Volume 4, Issue 7
Ontario High School
Inside:
The engineers of the future
JagWire Policy Statement: • Published 9 times a year, the student newspaper of Ontario High School is a public forum, with its student editorial board making all decisions concerning its contents. • Unsigned editorials represent the views of the majority of the editorial board. • Letters to the editor are welcomed and will be published as space allows. Letters must be signed, although the staff may withhold the name on request • The paper reserves the right to edit letters for grammar and clarity, and all letters are subject to laws governing obscenity, libel, privacy and disruption of the school process, as are all contents of the paper. • Opinions in letters are not necessarily those of the staff, nor should any opinion expressed in a public forum be construed as the opinion or policy of the administration, unless so attributed.
Advisor
Traci White
Editors Alicia Govea Orlando D. Mayorquin Alondra Alsalamy Aryana Carino David Dang Megan George Sydney Huynh Ivan Ledgard Mariana Orozco-Berber Valerie Sanchez-Cervera Daniel Vergara Lesly Velasco
Staff writers
Jesus Aguilar-Martinez Galia Arana Vincent Arellanes Diego Castro Pamela Carlin Sara Crespo Noemi Chaves Jennifer De Tejada Michael Elebe-Amudoaghan Selene Espinoza Nicole Ferrer Moises Flores Guadalupe Garcia Adam George Raymond Godina Roger Gomez-Guzman Ashley Gonzalez Juan Govea Edward Grijalva Jose Hernandez Monique Lomeli Ileana Montanez
2
• • • • • • • • • • • •
CONTENTS
Our Mission
The JagWire Staff is dedicated to providing fair and accurate information of universal interest with the intent to stimulate thought-provoking conversations.
School
Stan the man 3 Auto goes to state 4 Engineering Story 6
&7
Student by day, author by night 3 Coach of the year 10 First to run 11
Other News
It’s just the veganing 8 Black history month 12 Xssassination 13 Heroin or babypowder? 15 The Colorado suicide bridge 15
Co-Editor in Chief Co-Editor in Chief Photography Editor Copy Editor & Co-Web Admin Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor & Design Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor & Co-Web Admin Copy Editor & Business Director Advertisment Manager Jacqueline Medina Michelle Nunez Erik Oritz Piper Poompuang Aranelly Ramirez Ambrosia Ramos Areli Ramos Abraham Rivera Breana Rodriguez Natalie Rodriguez Clara Roman Garcia Viridiana Salgado Eric Serna Xitlali Soto Joseph Souquett Kevin Tran Alyssa Valencia Lesly Velasco Guerra Dafne Vizcarra Kennedy Von Lewis Jonathon Yee
Advertisments
Mike’s Mobile Truck Repair 10 Whole Life Soaps 11 Crown Paper Converting 14 My Delight Cupcakery 15
Columns DI Turf: Bullies and nerds struggling to fit in 4 Don’t You hate it when 8 Photos by Alondra: Girls’ Varsity Soccer vs Alta Loma 8 Man on the Street: 9 1001 things you didn’t need to know 10 The Peach 11
Editorials He will never be my president 5
ohsjagwire.org
STAN THE MAN ARYANA CARINO & ORLANDO MAYORQUIN
S
Editor & Co-Editor in chief
tan Lesmeister is a dutchman from the Netherlands As for the high school environment in America, his who made his way to Ontario High School to finish his se- predictions were spot on. “I thought there would be a lot nior year. He lives with fellow jag seniors Austin Prieto and of different sports, and there are, so that’s kind of true,” Stefano Scarscini, who is also an exchange student from said Lesmeister. His favorite on campus activity is attendItaly. ing soccer games to support his host brother Stefano, “I Lesmeister says they have really helped him settle like to watch the soccer games and sometimes I watch the into his new school. “I have made a lot of my friends water polo games also.” because of my host brothers Austin and Stefano.” LesHis favorite thing about The “O” are the people. meister loves his home away from home and has formed a “There are a lot of really nice people at Ontario,” said close bond with his two brothers, “I like my home, but my Lesmeister. brothers bully me every day and they make videos of them Mr. Gonzalez is Lesmeister’s favorite teacher, he throwing corn dogs at me on snapchat. I like my home and said “He is funny and the anatomy class is fun.” host parents, but I prefer other host brothers,” Lesmeister At the beginning of second semester, Lesmeister said jokingly. was placed in choir at OHS, but decided to switch out of This visit is Lesmeister’s first time in California and the class. his expectations were high, “I thought it would be fun, but “I can’t sing, so instead I have no sixth period now.” IniI also thought there would be more parties like in the mov- tially, he was interested in joining our boys soccer team; ies.” however, due to communication issues with his previous He also loves California’s fast food, Lesmeister said school back home, he was unable to. “My favorite thing about America is In N Out or tacos. I Lesmeister would also like to tell all of our readers love tacos. Burritos are also pretty good, and nachos, and to follow him on Instagram @stann0481. carne asada.” ohsjagwire.org 3
D.I. Turf Bullies and nerds struggling to fit in
JOSEPH GONZALES Staff writer
O
DANIEL VERGARA & IVAN LEDGARD Editors
ntario High School’s auto program is going to the state championship for their third consecutive year. They will be traveling to San Diego, Ca for the competition in April. [Mr. Lewis, auto teacher at Ontario High for the past four years says,] “Overall [I feel] real proud of my students, all of my students, for all they have done.” There are four intro students and four advanced students; eight all together, who made it into the state competition. Mr. Lewis’ past experience as an auto mechanic for 15 years has led him to where he is today. “It’s been a challenge for me, but we came in on weekends, pulled through for the competition,” Lewis states. He is very proud of his students for all the hard work and dedication that they have put into this competition. “The Auto shop program is an amazing program for students to join, it teaches all of them life skills, and how to fix cars, because we’re all going to have or drive a car one day. Cars are a part of our everyday life,” says Lewis He encourages all students to come down to the shop to see what the class is all about. The cars that students work on are donated by major car manufacturers. GM, BMW, Buick and Volkswagen . All cars that are donated to schools that are State Certified “Auto Tech” certified. We send our thanks to all of the corporations that contribute to our school. We are very proud of our fellow Jags. Let’s wish them luck at the State Championship in April.
4
ohsjagwire.org
“I
t’s just not the same,” Varsity football captain Kevin Gonzales quavered while trying to stuff a nerd into his locker. While many students are enjoying their last year of high school, two particular group’s senior experience has been less than enjoyable. Having grown significantly in size since their freshman year, school nerds can no longer be subjected to common bully tactics. “I’ve been hard-pressed to find a suitable nerd to fit in my locker. They’ve grown too much since freshman year,” Gonzales says. There has also been a shortage of lunch money for senior bullies, to take among many other problems. “Admittedly, most of my money came from the nerds. Now I can’t even eat. I don’t think this year can get any worse. None of the movies or cartoons I saw showed this side of bullying” senior Louie Patterson stated. Even the nerds, it seems, long for the confinement of the lockers and the theft of their lunch money. “I kind of just spend my lunches reading, or even eating. I don’t know where I belong out here. It’s just too spacey for my liking,” senior nerd Adam Nelson began. And my wallet’s just overflowing with money now.” “Here’s a dent my elbow made when I was shoved into a locker last year,” senior nerd Nelson nostalgically recalled. Shortly thereafter, a hapless Nelson was seen hugging his tormentor’s locker and sobbing. Patterson and Gonzales were last seen creating a petition to increase the size of school lockers.
EDITORIAL: HE WILL NEVER BE MY PRESIDENT
I
n the first 12 days of his presidency, Donald Trump signed 18 executive orders changing policies on health care, immigration, oil exploration, abortion and federal hiring and trade. Trump’s executive orders, however, are controversial, impactful, and in some cases, are said to violate the Constitution of the United States, such as the executive order that has temporarily banned travel from seven major Muslim-majori- ty countries. This particular executive order violates the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, which guarantees that everyone is entitled to equal protection under the law, including immigrants. The words Christian and Muslim are not found in Trump’s executive order to protect the nation from foreign terrorists; however, the
ALICIA GOVEA Co-Editor in chief
order follows, “to prioritize refugee claims made by individuals on the basis of religious-based persecution, provided that the religion of the individual is a minority religion in the individual’s country of nationality.” The order indicates that prioritization of minoritiy religions in these countries such as Christians. The executive order declares, “And while the visa-issuance process was reviewed and amended after the September 11 attacks to better detect would-be terrorists from receiving visas, these measures did not stop attacks by foreign nationals who were admitted to the United States.” However, Trump’s executive order does not include any countries where radical Muslims were involved in the 9/11 attacks. In addition Trump signed two executive orders which ordered the construction of a wall along the U.S. and Mexican border and to leave the North American Free Trade Agreements (NAFTA). Trump’s anti-immigration policies will only hurt the economy; immigrants do not replace American jobs as he claims, but are the source of cheap labor that large corporations demand. According the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 26.3 million foreign born persons within the country who were part of the U.S. labor force making up 16.7% of the entire work force. The American Action Forum released a study last year breaking down the economic consequences of deporting all unauthorized citizens in the U.S. as Trump promised in his campaign. “Overall, removing all undocumented immigrants would cause private sector output to decline by between $381.5 billion and $623.2 billion. This translates to a 2.9 percent to 4.7 percent reduction in total annual output from the private sector” says Ben Gitis and Jacqueline Varas who were responsible for the study. Trump’s opinions and so called vision to “make America great again” speaks to the disillusioned part of America, incapable of embracing that the world is changing for the better and clings to the shambles of a white America. President Trump’s character is typical of those who advocate for the Alt-Right movement, and he is rightfully entitled to do so; however, when his policies violate the endowed rights of people, I refuse to recognize him as my president.
5
Engineering ERIK ORTIZ
Club
Staff writer
“A lot of people don’t join because they think it’s too hard and they think they can’t do it, but they will be really surprised if they join, because it’s not that hard.. and you can be as creative as you want.” - Emely Hernandez, Club President
E
ngineering Club was started in 2013 by a couple students that were interested in a future career in engineering. The club is financed primarily by donations, but also through fund-raising. Club members meet every Thursday after school from 2:30 to 3:30 in room 398. Activities in this club vary based upon student interests; however, computer coding and 3-D printing are two skills you are bound to learn if you participate in this club. The Engineering Club advisor is Mr. Stafford and the officers are President, Emely Hernandez; Vice President, David Dang; Treasurer, Kathy Martinez; and Secretary, Hugo Ramos. Emely oversees all projects to make sure they occur and is at all club events, while David supervises and makes sure people have the materials necessary for whatever project they are working on. Kathy keeps track of club finances, and Hugo takes care of club organization. As advisor, Mr. Stafford tries to sometimes provide suggestions for the students, however, the club is very self-taught and is directed by the students interests. “A lot of the club stuff that takes place, I dont have a big hand in all of that.. I think that students kind of run it themselves from that perspective...and then when it comes to fundraising and stuff like that, I’ve been kind of helping out with purchasing equipment, but for the most part, my job is to kind of stand back and let them do their thing.” says Mr. Stafford.
6
ohsjagwire.org
This project requires them to put together each and every individual part of the printer. They must also accurately wire the printer in order for it to function properly.
Left to right: Carla Balvaneda, Tiffany Nguyen and Francis Nguyen
Left to right: Alexys Robles, Brian Flores, Ethan Gutierrez, Christian Pollitt, Anthony Martinez
Rube Goldberg Machine Project
There are also some new programs to which students have access to and learn from, as well as some cool projects. “Mr. Stafford had a mac-mini in his room, and so, I spent several hours learning how to program in a computer language called Swift. Some other projects I work on include building robots, building an arcade machine, and 3-D printing some cool designs I made,” explains David. Engineering Club is an organization founded upon the discovery of new and useful skills. “One of the skills I’ve learned from joining is definitely working together to solve problems that require teamwork… So definitely communicating with others to solve a lot of problems,” Secretary Hugo Ramos explains. Thought-provoking projects are also a major aspect of Engineering Club. “One project is currently being done right now by Tiffany Nguyen, Francis Nguyen, and Carla Balveneda, they’re building a 3-D printer... and the one project I’m doing right now is the Rube Goldberg Competition, which is like a chain reaction of events to do something simple at the end,” Hernandez states. STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is an educational organization that was developed to help students prepare for college and graduate study in the field of science. “If you are someone involved in STEM, and have a deep interest in science, then join Engineering Club” states Dang. All in all, Engineering Club offers the opportunity to work on a diverse line of creative projects and learn beneficial skills such as, coding, 3-D printing, and teamwork.
3D Printer Project
“We’re working on a machine that is a series of actions that will result is one final action; for us, it’s putting a band-aid on an object” says Freshman Anthony Martinez.
Other Mechanical Projects “This sensor is going to let the robot know what is in front of it, for example if there is a wall, it will know to stop,” says Senior Kathy Martinez.
ohsjagwire.org
Top: robot; bottom:sensor
7
Photos By Alondra Girls Varsity Soccer against Alta Loma ALONDRA ALSALAMY Photo editor
This is just the VIRIDIANA SALGADO Staff writer
V
veganing
Don’t YOU hate it when ... ABRAHAM RIVERA Staff writer
eganism has experienced an increase in participation • your phone didn’t charge over patterns in the last few years. Specifically, many teens have night. taken the diet to their online pages via social media plat• you wake up in the middle of a dream. forms like Instagram or Twitter in order to emphasize their • your phone freezes. change in eating habits. • life happens. PETA stated that the increase in vegans has led to • seagulls take your food. fewer slaughtered animals, saving up to 198 animals per year. An online “vegan calculator” claims that for a month of being Vegan, people can save up to 33,000 gallons of water, veganism made a bigger impact on my mental health.” 1,200 lbs of grain, 900 feet of forest ground, and 30 animal There have been several claims by many that belives! coming vegan boosts energy, which is very important to A few makeup brands have transitioned into crueltyany sports player, as their skill comes from their energy. free organizations due to many of their customers being We can also help the Earth by going green. A against animal captivity. Other companies have followed their plant-based diet requires only one third of the land that is lead to appeal to more vegetarian and vegan customers. needed to support a meat and dairy diet. Also, with the rise Drama student, Araceli Perez, has been a vegetarof global warming and the drought California is in, a vegan ian for a year, and has proudly endured a vegan diet for six diet may be something to try. months so far. Becoming a vegan is not easy when coming from a “Once I educated myself about the dairy industry family whose lives depend on meat. But keep in mind that and how cruel they are and how animal products effect our anyone can become a vegan with a determined mind set. body, I never wanted to touch or eat anything that had to You are impacted by the food you eat, “you have nothing do with animal products,” said Perez. “I feel more energized to lose, so go for it!” said Perez. throughout the day, I’m healthy and for me personally, ohsjagwire.org 8
Student by day, author by night DANIEL VERGARA
J
Staff writer
unior Tonya Ortiz has devoted two years of her life to writing and completing her first novel, He Knows. He Knows is based on song Ortiz had written as a freshman. She stated, “I fell in love with the story more than I did the song, so I just finished...the story.” Once she began writing, Ortiz attempted to work on the book every day, but was only able work on it five times out of the week—mostly, because “it wasn’t easy.” She was only compelled to further her work when she was inspired by music, movies or other literary works. A novel Ortiz was partially inspired by is E. L. James’ novel, Fifty Shades of Grey. “It made me realize what romantic writing was,” she stated. “It was the book If I Stay that gave me inspiration to write. It seemed like a perfect romance book, but in reality, it was about the main character finding her reason to stay alive when everything else in life was telling her not to and had the ‘perfect ending.’” After six months of working on He Knows, Ortiz ceased working on the project due to a lack of inspiration. She resumed the project two months later after she a walk down her neighborhood where she noticed “big...palm trees” that gave her an idea on how to advance the story; she was, once again, inspired. Ortiz typically worked on her novel in a dark room and by a window. Although He Knows contains a minimal amount of explicit language, vowels in expletives are replaced with asterisks. The basic plot of He Knows involves a 17-year-old girl named Veronica had to move to California from Wisconsin because her parents made the decision of moving to support Veronica’s brother, who had just joined the military. Though the family moved away, Veronica “left behind her biggest secret in Wisconsin.” When in California, Veronica entangles herself in a love triangle. As the title
hints, one of the boys “[discovers] her secret.” The story unravels from this point. Ortiz is hesitant to reveal too much about the plot. Other than Ortiz, the first person to read He Knows was her sister, Carla Ortiz. She had read six out of the 13 chapters and stated that she “like[d] it.” Three copies of her 60-page novel were printed; she kept one, and let her friends borrow the other two because they were interested in reading it. Though her friends are supportive now, early drafts of He Knows received heavy criticism for lousy grammar. Ortiz is working on an online version of He Knows. Because the ending of her book is intended to raise questions and leave the reader “guessing what happens next,” she plans on writing a sequel for He Knows. Before starting on the novel, Ortiz wanted to be a veterinarian, but is now considering becoming an author because of her “sudden passion for writing, and music, and art.” Ortiz is currently investigating the possibilities of being published. Ortiz offered a word of advice for those who want to start on their own novel: “it’s not easy, but what you feel when it’s done and you read it yourself, it’s amazing. Writing, it’s not something you do every day...Find what inspires you...don’t force yourself to finish it. There’s no time limit to writing… write to write...it’s for yourself, not anybody else.”
E LOV Man on the Street
ILEANA MONTANEZ & LESLY VELASCO Staff writers
1. Do you believe in love at first sight? 2. What’s the best way to spend Valentine’s Day? 3. What’s the best gift you can receive on Valentine’s Day? 4. What’s your favorite cake flavor? Cesar Garfias 9 1. Yes 2. With the people you care about the most 3. To show how much you love the person 4. Red velvet Evelyn Garcia 10 1.Yep 2. Cuddling 3. My best friend 4. Marble Francis Nguyen 11 1. It’s a hard question 2. Watch Netflix by yourself 3. Hershey’s kiss 4. I like all cakes
Lupe Rodriguez 12
Junior, Tonya Ortiz
“And he gave me a good night hug, which was really long, I could feel that he wanted to kiss me, but he didn’t. What a day.” He Knows, Ch. 6
ohsjagwire.org
1. I believe you can find someone attractive at first sight, but not in love 2. With my family and my parents 3. A flower 4. Red velvet
9
Coach of the year DAVID DANG
C
Editor
oach Dave Cook of Ontario High School’s cross country team, was awarded the Daily Bulletin’s All Area Coach of the Year Award for Boys Cross Country; alongside Mr. Cook, Angel Campos and Misael Millan-Bernal were named to the Daily Bulletin All-Area Cross country second team. Tony Trigotenco received an honorable mention. “I wasn’t even aware of it,” coach Cook states. “A lot of the local newspapers do the same thing; they have the area they service- those schools- they pick a boys coach and a girls coach and they have an all area all-star team; they have first team and second team and honorable mentions”. Coach Cook notes, “ We had the most number of guys on the all-star team of any high school that didn’t go to the state [cross country] meet. So that’s impressive.” Though he is retiring, he will Cook reflected on his 40 years of coaching cross counbe coming back to Ontario try and its humble beginnings. “When I first started, we had to to visit a lot. scramble just to get five guys because you needed a minimum of five to compete; and there were days when we were running around trying to find our number five guy… I think it was ‘79 was the first year we had a girls team and there was no girls team before that” “There are always good years and bad years, but they’re With the help of Coach Cook, the always fun- and it’s been enjoyable for all 40.” boys cross country team was able Cook plans on retiring first semester of next year and to win the title of League Champs. states, “I’ve been grateful for this opportunity; when we first started, I never dreamed of being here 40 years later, so it's gone by so quickly. It's amazing.”
1001
ERIK ORTIZ & PIPER POOMPUANG Staff writers
Things you didn’t need to know 10
• • • • • •
A yellow light is about 4 seconds long. It is illegal to buy a mattress on a Sunday in Washington. The stickers that supermarkets use on food are completely edible. Graffiti is plural, the singular form is graffito. It is estimated that there is one land mine for every 17 children on Earth. The cookie monster’s real name is Sid.
ohsjagwire.org
Coach Cook motivates the boys varsity cross country at the IE Championships Sweepstakes Race.
First to run A PIPER POOMPUANG Staff writer
fter running a half marathon in Death Valley, John Bradshaw, OHS junior--and Cross Country co-captain--decided to train hard to improve his time. On January 7th, the Citrus Heritage Run was open to anyone who wanted to run that day. Participants were able to run either a marathon, half-marathon, or a 5K run. “The half-marathon at Citrus was going to be my half-way marker to see how well I’m doing in my training,” Bradshaw stated. Bradshaw decided to run a half marathon as a way to keep track of his progress. “Six out of seven days [of the week], I ran at least ten or more miles, and then on the seventh day, I would only run three or four.” His only intention was to improve his speed, but in the end, he had won the half marathon at 1 hour, 19 minutes and 5 seconds; beating his old time by 12 minutes and 7 seconds. Though Bradshaw won, he feels bad for his competitor. “When I caught up to him, it was a battle to the finish so it felt really good, but then I found out that he was from Japan and I felt really bad.” With Bradshaw’s enthusiasm, he was able to both improve his time and win in the Citrus Heritage Half-Marathon Run.
John Bradshaw pushes to the finish line, beating his competitor by 13 seconds.
THE PEACH SARA CRESPO & AMBROSIA RAMOS
Staff writers
FIND THE JAG oNlINE AT oHsJAGwIrE.orG! THE FIrsT PErsoN To sHow Mrs. wHITE IN rooM 101 wHErE THE JAGUAr Is HIDDEN oN THE wEbsITEwINs A PrIZE
Black History Month SYDNEY HUYNH & NATALIE RODRIGUEZ Editor
Staff Writer
In 1976, the U.S. designated February as Black History Month and it continues to impact our youth today. Haynes Elementary student Michelle Huynh said, “Yes, I do know that it is Black History Month. We mostly read about Black History Month in class. I do like that they teach some things to us about Black History Month. Although, I think it’s sad that African Americans and Native Americans were slaves once…” National Black History Month is an annual celebration in honor and recognition of the triumphs achieved by African Americans throughout history. History.com states that Black History Month is celebrated worldwide, including Canada and the United Kingdom. Mercedes Trujillo, who works in Colton District, said, “When I was younger, my school would have us write what Black History Month means to us and the month’s significance. The only day we truly celebrated Black History Month was Martin Luther King Jr. Day.” Black History Month is meant to teach the youth about the struggles African Americans had faced trying to gain their civil rights. Vista Grande Elementary student Anthony Pham said, “We mainly watch movies about Martin Luther King Jr. and other famous African Americans.” Black History Month starts on Wednesday, February 1 and ends on Tuesday, February 28.
Black 12
mo
X-assination
RAYMOND GODINA Staff Writer
Malcolm X was an African-American nationalist leader and prominent figure of the American Civil Rights movement. Malcolm X’s real name was Malcolm Little and he was born on Although not all of them suporMay 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska and experienced racism ted Malcom X’s ideas, they are all prominent African American throughout his entire childhood. civil rights figures. Malcolm X dropped from school at the age 15 and moved to Boston to live with his half sister; he had a few jobs, and fell into the path of drugs and crime. In 1946, he was arrested for larceny and had a ten year jail sentence. After Malcolm X was released from jail he changed his last name to “X” and the Nation of Islam- “an African American organizations that advocated the teachings of Islam and favoring the separation of black and white racial groups in the United States.” Malcolm X was an excellent inspirational speaker and told his audience to eliminate racism “by any means necessary.”He promoted violence as a way for the African-American community to maintain their rights rights and gained many followers for doing this. Malcolm X became a speaker for the Civil Rights movement and continued to use violence as a necessary tool for civil rights; in contrast, Martin Luther King advocated for nonviolent resistance King stated, “I feel that Malcolm has done himself and his people a great disservice.” In 1964, Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam because Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam, has rejected the rules he established. Malcolm X flew to North Africa and returned to the United States with a view of new view of the American Civil Rights movement. He held “racism” - not the white race- were the greatest problem in American society. Malcolm X realized that his “anger” blinded him from his “human vision,” and stated “America is the first country ... that can actually have a bloodless revolution.” Malcolm X was assassinated in Manhattan on February 21, 1965. He was about to give a speech right when he was shot and killed by three members of the Nation of Islam. There is no clear reason what Malcolm was killed for, but some people thought the reason could be Malcolm’s abandonment of the movement. Malcolm X is memorialized from the books written about him and a memorial established of him in New York city and it is called the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center. The educational center is is the same Auditorium that Malcolm X was shot and turned into a ‘biotechnology center, then turned into a museum to teach people about human rights.
History
ntH
14
ohsjagwire.org
The Colorado Suicide Bridge
lives of over 100 people. People who visit the bridge today say that they see spirits wandering on the bridge, or they JACQUELINE MEDINA say that they can hear people screaming and crying when Staff writer no one is around. The most common ghosts include a woman wearade in 1913, the beautiful Colorado Street bridge in ing a white robe on the edge of the bridge falling and then Pasadena,California is not what it looks like. The bridge took on vanishes. Another common sighting is a man wearing wire a more sinister note when people started to jump from the 150 rimmed glasses who is wandering on the bridge. foot bridge to their deaths. After a few deaths [There is still another tragic story that the bridge was nicknamed “Suicide Bridge” in claims] that on May 1, 1937, a 22 year1932. Many people claim the people who died old woman threw her baby daughter off from leaping off that bridge now haunt it. the bridge and proceeded to jump off the Locals report the area was haunted even bridge. Luckily, there was at a nearby tree before the bridge existed. They say that there which saved the baby from falling to hard was a construction worker working at the very on the ground below, but sadly, the mother top of the bridge. And as he worked he slipped did not have the same luck. and fell 150 feet to his death. Legend has it that The most recent suicide happened in the concrete was still wet when he hit the ground The first suicide was on No- October 27, 2015, when a British American so the construction worker slowly sunk in the wet vember 16, 1919, and nearly reality star Sam Sarpong took his own life concrete. His co-workers thought that “he could fifty of the suicides occurred by jumping off the bridge to his death. not be saved” so they left his body in the wet The bridge is now called Colorado Bouduring the Great Depression concrete as he slowly sank in it. Some legends say from 1933 to 1937. levard and it now has long bars to prevent that he is the reason people take their lives on that any more suicides, which worked, until the bridge. He calls to them urging them to take their loss of Sam Sarpong in 2015. own lives. During the Great depression, the bridge
M
Heroin or baby formula? ILEANA MONTANEZ Staff writer
T
he unique drug, heroin, comes from the poppy seed plant and is a derivative of opium. The product given from the poppy plant is a paste or liquid opium. From there opium generates a lot of different products including codeine and heroin. Retired detective Terry Henson states, “When you start talking about how lethal heroin is, the body can usually take 5 to 7% at one particular time. Overdoses are raging out of control now because people are mixing heroin with fentanyl.” Fentanyl is 30 to 50 times stronger than heroin, with a dosage of 0.25 milligrams. Fentanyl can cause death.The danger of fentanyl does not only apply to users; it is also a hazard to who ever comes into contact with it. Not only can fentanyl be drawn in but it can also be absorbed through the surface of the skin.
Henson adds, “The bad thing with heroin is that you shoot it into your veins. You’re shooting 5-7% and you have to wonder what the 93% if you’re putting 100% of something in your body you have to wonder what is the other percent is.” Substances used to dilute heroin vary and include products such as fentanyl, flour, and baby formula. Drug dealers use the powdered formula to dilute heroine or to expand the amount of heroin. Before taking drugs, consider the hazardous substances that are used and their consequences.
AWARD WINNING CUPCAKES
MY DELIGHT CUPCAKERY 1520 North Mountain Ave. Ontario 909-988-4151
At My Delight, we do more than bake cupcakes.We handcraft edible works of art, made from only the highest quality ingredients. Our superior ingredients include the finest imported chocolates and vanillas, certified non-GMO flour, produce sourced through local organic farms whenever possible, and dairy products purchased from local farmers who’ve pledged not to use artificial growth hormones.
www.mydelightcupcakery.com
"Heroin addiction is like driving a car with the steering going out. You eventually resign yourself to the inevitability of what’s going to happen." – David Bowie
ohsjagwire.org
15
Pencil Comics
An Open Letter
DAVID DANG Editor
T
he Merriam-Webster dictionary defines perspective as “the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance.” With three months left of our final year of high school, perspective is important. In a society, so focused on the prospects of “higher education”, admittance to “a good college”, and a “well-paying job”, we can easily feel lost, belittled, and scared. Those fears are exponentially multiplied as we awaited our college acceptance letters; if anyone could knows these feelings, it would be me. Sitting down at night, looking through pages and pages of college admissions forums, comparing GPA’s, SAT scores, and essay threads is anything but fun- it is a euphemism for spiritual suicide. When I think about these things, I find it funny how we spend four years of our lives in high school, only for the next four years of your life to be determined by a simple “yes” or “no”. Anyways, the purpose of this open letter is to inform the class of 2017 and future classes of the realizations I have made over the past few months concerning this issue. Regardless of where you end up going, the most important thing in life is what you choose to do with your life. Ask yourself is this something I enjoy? Second of all, enjoy the rest of senior year. Go to a dance or a couple parties; it will take your mind off of college. Third, cherish the people you have gotten to know over these four years in high school; you and I both know that as soon as we step onto that college campus or wherever, your best friends are going to fade eventually. Lastly, thank all of the teachers, family, and friends for the impact they’ve had on your lives. (Thank you Mrs. White, Mr. McConnell, Mrs. Montoya, Ms. Potter, Mrs. Ellwanger, Mr. De Jong, Mr. Stafford, Mr. Labarrerre, and Mr. Robinson for everything)
16
ohsjagwire.org