The Aztec- October 2016 Issue

THE AZTEC VOLUME LXXVIV NUMBER II

VIEWPOINT PG 3-5 Corporate evangelism from church to the shopping mall

News in Brief Dr. Bartlett's Senior Recital Band and orchestra director Dr. Bartlett will be retiring after this semester. Her senior recital later today at the MKHS Auditorium at 7 to 9 pm. All songs are composed by Dr. Bartlett herself. Guest performers include Mr. Justin Lee, Jennifer Quan, and Ms. Phillips. Band Boosters will be accepting donations to help the music program.

National Merit Award Finalists Congratulations to the four National Merit Award finalists: Joey Cheng, Douglas Chin, Christina Tran, and Vicky Truong.

National Merit Commended Students Congratulations to our 18 National Merit Commended students who placed in the top 5% out of 1.6 million. Patrick Chan, Jenny Chau, Russell Chin, Tiffany Joa, Sarah Kim, Phillip Kwan, Michelle Lam, Colette Lee, Daniel Lu, Danny Lu, Firmin Luong, Becky Ma, Jacqueline Peng, Rhianna So, Carleton Tam, Rachel Wang, Jason Xian and Andrew Yam. (courtesy to mkhs.org)

Your calendar 10/13 -Drama Boosters Meeting (A114, 7pm-8:30 pm), District College Fair at SGHS 10/18 -English Language Advisory Council (ELAC) #2 10/19 -Collaboration Schedule, PTSA Meeting 10/26 - MKHS Alliance Meeting (7 pm-9 pm) 10/31 -Minimum Day 11/1-English Language Advisory Council #3 11/2 -Collaboration Schedule 11/8 -School Site Council #2 11/10 -Drama Boosters Meeting in A114

FOCUS PG 6-7 Digging into the urban legends of Keppel

October 13, 2016

A&E PG 8-9

Drake and Future co-headline summer sixteen tour

theaztecnews.com

SPORTS PG 10-12 Girls Volleyball wins game against Bell Garden

ASB presents "A Night in Wonderland" KENNETH LIU Multimedia Editor/Videographer

On September 30th at Palm Court, the Associated Student Body (ASB) announced this year’s homecoming theme, A Night in Wonderland, inspired by Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. The dance will take place on October 28th from 7:30 to 11:00 p.m. Ticket prices start at $10 with ASB, $14 without ASB, and $16 at the door. Unlike the previous homecoming dances, this homecoming will be held in the Aztec Arena (“the new gym”) and feature new ideas to ASB takes a group photo in front of homecoming poster. make the dance more enjoyable.

One of the biggest changes to come is Previous years only had one Homecoming the hiring of Preferred Mobile Music & ProKing and one Queen that had been chosen motion Events, or PmmnP. PmmnP is a full from the senior class. However, this year will time, high impact entertainment production feature princes and princesses, which will be service that will be professionally decorating chosen from each grade level other than the the Aztec Arena for Homecoming. They also senior class. ASB President Angel Haro said, offer services ranging from staging and pro“Homecoming is a dance for all grade levels, duction to party planning. In addition to the but previous homecomings only interacted decorations, PmmnP will also be DJ’ing at with the seniors so we decided to create a Palm Court to kick off Homecoming Spirit new way to make it more interactive with the Week. other grades.”

Secondly, ASB decided to renovate the In the years before, students were not alHomecoming King and Queen court system.

THE AZTEC/VICTORIA RAMIREZ

lowed to attend dances if they had a GPA lower than a 2.0 or a U or N in citizenship.

This year’s Homecoming will be the first dance that has its restrictions removed, so all Keppel students can attend!

Ultimately, this year will be bringing many changes to Homecoming. Homecoming Chair Amy Huang said, “These changes were all made to encourage more people to come to our dances. We want to make them fun so that students will look forward to upcoming dances.”

Dancing with the Keppel stars JAMIE CHAU Historian

Mark Keppel High School hosted its first annual Dancing with the Keppel Stars at its auditorium on October 7, where the students and staff collaborated to compete and perform different dance routines.

Hosted by MKHS Dance Company director Mr. Arroyo, the show was a version of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. Contestants picked a number from one to ten, and order of performance was confirmed in numerical order. Winners were determined by judges Collin Kumamoto, Danie Espinoza, and THE AZTEC/VICTORIA RAMIREZ Kyle Yamasaki. The audience was also able Mr. Arroyo is conducting a lottory to decide the order of the 10 dance performances. to voice their opinions by posting a picture Contestant and business and activities director, teacher Ms. Fillpot, Spanish teacher Ms. onto Instagram, mentioning @mkhsdanceco, Ms. Vann said, “Practice is extremely difficult Dominguez, and business and activities direcand voting for their favorite performer with a and challenging compared to advanced danc- tor Ms. Vann, won gifts sponsored by Target, hashtag. The contestant with the most votes reers, but it is a nice way to get to know students.” 7-Eleven, and Six Flags Magic Mountain. ceived three extra points to their score.

As a member of the Dance Team, sopho- Contestant and biology teacher Ms. Hake statDancing styles varied from salsa to permore Kristie Quan said, “Some challenges were ed, “It was knocked out of the park.” formances of hip hop, accompanied by special making sure that the moves aren’t too hard and appearances of Mark Keppel’s All Male and that they enjoy doing the routine.”

Dance Team.

The top three winners, video game design Behind the performance itself was practice.

UC/Cal State College Night ANGELA CHEN & SOPHIE WONG Asst. Editor-in-Chief & News Editor

various public colleges, and benefits of public universities in comparison to private colleges. Alumni and UC Berkeley graduate Victor Chau said, “[Students] should know. . .that the level of education you get in a public school. . .definitely can be on par as a private. [They] offer the same opportunities, strong faculty, and a lower tuition.”

Students who are considering a public four-year college are encouraged to take advantage of the resources available on university campuses. Not only do these insti-

Representatives from Cal State and UC universities were invited to speak at the UC/Cal State College Night hosted by Mark Keppel PTSA on October 4th.

Guest speakers included Jacquelyn Mendieta, Scott Wilson, and Mark Keppel alumni Victor Chau, Arthur Wang, and Andrew Sun. The presentation provided information on how to apply to

tutions provide students an education, but also opportunities for research, production, social connectivity, and networking corresponding with major corporations.

Jacquelyn Mendieta, a Cal State LA Recruitment Special Projects Coordinator said, “Be true to yourself. [College students] want to please their families and go to a really big name school, not realizing that a school that might be a little bit smaller and closer to home [will] fit them a lot better.”

Aztec Arena construction

SAT revised

IRIS CHUNG Staff Writer

TOMMY CHAO Staff Writer

The SAT was previously scored out of 2400, but was revised in March and is now scored out of 1600, 800 in English and 800 in math. The optional essay is scored separately, but is required for most colleges.

Many students have already taken the SAT on October 1st, the first test date of the school year. Some have prepared through summer classes months before the test day. Among these students is Junior Delton Joa, who took the SAT on October 1st. Joa believes that he had performed well, and hopes to score at least a 1450. “Take practice tests seriously and pace yourself,” Joa said.

Senior Robert Liu also took the SAT on October 1st, but did not perform as well as he had expected. Liu’s best advice for future test takers is to “learn to manage [your] timing [when taking

Guest speakers (back row, left to right) Tammy Louie, Jon Hum, Arthur Wang, Andrew Sun, Victor Chau, Scott Wilson, Scott Hara, Jacquelyn Mendieta (front row, left) NHS board members (front row, left to right) Jennifer Lai (11), Jackie Peng (12), Tiffany Joa(12), Ivan Lee (12), Natalie Foong (11), Christie Tan (12) THE AZTEC/ ANGELA CHEN

the] test.”

Other students are also planning to take it in the next few months. Many of them have opted to take summer courses in order to prepare for the test, whether it be from afterschool programs like Elite or from AEF’s summer school program. Others have decided to self-study, such as purchasing official SAT study guides from College Board.

Junior Daniel Laverde plans to take the SAT in November, and has been preparing since the beginning of October entirely through SAT practice books. “You should study more than one month before the test, and not do what I am doing,” Laverde said.

An overdue remodel to the dance studio and Aztec Arena is finally happening. They are currently constructing a new addition to the gym; a ticket booth and snack bar in front of the entrance. The dance studio air conditioning remodeling will start soon but is not expected to be finished by this school year. Instead of using time to set up tables and put out the snack choices and ticket prices, everything will be pre-set and time will be saved.

All Male freshman Keith Ngo said, ”I think it’s a good idea to finally put air conditioning in the dance studio because it would feel a lot nicer practicing inside than outside and I hope it can help improve us dancers.”

Dance team sophomore Paige Nakahara stated, “I’m excited for it because we finally get air conditioning in the dance studio, because it’s always like a sauna in there.” Dance Team and All Male will benefit from getting air conditioning and escaping the heat.

The dance studio getting air conditioning sounds like a good idea, but some people disagree about spending money on building the ticket booth and snack bar.

Girls basketball senior Erika Sato disagrees with implementing a ticket booth and snack bar, “I think the new additions to the Aztec Arena is a waste of time and money because tables work just fine when we sell food.”

However, boys basketball Coach Duong says that the ticket booth and snack bar is a great idea since they usually have nowhere to sell. Sophomore Quan Ly states, “I think it will benefit the school and help us earn more money. Selling food and tickets will be a lot more organized.”

After asking the Athletic Director, she says that both construction projects will be roughly finished next year.

Spanish Heritage month TIFFANY GUAN Staff Writer

Artwork found in C building drawn by Kelly Sanchez.

THE AZTEC/VICTORIA RAMIREZ

Spanish Heritage month lasts from September 15 to October 15 and is celebrated to acknowledge how the Latin American countries— Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua— gained their independence as well as to honor Hispanic/Latino culture. This month is only celebrated in the

United States.

Vice President of the Association of Latin American Students club and senior Aaron Lockett said, “I’m partially Mexican and Asian, so Hispanic heritage month allows me to connect with my Hispanic roots as I have not done so often throughout my childhood.” Although Lockett and his family normally do not celebrate the heritage month, Lockett recognizes his culture through the

A.L.A.S. club by attending and helping out at the San Gabriel High School Día de Los Muertos festival.

Spanish teacher Mrs. Ortega recently celebrated the month with her family at Whittier Church.

“Usually my husband and I take our children to different places to celebrate, but this year we went to the church because it was its second time hosting it,” stated Mrs. Ortega.

Along with Mr. In-

thisane, Mr. McElhaney, Mrs. Dominguez, and Mrs. Alexander, Mrs. Ortega has assigned cultural projects to educate students about the history of independence of Spanish speaking countries.

She contributed the idea about decorating the Cbuilding walls with artwork and signs created by students. Mrs. Ortega wants people to remember their heritage and family traditions.

The Aztec 2016-2017 Victoria Ramirez Editor-in-Chief/ Chief Photographer

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

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MUSIC AND CULTURE

The influence and appeal of Korean pop music A reflection of a musical phenomenon MICHELLE DANG Staff Writer K-Pop has been proven to have a high popularity in America, and even at Keppel. Many students are seen wearing related clothing and accessories while walking down the hallway. There are different factors that affects K-Pop’s popularity in America. America has its own music, but why do certain people choose to listen to K-Pop? Several students said that a major difference is that K-Pop focuses on dance and other elements other than singing. Korean Culture Club president, Lili Ho said, “K-Pop is an environment where you are able to connect with artists on a whole new level, for example, through variety shows where you can watch idols interact with each other”.

Some listen to it for nothing more than their enjoyment. K-Pop is spreading worldwide, even to America. Bonnie Gu, a freshman, said, “There’s a huge K-Pop fan base in America. Honestly, I think it’s because the K-Pop genre is trendy right now, but it is also because idols in the K-Pop industry now have a global target.” More people are being aware of it now because it’s all over the internet. America is an English-speaking country, but certain Americans still choose to listen to Korean songs. Ryan

Bautista, freshman and the underclassmen representative of the club, said, “In 2016, language isn’t really a barrier anymore because we have subtitles that let us understand the lyrics of the artists.

Sometimes, the understanding of the lyrics is not needed because K-Pop has a way of conveying its message through emotions and technique.” Ho said that she entirely believes that people shouldn’t naturally assume they won’t like K-Pop just because of the language barrier.

Why do some listen to classical music when there’s no lyrics or language to it?

Some tend to be skeptical or judge K-Pop because of its language. People from many ethnic backgrounds are seen attending KCON, one of the major Korean culture related music festival held in the US annually dedicated to spread its culture. Ho, a five-year attendee of KCON, said, “It’s a great experience to attend booths, meet Youtubers, interact with artists, and enjoy concerts. KCON is definitely the top event I think of for K-Pop.” At Keppel, there’s a Korean Culture Club that is dedicated to increase awareness of K-Pop and its culture around the campus. “Language shouldn’t be something that should hinder the potential of any type of music,” said Ho.

SOCIAL ETHICS

A call for the end of unfair rumors A necessary plea for the end of rumors ZERLINDA LEE Staff Writer

It can be hard to stay neutral as possible so that and you’ll be able to stop it positive when faced with the conversation does not from further spreading. tension caused by others. become hostile.

People start rumors beStudents are more likely There are other ways to cause they want to manipto be victims of ostracizing deal with rumors, such as ulate their environment behavior and other forms ignoring the people who to their advantage or to of relentless aggression, wants them to spread. express their jealousy of because they can others they’re spreading be easily affected “I believe that the reason why false information about. by rumors. Here people start [rumors] is because “I believe the reason are some guidewhy people start [them] they don’t know how to lines on how to is because they don’t end rumor-spread- communicate with each other.” know how to commuAllyson Phan, freshman ing, along with nicate with each other,” opinions from our says Phann. school psychologist, Kath- “If you don’t participate, Starting rumors as a way leen Wright. others will stop trying to to start a conversation is “We can redirect the [share it] with you. If we quite common, unforconversation to make it all pay attention to what tunately. Telling rumors clear that talking about we are saying, we have a about others can affect others in a negative way is better chance of creating our school environment in not something we want to more positive interactions a negative way, from miparticipate in,” Dr. Wright at our school.” nor discomfort to being said. “If the comments Allyson Phann, a fresh- downright hurtful and it made are particularly nega- man, said, “[You] should becomes almost impossible tive, we can confront them get an adult and inform the to ignore for those who are directly and say ‘I wouldn’t person who’s being [talked impacted. want someone to talk about about], anonymously.” me that way,’ or something By informing an adult, [similar to] that.” you won’t have to risk beDr. Wright reminds you ing bothered by the person to keep your exchange as who started the situation,

THE AZTEC/VICTORIA RAMIREZ The Samsung Galaxy S7 is back to being the company’s flagship product after the recall of the Note 7.

TECHNOLOGY

Samsung suspends production of the Galaxy Note 7 A surprising turn of events for a celebrated smartphone

JASPER DUONG Staff Writer A shiny new phone with amazing quality to the camera, more options to customize pictures, has 6GB of RAM and 128 gigabytes of internal storage, and is especially very expensive since it’s one of the best phones ever created from Samsung.

On August 19, Samsung released their newest product the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and it was a big success.

When people got their Note 7, they had some issues with the phone, such as the battery was overheating. People who heard the reports of battery overheating got scared and Samsung had to tweet people to exchange their phone for another phone because of all the issues going on. The problem with the phone was the battery which kept on overheating and which lead to explosions. “Every time I charge my phone, I wind up reaching over and touching it to see if it’s getting warm,” a Note 7 user Andy Shannon told the CNN news.

Samsung sales were decreasing by $7 billion after the casualties and their plans for the new phone didn’t go the way they wanted it to.

The casualties were so horrifying that the airports had to tell passengers with the Note 7 to turn off

their phone so there would be no casualties while flying.

When the improved Samsung Galaxy Note 7 came out on September 28, the sales were going up from there and it became a big success. Even though some people are still afraid of the casualties, many people have bought the phone regardless of the stories.

On October 10, the company announced the production of the Samsung Note 7 to be stopped because they failed to fix the problems of the phone. In early October, after the improved phone came out, there was a fire.

“No action will be taken without the approval of CPSC. Customer safety remains our top priority.” The CPSC or Consumer Product Safety Commision announced this to the media. They were also the main group who started the recalls for all the Samsung.

The explosion of the phone hasn’t been solved and Samsung is stopping the production of the phones because of the problems with the battery. Samsung is now suffering a $10 billion problem and could lose $9.5 billion in sales.

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ETHICS AND RELIGION

COURTESY OF THE ARCADIA CHAMBER OF

From church to the shopping mall

DANIEL LU Copy Editor An analysis of corprate expression of religion in their products Businesses usually express their beliefs harmlessly and subtly. One of our favorite restaurants In-and-Out inscribes Bible references in fine print on the bottom of its popular drink cups and burger wrappers. We unfortunately cannot get ChikFil-A’s delicious, signature chicken burgers on Sundays, because its owner wants to remind its customers to worship God. Businesses like these should be allowed to advertise their beliefs through merchandise and actions, but a limit obviously exists that prevents business from selling or acting certain ways.

What is this limit exactly?

Well, we all know that it is unacceptable for a business to restrict the LGBT community from buying its wedding cakes or for a business to spread overzealous propaganda on its merchandise, because both of these actions would drive away potential customers and, more seriously, involve controversial moral complications.

Forever 21 is among a sea of large business chains in America that advocate for Christianity. Its founders, the deeply religious couple Do Won Chang and Jin Sook, intentionally printed John 3:16 on the shopping bags, hoping that the scripture would teach others of God’s love. However, is it okay for Forever 21 to place the Christian tag John 3:16 on the bottom of its trademark yellow bag? The deciding factor here for the advertisement of these religious allusion really depends on how it would affect the businesses customer retention rates — whether or not it would turn on

or off potential customers.

Although they have seen other businesses do something similar, it was a little surprising to a few Keppel students that one of their favorite clothing stores features a Bible reference on the very bottom of its trademark yellow bag.

“I did not know [about the Biblical reference],” senior Thomas Chuong, an AllMale performer and regular customer of Forever 21 said. “ I do see Forever 21 differently.” Despite his newfound knowledge of Forever 21’s religious standing,

“I, along with other people, respect it, because it is their own belief; it won’t change my opinion.”

-Thomas Chuong, senior Chuong still chooses the famous retail store as his most favorite place to at the mall. “Whenever I go shopping, Forever 21 is always a place I will visit because they have some style options for great prices,” Chuong said. “I don’t think it [the Bible reference] matters, as long as it isn’t racist or offending, because it’s simple advertising on the bag.”

Chuong expresses the indifference that many students feel about how their favorite businesses advertise personal beliefs. “I, along with other people respect

it, because it is their own belief; it won’t change my opinion on them,” Chuong said.

However, Chuong states his view of what limit should be placed on the extent of how far businesses should advertise their beliefs. “I don’t think they [businesses] should be judging and putting their personal opinion on believing what’s right and what is wrong or saying how a religion should be,” Chuong explains. “I don’t think businesses should be having their beliefs telling them how to run their business.”

Freshman Connie Chung, also a regular customer of the retail store, never noticed the Bible reference either. Like Chuong, Chung expresses her indifference to the fact that one of her favorite stores is religiously affiliated.

“Forever 21 has affordable products that are appealing, [and] it’s great they are advertising about their beliefs,” Chung said. “I go there to look for clothes, and a sign on a bag doesn’t change anything; unless they [potential customers] are hardcore atheists, I would assume that the tags wouldn’t even affect the rates.”

Chung states her opinion on how the religious tag would influence customers.

She knows that not all people — “hardcore atheists” — will accept the tag.

Although Chung believes that the rates would not be affected, Forever 21 may need to give up a small percentage of customers to accommodate its want to express its religious views.

“They [businesses] should be allowed [to

express their beliefs], but it is no guarantee that everyone will be accepting of it,” said Chung, “That is the business’ preference, just like you should not tell a writer how to write their books, no one should tell businesses how to run their business.”

She then explains the line that businesses are forbidden to cross when they advertise their views. “Business should have the right to refuse service to people [based on its belief ], who they feel can be harmful, but to a certain extent,” Chung said. “Not a whole race or group (like LGBT).” As clearly expressed by students Chuong and Chung, as long as it does not cause

RACE RELATIONS

The Forgotten Oscars

A thoughtful discussion on race in cinema BIANCA CRUZ Staff Writer

Race had always been a source of controversy and we are still struggling with combatting it. America has progressed in many ways to stride forward like the right to vote for African Americans. If America is progressing from racial equality then why is the Hollywood movie industry still portraying racial stereotypes in the same ways?

A chart conducted by LeeandLow.com shows the diversity gap with the Emmy Awards from 1992- 2015. For the past 24 years, 100% of all comedy series directors were white, 96% of lead actors in a drama series were white and 87% of lead actors in a comedy series were white. Actors playing the same race are usually portrayed in the same stereotypical ways. Such as latinos beinging drama queens, maids, or gardeners. “Asians are portrayed as smart, antisocial nerds while African Americans are seen as ghetto,” said senior Zen Tran. Tran believes that “the Hollywood industry can only change when they start to portray characters not according to stereotypes [and] many of these characters typically act in ways society believes they act.”

“It seems that people are portrayed this way because it’s what the people like,” said junior Ailin Lin.

As junior Albert Aguilar said “white washing prevails in our society.”

“It’s a problem that definitely needs to be addressed, well rather has been addressed, but still lacks any monumental change,” said Tatina Garnett senior drama student.

In a chart conducted by PBS, White actors have been favored for a long time. According to data from 2007 to 2014 white characters have been the majority 70%-80% of characters. In difference African American actors have been 10% to 15% and Hispanic and Asian actors each have been around 5%. Garnett believes that the industry can change by beginning to make movies more diverse.

“Personally I strongly dislike these stereotypes. It limits the chance for actors to portray characters that are different than how people believe they are. Finally, it allows certain cultures to be perceived in a certain way when most cultures are simply not that one-dimensional,” Garnett said.

THE AZTEC/VICTORIA RAMIREZ

Your voice. Your school. Your

Viewpoint. The opinion stories.

COMMERCE

POLITICS

Presidential Election Student Poll, 2016

“Which candidate would you prefer to become the President of the United States?”

Donald Trump Republican

Hillary Clinton Democratic

RESULT: Hillary Clinton- Democrat (153 votes) 67% Donald Trump- Republican (76 votes) 33% 229 students reporting.

This poll was conducted by Eric Tam (Viewpoint Editor).

DISCLAIMER: This poll was conducted as a random sample in which the participants came from classrooms that were chosen at random during the same period by lottery. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were the only two candidates that were offered to be chosen in this poll.

CULTURE AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE

The prevalence of cultural appropriation

An examination on the recent awareness of cultural appropriation BRANDON LAM Staff Writer

COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES

VIEWPOINT IN NEWS Disney has temprorarily suspended sales of its “Moana” costume after complaints that it encourages cultural appropriation.

It’s almost that time of the year again for kids to look for Halloween costumes. However, kids have been starting to wear costumes that portray that common stereotypes of some cultures. An example can be an African American wearing traditional Chinese clothing. This ended up causing a controversy over culture appropriation for Halloween costumes. Some people believe that kids dressing up with costumes that portray another culture’s stereotypes are used as a joke to make fun of that culture. They suggest that people should not dress up as the culture as a sign of respect. Others think the opposite. They believe that wearing a costume of a culture is appropriate for Halloween.

William Lu, junior, states that he is “not offended because everyone is entitled to their own costume opinion.”

Lu is not the only person that thinks this way. Patrick Chan, senior, also agrees with him.

“I approve of people wearing costumes that reflect the ste-

reotypes of different cultures” is what Chan says.

There have been articles online, however, which support the fact that it is unappropriate for a person to wear a costume that shows off the stereotypes of a culture.

Professor Scafidi of Fordham University says, “You’re just kicking them when they are down” when people dress in costumes of cultures that they oppress.

This controversy has sprung up in many places and has caused a huge deal. Like Lu, most people believe that it is appropriate for a person to dress up with a costume that contains stereotypes of other cultures. “Halloween is a time where anyone can dress up how they want to and not be judged” is what Lu states.

Alongside not really caring, Cristian Diaz, junior, has stated that he would “find it quite hilarious to see what sort of stereotype they could get out of [his] race” even though he has stated it was possible for him to be offended.

The issue over culture appropriation has shown to be very attracted to the public. Many people share their opinion on whether it is appropriate or not wearing costumes that explicitly show the common stereotypes of a culture.

A piece of advice that can be given to people is that be prepared if someone confronts you about the costume you are wearing. Some people might find the costume you are wearing as funny, but others might not find it amusing at all. In this case, there should be no reason why people should take offense to a Halloween costume. Halloween is a time for people to be what they are not for one night.

Cultural appropriation should not be heavily considered because of how the tone of the night is very festive and jolly. Kids are wearing these costumes because they find interest in them.

6 FOCUS

THE A

KEPPEL URB Do ghosts exist?

KELLIE CHIN Staff Writer Not everyone believes in ghosts. Although ghosts are a very popular Halloween symbol, ghosts are not as popular as they were in the past.

The chilling “ghost” pictures on Facebook does not exactly prove the existence of ghosts and spirits in reality. Because of modern technology, it is hard to tell whether that image was photoshopped or not. So far, there is no scientific reasoning to prove the existence of ghosts in our world.

Junior Phoebe Wong says, “I don’t think [ghosts] make sense scientifically.” Currently science does not have an explanation for most paranormal activities, like ghosts. Still, there are many theories on their existence.

Senior Tommy Ho says, “I believe in ghosts. I just always have because of stories I’ve heard or read since I was little.” Just like any character from books or movies, people who grow up believing in the idea that the character, such as ghosts, exists in reality because of the influence of the stories.

According to Keppel’s psychologist Jenny Lin, “Sometimes people believe in ghosts because of their loved ones [who passed] away and they [still] feel very attached to that person, [thinking] that their spirit are still around.” Some people that have experienced a lost loved one may say that their loved ones are watching them and protecting them in their ghost or spirit form.

In other words, ghosts and spirits are there because we believe they are.

Ghosts are most popular on Halloween. Around 2,000 years ago, the Celts believed that on this night, the boundary between the realms of the living and dead became blurred — the dead returned as ghosts and they could walk amongst the living. Ms. Lin says, “Everybody believes in Santa Claus, so for Halloween, [people] associate ghosts [with Halloween]. It could be kind of symbolic and fun for the holidays.”

Real or not real, the idea of ghosts have been a part of history. There is no way to prove whether they are real or not, it just depends on a person’s reasons for believing or not believing.

WARNING

This is the Mark Kepp staff. If you do not s newspaper within 24 ho will experience twenty bad luck.

Do you beli Keppel is hau 30% no

194 STUDENTS WERE POLLED

The rumored bomb bunker turns out to be just a boiler room under A Building.

THE AZTEC/VICTORIA RAMIREZ

Bomb bunker: debunked EVAN CHENG Staff Writer Seventeen feet under the Guidance Office is a collection of rusted pipes, outdated machinery, and a wealth of historical significance. Built as early as the school in 1939, the boiler room produced and distributed steam throughout Keppel until the installation of air conditioning around 2005. Now it serves as a secondary maintenance hub and a focal point for student speculation.

“Maybe it’s the clown headquarters,” suggests freshman Mindy Ren, referencing the upcoming holiday.

Members of the track team provided more grounded responses, mentioning a spacious manhole along the track: “It looks like a bomb shelter,” says Chauncey

Vuong, sophomore. Rumors also surfaced from the wrestling team, describing the metallic echo that tapping on the floor of the wrestling room produces - supposedly evidence of a vast underground tunnel.

As it turns out, the truth isn’t so far away. According to Oscar Gonzalez, Maintenance Mechanic, an underground tunnel once connected the boiler room and the old gym, but was “sealed by cinder blocks” long before he started working at Keppel.

Additionally, these underground structures were built with the potential to “house a community” in the event of “possible war”, says Assistant Principal Cynthia Prentice. In other words, the designated “bomb shelter” that so many Keppel students wondered about was nonexistent, but rather, present in the form of the boiler room and the sealed underground tunnel.

AZTEC

OCTOBER 13, 2016 7

BAN LEGENDS THE AZTEC/AURORA ZENG

pel Aztec share this ours, you y years of

Ghosts of Keppel Shower room spirit

AURORA ZENG Focus Editor/ Head Cartoonist

ieve unted?

70% yes

When sophomore Valerie Lam started her freshman year at Keppel, her older sister tried to convince her that the showers in the girls’ locker room were haunted. Apparently, a girl had committed suicide in the shower room a long time ago after being constantly bullied, and ever since then, she has been seen pacing back and forth, saying, “Why, why, why…”

This story originates from retired PE and Dance teacher, Ms. Heredia. Although she could not be reached for an interview, her past students can confirm her tales, including Lam’s older sister, alumni Cassidy Lam. Valerie has her doubts about the rumor.

The showers have been taped off for a very long time, and perhaps the most logical answer to why they are blocked off is simply that they are not in use. An interview with the Keppel alumni of the Class of 1966 reTHE AZTEC/ANGELA CHEN veals that showers were mandatory back then, Water continues to drip down from the show- but the exact year of discontinuation remains erheads despite being disconnected to the pipes, unknown. collecting in a mass of mold on the tiled floor.

“I’ve never heard [the spirits],” locker room attendant Ellie Ruiz says, referring to

Ms. Heredia’s stories. “[Truthfully], I’ll hear something too, but I don’t want to say it’s a spiritual thing...I’ll holler out, ‘Is someone there?’, but of course no one will respond.”

These noises do not have to be related to ghosts, either. Ellie states that they were more like stomps than voices, and could possibly originate from other sources like plumbing.

Even Principal Scanlan does not believe in the rumor. “Caution tape wouldn’t be able to keep the ghost out,” he jokes, referring to the line of caution tape sealing off the entrance to the showers. “But the showers are definitely blocked off for a reason other than ghosts.”

“I’ve never heard anything about ghosts,” plant foreman Bob Guerra admits. He also suggests that the school sealed off the showers to prevent students from hiding in there to skip PE. Whether or not a ghost really resides in the girls’ locker room showers is up to students at Keppel to believe. As Ms. Heredia puts it, some people are just more attuned to the spirit world than others.

The Phantom of the auditorium WELSEY ZENG Sports Editor/Business Manager Mark Keppel has many haunting tales ranging back all the way to its opening in 1941; one of the most popular ones is situated in the auditorium. Tech Theatre teacher Mr. Gillette and Drama teacher Ms. Phillips had agreed on the same story when asked about George.

Back in the 1940s, only a couple of years after the school was opened, there was a janitor named George who was the cleaning the catwalk located 30 to 40 feet above the stage.

An accident occurred, and he fell to his death as he landed on the stage. After the incident, George has been deemed haunting the auditorium since, spending most of his time on the catwalk or in the projection booth.

Throughout the past years, George has made encounters with many people. Mr. Gillette experienced multiple occasions with George, from hearing “noises that don’t make sense in the space” to incidents where “tools will go missing and show up in places where they never should have been.”

“I was in the auditorium by myself very late at night and I saw a shape move across the catwalk from one side to the other,” Mr. Gillette explains, describing how “students... feel something brush against them, touching their shoulders or necks when they’ve been in the catwalk or the projection booth.”

Phillips also illustrates her acquittances with George, having “a “feeling” that some-

one is there.” She explains how it’s the little things, whether it was seeing something from the corner of her eye when she’s alone in the auditorium, the sound of steps, and doors that were shut opening.

Although there have been many encounters with the ghost George, some people state otherwise. Alumni of the Class of 1966 stated that they have never heard of the story or had any encounters with George. There were also no articles or news evidence covering George’s accident. This leaves many to speculate: Is the legend of George an actual occurrence or only a fable?

5, 6, 7, 8, let’s get this myth straight TIMOTHY CHUMAN & ANGELA CHEN Copy Editor & Asst. Editor-in-Chief Rumor has it that for many years, the dance studio has been home to paranormal activity.

Irene Heredia, the former performing arts teacher and gardening club advisor shared what she knew about this ghost. The PE teacher used to do yoga with her students in the dance studio. One time she claimed that a student, amidst the silence of the studio, had felt an evil presence while meditating. The presence was especially strong in the dance studio, which makes many people wonder if the room is truly haunted. The name of the

student who felt the spirit was never disclosed, but his chilling experience has been retold by Ms. Heredia to her other students numerous times.

Ellie Ruiz, the locker room attendant, said that although she never believed in ghosts, Ms. Heredia and herself used to tell ghost stories in the girls locker room, and prank the girls by doing things such as turning off the lights or slamming the doors.

While the rumors float around of ghosts existing in the dance studio, there are many people who reject this idea. Multiple people

on the dance team deny ever even hearing about this ghost, while Activate Arroyo, the dance instructor, had nothing much to say either.

“I cannot confirm or deny that there is a ghost here,” Arroyo commented.

Whether or not the ghost in the dance studio actually exists is questionable, but it is something to consider as Halloween quickly approaches.

Looking for revenge

BY ALEXANDER KWOK

STAFF WRITER

The Drake and Future co-headlining tour, Summer Sixteen, embarked in Austin, Texas on July 20, 2016, and is planned to conclude in Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center on October 16, 2016. South Africa is the main international destination in September.

The tour features a number of guests including Derrick Rose, T.I, Dipset, Remy Ma, Fat Joe, A$AP Ferg, A Boogie, J Cole, and Charlamagne Tha God in NYC. LeBron James who was a surprise guest at the Ohio stop on August 13 and Eminem graced the stage with Drake in Detroit on August 16. The Young Money don himself, Lil Wayne, also joined Drake in Philly. Weezy popped up again in Houston with Bun B and in Los Angeles with Rihanna and DJ Khaled. In Oakland on Sept. 14: Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Nef the Pharaoh and Too Short were guests. And at his most recent show in Inglewood on Sept. 29, Drake called upon all the big dogs, bringing out Dr, Dre, Ice Cube, Big Sean, and French Montana.

It is their first time touring together, and Drake’s first tour since 2014 in his first tour, “Would you

like a tour?” Drake and Future were supposed to go on the “Would you like a tour?” tour, but they both had with each other and Drake decided to do it alone.

Mark Keppel Senior Ashley Molina attended the tour during its Los Angeles and Inglewood shows. Ashley commented on what she was expecting, “I honestly didn’t expect much, but once the show started I was totally blown away. There wasn’t one second where I was bored; the whole thing was amazing!”

From the two shows Ashley went to, she compared both of them

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and commented about it saying, “Expectations were met for the first show, but he let me down for the second... Hands down one of the best concerts I’ve been to.”

Keppel Classics

Stranger Things and chill

STAFF WRITER

STAFF WRITER

BY SELINA MARTINEZ

When deciding what to read this fall and winter, look no further than Keppel’s own library and pick up a “Keppel Classic”. Books like those written by Rick Riordan, John Green, JK Rowling, Rainbow Rowell, and James Dashner are reads that have become Keppel Classics because ever since they came out, they have not stopped trending.

“Books with reluctant heroes often appeal to many audiences because they’re rooting for them” English teacher Ms. Carmona says. “[Also] the idea of a dystopian trends because the story is in a messed up world and teenagers feel like they can relate to that.”

Many of the Keppel Classics take place in an imperfect or chaotic world or have a quirky hero. In Rick Riordan books the hero that has his own unique personality that fans come to adore. Books written

by John Green have also kept trending because they deal with messed up realities that teenagers can connect to.

English teacher Ms. Burkhart recommends John Green’s books.

She says, “[They] live up to the hype. [They] deal with painful, dif ficult themes and help people process them.” Ms. Burkhart supports any book that teaches an important lesson and gives readers a new perspective.

Additionally, anything by Rick Riordan is recommended by Ms. Carmona. She says she “likes that mix of modern with fantasy” the books provide.

Keppel Classics have been on trending shelves for years so chances are you might have already read them all. If that’s the case, Ms. Bur khart and Ms. Carmona provide other options for highschool students. They suggest students read Ordinary People by Judith Guest, In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason and Something In Between by Melissa De La Cruz. All three stories follow teenagers and their journey through life-changing experiences.

ARDELL SEASON

BY CHRISTOPHER DAO

The Netflix original series, Strang- es to the ‘80s” in the second season. er Things is a science-fiction horror With a talented cast of actors rangTV series created by Matt and Ross Duffer. The first season was released on Netflix on July 15, 2016. Set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana in the 1980s, the plot follows the disappearance of a young boy and the arrival of a telekinetic girl. As they begin to uncover the truth, they must confront terrifying forces in order to get him back.

“I think that it’s the best television series I may have ever watched.

Stranger Things develops its story at a steady pace and at the end of each episode, would make me want to keep watching more.” said junior Noah Ma. Stranger Things has acquired an average of 14.07 million views within its first 35 days, making it one of the most watched, and best-reviewed original series on Netflix. Fans of the show have found its revival of the early ‘80s vibes accurate. Mr. Luong, a teacher here at Keppel, agrees with this and hopes to see “more referenc-

ing from early teens to middle age adults, the show brings a variety of well assorted factors to enforce tension into the story. Fans all over the country have been eagerly anticipating more episodes.

Netflix announced the second season is to be released in 2017. Fans are excited to see how season two will play out, and others predict what they are excited to see for the upcoming season. “I am very excited about season two of Stranger Things,” said senior Fernando Sanchez-Palafox.

Junior Annie Ngo predicts “there will be new characters.”

Stranger Things has become such a world-wide phenomenon, stars from the show Millie Bobby Brown, Caleb McLaughlin, and Gaten Matarazzo were invited to attend the 68th annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Cast members also did a wide range of interviews with late night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel.

BY CELESTE GIL

STAFF WRITER

Ardell has recently come out with new lashes for fall inspired looks, with the start of Autumn.

October is here, and to fashionistas, this means more fuller dramatic false lashes for Halloween inspired looks. This change in season is exciting makeup artists and enthusiasts everywhere, especially on Youtube where makeup artists like Daisy Marquez and Jaclyn Hill are

raving about the new release.

The new lashes to this season’s fall lookbook are called Double Demi Wispies. Ardell’s Demi Wispies are the best selling and the company just doubled them for maximum volume. Their website states that the “lashes [are] maximized by stacking two lashes on top of each other on one band for added volume”.

“Ardell is the only brand I use,” says junior, Aubrey Nguyen.

Ardell is known for their durability and for its long lasting ability. “I reuse them up to 20 times,” says junior, Judith Velasquez. Other brands, such as Daiso, only last for up to five uses total. One single pack of Ardell’s lashes cost from

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three to four dollars, and guarantees up to 20 uses, making it worth your money. Ardell is also known for its multi-packs, which come with four lashes and cost from nine to ten dollars, depending on the exact pair of lashes that one purchases.

The Walking Dead walks again

BY FAITH TORRES AND ANGELA CHEN

STAFF WRITER; ASST. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

AMC’s The Walking Dead will be making its season 7 return on October 23 with a new episode titled, “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be.” At the conclusion of the season six finale, a valued member of Rick Grimes’ (portrayed by Andrew Lincoln) apocalyptic survival group was ruthlessly murdered by new villain Negan (portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan). The episode was left at a compelling cliffhanger in which the victim (or victims) of the brutal assault is left unrevealed. Many fans are eagerly waiting for the season 7 premiere, but others are criticizing the show for its lackluster antagonists. The Walking Dead’s main threat has always been the walkers, but lately, it seems as if AMC is slowly running out of ideas for new threats for the main characters to overcome. Fortunately for fans, Negan seems to have a lot in store for our favorite walker-smashing cast.

According to news sources, Negan will have a very real, very permanent effect on the show, and knowing The Walking Dead, that can’t exactly be a good thing for our beloved characters.

Brandon Thom, owner of a popular The Walking Dead fanpage account on Instagram @twdtruefacts, stated, “[I think] that the show is starting to become a money-grabber now, but I have a good feeling that once Negan’s in play that the show will become much better.”

AMC’s The Walking Dead won Best Choice Award for Favorite TV Anti-Hero, AFI TV Program of the Year, Satellite Award for Best Television Series, and six more awards in the past six years. Hopefully, this impressive track record will continue for future seasons.

Where art thou, Banksy?

BY KATARINA FERNANDEZ AND ANITA HUANG

STAFF WRITER; WEB EDITOR

Anonymous street artist, Banksy, has expressed his points on political issues. One of his recent works involves plastic guns hanging from a ceiling to form a larger gun at a certain angle, is called Truth to Power. Keppel’s art teacher, Ms. Bostwick said, “[Street artists are] taking ordinary images to public view to express social and economic concerns.”

Bostwick adds that this is to show “how common the problem is and taking the trait that is childish by the use of plastic toys.”

Senior Susan Guan, who has taken art classes for three years, said, “Graffiti is an artist’s way of letting the people know what’s going on through their art, to convey a message and Banksy does a good job at it.”

Recently, Banksy has been neutral on the presidential election, whereas other street artists have been very vocal about their views. Bostwick also said the reason for this is because “[Banksy] is smart enough to know that certain things speak for themselves.” He is also known for being unique in his art, and feels the mockery of the presidential election has already been addressed.

There are different types of graffiti, such as wildstyle, tagging slaps (stickers), or stencils. Banksy started his graffiti career off with stenciling; a process in which the artist would cut out sections to create gaps and designs, then spray paint over it to fill in the gaps.

Stenciling is popular amongst graffiti artists as it is easy to slap on a surface, spray paint over it, and run. Like many artists, Banksy has switched up his signature graffiti to leaving sculptures and creating huge pieces with the help of other street artists.

In the summer of 2015, he recreated ‘Dismaland’, a theme park project designed in mockery of Disneyland. This was a product of his own work with aide from other street artists in creating a dystopian theme park.

R.I.P. Brangelina

BY FATIMA HEMDAN

STAFF WRITER

Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt on September 19 and is seeking sole physical custody. The split allegedly was brought about by differences in “lifestyle and parenting.” They have been together for 12 years but wed in 2014 in France.

Jolie and her 6 children; Maddox, Pax, Zahra, Shiloh and twins Knox and Vivienne Jolie-Pitt have been staying at a rental home in Malibu after Jolie was granted full custody in a temporary deal with Brad.

Brad will be permitted visitation rights but with a therapist during the temporary period.

The whole family will also have counseling together. There have been claims that Brad allegedly mistreated his son Maddox after a drunken confrontation on a private jet, but sources say Angelina does not want him to be prosecuted for child abuse allegations. Senior, Kammi Huynh, was shocked when

she heard of the news but she says that it wasn’t unexpected because every couple under that kind of celebrity spotlight usually ends up in a breakup/divorce. When asked if all Hollywood couples are set to fail, Kammi stated, “No, not necessarily. It all depends on the couple and how they get along and make it work.”

Almost every day we hear stories of our favorite couple leaving each other after many years together. Some might say that this has become a Hollywood/fame norm, including Senior, Aliyah Sales; “I believe that it is normal that famous people have scandalous relationship problems because it would provide publicity, probably set by a manager; Hollywood relationships are not private, [so] sometimes keeping a worthwhile-relationships [is] tiring [because] they are both busy.”

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Although this was a contraband, many people came out to walk around and enjoy the art exhibit for a limited time. After a week of showing, ‘Dismaland’ was bulldozed down. Much of Banksy’s art has been defaced and taken down, which has struck controversy to whether graffiti should be considered good or bad.

Book vs Movie: Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children

BY HELEN LUU

STAFF WRITER

A highly anticipated movie hit the theaters on September 30: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.

Based on the trailers, this PG-13 movie seems a bit dark as it involves a young boy named Jake who is transported into another world where he uncovers the mysteries of a magical school.

Angela Trieu, a sophomore said, “I just went to watch the movie last Friday. It was pretty good, but a bit confusing for me. My younger sister

liked it a lot though.” Afterwards, she added, “There was a lot of people at the movie theater when I watched it.’’

This story was originally written and published

by Ransom Rims in 2011. It was named a New York Times bestseller because of its unique blend of horror-fiction and photography. There is a difference in the plot in the book and movie. However, the changes aren’t drastic, as the director Tim Burton stays true to the core concept.

The Keppel librarian, Ms. Vernon said, “I actually haven’t read the book yet. I might watch it, but my children are too young... the movie seems too scary for them.”

Junior Gabrielle Angel said, “I think the book is better than the movie. I liked how the book had messages that are deep and it had quotes about growing up, reality, and being different.”

Overall, Angel concluded both to be good, but the book to be better.

10 Sports

Cross Country team poses after their race at Legg Lake on September 28

The aztec

Freshmen excel; varsity gains young athletes

COURTESY OF NOAH SANCHEEZ

Cross Country prepares for race against Schurr LESLIE SOTO Photographer On October 19th, Mark Keppel Cross country will be racing their second meet of the season at Legg Lake., where they had previously raced on September 28. In this race they will be going up against all the cross teams in the Almont league.

Noah Sanchez, senior captain for boys varsity said “our biggest competition would be Schurr.” At league finals last year Schurr High School came in first for girls and boys varsity. Katie, Noah and other members of the team feel they have good chance on beating Schuur this year and on the 19th is where they start.

In the last seven years, despite their hard work and dedication Mark Keppel cross country has not been able to push through and make it to CIF, but this year they have high hopes. Girls varsity is currently in 4th, which qualifies them to enter CIF. Katie Chan, senior captain for girls varsity has been a team member for four years.

She explained how the coaching methods

October 13, 2016

that coach Gerson has been using are very intense but the outcome they have been receiving is worth the sore legs and the 6 am practices. Which is why many team members say the upcoming race on the 19th will give them more time to improve and get into that “in season feeling.”

Although this is only coach Gerson’s second year working at Mark Keppel he says “They are a very hard working team with a big heart.” Gerson also thinks that the captains for both varsity teams set a very good example for all the other team members by being respectful and hardworking.

Noah stated, “We have a better chance than previous years.”

Although boys varsity have been working hard and their times have improved he doesn’t think they are ready for CIF just yet. While the Frosh/Soph team is currently third in the league, the varsity team is last. Their goal for now is to beat Schurr at the upcoming race, one of the more athletic teams in the Almont league and soon after that, qualify for CIF.

Freshmen Diego and Michael Herrera pose together as players in the varsity soccer team.

MAPLE DUONG Staff Writer

We all know how difficult it is to make it onto varsity sports teams; but that doesn’t make it impossible. Mark Keppel’s freshmen Michael Granados, Laird Anderson, Diego and Michael Herrera, Joshua Li, and Audrey Thomas are all in varsity sports teams.

Michael Granados, who is on the varsity basketball team, has been playing basketball since he was 3 years old. His teammates have been “helping them on their journey”, one person being Laird Anderson who is also playing on the varisty team.

Playing in multiple recreation leagues, such as the Monterey Park Sports Club, has prepared Granados for high school varsity basketball. “Running is mandatory for varsity,” he said. “Therefore, a lot of self-conditioning is a must.”Basketball isn’t the only sport with freshmen playing on varsity.

“The new team I play for is completely

COURTESY OF THE AZTEC STAFF different than the AYSO [American Youth Soccer Organization] group,” said Diego Herrera, a varsity soccer athlete. “But I kept working and my coach worked to help me...so here I am today.”

At the age of 6, Diego and his twin brother Michael Herrera both started out as young athletes. Several years of playing soccer has shaped them into people able to bear the responsibilities of playing with upperclassmen.

Another freshman varsity player is Joshua Li, who plays in the Varsity Boys Tennis Team. He describes how no one really believed in him, so he practice harder to prove others wrong.

Now, Li is going to an upcoming National Tennis Tournament in South Carolina. He plays alongside freshman Audrey Thomas, a member of the Girls Varsity Tennis Team.

“Don’t give up, even though you’re gonna go through a lot of challenges in life, you have to persevere.” said Granados. “And don’t forget to come and watch us play.”

Girls Tennis wins 12-6 against San Gabriel

TIMOTHY CHUMAN Copy Editor

After losing 6 consecutive games, the Mark Keppel Girls Varsity tennis team has rebounded in a big way as they won their next 5 games including the game on Tuesday afternoon against San Gabriel.

The Keppel tennis team currently has an 8-8 overall record, but they improved to 4-1 in league play with Tuesday’s win to move into second place in the Almont League. The Aztecs beat San Gabriel 12-6 for the second time this season, and Head Coach Mike Ten was very pleased with the win.

“Last time, we got 9 points from our singles and only 3 from our doubles.

Yesterday, we got 5 [points] from our doubles, which was a remarkable improvement,” Ten said.

Ten attributed the win to the impressive play by Maliah Pierribia and Audrey Thomas, as they both turned in 3-0 performances, going undefeated for the day.

He also compliments the doubles team, for being more consistent this game.

Team captains Michelle Lam and Vicky Chan reiterated that their team succeeded because of the way their doubles played.

“We did exceptional for doubles because our volleys were a lot better and even though we had a different lineup because some of the starters were not there,

we were still able to win,” Lam said.

The captains emphasized that it wasn’t as challenging to adjust to the lineup change because the team gets used to playing with each other as the coach often changes their partners. However, this constant partner exchange has helped in the development of the players as two thirds of their team is in their first year of varsity tennis.

“It’s a culture shock for the players to go from first team JV players to first team varsity players. It is a drastic difference in the tennis level,” Ten said.

Yet, despite their inexperience, the captains are very confident that their team has improved in comparison to last year.

“Our teamwork is a lot better, the lineup is a lot better, and all of our practice over the summer and before school has helped improve us as players,” Chan said.

The Aztecs are now getting ready for Thursday’s game against Schurr. Coach Ten asserted that the game against San Gabriel was a huge part of the preparation for the game against Schurr. The combinations and tactics that were used against San Gabriel will be adjusted to match up with Schurr.

“We are going to make some adjustments and now that we are four or five games into the season, hopefully our singles have gotten more experience and [the team] will get in their points,” Ten

Freshmen Michael Granados and Laird Anderson.

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Putt golf back into Keppel

MAYRA GAMBOA & DANIEL LU Staff Writer & Copy Editor

The Mark Keppel golf club was officially disbanded in 2014, but recently, students and staff have expressed their interest in bring back the formerly popular stick-and-ball game back on campus.

According to senior Sharon Hui who used to be a part of golf club in her sophomore year, the club used to meet at Almansor golf course for practice. However, due to decreased attendance, the club was eventually disbanded. She stated, “[The] glory days were back before [I entered high school].”

Ms. Lupe agrees that students would

play golf. She says that golf is an “enjoyable sport.” Since she has had golf experience, she knows that people would definitely enjoy golf.

She said “Once you learned playing you will like the sport.”

The funds for golf would be a problem since we don’t have enough or sufficient equipment for the sport. She suggested if people can donate a few equipment for golf instead of buying expensive equipment.

With that said, should Keppel bring back golf club, or is its legacy all that will be left of the beloved sport?

October 13, 2016

The Aztec

Sports 11

Liam Cervantes waves and smiles as he recieves the award.

Keppel’s Football team practices a game with their gear to prepare for their upcoming home games.

Varsity football prepares for Bell Gardens despite two previous forfeits TIMOTHY CHUMAN

cautiously for their next game against Bell Gardens.

“We’ve reduced contact to prevent inFor the duration of the football season, juries during practice, but it has given us the Mark Keppel varsity football team has time to get the plays down better and heal seen their numbers dwindle due to injuries. up the injured players,” Chuang said.

As a result, the Aztecs have had to forfeit The team is trying to do as much as posgames against Wilson High School and sible to prevent cancelling future games.

Schurr High School to begin conference Sophomore Mathew Guevara said that play. the team is trying their best to recruit The Aztecs currently have 22 players more guys to play. “The more bodies we on their roster, and with 11 players on the have, the better of a chance we have of not field at a time, they can not afford many in- giving up,” he said. juries. Coach John Tuttle emphasized that The Keppel Aztecs now look toward one of the effects of the cancelled games is their matchup with winless Bell Gardens that it takes the team out of its rhythm. in their first official conference game of the Senior Kyle Chuang gave his thoughts on season.“Our kids out here now are worknot being able to play the normal amount ing hard and hopefully we can get it turned of games in his final year of high school around,” Tuttle said. football. “It doesn’t feel good because I haven’t played much in the past. It sucks that we don’t have the same opportunity as se niors before and after us.”

Yet the break has given the team some much needed time to heal and prepare Copy Editor

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COURTESY OF LIAM CERVANTES

Rookie of the year: Liam Cervantes BREANDA GIANG Staff Writer

Liam Cervantes, a senior, won the award “Rookie of the Year” during the Major League Baseball season for working at the Dodger Stadium.

Cervantes started working at the Dodger Stadium on July 2nd until September 25th, which was the end of the season. During that time, he worked on days when the Dodger Stadium was holding home games.

He was rewarded with a full size bat with his department name, “BluePrints,” and his name engraved on it.

The department, “BluePrints,” is a photography service at Dodger’s Stadium that takes photos of people when they enter the stadium and also in their seats. After they take pictures, Liam Cervantes and other workers walk around the stadium to sell the pictures to the fans. From his work, he was nominated by his department and chosen by the department’s supervisor to win this special award. Upon receiving his award, he was shown on the big screen of the Dodger Stadium in front of the whole audience.

“I felt really proud about getting this

award.” said Liam Cervantes.

His experience on working at the Dodger Stadium really taught him that if you put in enough hard work, you will get rewarded in the end.

Liam Cervantes has been playing baseball ever since he was a little kid and is now in the Mark Keppel Varsity baseball team as both left and right fielder. He has been in the baseball team for 3 years and is planning to play for his final year in high school.

In those years of playing in the baseball team, he was also awarded the coach’s award, which represents the large amount of hard work that the person has contributed to the team.

“I wasn’t surprised that Liam won the award; he knows [what] he’s doing and he’s a very responsible, hard-worker,”said his teammate, Daniel De La Peña. This award shows that Cervantes is very passionate about baseball and truly cares about his teammates.

Cervantes is a big fan of baseball and plans to work again at the Dodger Stadium for the next baseball season because he loves the job and the amazing atmosphere of the stadium.

SPorts 12

october 13, 2016

the aztec

THE AZTEC/LESLIE SOTO

Athlete’s Profile: Katie Chan

TIFFANY LEUNG

Assistant News Editor

Keppel Girls Volleyball team returns ball towards Bell Gardens as others prepare for quick blocks.

THE AZTEC/ SCOTTY HONG

Girls Volleyball wins close game against Bell Gardens 3-2 LAURA CHEN

Staff Writer

After the 3-0 victory on the 22th of September, the Mark Keppel Girls’ Varsity volleyball team gained another 3-2 victory against Bell Gardens this past Tuesday.

Throughout the first two sets, the Aztecs and the Lancers experienced many times in which they were one or two points off.

It was a tight game, but Keppel was able to barely score higher. Thus, the Aztecs won the first and second set.

However, Coach Chu stated during the 3rd and 4th set, “When they began to lose by 5 or more points, it all just started going downhill.” This cost the team the games and the two sets were lost to Bell Gardens, resulting in a tie.

The Keppel team had got off to a rough start in the last set. They weren’t able to get to their places in time to dig the opposing team’s strikes and their serves often caught the net.

Towards the end of the set, the members from Bell Gardens began to strike outside the boundaries giving enough time for Mark Keppel to gain points, which result-

ed in their victory.

When Keppel played against Bell Gardens, Chu stated, “Our defense had been matched up with Bell Gardens, but our offense was just a little better which gave us the advantage.”

Last year, Mark Keppel had a home game against Bell Gardens in which they lost 3-1. Senior Kristyn Lee, who has been on the Varsity team since she was a sophomore, said, “There was this one player last year who was really tall. Every strike she made was straight down to the ground and we weren’t able to dig that.”

Compared to previous years, Coach Chu stated, “The varsity team has 10 seniors which is an advantage because it gives them experience so that they know what to do in tight situations like the ones today. This team has a way more positive and optimistic environment.”

This year, Team Captains Sarah Kim, Kristyn Lee, and Kathleen Lok stated that their team has bonded much more and developed better communication skills that helped them win during the game.

Kim stated, “We prepared for this season by practicing 2-3 hours everyday since

a week after last school year ended.” As a result of the hard work put into these practices, Lee states, “Our defense and offense has improved over the summer and is a lot better than the year before.”

Senior Katie Chan sought out her interests when she started high school only to come across cross country, which would not only establish her as a famed varsity runner but also as a mentor.

While in primary school, Katie Chan never considered being in a school sport, but her stamina showed her otherwise.

“I usually ran with the guys and was always the first girl to finish the runs,” said Chan. Despite only running to get a grade, Katie Chan slowly accepted her skill when she “generally had a feeling that [she] was a decent runner.”

Running in primary school did not cause Katie to immediately seek out a running-based sport in high school.

“I honestly had no idea what cross country was,” said Chan. “I had never thought I would succeed.” She tried out for Keppel’s dance team and Color Guard but did not pursue either one.

Her interests fluctuated until she joined cross country as she challenged herself to try a vigorous sport. What she had once thought was only a grade became an interest. She had joined cross country in the summer before her freshman year. In her first competition at the 2013 Rosemead Invitational, Chan won a medal and was placed in the Top 50.

After that competition, Chan was hooked onto the sport.

“I had the motivation to continue this sport for the rest of my high school career,” said Chan.

She will be concluding her four years in the sport when the 2016-17 season ends.

Being a student, athlete, and leader took a toll on Chan. She took positions in Key Club and is currently the founder of Keppel’s UNICEF club. Chan struggled at the beginning of her sophomore year with keeping a balance even before starting UNICEF. See the rest at www.theaztecnews.com

Sports Calendar Boys’ Water Polo

Cross Country

Football

10/18, versus Glendale 10/19, versus Schurr at 10/14, versus Bell Garat Barnes Park; Legg Lake; dens at Mark Keppel;

10/28, versus Arcadia 10/24, versus Schurr 10/21, versus MonteHigh School at Arcaat Barnes Park;

bello at Mark Keppel; dia Country Park;

10/31, versus Sierra 11/3, versus Bell Gar- 10/28, versus AlhamVista at Barnes Park; dens at Legg Lake; bra at Mark Keppel;

(Homecoming) 11/2, versus Bell Gardens at Bell Gardens;

Girls’ Tennis

Girls’ Volleyball

10/13, versus Schurr at 10/13, versus AlhamMark Keppel; bra at Alhambra;

10/20, versus Alham10/18, versus Montebra at Alhambra bello at Montebello

10/24, versus Marana- 10/20, versus San Gatha at Mark Keppel briel at Mark Keppel

10/25, versus Monte10/25, versus Schurr at bello at Mark Keppel Schurr