The Aztec- September 2016 Issue

THE AZTEC VOLUME LXXVIV NUMBER I

IN THIS ISSUE

VIEWPOINT PG 3

"Why do I like memes?"

FOCUS PG 4-5

Dating 101

FEATURES PG 6

Origin of mystery mural

SPORTS PG 8

Girl's varsity volleyball prepares for game with Bellgarden

September 16, 2016

Arrival of French teacher

9/20 -English Language Advisory Council (ELAC) #1 9/21 -Collaboration Schedule 9/22 -PTSA Meeting (6:30 pm-7:30 pm) 9/28 -Collaboration Schedule, MKHS Alliance Meeting 10/4 -School Site Council (SSC) 1:45 pm- 2:45 pm 10/5 -Collaboration Schedule 10/12 -End of 1st quarter 10/13 -Drama Boosters Meeting (A114, 7pm-8:30 pm) 10/18 -English Language Advisory Council (ELAC) #2

News in Brief

KEVIN LIU Staff Writer

The arrival of the new school year brings changes, namely a teacher named Ms. Smith to continue the French curriculum for students who want to pursue the French language.

Though born in the United States, Ms. Smith spent her childhood in France and majored in French at the University of Paris. After her graduation, she worked at a French bookstore until becoming a teacher in the United States.

As a prior teacher at Alhambra High School, Ms. Smith has been teaching various French courses in her teaching careers. She has experience teaching all four years of French, in addition to the AP French class at Alhambra High School. In addition, she is part of the International Baccalaureate, a non-profit educational foundation that offers four internationally recognized programs.

She emphasizes four components of learning a foreign language in class: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Depending on what day it is, the class will focus on certain skills, with some days of various cultural activities on a monthly basis. To encourage a stronger French-learning environment, she speaks to her students in French and translates if they do not understand.

Sophomore Allen Kate Akpawu in French ¾ observed that she “calls on people who struggle in French to participate so that way she can help them, but she also calls on people who aren't

13 new staff members introduced at Keppel The new staff members include Ms.Acuna, Mr. Hill, Mr. Yankowsky, Ms. Chan, Mr. Heredia, Mr. Lam, Ms. Martinez, Ms. Mozell, Mr. Ramirez, Ms. Hayashibara, Coach Tuttle, Ms. Smith, and Mr. Lee.

French teacher Ms. Smith enjoys working at Keppel.

THE AZTEC/KENNETH LIU

struggling mainly to set an example for those who are.”

Junior Carina Li, who is taking French 5/6, enjoys various aspects of French life in the course, such as food-tasting days that allow students to sample French foods.

In addition to rigorous coursework, Ms. Smith advocates for cultural French experiences, such as the City of Light Film Festival (COLCOA) in Hollywood where French films are featured.

She hopes for a trip to Franco-Spanish regions of Europe in January in collaboration with Spanish teacher Ms. Dominguez to further educate students about Spanish and French culture in addition to the language. However, since this is her first year Ms. Smith would like to familiarize herself with the school before going for these large projects.

Mark Keppel Theatre Company presents A Christmas Carol MIRANDA KWOK Staff Writer

Your calendar

theaztecnews.com

The Mark Keppel Theatre Company has decided to perform A Christmas Carol for this year’s fall musical, in collaboration with Advanced Orchestra. A Christmas Carol is a fictional story written

by Charles Dickens about a bitter and stingy man named Ebenezer Scrooge who dislikes Christmas.

Scrooge is haunted by several ghosts to convince Scrooge to change his pessimistic attitude by becoming a generous and kind man.

“It was my first time auditioning for a play and all the people who auditioned had at least three years in drama. I just came out of nowhere,” said Vincent Pham, who will be playing the role of Bob Cratchit.

The list of the official cast of A Christmas Carol was posted on Thursday, September 1. The cast

includes Albert Aguilar as Ebenezer Scrooge, Vincent Pham as Bob Cratchit, Trevor Kwan as Fred or Young Ebenezer, and more of the ensemble cast.

“Musicals are always so difficult because they’re written for professional people. At Keppel it’s not a high school musical, it’s the real New York version,” said Dr. Bartlett.

Dr. Bartlett, Director of Instrumental Music, announced last year that she will not be teaching at Keppel and shall retire in December this year. Dr. Bartlett teaches Advanced Band, Guitar, Advanced Orchestra, and World Drumming at Mark Keppel.

Head of the Drama Department Ms. Phillips said, “When Dr. Bartlett announced she would be retiring in December of this year, I was desperate to do one more musical with her.”

“I have wanted to direct A Christmas Carol for a very long time. I’m just thrilled to get to do it with Dr. Bartlett!”

Important Notice: Due to technical difficulties, our website theaztecnews.com is experiencing issues. Please check our Facebook page, The Mark Keppel Aztec, for more stories and school updates.

Fall Pep Rally The 2016 Fall Pep Rally will be peformed at Palm Court on Friday, September 16th at lunch.

SAT Bootcamp to take place at Keppel The PTSA will be co-sponsering a two day SAT bootcamp from September 24th to 25th.

The PSAT will be on October 19th.

Palm Court gets repalmed TIFFANY LEUNG Staff Writer Keppel’s Palm Court has been renovated with the addition of three new King Palm Trees planted in designated areas beginning August 24th.

The school’s primary lunch area is named for the palms trees planted throughout. Keppel’s administration renewed Palm Court due to hazard reasons.

Throughout the years, weather and student contact had deteriorated several palm trees in the lunch area. The trees were in such fragile states that some trees bent drastically to one side.

Therefore, about three weaker palm trees were each replaced with a young King Palm Tree, a studier palm tree that is native in Australia.

The young King Palms have the tendency to grow slowly.

Keppel’s staff hopes to preserve the young trees from student influence to allow them to reach adulthood. “They are going to take a while,” Robert Guerra, Keppel’s plant manager, said, referring to the King Palms’ future.

Private College Night

Guest speakers (top, left to right) Glenn Quon, Denise Tso, Megan Lee, Bashal Louis, Courtney Chan, Kimberly Ha, Vanessa Rodriguez, Alex Cormidas and NHS members Kimberly Phung (12), Rachel Wang (12), Shelton Dong (11), and Nicole Hernandez (11).

THE AZTEC/ANGELA CHEN

ANGELA CHEN Asst. Editor-in-Chief

Private College Night, hosted by PTSA, invited guest speakers from the five Claremont colleges and USC to speak at the event.

The purpose of the event was to promote and inform Mark Keppel students about various private colleges that they can potentially apply to in the future. Guest speakers included USC admission officer Rawkin Hall, students Megan Lee, Basahl Louis, Courtney Chan, Kimberly Ha, Vanessa Rodriguez, and Alex Cromidas. Compared to large public universities, these small colleges provide their own unique charms.

Pitzer College admission counselor Alex-

No more APUSH TIFFANY GUAN Staff Writer

Each year, about 65 students choose AP U.S. History as one of their standard AP classes. However, fewer than 36 students enrolled this year and the class had to be canceled.

Mr. Luong, who had been an APUSH teacher for 15 years, is teaching regular U.S. History this year. “There is more competition for other AP classes now and parents want their children to focus narrowly on certain subjects that will relate to their majors in college,” Mr. Luong said.

APUSH challenges a student’s ability to think critically and communicate effectively. It exercises a certain part of our brain similar to how math and science does. “The nature of a regular class means that I can not go too deep into analyzing the material,” said Mr. Luong. “I have to go slower.”

Former APUSH student, Rachel

Wang, described APUSH as a “comfortable space to have an open discussion and ask questions because it was a small class of 18 students.” Although the tests and essays were difficult, APUSH had influenced her to learn more in depth about policies related to political science, and improved her critical thinking.

Russell Chin, also a former student of APUSH, said, “Mr. Luong was really engaging throughout his lectures. While the class was a lot of work, I had a lot of fun completing assignments and expanding my knowledge of our country’s history.” If given the chance, Chin would take APUSH all over again because of the active class discussions with Mr. Luong and other students.

“The challenge and rigorous is still going to be there. I have had the highest passing rates in my ten years,” said Mr. Luong. He hopes more students will take APUSH next year because it’s a journey to build character.

ander Cromidas said, “Private colleges have a smaller community. On average, class sizes are smaller, [and there are] a bit more resources for students to take advantage of...”

It allows students to connect with professors due to the small class sizes and a more tightknit community on campus. Compared to larger public universities which are typically more well-known, these smaller colleges provide their own unique charms.

Keppel alumni and guest speaker Vanessa Roudriguez stated, “My biggest advice is if…. you have absolutely no idea what you want to major in… definitely go with liberal arts because you’ll have two years to figure out what you want to do.

Teachers meet parents HELEN LUU Staff Writer Back to School Night is approaching shortly. The event will take place on September 22nd, from 6:20-8 pm. The teachers at Mark Keppel are already preparing for the event.

Junior Miranda Tran shared her thoughts on the school event and said, ‘’I believe Back to School night is a good opportunity for students to show off their work, teachers to introduce themselves to parents, and parents to be aware of the school environment.’’

Senior David Guerrero seemed enthusiastic about the event. “I feel sort of excited because my parents will get to meet my new teachers. It’s also interesting for them to see and learn about the courses I’m taking. I also like looking at everyone else’s work and see what they’ve been learning about,’’ Guerrero said.

Sophomore Vickie Nguyen stated ‘’my

Back to School Night flyer posted on bulletin. You can find the flyers throughout A building.

THE AZTEC/ KENNETH LIU

parents used to go to the back to school nights back in elementary school but they don’t really go anymore.’’ Many students have optimistic views about back to school night, and are ready to share their school experiences with their parents and peers.

Keppel clubs recruit new members JAMIE CHAU Staff Writer

Mark Keppel High School held its annual Club Rush, a club sign-up session, from August 29th to September 9th. There was an approximate of 80 clubs for students to invest their interests in.

In addition to older and larger clubs, B.I.K.E (Blistering Intense Kinesthetic Experience) and World Scholar Cup. were introduced. With so many clubs Students crowd around to sign up for Butterfly Rescue club

to choose from, it’s a great opportunity to get involved.

Key Club president and senior Calvin Ho, agrees.

“I found out about Key Club at Club Rush my freshmen year. I like the variety of clubs we have at school because there’s something for everyone,” Ho said. “Club Rush helps my club gain a lot more members as well as introducing them to service.

We usually have 250 members per year.”

In addition, Business and

Activities director Ms. Vann said, “[Club Rush] gives kids a chance to get involved. It is a good atmosphere and [students] with the same interests can bond.”

Freshman Mindy Ren said, “Club rush got me started because I was able to find many of my interests. It also helped, since we got [the clubs] in one spot.”

Ms.Vann, Ho, and Ren had their own suggestions on clubs and Club Rush improvement. Ms. Vann stated,

“I would like to see a Link Crew club. Link Crew is only powerful on the first day of school, but because it helps people connect, it should run all year long.” Ho suggested a show during Club Rush, where each club introduced themselves. Ren said, “There should be a section where you can pick up application forms from previous clubs, so if someone misses a day, it’s easier for them to join.” Club Rush is a great way to kick off the school year.

COURTESY OF CELESTE NGUYEN

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

Wesley Zeng

Sports Editor/ Business Manager

Angela Chen

Anita Huang

Sophie Wong

Kenneth Liu

Asst. Editor-in-Chief News Editor

Eric Tam

Viewpoint Editor

Aurora Zeng

Focus Editor/ Head Cartoonist

Cristina Gonzalez A&E/Features Editor

Web Editor

Multimedia Editor/ Asst. Photographer

Staff Writers

Crisalis Flores-Rios

Gina Jiao

Gordon Meng

Tommy Chao

Mayra Gamboa

Alexander Kwok

Jason Sanchez-

Jessica Chan Jamie Chau

Laura Chen

Evan Cheng Kellie Chin

Michelle Chu

Timothy Chuman Iris Chung

Bianca Cruz

Maya Cuevas

Michelle Dang Jasper Duong

Maple Duong

Katarina Fernandez

Anthony Gabrie Tommy Gao

Brenda Giang Celeste Gil Anita Gou

Tiffany Guan

Marissa Heidt

Fatima Hemdan

Anthony Hernandez Nicole Hernandez Alissa Hilton Scotty Hong

Bailey Huynh Anny Jiang

Trevor Kwan

Miranda Kwok

Maliah Pierribia Cardenas

Brandon Lam

Leslie Soto

Tiffany Leung

Faith Torres

Zerlinda Lee

Sherry Liang Callista Liu

Christopher Liu Kevin Liu

Daniel Lu

Helen Luu

Amber Mak

Selina Martinez Justine Mejia

Trixie Tairas Caitlyn Woo

Rachel Yamamoto Megan Yan Kelly Yuan

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

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

Letters to the editor are welcome and are subject to editing. Letters can be given to 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.

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

Alhambra, CA 91801

Don’t let your memes be dreams

Students should join the workforce

One thing for sure that every high to the fullest. school student can relate to is memes.

And not to mention that they’d share the Memes come in many different forms, piece with their friends. Memes quote and such as images, with text corresponding quote, “spread like a virus,” acknowledges with the picture, which in turn increases Kuramoto. its popularity because of how everyone can Memes are one of the latest things in the rapidly spread the information on social world of social media. Mr. Chu said, “High media. A great example school students are of a meme would be one always looking for titled “Those Commas the trend. They Are Tricky,” created on have knowledge that memegenerator.net. everybody shares.”

“Memes basically conIt is also one of the tain humorous material things in our culture that is encouraged to be that some of us can cheered by people so it relate to, such as can be seen by others...” the Forever Alone states senior Kevin Kurmeme, which examoto. Take the “Angry presses sadness and Asian Dad” meme, for disappointment in example. Some students life. The “You Don’t COURTESY OF KNOWYOURMEME.COM have parents who expect Say?” meme has the best of the best. “Volleyball students definitely attracted viewers because of the can definitely relate to the ‘Angry Asian idiomatic expression that is used for the Dad’ meme,” expresses Mr. Francis Chu, purpose of showing astonishment, and is a 9th grade English teacher and volleyball often used sarcastically as an answer to an coach. obvious statement.

Nowadays, it’s very difficult for peoMemes stay on the internet for long peple to have lots in common. We’re all riods of time, and you can find them on diverse, yes, but how can all of us come plenty of online websites like QuickMeme together? “Memes allow people to con- and MemeCenter. These photos will nect over a single photo or picture....and guarantee a long-lasting laugh with a little they’re usually funny,” explains sophomore fun to shake things up.

Kerby Lam. People want to enjoy laughter

Many students have acquired jobs over a Target employee who makes sure that the summer to obtain pocket money and the store is organized and that the shelves job experience, but they soon figured that are stocked. “No one usually gets a job at their jobs are more than just for spare seventeen and I felt it as a big responsichange and empty slots to fill in on a re- bility to keep going. I’ve gotten to know so much people and surrounded myself in sume.

Working allows students to strengthen a different atmosphere from school so I their skill sets far more than sitting in know what it’s like in the outside world I classrooms can. Jobs are opportunities for guess you can say.”

Six seniors decided to work at McDonstudents to pursue an education that cannot be offered in a classroom setting. Such ald’s this past summer. They may not be very passionate about education includes, but selling yogurt or Big is not limited to, learnMacs, but these uning about commitment, specialized and parttime management, retime jobs give students sponsibility, and pera humbling experience. sonal finance.

Senior Aaron Lockett Although he enjoys expressed his gratitude his work, senior Branthat he could experidon Iwashita, employee Janelle Zamora, senior — ence what work was like of Paintball Gateway, for the first time — for still bears in mind the his position at McDonconsequence of perald’s, but strongly disforming poorly. courages other student “The stress of a misworkers from working count means loss of more than several hours money or misplaced a week. Working too product would be on many hours will take my head.” said Iwashita, away precious study and in charge of “shipping sleep time from stuand receiving as well as dents. invetory check” and of When asked what the the flow of thousands most rewarding expeof dollars coming into COURTESY OF VICTORIA RAMIREZ rience of working was, and out of the paintball company. “The kind of job I do allows senior Alan Torres truthfully exclaimed, you to demonstrate strong organization “money.” Money is something that stuskills as well as responsibility for your own dents have always been begging their parents for. As long as their parents control mistakes.”

Jobs come with increased levels of stress the money supply, students will always be and schedule conflicts from the new re- at the feet of their parents.

However, as workers, students will desponsibilities. Although work comes with much responsibilities, with the develop- velop independence when they no longer ment of time management skills, student have to depend on their parents to pay for workers handle their tasks and the result- their movie tickets, stylish clothing, or snacks. Their parents will no be able loning pressure very well.

With all this stress, what keeps this ger be able to threaten them with taking away students’ allowances or belongings, Aztec working?

“What motivates me in my field of work because the student workers have earned is knowing that what I do is an important these items with strong effort.

Through working as a counselor for a key factor in the smooth operation of the children’s summer camp, Torres gained company,” said Iwashita.

Iwashita enjoys a unique sense of self- skills that he could not have acquired worth in his work, because he knows what from sitting in a classroom.

“You learn to be more patient and you he does has great meaning to the well-belearn how to conduct yourself in a more ing of his company.

“Students should work because work professional manner when dealing with could further benefit them in the future other people so that’s definitely positive,” … because they will now have job expe- said Torres.

These student workers are all required rience.”

Iwashita believes that his peers should to be on top of their game in order to also join the workforce. He reasons that manage school, work, and other extracurstudents will gain work experience that ricular activities (e.g. sports and clubs). will build up the substance in their re- They learned how to interact and comsumes. municate in a professional manner with Students are forced to gain communi- customers, employers, and coworkers and cation skills when put in a job. They are how to manage their own hard-earned put in teams with coworkers and must money. utilize communication skills to maintain Students should join the workforce, beharmony in the workplace. cause they will gain — much, much more “The opportunity I got from it [Tar- than just pocket money — very important get] is keeping me here,” said the cross traits that will prepare them for college country captain, senior Janelle Zamora, and life afterwards.

MAPLE DUONG Staff Writer

School lunch regulation leads to rampant food waste FAITH TORRES Staff Writer According to the 2015 study by the United Nations Environmental Programme about food waste, about 30- 40% of food goes untouched and into the trash.

On a daily basis, you can see students tending to not eat all of the food given to them. If you take a glimpse of the cafeteria trashcan, there is clear evidence of this. Untouched apples and oranges, carrots still sealed in their plastic bags, and fresh beans still in their container can be found filling trashcans to their rim. On the other hand, students are required by the cafeteria workers to grab three items of food when ordering cafeteria lunch.

Much of these items go to waste so, why make students take it? Serving unwanted food items results in much food waste that could have been served in other places were the customers would have eaten it.

Cafeteria employee Jesse Saavedra states why: “The main office requires it as part of [the students’] nutrition”. The food students’ waste turns out to be essential to our daily nutrition. But why do students continue to throw away their food?

High school sophomore student Kimberly Amezcua says, ”[The food] is disgusting.”

To go more into depth, when asked what may be the reason why students throw away their untouched food, school Principal Scanlan explains, “Sometimes [the students] are full. Sometimes they don’t

like what is being offered to them. Those are probably the two main reasons.” Also, when asked if student’s being required to take three items of food contributed to the large amount of food waste, Principal Scanlan said that it can be a possibility;

“Much of these items go to waste. So why make students take it?”

however, he stated that the three items of food are part of the federal guidelines for school lunch.

Now that we understand that it is a necessity for the school to provide three items of food for each student, what can we do to reduce the amount of this food being wasted? The most obvious answer would be to try to finish our lunches. Another possible solution could be to have a larger variety of foods for students to try and may possibly like.

DANIEL LU Staff Writer

“I know what it’s like in the outside world...”

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The Mark Keppel Aztec

4 FOCUS

the a

let the ship sail Terminology Ship (n): short for romantic relationship Ship (v): to endorse a romantic relationship OTP (n): One True Pairing; use to describe a perfect couple NOtp (n): describes one’s least favorite pairing BrOTP (n): refers to a set of best friends (platonic OTP)

Horoscope compatabili GEMINI

GEMINI

Aquarius Jan 20 - Feb 18

Feb 19 - Mar 20

Compatible with Aries, Gemini, Leo, Sagittarius

Compatible with Taurus, Cancer, Scorpio, Capricorn

TAURuS

GEMINI

Apr 20 - May 20

May 21 - June 20

Compatible with Cancer, Virgo, Capricorn, Pisces

Compatible with Aries, Leo, Libra, Aquarius

DEFINITIONS COURTESY OF URBAN DICTIONARY

Comp Sagi Aqua

C

June

Comp Taur Scor

L

Aug 23 - Sep 22

Sep

Compatible with Aries, Gemini, Libra, Sagittarius

Compatible with Taurus, Cancer, Scorpio, Capricorn, Pisces

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CA

Compatible with Aries, Leo, Libra, Aquarius

Com Tau Sco

Oct 23 - Nov 21

Compatible with Cancer, Virgo, Capricorn, Pisces

Com Gemi Leo,

De

Nov 22 - Dec 21

COMPATIBILIY INFORMATION COURTESY OF ASTRO

ANGELA CHEN & CAITLYN WOO

Make up or break up?

Asst. Editor-in-Chief & Staff Writer

Romantic relationships with a big age difference are uncommon at Mark Keppel but not nonexistent.

According to statistics on heterosexual couples conducted by the US in 2013, about 17% of couples have an age gap of four to five years.

According to licensed family and marriage therapist, Dr. Paul Hokemeyer, “[Statistically] younger women prefer to date older men…”

Junior Christina Chu had previously been in a relationship with former Keppel senior when she was a freshman. She said that she felt judged by her group of friends for dating a person four years older than her.

Fitting in with her boyfriend’s group of friends was not as difficult as she had imagined. She said, “I’m fairly open to people, so it was [easy to communicate with his friends].”

The topic of age-gap couples may seem taboo, but there are others who feel these relationships should be supported.

Senior Elizabeth Melendrez said, “I don’t mind age differences in relationships. If they are happy together then that’s great.”

Chu stated, “If you are being bullied by your friends because of the age [difference], then they aren’t your true friends... [What’s important] is the fact that the other person loves you very much and cares for you.”

Especially for underclassmen, juniors and seniors might be intimidating at first, but who knows, love just might be around the corner!

Mar

VIRGO

LEO

July 23 - Aug 22

How old can you go?

A

PISCES

LESLIE SOTO Staff Writer Most middle schoolers dream and fantasize about the perfect relationship they are going to have in high school with the perfect person, but reality hits and relationships are, in fact, very difficult.

“Sometimes you have to choose them over your friends.” says junior Agnes Ng. But first, how do you get into a relationship? Talk about things that you both have in common or bring up a topic where you two can both keep a conversation going. If you have math class together, ask them for their phone number for help. Text them to ask about homework and maybe about their schedule. The next day, ask them on the notes you forgot to write down, just keep daily conversation going. Liking all their pictures on instagram, retweeting their tweets and sliding into their DM’s

works too.

Becoming official is one of the greatest feelings ever. Senior Janelle Zamora comments,“You guys just have this connection and understanding with each other.”

Having a significant other is great, but all good things must come to an end. Some people just don’t respect others or their own relationship, like starting rumors or being unloyal. This is where a break up is needed. How do you break up with someone you’ve put so much time, effort and emotions into? Start off slow and remember to respect the person’s feelings. Sitting them down and explaining to them why it isn’t working out is very mature, but remember to avoid doing something you wouldn’t want done to you. Always be careful with your words and try not to vent

your anger towards t media because drama Dealing with a break tially but finding the r is a big help. Knowin in a time of need is a friends help so much like these.

Whether you’re a gi prince charming or a other half, relationship and even harder to m lot of time, effort an and family will love an you’re going through ing a complicated bre your loved ones to he

aztec

sEPTEMBER 16, 2016 5

KELLIE CHIN Staff Writer

ity

ARIES

r 21 - Apr 19

patible with ittarius, Leo, arius, Gemini

ANCER

e 21 - July 22

patible with rus, Virgo, rpio, Pisces

LIBRA

p 23 - Oct 22

mpatible with ini, Aquarius, , Sagittarius

APRICORN

ec 22 - Jan 19

mpatible with urus, Virgo, orpio, Pisces

OTP

The whole world is a blur when you see your boyfriend or girlfriend standing in front of you. That person is not only your significant other, but also your best friend and “partner-in-crime.”

When you are in a relationship, you can always depend on each other. Being in a relationship makes you an important half of you and your partner’s whole. A person by your side can also mean that you can have one more person to help you. Not only can they help you with academics and drama with friends, they can encourage you to become a better person.

Junior Ailin Lin said, “You have someone to rely on when you are having a hard time and that you know they will be there for you whenever something happens. It’s like another half of you.”

If you had a fight with your friend or if you had a bad test grade, your significant other can make you feel better. They are a person that you can always count on to make your day brighter when you feel sad. Through your achievements and memorable moments, they will be there to celebrate with you.

Junior Oliver Coronel srated, “[By] being in a relationship, you could share experiences and memories with someone that you know and trust.” You can enjoy going out together or even signing up for a club together. Having them by your side will make you feel less alone and feel more included. It also allows you to be yourself. You can always trust and confide to that person about personal problems.

You can always read about a two people falling in love, but it will never be your own story. Many couples were probably surprised to find out who they actually love. They can be their best friends or a person they met not so long ago.Junior Eileen Wang said,“[The relationship] wasn’t planned at first. We started out as acquaintances… we got closer and spent more time together and felt more free. When you are in a relationship the experiences, memories, and emotion is something that you can’t learn in a book.”

Senior Tommy Ho comments, “For me, being in a relationship made me super happy…She’s a really great person and I’ve never met anyone like her, she’s unique.” You never know who you might fall in love with. The way you view the world and the way you view each other will become different when you two find love.

Overall, the upside of a relationship is having another closer and loving best friend to be by your side through rough and happy times.

You and your significant other can depend on each other for support and share many experiences with the time you two have with each other. Having that person will make you happier.

OLOGY-ZODIAC-SIGNS.COM

that person on social a isn’t needed. kup can be hard iniright people to talk to ng who you can go to great feeling because h in tough situations

irl trying to find her a boy looking for his ps are difficult to start maintain. They take a nd sacrifices. Friends nd support you, when a tough time or haveakup, you can rely on elp cheer you up.

SCOTTY HONG Staff Writer

NOtp

RACHEL YAMAMOTO Staff Writer

Relationships for high school students have their pros and cons.

Have you ever taken a moment to think what the downsides of relationships are? We are all blinded by the excitement and butterflies we get in our stomachs, and often forget that relationships are not always full of joy.

We all try to ignore the cons until they get to us. Downsides to relationships will always be something couples have to deal with and there is no way of escaping it.

Senior Mabel Kwan stated, “You can’t always put 100 percent trust in your significant other because in the end, you don’t exactly know what they’re up to”, There were many other females who stated similar concerns. Several stated that they felt as if they were getting ignored by their significant other at times, and they would only come to them for company when they had nothing else to do.

When asked what some of the many hardships of being in an relationship are, junior Lily Chik stated, “Jealousy and arguments”.

Jealousy and arguments are one of downsides that individuals in a relationship face when the road gets rocky. We can only try to fix these things through communication.

On the other hand, boys has some different views. “They get clingy”, said sophomore Garrett Chung. These words were popular among the males. Others stated that females are too needy and never completely happy with the relationship.

Much like jealousy and arguments, distance is another thing that many couples struggle with. In some cases, long distance relationships do not last because of trust issues and possibly the fact that they have lost feelings for each other since they do not get to see each other very often.

Senior Angel Haro stated, “When it’s a long distance relationship, you don’t get to see them that much. If they have strict parents, they don’t get to go out that much.”

However, not all males think alike. One freshman, Kingsley Choi, stated, “There aren’t any downsides for me”. There were several other freshman who had the same opinion. Younger couples are happier because they have less to worry about.

Many often think whether relationships are worth it or not.

Thinking about the downsides of relationships might encourage many to stay away from them. However, working through the hardships is what makes individual grow as a person and gain experience.

It may not always be “worth it”, but it will definitely be a stepping stone in everyone’s lives.

We each have our ups and downs in our own lives. A couple can only work and stay together if they can understand each other very well. The way they express their emotions, to the way they like to live their life, individuals in committed relationships must be supportive of each other to have a healthy bond.

BrOTP

It’s the start of the school year. A kid walks into his third period with excitement but finds out that none of his friends are in his class.

He looks at his schedule again to see if it was wrong. Then he goes to his counselor to ask for a schedule change, but she says it’s too late.

Many times the classroom is filled with unfamiliar faces. But on the bright side, you can make new friends. However, this may be hard as kids are always on their phone and never looking to interact. But the school seems to allow for interaction. Group work in classes gives opportunity for interaction especially with new people. Freshman Chris Fu can confirm this saying “I was put in classes that help me talk to people.”

In addition, joining sports teams can create a strong bond. According to students that are currently on a sport team, the combined effort to achieve a common goal can bring teammates together. In addition, athletes are encouraged to bond by going out to eat, attending ban-

quets, and hosting fundraising events. Sport teams require many hours of practice, but by going to practice, one is exposed to many people who share a common interest in the sport that they can partaking in.

Another opportunity to make friends is to join clubs. For example, Key Club, Interact Club, Leo Club, American Red Cross are big groups with plenty opportunities to socialize through volunteer events. Junior Brandon Lo, Key Club historian, says that “Key Club provides community services and meetings inside and outside of school which helps you socialize with people at Keppel as well as other [students from other schools such as Alhambra, San Gabriel, and Schurr].”

Even though you may be put in a class with people you don’t know, the school provides many opportunities to make new friends through group work, sports teams, and clubs. For all the freshman reading this, do not fear, friends are near.

It’s official: Scanlan is new principal

ANTHONY GABRIE

Staff Writer

Our principal, John Scanlan, was born in the city of Bell Flower but grew up in the San Gabriel area to attend San Gabriel High School, where he played 4 years of baseball as a part of the class of ‘92. After attending Pasadena City College, Scanlan attended UC Santa Cruz, graduating with a major in History. He then obtained his teaching credentials and a Master’s degree in Education Administration.

Before becoming the principal of Mark Keppel, Mr. Scanlan was a Special Education instructor at both Alhambra High School and San Gabriel High School.

He also taught Social Studies classes and was the Ath-

The unspoken pool

letic Director during his time working at San Gabriel High School.

When asked to describe himself, he answered, “I think I’m pretty mellow for the most part... I kind of celebrate the good things, but I don’t get too down when things aren’t going the way they’re supposed to because things change so quickly… I just want all students to maximize their ability and potential and just be everything that they want to be.”

In his free time, he enjoys watching movies and playing Basketball 2k16 on the PS4 when he is not involved in the sport schedules of his two kids.

‘A’ mighty mural FATIMA HEMDAN

Staff Writer

TIMOTHY CHUMAN

Staff Writer

Staff has been utilizing the pool on top of C building since 2011 as the ultimate place to relax and unwind.

Ms. Perez, the assistant principal of Student/ Employee Welfare, was a student at Mark Keppel, and she said the pool has existed since before she attended this school 30 years ago.

“When I was a student here, there was no C building, so the pool was located above the old gym,” she said.

There have been many rumors that the rooftop pool is just a prank, but Perez refuted those rumors.

“We use the pool after school.” Perez said.

The students are beginning to wonder what the pool looks like and if they will ever get the chance use it. Emily Chan, freshman, said: “At first, I figured it was a pool for the swim team, but now I think of it as a small recreational pool.”

Ms. Perez addresses the pool’s availabilty to students and says that it would not be opened to them anytime soon.

In the end, students undergo a lot of stress at school, but in years to come, they may be able to look forward to pool parties, relaxation time and so much more in the faux Keppel pool.

THE AZTEC/ VICTORIA RAMIREZ

Many students on the way to class notice the huge mural in the A building, depicting a flying god and a baby flanked by two semi-naked people.

The mural, which was painted in 1975 intended to teach tolerance and acceptance, is still relevant to today.

Ms. Bostwick, Mark Keppel’s art teacher, commented on the piece saying “It was painted by J.L Gonzalez and R. Arenivar because of tensions between groups at the

time…” She also mentioned that “This project was encouraged as a unifying activity as well as a work of cultural pride, by the group T.O.H.M.A.S [To Help Mexican American Students].”

Ms. Castro, a former Mark Keppel history teacher also emphasized the fact that it was painted “to acknowledge Chicano pride and Latino students and their heritage.”

SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

Sports 7

THE AZTEC

THE AZTEC/ TIMOTHY CHUMAN

Players Kobe To, Jacob Preciado, Mathew Guevara, Jason Inguez, and Patrick Underwood defend quarterback, as he looks for an open reciever.

Varsity Football team loses against Sierra Vista

TIMOTHY CHUMAN

Staff Writer

Keppel’s Boys Varsity Football team lost their third game against Sierra Vista last Friday, 49-0.

Mark Keppel’s football players consisted of a lineup one third the number of players that Sierra Vista had, and Sierra Vista’s depth had certainly seemed to play a factor in the loss. One of the Keppel football team’s captain, Chris Navarrette summarized the obstacles that his team faced.

“We struggled down on the line with our

big guys and we didn’t stay consistent [with our plays] throughout the game,” he said.

Keppel fumbled the ball numerous times which led to a steady good field position for the Sierra Vista Dons. Additionally, the Aztecs’ offense couldn’t quite get things going as they only managed to get three first downs.

Nevertheless, Head Coach John Tuttle, has seen improvements since last week’s game against Gabrielino.

“We definitely played a better first half [than last week],” said Tuttle, who believes that the players just need more time to develop to their full potential.

There were some bright spots throughout the game such as the forced fumble that Keppel recovered as well as a defensive stop near the goal line at the end of the third quarter.

The Aztecs are facing off against Workman High School as their fourth game of

the season next week. However, Navarrette says that playing away from home doesn’t faze his team, and that they will continue to prepare to compete against Workman.

“Home or away, we are just out here to play football. We’ll watch film and see what they do and go on from there,” he said.

Girls’ Tennis is defeated by Pasedena Poly-Tech VICTORIA RAMIREZ

Editor-in-Chief/ Chief Photographer Keppel’s girls tennis team recently lost their preseason game yesterday against Pasadena Polytechnic with a final score of 4-14. Although the matches didn’t turn out the way the girls hoped, there was a lot of effort put into their game. “The girls didn’t get much practice before school started [but] they played better than last year,” said Coach Mike Ten. The match marks the seventh game in their preseason schedule, hopefully the girls will be able to gain a win on their eighth match against San Gabriel on the 22nd of September.

The girls tennis team has begun this year’s pre­season by competing against other schools from different districts. The captain of this year’s team Arianna Acuff said,“ I expect our team to perform amazingly well

this season. We all work well together and I expect nothing less than for us to slaughter our team without hesitation.”

The tennis team played against Cerritos High School on September 6, an away game, that resulted in the loss for our team due to circumstances that led up to the game. This defeat hasn’t stopped the tennis team from pushing for more though.

The team has been including more conditioning in their practices in order to improve their endurance that will increase their endurance while playing on the court.

Intense drills have been added to their workout regimen to help the players out in the long run.

Senior Ariana Acuff quickly changes her stance as she returns the tennis ball in her singles round.

COURTESY OF LILY TRAU

Cross trains for their first race against Alhambra MALIAH PIERRIBIA

Staff Writer

This year, Cross Country members are ready to claim that first place in league.

Though they did well last year at league finals, captain Katie Chan was the only competitor to qualify to compete in CIF. Their first meet this season is on September 28, and cross country captains are confident that they’ll place high.

Captain Noah Sanchez stated, “we’ve been working hard during the summer.

The team is really committed this year, and [we have] intense practices with [Coach] Gerson”.

Meanwhile Senior Captain Katie Chan said “I believe that the outcome of this Cross Country season will be better than last year [because] the team worked hard with tears and sweat during the summer, morning, and afternoon practice”.

Though Mark Keppel showed a significant improvement last year, senior captains Katie Chan and Noah Sanchez feel that their is room for improvement.

“Some of my weaknesses are [that] I am clumsy, scared of bugs, and emotional,” explained Chan.

As for the team, she said that a weakness is that “we don’t have enough girls to have both a junior varsity, and freshman/ sophomore team”. Although the girl’s team doesn’t have enough girls, they won’t let that get to them. “Their strengths are that they never give up and have a winning mindset”.

Both captains have set high goals for themselves as well as the team, and are committed. Sanchez will push for better times during the mile run, along with getting a scholarship, and making it to

CIF. Chan believes that her “goals this season are to earn a better time than my previous years. To achieve these goals I will put in 100% effort each day during the practice. I will continue to care for the Cross Country Girls, and motivate them as a team”.

Show your support for the Cross Country Team when they run against rivals Alhambra at Legg Lake on September 28.

8 Sports

the aztec

September 16, 2016

THE AZTEC/ KENNETH LIU

Athlete’s Profile: Natasha Hsieh

SELINA MARTINEZ

Staff Writer Senior Emmanuel Acosta looks for an open player to pass to as Senior Justin Young blocks oppenents.

THE AZTEC/ KENNETH LIU

Boys Water Polo loses 4-11 to Polytechnic High School LAURA CHEN

Staff Writer

Mark Keppel Boys Varsity Water Polo played their third preseason game on Wednesday. They gave it their all in the first quarter when opponents, Polytechnic High School, gains a 5 point lead in the first quarter. Even though, Keppel scores in the second and third quarter, the Keppel boys lose 6-11. The Mark Keppel Boys Varsity Water Polo team have a 2:1 record.

Coach Wendy Centeno, who’s in her second year at Keppel, said, “During the first [quarter], their heads weren’t in it and they weren’t defending how they were supposed to. That is the moment that most affected the game.” She also said that it

was hard for Keppel to score with Polytechnic’s defense at first, but near the end of the game, they were able to finally focus so the opposing team scored less.

During the third quarter of the game, the Keppel team goalie, Mitchell Luong, blocked many of the balls thrown by the opposite team. Mitchell has been a part of the varsity team since he was a sophomore and though he stands at only 5 feet, he brings much skill. During her time here at Keppel, Coach Wendy said, “Mitchell is a true student. He is always studying his plays and how he could get better at goalie.”

The Boys Water Polo team trained hard this summer in order to prepare for this season, said team captains Justin Young, Bryan Guan, and Emanuel Acosta. “During the summer, we had practices every day from 2-5 in the afternoon,” said Bryan Guan. They learned communication which helped them during games. Justin Young, who has been on the team since he was a freshmen, said “We like to think that each of our team members have the same capability to score, and the same capability to make a pass.” Their trust in each other helps them grow as a team so that they can do better in future games.

When Senior Varsity player Natasha Hsieh first tried out for volleyball, she had no idea that it would become such a big part of her life. Hsieh made the team her freshman year, and has fallen in love with the sport. “I’m glad that I joined volleyball.

It encouraged me to try new things out of my comfort zone,” Hsieh says. “It’s made me who I am today.”

Because of volleyball, Hsieh says that she’s more confident in herself. “I used to be this girl who was really… Now I’m this adventurous person who loves to try new things.” She thinks that it’s important to go after anything your heart desires because high school only happens once and you don’t want to regret it later. Hsieh had never played volleyball before high school, but because she put her fears aside and tried out, she’s found her getaway from all the stressful things in her life.

Hsieh finds it especially enjoyable playing the sport that she loves because of her teammates who have become some of her closest friends. She cherishes the many laughs and conversations they share as they work out together, make fun of each other, and complain about being sore. In addition to her teammates, she’s found a mentor, her coach, Mr. Chu. “He’s always there for me when I need someone to talk to.”

This season, Hsieh hopes to win as many games and create as many memories with her team as possible to remember after high school. Although this season is her last, Hsieh doesn’t plan on giving up the sport; she plans to continue playing in college. She hopes to attend a UC school and plans to major in biology.

Hsieh would like to give a shout out to her coach, teammates, and friends for being so supportive.

Sports Calendar

Cross Country: Shannon Leun returns the ball as Chanel Tsan and Kristyn Lee stand ready during their volleyball practice for their upcoming league games.

THE AZTEC/ WESLEY ZENG

Girls’ Volleyball prepares to play against Bell Gardens

TIMOTHY CHUMAN

Staff Writer

After going 3-2 in preseason play, the Mark Keppel Girls’ Varsity volleyball team will start off league play with an away game at Bell Gardens on September 22nd at 3:30 P.M. In last year’s home matchup against Bell Gardens, the Aztecs tied up the game by winning the second set, but were unable to get the victory as the Bell Gardens Lancers took the last two sets to win the game, 3-1. The Lancers overcame an early 1-0, giving them a lead and later the drive to beat the Aztecs, 3 sets to 1.

Coach Francis Chu, the Girls’ Varsity volleyball coach, gave his opinion last year’s defeat and the status of the Bell

Gardens team this year.

“They had a really strong team and we weren’t able to sustain a high level of play, so we weren’t able to compete with them,” Chu said, but believes it will be different this year given “they graduated most of their best players and the majority of them are young.”

When Keppel against plays Bell Gardens, Coach Chu mentioned the importance of specific players on his team. He sees that Kathleen Lok is the best offensive player, while Kristyn Lee sustains the team’s defense, stating that “Sarah Kim does a good job covering mistakes that her teammates left behind.”

Keppel has gone 3-2 so far, with close victories over Wilson High School and Glendale High School. Coach Chu spoke on how the preseason has been a great learning experience for the girls.

“We’ve had some really close games so far and our players have been getting experience in those tight situations by learning how to play under pressure. The girls are starting to learn why it’s important to focus and execute,” Chu said.

The Lancers currently have a record of 6-3, but Keppel will look to continue their preseason success and get their first league win of the season.

9/28 against Alhambra at Legg Lake.

9/30 against Palos Verdes at Palos Verdes.

Football:

9/16 against Workman at Workman.

9/23 against Wilson at Mark Keppel.

10/6 against Schurr at Schurr.

Tennis: 9/22 against San Gabriel at Mark Keppel.

9/27 against Schurr at Schurr.

10/4 against Alhambra at Mark Keppel.

10/6 against Montebello at Montebell

Volleyball: 9/22 against Bell Gardens at Bell Gardens.

9/27 against Alhambra at Mark Keppel.

9/29 against Montebello at Mark Keppel.

10/4 against San Gabriel at San Gabriel.

10/6 against Schurr at Mark Keppel.

10/8 against Gabrielino at San Gabriel.

Water Polo: 9/19 against Glendale at Barnes Park.

10/4 against Alhambra at Barnes Park.

10/10 against Artesia at Artesia.