.

Released back in May 24, 2013, the app only gained popularity recently, hitting its peaks in late January of 2014, reaching 50 million downloads before the creator removed it.

What made this simple and straightforward game a world phenomenon? Although it is suspected that game creator Nguyen used ads or social media to promote Flappy Bird, he tweeted that he could not even afford any ads

when he made the game.

Contrary to its basic, 2D, retro-style graphics and its ridiculously obvious goal— to guide a flying bird while avoiding green pipes—the game was exceptionally difficult, frustrating, and addicting. Huffington Post criticized the game as

“insanely irritating” with “a super-steep difficulty curve with bad, boring graphics and jerky movement.” However “boring” this app may seem, its addicting simplicity might just inspire future generations of gaming apps to follow suit.

Game designer Bennett Foddy explained that Flappy Bird “work[s] particularly well” because “it eliminates all extraneous complexity to focus on one very simple input mechanic.”

Various clones of Flappy Bird that utilize the same simple mechanics have also taken over the app store, including Iron-

pants, Flappy Doge, Fall Out Bird, and Squishy Bird. In Ironpants, the bird is replaced by a superhero, while in Flappy Doge, it is taken over by the Internet pet, Doge.

Fall Out Bird displays a parody for Fall Out Boy fans. And Squishy Bird is an online game that allows you to control the pipes instead of the bird, crushing the bird and therefore your frustration of Flappy Bird.

However, Apple Store and Google Play are now rejecting apps with “Flappy” in the title, claiming developers are trying to trick customers into downloading apps similar to Flappy Bird.

As there are already many games in the making utilizing the same easy and addicting model Flappy Bird created, it is predicted that this viral app will impact future video game developers to also consider the simpler styles of gaming.

February 2014

acebook’s Paper App

By MICHELLE GU Staff Writer

Facebook’s mobile transformation has begun. On Feb. 3, the popular social networking website released a special app for the iOS called “Paper”. The release coincided with Facebook’s 10th anniversary and provided a new look for its mobile app.

Starting off with glowing reviews from various customers and tech news sites, Paper is definitely something Facebook can call a success. Mark Zuckerberg described it as “the best personalized newspaper in the world.” The Paper app is the result of a 15-person team in Facebook that wanted to design a simple, yet attractive new look that would allow Facebook users to discover and consume appealing information. The app has an interface that eliminates buttons and menus and can be more easily navigated.

The Facebook Home has now been transformed into a clean, ad-free place as a means for the company to “keep in touch” with its users. Mike Matas, the creator and designer of the app, intended for Paper to be a new way for users to interact with Facebook.

Users are now offered an easier way to browse their news feeds with a home screen that specifically caters to them.

On the top of the screen is a header that classifies the particular topic the user is currently searching, and the bottom shows three additional stories that can be read with a single swipe.

So besides a new home screen, what else is different? Facebook’s older app had its users navigate by scrolling and selecting, but Paper shortens this routine by allowing users to simply swipe through content. There is also an increased emphasis on photos. Images and content are packed in the header at the top of the screen.

A tilt feature allows optimal viewing of photos, and a photo preview before posing is now available. News stories which show up as little cards can flip over for additional viewing. Many of these new features have been compared to another successful and popular app, Flipboard, which also has a magazinestyle browser and will most likely be Paper’s biggest competitor.

Facebook’s need to revamp itself was motivated by a recent shift of attitude the company embraced in part to keep its millions of teenage users, the number of which has been declining.

In Facebook’s pursuit to distinguish itself from other apps, Paper may just be the solution the company is looking for. With its new, improved features and glowing reviews, Paper is definitely here to stay.

mhong@apachepowwow.com Graphics courtesy of BLOGSPOT.COM and PHOTOBUCKET.COM

mgu@apachepowwow.com

Graphic courtesy of FLICKR.COM

February 2014

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Recent Security Breaches

By CHARLES XU Staff Writer

Along with the benefits of technology come the inevitable risks of glitches and hacking. A major security breach at Target Corp. during the holiday shopping season affected over 110 million customers shopping at the superstore chain, and hackings like this are now becoming increasingly common in the news, as companies have secret customer information stored in their databases.

The data breaches listed below have compromised millions of people’s valuable account information.

One of the first major security breaches of the technological era was the infamous T.J. Maxx case in January 2007. Over 45 million customer credit and debit card numbers had been exposed for a two year

span dating back to 2005. At the time, it was the most severe data breach in history.

Four years later, Epsilon, the world’s largest permission-based email marketing service disclosed that the personal information of customers was revealed in a hacking incident. An estimate of tens of millions of people had their names and email addresses taken which posed the threat of a sophisticated identity theft and fraud.

Just a month after the Epsilon incident, Sony experienced a security breach that forced it to require PlayStation users to change their passwords. Two attacks were made on the Playstation network, with the first exposing customers’ personal information, and the latter acquiring credit card numbers. Together, the pair of hacks affected 77 million video gamers.

In the spring of 2012, the credit card processor service, Global Payment Systems, had 1.5 million credit card records stolen from it, resulting in the company being delisted until it could prove its security standards were up to par. The next year,

this company proved its compliance with the security standards and returned to business.

Another recent hack occurred on October 2013 when 152 million of Adobe Systems’ customers had their personal data posted online by a hacker. Pieces of the software company’s program code were also stolen.

The newest security breach victims are customers of the high-end retailer Neiman Marcus, who had 1.1 million of its customers’ credit card information leaked and Yahoo!, which had many users’ account information taken from a third party source. Both these security breaches occurred from around July to December 2013.

All of these recent data breaches have made these giant companies seem transparent and vulnerable. As a result, privacy and security have never been so uncertain. However, the Federal Trade Commission is pushing for a stronger federal data security and breach notification law that would make businesses more secure and ensure customer protection. In the meantime, remember to change passwords occasionally and watch the news for more updates on security breaches. cxu@apachepowwow.com

Graphics courtesy of SHUTTERFLY.COM Photo scourtesy of STOCKPHOTO.COM

The Fight Over Teacher Tenure

By MILLIE WONG Staff Writer

Tenure was created in the early 1900s in order to prevent prejudiced firings based on factors like gender, nationality, or beliefs. On Jan. 27, nine California students went to court against the state of California, aiming to overturn five California statutes that dictate teacher tenure, the process of firing a tenured teacher, and the “last-in-first-out” policy, which lays off junior teachers rather than senior teachers.

Theodore Boutrous, attorney for the education advocacy group Students Matter (which is sponsoring the nine students), cited a study where over 40% of black students in the Los Angeles Unified School District were more likely to receive an inadequate instructor than their white peers. The phenomenon is believed to be the fault of the layoff policy, which hits entry-level teachers and sends senior teachers who are indifferent or offensive to low-income area schools in the district.

The plaintiffs are also challenging three laws that make it difficult to fire tenured teachers. The process

often requires years of records, dozens of procedures, and a significant amount of money before teachers can be dismissed, often inhibiting administrators from removing teachers who do not fulfill their job requirements.

President Joshua Pechthalt. The current tenure and dismissal statutes that are in question provide “due process” for teachers who could otherwise be fired for subjective reasons. State Deputy Attorney General Nimrod Elias argued that the small number of ineffective teachers, who are low-performing due to inappropriate subject assignments or lack of teaching resources, could be changed for the better or persuaded to willingly leave.

The nine students, ranging from middle schoolers to high school seniors, all come from schools in low-income districts and have experienced first-hand some of the poor teachers that are involved with their schools. As such, the plaintiffs desire change in their classrooms, and hope to have teachers who will teach and inspire students PROTESTS Students and teachers hold signs to instead of verbally abusing protest the teacher tenure laws in California. them. As of this article’s However, teacher unions are upset writing, four of the nine student-plainover this lawsuit. Opponents argue that tiffs have testified, including numerous the lawsuit ignores the bigger picture: testimonies by education experts such education funding problems, school as Dr. Arun Ramanathan. The 20 day district budget cuts, and administra- trial is expected to conclude in March. tion mismanagement. “We don’t think mwong@apachepowwow.com stripping teachers of their workplace Photos courtesy of NETSTATE.COM and professional rights will help students,” OBRAG.ORG said California Federation of Teachers

NEWS

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t s a f f Editors

Editors-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editors Opinion Editors Performing Arts Editors Student Life Editors Features Editors Sports Editors Academics Editors Center Spread Editor Calendar Editor Campus Focus Editor Advertisement Editors Photography Editors Executive Copy Editors Webmaster Fundraising Chairs

Christopher Cho and Vanessa Yu Ariana Arzani Katrina Chao and Terri Shi Kelly Ching and Erika Zheng Elaine Chung and Amelia Jin Lily Ling and Stanley Shaw Daniel Jenn and Victoria Yu Allan Gao and Zachary Yee Amanda Huynh and Helen Lee Mya Ho Kristie Sun Josh Bay Deedee Chuang, Dana Jee, and Shawn Xing Maddie Bruce and Ben Geisberg Rena Chen and Khanh Tran Jonathan Matsumoto Yoko Chan and Belle Zheng

Writers

News Staff

Opinion Staff

Performing Arts Staff

Student Life Staff

Features Staff

Sports Staff

Academics Staff

Calendar Staff

Campus Focus Staff Center Spread Staff Advertisement Staff Photo Staff Copy Editing Staff

Adviser

Michelle Gu, Angela He, Megan Hong, Michelle Huang, Elisha Lee, Melody Lin, Emily Quach, Donna Sayphraraj, Justin Tang, Hafsah Umerani, Millie Wong, Charles Xu, Tiger Yin, Roy Zhang Lillian Chen, Lauren Frank, Ben Geisberg, Michelle Liu, Tiffany Liu, Neven Wang-Tomic, Flora Ung, Roy Zhang Eric Chen, Celine Lee, Eileen Lee, Elisha Lee, Andrew Lim, Melody Lin, Neven Wang-Tomic Eric Chen, Chelsea Cheng, Simone Chu, Lauren Frank, Carolyn Hsu, Michelle Huang, Christine Li, Kimberly Lo, Briana Shen, Jessica Wang, Millie Wong, Charles Xu, Tiger Yin Lillian Chen, Simone Chu, Lauren Frank, Carolyn Hsu, Christine Li, Jonathan Matsumoto, Cristian Nalbandian, Briana Shen, Justin Tang, Hafsah Umerani Billy Bonney, Maddie Bruce, Rose Li, Melody Lin, Allison Stevenson, Justin Tang, Brendan Tran Tiffany Liu, Kimberly Lo, Emily Quach, Christina Read, Donna Sayphraraj, Justin Tang, Flora Ung, Jessica Wang Chelsea Cheng, Michelle Gu, Angela He, Elisha Lee, Andrew Lim,Christina Read, Belinda Shoung, Emily Tong Briana Shen Kelly Ching and Shirley Lu Billy Bonney, Jonathan Chu, Johnson Hui, Shirley Lu, Katrina Villacisneros, Ethan Zhu Deedee Chuang, Celine Lee, Stanley Shaw, Katrina Villacisneros, Roy Zhang Katrina Chao, Simone Chu, Elaine Chung, Hubert Co, Kylie Cole, Michelle Gu, Rose Li, Michelle Liu, Tiffany Liu, Kimberly Lo, Shirley Lu, Christina Read, Briana Shen, Jessica Wang Mr. Johnny Lee

Publication Information: The Apache Pow Wow is a student publication distributed monthly throughout the school year. The paper has been continuously published since Arcadia High School opened in 1952. Unsigned articles appearing on the opinion page reflect the opinion of The Apache Pow Wow editorial board. A student’s work does not represent the views of Arcadia High School or the Arcadia Unified School District. Address letters to the editor to: The Apache Pow Wow, 180 W. Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA 91007. To place an advertisement in the newspaper, email ads.powwow@gmail.com. Advertisement rates vary from $30 for a business card advertisement to $250 for a full-page black and white advertisement, with quarter-page, half-page, and advertisement insert options available.

Graphic courtesy of MYCUTEGRAPHICS.COM

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NEWS

The Most Polluted City

By ELISHA LEE

Staff Writer

Recently, the Hindustan Times reported Delhi surpassed Beijing in terms of hazardous air pollution, and India became the new owner of the disreputable title of “World’s Most Polluted City”. However, researchers from the Hindustan Times also published that a system measuring how well countries protect human health and ecosystems from environmental harm is supposed to rank countries, not cities.

This implies that the assertion of India being more polluted than China is unjust.

There are a few air quality measuring stations throughout Delhi that reveal the outcomes. However, sources say that, of these stations, there is a station that rarely works and another that only makes its reports every 24 hours, whereas Beijing’s stations do it hourly.

On Jan. 29, the Centre for Science and Environment, a non-profit public interest research organization in New Delhi, pointed out that Delhi has not done as much as Beijing has to address the pollution issue.

Although the title of “Most Polluted City” is possibly leaning toward Delhi, the problem is still being contemplated and debated among scientists and environmentalists.

Ultimately, there is no ignoring the haze of toxic particles that settles upon both cities. elee@apachepowwow.com

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A Parched Golden State

By HAFSAH UMERANI

February 2014

ral reservoir in itself, is also at record lows.

Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought Staff Writer emergency and urged all Californians to cut their water use by 20%, as there are 17 comThe State Water Project (SWP), a water munities in Central and Northern California delivery system, helps supply most Califorthat could run out of water in the next few nians with water and may be unable to demonths. liver water except when public health and Because 75% of California’s water safety are involved, as was announced usage is due to agriculture, farmers will on Jan. 31. This is the first time a drashave to pump groundwater and use any tic water shortage has occurred, and it reserves they may have to keep profitshows the intensity of the drought that able crops, along with leaving many may very well be the worst in Califoracres unplanted. Jim Beck, general nia’s recent history. But although the manager of Kern County Water Agency, gloomy announcement makes it seem said that his growers would use groundas though there’s absolutely no water water and leftover supplies to make left, most water districts will probably up for the lost deliveries. However, he turn to groundwater so that faucets will agrees that the water shortage will hurt not run dry. the growers economically.

The Metropolitan Water District In 2010, the SWP said it would of Southern California said that it has only deliver 5% of contractor requests. enough water to get through this year However, that number rose to 50% without mandatory rationing. Howevwhen winter storms helped bring up er, the announcement marks the “first reservoir levels. Unfortunately, offitime in the 54-year history of the State Water Project (SWP) that projected wa- LACK OF WATER If the drought continues, its effects cials aren’t counting on that this year.

They hope to keep supplies for urban ter supplies for both urban and agricul- could be disastrous for California. tural uses have been reduced to zero,” said holders are agricultural. “Actions mean that deliveries and cool water for migrating Director of the State Department of Water everyone—farmers, fish, people in our cit- salmon by reducing dam releases now.

By fixing leaky faucets, taking shortResources Mark Cowin. Cowin also men- ies and towns—will get less water,” Cowin tioned the fact that “this is not a coming cri- said. “But these actions will protect us all er showers, and collecting extra water, we sis...this is a current crisis” in a Sacramento better in the long run. Simply put, there’s might not have to feel the effects of this news conference, where other state officials not enough water to go around.” Last year drastic drought. also revealed the actions they were taking to was California’s driest year in more than a humerani@apachepowwow.com century, and this year could be just as bad. cope with the water shortage.

The State Water Resources Control Reservoir storage has dropped much below Graphic courtesy of THEGATENEWSPAPERS.COM Photo courtesy of EXAMINER.COM Board is maintaining temporary orders to re- average, and the mountain snowpack, a natulax environmental standards that, otherwise, would cause increased releases from reservoirs in Northern California. The boards also told around 5,800 junior rights holders, who have little claim on water during shortages, that they will have to reduce surface water diversions. Most of these junior rights

February 2014

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OPINION

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February 2014

vs.

As Valentine’s Day has just passed, romantic love has definitely been in the air. For example, many couples display their affection for each other by writing heartfelt cards or by giving flowers and chocolate. The society we live in places an unprecedented amount of emphasis on romantic love and exclusively celebrates it on Valentine’s Day. Romance sells. People buy into this concept and producers further exploit and monetize romantic love through chick flicks, television rom-coms, and sappy teen novels. The Ancient Greeks categorized love into four types: agape, storge, philia, and lastly, eros or romantic love. Why do we as a society put romantic love on such a high pedestal? Why do we not focus on the other three types of love and neglect the love seen in friendships, parent-child relationships, and unconditional love? Lastly, is it acceptable for us to regard romantic love as more important?

By TIFFANY LIU

By MICHELLE LIU Staff Writer

Staff Writer

I remember way back in elementary school, when on Valentine’s Day students buzzed over what gifts to give and for whom. But in reality, if you were going to give anything to anyone, you had to give it to everyone. Even if you had to give heart-shaped candies or cute holographic animal cards to your arch nemesis, every little kid had to get something. But what implanted this sweet, sugar-induced image into our minds? When we think about Valentine’s Day, we don’t immediately think about love and romance, but rather symbols of love represented by chocolates, roses, and cupids shooting their arrows.

What is Valentine’s Day but giving flowers and candy to people just because everyone else is doing it and because this one holiday says so. On this day, many are enticed into believing that because you give someone heart shaped candies, you are showing your love. The bigger the present, the more you care. Through this idea of “romance”, businesses are able to put this emotion on a pedestal over more conventional feelings of love towards your friends and family. Because we feel very differently when we are romantically involved with someone, love for family and friends is often pushed aside.

When we fall in love, we either get the butterflies in our stomach phenomenon or the head over heels I-can’t-be-separated-from-you-ever reaction. Smiles suddenly spread across our faces when we see our significant other, or the occasional increased heartbeat and lover’s high consumes us. This feeling just feels good. It’s a different reaction from meeting a childhood friend or coming back home to your family.

Many people have the idea that if you’re going to show someone you love them, you might as well do it on Valentine’s Day. It’s the day that major corporations have extra bookmarks on because they know that people are going to spend extra for their loved ones. Whether it be through date nights, movies, presents, or food, feelings of “love” are everywhere.

Valentine’s Day seems corny, unoriginal, and sometimes distasteful as more people celebrate it and realize that they’re just buying into society’s twisted view of love.

Even though the media twists the true meaning of the holiday by making it all about the splurging on gifts for your lover, we still fall into their schemes as they try to get us to spend more on their products. Either way, our view of the holiday won’t change, simply because there is no harm or reason to change. It has transformed into a fun holiday, one in which couples can watch romantic comedies, eat tons of chocolate together, or go on a special date. This simplistic and enjoyable view of romance makes it that much easier to sell products advocating the romantic “love” that we feel.

In reality, there are other holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving that place more emphasis on love for friends and family. Valentine’s Day has been engraved into the idea of romantic love or eros, and will most likely never change. Being in a relationship can be fun, and to have a holiday dedicated just for romance, makes being in love all the more exciting.

Valentine’s Day throws out the ideas of genuine romance and companionship that some people detest it for.

While it is true that the media takes advantage of this and sometimes even covers up the true meaning of companionship, holidays are like that too.

Marketing schemes and advertisements take this opportunity to gain more money, like what any other company would do. It isn’t a mystery as to why certain romance films or products are released during February.

Society’s view of love is so watered down and used to the point where people are not hyped about it because of the exchange of genuine feelings, but rather the exchange of gifts and stereotypical dating conventions. Because of how easily romantic love can be manipulated and commercialized, the other types of love are neglected since our perception of love in general has become so fake.

Valentine’s Day truthfully does not have much importance, but if it were to be abolished, many would miss the different shades of red, sweets, and euphoric, dreamy atmosphere that come with it.

Every time we turn on the television or flip through a magazine, we’re faced with promotions and ads for different shows and products blatantly displaying romantic love. In February especially, the emphasis on romantic relationships seems to go hand in hand with the essence of Valentine’s Day. Commercials focus primarily on interactions between couples, and shows promote themselves by teasing the audience with relationships they want to see. These are brought to the forefront—the love triangle between Damon, Elena, and Stefan on The Vampire Diaries; Alex and Sierra’s relationship on The X Factor—and milked for their worth to millions of viewers. Likewise, successful movies and books usually present the typical plot line of a hero and heroine falling in love. A stroll into Hallmark around Valentine’s Day emphasizes this idea: most cards are meant to celebrate a relationship with a significant other.

And that isn’t a bad thing—in fact, there is nothing wrong with celebrating a relationship. The special affection between two people deserves to be cherished and remembered. It’s this singular focus on romantic love, however, that makes me question our mob mentality for chick flicks, romcoms, and sappy teen novels. We tend to focus on eros, or romantic love, because it is the only option presented to us in media. Rarely do we focus on love between friends and families, but instead on the emotional love presented to us.

The impact is evident: The Notebook, a romantic drama film, still has a presence in society today even though it was released nearly a decade ago.

So it makes sense as to why there is such an unprecedented emphasis on romantic love in society today, and why Feb. 14 is primarily celebrated by couples. We’ve only ever been presented with one facet of love; this fantasy is pounded into our heads by the media and society month after month. Everyone else is seemingly left out because they don’t share this kind of love at the moment.

But they shouldn’t be; if Valentine’s Day is meant to celebrate love, then our focus should encompass all types of love. Agape, unconditional love, is often passed up for the passionate love that audiences have been conditioned to enjoy. And when was the last time you’ve seen a show or read a novel based on philia or storge—the accepting love between friends and family? Media passes over these other types of love for a different, passionate kind.

The huge spotlight on eros in society can diminish the other three. But they’re just as important; appreciating your friends and family deserves as much attention as the romantic love that has taken hold of this month.

After all, many people have impacted you in a meaningful way and deserve to be recognized, whether they are a close confidante or a stranger that paid for your meal. Yet, the narrow focus in society has ultimately cheapened “love” to be represented by materialistic items. Accordingly, media amps up this romance to capitalize on the money we spend for romantic love.

However, there are prominent examples in society where agape, philia, and storge have been featured and are widely successful. Take the popular book series, Harry Potter—millions of young readers grew up with Harry Potter as they witnessed and embraced the friendship between Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Applause and cheers rang out when Molly Weasley’s love for her children gave her the strength to defeat Bellatrix Lestrange, and readers appreciated the unassuming love Narcissa Malfoy had for her son, which ultimately led to Harry’s triumph. This is a clear example of fans that adore and appreciate the love seen in friendships, parent-child relationships, and unconditional love. Romantic love sells, but the other three can be monetized as well. Just remember, the Harry Potter series was the highest-grossing film series worldwide.

So don’t let the commercial aspect draw you in. Take time to think about whom we love and how we show our love for others. We’re given a month to be as sentimental and cheesy as we please, to be thankful for others and take joy in our friendships. Showing your siblings, relatives, friends, or even your dog that you care will create a tie that is just as important as one with a significant other. Sending a heartfelt message can make a world of a difference in someone’s day, and should not be neglected in favor of what the media or society dictates.

tliu@apachepowwow.com

mliu@apachepowwow.com

Graphics by BELINDA SHOUNG

February 2014

OPINION

theopinionsection@gmail.com

The Cure to the Bieber Fever

By FLORA UNG Staff Writer

Nowadays, we live in a society where celebrities receive special treatment, much more than normal people do. Celebrities who commit crimes are often bailed out without serious consequences and receive support from fans who are oblivious to the celebrities’ actions. But when that celebrity is not even a U.S. citizen and has gone too far with his crimes, is it really fair for him to have these privileges?

Other than committing numerous crimes, Justin Bieber has been a nuisance and a horrible role model. The drinking, DUI charges, egging, drug usage, illegal drag racing, and worst of all, “Cutting for Bieber” are all examples of him as a bad role model. The man who made a petition to kick Bieber out stated that our country is “being wrongly represented in the world of pop culture” and that he “is threatening the safety of our people.” I agree with all this, especially during the “Cutting for Bieber” era. Girls cut themselves, thinking that doing so will stop Bieber from doing drugs. Some girls threatened to commit suicide with the hope that he would not behave so erratically.

Someone who should be positively influencing fans, but is instead causing so much unnecessary damage, should be forced out of our country. The worst part is that if someone with less influence had committed these crimes and actions, there would be no contro-

versy over his fate. He would be incarcerated and handed the punishment he deserves. But, with our society today, because of Bieber’s celebrity status, he is unrightfully exempt from these standards. Many of his actions are shaping our society in a wrong way, his felonies will never stop, and the longer we keep him in the country, the worse it’s going to get.

For the people who feel that Bieber should be able to stay, a new anti-deportation petition was made, which means that they do not want him to leave. The new petition has only under 2,000 signatures and still needs more than 98,000 signatures to hit 100,000 in order for his deportation to be denied. Obviously, the people who are signing the antideportation petition are the “Beliebers”, but I don’t understand why they would want him to stay. They’re blinded by his fame, and make excuses like “he’s just drunk, it’s not his fault.” How is it not his fault? No one forced him to imbibe all that alcohol, get into a car, and race on the streets.

Bieber is sending out a message to every other celebrity out there that they are above the law.

He is setting an example to all his fans that this behavior is acceptable.

He is abusing his cultural influence for the worse, and for that, he should be rightfully punished.

By LAUREN FRANK Staff Writer

Once suppressed by the rule of a king who stole the voices of his subjects, our founding fathers made the decision to free our minds and thoughts through establishing the freedom of speech. All throughout history, people have struggled to exercise this voice, and through protest and outcry, many voices have been heard. To this day, this constitutional right has allowed innovation, creativity, and expression to flourish. Yet there are rebellions against this all the same. These rebellions come in the form of challenging one of the purest forms of the freedom of speech: books. In attempting to ban books, a message to silence an opinion, or a viewpoint, arises and the value of this precious freedom diminishes.

Many books that we read in school today have been riding on and off the banned list.

Books like To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, and Lord of the Flies are some of the most challenged books. While concerned parents of young adults may have concerns about the content of these books, the availability of similar and even worse content can be readily found with one click of a computer mouse or by simply flipping through TV channels. One of the greatest literary characters ever can be found in To Kill a Mockingbird, yet the fear of students learning of this character’s wisdom and of dark American history exceeds the potential to learn and develop intellectual thoughts. In Lord of the Flies, too, humanity is explored in a more personal sense than many history books can portray. The loss of these

to THOSE WHO FORGET COACHELLA HAS MUSIC

By BEN GEISBERG Photography Editor

Why do most people go to concerts and music festivals? The answer seems obvious: to enjoy their time listening to the artists’ music.

Sadly, it seems less and less that that’s the reason people go to these events. The new reason?

To say they’ve been there.

Music has turned into a consumer event where people go to concerts, music festivals, and other similar venues to claim social superiority amongst their peers. Music has become a social consumer event because that’s what the music industry, especially in the field of live music, has set itself up to be. At music festivals, you’re encouraged to upload pictures on Instagram, check in on Foursquare, or post to Facebook. If none of these things existed, then concerts would remain simply music events.

Even at Coachella, the supposed epitome of live music, people are scattered around the grounds on their phones desperately trying to get some signal to post yet another photo. And most of the time they’re not even posing in front of the performers; they’re posing to show off their outfits. Many people readily—and other times not—admit that they don’t know who half the bands performing are, and many people are there just for the social networking aspect of the festival. This is not the purpose

groundbreaking novels would be understandable if these books were challenged for crude content, but these books are not crude. They are works of art that are taken apart bit by bit by the young, growing minds of the future.

Well-known and highly appreciated authors such as Ernest Hemingway, John Steinback, William Faulkner, and J. R. R. Tolkien have had their books challenged, too. What about these books was so awful that they raised an outcry? Perhaps in some books, there was content that could be deemed as age inappropriate, but in one of the most popular fantasy trilogies, The Lord of the Rings, what, aside from an incredible, different world, proves to be worthy of a ban? Books, to those who read them, are a doorway to a magical new world. Making that door impossible to reach is painful. Again, this content can be found on television, where cartoons, shows, and movies about all sorts of mysteries, gore, violence, adventure, and romance rule, so where does the difference between TV and books lay?

Banning a book is a heavy sentence to put on a book and its readers. It strips away information and provoked thoughts from the curious. It replaces inspiration and influence with a red mark. Books are meant to be read, and banning a book preventing someone from reading it, leaves the ideas unread, unused, and locked away to rust. With silence to one opinion comes the question of who’s opinion will be silenced next and after that and so on and so on. lfrank@apachepowwow.com

Photo courtesy of EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

of live music. People should be there, first and foremost, for the tunes. Another problem with concerts is that people feel the need to record video or snap pictures during the performances. All that will turn out is a blurry, distorted picture, a shaky video with awful sound, or some unattractive combination of the two.

These snap shooters are annoying everyone by holding up their phone above the crowd and blocking peoples’ view. Recording the whole concert distracts and ultimately strips away the entire experience of the moment.

You see, balancing the music and social media is the key. A smattering of pictures here and there isn’t bad, but an almost obsessive need to take pictures is. Pictures from concerts need to be like a good museum: organized, aesthetically appealing, and most importantly, well curated. Music needs to remain central to your concert-going experience. The experience is the most important part. If you fall to the pressures of social media, then you aren’t having as much fun, enjoying the music, or living in the moment as much as you could be.

Now, I’m not saying that a few pictures or videos are bad; they’re great for the sake of memories. But the moment that the unnecessary documentation becomes the main attraction at live music is the moment that you’re betraying the hopes and dreams of the performing artists there.

bgeisberg@apachepowwow.com

fung@apachepowwow.com

Graphics courtesy of FREEVECTOR.COM

Graphics courtesy of FANPOP.COM

The Modern Book Thief

7

A Window to a Whole New World

By NEVEN WANG-TOMIC Staff Writer

Hop onto any train, bus, or plane, and the first thing you’ll see is a mass of people on their phones. In a world of instantaneous access to the Internet and games, many people have become absorbed in technology in any given place. Perhaps this is not entirely a bad thing, but within the confines of any moving metal machine, everyone becomes simply themselves and their phones, and everything else gets ignored.

Maybe I’m just an old curmudgeon, but I think the best way to pass time is to step away from electronics and just stare out a window.

Okay before you turn the page just hear me out for a minute or two. Being in a train or a bus is like being wrapped in a one-way mirror, people outside simply don’t notice you. You can be part of the world without ever being a part of it; that is the power of moving metal and windows.

People, cars, stores, restaurants, animals, trees, parks—it’s like seeing life in a personalized movie theater, each scene with its own nuances and varieties.

The two hour train ride from San Diego to Los Angeles is one of the most seemingly mundane trips ever, yet the transitioning landscape

speaks volumes about Southern California.

From the City of Industry to Anaheim to Santa Ana, all the way down to the sedate cities of Solana Beach and San Diego, every ten miles offers something completely new. However those subtle yet fascinating changes can’t be noticed in the confines of a screen. At first glance it seems boring, trust me, I understand. Rows of apple trees get less interesting after two hours through the central valley, but just try it. I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the world around you.

So try it next time! It doesn’t have to be for hours on end, but put down what you’re doing and what you’re worrying about to look outside.

Most of us go on car rides every day, and even that offers plenty to see. The world around is infinitely more interesting than we think, and all it takes to see that is a pair of eyes and the capability to put your phone away. nwangtomic@apachepowwow.com

Graphics courtesy of METROSANTIAGO. CL and METROTRANSIT.ORG

8

STUDENT LIFE

apachepowwow.com

Renaming Singles Awareness Day

By MILLIE WONG Staff Writer

Heck, let’s make a big deal out of Singles Awareness Day instead! Why call it Singles Awareness Day anyway? This depressing name makes being single sound like a chronic disease. In fact, junior Ariana Tsao thinks Feb. 14 should be called “Singles Be

For all the single students out there, Feb. 14 isn’t a day of roses and chocolates. Nope, Feb. 14 is Singles Awareness Day, a day for date-less men and women to strut their single status or stuff SINGLES AWARENESS DAY There’s nothing themselves sick wrong with not having a Valentine; in hindsight, it’s just with ice cream. any other day.

Society makes a huge deal out of Va l e n t i n e ’ s Day every year: from the pink and red hearts plastering storefronts to the boxed chocolates and flowers sitting in front of cashiers, theysubtly remind consumers to spend more money on Valentine’s. And don’t forget, of Happy Day”, when she and her fellow single course, the endless social media posts about a ladies can “save money” and “be comfy in #foreveralone life or an upcoming #datenight. their homes and watch a movie, or whatever

Just Kidding! Maybe...

else [they] want to do.” Fellow junior Cato Ma agrees, planning on “eating a tub of ice cream” because “[he] fully embrace[s] the fact that [he] is single on Feb. 14.” For a single guy, Cato is on the enthusiastic side of the singles’ spectrum—“Holla at [him] single ladies,” this guy prefers Single Awareness Day. On the other hand, sophomore Vivian Chen is nonchalant. She “just call[s] it Valentine’s Day” and thinks it’s a day for “couples [to] be cute together.” Vivian assures that “it’s okay [to be single], because [they] will find the one to spend Valentine’s with one day.”

For those who spent Feb. 14 alone this year, don’t fret—it’s just another healthy diet by avoiding all those chocolates! mwong@apachepowwow.com

Graphics courtesy of 123HOLIDAYS.COM and VALENTINESDAYHEARTSTOCOLOR.COM

The Other Color Purple: Cancer Awareness

By MADELINE LEE Staff Writer

Feb. 4, the Union for International Cancer Control’s (UICC) World Cancer Day, is a time when individuals and global organizations unite to send the same message: ending cancer should be a health priority.

Only this year, Chevrolet decided to raise awareness on a much larger scale by starting their “Purple Your Profile” social media campaign for its “Purple Roads” initiative.

Participants would link either their Facebook or Twitter accounts to the site which would place a purple filter on their current profile pictures to show sup-

port for cancer survivors, and Chevrolet would donate $1 up to $1 million for every purple profile picture.

Of course, we have seen similar viral movements in the past such as Kony 2012 and the Red Equal Sign for Human Rights; but this time, the phenomenon taking over these social media platforms seems to be the most substantial yet. Junior Katelyn Yu stated, “I really feel as if this cause and this movement strike home or close to it for a lot of people. More so than any of the previous movements, the topic of cancer is extremely relatable on a larger scale and everyone feels like they can make a tangible difference with this.”

Indeed, it seems like the goal of raising global awareness of cancer to fuel research and treatment has become more widespread with campaigns such as these that focus on the youth in our society acting across various

social media platforms as Chevrolet quickly reached their target of $1 million. However, Chevrolet was not the only organization to pull off a grand demonstration for this day.

One of the most visible events marking the occasion in the United States was the Empire State Building being lit blue and orange for the fourth year in a row—the colors of the UICC. While gestures such as these are certainly heartwarming, Feb. 4 is just one day, while cancer and its prevalence, unfortunately, last much longer. We can all continue to make a difference in spreading awareness, regardless of whether or not it is World Cancer Day.

February 2014

SMW Blood Drive

By LAUREN FRANK Staff Writer

Every year, many of the students at AHS have the opportunity to save lives. Blood— a means to life for the injured. Once again, SMW has gathered its forces for good. These students in their cardinal suit jackets flooded classrooms in the beginning of February to spread the word of their annual blood drive.

Students can get out of class to help this cause and in exchange for needle prodding their arms, students receive movie tickets, juice packets, and cookies. Every year, accidents and tragedies occur that leave people rapidly losing blood. Without donations like those given during the SMW blood drive, these people cannot produce enough blood quickly enough to survive. That’s why so many students at AHS gather to allow those sharp, pointy needles to suck out their blood!

“I would do it just to know that I could save a life and feel better as a person,” said senior Avery Boles. Like so many people though, inhibitions keep her from donating this year. Senior Nicole Wei also sees donating blood as something easy to do, but with a huge impact. “Honestly, it’s crazy that you can make such a huge difference because you think of volunteer work as like going out and giving people food, but it’s cool that you can donate blood and save a life. It’s something you can easily do.”

mlee@apachepowwwow.com

lfrank@apachepowwow.com

Graphics courtesy of NEWMEDIAROCKSTAR.COM Photo courtesy of LAYLACK.COM

Graphics courtesy of SELFSTORAGE.NET and TAD.ORG

AHS’ Declassified Hallway Etiquette Guide

By CHARLES XU Staff Writer

With all the renovation and construction proceeding at AHS, navigating around the hallways has become increasingly difficult and dangerous for students. Freshman Gavin Tam stated that “a lot of times, [he] is reduced to a total standstill [in the halls] where there is a huge choke point of people by some cross section or door. Nevertheless, many of these troubles and dilemmas can be prevented by simply following these rules: 1. Stop Multitasking! Like driving, no one should be on his or her phone while walking to class. It won’t kill you to wait just a few more hours to check your Facebook newsfeed

or text a friend. There are too many instances of students being held up just because one person is walking and simultaneously trying to beat their high score in Flappy Bird.

2. “Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming” Listen to Dory from Finding Nemo on this rule.

Anyone who stops abruptly during passing period will not

only receive cries of dismay among his or her peers, but also a faceplant in the concrete. Trust me; leaving your shoes untied in the hallways can save you a few teeth and much of your dignity.

3. Unplug Yourself Stop blaring Miley Cyrus in your ears so you can hear what is going on amidst the chaos in the hallways. By paying attention to

the outside world, you might avoid stepping in gum or dog excrement. Moreover, earphones are proven to cause permanent hearing loss, so give your ears a rest during passing period.

4. Check Your Blind Spots Before you change lanes or turn any corners, remember to look around you to avoid crashing into someone. Slowing down and staying alert when turning a corner is also suggested for a safe trek to class.

While the daily journey to classrooms will always be full of crowds of students, these rules will keep traffic in the hallways moving more efficiently.

Good luck and stay safe during passing periods! cxu@apachepowwow.com

Graphics by CHELSEA CHENG

studentlife.powwow@gmail.com

February 2014

Unstruck By Cupid’s Arrow

STUDENT LIFE 9

By BRIANA SHEN

Staff Writer

An atmosphere of love without despair, And an inkling of a blooming romance, Unrequited loves vying for a chance, So they will confess with dramatic flair.

A box of chocolates and a black bear, Will mesmerize her into a deep trance.

Maybe even convince her to a dance.

Loving banter and laughter fill the air.

Though I’ve never felt the warmth of a palm, Experienced a smothering embrace, Or a wild thumping of the bursting heart.

Never gone to an extravagant prom, Will never stand by the alter in white lace, Since I have always longed for the wrong heart. bshen@apachepowwow.com

Graphic courtesy of WEB4.NET

Student Corner Licata Brothers

By KIMBERLY LO Staff Writer

Sometimes students might think they don’t know where their talents lie, but junior Jimmy Licata and his younger brother Tony Licata definitely do. They are two musically talented siblings who play shows together as a duo and are known as The Licata Brothers.

Besides playing as a pair, they also play in the group “Shed Noise” as a group of four with their two friends.

At nine-years-old, Jimmy started playing violin “because [he] loved listening to it and [his] friend, Rohan Ahnand, got [him] turned on to learning violin”; he even composed violin music and played “Marmaduke’s Hornpipe” with a bluegrass band.

Jimmy’s “dad learned to play guitar at the same time and a year later [Jimmy] decided to pick up the guitar like [his] dad.” After, Jimmy took lessons for five years with classical guitarist Perfecto de Castro. In addition, Jimmy “greatly [admires his] mentor, Duane Thorin, not only for his great musical talent but also for his awareness to how many aspects performing has, perfecting the song, stage movement, crowd interaction, etc.” In January 2011, at the Hollywood House of Blues, Jimmy played with the band Led Zepagain. Besides playing music, he has also created multiple “How To Play…” videos including in-

structions on how to play several songs and how to write original songs. These instructional videos, as well as videos of their performances, are posted on The Licata Brothers’ YouTube channel “sjlarcadia”.

Tony, three years younger than Jimmy, began his musical career with piano lessons when he was sevenyears-old. In addition to piano, Tony also plays the drums and is quite a gifted singer. For their classic rock group “Shed Noise”, he is the lead singer.

The Licata Brothers often play from the genres of classic rock, Americana, folk, and rockabilly. Additionally, they explore other genres including Blues, Jazz, Soul, Gospel, Bluegrass, Country, Big Band, and Rock and Roll.

The Licata Brothers are a skillful pair of performers who play beautiful music. When playing music, Jimmy encourages students to “do it because you love it, not because of anyone else. From that love, try to be of service and do it for others.” Check out their performance schedule at http://thelicatabrothers.com/ or their Facebook page for more information. klo@apachepowwow.com

Photos courtesy of THELICATABROTHERS.COM

Students of AHS: What Matters the Most about High School?

By CHELSEA CHENG

Staff Writer

This past month, students have been asked this question: what is the most important thing in high school? The inspiration behind this article was from The Humans of New York (HONY).

HONY was a project created by photographer Brandon Stanton. He came up with the idea of taking photographs of New Yorkers and making it into a full-length collection of stories.

Editor’s Note: This article gives a glimpse of Center Spread’s upcoming spread.

“To me the most important thing in high school is learning about yourself and who you truly are.

Grades are just as important.” —Edward Chai, 11 “The most important thing that matters to me in high school would be hanging out with friends and making new friends!” —Nick Liu, 12

“The most important thing to me in high school is my friends. Not only the ones I hang out with, but also everyone. Both close and distant friends.” —Vernon Chow, 10

“Currently, the most important thing to me in high school is maintaining my grades.” —Jennifer Zhou, 9

HONY provided us with a diverse amount of pictures of various people. Pictures taken of these people can show us a bit about themselves. By asking strangers a simple question, it helps us know a bit more about who they are.

Photos by BEN GEISBERG, LILY LING, ROY ZHANG and STANLEY SHAW

“For me, it’s not only preparing myself for college, but also making sure that I make a positive impact on people.” —Kingston Chen, 11 “I think the most important thing that matters to me right now is actually learning things that will be beneficial for me later on in life.”

—Emily Liang, 9

ccheng@apachepowwow.com

12 THIS

VALENTINE’S DAY

You make me a better friend, brother, son, student, and overall person everyday.

Photos courtesy of DEPOSITPHOTOS.COM, ETSY.COM, and GRAPHICSSOFT.COM

apachepowwow.com

February 2014

By SHIRLEY LU

Valentine’s Day is often regarded as a cliché restricted or appreciation to friends and family. Though it’s not alwa these eight AHS students and muster up the courage to de According to Gary Chapman, author of The 5 Love indicated by the title—or ways people enjoy communicating Many people will have varying dominant love languages means. To best express your affection for loved ones, get personal and thoughtful gesture because you pay attention If their love language is…

Words of affirmation: they enjoy receiving complim showering your friends with words expressing what you a would remind your friends how much you care about them Acts of service: they enjoy receiving help or simple g words do. A sweet gesture showing that you care could be h them with homework. Go the extra mile and even walk th Receiving gifts: clearly, they enjoy receiving gifts, b best gifts are homemade because you took the time and eff your garden or make some trinkets; do something to show Quality time: they value physical presence more. Som as you’re there. They feel most loved when you give your hang out—the most important thing is that you’re spendin Physical touch: they are comforted by hugs, pat on you’re not a touchy person, go out of your way to hug you In a school where the workload is intense and the cou cared and loved for every day, and by paying attention to can be easy to do. But let’s not forget that demonstrating o Let’s make it a goal to express our love to those around u With that said, what’s your love language?

February 2014

centerspread.powwow@gmail.com

Staff Writer

d for couples only, but it is also a day for expressing love ays easy to utter words of endearment, we can learn from emonstrate our affections for loved ones. e Languages, there are five different love languages—as g their love that don’t only pertain to romantic relationships. s, and thus, people will feel most loved through different to know what their love languages are—it will be a very n to what they appreciate.

ments and praise. Showing your love can be as simple as appreciate about them. Immortalizing your words in cards m. gestures. For this love language, actions speak louder than holding the door for them, carrying their books, or helping hem home. but the presents don’t have to be expensive. Some of the ffort to create something just for them. Pick flowers out of w them what they mean to you. metimes they could care less about little gifts—just as long r undivided attention to them. Ask them to get food or just ng time together. the backs, or any other appropriate physical gestures. If ur friend, or be a shoulder to cry on. urses are rigorous year-round, it is important for us to feel o loved ones’ love languages, making them feel treasured our love and appreciation is not limited to Valentine’s Day. us consistently. slu@apachepowwow.com

I JUST WANT TO

13

14

FEATURES Sneeze-B-Gone

By HAFSAH UMERANI

apachepowwow.com

February 2014

Worlds to Explore Staff Writer

We don’t often get free time, but when that precious time does come, we’re often at a loss of what to do. Instead of watching TV or a movie, or sitting about eating, try reading a book!

By SIMONE CHU

Staff Writer

Spring is a beautiful season. It’s a glorious season. It’s that verdant time of year when— ACHOO! Oh, joy. It looks like the pollen allergies have kicked in.

Luckily, there are some easy ways to provide relief from watery eyes and sneezes. The ingredients needed to cure your allergies could be lying around your house.

1. Keep things clean. Shower every day to remove any pollen that’s collected on your skin or hair. If your nose runs a lot when you’re trying to fall asleep at night, try changing your pillowcase and bed sheets—there might be some pollen or dust trapped in there.

2. Drink peppermint tea. While a mug of hot tea, in general, can help unclog congested sinuses (steam loosens up mucus), peppermint essential oil has the added benefit of acting as an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial substance. You can either buy some at the supermarket or make it yourself. Start by putting three teaspoons of dried mint leaves in a one-quart jar. Then fill two-thirds of the jar with boiling water, and let the leaves steep for about five minutes.

3. Breathe in steam. If you’re not a huge fan of tea, how about just plain boiling water?

Put a pot full of water on the stove until it starts to boil, then take it off the burner and put your face over the pot. Inhale. Exhale. Oh, and keep a box of tissues handy, because this’ll get all the mucus to run out of your nose. This is definitely a great tip for getting rid of those stuffedup noses that make you sound all funny.

4. Eat wasabi. Are you a fan of Japanese food? If you are, great! Just put a dollop of the spicy green paste on your sushi, and you’re good to go. As anyone who’s eaten too much wasabi in one bite knows, it’s a great way to clear out your sinuses. Or, if you’re not a sushi person, try snacking on those wasabi-covered peas. They taste good and they’ll help you with your allergies.

5. Prevent exposure to allergens. This is the tip that’s going to make you say, “Well, duh. I could’ve figured that out.” Hold on a bit, though; allergen sources aren’t always extremely obvious. While you probably know that pet dander and dust are major sneeze-triggers, there are a few less obvious sources. For instance, even though opening a window to let the fresh spring breeze in may seem appealing, it’s probably not the best idea. That graceful draft of air could be carrying a whole army of yellow flecks to make your eyes water!

Speaking of eyes, if yours tend to get red and itchy after spending some time outside, try wearing sunglasses. Not only will they make you look cool, they’ll also protect you from both the blinding sunlight and those pestilential pollen particles.

Hopefully these tips will enable you to enjoy spring without the agony of stuffy noses and itchy eyes! schu@apachepowwow.com

Graphics courtesy of CAPITALPEDIATRICS.COM and DREAMSTIME.COM

Historical Fiction: A Great and Terrible Beauty: The first book in the Gemma Doyle trilogy, A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray focuses on Gemma Doyle, a 16-year-old who returns to India to finish school after her mother’s death in 1895.

This book comes with a dose of fantasy and historical fiction.

River of Time Series: If you like reading about 16th century European culture, then you’ll want to try this series. It centers on Gabi Betarrini and in the first book, her accidental transport to 16th century Italy. She is found by a good family, but her sister is taken by someone else.

While trapped in Italy, Gabi learns how she and her sister were transported there. Her priority is to find her sister and go back home, but then she falls in love and has to make a decision: should she stay in Italy or go back home?

Teen Fiction: My Sister’s Keeper: In Jodi Picoult’s masterpiece, Anna was born to save her sister Kate. Anna would always agree to help her sister by donating whatever the doctor and her parents asked her to. However, when Anna is told to donate a kidney to Kate, she realizes that it’s gone too far and files for medical emancipation from her parents. The multiple subplots keep the suspense up and a major plot twist keeps this book memorable. There is a film adaptation of this book.

I Am the Messenger: Ed Kennedy is an average man, but then he becomes the messenger. As he roams through town, helping and hurting when necessary, a mystery shadows him: who is the reason behind his actions? This book by Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief, might just be the book for you!

Fantasy: The Princess Bride: Written by William Goldman, this humorous book was adapted into the famous movie. It’s about Buttercup, a young and beautiful princess, and her journeys with Westley, the gallant hero she loves.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: The sophisticated language and constant references to The Hobbit might make this a difficult read, but it’s definitely worth it in the end. J.R.R. Tolkien’s series, as well as the prequel, has been adapted into a series of films. Frodo Baggins is a pure-hearted hobbit who sets out to bring peace back to Middle-Earth after his uncle disappears. Adventure dominates over all in this trilogy.

Science Fiction: Influx: This book, written by Daniel Suarez, came out on Feb. 20. It focuses on superior technology in the 21st century that is only available to a lucky few. When Jon Grady is asked to be part of this secret technology, he rebels and is thrown into jail with other intellectuals like him. Will he find a way to escape?

Ender’s Game: Recently turned into a movie, Ender’s Game is about Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, a 6-year-old boy genius. When Ender is accepted into Battle School to prepare for war against the Buggers, an alien race, he is evidently the smartest one there. Will the teachers push his brilliance too far, or will Ender learn to cope with the pressure?

These books are just a few suggestions. There are thousands of books in every genre, and each one is unique. If you feel that these books aren’t for you, try looking in the local library or browsing through horror stories, romances, and autobiographies. There’s a book for everyone out there, so go and find yours! humerani@apachepowwow.com

Graphic courtesy of GARCHIBALD.COM

Fast Food Paradise yond our wildest beliefs. To top it off, Pizza Hut Staff Writer offers different stuffings or fillings in its crusts and even sells side dishes you’ll never see at your local Pizza Hut. The most noThose two perfect golden arches of table type of specialty pizzas is unhealthy flavor. The king of the burgthe Crown Crust Pizzas ers. That red box named Jack. All these that are offered images are associated with unhealthy i n goodness: fast food. Although these fast food chains started in the U.S., it seems the rest of the world has also caught onto the fast food rave, putting the fast food menus into high demand.

However, people from different countries around the world enjoy a variety of tastes, causing the typical fast food menu to change in various nations.

While we are still eating plain hamdifburgers, they’ve already evolved elseferent where. Here are some strange and usual variafast foods that are unheard of in America. tions. The Pizza Hut: Like the name suggests, the Crown Crust Pizza Hut franchise still offers pizza in variCheeseburger Pizza ous countries around the world, but what differs from nation to nation is the ingredients replaces the classic bread crust with miniathat are used. Depending on where you travel, ture bites of cheeseburger, while the pizza the toppings offered include chicken, spin- itself is topped with lettuce and tomatoes.

McDonald’s: While the Big Mac remains ach, shrimp, prawn, tuna, hot dogs, mashed potatoes, mussels, seaweed, kimchi, and even one of America’s favorite burgers, the McDonyogurt. While we still think the Hawaiian ald’s chain has upgraded the global menu big pizza combination is a masterpiece, the types time. The Big Mac has transformed into the of pizzas in other countries have changed be- Mega Mac, a burger with four beef patties and

By BRIANA SHEN

another layer of cheese. Indian menus call for ingredients much different from those used in America, so the menu itself is largely different. The McCurry Pan consists of flakey dough formed into a box shaped bowl that is filled with chicken, tomato-curry sauce, and different types of healthy vegetables. Though the Ramen burger may seem fascinating, Asian countries (particularly Singapore) have released the McRice burger. The McRice burger calls for a beef or chicken fillet patty, lettuce, red cabbage, and Asian barbecue sauce in between two toasted, crispy, white rice buns. For seafood lovers, the McLobster Sandwich was released in Canada and is comprised of lobster meat, celery, green onions, and other vegetables sandwiched between hot dog buns and topped with mayonnaise and tartar sauce. Sounds fishy.

Americans can’t seem to get enough of the traditional fast foods, but countries around the world have already taken them to a whole other level. The menus are altered based on the area’s specialties, preferences, and ingredients that are offered. bshen@apachepowwow.com

Graphics courtesy of ANIMATEDCLIPARTS.NET, FATWALLET.COM, and LOGOS.WIKIA.COM

February 2014

FEATURES

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15

Oscar Nominees

By JUSTIN TANG

Staff Writer

It’s time for Snapchat and Candy Crush Saga to step down from the top charts on Google Play and the App Store. Dong Nguyen, a passionate indie game maker living in Vietnam, had no idea that his idea for such a simple game would top over two to three million downloads per day. For those who live under a rock, Flappy Bird is a simple game that features a bird that players must navigate through pipes by tapping the screen to keep the bird airborne.

The goal is to fly through as many pipes as possible without hitting one, which is easier said than done. Players would find that the slightest nudge to the arm would send their bird crashing into the Super Mario styled pipe.

In January 2014, Flappy Bird claimed first in the Top Free Apps on Apple’s App Store and would subsequently do so on other iOS stores.

The object of the game is easy enough to understand, but it was the high level of difficulty that sent players coming back for more. The ability to share results sent many on the Internet into embarrassment, realizing that their score of “10” was far from applaudable. Flappy Bird is so fast-paced; tapping too fast would send the bird flying straight into the pipe while tapping too timidly would send it crashing down. The game has an “Oh, I almost had it!” feel, so players just can’t quit playing the game.

Since the death of Flappy Bird, there have been numerous attempts at re-creating the game. Imitations such as Flying Cyrus, Splashy Fish, Dumpy Doge, Flappy Flyer, and Flappy Wings all sit within the top 30 on both the App Store and Google Play. In addition to these recreations, a Massively Multiplayer Online version of Flappy Bird was recently released to the public online. Simply called FlapMMO, the

game has thousands of players all playing Flappy Bird on the same screen, making the game ever so more infuriating. So what makes these mimics of Flappy Bird so popular?

Looking back on past blowout apps such as Angry Birds, Snapchat, Temple Run, Vine, Cookie Clicker, and Tiny Wings, they all captured the attention of thousands all over the world. The concept of most of these apps were simple yet turned out to be surprisingly addictive. Flappy Bird was such a sensational hit that similar games have skyrocketed in popularity, even games like Dumpy Doge. The large number of Flappy Bird imitations also shows just how simple the game actually was to design.

Perhaps the simplest game of them all, Cookie Clicker was a game where all players did was furiously tap their phones to produce cookies. The more cookies produced the more upgrades, and the more upgrades meant faster cookie production. Cookie Clicker was a nationwide sensation with the simple objective of baking cookies. Take Temple Run for example; the game surrounds itself around the idea of fleeing from a band of rabid monkeys while traversing across the swampy landscape. Angry Birds started off as a simple game of launching birds at pigs, but quickly grew to a global mobile app franchise with various spinoffs of the original game. With over 2 billion downloads in total, the Angry Birds franchise is easily the most success any mobile app has ever achieved. Despite the removal of Flappy Bird from mobile app stores, other games will soon arise and become huge successes. With the release of any popular game, similar undertakings are bound to happen and Flappy Bird was no exception. jtang@apachepowwow.com

Graphics courtesy of FABIENPRETRE.COM and TUAW.COM

By LILLIAN CHEN

Staff Writer

The 86th Academy Awards will be held on Mar. 2, which is coming up soon! There have been so many movies nominated, and many of them are recent releases as well, like American Hustle and 12 Years a Slave. What do you have time to watch? Fear not, for a quick synopsis of each movie will help you choose which few you want to watch in the midst of your busy schedule in this short month.

American Hustle is a star-studded comedydrama film starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Bradley Cooper, and Jennifer Lawrence. It is a story about many things: the actual plot consists of a conman and his partner being forced to work for an FBI agent who wants to go after politicians and mafia members, but this movie also touches on “dissatisfaction and drive, and the lengths to which we’re willing to go for that elusive thing known as a better life,” as stated by film critic Christy Lemire, who gave the film four out of four stars.

While this film has been praised endlessly by film critics, audience members seem to be disappointed, given all the Oscar hype surrounding American Hustle. Nevertheless, this film is worth a watch for the acting performances. It has fantastic work from the experienced cast!

Her is one of those movies where your expectations of the movie are totally off center, and you finish the movie pleasantly surprised.

At its heart, it is a simple love story made only unique by the main relationship in this movie between a man named Theodore Twombly, played by Joaquin Phoenix, and his operating system (OS), voiced by Scarlett Johansson. The movie is also set in the not-so-distant future.

Although people might dismiss this movie as a chick flick, Her explores the essence of rela-

tionships and what we see in others that allows us to form emotional connections even with non-human beings.

Gravity is the only movie out of the Best Picture nominees this year to be a blockbuster hit. Starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, Gravity is a science-fiction drama film about astronauts who have to cope with disaster on the Space Shuttle Explorer, and the sheer mystery and thrill keeps you at the edge of your seat. Although the movie has just one setting and two main characters, Gravity is crafted in such a way as to make this a captivating journey of survival, and the special effects only enhance the experience. It’s not as thrilling in 2-D as it is in IMAX 3-D, but this is a movie you can’t pass up! A great movie for audiences of all ages, Gravity is probably the one movie that will get the universal acclaim from viewers of all ages and backgrounds.

12 Years a Slave, directed by Steven McQueen, is based off a true story about a free black man named Solomon Northup who was kidnapped one night and sold into slavery. Solomon is forced to adapt to his new environment, abandon his writing and reading skills in fear of punishment, and put up with bigoted owners and unfair treatment. The brutal honesty in this picture, although tough to watch, is rightfully brought to light. The atrocities that were committed in America’s history seem like they’ve been discussed over and over again to many of us, but when you see such acts brought to life and not just imprinted in words, you can’t ignore it. 12 Years a Slave will crack those rosecolored glasses that you never thought you had on and show you the reality of the 1800’s. lchen@apachepowwow.com Photo courtesy of OSCARS.ORG

Super Bowl Funday Sunday

By CRISTIAN NALBANDIAN

Staff Writer

What were your favorite Super Bowl commercials? Think about how they made you feel and how you reacted when you watched the commercials promote the newest and coolest products. As millions gathered in front of their televisions to watch the Super Bowl, many were aware that commercials of all kinds would be advertised on the primetime channels. 111.5 million people watched the Super Bowl this year, and it’s a new record that severely helped the advertising industry. The Super Bowl is the perfect time for consumers to be educated about new and cool products out on the market today.

In previous years, some great commercials were funny, loveable, and deep. An example is the Audi compromise commercial, which had a Chihuahua and a Doberman mix, creating a new breed of dogs called the “Doberhuahua”. From there, the dogs took over the world and caused destruction. The commercial proved the point that compromise is bad, and Audi does not compromise when reaching car perfection.

Cars need to be perfect in order to grab the

buyers’ attention. As some would say, perfection is a key element in any dream car.

Another spectacular and heart-warming commercial was the Coca-Cola commercial, which was a thoughtful, new, and lighthearted way to present the product. America is a country of different people all living into one area, so the commercial had people from different ethnic groups singing “America the Beautiful”—a song that embodies pride for this great nation.

From Native Americans to the Japanese, the commercial emphasises the harmony of the diverse American people.

The marketing of commercials is a key point in grabbing the attention of the audience and making them feel some emotion about the product, such as fear or love. The experience one has with the commercials is what appeals to the audience. The commercials themselves were a force altogether, almost as exciting as the game. The coming years in the marketing industry will nail future Super Bowl commercials, giving the audience a more pleasing and fun Super Bowl experience. Look out for the next generation of Super Bowl commercials coming your way! cnalbandian@apachepowwow.com

Graphic courtesy of WIKIPEDIA.ORG

By CAROLYN HSU

Staff Writer

“Look at me, look at me, look at me now!”

Are you looking? “It is fun to have fun but you have to know how.” I hope you recognized that.

No? Then sit back and enjoy the following mini lesson on one of the most famous children’s authors in history. Theodore Seuss Giell, or Dr. Seuss, would have turned 88 on Mar. 2. The man is often dubbed THE children’s poet. His contributions to shaping children’s literature are so prolific that we could say it still feels like he’s with us, drafting a manuscript for another short story. After all, he’s already published 46 of them and almost every single one of them are ingrained into our childhoods. Nowadays, he’s famous not only for encouraging children to read more often, but also for incorporating relevant morals into the world of his unique cartoon characters. We know his stories like we know our way around Disneyland, but what about the man’s inspiration behind his characters?

Dr. Seuss’ initial legacy, And to Think that I Saw it on Mulberry Street, started with 27/27 publisher rejections and a convenient run-in with a friend who showed Dr. Seuss’ illustrations to his bosses at a publishing house. Yes, Dr. Seuss illustrated his own works. Aside from drawing for his publications, he also worked on sculptures, paintings, and other “secret works”

that were only revealed after he died. Had his friend walked on the other side of the street that day, the world may not have ever seen Dr. Seuss’ quirky rhymes and cartoons in libraries.

See that? That was an example of fate doing things right. Nicely done.

The Cat in the Hat was originally written because Seuss loathed the formerly popular children’s book, Dick and Jane, claiming the characters to be too perfect. He believed that it was tear-jerkingly boring and didn’t motivate children to read during their free time. Unlike the rest of us who would gripe, complain, and then continue to ignore the situation, Seuss went and published his own book, The Cat in the Hat, later claiming that his largest accomplishment to date was being able to rid school libraries of the formerly iconic (not to mention boring) book.

Thanks to Dr. Seuss, children can veer from intimidating perfection in stories. They can test their creativity, improve reading skills and have fun while reading. Let’s also not forget his ability to make life morals seem like more than just a parental lecture: “Today you are you!

That is truer than true. There is no one alive who is you-er than you!” chsu@apachepowwow.com Graphic courtesy of RIPTAPPAREL.COM

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SPORTS

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February 2014

Demolishing the League Competition

By ROSE LI Staff Writer

Part of AHS’ tradition of excellence is the success of its always amazing Girls Varsity Soccer team, and this year’s team proves to be no exception to this reputation. It would be quite the understatement to say that our girls have had a fantastic season. Let’s take a quick look back at how things went.

The team kicked into action on Dec. 10 of last year. It played four preseason games against St. Lucy’s High School, Diamond Bar High School (DBHS), Mission Viejo High School, and Woodrow Wilson High School. Unfortunately, the girls were only able to defeat DBHS, but junior Megan Acosta said that those games served to “get the team in sync for the season.”

The wise saying goes that one sometimes gains more from losses than wins, and Girls Soccer definitely brought the saying to life when the

official season started. The team, as Megan predicted, “synced” perfectly the next game, effortlessly and completely crushing Muir High School 14-0. Confidence and skills at prime condition, the girls went on to conquer Burbank High School three days later, 2-1, and maintained a perfect win streak for the following six matches against Herbert Hoover High School, Glendale High School, Pasadena High School, and Burroughs High School. Even our longtime rival, Crescenta Valley High School (CV), was completely annihilated 2-0. And as if those achievements weren’t enough, the girls played eight more games after CV against (in order) Muir, Burroughs, Burbank, Hoover, Glendale, Burroughs (again), Pasadena, and CV (again), denying all of the opposing teams even a single point.

Our fantastic girls ended the season undefeated with a score of 14-0, the final game being a satisfying 2-0 win against CV (ha!). Junior Kelly Dopke said that the team is “really proud

and ecstatic” about its performance but at the same time “not surprised, as [it has] practiced really hard in preparation for all the matches.”

The girls remain confident in their ability to continue their domination streak through CIF. Kelly expresses unwavering belief in the team’s ability to push through to victory, and she said that it will “continue giving its best on the fields, both during practice and during competition.” With such an astounding record and incredible individual and team dedication, there is absolutely no doubt that our girls can emerge as CIF champions this year.

Over the course of the season, the Girls Varsity Soccer team has made some incredible achievements. The team’s dedication has really shone through, seeing as how well the team has done throughout its season. We wish them thebest of luck for the rest of their endeavors!

By CHARLES XU

overcoming [this game] was the biggest hurdle.

[The team] is very excited [and] it’s a very fun group of girls to coach.”

Two weeks later, the Girls Varsity Water Polo team battled for second place in the Pacific League with Glendale, but suffered a narrow defeat in a defensive slugfest. Junior Laura Chun scored both points in the 2-3 loss.

A few days later, Arcadia responded with a victory against Burroughs High School (BHS), thus improving its overall league record to 5-2 and clinching 3rd place in the Pacific League standings.

Following the Apaches’ 8-5 triumph over BHS, senior Molly Cheng remarked, “The last few games that we [played] were tough, but we were able to push through. It has been seven years since the last time Girls Varsity Water Polo made CIF, so everyone on the team is really excited for that and glad that we finally [accomplished our] goal.”

In the San Gabriel Valley wild-card matchup, Arcadia fell to Arlington High School 8-9.

Laura recounted, “Our last game at Arlington

rli@apachepowwow.com

Photo by BEN GEISBERG

KICKING BACK Freshman Amaris Griggs demonstrates the team’s versatility and ability to play as she deftly steals the ball away from her opponent.

Girls Water Polo Breaks Seven Year CIF Drought

PUMPED Senior Christine Eskander

holds the water polo ball up, preparing to take a shot.

Staff Writer

The Girls Varsity Water Polo team finally saw its hard work pay off by reaching the elusive CIF-SS playoffs for the first time in seven years.

Arcadia notched a 7-6 win against Pasadena High School (PHS) on Jan. 30, which broke their four year losing streak with PHS. With a combination of strong performances from players on the dynamic squad, AHS was able to come through with a vital win, propelling them to the CIF-SS playoffs. When an acrobatic block from senior Heide Tan sealed the emotional victory, players hugged with joy and some even broke into tears.

Head Coach Ararat Oganesyan stated, “It was a huge win. This is a huge mental hurdle for [the girls]. They haven’t been to CIF in a long time. It’s kind of been a goal of ours, and as you get closer to the end of the goal, you think the past might come back and haunt you, so

was very emotional. We had seven [penalties] called against us, our goalie was ejected, coach got red carded, and our defensive specialist (senior Christine Eskander) got ejected three times. Our whole team was on the verge of falling apart but we fought [until] the end.” Even with this loss that concluded AHS’ playoff run, the players’ spirits have not subsided, as senior Nikolitsa Vagenas mentioned, “We have had the best season since as long as I can remember. I’m am very sad it is my last year [playing at Arcadia], but I am sure that next year, we will do even better!”

By achieving long-awaited success, the 2013-2014 Girls Varsity Water Polo team has shown its intense drive to win and how much dedication and effort it takes to stand on a podium in a competitive division. This year’s breakthrough athletes have shown the potential of Arcadia’s water polo program and blazed a trail for future teams to follow in the years to come. cxu@apachepowwow.com

Photo courtesy of SHANNON DIEP

Boys Varsity Golf: Flying Off the Tee

By JUSTIN TANG Staff Writer

Believe it or not, golf in real life is much more difficult than depicted in games. Those men seen every day crouched with their golf clubs are actually concentrating to make the most of their swing. Of course, don’t forget about the hard-working Boys Varsity Golf team right here at AHS! Last season the team made it into the second round of CIF, but wasn’t able to further its success. Junior William Oetojo reflected, “We didn’t play as well as we should have, despite having superstar seniors. [The other teams] were just really good.” Since most of its senior players have graduated, the team is shorthanded on experienced players. “This year will be a lot harder so we’re all just going to work harder.”

After being on the golf team for a year, junior Vamsi Damerla has learned a few tricks

here and there to help make him a better player.

“You just need to always be ready for the unexpected and always keep your calm if something doesn’t go your way,” remarked Vamsi.

“There’s no point in getting frustrated because it won’t help you.” In any sport, the attitude of the player often changes the outcome of the game. Having the right attitude will ensure a better chance for Vamsi and his teammates to succeed on the green.

The team’s first practice was held on Feb. 18, where all the boys just tried to get used to playing again. “During our team practices, we go to the golf course and practice together. Unlike other sports, we individually work on whatever we feel is necessary for ourselves,” said William. “Lately I haven’t been playing well so I’ve been working on my swing.” Vamsi decided to work on his “short game and putting”, which is striking the ball with a firm but gentle blow to roll the ball smoothly over the grass.

“The hardest part about putting the ball is being

able to execute what you’re trying to do. You can have a plan as to how you’re gonna hit the putt, but it can be difficult to trust yourself and execute your plan without practice.” Junior Andrew Baek has also been working hard to prepare himself for the season ahead of him and his team: “For the past few practices, I’ve just been working on getting a consistent shot and trying to hit the ball straighter.”

The Boys Varsity Golf team’s first scheduled match is on Mar. 5, but the date is subject to change as its practice season rolls around.

Golf is a sport of skill and more often than not, practice combined with luck with easily ensure a victory. The boys have already made a goal for this season, one that they will work towards.

“We really want to keep up our intensity and hopefully go further in CIF this season,” said William. jtang@apachepowwow.com

Photo courtesy of SOPHIA NAKAGENAKU

IRON DRIVE Senior Showta Moriyama crouches down, meticulously examining the distance from his ball to the hole, showing how detailed the team gets when preparing.

February 2014

SPORTS

sports.powwow@gmail.com

By BILLY BONNEY

Athletic Profile: Laura Chun Staff Writer

How does the Girls Varsity Water Polo team become a CIF contender for the first time in seven years? By working harder than everyone else and having many skilled players. One member of the team stands out in particular. Junior Meiling Chun, who prefers to go by Laura, has been playing the challenging sport of water polo since the tender age of 12. Her early start at water polo is what enabled her to be a member of the Girls Varsity Water Polo team as a mere freshman. This would signify the start of her prestigious high school water polo career, brought about by diligence and determination.

She said her inspiration for spending countless hours perfecting her skill at the arduous sport lies in her love of water, “which is why [she] doesn’t mind practicing so long.”

On top of Laura’s multiple practices at the

STRONG WILLED Junior Laura Chun manages to expertly balance her athletic, social, and academic lives. Her outstanding achievements in water polo truly make her stand out as an individual, as she’s helped the Girls Water Polo team a lot on its journey into the CIF competition.

team tries to shut down anyone,” the girls will score somewhere else and with someone else.

Throughout Laura’s long, exemplary career of water polo she has accomplished much and helped the Girls Varsity Water Polo team win games that it might otherwise have not. She has many memories of her teammates coming and going, but her fondest comes from this season when the girls clinched a playoff spot in CIF. It was the last home game of the season, and the girls managed to scrape a win over Pasadena by one point. It was at this moment that Laura began to feel an insatiable amount of pride for all the hard work she has done.

All those long hours in the pool finally paid off spectacularly, and her love for water and water polo were able to help her support and carry her team to its first CIF appearance in many years.

she “gets better by working with [her] team to develop a winning defense and offense.” She thinks “it’s essential to have options, so if a

Photos courtesy of SHANNON DIEP Photo by STANLEY SHAW

school with the Girls Varsity Water Polo team, she also swims for a club swim team and practices with them six days a week. Laura’s continuous practice in water polo and swimming in general has made her a shark in the pool. She believes her greatest attribute is her speed,

which she relies on to help her score. Furthermore, in order to supplement her training in the pool, Laura has repeatedly visited the weight

room to get stronger. She said that “water polo team always used [the] weight room, even before [the] season started.”

While Laura may be a superb athlete in her own right, she admits that she wouldn’t be anything without her team. Laura said that

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bbonney@apachepowwow.com

Girls Basketball Finishes Strong

By ALLISON STEVENSON Staff Writer

Looking at its season so far, one would say that the Girls Varsity Basketball team is on the road to success. Although they were unable to recapture the league title this year, the girls hope that their determination and hard work will push them into the final rounds of CIF this season.

Over this past season, the Girls Varsity Basketball team has accomplished a great deal of success, triumphing over many other teams and beating out nearly all its competition. In their pre-season, the girls rocked the basketball stage, fighting for and winning both of their pre-season tournaments. Senior Jacklyn Tran said the fight to win the championship games in the tournaments not only allowed them to be undefeated, but made the “wins that much sweeter.” Furthermore, the girls started off the season strong, beating out teams like Pasadena High School, Muir High School, and Herbert Hoover High School by a landslide. Unfortunately, the team had some slip ups in the middle of the season, losing some very close games which prevented the team from being the league champions that it had desired to be. Jacklyn said that “it was starting out as a struggle... but toward the end of the season we knew we could

finish strong.” And they did just that. The Girls Varsity Basketball team came out to win almost all of the rest of its games and is now on its way to the CIF finals.

In addition, to further improve the teams chances of winning that CIF title, the girls looked to work not only on the team’s overall skills, but each of the players’ individual skills as well. For senior Katie Mock, the team wanted to “buckle down” on its full court press and half court defense in hopes that it would allow them to shut down the other team as soon as it started its offense. Katie also says that although they look to further their skills in the pursuit of success, the most important thing is that “every girl plays with 100 percent heart.” For Jacklyn, hard work meant not only improving her individual skills, but her playing time as well. She stated that her main goal was “working to get playing time in every game,” and even if she’s only in for a couple of minutes, she “keeps up” with whatever she gets and always gives 100 percent.

There’s no denying it. The Girls Varsity Basketball team is on the road to basketball success. With its stacked team and great skills, the Girls Varsity Basketball team will be a tough team to beat in CIF. astevenson@apachepowwow.com Photo courtesy of WILSON LIN

By BRENDAN TRAN Staff Writer

There is more to preparing for a game, meet, or competition than just practice. An athlete has to set his or her mind right in order to be in game mode, and this preparation ritual is unique to each person. At AHS, things are no different. Here are some things our fellow Apache athletes do to prepare for battle.

“I usually just get through the school day and once it’s over, I start focusing on what I need to do and relax despite what happened on that day. I listen to music to get me pumped and just try to remind myself to have fun and just play ball.”

—Erika Olofson, 11, Girls Varsity Basketball “I prepare for games by eating 12 brownies because it scares the other team into thinking I’m so good I can afford to eat [them] right before the game.”

—Laura Meiling Chun, 11, Girls Varsity Water Polo “I like to eat candy and Clif energy bars and drink lots of water. I try not to focus on running until the meet actually starts.”

—William Li, 9, Boys Frosh/Soph Cross Country “I like to walk around and clear my mind. I also make sure I stay hydrated so I drink lots of water. As a team, we like to play King of the Court to calm ourselves down.”

—Howard Huang, 12, Boys Varsity Volleyball “I get my mind in the game and think of how I’m going to hit, block, and pass. Then we have a pep talk and stretch.”

—Sai Chintamaneni, 11, Boys Varsity Volleyball No matter what our athletes do in their pre-game routines, we know that they are doing their best to defeat the competition. Be it a tournament, league game, or even CIF final competition, our athletes will do no wrong as long as they get ready. Go get em’, Apaches! btran@apachepowwow.com

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ACADEMICS

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February 2014

Constitution Team Takes Bronze at State

By CHRISTINA READ

Staff Writer

On Feb. 13, the winning schools for California’s We the People: the Citizen and the Constitution’s State Finals were announced.

After a weekend of competition, Arcadia won 3rd place, narrowly missing the opportunity to travel to George Mason University and Capitol Hill, where Nationals will be held.

We the People: the Citizen and the Constitution Team, also called Constitution Team, or simply Gov. Team, is an academic team that focuses on the U.S. Government.

Its goal is to help members develop an understanding of the U.S. Government and its

role in society and throughout history.

In order to fully understand how the governmental system works, Gov. Team members study historic and current events, philosophy, laws, and more. Its 30 members are divided among six units, each of which studies a specific aspect or theme of the U.S. Government and politics. Unit themes are based off the six parts of the We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution high school textbook.

Unit 1 examines the reasoning and thoughts behind the framers’ Constitution.

Unit 2, called “How did the Framers Create the Constitution?” focuses on the events in America after declaring independence from

Great Britain, including how Framers influenced the government and why the Articles of Confederation were replaced.

Unit 3 focuses on how judicial review and political parties shaped American Constitutionalism, and Unit 4 emphasizes the importance of the Constitution’s values in shaping the American political system. Senior Sonia Htoon said she enjoyed being in Unit 4 because “the research [they] compiled for the competition was extremely relevant to what’s going on today.” Unit 5, “What does the Bill of Rights protect?”, hopes to understand why the rights outlined in the the Bill of Rights and the Constitution are so important to Americans, and why their interpretations and

applications are often controversial. Finally, Unit 6 acknowledges the resilience of the Constitution and its ability to stand through huge social changes. At We the People: the Citizen and the Constitution competitions, students test their knowledge on the six units of the high school textbook by participating in simulated Congressional hearings.

Students begin each hearing with a fourminute opening statement, where they testify as constitutional experts. The opening statement is followed by a six minute round of questioning from a panel of 72 judges who act as a congressional committee. Based on the team’s answers, which are meant to demonstrate depth of knowledge, understanding, and ability to apply constitutional principles, the mock congressional committee awards a performance based score.

On Feb. 7, Gov. Team left for Bakersfield, where members spent a weekend competing at the state level with high schoolers from across California.

Although it didn’t win 1st, it was still “great to see every member of every unit giving it their all and displaying a years worth of work in the six minutes,” according to Sonia. Congratulations on getting 3rd, Gov. Team! cread@apachepowwow.com Photo by MYA HO

Science Bowl Wins Second

By FLORA UNG

Staff Writer

On Feb. 1, Science Bowl (SB) placed 2nd at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Regional Science Bowl among 24 teams of 5 students each. This intense competition had several rounds, with each round consisting of 16 minutes of trivia questions along with a 2-minute break in between. SB is a trivia competition similar to Jeopardy, so the members of SB have no time to rest as this buzzerbased competition does not sit still.

It involves two teams that compete against each other about anything science-related. It is held annually at JPL, and the subjects include: chemistry, biology, earth science, physics, and energy.

During the competition, participants need to answer under a time limit; the first one who buzzes in and answers correctly gets the point.

The morning starts off with five rounds, and winners advance to the double elimination rounds in the afternoon. “There are 2 halves that are 8 minutes long, with 24 questions to answer,” junior Kevin Wang stated.

Since the competition has so many top-

ics, the team divides up the sections so that each member specializes in a particular topic.

For example, Kevin was in charge of earth science and physics during the competition.

For preparation, SB began practicing since the end of school last year and continued until now. In addition to afternoon practices on Fridays from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m, SB has Sunday practices from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Members put in a lot of effort into studying, and it really paid off during the competition. Hopefully they’ll keep it up in future competitions too!

SB has consistently placed in the top three, and a couple of years ago, SB won Regionals and then competed in Nationals.

Despite not winning 1st this year, SB started off strong during the final round. However it was beaten by University High School, losing 68-114. After the final round, the members gathered around to go over the questions they missed.

In the end, what’s most important is that SB members continue to strengthen their team and come back even better next year. fung@apachepowwow.com

Graphic courtesy of IMGUR.NET

academics.powwow@gmail.com

February 2014

ELD Program

By JUSTIN TANG

Staff Writer

What makes AHS such a special school campus? Some might think it’s the amazing programs or clubs that are offered. Others might think about all the supportive teachers that help shape AHS on a daily basis!

Among all the different reasons that can define AHS as one of the best high schools in Southern California, the English Language Development (ELD) program is one of the most overlooked features on campus.

An ELD class usually consists of 20 to 30 students who have either immigrated from another country or have trouble speaking English. ELD teachers help them learn English with various teaching techniques and exercises. Mr. Brent Eldridge is an AP English and junior English teacher who isn’t specifically an ELD teacher but has those who need help with English in his class.

“They are part of my regular class population, and I have to add components to my instruction to include and help them so that they can make sense of the English work at hand,” remarked Mr. Eldridge.

Mrs. Valdora Axtel is an ELD teacher who teaches various classes such as ELD 1A Reading, ELD 3 Literature, and SDAIE English. When asked about her greatest joy in teaching English, she thoughtfully mentioned, “It’s always a great feeling when you see your students develop the English skills they need to be successful.”

The ELD Program is a great opportunity for students immigrating from other coutnries to learn English. Given time and hard work, students become fluent in no time! jtang@apachepowwow.com

Graphic courtesy of IMGUR.NET

ACADEMICS

Useful Apps for Students

By JESSICA WANG

Staff Writer

People are constantly on their phones and tablets when they should be studying.

Students desperately try to explain why they’re not studying, giving reasons ranging from forgotten notebooks to noisy atmospheres. Whatever the reason, situations usually boil down to two points: a lack of studying essentials and the presence of electronics. However, this problem can easily be remedied with the right apps. Below are some free apps for phones or tablets, available on the App Store, that can generally make school life a lot easier.

SAT Up - Speaking of SAT’s, SAT Up is a personalized app to help prepare one for the SAT. Students can decide how many questions and which of the three subjects to test, among other personalization options, before taking a “test”. A score is generated after the questions are answered to give a general idea of strengths and weaknesses. This can be taken as many times as you want in a day.

Google Drive - This app makes it easy to work on group projects from one’s phone, so in case of an emergency, like a sudden Internet crash or computer malfunction, there’s a backup. Students can also work on projects

during lunch, even if all the computers are taken at the library. Whatever the case, working on projects has never been easier.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary - This app is exactly what the title says—a dictionary. Looking up vocabulary words becomes even easier than it was before. Besides the basic dictionary function, this app keeps track of past searches so one can review words.

There’s also a Word of the Day function where one can expand his or her v o c a b u l a r y, one word at a time. And last but not least, there’s a link to a vocab quiz app that tests one’s vocabulary.

Khan Academy - This name probably sounds familiar, as its stock of educational material is practically legendary.

It covers a variety of topics, ranging from science to art history and everything in between.

There are over 4,200 videos available, and some are downloadable. That way, individual videos or entire playlists can be viewed offline.

There are still many other apps out there, but these are among those that can help improve your academic career. jwang@apachepowwow.com

Graphics courtesy of ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

Academic Decathlon Goes to Regionals

By KIMBERLY LO

Staff Writer

Academic Decathlon (AcaDeca) is an academic team that extensively explores specific topics. Every year, the competition has a new theme for members to learn about. Members of the team take part in a total of ten categories: Social Science, Science, Language and Literature, Art, Music, Economics, Mathematics, Essay, Interview, and Speech. While the mathematics section focuses on algebra and trigonometry, the other subjects differ each year.

This year, AcaDeca students focused on World War I and studied topics including the history of the war, discovery of genetics, The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, effects of war on art and music, microeconomics, and macroeconomics. On competition day, students took exams for the seven subjects they had studied. In addition, they participated in the three other categories: Essay, Interview, and Speech.

For the Essay portion, students had 50 minutes to write a persuasive essay about a topic. Then, they attended seven-minute interviews with judges.

The third part was the Speech section, in which students spoke for four minutes about a prepared topic. After, the students had to deliver another

two-minute impromptu speech. Additionally, the team participated in the Super Quiz, where members solved challenges.

In order to perform well, the team members prepared by studying individually and attending group meetings and practice. Co-Captain senior Shreya Udani and the team have “two meetings a week where [they] teach and test the mate-

rial through various methods...[They] also have mock interviews and impromptus to prepare for [their] subjective (speech, interview, and essay).”

Co-Captain senior Goldie Shen added that they “prepare for competitions with Jeopardy games, prompts for essays, practice interview sessions, powerpoint presentations, simulated speech impromptu sessions, and time to rehearse [their] prepared essays.”

As members of the AcaDeca team, juniors Tony Chen and Alvin Neo have gained lots of knowledge. Tony enjoys “the positive atmosphere that the team exudes in the various meetings it has, and [they] occasionally share some jokes.”

In terms of content, he learned a lot about the modernist writers such as William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway. He has also learned how fulfilling it is to be on a team.

Also, Alvin “learned how to manage [his] time more effectively and how to push [himself] through the 60-page study booklet without falling asleep.” Alvin stated that the “team is like a family with multiple meetings inside and out of school.”

On Feb. 1, AcaDeca competed at Regionals. Shreya felt that “Regionals went pretty well, and it was challenging yet interesting since [they] had many new members compete.”

Moreover, Goldie felt that the team members were “all very satisfied with [their] hard work. It was particularly exhilarating during Super Quiz, in which all the divisions took turns competing in front of all the schools at USC.” At Regionals, AcaDeca placed 15th and earned six medals. Great job, AcaDeca! klo@apachepowwow.com

Photo courtesy of GOLDIE SHEN

21

By TIFFANY LIU Staff Writer

Worried about a rapidly changing climate and pollution problems? Stressed over the amount of energy and natural resources that we consume every day?

Then it’s time to consider The University of Massachusetts Amherst Stockbridge School of Agriculture. This college offers the tools and information necessary to make an impact in the green industry.

Students typically learn about the environment, farming, and sustainability throughout their two and four-year program. What makes this school special is the amount of resources and aid that it gives in order for students to be able to find work in their field of interests. Offering both internships and job openings at various companies, students can gain access to jobs and unique hands-on experiences.

The university offers associate degrees in many different programs including arboriculture, community forest management, and turfgrass management.

Every year, almost $13 billion is spent on tree care. In arboriculture, there are many new opportunities in working for tree care companies or as utility arborists.

The tree industry is growing as well, and wages are starting to increase because of its shortage of trained professionals. In addition, many graduates start their own tree care companies by learning how to plant, prune, and fertilize trees to keep them healthy. With more people moving into towns and cities, their expertise becomes more important.

There are more than 15,000 public and private golf courses in the U.S. Students studying turfgrass management learn about the difficulties of working with insects, diseases, and weed populations so they can learn best how to keep grass healthy on surfaces of schools, lawns, parks, and golf courses.

This industry is relatively new, but as time goes on, its work force will continue to grow. Career opportunities include golf course designing, marketing, environmental land planning, and even starting your own business.

In addition to offering a wide variety of programs ranging from all aspects of plant growth and care, the campus provides a campus farm and greenhouse so that students have easy access to working with plants. With many graduates working as successful businessmen and scientists, the university has almost a 100% employment rate with each passing year.

tliu@apachepowwow.com

Graphics courtesy of ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

22

CALENDAR

apachepowwow.com

February 2014

ValentiME’s Day

By ANGELA HE

Staff Writer

Valentine’s is a day to show affection and appreciation with a special person, but it can also be a day to appreciate yourself for all your hard work! This year, for all you single ladies and gentlemen, try loving yourself. Admire yourself from all 360 angles with these tips and ideas to celebrate yourself this Valentine’s Day! -Love letters to yourself This is one of the most romantic things you can do for yourself. To make the letter more authentic and your mailbox less lonely, add a stamp and mail it to yourself. Also, try writing the letter in cursive and decorating it with stickers and cute drawings.

-The AWESOME ME! list You know how awesome you are. Everyone has complimented you on your awesomeness. To remind yourself of how awesome you are and keep track of each awesome aspect of yourself, create a list. You can even turn this list into a journal!

-MEals for ME Yes, hunger can be vanquished by food, but taste buds cannot always be satisfied by just any food. This Valentine’s Day, fill yourself up with your favorite cuisines. Wake up extra early to make yourself your favorite breakfast, then a nice lunch, and finally a dinner that you will enjoy. Who says that you can only have a good meal on your birthday?

-Relaxation for thyself Ahhhhhh. Although it may not be the weekend, you can relax this Valentine’s Day! Take a nice and warm bath with Epsom salts and your favorite bubble bath. Try to not stress throughout the day.

Since this Valentine’s Day is a Friday, you can just procrastinate (for ONE day) and do your homework on Saturday and Sunday.

With all these ideas, you will surely have the perfect I’m-single-but-I-have-myself Valentine’s Day! After all, Valentine’s Day is about loving someone, and who says you can’t give yourself some extra love?

ahe@apachepowwow.com

Graphics courtesy of VALENTINE-CLIPART. COM and FULLHDWPP.COM

By GLUTTON GIRL

Staff Writer

S’links Gourmet Hot Dogs proudly advertises itself with a poster which reads, “Get your buns over here!” This is definitely an advertisement you can’t ignore.

Besides serving a variety of traditional and original creations of hot dogs, S’link’s also offers burgers, corn dogs, and fries, the most popular of which being its much renowned chili cheese fries. S’links, which stands for sausage links, is a relatively new eatery which opened on Monrovia’s Myrtle Avenue late last year. Along with serving delicious food, S’links also hosts a food challenge in which anybody who finishes the 14-inch S’linkenstein receives a t-shirt and his or her name on the wall.

I ordered the Chicago hot dog, Sonoran hot dog, chili cheese fries, and pickle spears. The Chicago hot dog, described as a “Midwest classic”, is a hot dog topped with chopped onions, tomato slices, pickle spears, and peppers. I really liked this particular hot dog because of the sharp, tangy taste of pickles balancing out the the mildness of the tomato and onion. The Sonoran hot dog was high piled with avocado, cotija cheese, onions, tomatoes, mustard, onions, bacon, and pinto beans. Although this hot dog was tasty, I felt a little overwhelmed by the number of toppings on it.

It was also difficult to eat because the toppings kept falling off whenever I took a bite. Both these hot dogs contained a thick, sausage link instead of a traditional hot dog, which was a bonus because it made the dish

both filling and even more delicious. The pickle spears were deep fried and coated with a crunchy batter and seasoning. These were my favorite because they had good texture and flavor. The crunchiness and tartness of the pickles really made this a winner. The chili cheese fries were quite ordinary and needed a bit more seasoning and chili for my tastes.

My trip to S’links Gourmet Hot Dogs really opened my eyes to the world of gourmet hot dogs. I never knew there were so many different combinations you could make with hot dogs, but I’m glad I found out. I recommend this place if you’re feeling a bit adventurous and want to try something new. I give this place 3.5 hot dogs out of 5. Until next time! And who am I? That’s a secret I’ll never tell!

XOXO, Glutton Girl

Slink’s Gourmet Hot Dog Details 630 S. Myrtle Ave., Monrovia CA 91016 Prices: Chicago Hot Dog $5.99 Sonoran Hot Dog $5.99 Fried Pickle Spears $2.49 Chili Cheese Fries $4.99 gluttongirl@apachepowwow.com Graphic courtesy of FONTSPACE.COM Photo courtesy of THEPRODUCERSPERSPECTIVE.COM

February 2014

CALENDAR

calendareditor.powwow@gmail.com

23

The Reel Deel: The Monuments Men

By ANDREW LIM

Q: I plan on watching some cute chick flicks with a couple of friends sometime soon because I’m still in that Valentine’s mood. Can you recommend a recent romance movie that is in theaters?

A: Of course! Endless Love, which came out on Valentine’s Day should be a great choice for something romantic with a hint of angst. In this film, a sheltered girl named Jade falls in love with a working-class boy named David who is also head over heels for her.

However, they go through multiple bumps on the road to their affectionate relationship when Jade’s stern father interferes with their love. This is definitely a tearjerker and a fantastic movie to watch with friends.

Q: What’s a good place for a first date? And how should I get ready?

A: The safest choice for a first date is a lunch date. Though it may sound a bit too simple, picking the restaurant is actually quite difficult. You don’t want to choose a place like Boiling Crab, unless you want to look like a caveman, and you don’t want to pick somewhere too luxurious, so that you can save much-needed money.

It’s best to go to a place like Applebees, which fits between the two extremes. For getting ready, considering both genders, just look presentable, so how you would usually look with a little extra pizzazz.

And remember, be yourself!

Q: What would be a good present to give for an one-year anniversary?

A: The best present to get is one that takes the other person’s interests and hobbies into account. Creative handmade gifts are also much appreciated because it shows that you are taking the time and putting the effort into making him or her something meaningful.

Something like a scrapbook or, as cliché as this sounds, a locket with a picture of you, would be a fantastic gift that most would enjoy receiving. askkay@apachepowwow.com

Graphics courtesy of FONTSPACE.COM

Staff Writer

The month of love is almost over and what better way is there to celebrate this occasion by reviewing a movie? The movie on the cutting table this time is The Monuments Men, a story about a World War II platoon, consisting of unlikely soldiers, out on a mission to recover the stolen art from the Nazis and to give the art to its rightful owners.

This movie is directed

by George Clooney and stars George Clooney (Frank Stokes), Matt Damon (James Granger), Bill Murray (Richard Campbell), John Goodman (Walter Garfield), Jean Dujardin (Jean Claude Clermont), Bob Balaban (Preston Savitz), Hugh Bonneville (Donalds Jeffries), and Cate Blanchett (Claire Simone).

The story of The Monuments Men takes place toward the end of World War II, when Hitler and the Nazi forces were retreating from the Allied Powers. After witnessing several great landmarks, art pieces, and architectural achievements be-

ing destroyed by war, Frank Stokes persuades the U.S. president to form a platoon specifically tasked with finding and saving these masterpieces. Their squad was nicknamed the Monuments Men and they guide Allied units to preserve these pieces.

To put it into simpler terms, they tell the Allied units what to blow up and what not to blow up.

The story was fastpaced and it felt rath-

er rushed s i n c e it condensed two years of time into around two hours. The beginning was where this problem stood out more obviously. However, the movie was incredibly enjoyable and had some humor sprinkled here and there. The ending of the story was well done, because it had some impact on me afterwards.

The special effects of the movie made several war scenes much more

realistic. There weren’t any scenes that required a lot of special effects, instead the producers kept the movie to a realistic level. As for the soundtrack, there weren’t any scores that really stood out; however, the soundtrack was fitting for World War II, such as march music to accompany the scenes in the camps.

The Monuments Men is, overall, an entertaining movie with several comedic, sad, and serious scenes sprinkled throughout. The story was well done, though it felt rushed and more fast-paced than it should be.

The soundtrack was good since it perfectly fit the time era. The special effects were kept to a minimum relying more on acting.

Overall, I give this movie a score of 7.25 out of 10 and I would reccomend it to those who like World War II films. This time, my favorite quote throughout the movie was, “How could I help you steal our stolen art?” alim@apachepowwow.com

Graphic courtesy of TOPNEWS.IN Photos courtesy of COLLIDER.COM and THEGUARDIAN.COM

24

CAMPUS FOCUS

“I didn’t mind spending Valentine’s Day alone. To me, its a day of dancing to music, watching my favorite T.V. shows, and eating ice cream!”

— Christine Dang, 9

Treat Yo self

cf.powwow@gmail.com

on h s out ’t mis en thoug e n d i v h e t “I d y Da with tine’s spent it s and n e l a I d .

V n e ater y frie singl I am I love: m ly my the l s a e i on pec ly (es family)!” 0 fami lis, 1 ex So — Al

February 2014

ave e to s d hav nd t o “I g I woul ndy a e.” a eon gc ney o m buyin or som z, 12 nt sf ne spe olate lie Nu c a o at ch —N

Spend Time with friends and Family

Save money

Briana Shen Cheesy cards, red roses, and half-naked cupids do more than enough to remind the single folks that they’ll spend another year alone. While all the couples at AHS are full of smiles, everyone else can only look on with envy. Even if overcoming Valentine’s Day may feel like “the world’s biggest obstacle course”, don’t feel wiped out this Valentine’s Day just for being single.

In fact, there are still many ways to enjoy your single status.

Some students have overcome their obstacles this month and bounced to a victorious finale.

Graphics courtesy of FANPOP.COM Photos by BEN GEISBERG

bshen@apachepowwow.com