December 2018

THE AZTEC VOLUME LXXXI NUMBER IV

VIEWPOINT PG 3 Locking bathrooms during lunch, good or bad?

News in Brief Winter Rally Come and support Band, All Male, Cheer, and Drill at Palm Court tomorrow, December 14th, during lunch for this year’s winter rally.

Winter sports seniors will be recognized.

Business and Activities Closed The Business and Activities office will be closed from December 12th to December 17th. Please see the Principal’s office if you need help.

KEPPEL'S GOT TALENT Auditions Keppel's Got Talent auditions will be held January 9th, 3-6 p.m., in the auditorium. All appropriate acts will be admitted.

Your calendar 12/17- Final Exam Day (Period 1 and 4) 12/18- Final Exam Day (Period 2 and 5) 12/19- Final Exam Day (Period 3 and 6) 12/20- Minimum Day 12/21- Pupil Free Day 12/24-1/4- Winter Break 1/9- Collaboration Schedule

December 13, 2018

FOCUS PG 4-5

A&E PG 6

Spreading the giving spirit

Experiencing our subtle Asian traits

theaztecnews.com

SPORTS PG 7-8 Boys basketball halted by height

Decking the halls with boughs of Disney EMILY CHU Staff Writer With Christmas season finally here, it calls for Keppel’s annual Deck the Halls event. For years, it has been a tradition for the students of class councils to decorate the halls of A Building with a certain festive theme, in correlation with Christmas and the New Year.

“Our theme is Tomorrowland, and we decided it based off the common theme, which is Disneyland. Seniors get seniority pick, then the juniors, etc. It’s just the order of how many years you’ve been here,” says junior Kelsey Quon, an ASB member. She says Deck the Halls is very enjoyable, where she can spend time after school with her friends, while working to put up posters and more.

Seniors picked Fantasy Land, with all the classic Disney characters downstairs of A Building. Juniors went with Tomorrowland, a land filled of spectacular, eye-opening spaceships, rockets and unique things from the future. Sophomores decided to go with Adventure Land, and decorated their section of the halls with colorful trees and animals from the jungle. The freshmen class chose Cars Land, where Lightning McQueen, Mater and many other cars raced through the halls of the English and Culinary Hall.

Tiffany Thong, the freshmen secretary of ASB, says that during the beginning of Thanksgiving break, when the all the class

THE AZTEC/TIMOTHY CHUMAN ASB seniors Edwin Chung, Tiffany Yeung, and Cindy Koh tape poster back up in the sophomore hallway.

councils got together to make posters at Barnes Park, was very discouraging and challenging. “On the first week of Thanksgiving break when we had workshops, barely anybody came, so we didn’t get a lot of work done. So we started advertising on social media to get others to join.”

ASB advisor Ms. Carmona says Deck the Halls “shows all the students working together to achieve a common goal, and the end result is always so creative.” She explains that

Locker renovation SOPHIE WONG Editor-in-Chief/News Editor Mark Keppel’s lockers will be renovated for the first time since the school installed them. The ATM Locker Company will begin renovation over winter break.

All lockers in A building will be removed and replaced with new lockers. In addition, lockers located in the art and culinary wing will be permanently removed. “We want to have enough for everyone.

We wanted to make sure we have enough for kids [to have lockers] on the busier side of the building,” says Ms. Perez, Assistant Principal of Business and Activities. The renovation will be funded by old bond-related money.

Due to the long process of installing new lockers, the ATM Locker Company began removing lockers early over Thanksgiving break. The company was given

permission to begin cleaning out lockers early by the Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD).

“I was very confused [when I saw that my locker was missing].

Thankfully, Mr. Flo informed me that some lockers were missing. I was in a panic that my stuff was missing,” says senior Amy Uthenpong. Every student whose locker was removed over break was given a new locker. “In a way, it was a blessing in disguise. I was able to pick any functional working locker, so I chose a bigger locker that was much closer to my classes.”

Students must clear their lockers by December 20, the last day of school before winter break.

Any items left in the lockers will be thrown away. New lockers and combinations will be distributed on January 7, 2019, during fourth period.

Deck the Halls is such a great event for the students and adults. “I have a lot of people telling me they can’t wait to come into work Monday. In a time where everyone is feeling burnt out and nervous, worried about finals, and getting projects done, Deck the Halls is just kind of a bright spot for everybody.”

When the halls are decked with Christmas cheer everywhere you look, it is almost impossible not to be in the Christmas spirit.

Snow in Monterey Park VINCENT BAGABALDO A&E/Features Editor Monterey Park held their sixth annual Holiday Snow Village event last Friday night on December 7th, featuring a tree lighting, 20 tons of snow for sled runs, a dedicated snow play area, holiday music, and a surprise appearance from Santa Claus and the Grinch.

The event featured performances from schools such as Schurr, Garfield, and Mark Keppel. Despite the cold weather, lines wrapped around the premises for a chance at playing in the snow.

It was especially long for the snow sled run where both kids and adults are able to hop on a sled and slide down a manmade slide built out of snow.

English teacher Ms. Arzate has seen first-hand as to what

THE AZTEC/VINCENT BAGABALDO

Children slide down the snow slide.

the line was like. “There were a lot of small children, [and] when you have small children, you [also] have multiple adults. They could’ve done better with the crowd control,” says Ms. Arzate.

Overall, the Holiday Snow Village was a fun experience for a family to attend considering familiar faces like Santa Claus and the Grinch were able to greet children.

Melodies around every corner AUSD Band reunites for 36th Annual Tri-City Field Show TIMOTHY CHUMAN Editor-in-Chief/Photographer The marching bands from Alhambra High School, Mark Keppel High School and San Gabriel High School worked together to put on their 36th annual Tri-City field show on December 1 at San Gabriel High School.

The show featured individual performances by each respective school and the Alhambra Unified School District Honor Band, a joint performance with the three high schools, and the finale with all four bands playing “Feel It Still” together.

While each marching band performed different genres of music individually, their collaborative performances brought together all of their styles of play. “The directors can teach the bands how to play in a certain way to bring out the true purpose of the piece, but it is truly the students who do a large amount of work by being willing and open to new ideas and perspectives,”

says Assistant Band Director Joshua Lopez.

For the first time in a while, the show was held on a Saturday, and although the event is normally publicized, there appeared to be a larger emphasis on promoting it this year. These efforts produced the biggest turnout in recent years, which pleased the administration. “I was so impressed with all the schools, and Keppel did an amazing job. [The administration] wanted to make sure we put it out to get people to see the work they do, and I thought it was excellent,” raves Principal Gutierrez.

Seeing their hard work translate to a successful field show was extremely gratifying to the marching band members. Vega, a four-year band member, touted this year’s Tri-City field show as her favorite because of all of the creativity that was put into perfecting the marching and visuals.

The show gave a preview of what the marching bands look like performing together as they prepare for their appearance

Alhambra, San Gabriel, and Mark Keppel bands unite at SGHS field. THE AZTEC/TIMOTHY CHUMAN

in the 2020 Rose Parade. It was also a perfect opportunity for the bands to practice together, which as Vega mentions, is incredibly important for preparing for the New Years parade. “[Practicing together] is really necessary, because there are people that we don’t know and we don’t know how to get along with them,” she says. “That’s why I feel like practicing together is necessary so you get to know [the other schools] and their style of playing.”

While the Rose Parade is still a year away, the marching band has plenty of activities throughout the year to keep them busy. Despite the busy schedule, the TriCity field show continues to stand out amongst the others, as sophomore Lennon Xue remarks.

“Tri-city is very special because all three schools come together and it’s a time for us to come together as a family,” Xue says.

A “Bella Notte” to remember

Wilson Yeung (12) conducts Orchestra’s first piece, “White Christmas.” THE AZTEC/SELINA MARTINEZ

Warm winter concerto SELINA MARTINEZ Asst. Editor-in-Chief/Viewpoint Editor On Friday, December 7, the annual Winter Concert was held in the auditorium at 7 pm. Over 500 tickets were sold, with proceeds going to the instrumental music program. A variety of music was played by the Aztec Band, Orchestra, and Mr. Lee’s two guitar classes.

Due to the addition of another band period, the World Drumming class was discontinued. This was the first year World Drumming was not featured in this concert. Another band period was added to accommodate for 40 new band members.

However, Mr. Lee hopes to bring the elective back in the future.

“I haven’t done a performance in a while and to me, it’s fun. I hope everyone really enjoyed it,” says senior Mailys Sinala, who played the bass during Guitar’s perfor-

mance of “Girls Like You”.

It was Mr. Lee’s second year conducting the concert. “Every year I try to do a little bit more,” says Mr. Lee. This year, more lights and holiday decorations were added to enhance the ambience of the performance. He adds, “These kids really put on a show. I thought [the concert] went really well.” After the performances from the guitar classes, smaller orchestra and band ensembles performed. Orchestra performed three songs, and Band went last, playing their field show Earth, Wind, and Fire for the final time.

Freshman band member Nathan Luong says, “I felt extremely nervous going in the concert especially because of the clarinet ensemble, but afterwards it was quite relieving and I’m glad I got to do it.” Luong expresses that he hopes the winter concert highlights how great Keppel’s instrumental music program is.

THE AZTEC/VINCENT BAGABALDO Quan Hsu (9) sings “Like I’m Gonna Lose You”

by Meghan Trainor featuring John Legend.

VINCENT BAGABALDO A&E/Features Editor Friends and families were treated to an elegant night by the Aztec Singers on December 1 at Mark Keppel High School with their annual dinner concert. The theme for that night’s event was “Bella Notte,” which is Italian for “Beautiful Night.” Guests were served a three-course Italian meal and presented with multiple performances.

This is the first year where the Aztec Singers are not under the tutelage of their previous director, Mr. Azeltine.

This, however, did not stop them from putting on a great show for the audience. Sophomore Vincent Ryan Leung was excited to sing some of his favorite songs for his friends and family. “This year, I did more than last year’s dinner concert in that I performed in more numbers than I normally do,” Leung says.

Brendan Cheng, an alumni and was also part of the Aztec Singers until recently, took over as their assistant director. To make the transition a little less rocky and the dinner concert a success, he used what he has learned from Mr. Azeltine to make the experience for the Aztec Singers as enjoyable as possible.

“Every single thing about music that he’s taught me; everything about choral techniques, and how he rehearses a group. I just learned from the way he acts in performances, how he conducts, and how he teaches. I just learn how he leads from example,” Cheng says.

Adhering to Cheng’s teachings, freshman Madison Wong has been able to situate herself with the rest of her group and balance the work she does for Aztec Singers and her academics, especially with the dinner concert as one of the event’s lead. “Being on time is a must. His saying, ‘early is on time, on time is late, and late is never acceptable’ really helped me with my perspective on time which also applies to other things and not just choir,” Wong says.

The Aztec 2018-2019 Timothy Chuman

Aurora Zeng

Sophie Wong

Vincent Bagabaldo

Editor-in-Chief/ Photographer Editor-in-Chief/ News Editor

Selina Martinez

Viewpoint Editor/ Asst.

Editor-in-Chief/ Asst.

News Editor

Focus Editor/ Chief Photographer A&E/Features Editor

Wesley Zeng

Sports Editor/ Business Manager

Laura Chen

Business Manager

Maple Duong Viewpoint Editor/ Web Editor/ Asst. Focus Editor Kevin Liu Copy Editor

Vivian Luk

Copy Editor/ Historian

Izabella Cofressi Photographer

Joyce Lee Photographer

Winnye Tu Staff Writer

Maggie Luu

Quennie Zeng Staff Writer

Photographer

Emily Chu Staff Writer

Sdeyni Martinez Staff Writer

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 Ms. Bradley in room A227 or sent to theaztecsubmit@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

DECEMBER 13, 2018

The Aztec

Viewpoint 3

B-building Forget tough love, let’s talk about cuff love bathrooms on lockdown JOYCE LEE Staff Writer As many Keppel students have noticed, the B building bathrooms have staunchly remained locked during lunchtime. If students need to use the restroom they must walk to A-building. At first, students did not know why, and many have expressed their confusion and frustration. Senior Elysa Ng says, “I don’t understand why they lock it because after fourth period, I want to use the restroom but [now] I have to walk across campus. It’s just inconvenient for everyone.”

According to Ms. Perez, one of Keppel’s administrators, locking the bathroom is “because of the damage and vandalism...fights and safety issues...when we see an increase in them, we lock the bathroom for safety...as soon as they get fixed, they’ll be opened.” Ms. Perez cited one instance where they were forced to lock the restrooms. “For example, there was a hole punched in the wall with the soap dispenser stuffed into the hole...we had to close down the bathroom to fix it.”

Although locking the bathrooms was noticeable among the students, Ms. Perez says that she has not heard complaints from students. In addition, she notes that “this year seems a little different. We’ve never had that issue.”

Junior Jessica Lam says, “...many are opposed to this idea [of closed restrooms] because of the inconvenience it brings when a student simply wants to go to the restroom without having to walk to A building. Those who stay in B building classrooms or have club meetings during lunch cannot rely on the B building restrooms to be open and need to either wait until passing period or go to a different building.”

After learning why the restrooms are locked, Lam says, “I do believe that this is a good safety precaution because of many past events that occur in the restrooms, despite the inconvenience. However, I do not think it should be continued since the majority of people simply need to use the restroom. Even if the restrooms are locked, this will not prevent students from doing things they shouldn’t be.”

THE AZTEC/ TIMOTHY CHUMAN

VIVIAN LUK Historian

From the holiday season to hot cocoa, the winter season has a distinct reputation.

However, in recent years, winter has gained a new association—cuffing season.

Urban Dictionary defines cuffing sea-

son as the phenomena that “during the fall and winter months, people who would normally rather be single or promiscuous find themselves desiring to be tied down by a serious relationship.” This could be attributed to the fact that the cold weather and prolonged indoor activity cause single people to become lonely. In a Medical Daily article, psychiatrist Scott Carroll says, “Psychologically, we are...primed to seek mates in the winter.”

Winter marks the start of the holiday season and many people want a significant other to share the festive spirit with. Being single during the winter is not an ideal situation for those who feel that their holiday joy is elevated by a relationship. Junior Michelle Tran says, “[The holiday season] is a more memorable experience when it’s with a ‘special someone’ rather than isolated from the world.”

Others argue that cuffing is shallow and time could be better spent somewhere else.

Culinary teacher Ms. Bradford says, “[The winter time] is not a good reason to get in a

relationship. You guys are so young anyway.

There are other things to focus on.”

These “other things” may include academics. With winter comes the end of the semester, and many students do not have the time to entertain a relationship due to the stress of exams. “I think that the term is a little too exaggerated because people are more worried about finals week and their grades,” says senior Clement Chan. It is difficult to balance a healthy relationship and high academic achievement, so many students have to choose between the two.

Since grades have a larger impact on their futures than a high school sweetheart, choosing academics seems like the smarter choice.

So, to the students thinking about jumping into a new relationship because of the cold, remember Ms. Bradford’s advice: “Just grab a teddy bear!”

Should parents lie about Santa?

QUENNIE ZENG Staff Writer As children, we were told by our parents to never lie. But during our childhood, parents often lie, telling their child that the Tooth Fairy left the quarter under their pillow or that Santa gave them their Christmas gifts. Is this really the right thing to do?

Parents often encourage their kid to be kind or they will end up on Santa’s “naughty list.” But are parents the ones being naughty by lying to their children about the existence of Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and other mythical creatures? Freshman Alyson Ramillano believes that parents should lie about the existence of imaginary creatures because “letting children indulge in [this] fantasy should be something that they should grow up with.” Fairy tales help make the children’s childhood more special. “You can’t be a kid forever, so why not just believe in it?”

Senior Kaitlyn Luong says, “If parents do not encourage their children to believe in Santa, the parents are “robbing [the children] of some childhood memories.”

Believing in Santa helps give the children

fond memories, and it highlights parts of their childhood.

Believing in mythical creatures also encourages the creativity of children. Child

COURTESTY OF MOTHER FOR LIFE

Development teacher Ms. Martinez states that it is “important for children to have an imagination,” and that if she did have children, she “would encourage this imagination of Santa.”

Having all these ideas of Santa and the Tooth Fairy would be beneficial to children

and help them become more optimistic and carefree. But what happens when kids find out that all these mythical creatures are not real? Many would not be greatly affected by this because these concepts were not groundbreaking. Believing in mythical creatures is only a tiny part of growing up. Luong states that when she found out that the Tooth Fairy and Santa were not real, those ideas were not earth shattering “because they are just a small part of [her] childhood.” Many others also believe that the truth would not be too impactful. “I was fine when I found out [Santa] was not real,” says Martinez.

At the end of the day, imaginary creatures are not something that should be frowned upon. They encourage imagination in the younger generation, give children hope and excitement, and make their childhood more fun and memorable. And who knows, next time you might just find a gift in your stocking.

If you can’t stand the heat, it’s probably climate change

WINNYE TU Staff Writer

COURTESTY OF IMFBLOG

“Climate change is real, and it’s happening,” says Ms. Eggerman, Mark Keppel’s environmental science teacher. For the past centuries the burning of fossil fuels, defor-

estation, and growing livestock have caused the average temperature on Earth to rise; thus, causing global warming. Although climate change and global warming are commonly seen as the same, they are two separate effects: global warming causes climate change, but climate change does not cause global warming. Climate is the average weather pattern of a region over many years. A warmer atmosphere (global warming) triggers climate change, or shifts in normal climate patterns.

Yet, there are still many people who believe climate change is a hoax, including President Trump. “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive,” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter in 2012. Six years later, he said again “I don’t believe it,” when asked about the fourth national climate assessment, authored by 13 government agencies and

hundreds of the US’s top climate scientists.

“I think at this point, with so much scientific evidence to prove climate change is real, it is almost nescient to not believe in climate change,” says senior Noelle Frasher.

“I watch the changes in our weather patterns, and I watch the changes in plants that we are having more and more trouble trying to grow. I watch my family members, who are up in Alaska, start to have problems. Their houses are flooding due to the ice melting and sea levels rising,” says Ms. Eggerman.

As a society, there are ways we can help to fight climate change and reverse some of its effects. “People think that they have to make drastic changes in their lifestyle, but it is not like that at all. Any contribution to the effort makes a difference. My family and I have switched from styrofoam plates and bowls to paper plates and bowls for parties. Also, if I need to get somewhere

that is nearby, I will opt to walk there instead of driving there,” says Frasher.

Ms. Eggerman is also joining in the fight against climate change; she plans to reduce her use of plastic, to further educate her students on the environment, and to purchase a new vehicle that is fuel efficient.

With all that being said, what will you do to help fight against climate change?

COURTESTY OF CO2 EARTH

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The Gift Giving Sp

Holiday Gift Guid FOR FRIENDS

Priceless gifts for a lesser price MAPLE DUONG Asst. Focus Editor It’s that time of the season where friends and family are all gathered together, happily exchanging presents with bright smiles at the shock of seeing expensive gifts wrapped in beautiful wrapping paper. But is money really necessary when it comes to giving presents to the ones you love?

Gifts, whether they are for birthdays or Christmas, hold significant value to both the givers and the recipients. “Gifts symbolize an extra thought someone has of you. They are mostly an extra gesture of friendship that emphasizes a person’s bond with you,” says sophomore Raven Ferrer.

Junior Ashleigh Hua agrees. “Gifts represent the care put into a relationship, making someone believe that they’re thought about.” Hua explains how gift giving is a great way to show someone’s appreciation. “Although that doesn’t necessarily mean that gifts are the only thing to show [your appreciation].”

According to Sciencedaily, researcher Cassie Mogilner and assistant professor Cindy Chan conducted experiments examining real life and hypothetical gift exchanges. They discovered that experiential gifts given to a recipient produced a greater improvement in relationship strength than material gifts. “An experiential gift elicits a strong emotional response when a recipient consumes it,” explains Chan. This is because the experiential gifts create more emotion that is evoked when the gifts are consumed, not received.

Chan also discovered that emotionally evocative gifts, like a framed photograph or jewelry a with loving message engraved on them help strengthen relationships as well.

Despite being on a time crunch, Ferrer says, people can still create thoughtful sentimental gifts. “I think any amount less than twenty dollars is a good amount of money. I think anything handmade is good as corny as it sounds. Baking is a good option since it is easy to mass produce and decorate.” advises Ferrer. “You can pull together a great gift with items you find on sale. A lot of stores, like Anthropologie, have great holiday sales that allow you to pull together a gift basket or bag that doesn’t cost that much. If you hunt in the right places at the right times you can pull together a quality gift on a low budget.”

Hua also provides advice in regards to gift and gift contemplation. “You can’t really go wrong with a thoughtful letter to a friend, or photos you can print out of various cherished moments.”

“College essentials [if they’re] going to college.” -James Vo, sen “Blankets or f luffy socks” -Sally Huang Chen, freshman “Stationery” -Jamie Lei, freshman “Stuffed animals” -Matthew Nguyen, freshman “Earbuds” -Alice Yang, freshman “Speakers, string lights, skincare” -Chelsea Ng, senior “Pop sockets, face masks” -Katie Ly, sophomore “Food or jewelry” -Jessica Basallo, junior “Homemade edible treats” -Eric P han, junior “Candy” -Alyssa Gomez, freshman FOR TEACHERS

“ Themed gifts based on [the] subject [they teach]” -Jian Yu, senior “Expo markers” -Julie Hyunh, junior “P lants” -Keilani Lim, sophomo “Self-care essentials” -Katherine Harry, sophomore “Movie tickets” -Mala Hu, sophomore “Hot chocolate mugs” -Brianna Avila, junior “Coffee” -Getsemani Arevalo, senior “Being present.” -Kevin Tran, sophomore

THE AZTEC/ TI A toy drive box in front of guidance office will accept new toys valued at $15 or more until December 14 Garfield Medical Center and the Monterey

December 13, 2018 5

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Secret Santa vs. White Elephant IZABELLA COFRESSI Photographer ‘Tis the season! Christmas time has come around again, and with it the age-old debate: Secret Santa or White Elephant?

Which is better, what is the difference, and how to decide?

The rules to Secret Santa are simple: everyone in the group puts their name in a bowl, people pick to see who they will be shopping for, and at the end, everyone exchanges gifts. As for White Elephant, everyone buys a present or regifts one from home. At the gift exchange, all the presents are put on a table and everyone grabs whichever one they would like.

For junior Ally Tran, Secret Santa is the obvious winner. “In Secret Santa you have a much better chance of getting something you actually want, but still [have] that suspense of wondering who bought it for you,” she says.

White Elephant is also notoriously known for being a game where people give definitively bad gifts, or unload all the junk they no longer want on everyone else for comedic purposes. It is a game that would be better for people who always struggle with

figuring out what to buy a specific person for Christmas.

Tran continues, saying, “White Elephant does not sound that fun because you could end up with a bad gift when you actually put thought into your gift for someone, but if my friends wanted to do it then I would participate,” she says.

As for junior Jason Mitilica, he agrees that Secret Santa is his preferred holiday game as well, but is not against White Elephant. “I’ve never done White Elephant before because no one I know really does it, but if I could I would, just to try it out,” he says.

Secret Santa is more widely known, and has a better reputation of being a game of more thoughtful gifts. However, there is always the chance that you will be given a person you are not very close with, so you may have to get creative. Due to this, this game tends to be more popular within close friend groups or families.

ore

IMOTHY CHUMAN 4th. The drive is hosted by Park Police Department.

KEVIN LIU Copy Editor

Giving back: Toy drives

Throughout the holiday season, clubs and administration have been supporting toy drives for young children. Service clubs like Science National Honors Society (SNHS) and National Honors Society (NHS) offer hours for donations, and donation boxes are located in front of guidance office.

“Obviously, most [people] want to [donate] for hours, but in the long run… it will end up going to somebody and go to good use,” says NHS board member, senior Brianna Proud. “Even though the intentions might not necessarily align with gift-giving… it will end up doing that anyway.”

SNHS member, senior Samantha Mak, organizes the SNHS toy drive by communicating with the Huntington Hospital’s volunteer director to choose and deliver gifts to the children.

“I’m hoping that these toys will show that people are kind enough to donate toys to possibly make a child’s day, not knowing what kind of obstacles they are battling,” says Mak. One of the bigger toy drives hosted by the clubs, Operation Christmas Child, is an international organization under Samaritan’s Purse that puts together shoeboxes of toys for children in third world countries. They accept donations from students and the local community, and donors can also build a virtual shoebox on their website and the organization will send it out for a donation of $25.

Local project leader, Rosemary Yang, has been working with

Operation Christmas Child for over 10 years. Volunteers, including high school students, help assemble shoeboxes every Veteran’s Day holiday. This year, volunteers and donors were able to put together 188 boxes for children in poverty in the Philippines.

“I would remind my students that they must want to participate because they are all blessed with lots of new material items that they sometimes don’t even appreciate,” says Yang, who is also a private music teacher. Her passion to encourage students to find joy in giving has inspired her to extend her project to local high schools like Keppel. “It is always a joy to see young high school students coming to work on this annual project.”

ABC7 and the Southern California Firefighters Spark of Love Toy Drive have also set up a box for people to place their unwanted toys outside the guidance office. Anyone can donate unwrapped gifts and sports equipment, where they will be collected and redistributed to less fortunate kids. Another donation box in front of guidance office is from the Monterey Park Police Department and Garfield Medical Center.

“I think students who think of [donating] as only a hour opportunity are missing out on what their actions can do for the community,” says Mak. “They should see this as a way to spread Christmas spirit by gift-giving [and] in the process [help] them with their hour requirements.”

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december 13, 2018

THE AZTEC Not so Subtle Asian Traits MAPLE DUONG Web Editor/ Asst. Focus Editor Growing up with Asian immigrant parents, it can be quite difficult to find a sense of belonging in various parts of the world.

However, multiple people have found a feeling of acceptance in the growing Facebook group known as Subtle Asian Traits.

With over 800,000 members, Asian memes ranging from text messages exchanged with parents to everyone’s complete obsession with boba are shared all across the board, with laughs exchanged in between.

Originally created in November by a group of Australian-Chinese schoolmates, Subtle Asian Traits’s membership has increased exponentially by hundreds of thousands since its creation this year.

Subtle Asian Traits has enabled people to connect on a larger scale with others who share similar experiences. “It felt great to be included. I’ve seen other memes

Stepping into Enzo Kim’s shoes LAURA CHEN Business Manager From custom painted shoes to custom painted water bottles, EHK (Enzo Hwawon Kim) Customs, started by Junior Enzo Kim, officially launched its Instagram business account on the 24th of July, this past summer. “I really didn’t think it would gain that much popularity. At first I didn’t want to start it as an Instagram profile, it was just an idea and fun hobby that I had, but a lot of people liked it and it became more and more fun,” says the artist behind all this work, Kim. In the last few months, the business has gained much recognition and the custom artwork has been in constant demand. Kim has made customs for more than 30 people.

So far, Kim has earned a little over a grand from his custom business, but this money, as well as money from his own pocket, goes into funding the materials necessary, such as a variety of colors of paints, to complete his artwork. Each custom artwork piece takes anywhere from 1-8 hours, depending

and such and thought they were funny, but couldn’t really connect to them because I had never experienced that culture. With this Facebook group, my childhood and culture are mixed in with all the funny discourse,” says senior Katherine Chen.

With the increasing rise of Asian representation in the movie industry, more and more people are starting to acknowledge the large culture. “From what I’ve seen, ever since Crazy Rich Asians came out, people are more willing to showcase their ‘Asian’,” explains Chen. The various shared memes have also allowed students to understand each other on greater levels. “[This group] helped me realize that my friends are experiencing the same Asian culture. At school, everything is pretty stressful with classes.

[This] page helps me to connect with my peers and realize that we have similarities beyond what’s in the classroom.” Not only that, new members who have recently joined already love the relatable atmo

on the piece. With the differing demands of every customer, Kim says, “The order process is that the customer would provide the shoes and they provide an idea of what they want to see. I also ask them for specific details they might want and I put down my own ideas using that theme.”

One of his more frequent customers, Junior Evan Osugi, commended Kim on his artwork and says, “The products are well beyond satisfactory. I know that when I hand over a pair of shoes to Enzo, I’ll be getting them back as a pair I’m excited to wear. I’ve ordered two pairs now, both around $70.”

The artist shared, “The most memorable pair of shoes I made was for someone who wanted to do a tribute to someone who passed away. That was the most meaningful customizing I’ve done.”

Kim is constantly inspired by other customizers on Instagram and visits a lot of sneaker stores such as RIF LA in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles where he studies the different iconic shoes, color waves and designs they have in store. He says, “I would do something along the lines of that as well as incorporate my own ideas without copying other artists.” On the EHK Customs

Six of the nine founding members from left to right: Brendan Wang, 18, Anny Xie, 17, Darren Qiang, 17, Kathleen Xiao, 18, Angela Kang, 21 Tony Xie, 17

sphere. “It feels like a group that can just joke around and about numerous Asian qualities,” says freshman Karen Cho. Senior Iram Tse agrees, “Seeing that memes are already so popular and considering how a lot of Keppel kids share a similar background, it just adds to the comedic

Another new boba store has opened in the San Gabriel Valley. The Alley, located on Valley Boulevard, held its grand opening on September 29, 2018. This is the chain’s first location in the United States.

Upon entering the store, a customer is greeted with a sweet, brown sugar smell.

The dim lighting and vintage light fixtures contribute to a calming environment.

While the space is small, customers can choose to sit down on a table with a tree centerpiece or take their drink to go. The store’s menu hangs on a brick wall, and the opposite wall displays The Alley’s logo along with their huge deer mascot. An open kitchen behind the cashier hides no secrets, revealing to customers exactly what ingredients are being used.

Owner Henry Yui, from Taiwan, wanted to open a boba store in an area where customers are already familiar with the drink. The Alley, a popular chain store in Asian countries like Japan, Vietnam, and China, also already has a reputation among these demographics. The whole franchise, founded by Maoting Qiu, has its origins in China. So far, there are locations throughout Asia and a few in Australia, Paris, New Zealand, Canada, and now the USA. The Alley’s most popular drink is the Brown Sugar Deerioca, a fresh milk drink

with brown sugar boba. According to their website, the boba, called Deerioca, is made from scratch. Yui says the boba is cooked twice, once by itself and a second time with brown sugar. Their second most popular drink, Royal No. 9 Milk Tea, is a royal milk tea, which is made from oolong tea, with hints of blueberry flavor. The drinks range from $4.50 to $7.

Freshman Allison Chiang, who has tried the Brown Sugar Deerioca and White Peach Oolong, another popular drink, says

The inside of “The Alley”

Marvel at Spider-Man and DC’s Aquaman MAGGIE LUU Photographer

COURTESY OF ENZO KIM

Instagram account, Kim also uploads other forms of his paintings and hand-drawn artwork.

With the support of his parents, Kim has had much success and he says that, “I’m not sure how long this customizing thing will go for me, but I know for sure that I want to become a product designer and it will be my major in college, so I’m pretty sure this will help me out in the long run.”

“The Alley” brings a new twist to boba in the 626 AURORA ZENG Focus Editor/ Chief Photographer

COURTESY OF NEW YORK TIMES

effect when memes are poking fun at those little quirks that come out of our culture, and [it allows us to] have a good laugh at the big ‘I do that too!’”

Chen also acknowledges how “[this] Facebook group has made us proud of our heritage, and [makes us] more willingly to display it.”

both drinks tasted good. “I would recommend their drinks just because they’re aesthetic,” she says. However, Chiang also stated that The Alley’s drinks were not very special compared to other boba shops.

The Alley definitely has a different ambience compared to other boba stores in the area. For anyone who loves boba, the store is worth being given at least one shot, especially if they enjoy aesthetics. “Come give us a try,” Yui says. “We make everything fresh.”

THE AZTEC/AURORA ZENG

This December, DC’s Aquaman and Sony’s Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse will be featured in theaters. These two superhero films are the biggest competitors for this month’s box office. Aquaman is a live-action film, starring Jason Momoa as the titular character, where the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry discovers his kingship over Atlantis. On the other hand, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is an animated film that brings together six alternate-universe versions of the iconic web-slinger from Spider-Woman to Spider-Ham. “I’m excited for the new Spider-Man [movie] because each character has a different style of animation [like] Spider-Ham, who is animated in a Looney Tunes style,” Senior Chris Nguyen says.

“The entire movie has some comic-booklike characteristics such as the cartoon art and the text boxes.”

Although Marvel has typically taken the lead in cinematic experiences, DC’s upcoming release has been voted as one of the most anticipated films of the year. In a Rotten Tomatoes poll measuring which film has fans more excited, Aquaman took the top spot with 10,107 votes. With this much traction, Aquaman and other upcoming DC films, such as Shazam!, are essentially tasked with “saving” the DCU from rebooting or starting from scratch.

“I think Aquaman can save DC despite the previous hate on the few of their last films,” senior Kyle La says. “The trailer seems promising and it’ll bring new light to a character whose story was never touched upon deeply when he was introduced in Justice League.”

Other fans are more excited that this Spider-Man film will be featuring the movies’ first “Spider-Person of Color,” unlike the previous six movies. In Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, an awkward high school student Miles Morales takes the original Peter Parker’s place as Spider-Man. However, rather than being raised by the familiar Aunt May and Uncle Ben, Miles’s parents are Black and Latina. This will be one of the few nonwhite superheroes in the industry since Marvel’s Black Panther.

With Aquaman’s release, DC Films is evening the playing field with epic battles and impeccable CGI. These two highly-anticipated superhero films hit theaters this holiday season. Spider-Man will be out on December 14th and Aquaman will be released on December 21st.

December 13, 2018

Sports 7

the aztec

Boys basketball overwhelmed by height of Eagles LAURA CHEN Business Manager

Senior Esteban Rodriguez shoots a three-pointer while being defended by San Gabriel Academy’s forward.

THE AZTEC/ TIMOTHY CHUMAN

Nearing the start of the official league season, the Boys Varsity Basketball team lost one of their last preseason games at Mark Keppel this past Tuesday against the San Gabriel Academy Eagles. “Some of the advantages that they had were of course their big line up. They had a power forward and a center that would work the high-low,” says junior Diego Bustillo.

The opposing team averaged well over six feet in size, putting the Aztecs in a difficult position.

The height advantage proved to be too much for the Aztecs to handle, as the Eagles, after leading for most of the game, pulled away with a 51-40 win.

Out on the court, the Aztecs were met with many complications against the Eagles which contributed to their loss. Coming into the game, the Aztecs were not informed of the opposing team’s scouting report, but senior

Joseph Haluska explains that their unfamiliarity with the Eagles would push the Aztecs to be better. “Going into CIF, we’re not going to know the other teams.

We have to learn to adapt quickly to their play style so that we don’t give up easy buckets,” says Haluska.

The Aztecs compete in their first league game on the day that they return from winter break.

Their opponent, the Schurr Spartans, are a consistent contender in the Almont League, posing a big challenge for the team. “Schurr is always one of our toughest rivals, but all the teams in league come out and try to play their best against us, so what we need to do is keep working it off season because we know they want to beat us, but we have to want it more,” says Haluska.

The team expects to stay undefeated in league play this year and is working to be more unified. They also look to remain focused so that each and every one of the members are sharp, but

they emphasize that they will not take any games for granted. “We must always be prepared because any night, it can always be a given loss at ready if you don’t focus during the game,” says Bustillo.

The Aztecs have been competing and practicing through closed week and will finish up their non-league schedule in the Damien Holiday Classic following Christmas Day. Despite sacrificing part of their winter break, the team stays committed to the sport and their season.

Before every game, the boys channel all their focus into basketball and leave everything else behind. Senior Justin Lee says, “Our motivation is to end up reaching our big goal which is getting really far in CIF and eventually going to state. Hopefully during this winter break, we can prepare for that.”

Girls Soccer focuses on the fundamentals difficult time overcoming them. With four new varsity players, Coach Shahin has been more concerned with develThe Girls Varsity Soccer team sufoping and working as a team. Sophofered a 13-0 preseason loss against La more Audrey Jung, one of the varsity Salle High School on December 11th’s soccer captains, expressed disappointaway game. ment about the loss. Nonetheless, Jung During preseason, the Girls Soccontinues to look forward, going to all cer team has been practicing everyday. the games and practice sessions.

Most practices focus on touching the “We can’t give ball and learning up because if we the positions and “We can’t give up because if give up, we’ll just eventually culmi- we give up, we’ll just keep gokeep going downnating in a mix of ing downhill... but if we keep on hill,” says Jung. all soccer skills. trying, we can keep pushing…

“But if we keep Going into the and get better.” on trying, we can game on Tuesday, - Audrey Jung keep pushing…

Coach Steve Shaand get better.” hin adopted a learning mindset. “Even Today, they will play an away game though we got beat by a large margin, against Temple City High School at we still maintained what we call a ‘fun3:30 p.m. Currently, Temple City is damental shape’ and tried to defend 4-3-2 in their preseason record, a foragainst their attack,” says Coach Shamidable team for the Aztecs. hin. “We just couldn’t match, maturely “[Temple City] has very experienced and skill-wise with the other [team].” players, so we just need to continue our Facing against the 67th nationally game and hopefully counter whatever ranked soccer team, the Aztecs had a their tactics are,” notes Coach Shahin.

KEVIN LIU Copy Editor

free consultation wongortho.com

Freshman Zack Li drives forward as a La Salle player chases the ball.

THE AZTEC/ TIMOTHY CHUMAN

Boys Soccer falls despite early lead IZABELLA COFRESSI Photographer

they are definitely improving in all aspects as each game goes by. “During practice we have worked more on technical skills, and I feel as Boys Varsity Soccer faced the Pasadena though our team is really starting to come toLancers Tuesday, ending the game with a lost gether as a unit,” says senior Steven Torres. of 2-1. The boys led the game in the first half Player dedication is also up this season, with after scoring a point, but the Lancers were each player focusing on giving their all to the able to make a comeback, concluding with sport. two goals scored in the second half.

Torres agrees with Diaz, saying, “We have A big factor that a lot of players this year, helped the Aztecs during “This is my second year playing, [such as] subs on the the first half of the game and the dedication that these sidelines. Those players was their strong offenguys are giving has definitely are very dedicated, [they] sive strategy. The team improved from last year.” show up to practice every worked well together, - Julio Diaz day, and put all their efwhich ultimately resultfort into the team.” ed in their one goal.

Now the boys have a clear idea of what During the second half, the Aztecs conthey’d like to continue working on and how tinued to play proficiently, but had to switch they are planning to continue to improve. to a more defensive technique. “It is possible “The team played very well together, we had that they were trying to rest up the first half amazing saves and stops… everyone was playand then give it their 100% the second half, ing their positions, but unfortunately the othbut either way I think our team did a good job er team found a few weak points that we are in attacking and then defending,” sophomore continuing to work on,” says Coach AlvaraJulio Diaz says. do.

Despite their loss, the boys feel as though

the aztec

8 Sports

november 15, 2018

Girls Water Polo unaffected by tension underwater WESLEY ZENG Sports Editor/ Business Manager Determined to earn a win after a succession of losses, the Girls Water Polo team defeated Alhambra 15-5 this past Tuesday. The first quarter began with a barrage of shots from the Aztecs. The score deficit remained throughout the second quarter. Along with occasional shots made from the Moors in the second half of the, Keppel’s water polo team continued to increase the difference in points.

Despite the feat, the girls did not win the game without encountering difficulties. One problem they faced was the lack of calls from the referees. “We did well in keeping composure and not getting frustrated on the calls that were not called,” says junior Amanda Cheung.

This led to many aggressive plays from Alhambra. Freshman Emily Dodge recalls

THE AZTEC/ TIMOTHY CHUMAN

Athlete’s Profile: Vanessa Aguirre Junior Teffanny Chan lifts her arm up as she readies to shoot after receiving the ball from a teammate.

her experience playing against the girls, explaining how “[one player] would just grab our necks and attack us.”

Because the water polo team was in the lead, the girls were able to gain experience practicing plays that they have not tried before. The game had also showed the girls that they need to play more aggressively, work on their defense, and be more level-headed during games.

THE AZTEC/ WESLEY ZENG

Cheung says, “[We need to] improve on knowing our head space and just seeing and being aware of our surrounding.”

Looking forward, the girls have found areas to strengthen their skills in. “We need to work more on setting up and getting better shots in the goal… We could’ve passed to another teammate and just worked on our skills,” says Cheung.

Wrestling not pinned down by loss SELINA MARTINEZ Asst. Editor-in-Chief/ Viewpoint Editor Keppel’s Wrestling team opened up their season with a game against the Spartans on Wednesday December 12.

Each individual match lasted for 3 two-minute rounds. Points were scored in several ways such as for taking down and controlling the opponent or from escaping the opponent. A pin down in which the opponent’s shoulder blades were against the mat resulted in an automatic win for the wrestler.

Sophomore Abbas Mossawi won the team’s first match with a score of 9-6.

Mossawi says, “I think I did okay overall.

Throughout the match I was just thinking about how if [one strategy] didn’t work, then I would just go onto the next.”

Toward the end of the game, the Aztecs won their second match when sophomore Carson Fernandez pinned down his opponent in the first round. “I was a little nervous [going into the match] be-

Senior Edgar Negrete looks to pin his opponent during the second round.

cause of the size difference between us, but as the match went on, I began to gain a lot more confidence,” says Fernandez.

His match against the Spartans marked Fernandez’s first pin. He says, “This is the best I’ve performed in a match before.”

Assistant Coach Ernest Tom expressed his satisfaction with the performance of the team saying, “I am very proud of the whole team. Everyone fought hard today.”

However, despite the hard work by the Aztecs, the team recognizes that there is much to improve on. “Sometimes when I’m wrestling I feel like I’m using

COURTESY OF LEXY WU

my power rather than my technique, so I need to work on that to become a better wrestler,” says Fernandez.

Coach Tom also stresses technique as an area for improvement for the team.

He says, “It looks like we really need to work on some of our conditioning, and we need to sharpen up some of our techniques.”

Wednesday being only their first game, the Aztecs look forward to the rest of their season. “[My wish is] for everyone to stay healthy, to improve their wrestling technique, and for them to have fun,” says Coach Tom.

SDEYNI MARTINEZ Staff Writer

“Everybody on the floor respects her and that’s the one thing you want to have as a captain,” says Girls Basketball Coach Jose Herrera.

Respect is a word often used to describe four-year varsity player Vanessa Aguirre; despite the obstacles in her way, she has not let it stop her from becoming one of the top players in the area.

Captain for two years, Aguirre was named last year’s Almont League Most Valuable Player, the 2017-18 Pasadena Star-News Girls Basketball Player of the Year, a first-team All-CIF Southern Section, and this year’s top player to watch in the San Gabriel Valley according to the Pasadena Star-News. Although the accolades continue to add up, Aguirre’s work ethic and humility remains consistent.

“With the help of my teammates, we all work super hard. Having [my teammates’] support and having them always encourage me to do well and try my best, it helps a lot with getting that attention because they are a big part of that,” she says.

Aguirre’s success on the court comes as no surprise, as basketball has played a huge role in her life. Thus, she does not plan on giving it up anytime soon as she plans to continue playing basketball throughout college. “It’s something that I wouldn’t like to stop playing and it’s really fun, especially in college, to have that experience.”

In the meantime, Coach Herrera is excited for the opportunity to have Aguirre lead his team again. With the majority of his team returning from last year, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic about this year’s team. Yet, the monumental impact that she has while on the court leaves him even more hopeful. “Anytime we have Vanessa on the floor, good things are going to happen. She’s the engine; everything starts with her,” he says.

Read the rest on www.theaztecnews.com

Sports Calendar Boys Basketball On 12/26 versus Damien Holiday Classic On 12/27 versus Damien Holiday Classic On 12/28 versus Damien Holiday Classic On 12/29 versus Damien Holiday Classic On 1/7 versus Schurr at Schurr On 1/9 versus Bell Gardens at Mark Keppel

Girls Soccer On 12/18 versus Webb at Webb On 12/20 versus Schurr at Mark Keppel On 1/3 versus Bell Gardens at Bell Gardens On 1/8 versus Alhambra at Alhambra On 1/10 versus Montebello at Montebello

boys soccer On 12/18 versus Blair at Blair On 12/20 versus Schurr at Schurr On 1/3 versus Bell Gardens at Mark Keppel On 1/8 versus Alhambra at Alhambra On 1/10 versus Montebello at Mark Keppel On 1/15 versus San Gabriel at Mark Keppel

girls water polo On 12/14 versus Saddleback Tournament On 12/15 versus Saddleback Tournament On 12/20 versus Bell Gardens at Barnes Park On 1/9 versus Alhambra at Barnes Park On 1/10 versus Diamond Bar Tournament On 1/12 versus Diamond Bar Tournament

Girls basketball On 12/19-12/22 versus Tarkanian Classic On 12/26-12/29 versus J. Burroughs West Coast H On 1/7 versus Schurr at Schurr On 1/9 versus Bell Gardens at Mark Keppel On 1/11 versus Montebello at Mark Keppel

wrestling On 12/20 versus Bell Gardens at Mark Keppel On 1/3 versus Alhambra at Alhambra On 1/9 versus Montebello at Montebello