THE AZTEC
VOLUME LXXVII NUMBER II
ALHAMBRA, CA 91801
Keppel Theater Company campaigns to raise money for upcoming Scotland trip
THE AZTEC/CORY MAK Theater students Kara Chuang, Geri Gloria, Kimberly Wu, Karmyn Luong, and Samir Al-Alami show off their kilts along with Ms. Phillips.
CHRISTIE HUI Staff Writer Keppel’s Theatre Company is currently raising money for their trip to Edinburgh, Scotland to participate in the American High School Theatre Festival in August of 2015. Keppel’s Theatre Company is one of the 42 accepted schools who were nominated by theater organizations and university professionals who have the chance to attend the festival. Thirtyfive musicians, actors, and tech theatre students in any year from Keppel’s Theatre Company
will be part of the trip. Theater students who want to attend can register at ahstf.org. Technical director Mr. Gillette, musical director Dr. Bartlett, vocal director Ms. Revilla, and director Ms. Phillips will be chaperoning the students. Theater Company will also be stopping in England for three days to watch other theater shows as part of their two week trip. The cost per student is $6,500, and the goal is to reach $100,000 in fundraising to alleviate the cost for each individual student. They currently have raised $17,000 and plan to raise more through events like Keppel’s Got
Talent and Kilts for Keppel. Kilts for Keppel, a campaign through the Keppel Theatre Company, has a goal of raising $2,000 by October 24. If they raise enough money by their goal date, teachers, administrators, campus supervisors, and coaches participating in the campaign will wear kilts at the Homecoming Pep Rally. Donations can be made at the Student Bank in the bucket that says “Kilts for Keppel”or at mkhs. myschoolcentral.com. Students are already saving up for Scotland. Junior Kimberly Wu, Theatre Company’s treasurer, plans to get a summer job in order to help pay her trip expenses. She also said that she has saved $400 so far from birthday and Christmas money to use towards the cost of the trip. Ms. Phillips, the department chair of the Visual and Performing Arts department in Keppel thinks Scotland will be a good experience for students. “They are able to participate and be an audience in theatre,” she said. “I truly feel this will be a life changing experience for students and one that might never present itself to them again.”
October 16, 2014
Drama department presents annual Haunted Auditorium
SARAH McCORMICK News Editor Keppel’s drama and tech theater students will be hosting their sixth annual Haunted Auditorium on October 29 and 30 in the auditorium from 6-9:30 p.m. The Haunted Auditorium consists of eight themed rooms where actors perform parts of a story and script written by advanced drama students. There will also be a maze within the haunted house that is designed and built by the advanced drama students and the tech theater class, respectively. The overall concept for this year’s Haunted Auditorium theme, will be “Cabin in the Woods.” A difference in this year’s event from past years is that the Haunted Auditorium will be limited to the auditorium rather than extending into the hallways of the school as it had done in the past. The maze will be completely contained with fake hallways that ensure no will exit in the middle of the walkthrough. Another difference is that this year orchestra will be performing for an hour prior to the performance on both nights while silent movies are shown. Orchestra students have been
working on composing their own pieces for the performance in different ensembles. Orchestra teacher Dr. Bartlett said, "We want to provide some music to get people in the mood before they get scared out of their wits. We want to get those juices flowing, that scared response." The money collected from this event will go towards funding for the drama department’s spring show. The tradition of Haunted Auditorium began after district funds for performing arts were cut by the government. In the years before these budget cuts, the drama department performed two shows per year, one in the fall and one in the spring. With less money to fund the shows, the drama department could only afford one show. Haunted Auditorium now replaces the fall show in order to raise money to support the spring show as well as give the students a chance to perform. According to drama and tech theater teacher Ms. Phillips, the Haunted Auditorium is always successful and has never made less than $2,000. Tickets will be available at the door on the days of the event for $5 at the door. No presale tickets will be sold.
Homecoming Court finalists to be announced VICTORIA RAMIREZ Asst. Photographer
This year’s Homecoming dance will take place on October 24 at 8 p.m.-12 a.m. in Palm Court. Ticket prices are $10 with ASB and $12 without ASB for seniors, and $12 with ASB and $14 without ASB for everyone else. This year's theme is “Escape to Neverland” and was inspired by Peter Pan. This will also be the drama department’s upcoming spring play. ASB adviser Ms. Carmona, said, "The theme links all of our school activities to have one
main focus." To prepare for the dance ASB has recently held a flapjax fundraiser at Apple Bee's. Members of ASB were ticket holders and busboys and helped serve the breakfast buffet. The nominees for this year's Homecoming Queen are Rebekah De La Peña, Kelli Kamida, Geri Gloria, Erin Hang, Diana Tran, Kristin Koga, Shiva Taghdis, Audrey Salguero, Tiffany Lau, Karen Ip, and Desiree Ha. The nominees for Homecoming King includeKirk Hum, Nick Don, Ryu Masuda, Alex Der, Dylan Urban, Bailey Kikuchi, Julian Chan, Chris Wu, Christian Rubio, and Daniel Ho.
Mark
Your calendar 10/17 End of First Quarter 10/18 PSAT Testing in Cafeteria 8 am-1 pm 10/21 English Learners Advisory Council (ELAC) Meeting in Cafeteria 6:30 pm-7:30 pm 10/29 Collaboration Schedule 10/29 MKHS Alliance Meeting in Cafeteria 7-9 pm
THE AZTEC/CORY MAK Homecoming finalists from left to right: (Back row) Dylan Urban, Christian Rubio, Ryu Masuda, Bailey Kikuchi, Chris Wu, Nick Don, Kirk Hum, Alex Der, Julian Chan, and Daniel Ho; (Front row) Erin Hang, Kristin Koga, Desiree Ha, Shiva Taghdis, Geri Gloria, Kelli Kamida, Audrey Salguero, Karen Ip, Diana Tran, Rebekah De La Peña, and Tiffany Lau.
Finalists for Homecoming court will be announced tomorrow at the fashion show in Palm Court.
IN THIS ISSUE... News: Theater Scotland Trip • Haunted Auditorium • Homecoming Court •
Blood Drive • Keppel's Got Talent • Chemistry Olympiad • Debate Tournament
Viewpoint: Homecoming Signs • Throwing Away Cafeteria Food • Too Old to Trick or Treat?
Focus: "Tricks" and "Treats" of Halloween A&E: Mosaic Lizard Theater • The Walking Dead • Once Upon a Time • Vampire Diaries • Nicki Minaj • Maroon 5 • iPhone 6
Sports: Athlete's Profile: Ivan Arevalo • Cross Country • Girls' Tennis • Girls' Volleyball • Boys' Water Polo • Football
American Red Cross, Red Cross Club, and ASB collaborate for first blood drive of the year
THE AZTEC/ VICTORIA RAMIREZ American Red Cross workers and student helpers prepare for the blood drive.
ALEX DEA Staff Writer The American Red Cross in collaboration with ASB and the Mark Keppel American Red Cross Club hosted the first blood drive of the year in the old gym on October 9. To encourage donation, the American Red Cross has actually set up a small competition between Mark Keppel, Alhambra,
and San Gabriel High School to start on the January blood drive. Red Cross Blood Drive representative Nicole Mcadam says, “The friendly competition was set up to see which school could donate the most blood. So far, Alhambra and San Gabriel have already had a successful blood drive in the past month with around 150 pints for Alhambra and around 100 pints for San Gabriel.”
The winner will receive a traveling trophy that will be passed to each school that wins the blood drive. Since each school has about an equal population of students, the competition will be based on the total amount of pints donated. The competition is expected to continue in future years as well. Arcadia Red Cross Chapter President and senior Jasmine Han, stated, “I feel like this blood drive was a huge success. We went over our goal of what we expected to receive, and that is terrific.” ASB advisor and English teacher, Ms.Carmona, said, “It went really well. Red Cross exceeded their goal with the amount donated. And [the school] provided a substitute teacher for me, so I could to supervise the blood drive. It was very festive with snacks, pizza lunch, and music.” The next blood drive will take place in January.
Debate team succeeds in novice competition
THE AZTEC STAFF/AMBER BATCHELOR Debate team poses for a picture. (Left to right) Back row: Noah Sanchez (10), Aaron Huang (9), Stanley Lin (9), Yang Lu (11), Brandon Lim-Effendy (9), Dhevyn Lao (9), Kevin Cheung (10), Vincent Lin (12); Middle row: Ivan Phu (10), Kenny Chang (9), Kylie Yu (11), Caitlin Tieu (9), Jie Hui Situ (12), Jonathan Lay (12); Front row: Vivian Ji (9), Vivian Zhang (10), Vanessa Rodriguez (12), Carmen Chen (10), Patrick Trieu (12)
YANG LU Staff Writer The Mark Keppel Speech and Debate Team emerged victorious from the Package Deal novice tournament on October 4 at Arcadia High School. Twenty Keppel students, who were first-time speech and debate competitors, attended the competition. Against opposing teams from Alhambra High School, Arcadia High School, and others, the novices were able to win one of the nineteen
first place trophies and a total of ten ribbons for second and third places. Keppel is a participating school in the National Speech and Debate Association, formerly known as National Forensics League. In addition to the twenty participants of the recent tournament, the Keppel Speech and Debate Team also includes thirty-two returning members in the varsity and junior varsity subdivisions. Ms. Yaklich, the Speech and Debate course instructor and
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team coach, said, “The varsity and junior varsity team members have spent many mornings coaching and critiquing the new team members and walking them through the process of the different speech categories. They are responsible for helping the novices with their success and should be applauded for their efforts.” The next competition for the team will be on October 25 and 26 at Schurr High School for varsity and junior varsity team members. Senior Vincent Lin, the Speech and Debate Club president and team captain, said, “In the most recent competition, our novices came back with several awards. There is, of course, room for improvement, such as having a more efficient class schedule, developing more effective teaching and mentoring programs, and organizing more practices.” Interested students are able to participate in competitions by joining the Speech and Debate Club and attending training sessions on Tuesdays after school.
Keppel hosts first talent show, “Keppel’s Got Talent” KAREN IP Co-Copy Editor, Asst. Focus Editor Keppel will be hosting its first talent show, “Keppel’s Got Talent,” on November 7 at 7 pm in the auditorium. The event was created to feature the many talented students who attend the school and to offer “a great outlet for [the performers],” according to director Ms. Phillips. The proceeds made from the event will go towards Tech Theatre and Drama students’ trip to Scotland. According to Ms. Phillips, there are a total of 20 applicants, but she is “disappointed to see that gymnasts, musicians, [and anyone unique didn’t step] forward on the show.” The application deadline has already passed, and auditions are to be held this week. When asked about how she feels about the auditions, senior Barbara Kyan said she felt
“[an] excited kind of nervous.” Applicants are free to do as they desire and teachers are included to participate, too. There are no limits to the amount of acts that are going to be accepted, but each act is limited to three minutes, according to Ms. Phillips. Other than the purpose for fundraising money for the Scotland Trip, this event is also a new opportunity for the many students in Keppel to “show peers a different side of [themselves],” said Ms. Phillips. The event is estimated to last around two hours, including a 15 minute intermission. There will be three surprise celebrity judges attending the event and plans for a celebrity emcee to host the event. The celebrities will be announced through the student bulletin once they are confirmed. Tickets for the event will be $10 at the door and can also be purchased at the web store and at the student bank.
Chemistry Olympiad prepares for upcoming competition YANG LU Staff Writer Keppel is organizing its efforts to participate and obtain a victory in the Chemistry Olympiad, which is sponsored by the American Chemistry Society (ACS). The tournament will be among the few tournaments available at Keppel that are capable of reaching an international tier. The tournament is unique in its relation to chemistry and the numerous applications of this science. Chemistry Olympiad is one of the most prestigious science competitions in the nation, sharing the same level of attention as Science Olympiad, Science Bowl, and Physics Olympiad. It will offer experience and a competitive setting for those interested in chemistry. Ms. Cowell, the Chemistry Olympiad advisor said, “This is an opportunity for people to compare their knowledge of chemistry to others around the country.”
At the international tier, the U.S. faces challenges from Korea, Japan, and China, so the contest is reasonably difficult. Despite the work ahead, freshman Jason Xian, organizer of the Keppel division, said, “Even so, I encourage every Aztec to compete in it. The regional competition will be held at Keppel sometime afterschool in the spring, and from there participants may advance to compete in the United States Chemistry Olympiad.” He compared the format of Chemistry Olympiad competitions to that of the American Mathematics competitions, as both include short answer questions. However, Chemistry Olympiad also includes a laboratory examination unlike the American Mathematic competitions. Students interested in competing must join the Chemistry Club. An ACS pin is available to active members in the club. Practice sessions will be held later in the year, and attendance is strongly recommended.
The Aztec 2014-2015
Amber Batchelor Editor-in-Chief
Brian Yeo Sports Editor
Vivian To Co-Asst. Editor-inChief, Focus Editor
Aren Lim Business Manager
Darwin Tse Co-Asst. Editor-inChief, Viewpoint Editor Sarah McCormick News Editor Bonnie Grace Wong A&E/Features Editor
Cory Mak Photographer Brandon Chung Co-Historian Karen Ip Co-Copy Editor, Asst. Focus Editor Lydia Xie Co-Copy Editor, Asst. News Edito
Brian Chen Asst. Viewpoint Editor, Co-Historian
Bradley Dea Staff Writer
Cristian Jimenez Staff Writer
Yang Lu Staff Writer
Alexander Beaumont Asst. Features Editor
Victoria Ramirez Staff Writer Asst. Photographer
Joann Kong Staff Writer
Carmen Ma Staff Writer
Carmen Ma Asst. A&E Editor
Rodolfo Arias Staff Writer
Eric Lam Staff Writer
Maliah Pierribia Staff Writer
Emily Mu Asst. Sports Editor
Kristin Chingburanakit Staff Writer
Ida Lam Staff Writer
Shanae To Staff Writer
Tammy Lee Staff Writer
Stephanie Tran Staff Writer
Jonathan Lou Staff Writer
Edlyn Wong Staff Writer
Sally Chen Asst. Business Manager Alex Dea Staff Writer
Yun Huang Staff Writer Christie Hui Staff Writer
The aztec is published monthly by the journalism class of mark keppel high school and is printed at american foothill publishing co., inc. all newsprint used is 100% recycled. 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 a225 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.
Homecoming posters: yay or nay BONNIE WONG A&E/Features Editor With the arrival of the highly anticipated homecoming dance on October 24, Keppelites are beginning to find creative ways of asking others to the dance as their dates, but are these methods really a sign of affection or a stunt to gain recognition from others? While there are those who think that asking someone out with public displays is an affectionate way of proving their dedication, others believe that these flamboyant displays have lost their purpose entirely. Since many male students do not make the poster themselves, it is hard to gauge the extent to how much work has been put into the scheme, but signs and other extravagancies are not the most significant part of asking. “The most important thing is charm and good looks,” says junior William Ng, who asked out junior Erin Park. “I probably didn’t even need a poster, but I made one just for fun.” Many students choose to have these proposals during lunch in crowded, public areas, so it is hard to determine if their motives are genuinely for solely impressing the girl or the audience as well.
“Yes, I do believe that guys get nice posters to show off, but it is [also] because they care about what others will think of it and want to make the best impression, especially to the friends and family members of the girl he is making the special poster for,” stated senior Patrick Trieu. “It will be a memory [they] will never forget because it will most likely be posted on their social media.” However, there are some students who still adhere firmly to the belief that homecoming posters are genuine displays of showing how much a person cares for the individual, since creating these elaborate designs require time, effort, and thought. ASB president and senior Desiree Ha stated, “I think it’s fine for guys to ask other girls to make their posters for them because they actually want them to come out nicely.” Some girls’ standards can be pretty high, depending on the individual. Sophomore Alexis Perez stated, “A lot of girls have their own [beliefs] of what they... think is romantic. I would also agree that they do expect a lot if they’re being asked to attend some type of event with another person.” Trieu stated, “[When making a poster], it is the heart that counts...I strongly sug-
Senior Christian Rubio and junior Kelsey Yamashiro show an example of a traditional homecoming asking ritual, consisting of the all important poster.
gest that guys find someone with neat, pretty, or unique legible handwriting and that the guy is the one who comes up with the idea of what to write on the poster.” Some students believe that if they create their own posters, the posters would not turn out as appealing if other girls made it. Ha also said, “If a guy were to
COURTESY OF AMANDA DUQUE
make it himself, it’d be more sentimental [which is] something more for couples.” Whatever the reason for asking a girl to Homecoming is, putting some effort into the process is a nice way to show that you care. Guys, keep in mind that a girl should appreciate anything you do for her, and, girls, be grateful.
An apple a day No age limit to trick or treat gets thrown away BRANDON CHUNG Historian
Senior Diana Tran purchases school lunch.
BRADLEY DEA Staff Writer Students who buy school lunches know it is mandatory to get a fruit or vegetable with their meal, but most students end up throwing the additional items away in the trash. Because of state laws, students must purchase either a cup of fruit or vegetables. In a recent poll of fifty students, 32 students said they throw away their fruits and vegetables. Serving 800 to 850 students a day results in a waste of both food and money. Senior Tiffany Chau who eats school lunches said, “It’s a waste of money forcing us to get fruits and vegetables. People just throw it away. If we wanted it, we would buy it.” “I think it is good and healthy,” said junior Chaowen Ma. “But they are wasting food by making it mandatory.” Maggie Hernandez, a food service assistant, said, “I think we give about the right amount of fruits and vegetables. It’s a healthier choice than having, for instance, fried potatoes. We try not to have fried foods.” When asked on her opinion about students throwing away their fruits and vegetables, Hernandez agreed that it is a waste money. Hernandez must serve food based on the rules set by the state of California. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) at the federal level. At the state level, the FFVP is administered by the California Department
THE AZTEC/ CORY MAK
of Education (CDE), Nutrition Services Division (NSD). The purpose of the federal assistance program is to provide an additional free fresh fruit or vegetable snack to students during the school day as a supplement to the school breakfast and lunch programs to teach students about good nutrition. The goal of the FFVP is to create healthier school environments by providing healthier food choices, and to expand the fruits and vegetables children experience, increase children’s fruit and vegetable consumption, and make a difference in children’s diets to impact their present and future health. Due to the high number of students who throw away their fruits and vegetables, could there possibly be away to stop this? Freshman Henry Phannguyen attended Repetto Elementary School before coming to Mark Keppel. Repetto was able to save both money and food at the same time. “I remember there would be a tray where you could return your fruits and vegetables, so it would not go to waste.” Phannguyen stated. Through this process, the food does not get thrown away and is put back with the other fruits and vegetables. In regards to the lunches at Mark Keppel, Phannguyen said, “I know for a fact most of us at Mark Keppel do not like eating vegetables. We end up throwing it away being untouched.” Though fruits and vegetables are required for all lunch meals, a new system similar to Repetto Elementary School may be the answer to saving both money and food for the school.
Everyone’s definition of trick-or-treating is different. Granted, some people may say that teenagers going trick-or-treating are immature and that those particular people should grow up. However, many have gone trick-or-treating as a kid, and those nights remain as fond memories as we grow older. There’s no problem with continuing to remain young at heart and doing what we loved as kids. October 31 is marked on the calendar as a day where a person actually gets his or her homework done and does not procrastinate in order to spend four hours hanging out with friends. Other people take a break from the stress of school life. A student who wished to remain anonymous said, “I have to be serious most of the time since school is my top priority. But during Halloween, I can let loose and
have fun with my friends. So I think trick-or-treating is something people of all ages can do to have a good time.” “I think it’s fantastic,” said Mrs. Flores about older kids still willing to go trickor-treating. “If the goal is to have fun and not steal candy from little kids, go for it.” For the more rambunctious souls, Halloween is a time to bring out that inner prankster. Some tricksters jump out of trash cans and throw toilet paper houses. Trick-or-treating doesn’t just mean walking from house to house holding out a bag. It’s called trick-or-treat for a reason. “On Halloween, older kids go to scary mazes and stuff, and that’s kind of their [version] of trick-or-treating,” said junior Lauren Fukishima. “I would never stop trick-or-treating.” Halloween only occurs once a year. It’s free candy. Take advantage of it.
custom Costumes EDLYN WONG Staff Writer Halloween, America’s spookiest holiday of the year, is approaching, and the question people are talking about is what to wear for Halloween. Will you be purchasing a costume, or will you ditch the store-bought products for your own do-it-yourself costume? According to a Halloween consumer poll from Statistics Brain, 19% of people plan to make their own costumes. Junior Melinda Av shared, “Last year, I was a Ninja Turtle with my friends, so we split the cost [which] costed around $10-$15. It was easy to make, and I had majority of the stuff already.” This year, Av plans to continue her traditions of making her own costume. As reported by the National Retail Federation, Pinterest is the growing source of inspiration this year, according to a survey which states that 11.4% of Americans will turn to the site [Pinterest] for costume ideas. Senior Joanna Van also made her own costume last year. She stated, “I was a minion, and I got the idea from the internet. Making my own costume is a cheaper alternative, and it’s also cuter.” Drama Director, Ms. Phillips, has been putting together her own costumes for many years already to celebrate Halloween. Last year, she and the Visual and Performing Arts Department wore apple core costumes, to represent Common Core. As advice for students who would like to make their own costumes for Halloween, Ms. Phillips said, “Thrift stores are the best resources for finding whatever items you need to put together your costume.” Accordingto the results of a recent poll at Keppel, 18% of the students said that being a cat is the most popular Do It Yourself costume that they have ever seen or worn. It’s as easy as drawing whiskers on your face usinf eye liner. Coming in second by just one percent was the ghost costume. Dressing up as a nerd came in third place at 13%. Other costumes that students wrote down include Disney’s famous Minnie Mouse, superheroes such as Batman and Superman, and a mummy. No matter what kind of costume you choose to wear, it’s time to get cracking on the costume prep and into the Halloween spirit!
The “Tri “Treats” of
Keeping iCut t e andCovered LYDIA XIE Co-Copy Editor/ Asst. News Editor Halloween brings new costumes that surprise many people with their creativeness. There are two major costumes that always seem to reappear every year. No matter what class you are walking to on Halloween, you are bound to see a number of Keppel female students dressed in either cats or Minnie Mouse costumes. Last minute costume ideas have to do with convenience. Most of the clothing items you need in order to complete these costumes are rather basic. Senior Colleen Huynh dressed up as a sailor last year. She says, “It was the only thing I could think of [at the] last minute, and it was fairly simple to find clothes to match.” Huynh goes on to say that the simplest costumes like cats and Minnie Mouse are common because most girls find them “cute.” Although costumes can be cute, they still have to follow the school dress code. Head of Student Services Mr. Dultz says, “The dress code still applies to maintain the safety, security, and integrity of
Mark Keppel.” Despite this, both girls and boys are not dressed accordingly to the dress code during Halloween because they are only given warnings. On average, there are usually zero to five dress codes per day. Compared to previous Halloweens, there were only two dress code violations in 2012 and only one in 2013. Mr. Dultz says, “We’re not in the business of punishing [students].” Females are encouraged to express themselves by dressing up during Halloween. From a male student’s perspective, senior Mason Wong stated, “I feel like it’s their choice to decide what they want to wear to school.” Although this year is definitely going to bring another crowd of cats and Minnies, Keppel students should avoid any dress code violations on this holiday. Huynh says, “I think this year there will be more Frozen-themed costumes.” Watch out cats and Minnies, another regular yearly costume may be coming through.
treated once, tricked twice VIVIAN TO Focus Editor/ Co-Asst. Editor-in-Chief Although Halloween is a time for treats, sometimes, getting the right candy can be tricky. Trick-or-treaters may be bummed when a number of houses give out generic treats that people probably don’t know of, like Gobstoppers, health bars, and other non-candy products that should not even be allowed on the day people seek the “sugar.” Junior Joseph Caldera stated, “When I go trick-or-treating, I don’t like it when there is not a good selection of candy to choose from.” Even though Caldera doesn’t like some of the candy selection, he still feels thankful because people give out candy for Halloween. When the name-brand candies are found, some houses enforce the “only one” candy rule. Senior Ivan Arevalo said, “[I get annoyed] when people say pick one [and] say they’re not home [because] their windows are open, which shows them watching TV.” Arevalo feels that there is no Halloween spirit when this happens, so he takes whatever candy he likes as payback. Besides the type of candy and the pick-oners, other students are annoyed at the lack of Halloween spirit. Junior Rita Yu said, “The only thing that really annoys me about trickor-treating is that I don’t really see a lot of people participating in it anymore.” Some students try to get out of participating in Halloween by using the excuse “I’m too old to go trick-or-treating.” When hearing this, Yu says, “It makes me feel sad because I realize that, now as I’m getting older, I have to start worrying about more important things, and stuff like trick-or-treating should be set aside.” If you can’t get past the candy “tricks” of trick-or-treating, you can always visit any nearby convenience store for the November 1 candy deals. It’s not too late to decide on participating in Halloween this year, especially since the special day is on a Friday, so you can put your homework aside and enjoy this day. Pictures Courtesy of Google
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MEN MA Writer
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A hidden gem of a playhouse IDA LAM Staff Writer The Mosaic Lizard Theater is a 49-seat playhouse theater in Alhambra where show-goers can enjoy live theater. Although not many people are aware of its existence, it is certainly a hidden gem in our community. The Mosaic Lizard Theater’s mission is to introduce new talent (usually students from in the Alhambra or greater Los Angeles area) to the public. Typically, the actors of the theater participate in the production of original plays, short and independent films, improvisation, comedy showcases, and educational productions. Cameron Parker, a Lizard actor and instructor stated, “The best thing about the Lizard Theater is that it’s a safe haven for young people to express themselves in a way that they can’t elsewhere.” The Mosaic Lizard Theater is the only local playhouse in the Alhambra area. The theater hosts workshops that instruct young actors from ages 12-17. The different workshops include introductions to basic improvisation exercises, character studies, monologue and scene work, and auditioning techniques. The workshops run for 8 weeks and are an hour and a half long each week. At the end of each workshop, actors should be able to perform
COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES Nicki Minaj’s new album “The Pinkprint”
On November 24, Nicki Minaj will be releasing her third upcoming studio album titled,
COURTESY OF FACEBOOK Juniors Lauren Estrada and Kyle Shelton rehearse for an upcoming Mosaic Lizard Theater show.
in future Lizard productions or participate in an improvisation show. Mark Keppel students have improved their acting skills as a result of attending workshops and participating in shows at the Lizard Theater. Lauren Estrada, a Mark Keppel junior and an actor at the Lizard Theater, said, “It has been really beneficial for me to be involved…I have learned a lot about vocal projection and I have become more comfortable with moving on stage.” Kyle Shelton, an Honor Thespian and Lizard Theater actor, compares the Lizard’s standards with our drama department’s rules, stating, “The Lizard Theater has made me see that there are so many more options out there.” The Lizard Theater is non-profit organization and uses its funds for the maintenance, props, and costumes.
“The Pinkprint.” Minaj stated that the name for her album is derived from her fondness of Jay-Z and his album, “The Blueprint.” The album features her already released singles “Pills n Potions” as well as “Anaconda.” Both of these have peaked on Billboard’s top 100. Minaj has decided to tone down her costumes in this album. She thinks that doing nothing will shock the world more than her attempt to outdo her usual vibrant videos. Junior Brianne Sarabia Wong looks forward to the new album because “from what has already been released, I can connect to
Maroon 5: “V” Album
SHANAE TO Staff Writer
Maroon 5 released their fifth studio album “V,” on August 29 by Interscope Records and 222 Records. “V,” which is pronounced “five,” was recorded over a year- long period from 2013 to mid-2014. The album features eleven songs. The song "Maps" was released on June 16 as the first single, and "Animals" was later released on August 22 as the second single from the album. Junior Michele Tran said, “The song Animal is super catchy, and it’s my favorite song from the album.” The track “My Heart is Open” features Gwen Stefani and is the only song from the album that features another artist. Sophomore Terena Phan
STEPHANIE TRAN Staff Writer
The fifth season of the Walking Dead premiered Sunday, October 12th on AMC. The show now airs every Sunday at 9 pm. The zombies, or “walkers,” are back in time for Halloween, and people are buzzing about what is to come for the new season. Word has it that the “walkers”
humans. Humans in the show seem to be even more dangerous than the “walkers.” There may be cannibalism involved where the characters were last known in season four. The main characters are in serious danger, but they are planning to do whatever it takes to escape the cruel and unwelcoming place. Junior Kylie Yu, who has not watched the show
so I feel like that’s why [The Walking Dead] interests me, and I want to start watching it.” The Walking Dead is a TV show that includes dramatic relationships and the struggle for survival. Viewers get to see the weak characters become strong leaders, and the tough characters have their lives, unfortunately, come to an end.
KRISTIN CHINGBURANAKIT Staff Writer ABC Television Network’s Once Upon a Time aired its fourth season on Sunday September 28. This television series started in 2011 and features characters from many well-known childhood fairy tales such as Snow White, Cinderella, Peter Pan, and many others. The show has an interesting twist where the fai-
rytale characters get transported out from their original story to a city named Storybrooke, Maine. The characters don’t remember their past lives due to a curse that was cast by the Evil Queen. The premiere of the fourth season’s first episode garnered 10.2 million views. The fourth season features the addition of Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff, who were characters from Disney’s Frozen. Junior Ja-
mie Perez felt that the producers were “very smart and creative in adding the Frozen plot because it is one of Disney’s best creations.” On the other hand, junior Kara Chuang feels that “Frozen is taking away from Once Upon a Time since Frozen isn’t quite a ‘classic’ and the producers are using Frozen to attract many more viewers.” All in all, Frozen adds a new twist to a popular show.
“Once Upon a Time” will melt your heart
Nicki Minaj: The Pinkprint
CORY MAK Chief Photographer
The Walking Dead returns to life are not the only ones feasting on yet, said, “I like horror shows,
stated, “Adam [Levine’s] falsetto in the song was on point. In that song, the lyrics really touched me. I could feel all the emotions coming from Adam’s voice.” The album received mixed reviews upon its release. Some people harshly criticized the album while other people loved it. Junior Kimberly Medina said, “I fell in love with the album when I got it. Adam’s voice sounded amazing in every track.” However, Annie Galvin from PopMatters gave the album a bad rating. She stated, "As far as lightweight, easy-listening charts pop goes, ‘V’ doesn’t totally offend the sensibilities, and that’s surely more than can be said about some of Maroon 5’s overly pandering, less exploratory 'poprock' peers."
Vampire Diaries takes a bite out of Keppel
RODOLFO ARIAS Staff Writer
The Vampire Diaries is a supernatural drama TV series developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. It’s based on the book series written by L. J. Smith. The sixth season premiered on October 2 on the CW. The show features a love triangle between newly turned vampire Elena Gilbert and vam-
pire brothers Stefan and Damon Salvatore. The main cast also includes vampire Caroline Forbes former witch and Bonnie Bennet. Though the season premiere got 1.81 million views, fans did not feel good about Damon’s lack of appearance. He was not shown as much as the fans wanted him to be in the first episode. Junior Mikala Enciso agrees with this and said, “I just
think he’s so hot and I wanted to see more of him on TV.” Fans of the show said that they are very excited to see which direction the show will go and how the directors will keep attracting viewers with all the drama that will happen. Sophomore Vicky Chan said, “I’m really excited to see how the rest of the season will progress and excited to see the rest of the romances as well.”
iPhone 6 hits the market the different styles which allows me to embrace the music.” When asked about her feelings regarding the already released singles, sophomore Alanah Etheridge stated, “I feel that Nicki has grown into a far more developed writer, especially in her song Pills n Potions. The song has a slow rhythm to it that allows us to feel the raw emotion that Nicki puts into the lyrics more than the beat.” Senior Ivy Zhen said, “[Minaj’s] newest album will be sexual as always, but there is a difference. She no longer has the extreme colorful ‘barbie’ attitude.”
In the United States, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 164,000 copies in the U.S. and earned Maroon 5’s second U.S. number-one album. Sophomore Lauren Mar says, “I recommend this album to others because I want other to enjoy it as much as I did.”
COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES Maroon 5’s new album “V”
ALEXANDER BEAUMONT Asst. Features Editor Apple released their newest iPhone models, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus on September 12. The two phones have larger screen sizes than their predecessors, with 4.7 and 5.5 inch screens, respectively. Another feature of the phone is that the structure is designed to look like the iPod. In the phone's first weekend of sales, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus broke records and sold over 10 million of each kind, according to Apple. Along with the release of the phones, there has been contro-
THE AZTEC/ ALEX BEAUMONT The new iPhone 6 placed next to and iPhone 5S.
versy. Due to the iPhone 6 Plus’ large size, 6.1 inches in length, the phone can bend if sat on for extended periods of time. “I like the new enhancements made to the camera,” said sophomore Andy Xiang. “It captures better photos, which I really like.”
An in-depth look inside cross country DARWIN TSE Viewpoint Editor
Sports, such as basketball, football, and baseball bring in millions of viewers per game and are glorified on TV. But what about cross country? There are no “games” televised or any big city teams to root for. In fact, it is safe to say that cross country is virtually unknown outside of high school sports. Even ping pong is in the Olympics. According to the National Olympic Committee, Cross country has not been an Olympic sport since 1924. Cross country is the natural form of long-distance running over all types of terrain. While cross country may be regarded as a non-sport by some people, many are oblivious to the true grit of cross country. “A lot of people think cross country is an easy sport, but it’s not,” said senior Chris Chu. Endurance is defined as the ability or strength to continue or last despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions. Yes, it’s true that football players have to tackle each other over and over again. However, cross country is a sport with no timeouts, half times, or substitutions. Cross country members talk about how runners have to persevere running through all types of terrain like grass, hills, and sometimes gravel road. “During races, I’m dying,” said senior Kylie Mah. “But I tell myself to stop being negative and suck it up.”
In order to compete in cross country, you have to run, obviously. However, the main strategy is to pace yourself. “In a three mile race, the people focus a lot on form and conserving energy,” said sophomore Raymond Deng. “If someone runs the first mile too fast, the race is pretty much ruined because they messed up already.” Cross country members have been running since they were children and have gotten used to the fortitude and competitiveness of the sport. “To be honest, the real reason why I run is I can’t stand the thought of someone being faster than me,” said senior David Guan. “At the playground, I would always want to be the fastest and that drive never left.” Freshman Ryan Thong also mentions his experience in the sport. “I’ve been doing it since I was in elementary school. I even joined a cross country league when I was little.” Strangely, many runners were stumped when they were asked why they joined cross country. Freshman Ashley Tang said, “That’s a hard question.” Freshman Eric Banh replied, “I like running.” However, senior runner David Guan puts it best. “When you interview people like artists and athletes, they may say things like ‘because it’s fun.’ But their real reasons show through their actions, movements, face and emotions.”
Boys’ water polo seeks to improve strategies AMBER BATCHELOR Editor-in-Chief On Monday, October 13, the boys’ water polo team played a non-conference game against Arcadia High School at Barnes Park. Coach Chan had been preparing the boys for this game by encouraging them to scrimmage, strengthen their defense, and gain an understanding of each role they play. He has high hopes that the team will make and advance past the first round of CIF. The Aztecs gained possession of the ball in the first set; however Arcadia stole the ball and made a skip shot. Soon after that, co-captain and senior Ivan Arevalo made a goal. However, the referee called a “foul in set” on Arevalo. Arevalo was ejected from the game and did not return until the third set. Arcadia then made another shot and the first set came to an end. The second set started off with the ball in Arcadia’s possession. Arcadia drove in early on in the set and scored. However, junior Mark Wang quickly took possession of the ball and lobbed the ball into the goal. Arcadia responded by strengthening their offense. The Aztecs seemed to lose focus in the third set. Arcadia communicated and executed their plays well. Although the Aztecs attempted to gain the lead, Arcadia excelled and con-
Junior Matthew Chan (front) closely defends opponent.
tinued to score against Keppel. Senior Brandon Van was able to score before the set ended. Finally, in the third set, Keppel attempted to catch up. Despite Arcadia’s big lead, the Aztecs improved their offense and were able to score. Senior Kevin Aragon scored three times, once with an assist from Arevalo. Despite the effort Keppel put in, Arcadia maintained a big lead and the game ended with a final score of 6-16. Despite their loss, the Aztecs want to use this game to help them improve. After each game, the team gathers to discuss their pros and cons in order to build as a team. After their loss against Arcadia, the team gathered and discussed their lack of communication in the pool, how to build trust with their teammates, and improve their weak offense.
THE AZTEC/AMBER BATCHELOR
However, the team plans to use this loss as a learning experience. Senior Kevin Aragon said, “After the game we talked [the lack of communication] out and we won’t let that happen again. We plan to step it up for the rest of the season.” Coach Chan believes that the team lost focus when their captain was temporarily ejected from the game. He said, “Even if Ivan was kicked out, [the teams focus] shouldn’t have been diminished.” The Aztecs believe that Arcadia is a strong team. Aragon thinks that Arcadia’s strong communication led to their victory. Coach Chan said, “Arcadia played pretty well. They started with the basics and stepped up their game when we began to lose focus.” Despite the score, the Aztecs plan to strengthen their team and work on improving as much as possible.
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Athlete’s Profile: Ivan Arevalo sity the sport requires. He said, “Swimming by itself is cool, but the fact that I get to have a ball and block shots is amazing and fun.” Ivan has dedicated seven years to water polo and has gained many awards, titles, and honors over the years. Ivan has been on Keppel’s varsity team since his freshman year and competed in CIF last year. This year, he was named varsity captain. Ivan has also played on a club team, Cola and Midvalley, throughout the years. Ivan was a Junior Olympic Champion in 2007, 2009, and 2012. Following this, he was on the USA Olympic Development Program (ODP) water polo team in 2013. Ivan finds inspiration and encouragement in famous Olympic and American water polo player Brenda Villa and U.S national player Jeff Powers. He also looks up to one of Keppel’s water polo alumni, Justin Atkins, who graduated last year. As captain, Ivan tries to keep his team motivated and determined to play their best. He enjoys the team this year and said, “We work with intensity and heart inside the water and out. We try to be consistent and push each other to do our best,
THE AZTEC/AMBER BATCHELOR
AMBER BATCHELOR Editor-in-Chief Senior and varsity water polo captain Ivan Arevalo first began playing water polo in 2007. He was first inspired to play because of his family’s dedication to the sport. He said, “After watching my cousins play, I thought I’d try it out, and I’ve stuck with it ever since.” Ivan believes water polo requires patience, dedication, focus, perseverance, discipline, and strategy. Water polo is believed to be a tough sport because of the requirement to defend, tread on water, and shoot a ball into a net at the same time. Ivan, however, mainly enjoys playing because of the inten-
Aztec football team experiences setback
Football team acknowledges crowd after game.
MALIAH PIERRIBIA Staff Writer The Mark Keppel varsity football team lost 0-56 to the Bell Gardens Lancers last Friday, October 10, causing their Almont League record to drop to 0-2. Though the Aztec defense forced several turnovers, they were unable to limit the Lancers’ offense while not scoring any points of their own. Varsity coach, Coach Sepulveda, stated that after watching the game he was “very disappointed” in the team’s performance against Bell Gardens. He continued, “We know we are better than our last performance and we are eager to redeem ourselves.” Senior and captain Isac Pizana, the team’s right guard and nose tackle, said “I thought it was a terrible game. Players seemed to be scared, and our defense was not showing up.” Although the players did not play as well as they wanted to, Sepulveda and Pizana said that
which makes us a very solid and strong team.” Ivan also jokingly says, ”Our team is also fun, fun to watch, [ladies], and smart.” Despite his confidence in his team, Ivan believes that there is always room for improvement and said, “We could improve our team chemistry because no team is perfect.” Personally, as a defensive player, Ivan would like to work on improving his offense. He also has a personal goal of competing in CIF again. Along with playing water polo, Ivan has also been on the swim team for four years and he is now treasurer for Association for Latin American Students (A.L.A.S.). In his free time, Ivan enjoys hanging out with friends and eating as much as he can. Ivan would like to attend Mount SAC next fall, and he wants to major in Business and Finance. He also wants to continue to play water polo. Through water polo, Ivan has learned how to balance his academics and the sport. He has also learned time management, responsibility, and the importance of being committed to something. Ivan would like to give a shout out to “the whole polo team, the Krew, Coach Chan and Coach Perez.”
Girls’ Tennis remains in first place
Seniors Nikki Wang and Asama Rungseriruch team up in doubles match.
EMILY MU Asst.Sports Editor
The Lady Aztecs won 13-5 against the Schurr Spartans on Tuesday, October 14. They started off strong by hitting aces, which are serves without the other team returning the ball. The first set ended in a score of 5-1 with the Aztecs leading. Freshman Maliah Pierribia said, “I like making them run. When I have an easy shot, I hit it in the corner.” Captains Nikki Wang and Asama Rungseriruch won all their sets. The second set ended 5-2 to a total of 10-3. Wang said, “This is our comeback match from the last game against San Gabriel. As a team we are pretty strong. We encourage each other. Sometimes [the team] slacks off, but we’re trying to be ready for
THE AZTEC/EMILY MU
anything.” Senior Julie Huynh and Pierribia also won their sets, ending the third set with a score of 3-2, totaling to the overall score of 13-5. Coach Mike Ten said, “We have a lot of seniors this year, which means they’re experienced. We’re in first place right now, and it’s a three-way tie with San Gabriel and Alhambra.” Senior Tiffany Lee said, “I hope we win league this year. We’ve been champions for ten years. They can’t take that away from us.” Regarding the rest of the season, Coach Ten said, “We’re in first place. We lost a close one to San Gabriel. It’s more pressure for the girls because they have to fight. Now it’s up to them to win it. It’s our title.”
Girls’ volleyball loses 3 sets to 1 to Schurr
THE AZTEC/VICTORIA RAMIREZ
their strengths are that they “are more of a family compared to the other teams and are the hardest workers” and “our strength is our team unity, and team pride,” respectively. Varsity senior Georgina Abuede said that she thought that they lost the game against Bell Garden because “after some point, we were worried. Some of the players gave up. Sometimes we have trouble working together and we need to be more of a team.” The Aztecs plan to improve by their next game. Coach Sepulveda says that he will have the team “train harder,” and that their intention is to grow from game to game. “We will always strive to improve.” Despite their performance, the team has shown improvement from previous years, winning a preseason game against Workman High. The Aztecs are looking to improve from this performance in their upcoming game against Montebello on October 17.
Junior Elaine Ha (8) gets ready to defend as teammates attempt to block hit.
BRIAN CHEN Historian/Asst.Viewpoint Editor The varsity girls’ volleyball team has been training to minimize errors and be more consistent in their offense. The team looks to improve their skill levels and develop reliable offense hitters. On October 14th, the Lady Aztecs played against Schurr at Schurr High School. The Lady Aztecs lost the first set with a score of 18-25 after the Spartans gained an early lead. Despite junior Kathleen Lok and senior Shiva Taghdis’s consistent performances, the team was unable to recover from the deficit. Coach Chu changed the libero, who is a specialized defense player, to senior Emily
Truong at the beginning of the second set. The team gained an early lead during the second set with a score of 7-2 due to solid serves from Taghdis and strong offense by senior Desiree Ha. The Spartans quickly minimized the lead when miscommunication between Keppel occurred. Mistakes continued to hinder the team’s performance, causing the Lady Aztecs to lose the second set with a final score of 23-25. Taghdis played libero during the third set, and the team won the set with a final score of 26-24. The Lady Aztecs had a strong start, leading 6-1. The team fought hard and furthered their lead to 15-5 after winning a long rally due to clutch saves and digs from Taghdis. The team had a rough start in the fourth set. Misplays and fatigue plagued the Lady Aztec’s
THE AZTEC/BRIAN CHEN
performance, resulting in a loss of 16-25. Taghdis commented, “We are strong individually, but we lack team chemistry and need to improve our communication.” Coach Chu believed that the team played poorly and were unfocused. Truong states, “We could be really good if we all played at our best.” The girls are looking to be more aggressive at attacking the ball and improve their mental toughness. Coach Chu said, “I expect us to play better in the second half of the season because we generally play better at home.” They lost with a final set score of 1-3. Their current league record is 0-5, but they are looking to gain their first win and turn their season around.