October 2017

THE AZTEC VOLUME LXXX NUMBER II

VIEWPOINT PG 3 Is Pumpkin Spice overrated?

October 19, 2017

FOCUS PG 4-5 Twenty-first century Halloween

theaztecnews.com

FEATURES PG. 6

SPORTS PG 7-8

Artists worldwide participate in Inktober

Girls Volleyball continues hot streak

News You're invited to The Uninvited in Brief HANNAH WON Staff Writer

Annual College Fair The 10th annual college fair will be hosted at San Gabriel High School this evening, from 6 to 8 PM. Over 60 representatives from two and four year colleges/universities, vocational schools, and the military will be on campus. All students and parents are invited.

Homecoming game The Mark Keppel football team will be facing off against San Gabriel on November 3rd at 7 pm for the homecoming game. It will be the Maroon and Black out night.

PSAT rescheduled The PSAT, orginally scheduled on October 11th, has been moved to Wednesday, October 25th.

Grab 'n' Go breakfast The cafeteria staff will be setting up breakfast lines at East and West gate on October 31st from 6:30 to 7:41 am. It will be $1.75 for a complete breakfast.

Your calendar 10/23- Minimum Day 10/25- Collaboration Day; MKHS Alliance Meeting 7-9 PM at the cafeteria 11/4- Homecoming 11/9- Collaboration Day 11/10- Pupil Free Day 11/15- PTSA Meeting 7-9 PM at the cafeteria

This year, Mark Keppel Theatre Company’s annual fall play is The Uninvited. The horrorthemed play revolves around a pair of siblings that move into a seaside home that is presumably haunted. They meet Stella Meredith, a young woman that was the previous owner of the seaside mansion, and her grandfather. As they live in the house, they work to solve the mystery of the hauntings as the paranormal activity escalates to terrifying levels.

Drama teacher Ms. Phillips said, “We wanted to do something scary for Halloween… so we chose a play that wasn’t played as often. I really liked this play because of the special effects.” The chosen play was selected out of many others due to its unique nature. It is different from most on-stage horror stories and utilizes eerie music and sound effects to spook the audience.

The cast of The Uninvited have been hard at work rehearsing since September 18. Senior Albert Aguilar, who plays the character Commander Brook stated, ”We practice three hours every day, all while bonding with the cast and the crew.” Aguilar’s role, Commander Brooke, is a retired navy commander and grandfather to Stella Meredith. Aguilar

Celeste Nguyen (12), Vincent Pham (12), Trevor Kwan (12), Abel Rock (12), Evan Sakuma (12), and Cristina Porras (10) practicing a scene.

COURTESY OF FRANCINE SY

works to bring the role to life by researching his character and the 1980’s, which is when the story takes place.

Senior Christina Banh, who works as stage manager for the show, stated, “We want to see how [the play] runs with tech and the actors… and we need to know when they are going on [stage] and when they are going to change.” Tech rehearsal began October 11th,

and the crew works their hardest to perfect the stage effects of the show.

The show preview will be on October 19 in the auditorium at 4 PM. Tickets for the preview are 5 dollars apiece. Official show dates are on October 20, 21, 27, and 28 at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are 7 dollars presale and 10 dollars at the door. Pre-sale tickets can be ordered online or at the student bank.

Adding snap to Poetry Out Loud SAMANTHA HERNANDEZ Asst. Sports Editor The third annual Poetry Out Loud competition will be held today at Palm Court from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm. Select students from each of Ms.Burkhart’s AP Lang classes, Ms.Carmona’s sophomore English class, and Ms.Lim’s English class will be performing, along with members from the Speak Now Aztec Poets (SNAP) team.

Participants will be judged by different Aztec teachers, on 5 focused criterias: physical presence, voice and articulation, evidence of understanding, dramatic appropriateness, and the overall performance during their deliverance of the poem. The winning students from their respective class competition progress to the school competition, whose winners will attend the district competition, then Los Angeles county competition, then state, and finally the national competition held in Washington D.C. The winner from the national competition is rewarded with a scholarship from the Poetry Out Loud organization.

Dylan Djoenadi (11) performing his poem in Ms. Burkhart's second period.

The students will be reciting poems from the Poetry Out Loud website, poetryoutloud.org. “I encourage students to attend; you never know what you might end up liking,” said SNAP advisor and English teacher, Ms. Burkhart. She encourages stu-

THE AZTEC/HAOXIAN HU

dents to have new experiences. “A poem is a way for us to see other realities and to hear other people's truths, and therefore just to become more thoughtful human beings not so trapped in our own perspectives,” she said.

The Yearbook and Bookworm stands at FallFest.

Wilson Yeung (11) promoting the Instrumental Music Program.

THE AZTEC/CALLISTA LIU

Keppel holds first FallFest JASMINE MA Staff Writer Keppel held their first FallFest on October 6th from 3-7 pm in the Aztec Arena foyer. FallFest was inspired Keppel’s Winterfest last year. ASB president Alyssa Wong said, “[FallFest] is a great opportunity for clubs to fundraise during first semester and will allow students to interact and enjoy [a] variety of different food, drinks, and snacks that will be available.”

A new ticket system was implemented where tickets served as the main payment method at booths, rather than direct cash.

Each ticket was worth one dollar. Since they did not have to deal with handing out

change, they were extremely efficient.

Clubs are given a great opportunity to fundraise for future activities. Promoting Youth Advocacy (PYA) president and senior Paul Yeh said, “We’ll put the money we fundraised into cords during graduation for active members and work that we do in our school such as planting trees and creating cleaner air filters.”

Not only are clubs able to fund for activities within our school, they are also able to fundraise for organizations outside of Keppel. “FallFest allows HRA to fundraise for materials we will be using to make blankets for the homeless,” stated Human Rights Association (HRA) president and junior Therese Du.

Writing Center reopens JAMIE CHAU Copy Editor/ Historian Writing Center, which is a program held at Mark Keppel High School to help students on essays and writing skills, is returning on October 24, 2017.

The program is run by California State University of Los Angeles (Cal State LA). The school provides English professors and volunteers to give English and writing lessons in partnership with Mark Keppel English teachers.

The Writing Center is especially crucial at this time of the year, as many seniors are preparing the personal statements for college applications. The Writing Center runs throughout the school year and enhances students’ ability to write.

In addition, students were able to promote their clubs and get a head start in fundraising. Du says, “We got a lot of funds for the projects that we want to do and it’s going to help us in the future.”

Many students who attended enjoyed supporting Keppel’s clubs with their friends. Sophomore Karen Chin says, “I enjoyed Fallfest because there was so much food and drinks being sold to support clubs and my favorite part from this experience was watching my friends advertise for the clubs because it made Fall Fest more lively.”

Keppel’s first Fallfest was a great success with the 38 clubs that had participated. ASB advisor, Ms. Carmona said,

Preparing for a Fantasmic competition AURORA ZENG Focus Editor The Mark Keppel Aztec Band and Color Guard is scheduled to perform at the Mayfair Classic Tournament on Wednesday, October 25th at Mayfair High School. The competition is hosted by California State Band Championships and Mayfair Monsoon Marching Corps.

The Mayfield Tournament will mark the first time the band has competed in a field show tournament in four years. Since their

last competition in 2013, the band has focused more on parades than on field shows. Keppel’s field show theme this year is Fantasmic.

To prepare, the Aztec Band has been using the lower field for practice at least twice a week.

Marching rehearsals have been held since band camp in the summer. In addition, performing at halftime shows at football games have served as practice.

“I was very excited [for] the large attendance turnout and happy to add another food-fest. I was pleased to see a lot of clubs [participating] and Fallfest helped to bring more of an attendance to Senior Night.”

After FallFest closed at 7 pm, many students attended the football game and celebrated Senior Night.

Yeh said, “We should definitely continue doing FallFest every year since it gives clubs a chance to reach out to members and provides options for those clubs that aren’t able to participate in Winterfest.”

FallFest has brought the Keppel community together and provided great opportunities for clubs simultaneously; maybe our school spirit is not as dead as we think.

got paper?

Recylce For Journalism If you have any unwanted papers, just throw them in the turquoise boxes in A and C building classrooms.

The Aztec 2017-2018 Timothy Chuman

Wesley Zeng

Vincent Bagabaldo

Maggie Luu

Sophie Wong

Tiffany Leung

Vivian Luk

Staff Writers

Editor-in-Chief

Editor-in-Chief/ News Editor

Angela Chen

Asst. Editor-in-Chief

Anny Jiang

Viewpoint Editor/Photographer

Aurora Zeng Focus Editor

Evan Cheng

A&E/Features Editor

Sports Editor/ Business Manager Web Editor

Callista Liu

Chief Photographer/Multimedia Editor

Kevin Liu

Copy Editor/Asst. Bus. Manager

Jamie Chau

Copy Editor/ Historian

Kody Woo Cartoonist

Asst. News Editor

Asst. Viewpoint Editor

Evan Woo

Asst. Focus Editor

Samantha Hernandez Asst. Sports Editor

Haoxian Hu Photographer

Alex Hua

Photographer

Photographer

Izabella Cofressi Jaslynn Diep

Nicole Hernandez Lindsay Kung Christine Le Jasmine Ma

William Dang Nguyen Sarena Scott

Babyruth Torres Hannah Won Wendy Yuan

The Aztec is published monthly by the journalism class of Mark Keppel High School and is printed by News publishers’ press.

Opinions expressed are those of the writers, not of the faculty or administration. Articles without bylines are staff editorials, and reflect the opinion of the staff.

Letters to the editor are welcome and are subject to editing. Letters can be given to Mr. Yankowsky in room A236 or sent to theaztecstaff@gmail.com.

All letters must be signed, but on request, names will be withheld. We do not acknowledge unsigned letters.

All internet graphics on The Aztec newspaper are the properties of their respective owners.

Alhambra, CA 91801

October 19, 2017

The AZtec

Viewpoint 3

Do guns trigger shootings?

VIVIAN LUK Asst. Viewpoint Editor Armed with 23 weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition, Stephen Paddock opened fire at a concert at Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas on Sunday, October 1st. The massacre left at least 59 people dead and 527 people injured, making it the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

When nationwide tragedies occurs, the country often divides to search for a target of blame; the aftermath of the Las Vegas massacre has proved no different. It has triggered an even fiercer debate across the nation about the already-raging argument over gun control law.

It has become habitual for Americans’ support of stricter gun regu- Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. COURTESY OF FAMILYVACATIONHUB.COM lations to grow in the wake of mass shootings; among those is Junior Locontrol would be a direct violation of those rights. renzo Bacalso. He notes that a lack of strict gun regAs a consensus, policymakers should remember ulation has made him question his safety in public that there are only so many limits they can enforce places, saying, “It’s a scary feeling knowing that I can in a world of persistent malign. Restricting Ameribe anywhere and someone can start shooting people.” cans’ access to guns is not the most effective course However, those on the opposing side disagree. of action. Perhaps, the country should focus on the Ms. Mozell points out, “It’s not the gun that does people behind the shootings. In a 2013 Milwauthe killing; it’s the person behind the gun.” Often, kee Journal Sentinel interview, Paul Ryan (R-Wi) people are model citizens on paper, passing back- asked the burning question, “What’s wrong with ground checks, only to purchase a gun for malicious our system, where a person who is clearly menintent. Junior Nicholas Stratacos mentions the Sec- tally ill, missed all the checks to get him the help ond Amendment, saying, “[It] is an integral part he needed to prevent [a massacre] from happenof our Constitution … We were the first nation to ing.” After all, it takes a finger to pull the trigger. publicly protect [the] balance of liberty [between the people and the government].” The right to bear arms is an important right to American citizens and gun

Poll: Should there be gun control laws?

Yes

No

83%

17% 189 STUDENTS WERE POLLED

Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte.

COURTESY OF MASHABLE.COM

Is pumpkin spice being taken too far?

SARENA SCOTT Staff Writer As the leaves change from green to brown, and the seasons change from summer to autumn, a disagreement begins to brew as pumpkin spice flavors are back in season. The annual limited edition flavor causes mixed feelings throughout the public, bringing both feelings of joy and disgust.

The tradition of pumpkin spice representing autumn has developed over the years, and although there are plenty in favor of the theme, some may argue that the amount of pumpkin spice products are becoming excessive. The controversy starts with the release of fall flavored drinks, such as the infamous pumpkin spice latte and seasonal treats such as pumpkin spice Oreos, cereal and more.

Spanish teacher Mr. Alvarado commented, “The flavor of pumpkin spice varies from product to product, but it gives you that warm feeling of fall.”

This debate is between two sides: those who shake their heads toward pumpkin spice products, and those who anticipate the fall in order to buy as many products as possible.

People with varying opinions represent their mixed feelings towards the traditional pumpkin spice flavor.

Ms.Bradford, the culinary teacher, says, “[Pumpkin spice] has its place but it does not belong in everything… I appreciate it for holiday baking, but all this foofoo stuff; I can’t get with that.”

On the other hand, Mr. Alvarado maintained the idea that, “Pumpkin spice will never be taken too far. I’ve walked into stores where they have everything pumpkin spice, and it is still not enough. Pumpkin spice just fills the soul with happiness.”

Ultimately, the dispute remains unsettled. Is pumpkin spice being taken too far?

Locker use during lunch HAOXIAN HU Photographer Think your backpack is heavy? According to the New York Times, students on average carry around 18.4 pounds worth of textbooks and homework throughout the school day. Carrying this much weight contributes to severe health issues such as chronic back pain. Keppel currently restricts students from accessing their lockers during lunch, which, to many students, makes no sense because they have access to it at any other time during the school day.

Regarding lockers, senior Elina Tsao said, “Lockers are extremely convenient for any student to drop off whatever they don’t currently need.” Tsao uses her locker during passing periods, and she thinks that “it is very inconvenient for administrators to disallow students from accessing lockers at lunch” because students are practically forced to store heavy books in their backpacks or risk forgetting where they dropped it off.

Junior Michael Yuen says that if he was able to access the lockers at lunch, he would “be able to take [his] time leaving

[his] fourth period class” instead of having to sprint all the way from one end of the school to another. In other cases, he has to visit his teachers during lunch to complete an assignment. After sprinting across buildings, he forgets his notebook, and has to “sprint back to the A building, only to find out [he is not] allowed to use lockers at lunch.” He has also encountered a situation where he “had to carry [his] books during lunch because they were so heavy, and someone walks by and accidentally spills water on it.”

Principal Scanlan thinks otherwise.

Scanlan said, “In order to properly supervise, [the school has] to develop a contained and manageable area to have students be in during lunch.” Being unable to supervise most students translate into an increased risk of issues inside the campus because medical emergencies and fights could occur in unsupervised areas. The only option remaining is the current situation on lockers: not allowing any student to have access to their lockers, or access to the

Students’ Lockers.

A building in general with the exception of club meetings, and tutoring sessions.

Allowing students access to their lockers during lunch may have some positive impacts on the student body by allowing them to drop off their textbooks. However, doing so will be a huge hassle for the school administration because they will have to allocate more money on staff expenses in order to supervise every corner of the school. Doing so will limit funding for instructional equipment used in science

THE AZTEC/CALLISTA LIU

and art classes such as band and orchestra.

As of now, the current locker situation will remain in place because risks involved in changing the situation present a larger issue at hand.

THE A

4 FOCUS

CREEPING THE HALLOWEEN SPIRIT ALIVE The Ghost of Halloween

EVAN WOO Asst. Focus Editor

As Halloween rolls into the season, people across America delve into the Halloween spirit. In 2017, it is estimated that over 179 million people in the United States will celebrate Halloween. With such a large number of Americans partaking in Halloween, there is undoubtly a diverse perspective on trick-or-treating.

Surprisingly, a large number of students in Keppel plan to participate in Halloween. The statistics reflect an estimate of 7 out of 10 people in the United States participating in Halloween festivities. In addition, nearly 30 percent are going to trick-or-treat. Like many other teenagers, junior Alan Quach and senior Christina Banh are planning to go trick-or-treating with their friends.Their perspectives on trick-or-treating are similar.

“Trick-or-treating is about having fun and having a blast,” says Quach, “it’s a good time to spend with family and friends.” Banh added, “it’s a time to dress up to be anything you want!”

The Halloween spirit is not only in the students, but in the teachers as well. “It is a time to escape and have fun, as well as feel like a kid again,” says English teacher Mrs. Carmona.

Halloween has been celebrated with a relative consistency in the U.S. in the last decade. People still dress in costumes, trick-or-treat, and hand out candy. However, people are spending far more on Halloween now. In 2017, the estimated spending on Halloween is $9 billion, which is $7 billion more than that of 2011. The most money is spent on costumes, constituting about a third of total estimates. The second most spent on is tied between decorations and candy, both at $2.7 billion.

Even though the majority of teens are planning to celebrate Halloween, there are those who cannot, like junior Erin Tam. Unfortunately, Tam is stuck at home doing homework and studying. Despite this, she still feels the spirit of trick-or-treating. “It means being creative and having fun with friends and family in a spooky theme,” says Tam. Halloween is a holiday of chilling fun for all to enjoy. The spirit brings people together through trick-or-treating, costumes, festivals, and more. Even if someone cannot celebrate Halloween, they can still feel the spirit, and they always have next year.

Voices: What Does Halloween Mean To You?

“Making costumes and dressing up is a lot of fun when you get to be some type of character other than yourself.”

Kiana Kanegawa, freshman

“Halloween does not have much sentimental value for me. As a religious person, I don’t get too hyped up about the holiday.”

Manuel Aguilar, sophomore

“Halloween means that I can get free candy from strangers and spend the night away from my studies.”

Brandon Kishishita, senior

“Halloween is a really fun time for me especially with the memories I make while growing up. Even though I don’t usually dress up, I still like decorating my house.”

Yasmine Dimas, junior

“Halloween brings a scary vibe into the atmosphere. [I enjoy] the [terrifying] decorations outside people’s houses, and the horror movies showcased on television are usually too sinister to watch.”

Lauren Lu, senior

“Halloween is when you get to spend time with your friends at night. I am not the type of person that goes all out to celebrate it, but I plan to wear a costume to school.”

Shiaojung Louie, freshman

“Halloween is a time when you can have fun and go crazy by scaring and pranking your friends at school.”

Alec Guan, junior

“Halloween is a great celebration to go trick-or-treating with your best friends and enjoy the night out. [My favorite is] going to cool costume parades.”

Jewelia Fletcher, sophomore

Dressed to impress JAMIE CHAU Historian/Copy Editor Halloween spirit is alway lively in high school. Whether it is a homemade costume or something put together at the last minute, many high schoolers dress up for the holiday.

There are many reasons to dress up; it is a great way to express creativity. Senior Francis Cuarteros gets his ideas from YouTube and memes; he dressed up as an inflatable dinosaur last year. Senior Yazmin Yang also enjoys dressing up. “I get inspiration from Pintrest,” says Yang.

“I used to do store-bought costumes, but for the last few years I’ve kind of throw things together and it’s much more fun to create your own costume!”

Of course, costumes can get in the way during the school day. “It was very hard getting around with my costume because my backpack wouldn’t fit.” says Cuarteros.

“I couldn’t even reach my locker without jumping.” But in the end, it was worth the hassle. “Whenever I [got] to class, I just unzipped my costume to let all the air out and shrink.” he adds. “I usually dress up as

something every Halloween. In particular, I wanted to make some people laugh.”

Yang agrees, saying that she enjoyed being able to show off Halloween. “Halloween is my favorite holiday and it’s so fun to see everyone dressed up.” says Yang.

Teachers also join the fun. Each year, the science department devotes a large amount of effort into their costumes. Biology teacher Ms. Hake says, “We like to do a departmental theme and we try to dress to that theme. It’s just a day to dress up and have fun and step out of your regular attire. When there’s a theme, it is fun.”

“It’s part of school spirit and helps students connect to teachers better. It shows that we appreciate the school too,” science teacher Ms. Eggerman added.

“High schoolers should dress up for Halloween because it is just something fun to do,” says junior Cindy Koh. “It is cool to see everyone dressed up and all the different, interesting costumes everyone has.”

VOICES AND PICTURES BY JASLYNN DIEP

October 19, 2017 5

AZTEC

n

Theme Park, Scream park LINDSAY KUNG Staff Writer

This time of year, something wicked comes to California’s theme parks: Halloween. Nearly all of the theme parks have amped it up this year with mazes, scare zones, stage productions and more. With the exception of Disneyland, most of these attractions are not recommended for children under 13.

Universal Studios: Halloween Horror Nights Held at Knott’s Berry Farm, Knott’s Scary Farm, or Knott’s Halloween Haunt, is celebrating its 45th season this year. It will feature nine haunted mazes, four scare zones, two shows, and more than 1,000 monsters. One of the nine mazes is Dark Ride: Castle of Chaos, in which park goers will explore an abandoned and homicidal carnival ride. This year also features three new mazes. Additionally, 2017 marks Elvira, Mistress of the Dark’s final appearance in her long-running show of the same name at the event. Ticket cost 75 dollars at the gate and 40-54 dollars online, while a Scary Season Pass will cost 90 dollars. The event will be running from Sept. 21 to Oct. 31 for select nights.

Disney Land: Halloween Time Six Flags Magic Mountain’s 25th season of Fright Fest is open from Saturday, Sept. 23, to Halloween night, Tuesday, Oct. 31. This year’s Fright Fest features six dark mazes and scare zones masked by thick fog, plus more than 500 monsters on the loose. It also has plans in turning off the lights on its monster roller coasters, leaving riders to ride in total darkness. This year’s haunted mazes include Boathouse at Blood Lake, where visitors can explore an abandoned boathouse surrounded by blood red waters. Ticket prices start at $29.99 and go up to $74.99.

Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights transforms into a massive horror wonderland, with costumed “scare-actors” wandering the streets and multiple haunted mazes based on horror stories. There are more mazes this year, based on the most frightening films and TV shows like American Horror Story, The Shining, The Walking Dead, Insidious, and SAW. The thrills also feature a Jabbawockeez live show and three new scare zones. Halloween Horror Nights requires a separate ticket with prices ranging from 69 dollars to 299 dollars, starting on Sept. 15 and running on select nights through Nov. 4. A Frequent Fear Pass is also offered, allowing return visits. Halloween Horror Nights is known to be the scariest and most extreme out of all four parks.

Knotts Scary Farm For the first time, Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort will extend over to Disney California Adventure Park. From Sept. 15 through Oct. 31., visitors can expect spooky decorations, merchandise, food and treats along with temporary Halloween makeovers of attractions. For example, in Cars Land, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree will become Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree and Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters will be Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween. Throughout both parks, visitors will be able to meet and greet with classic Disney villains. Visitors who purchase a special ticket will be able to watch the new “Frightfully Fun Parade” featured on Disney’s Main Street. Additionally, the new Guardians of the Galaxy ride will transform into “Monsters After Dark” each night. Prices for regular admission to the park during this time start at 97 dollars and go up to 124 dollars for dates closer to Halloween. The day of Halloween is also open to all annual passholders. Hours for both the theme park and the exclusive event vary depending on the date.

Six Flags: Fright Fest

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE DISNEY VILLAIN? Maleficent

67% Hans

10%

Capt ain h ook

24%

Gaston

17% 188 STUDENTS WERE POLLED

Ursula

13%

6 fEATURES THE AZTEC ‘INKTOBER’ Inspires Artists

October 19, 2017

KODY WOO Cartoonist While October’s days are filled with simple shoppers stuffing their homes with sweet treats and costume materials, artists around the world are also raising their pens and brushes for the thirty-one days of Inktober.

Started by comic artist Jake Parker in 2009, this month-long challenge has since grown include thousands of participants. With few required materials, such as an ordinary ink pen and a sheet of paper, along with the basic rule of drawing one inked drawing per day, it’s no surprise that such a simple event has reached significant levels of prominence in art communities today.

“It helps me improve, and it’s interesting,” says junior Tiffany Lac, who has been participating for two years and counting. Tiffany also finds it motivating and doesn’t mind publishing her work online to other Inktober participants. “I like to watch

other people and see their work, and get [Facebook] likes out of mine,” she adds.

Meanwhile, some students, while not active in Inktober, are more than interested in ink drawing, such as senior Tina Yan, an active member of the Art Club. “Ink drawing is different, but rewarding,” says Yan. “It gives me a positive self-image, and it’s pretty reinforcing.” Much like Tiffany, she is proud to release her work to the world. “I find ink drawing mostly okay, but I just feel that more people should try something like this in their life.”

Similarly, Alec Guan, a junior, explains that his positive self-esteem, both as an artist and a person, sprouts from his peers rather than the Internet.

“The motivation [comes] from my friends, and it helps me improve both in my artistic and social skills. It’s just really exciting.”

“Swift” by junior Tiffany Lac, done for INKtober

COURTESY OF ABC

The Good Doctor: Review CHRISTINE LE Staff Writer Standing in the middle of the boardroom with disapproving eyes glued on him, he sees visions of the past: his father slapping him across the face for being kicked out of school for the third time, the hurtful words about his disorder slipping past the tip of his tongue.

He feels as if life had dealt him the worst hand possible. But with the company of his younger brother, Steve, he finds solace and the will to go on-until his brother dies.

All of this happens in the first episode of The Good Doctor, an ABC original which follows the journey of a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, Shaun Murphy.

Surprisingly, the show received many differentiated opinions in the autism community. According to The Morning Call, 90% of the viewers admire the show for bringing awareness to autism. On the other hand, 37% of the viewers argues that it inaccu-

COURTESY OF SM64O

Fans Do What Nintendon’t IZABELLA COFRESSI Staff Writer

rately portrays autistic people as one type instead of a spectrum of people with different levels of disability and skills. The critics also seem to think that the show is too sentimental. However, that raw emotion is what seems to captivate the attention of the many viewers who adore it.

As in the real world, the show presents the misconception most people seem to have on those who fall under the autistic spectrum, that these individuals lack emotions and other skills.

Melanie Ware, a special education advisor at Keppel, says, “I think that some people on the autism spectrum are very high functioning. I think it’s realistic that people with autism could, if they wanted, become physicians.”

Ware also stated that first and foremost, they are people but most people forget that.

“For me, a disability is just a part of being human.”

For a brief moment in time, fans of the 1996 hit platformer Super Mario 64 were able to play the game cooperatively online, with the use of a free fan-made mod titled ‘Super Mario 64 Online’.

This was no cheap, poorly-made attempt to recreate a game loved by millions, but a marvel of software engineering that made the game play as if it were originally developed as a multiplayer experience.

All was well in the online mushroom kingdom until Nintendo took notice and shut it down with a cease and desist order.

To be fair, the modders were also accepting donations through the online service, Patreon, from players who wanted to support continued

development of the mod. But Nintendo never contacted him directly and ruthlessly took down any related material on the internet in addition to the Patreon donation page.

“I think it does suck for the modder,” says junior Rosa Muon, “because he did put in a lot of work on the website and tutorial videos but he did get what he deserved.”

Ms. Fillpot, the game design teacher at Keppel, said, “If Nintendo had a problem with it, maybe they’re being a little uptight but it’s their right [to shut it down].”

Happy Death Day Deconstructed BABYRUTH TORRES Staff Writer The new horror film Happy Death Day stars Jessica Rothe as Tree Gelbman, a self-absorbed college student who is forced to relive the day of her murder (coincidentally also her birthday) until she can identify her murderer.

Happy Death Day is another addition to the many horror films released this year. Will it stand out? Junior Celeste Toledo says, “ A good horror film should make the audience feel like they should close their eyes. It also should make the audience want to continue watching till the end.”

The trailer for Happy Death Day has accumulated 4.3

million view on YouTube, clearly catching the attention of many. It’s one of the main reasons why Toledo wants to see the movie. “ The trailer gives you a lot of detail about the characters but doesn’t tell you who the killer is,” says Toledo. “[It also] shows a lot of action, and I really like [it.]”

The movie can be described as the horror version of “Groundhog Day” starring Bill Murray. Both movies have the protagonist stuck in a time loop that repeatedly throws the main character through a day of their lives.

A movie such as this is expected to have a deeper reason for why Tree Gelbman is able to relive the same day

over and over again. However, Happy Death Day doesn’t explain why she is reliving the same day, but plays towards a murder mystery instead.

Regardless, the inevitable plot twist of the movie will shock audiences and leave them thinking: What will I do today that will affect tomorrow?

October 19, 2017

the aztec

Advertisements 7

October 19, 2017

the aztec

8 Sports

THE AZTEC/ CALLISTA LIU

Sophomore Leilani Hughes jumps into the air as she prepares to hit the ball during their second set against the Oilers.

COURTESY OF DAVID DO

Girls Volleyball hits a three game win streak WENDY YUAN Staff Writer The Lady Aztecs played against the Montebello Oilers at a volleyball game on Tuesday, October 17, winning the overall game of 3-1. Taking the initial lead, the team won the first set with a score of 25-18. Keppel had a solid defense as blocks from senior Sally Smith denied the oilers of any points.

However, the score was turned around in the second set leaving a loss with a score of 18-25. The team had miscommunication with each other, which led them to a lost.

Coach Chu said, “They need to work on communicating, knowing their position on [the] court, their responsibilities, and their hesitation on court. They are reacting a little bit slow compared to the other team… [additionally] the team is having problems making adjustments and breaking habits.

Despite the loss during the second set, the Lady Aztecs were able to regain their lead in the next set. The third set was a tight game ending with a score of 26-24.

One of the volleyball captains, Chanel Tsan said, “The greatest challenge for preparing a game is not knowing how they,(the other teams) play. We played

against all of the teams and we really don’t know who’s improving. We just always have to be ready.”

During the fourth set, the Lady Aztecs quickly took the lead and ended the game with a score of 25-15. Seeing that the Lady Aztecs won the game, it motivates them more to win the next game as they would like to win CIF. Both Chu and Tsan agree that their goal is to do the best as they possibly can as they want to end the game feeling like they played well. They both think that there is always room for improvement.

Football optimistic despite loss to Lancers TIMOTHY CHUMAN Editor-In-Chief Last Friday night, Mark Keppel’s Football team was faced with the tough task of battling Bell Gardens for the latter’s homecoming game. The Lancers used an explosive offensive attack to defeat the Aztecs, 56-0.

The Lancers were on top of their game as their speedy receivers, physical running backs and accurate quarterback combined to put up 28 points in the first quarter.

They didn’t let up as they took a commanding 42-0 lead heading into halftime.

“I think that we were simply shocked at the start, as before the game [our] team mostly underestimated them. Them scoring three touchdowns in quick succession broke us down, and the morale was crippled throughout the rest of the first half,” said Junior Manuel Holguin.

Circumstances worsened for the Aztecs as their star running back, Junior Jose Gonzalez, sustained a sea-

The Aztec defense looks to get a stop against Bell Gardens offense.

son ending leg injury in the first half.

However, one thing that helped the Aztecs overcome this injury and factored into their growth this season have been their increased numbers. “[The increased numbers] has made us more competitive and if we can continue to get people to come out for football, it will make us better as a program,” said Coach Tuttle.

The competitive edge that Coach Tuttle attested to helped the Aztecs perform better as a unit in the second half as they only allowed two touchdowns and were

TIMOTHY CHUMAN/ THE AZTEC

able to get their running game going.

“Our offense had possession of the ball more than in the first half, and they couldn’t really stop us, so this helped us control the tempo of the game,” said Bryan Mittwer.

If the Aztecs can perform the way they did in the second half, there is reason for optimism as the season comes to a close.

“Bell Gardens is a good team and playing them gave us the experience we need to learn from and prepare for our final three games,” said Ernest Tom.

Athlete’s Profile: Mitchell Luong NICOLE HERNANDEZ Staff Writer Senior Mitchell Luong has been the goalie on the Boys Varsity Water Polo team for 3 years. In his sophomore year, Luong decided to try out for the water team out of sheer curiosity.

Even though he never played water polo before, he quickly found his place on the team as goalie. “During a scrimmage with some water polo players, I was playing in the field but wanted to try out the goalie position. Suddenly I got two blocks so I tried out for the goalie position and got it.”

Since joining the Water Polo team, Luong has competed in many games, increasing his skills as the team’s goalie. Luong’s most memorable game was his first as it was during this game that he made his first block as a goalie. Luong can even recount the specific details of that game against South Pasadena High School. ”I was watching the enemy player driving in with the ball and I got ready to block it. As I was going up for the ball, the ball started to come right at me. Once it came closer, I hit the ball and jammed my finger.”

In addition to Water Polo, Luong is also on the swim team. Specifically, he competes in the 100 meter and 50 meter backstroke. Even with a busy schedule consisting of water polo and swim, Luong is still able to balance school and sports.

The key to how Luong is able to do both, is knowing how to prioritize. He also credits his success in school to doing his best not to procrastinate and doing his homework early.

Luong is also thankful to his coaches that have helped him throughout his years on the swim and water polo team, “My coaches have helped me develop my skill and mentored me to be the goalie that I am now.”

Luong would also like to give a special shout to Milton Mak, “the best cross country runner.”

Sports Calendar Cross Country

Boys Water Polo

On 11/2 versus League at Legg Lake Park

On 10/25 versus Bell Gardens at Barnes Park

Girls Volleyball Girls Tennis On 10/19 versus Alhambra at Mark Keppel On 10/24 versus Montebello at Montebello

On 10/19 versus San Gabriel at Mark Keppel On 10/24 versus Schurr at Mark Keppel

Football On 10/20 versus Montebello at Montebello On 10/27 versus Alhambra at Alhambra On 11/3 versus San Gabriel at Mark Keppel