THE AZTEC VOLUME LXXVIV NUMBER VII
VIEWPOINT PG 4-5 Theatre Co. dazzles with Suitcase Dreams
News in Brief Annual Science Field Day Science Field Day, hosted by United Sciences, will held at Keppel on March 18th, Saturday morning for middle schoolers. The event is mirrored after the high school equivalent of Science Olympiad.
World Languages assembly All language classes at Mark Keppel will present their unique culture at an assembly on March 24. Prior to the assembly, a World Language Spirit Week will allow students to further integrate their knowledge on the different cultures.
ACADEC team advances to state competition Academic Decathlon team advances to state competitions, sponsered by the Northrop Grumman Corporation, in Sacramento on March 22nd to March 25th, after placing fourth in county competitions at El Rancho High School.
March 16, 2017
FOCUS PG 6-7 The fight for gender equality
FEATURES PG 8-9 Ed Sheeran's Divide album review
theaztecnews.com
SPORTS PG 11-12 Spring sports kick off their season games
Suitcase Dreams in full circle views MIRANDA KWOK Asst. Viewpoint Editor
The Mark Keppel Theatre Company presents Suitcase Dreams as this year’s spring play. Tickets are purchased at the door or online at mkhs.myschoolcentral.com for $12 per ticket. The show times are on March 16 and 17 at 7:30 pm and March 18 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm. Suitcase Dreams is a comedy piece that tells several unique stories about the baggage we carry in our lives. The play includes a cast of 14 actors, and features original music written by senior Mina Tran and junior Brendan Cheng. “It was kind of difficult at first to adapt because we weren’t really sure what the show was going to feel like until a couple weeks before, [when] we were able to rehearse with the actors,” commented Tran. “After that, we were starting to get a feel for it, so we split up the music so we can write parts for it.” Suitcase Dreams is chosen to be performed in the round on a circular stage. A theatre-inthe-round is any theatre space in which the audience surrounds the stage area, allowing the audience to have a 360° view of the performance. Actors may enter and exit through the audience from different directions or from below the stage. The stage is either below or at the level of the audience.
Suitcase Dreams performed its preview show for students afterschool on Wednesday, March 15. THE AZTEC / VICTORIA RAMIREZ
“It’s good and bad; pros is that it’s pretty intimate and easier to fill up seats, but we don’t make as much money,” said actor and senior Terena Phan. “[Performing in the round] is significantly more different than Keppel’s usual proscenium stage because you are up close and personal with the actors,” said Kevin Chen, Spotlight Operator for the show. However, “[the acoustics] were horrible. We
can’t hear ourselves because there isn’t a monitor up there,” said Cheng. Because Suitcase Dreams will be performed in the round, there will be a limited audience for each show. “There are 120 seats available for the audience in Suitcase Dreams rather than having approximately 300-400 seats in our normal shows,” said Christina Banh, a member of the show’s tech crew.
Top four ASB leaders announced NICOLE HERNANDEZ Staff Writer
Your calendar 3/16-3/18- Suitcase Dreams (7:30 pm, auditorium) 3/18- Science Field Day 3/19- Suitcase Dreams (2:00 pm, auditorium) 3/20-3/24- World Languages week 3/21- English Language Advisory Council #6 (6:30-7:30 pm at Cafeteria) 3/23- World Languages Assembly 3/24- Collaboration Day 3/27-3/31- Spring Break
Elections for the top four positions on the Associative Student Body (ASB) were held in Palm Court on March 9th. The results were sent out on March 10th. The new ASB officers are President Alyssa Wong, Vice President Carenna Woo, Speaker of the House Theresa Zhong, and Secretary of Clubs Britney Lam. According to the previous ASB advisor Ms. Carmona, an all girl Top 4 has not occurred at Keppel during her time as advisor. The week of elections was stressful for all candidates as they had to put up posters, encourage voting, and wait for the results. Woo was relieved when she found out she won, “I was really happy and relieved because it was an insanely stressful week.”
Top four ASB leaders, Theresa Zhong (11), Carenna Woo (11), Alyssa Wong (11), and Britney Lam (11), pose outside A building. THE AZTEC / KENNETH LIU
Despite just being elected President, Wong already has plans for next year, “I plan to host a variety of events and activities that will allow students to participate and be more involved. It’s really important that everyone in ASB has an opportunity to use their talents to contribute.” Wong is also excited about the top four positions being held by girls, “It will definitely be a new and interesting experience.
I’m really excited and I look forward to working with all of them. I feel that each of us has something valuable to contribute to ASB.”