The Matador - Issue 1, September 20 2017

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VOL. 63 ISSUE 1

THE MATADOR 801 S. RAMONA STREET, SAN GABRIEL, CA 91776

SAN GABRIEL HIGH SCHOOL

WWW.THEMATADORSGHS.US

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

District handles vandalism internally

BY KEVIN CONTRERAS

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIZA COE

San Gabriel High School was vandalized on the morning of May 25, 2017.

San Gabriel High School (SGHS) was vandalized on May 25, the day before graduation.

SGHS, along with the Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD), quickly started an investigation in order to apprehend the vandals. Vandalism with damages over $400 can be classified as a felony in California, which could lead to a $10,000 fine and up to two years of jail time for those over 18 years old.

Opting instead to handle the incident internally, AUSD decided to classify the vandalism as a prank and not involve the local police. The district’s insurance covered most of the repairs; however, AUSD’s facilities and transportation department was not available to comment on the extent of the damages.

Among the victims of the vandalism was math teacher Leah Ulloa, whose classroom window was broken.

“I do know some of the students who were involved and I

know they are good kids,” Ulloa said. “Good kids that did something bad.”

In dealing with the widespread damage, the cleaning staff had to replace the broken window, clean up graffiti, and repair locks. They also had to clean

“What’s being done to prevent this from occurring again?”

trees that were toilet papered and buildings that were egged.

Repairing the damages “was not a cheap fix,” Khevin Devaughn, assistant principal of Student and Employee Welfare, said.

Superintendent Denise Jaramillo, who was not superintendent at the time, finds it useless to vandalize no matter the reason.

“To me,vandalism is nonsensical; I don’t know what it achieves,” Jaramillo said. “I never see the purpose in any kind of vandalism.”

Principal Debbie Stone found the incident “unfortunate.”

“But we look to the future,” Stone said. “ We aren’t really looking at that right now, we’ll focus on it more come second semester.”

The group of vandals included some minors so any personal information could not be released due to confidentiality issues. Administrators, including Devaughn and Assistant Principal of Business and Activities Matthew Dultz, would not disclose information nor offer any comments. Other district administrators were not available to comment despite interest from the community on the subject.

“I’m from the class of 1972 and I don’t believe there’s any harm in a little messy fun, but these guys were destructive,” San Gabriel Alumni Vic Lowrey said. “What’s being done to prevent this from occurring again?”

New student ID photos no longer offered

PHOTO BY LU JUNE LIN

Junior Zetao Xie‘s current ID card and last year’s ID card has the same picture.

BY LU JUNE LIN

It has been an annual tradition at San Gabriel High School that every school year students take their yearbook pictures on their registration days. These pictures were also used for their school identification (ID) cards; however, things went a different route this year.

Yearbook pictures were not taken on the registration day with the exception of the freshman class. Students were concerned as they received their 2017-18 student ID cards with pictures from the previous year.

“I feel like the school is very cheap and does not have the money to spend

OPINIONS pg. 5

on pictures,” junior Zetao Xie said.

There is also controversy on why the school is not using the yearbook pictures. Some students voiced their opinion, saying that they would rather wait and receive their ID card with new pictures. They believe that the school is not spending their money correctly. “[ID cards are] the essential things we need,” senior Angela Abutaha said.

Despite student concerns about money, the administration said that there were other problems that led to the school making the decision of having the same pictures from last year.

“There were some scheduling issues that did not allow for us to have the photographer come in earlier as I originally planned,” Matthew Dultz, Assistant Principal of Business and Activities, said. Dultz also explained that even the school has not received the new pictures and it will take months to get everything done.

However, the school has offered the option to change ID pictures for a second charge of $8, for those students who want a new picture.

According to Dultz, students can “get their Associative Student Body (ASB) cards and early release stamps [if they originally have them] as well as their new updated pictures once they are in the system.”

Some students think that $8 is too expensive and that new pictures in the ID cards should already be given, while other students said they would be fine spending $8 just to get a new picture on the card. Nevertheless, most student IDs this year will keep the same photos.

FOCUS pg. 6-7

PHOTO BY KATHERINE HUANG

Railroad construction at Ramona St. disrupts daily commute of students and teachers.

BY KATHERINE HUANG AND VIVIAN ZHENG

The Del Mar Avenue and Ramona St. railroad crossings are closed to all vehicle traffic as a result of the removal of the railroad tracks and street paving around school. The Alameda CorridorEast Construction Authority’s (ACE) trench separation project surrounding San Gabriel High School will take place from Sept. 5 to Oct. 3.

The ACE project— which began in 2012 — aims to redirect a section of the railroad underground, resulting in the construction of bridges at Ramona Street, Del Mar Avenue, and San Gabriel Boulevard.

With the Del Mar crossing blocked, students who commute to school by car are required to take detours around the closed intersection.

“It [is] quite annoying because we always have to make a big circle in order to go to San Gabriel High School,” freshman Emily Chen said. “There’s a lot of traffic going on [so] if you were to stop for a little

LIFE & ART pg. 9

SPORTS pg. 10

bit, you’ll hear a lot of [honking] around.”

Students and teachers alike are experiencing the drawbacks of the blocked railroad. Math teacher Huong Tran said the impact of the increased traffic affected her daily routine.

“It [has] added 15 more minutes extra for me because I have to drop my kids off [at] Baldwin,” Tran said.

The closed railroad crossings have also affected commuters outside of the student and teacher pool.

“My older brother has some trouble getting to college because of that block,” sophomore Tanvi Mai said.

Among the discontented, senior Liza Coe finds a benefit from the congested streets to school.

“I can’t get to school [by car],” Coe said.

“I have to walk [but] I don’t really care; I don’t mind exercising.”

Through this construction project, the city of San Gabriel hopes to reduce automobile traffic and future accidents. The ACE project is expected to be completed by the end of the this year or beginning of the next year.

FEATURES pg.11

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news

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

New mandatory freshman classes build students’ careers

PHOTO BY KATHERINE HUANG

GFSF instructor Anthony Zichella looks over his students as they work on their assignments.

BY ECHO DIEU

This year’s freshmen have a new addition to their schedules to help them plan out their futures.

The Get Focused Stay Focused (GFSF) and wheel programs last for a full year, with each one being one semester long. GFSF was designed to increase high school and college graduation rates and to help students successfully enter the workforce. “[It] is a class that helps students focus on what’s important to them, to set goals and then achieve those goals,” Career Technical Education adviser Elizabeth An said.

What makes GFSF different from other programs is its targeted audience and goals for students. According to its official website, the program was “designed for all students rather than a select few.” It focuses on a 10-year plan for students’ careers, lives, and education instead of the four-year plans that only aim towards graduation from college.

“It’s helping me find out what skills I have and how [to] use them,” freshman Peter Bui said.

The wheel program consists of woodshop, drama, culinary arts, and computer science.

Freshmen undergo a six-week rotation between each of these classes. Jeannie Gutierrez, assistant principal of instruction, is currently in charge.

“We’re trying to let them see the careers and experience them,” GFSF instructor Bruce Pardee said.

The wheel classes supplement the GFSF program by letting students get hands-on experiences for certain careers. With a bit of background knowledge from the electives,

students can be more certain of how to build their ten-year plan. “[The classes are] really an exploratory so they can see whether or not they like it, and whether they want to pursue that kind of a career,” woodshop instructor John Mason said.

Since the duration of each elective is shorter than usual, students part of the wheel program will go through more condensed courses with differences to their normal counterparts.

“My purpose isn’t to get [the students] to act,” drama and technical theater teacher Patrick Posada said. “My goal is to get them up to be confident and speak. It’s also to give them the... poise to interview for jobs.”

According to the GFSF website, the implementations of these new programs are meant to benefit the economy. The labor market is currently in need of skilled and trained workers, so these programs are aiming to make sure students do not leave school without employable skills. The electives part of the wheel program were chosen on this basis.

“We are attempting to create jobs and we are in industries where we are in need for qualified entry level mechanics, wood-working people, medical, computers, and culinary people,” Mason said.

These mandatory classes will raise graduation requirements permanently, starting with this year’s freshmen and going forth. They are part of the A-G course, and count as electives.

“A few years back we reduced the graduation requirements to 210 credits, with the intention of reinstating 220 credits when [possible],” An said.

With the classes underway for their first year, time will tell whether or not these programs will be successful.

Readmit policy discontinued

BY VINCENT MARESCA

Wi t h t h e b e g i n n i n g o f a n e w school year, San Gabriel High School (SGHS) shocked and relieved many returning students. The pink slips of absence, also known as readmits, were no longer in use. These slips excused students’ absences so their teachers would know if they had a legitimate excuse.

While SGHS is no longer using the old system of attendance, many mixed emotions pass through the hallways of the school. However, some do not mind this change at all.

Junior Maxwell Wong is among the group who is neutral about the entire situation.

“Honestly, I’m very neutral about it.” Wong said. “They just made a change to the system that didn’t affect me very much.”

According to attendance office manager Michelle Gomez, the reason for the discontinuation for the readmits is currently unknown.

But personally, she approves of this change.

“Attendance without readmits is pretty good,” Gomez said.

This simple change is proving to be more of a relief to teachers, as well.

“I think it saves paper, which is helpful,” English teacher Jessica Sandercock said . “It’s taking us into the digital age.”

This change could perhaps be a sign that the school is going through a digital revolution. However, while some students are finding this to be relieving, some are put off by this entire situation. Time will tell if SGHS really did need these pink slips or not.

Health Office removes microwave from student usage

BY ANDY YUNG

With the removal of the microwaves from the health office, students who bring their home-brought lunch are left with a small list of places where they can heat up their food on campus.

Students who do bring their lunch usually have to jump through hoops in order to look for classrooms with a microwave and request if they may use it.

Some students, such as senior Richard Ha, did not understand why the removal of the microwaves from the health office was necessary.

“I feel like there is no real reason to remove [the microwaves] from the health office,” Ha said. “Even though you can argue that it violates health and safety regulations, I don’t really see anything unhealthy about microwaving your food there.”

School nurse Louise Tsoi said that it was a “hazard” to have too many students in the office at a time.

“We have so many students coming here, and sometimes, we cannot take the responsibility to watch the kids warming up the food,” Tsoi said. “What happens if [the food] is too hot and we don’t have enough staff to supervise them?”

Not only is there a hazard problem, but Tsoi said that there is also a health issue involved with students microwaving their food there.

“The health office is for the sick kids and the food is supposed to be for the healthy [kids],” Tsoi said. “You don’t want the germs that crawl around and contaminate. You don’t know how much things will get exposed.”

Many students were left disappointed regardless of whether they agreed with the decision.

Even with the removal of the microwaves from the health office, there could have been other places they could have potentially been relocated to, science teacher Jennifer Wright said.

“Ideally, it would be nice if they had microwaves available in the cafeteria because so many kids bring their food,” Wright said. “Maybe students could go to a [Parent Teacher Student Association] (PTSA) meeting and go talk to them about that. I know a lot of kids who bring their lunch. I have kids who come to my room all the time to use my microwave or find other teachers to use theirs.”

Until microwaves are provided to the students by the school, students will have to find other places to microwave their food during lunch.

New football coach plans to raise $10,000

BY SHAWN HO AND VIRGINIA SITU Through donations and the sale of advertisements and banners, new Head Football Coach and weight training teacher Kevin Encinas aspires to raise $10,000 for the football team. This money will be used for new weight lifting equipment, helmet decals, and banquet expenses.

Working out during off-season requires new and upgraded equipment such as barbells, dumbbells, and Olympic lifting bars. The best way to get enough money for this is by receiving support from other sports in school and the community.

“It takes the entire school to support [our cause] and just like other sports, the football team is [going to] be expected to support every team on campus. It’s really important that there is no separation between the sports,” Encinas, who has a masters degree in Kinesiology from San Jose State University, said.

“Essentially, we all go to San Gabriel High School. We all want to support each other .“ Senior Duncan Bang feels like the idea of raising

$10,000 is a great plan. He agrees that the football team needs an upgrade on off-season equipment.

“We’ve been [using] the same equipment for over five years now or longer even,” Bang said. “Slowly but surely, I believe we will [reach our goal] pretty soon.”

Setting this goal brought the team together. Junior Valentin Jr. Villa likes how Coach Encinas does not push the team to do fundraisers or email people to ask for support. Without the pressure from Encinas, the team feels more free about this topic.

“The last time he told us, it was three weeks ago, we [had] $500,” Villa said. “By now, I’m pretty sure we have at least a good $3,000.”

When Encinas coached at Walnut High School, the football team was able to raise $16,000 in a span of only two months by using a Hudl campaign.

“A Hudl campaign [is a campaign in which] the players email their friends or relatives and they have the opportunity to watch one of our highlights video.

From there, there are tabs and links they could donate directly through their credit card,” Encinas said.

Their Hudl campaign can be found at: <http://bit.ly/2wYhW6Q>.

NEWS

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

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District renovates football field

New Office Occupation class replaces TA program

PHOTO BY BASTIAN MENDEZ

PHOTO BY VIVIAN ZHENG

Warranty pays for the football field’s brand new turf and grass.

Office Occupation teacher Nancy Goodman instructs her class.

BY ALICE LI

BY EILEEN ONG AND VIVIAN ZHENG

From the beginning of August to Sept.

5, San Gabriel High School (SGHS) went through a heavy reconstruction process for an improved football field.

Through several persistent suggestions and complaints, SGHS ultimately received its football field for an absolute free charge.

The previous company that installed the football field was sued by several other schools because they did not fulfill the warranty promised. Matthew Dultz, assistant principal of Business of the Activities, contacted the Alhambra Unified School District’s (AUSD) Manager of Construction for the project to come take a look at the football field.

“Even though our warranty was up, [our previous company] agreed that the field did not meet the standards of how they should look,” Dultz said. “They guarantee their field for 15 years even though our warranty was eight years, so they agreed to install our field for free as long as the district renewed the warranty of our field.”

One of the construction managers that helped with the installation of the field, Chris Keller, was proud of this accomplishment.

“It was fine, but it had some issues,” Keller said. “Fields are like tires and they don’t last forever, the more you play on a field then there’s [more of] a possibility [that] you will

have to buy new field soon. I haven’t seen the finished product yet, but I’ve seen pictures of it and I think it’s awesome.”

The newly refined football field also included the latest technology to prevent future injuries of sports players.

“The way that [the field] was installed you can’t tell if you walked on it [but it is] filled with all these rubber cushions that help not only the stability, but it suppose to really support players from getting shocks or concussions,” Dultz said. “It’s actually a much better quality field than from what we had before.”

Kevin Encinas, the new head football coach and weight lifting teacher, was impressed with the renovation of the football field.

“It was cool,” Encinas said. “[The field] is a lot different than the typical football field we had. The turf before had too much heat radiated [from the ground] and because of the weather’s temperature, those black rubber pallets underneath [the football field] was creating unnecessary heat.

SGHS had had its football field for over 20 years without receiving many renovations to ensure the quality. However, with permission given by AUSD, SGHS has now acquired a quality-ensured football field that can provide a more pleasurable experience for the varied events that take place on the football field.

AUSD goes under cost containment

BY KELLY LAC

For the 2017-18 school year, Alhambra Un i f i e d S c h o o l D i s t r i c t ( AU S D ) h a s implemented a cost containment policy in order to limit unnecessary spending. This policy intends to spend on only necessities and limit the amount of money the district pulls from its reserves. AUSD is currently projected to overspend about $11 million, with an overall revenue of $202 million and and total expenditures around $213 million. To cover the deficit, the district has been forced to dip into its reserves.

“This $10 million that we’re projected to deficit spend is what we’re trying to cost contain down to almost nothing,” AUSD Superintendent Denise Jaramillo said. “We just want us to get as close to spending only what we brought in because we know those reserves are for the unexpected.”

Despite the district going over their budget, they will continue to prioritize purchasing needs for student education and to offer supplementary programs. According to Jaramillo, if a product is essential to maintaining educational quality, it will be maintained.

“We will buy what has to be purchased and we do have reserves,” Jaramillo said.

“So I don’t really think that the district is in financial ruin.”

A major reason for having to implement

cost containment is the declining revenue for the district caused by a loss of enrollment.

Districts in California receive funding by a formula that is called the Average Daily Attendance (ADA), which is calculated by the total number of daily student attendance over the total number of days in school. This year, the state has reduced the amount of money that the district can spend due in part to AUSD’s declining enrollment.

“Five years ago, we had about 21,000 students in AUSD. And I think [this year] that number’s been reduced to around 17,000,” Robert Johnson, science teacher and Alhambra Teacher Association representative, said. “The less ADA we have, the less teachers we need.”

Furthermore, speculation about what cuts may be made is common, but Jaramillo is adamant that cost containment is simply to maintain the district’s solid finances.

“We’ve got our reserves that, should anything happen, we’re okay to make it,” Jaramillo said. “What we’re doing today is really to protect us from what could come tomorrow.”

Despite the implementation of cost containment this year, Jaramillo predicts that an increase in revenue from the state for cost-of-living adjustments will ease the stress on the district’s finances and likely end strict cost containment after this year.

The Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD) implemented a new Office Occupation class to replace the Teacher Aids (T.A.) courses that were eliminated in the 2016-17 school year.

The Office Occupation curriculum was designed to align with the educational content requirement of California law AB-1012, which prohibits schools from enrolling students in “fake classes” with no academic coursework.

The T.A. courses were removed from AUSD’s course listings due to its lack of educational content. As a result, the school district developed a curriculum that will teach students how to successfully perform in an office environment.

“I actually meet with the principal and the staff here in the office, and we go over some things that they think are necessary, and I think are necessary,” Office Occupations teacher Nancy Goodwin said.

Goodwin meets with students for training every Thursday during zero period at E207. The students apply the skills they learn to their work in the office and classrooms, completing nonconfidential tasks.

“We go through the mandatory career technical education criteria: the safety, sexual harassment, goals,” Goodwin said. “We also learn about making resumes, filling out applications, customer service—how to interact with people—and then we do some office skills.”

Senior Shihwen Ma says the class is very flexible and the students are able to learn some office etiquette such as handling phone calls in a proper manner.

“I think it’s definitely a plus for those going into business because they’ll know basic office instructions, like what to

do and not to do and how to act more professionally,” Ma said.

The Office Occupation class helps “ease students into the working world.”

“When students go out into the work world, they find that it’s totally different from school and sometimes it’s intimidating to them and sometimes it’s a shock,” Goodwin said.

Principal Debbie Stone said that teachers can request for help from student support interns in the Office Occupations class. Teachers will need to fill out a student request specifying the type of work the student will do and the duration of the activity. Goodwin will then review the request and approve it upon whether the student will benefit educationally from the project.

“I think it has the potential to help teachers out with different projects or the things they are working on,” English teacher Jordan Vogel said. “I think especially for the students, it can really be beneficial for them to get some career skills and just life skills that they can use throughout the future.”

Students and one of their parents are required to sign the SGHS Office Intern Semester Contract each semester, which engages the student in an employee-employer relationship with the supervisor. The contract must then be approved and signed by their counselor, Advanced Placement (AP) school counseling, and AP instruction.

The contract covers rules and penalties for any violation of the contract.

“Only seniors can take the class,” Stone said. “[We] ensure they’ve satisfied all other [A-G] requirements.”

While the revamped class is still in its infancy, its success is yet to be determined; however, as the school year progresses, Stone hopes that the students will obtain skills that will benefit them.

Back to School Night preview

BY VIRGINIA SITU

San Gabriel High School’s back to school night will happen on Sept. 21 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. This is a time for students to get their progress reports and for parents to meet their child’s counselor and teachers.

While most students go to back to school night to hang out with friends after school, some go with parents to see how their kids are doing in school. At last year’s back to school night, sophomore Taylor Hoang’s parents were finally able to see how their daughter was doing in school.

“There were lines but it didn’t take any longer than 5 minutes,” Hoang said. “[Honestly], back to school night was more for my

parents [than] me.”

Math teacher Nicolas Nguyen said many students came last year to get their progress reports. Due to a new curriculum with math textbooks, many parents and students were also encouraged to come learn how to use the online textbook.

“We get to meet their parents or guardians to know who’s at home and also create that [communication] at home and at school,” Nguyen said.

“I personally had a lot of students come and find additional things to do at home and outside of the classroom to better [their] success in [class].”

All teachers will be located by last name in the Multipurpose Room, the Matador Arena, or the auditorium during this event.

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OPINIONS

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20

Drop the “bas”s

Bastian Mendez Kick out the jams Music has always been a driving force for me, from the smooth end to the rough edge. It’s impossible to pick a favorite genre—growing up my family played me alternative, hip-hop, and traditional Mexican music, but it seems rock and roll has influenced the course of my life the most. My first show was with my parents; I was just a baby at the time. The venue was Koos Cafe, an old house with all the furniture taken out, replaced with food and a feverish crowd. It was my birthday, I sat atop an amplifier with earplugs in my ears as Nightmare Syndicate played a set dedicated to me.

It didn’t start there though. Rock has been molding my family history for generations. During a 1975 visit to San Diego, my grandfather sat in the back row of a concert. To him, Led Zeppelin was smaller than his pinkie, but their music was larger than life itself. He knew then that he wanted to be a part of that culture, but back in Mexico the government had essentially banned it. He was convinced to move from his hometown of Puruandiro to Los Angeles. Today, during al-pastor filled parties, he still air-guitars to Jimmy Page’s handiwork and tells stories of the shows he saw: The Who, Boston, and Bad Company at The Forum, Supertramp at the Irvine Amphitheater, and his personal favorite: Van Halen “before they were big” at the Santa Ana Clubhouse.

In 1980 he had my father. A punk devotee, my dad sang garage rock with Sarah Abrams Attack Tank out of Orange County. The punk scene at the time was far-reaching but familiar; if one punk saw another in public they were friends within the hour. It’s through this strange and complex network that he met my mom.

She had played guitar for Speed Red, part of a feminist subgenre of punk called riot grrrl. She had since moved on to playing bass with a noise band called Korova. My parents eventually went to college together at University of California Santa Cruz, where they had me.

Music helps me relate to people and wrap my head around situations. I transferred to San Gabriel before my freshman year, a difference in schedules between the two schools had cut my summer short.

During my last week, I decided to go to a small free show in Echo Park. We pushed through the slowly swaying crowd at the late Origami Vinyl, just close enough to the door as to escape the storm drain smell and see the performance. It was pretty cramped, but Courtney Barnett’s awkward yet impassioned voice soothed me as it emanated from the doorway. As my notions of space and stench melted away, I had a moment of realization: the Los Angeles community was closer to me than ever. I knew that my high school years would be defined by the many events I hoped to take part in around the city.

I’ve used rock’s lessons at San Gabriel and throughout my entire life. It’s a state of mind after all; one that is rebellious, unique, and communal. I try to stay in that mindset: back in the days when I used to skip school to go to art museums, the moment when I learned to “ask forgiveness not permission” with my photography, and the time I joined a diverse group of 750,000 people for the women’s march on LA. I believe that the spirit of rock inhabits all art, which is why I hope that it continues to be the most influential of the genres that I love.

Editorial

San Gabriel inhibits education with cut classes In every school there is bound to be conflict over course offerings. Some classes fill too quickly and leave students on the outside looking in while others do not fill at all, resulting in unfortunate cancellations. At a school as large as San Gabriel High School, it is impossible to meet everyone’s demands. In spite of that, it is the responsibility of the school to provide its students the best educational opportunities within its means. Through the cancellation of the teacher’s aides (TA) program and the limitation of seniors’ ability to take more than one math class, the school has failed to deliver on its duty to students and teachers.

Under California law AB-1012, Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD) was forced to eliminate any non-educational courses from its curriculum, leading to the end of the TA program and the implementation of a new Office Occupation class which adheres to state guidelines. While this replacement still gives students the opportunity to experience a work-like environment, it

results in overburdened teachers who now have to take on tasks traditionally done by their TA’s. Additionally, the new Office Occupation program does not offer an efficient way for teachers to get assistance from students and limits their ability to focus on their primary job: teaching. In trying to help students maximize their educational time, this policy indirectly affects the quality of education that students receive.

Not all missteps stemmed from state law, however. For this academic year, seniors were restricted from taking more than one math class, a decision that runs counter to policy of years past. Traditionally, many high achieving, STEM focused students would enroll in multiple math classes to expand their knowledge of a field they enjoyed. This new policy unfairly limits the academic opportunities available to other students who are both willing to and capable of taking two rigorous mathematical courses. Again, in trying to provide the best for its students, the

school has only managed to ostracize some of the most mathematically ambitious ones.

In fairness to the school, there have been some innovative class implementations with the introduction of Get Focused Stay Focused for freshmen and Math Computer Programming for upperclassmen. As a whole, however, the class conflicts have resulted in overexerted teachers and academically limited students. The district should not have replaced the TA course with a program that insufficiently covers the needs of the teachers. Furthermore, the school should not have limited the school’s top performing students from reaching their maximum potential. It is clear that in the future, more appropriate measures should be taken. This includes reintroducing supplemental aid to the teachers—be it through students or additional employees—and removing the math class cap on seniors.

Through these changes, the school can begin to better deliver on its commitment to its students and teachers.

DACA exposes major flaw in two Administrations

BY LUCAS JORGENSON

President Trump recently passed an executive order issuing the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an executive order passed by former President Obama. Following the order, protests burst out and more than half a million immigrants were sent into a panic in fear of deportation. But despite this initial setback, the Democratic Party and the president are working towards replacing DACA in a manner that will appeal to all the sides this decision affects. The DACA Act was the former president’s great idea that he had and couldn’t wait to enact so he passed it as an executive order, not a law. Trump removed DACA because it wasn’t a law, but people were treating it like it was.

Obama’s DACA program was

something he had hoped would help hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who fled to the U.S. with their children stay safe and avoid deportation. Citizens, Senators from all political parties, and more are upset with Trump for taking that away from those immigrant children, many of whom are now adults. “The president should not have removed DACA,” they said; it does not help his approval ratings, it hurts the economy, and it makes almost everyone mad. But while most of the nation calls the president a racist for ending DACA, some choose to see it as an opportunity to improving the U.S. immigration policy.’

Trump turned over DACA to Congress and gave them six months to find a different immigration system. For a short time, the chances of them actually doing it were slim, but since then the president and Democratic Party

announced they were negotiating how to resolve the DACA issue and protect the Dreamers.

Until that time, however, there are still quite a few Dreamers who fear being deported; a fear that is understandable.

But deportations are expensive and not at the top of the president’s to-do list, despite his constant threats to enforce them.

Tr u m p t w e e t e d t o t h e a f f e c t e d D r e a m e r s , “ Yo u h a v e n o t h i n g t o worry about — No action,” regarding deportations.

The millions of voices calling the president evil for removing DACA and asking for his impeachment really seem to be missing the point of this action.

Ending the DACA program and trying to make a law out of it was what the Dreamers were dreaming about and what Obama intended.

Panicking about natural disasters does not equal preparation

BY KELLY LAC

Earlier this month, hurricanes Harvey and Irma left parts of the nation in ruins. Later on, the Chiapas earthquake occurred in Mexico, which resulted in casualties and aftershock.

Many have fled their homes for safety, while some had no choice but to face the natural disaster in hopes of at most, non-life threatening injuries. Watching the news about all these events made me wonder: when is it our time to face Mother Nature?

Almost everywhere else in the nation we see floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes. But here in California, it has been dangerously quiet. It has been over a century since the San Andreas fault erupted and the only natural disaster we have had this year was El Niño. I deduce that this could possibly tell us that our time is running out, that we should prepare for what could strike us at any moment.

Yet, we have not done anything to do so.

One natural disaster we can most associate this with is the “Big One”. According to the LA Times, California could experience an earthquake of intensity level eight or higher. “[The earthquake] would rupture the San Andreas fault from the Salton Sea,” LA Times reporter Rong-Gong Lin II said. “The fault

would rupture through counties including Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino.”

Cities around the fault, including San Gabriel, could be in danger, especially if a magnitude that is considered “dangerous” could hit us in a matter of seconds. Like most disasters, it is unsure when it hits, how long it lasts, or how much damage it deals. Not only will there

be casualties, but also loss of shelter and necessities citizens need.

Being anxious about the dangers of your surroundings is common, as most use social media to express their concerns to their friends and family. However, this will not incite people to be prepared; it will only cause more fear. If you get scared easily, you be-

come anxious, your heart beats faster, you tense up, and then you share the news. No longer can we just sit there and continue life as is, we must instead do something to prevent this disaster from taking innocent lives.

Although it was advised to carry an emergency kit by several organizations, along with important documents and necessities inside, people have neglected this essential item that is still available on the shelves of stores like Walmart and Target. On average, a well supplied emergency kit only costs around 42 dollars, yet we continue to shop elsewhere because “it will not hit us just yet”. So when disaster strikes, people are left unprepared and scatter away, only to get lost and detached from their loved ones.

Even though current technology today can minimize some casualties by alarming people within one to two minutes, it is not long enough to have everyone mentally or physically prepared. Until then, we should prepare ourselves with a survival kit and adopt an emergency plan on when and where to meet up. Without proper safety, it could be the most catastrophic disaster California has to face.

ILLUSTRATION BY KATHERINE HUANG

OPINIONS

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20

District of Choice symptomatic of larger problem

BY CARLOS CARRILLO

The story of an underprivileged teenager that manages to make the most of his or her education despite a modest background is a compelling one. It is a story that proponents of the California program District of Choice (DOC), which lets students leave their home school district in favor of a DOC district without any impediment whatsoever, say is more feasible because of the program. Arguments like these resulted in the bill’s renewal last summer, but the unseen ramifications went largely unnoticed. Given that the program can adversely affect low-income students and further economic disparity, the DOC bill should never have been renewed. Its revival only means continued inequality among school districts.

The argument most often used in favor of DOC is that it allows poor students to attend comparatively wealthier schools and gain a stronger education. In reality, the majority of students registered under the DOC bill do not fit this description. An evaluation of the DOC program, done by California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), found that only 27 percent of students using the program came from low-income families. Consider-

ing that only 5 percent of districts in California are DOC districts, and only a fifth of a percent of California students are enrolled under the program, it has a modest impact at best on improving academic opportunities Though the benefits of DOC are limited, its unintended ramifications can be severe. The same LAO report determined that transfer students under DOC are less likely to be low-income

than students in their home districts, an important issue given that districts lose revenue when students leave for another district. In this way, not only is the DOC not primarily aiding poor adolescents in search of an education, it is actually hurting students who stay in districts that lose

students to the program. The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported that Azusa Unified School District lost $17 million in revenue as a result of students leaving through DOC to neighboring districts. Seeing as how a significant portion of district revenue comes from local taxes, which are understandably higher in more affluent areas, low-income districts have little ability to make up income difference; losing money through programs like DOC only exacerbates the disparity.

Despite their findings, the LAO endorsed the renewal of DOC, citing that it provided students with expanded educational opportunities and encouraged non-DOC districts to improve their programs to avoid losing students. Their recommendation was narrow-minded. Behind the kids able to attend a high-quality school through DOC, there are many more students stuck in poor districts, districts that only serve to get poorer through DOC. The solution to the economic imbalance between districts is not to move a select few students to rich schools, but to reevaluate the way the education budget is divided and raise all school districts to an acceptable level, one which does not disenfranchise low-income students.

ILLUSTRATION BY ECHO DIEU

Artificial intelligence, automation augments human capabilities

BY DONNA HERNANDEZ AND EILEEN ONG

Directors, playwrights, and authors have made it so that their audiences visualize a post-apocalyptic world where robots ultimately take over. Despite the seemingly unceasing paranoia concerning these technological developments, the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is necessary so that humanity can progress.

Technological booms have happened before, not necessarily with Transformers attempting to find a higher purpose in life, but in less humanized forms. Humans have reaped many benefits from these innovations; AI should not be any different.

As personal voice-powered assistances and self-driving cars are showing up more often, it is not difficult to imagine machines emerging in other job sectors, taking away jobs from human workers. While the prospect of AI threatening employment rates is understandably frightening, it is likely that AI will

introduce more jobs and new careers into the economy.

According to a study from career and hiring firm Payso, US employers will open up to 10,000 new jobs in AI. The development of AI is only at its beginning. Top tech companies are racing to build the best AI machines and dominate the market. They are hiring more employees to rush the process, creating more jobs for not only software engineers but also writers and psychologists.

Machines are more cost-efficient to run than human employees who require wages and promotions. They also cannot get sick and do not take breaks or vacations, which enables them to work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Productivity surges, wages rise, and consumption increases, thus supporting new jobs.

Industrial automation allows companies to use machines to do menial, repetitive, and labor-intensive tasks with little to no flaws.

Humans will be able to focus on work that requires more creative and critical thinking.

MATADOR

Editors-in-Chief

Managing Editor News Editors Opinions Editors Focus Editors Life and Art Editors Sports Editors Features Editors Copy Editors Photo Editors Artist Business Managers Website Editors Multimedia Editors Blogs Manager Community Editors Special Projects Manager Humans of SG Editor Adviser

Carlos Carrillo Jennifer Cheung Kevin Contreras Selina Han Kenny Lam Donna Hernandez Eileen Ong Alice Li Karina Matias Angela Lu Elsie Wang Nian Capilli Chelsea Li Henry Chow Vivian Zheng Lucas Jorgensen Kim Ta Andy Yung Katherine Huang Ahyoung Nguyen Vincent Maresca Shawn Ho Anny Li Wu Echo Dieu Emily Tan Brianna Huynh June Lin Kayla Tang Clara Quach Virginia Situ Bastian Mendez Kim Ta Jennifer Kim

Reporters: Kabrina Bennett, Kelly Lac, Sunhi Nguyen, Ada Zhao The Matador is published monthly by the journalism class of San Gabriel High School. 1,600 copies per issue are published at J. E. J Print Inc. The Matador is a public forum for student expression and highly encourages responses in reaction to issues discussed in the paper. The opinions expressed are those of the writers, not the faculty or administration. Articles without bylines are the opinion of the staff. Submit comments as a letter to the editor, signed (anonymity is guaranteed if requested), to H-2, or Ms. Kim’s mailbox.

Similarly, machines that learn allows for technology to complete complex tasks as well as, if not even better than, humans. This enables robots to work as co-workers with humans to collaborate ideas.

Industrial automation can replace humans for menial, repetitive, and labor-intensive tasks, thus allowing people to focus on more creative and thought-intensive work.

In areas such as medical care, robots could aid in the early detection and treatment of cancer and certain illnesses. An android doctor could be programmed to perform its task precisely, not allowing factors like human imperfection and miscalculation to impede it. This is not to say that it would replace the need for human doctors, for they possess empathy and deductive reasoning necessary for the situation at hand. In any case, it would only limit the death count and lawsuits made due to mishaps behind the sterile white doors.

It would be a shame to suppress the development of AI when it is full of potential solutions to global issues.

The Matador Bullring Who/what are you most grateful for?

“ “ “

Creativity in art.”

-Leia Perez, 9th grade

I’m grateful for my parents who take care of me and my friends who support me.”

-Derick Pan, 10th grade

“

I am most grateful for coming to the US and being in a school that’s not all about testing.”

-Isabella Chang, 11th grade

I’m most grateful for my teachers because they’ve helped me throughout the years.”

-Angel Canizal, 12th grade

PHOTOS BY KATHERINE HUANG

5

“Kari” on in life

Karina Matias Vulnerability is strength Growing up as the oldest child wasn’t always the easiest. I felt the pressure of having to protect my two younger sisters due to the circumstances we lived in. Feeling that type of responsibility was too much to handle sometimes. When our parents had arguments, it was even more frightening.

At ages around seven through 11, I always said, “If something bad ever happens during these fights, then I’ll run away with my sisters.” I think about it now and ask myself how did I think that was possible but I realize how brave I was. At such a young age, it was traumatizing to watch and feel that fear. I never wanted to paint my dad as the “bad guy;” despite all his mistakes, I loved him.

All that fear prepared me for the worst that was yet to come. I was just 14 years old when my father suffered from a stroke and the thought of losing him terrified me. Ever since that day, my dad was no longer able to move half of his body. As the oldest, I had to help out my mom with all the special cares he required. My dad lost his hope and this led to more tension between him and my mom. My two younger sisters and I knew our family was no longer going to be the same.

A time came when my dad believed it was best for him to return to Mexico, that it was vital for his health to be stable. Living in a small town with no stress in Mexico was the best decision for his health.

I have always felt like I am my family’s only salvation to have a better life one day. My mom became like our dad at the same time, having to work two jobs a day to provide us with everything. Meanwhile, I became like the mom of my siblings, watching over them. There were times I wanted to be the youngest and feel protection because feeling vulnerable all the time was difficult. There was a need of wanting to feel guided by someone and not become my own salvation.

I realized the importance of accepting every negative situation in your life. I stopped asking myself, “Why did I have to go through this?” No matter how much you ask yourself, there will never be an answer. Things happen and it’s for a true reason. Everything I have learned in life is so vital that I decided to use it for something. It’s to prepare you in life, to make you wiser, or for many different reasons.

It all depends how things are viewed; you can let it break you, or strengthen you. It should be your revival, to become someone better each day.

I also realized that you will never be put in a situation you wouldn’t be able to handle. Being grateful about everything is important. I became thankful because it made me become fearless and independent. Pain and difficult challenges helps you grow as a person and that is important to recognize.

I would not want to change a single thing about my life because it has got me where I am at. If I had to go through everything again, I would say yes because it made me the person I am today and that makes glad.

I could say things have been painful but I am grateful.

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FOCUS

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

Music Reson

in OUR lives

Earbud usage deba

BY CLARA QUACH

“It’s okay...I’m with band.”

BY ALICE LI

Heavy footsteps pounded on the pavement as they marched their way to SG football stadium. Sweat glistened down their foreheads as they finished their last piece. Confident looks on their face as they performed enthusiastically through a sea of crowds.Of course, this is San Gabriel High School (SGHS) Marching Band.

As portrayed in many different ways at SGHS, music is closely tied with Marching Band. Throughout the months of training and summer band camps, band members are ready to share their passion of music through their performances.

Juniors Russell Ly and Brandon Trieu have been in Marching Band for three years, receiving their most treasured memories with their passion for music.

“Los Angeles County Fair (LACF) of my sophomore year [was something I valued the most]. [It was] a little cramped and humid, but I got to spend [the time] with the friends I find the closest to me,” Ly said.

Dragging yourself up to catch the zero period bus every morning is exhausting, but it is ultimately a great way to start off a day stress-free with the companion of music. “[Being in band] is motivating and [it helps] us look forward to school.”

Trieu answered. “[It is also] stress relieving.”Ly replied.

Whilst being a member of Marching Band at school, their daily lives have been improved. According to leading psychiatrist Vinod Menon at Stanford Medicine News Center, he discovered that musical movement in our brains drastically improve one’s studies in any type of work field surrounding.

Music is a form of art that resonates people both spiritually and emotionally. There are multiple ways of showing how one is passionate towards music. Dancing spontaneously to a given beat, singing freely to a given song or playing an instrument enthusiastically to a given piece are all the possible ways to show how music resonates someone physically and mentally.

Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher once said, “Without music, life would be a mistake.” Likewise, a similar quote was used for Marching Band t-shirt design back in 2015-16: “Without music, life would B flat.” Music not only provides entertainment to people in general, it sends joy to each individuals, especially students at SGHS.

Graphics by Lu Yue Wang Design by Karina Matias Photos by Katherine Huang and Ahyoung Nguyen

As the new school year begins, many students hope to have lai ers who allow the use of headphones freely. However, this is us teachers have policies regarding headphone usage in their c causes an increase of sly headphone uses. Some teachers may have rules limiting their capabilities.

Some students, however, may stay on task better with the us to their music. Listening to music that students enjoy could blo potentially allow them to concentrate on the task at hand.

“It [music] keeps my mind off of other things,” senior Angeli have my music in, I can only here that. It [music] makes me fo Listening to music could also allow students to block out con commentary. To have the ability to listen to something you en teacher more respect for allowing their students for indulge as dents were allowed to listen to music, there would still be some of headphones. Despite that, having some type of freedom for be appreciated by the students. Many teachers think listening t a distraction, yet others claim listening to music is a way to es on what is important.

“I think there are times when it could be a distraction,” engl said. “If we’re having a class discussion or some kind of conver ing to music they might miss out.”

There is definitely a reason to worry about students listening get used to the privilege given to them, and may start to take t For this reason, teachers should have some rules for headpho dents and teachers are able to communicate and cooperate tog usage of headphones could work for both the teachers and stu “Typically, when they [students] use it during lectures, I jus away’,” Vogel said. “If it is a repeated thing then I’d pull them aw tion.”

Overall, student use of headphones may be quite beneficial. Th their teachers more, be more productive, and finish their work should consider the use of headphones as students work in clas

FOCUS

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

nates

ate

id back and lenient teachsually not the case. Many class which consequently give permission, but also

“Music is basically the only thing that keeps me unstressed. I would always bond with people over music because we would always share the same music taste. That’s how I make new friends since music- is universal.”

- Hoang Truong, 10

se of headphones to listen ock out disturbances and

ica Medina said. “When I ocus on what I’m doing.” nversations and nonsense njoy in class may give the they work in class. If stume rules regarding the use using headphones would to music while working is scape the chaos and focus

“Music helps me express my emotions--every rhthym, every beat --you’ll have to listen, understand, and connect with the lyrics so I listen to every genre no matter what. Rap, Hip-Hop, old school... anything.”

-Johnathan Santiago, 11

lish teacher Jordan Vogel rsation and they’re listen-

g to music. Students may this privilege for granted. one usage. As long as stugether as a team, then the udents. st ask them ‘hey put that way and have a conversa-

The students may respect k faster. All in all, teachers ss.

Globalization of K-pop

BY Katherine Huang

Super pale faces with bright colored hair, a mish-mash of clothing from the 80s to present, and eye-catching dance visuals--South Korea has it all packaged into a bundle known as Korean pop music (K-pop).

This international sensation features various musical genres such as hip-hop, pop, rock, electronic dance music, and rhythm and blues, offering its audience a wide array of music to choose from.

The choreography of male idol groups often involve powerful and precise movements, emphasizing synchronization and masculinity. In contrast, female idol groups dance with softer gestures, conveying the femme fatale. Depending on the tone and story of the song, artists may include more sensual moves like swoon-worthy hip thrusts into their routines to appeal to the crowd. Regardless of group distinctions, K-pop dances are executed to impress the audience and flow with the beat of the music; the artists seemingly become one with their songs and sway to the current of the tune. K-pop’s hypnotic element of dance not only captures people’s attention, but also inspires initiative, as was for sophomore Jenny Sanchez.

“K-pop was what got me into dance,” Sanchez said. “Their dances are amazing.

I really loved the way they moved, so I started to do my own dancing and got into Choreo.”

Along with enticing choreography, fans of K-pop highly admire the lyrics of songs. It usually ranges from songs about romance and partying, to addressing social issues and challenging societal norms such as which in turn draws in a large following. Senior Ivan Dang finds the message in K-pop music therapeutic and that the lyrics are “more inspirational to [him] than American music.”

“When I write anything, in general, I use kpop lyrics for inspiration,” Dang said. “When I do listen to it, I feel really motivated and inspired to [do] homework.”

In this era of consumer culture boom, K-pop secures its spot at the top on an international scale due to the efforts of mass promotion on social media and the global web. Although taking inspiration from western culture, South Korea adds its own cultural twist to their entertainment industry, creating something unique and aiding in its explosion of worldwide acclaim.

Supported by Korean government, K-pop has spread and gained popularity, becoming an ambassador of South Korea--neon hair and all.

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life & art

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

Genderless Youth: Identity Crisis

Twisteas serves refreshing trendy drinks

PHOTO BY KABRINA BENNETT

PHOTO BY SELINA HAN

Junior Francis Wang showcases his unique sense of style.

BY KABRINA BENNETT AND DONNA HERNANDEZ

Japanese youth are redefining gender norms in Tokyo, preferring to be genderless. They do so by means of clothing which is a common yet effective method of expressing themselves. Even after having taken themselves out of the carefully constructed categories, the young adults are still questioned about their sexuality which contradicts the purpose of not identifying their gender in the first place.

In any case, although that has been discussed explicitly in Japan, the U.S. still has quite a while to go. That is not to say that some do not maintain an open-mind to change our perspectives, and some are already at that point.

“People are people; we shouldn’t care what is in their pants or on their face,” junior Jordan Phan said. “They are just a being/spirit, but are hit with hatred and stupidity constantly. With the lack of gender roles, we would probably mix up the mindsets [we have] on dating or liking people much further.”

In any case, society has them suppress their individuality through stereotypes and judgement, yet slowly but surely we are losing our grasp on these misconceptions. If anything, the people who make up present day society have less old fashioned views, preferring to make the future their own.

“We are able to change how we’re perceived, so that we’re not always the girly girls and the guys aren’t [made out] to be all masculine,” junior Delia Arias said. “It’s cool that they’re doing it in another country which is known to follow their pasts and/or parents’ standards.”

The effects of changing society’s views and standards so that we accept genderless youths would be mostly positive.

The current generations have an open mindedness that gives way to girls who wear long shirts in neutral tones as well as guys that wear dresses in bold fashions unseen till now.

“So many people feel that we have to judge people for how they look and act, but if we take away the gender roles, then we are free to be who we are and express ourselves in the way we want.”

Arias said. “It’d lessen bullying because we’d see each other as equals.”

At any rate, people are open to the concept of acceptance despite not being genderless themselves.

“I’m 100 percent for it,” sophomore Keven Araujo said. “They’ll be confronted with discrimination at first, obviously, but hopefully it will have people be more open on all sides.”

While the rest of the world adjusts to this, many are hopeful that society will change its perspectives and allow people to find their own path in life so long that it makes them happy.

The Strawberry Vortex is made up of strawberry black tea, strawberry bits, grass jelly, and longan bits.

BY SELINA HAN

Everyday on my way to school I pass by the plaza of the corner of Hellman and New Ave., but one day I noticed a bright green and pink sign light up the usually dull plaza. “Another boba shop?” I thought to myself. The San Gabriel Valley is practically renowned for having endless streets of teahouses, so when I caught myself visiting Twisteas a few weeks later, I wanted to know how their drinks differ from all of the other boba shops.

When I entered the shop, I was welcomed by warm smiles and enthusiastic greetings. One quick glance through the menu and I already found myself conflicted on what to order, but one thing I was certain of was that I would be paying the same price of $3.95 no matter what drink I got, with the exception of the Orange Tiki drink.

Twisteas also offers three snack items: twisted potatoes, jalapeno cheese poppers, and mozzarella cheese sticks.

The twisted potatoes are priced at $3.95 and the other two items are priced at $3.25. I decided to order a Strawberry Vortex and a BBQ twisted potato stick.

The first thing I noticed when I got my drink was how refreshing it was. Strawberry Vortex is made up of strawberry black tea, strawberry bits, grass jelly, and longan bits with the option of add-

ing boba for extra charge. The drink itself was not too sweet, but not sour or bitter either. I would say that the best part about the drinks, aside from their catchy names—like Mango Tango and Pineapple Mayhem—are their prices.

I essentially paid $4 for a tea drink with three fresh toppings. If I were to order flavored black tea with three toppings at any other place, it would cost me somewhere between $5 and $6.

“The inspiration for opening Twisteas was basically to bring a new flare to the community,” owner Alex Luong said. “I noticed that most of the boba shops around the area were primarily Chinese so I wanted to bring an American feeling to the boba scene. I wanted to serve quality drinks at a reasonable price so we use fresh, quality ingredients—not powder.”

Twisteas is still currently having its soft opening right now, and Luong is open to feedback and suggestions to make changes before the shop’s grand opening. One can look forward to the addition of more seating, new drinks, and maybe even an expansion. I would definitely recommend anyone in the area to go to Twisteas and try out their food and drinks. Twisteas has friendly staff and fresh drinks and savory snacks at affordable prices. What more could I ask for from a boba shop?

Movie Review: Death Note delivers its own death

PHOTO COURTESY OF NETFLIX

BY ECHO DIEU

The Netflix film Death Note, adapted from the manga “Death Note,” attracted a lot of attention on the internet, as well as controversy. The attention it has gathered is no surprise considering the immense international popularity of its Japanese original. Nat Wolff, co-star of Paper Towns, plays Light Turner, and two actors, William Dafoe and Jason Liles, were used to bring the supernatural death god, Ryuk, to life on screen.

The plot is focused on a supernatural object known as the Death Note. It can kill anyone whose name is written in it. High school student Light Turner

stumbles upon the Death Note and uses it to end the lives of those he sees fit, and in the process gains the affection of his love interest, Mia. One of my biggest issues with Death Note is that it is heavily focused on romance.

The movie centers on a stereotypical edgy teen romance, even though there was great potential for more psychological elements. There was not enough character development because most of the story is about Turner using his new weapon to entertain his manipulative girlfriend. The movie’s attempt to take certain parts of the original’s story, reuse it, and adapt it to an American setting was not the best.

There is a lot of controversy on the internet over the lack of diversity in Death Note. The setting of the film was adapted to the United States, and people complained that the main cast should have at least consisted of Asian Americans.

The movie made references to Japan and featured a few scenes in the country as a way of showing respect to where the original story came from, but this decision was too forced. It looks as if producers considered potential controversy over white-washing of the film, which usually happens when Japanese anime and manga are adapted for American audiences.

Changes are usually fine in adaptations, but this movie took them too far. I have seen the anime before, and noted many drastic changes in the movie. The names of the main characters and their roles stayed the same, but their personalities are nothing alike. Turner and his rival, L, are geniuses in the Japanese version, but the movie portrayed them as ordinary youngsters fueled by emotions. Misa, the Japanese counterpart of Mia, is impressionable, making her the complete opposite of the manipulative Mia. It just feels like Death Note is an entirely different story with only superficial similarities.

While I do have some grievances, the movie was enjoyable for the most part.

Some scenes were funny, even though it seemed like the movie was trying to present itself seriously the whole time. The producers did a nice job bringing out conventional American culture in Death Note, despite the fact that it washed away a lot of the original story’s uniqueness. This movie does not live up to the original’s prestige, but it does its job in entertaining viewers. Anyone who has seen the anime or manga and enjoys unusual romance stories should check this film out.

life & art Japanese brands spread diversity worldwide

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

PHOTO BY SUNHI NGUYEN

Miniso: alarm clock, rectangular pencil case, markers; Muji: pens; Daiso: pencil bags.

BY ANGELA LU AND ANNY LI WU

The Japanese are known around the world for producing high-quality products. While Daiso, Miniso, Muji, and Uniqlo are popular stores in Asia, Angelenos did have a chance to shop at them with the exception of Daiso. Now, Japanese-influenced products have finally arrived in Arcadia. While most products from these stores are similar, combined, they can fill a new dorm room with furniture or a backpack for back-to-school. “[I shop at] Daiso and Muji,” sophomore Gina Huynh said. “I enjoy their pens and decorations, especially pens from Muji; they’re the only pens I use.”

Muji opened at Westfield Santa Anita mall in mid-January, marking their fifth store in Los Angeles. Muji originated in Japan in 1980 and has expanded to over 700 stores worldwide.

Known for their simplicity and minimalistic designs in their products, Muj, which translates to “no brand, quality goods,” allows its customers to bring their own style to their products.

“I knew about [Muji] from my friends when I went to the mall with them,” junior Cathy Do said. “I haven’t been to any other shop that was similar.”

Uniqlo, another popular Japanese store with over a thousand stores around the world, is an apparel company that originated from Yamaguchi, Japan in the 1940s. It started off selling men’s clothing, but in the 1980s, its economic success and rapid growth led them to become the store they are today—Uniqlo, a combination of the words “unique” and “clothing.” While Uniqlo stores can only be found in malls that are miles away, the grand opening of Uniqlo in the Santa Anita mall has made people thrilled to try out their apparel.

“I first saw Uniqlo at the Glendale Galleria and it was kinda cool because it wasn’t really something I’d heard about before,” sophomore Katie Phan said. “Now that it is in the 626 area, it is more convenient to shop at Uniqlo.”

Miniso is a Japanese designer brand that was founded in 2013 in Tokyo, Japan. They are recognized for their low prices ranging from $1.50 to $30. Miniso gained their popularity from consumers ages 18 to 35, according to its website. They have opened over 1,000 stores within three years in more than 50 countries. Their first store in the United States opened in Pasadena on April 21, 2017.

“I knew about Miniso from my sisters,” sophomore Hanson Phan said. “Their products are really high end for a good price range.”

Daiso is a popular Japanese store known for $1.50 household items, serving quality, variety, and uniqueness. When they first started, Daiso was known as Yano Shoten that sold 100-yen products (equivalent to 91 cents) in vending machines in the streets. Daiso has expanded to over 3,000 stores worldwide, carrying over 70,000 different products.

“I knew Daiso about two years ago when I heard about, ‘Everything for $1.50’,” senior Fionna Luu said. “I haven’t been to any similar shops; Daiso’s pretty unique.”

With the grand opening of Uniqlo and future coming of Miniso, people will need a couple of hours to spare in these stores—especially since Arcadia will be home to Daiso, Miniso, Muji, and Uniqlo.

New local barber shop offers high quality haircuts

PHOTO BY NIAN CAPILI

FADESZNS is located at 3208 N. San Gabriel Blvd. Rosemead, CA 91770.

BY NIAN CAPILI

Growing up, I have always gotten haircuts at Asian salons because they were cheap. I first decided to go for a change and try out a barbershop in freshman year which made me feel socially awkward at first. As time went by, I got used to the environment and was curious to see what makes FADESZNS barbershop so different.

The industry is still new so I didn’t expect much from the exterior other than it was hidden in place. The interior, however, appears to seem clean and standard with white wooden floors, a flat screen television, open space, and bright colored walls. I also noticed the large amount of trophies and medals displayed which made me believe that this place is the real deal.

“I’ve grown up in San Gabriel, San Marino, Alhambra, Temple City, and I wanted to open a shop local to all the cities, somewhere that’s accessible for everyone,” owner Joshua Aguilera said. “We’re more unique because you can walk in and get a haircut by anybody. Everyone specializes in something different, so you can come in and get a haircut depending on your preference.”

At the time, I had not gotten a haircut for two months and I wanted to focus on quality over quantity for my hair. The cost for a walk in is about $17 and making an appointment is $25 which does

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seem pretty high for just an ordinary haircut. However, FADESZNS has special offers for customers such as $5 off first appointments and $5 off for every person you bring in.

As I waited for my turn, I noticed the work of all the barbers and witnessed that these haircuts were not your ordinary haircuts. They looked like highquality haircuts that made everyone look fresh. According to Aguilera, the shop consisted of awardwinning barbers within the San Gabriel Valley.

I scheduled an appointment ahead of time and was approached in a friendly manner as my name was called next. I tried being descriptive as possible, asking Aguilera to make me look clean with a nice fade and trim on the top. As Aguilera cut my hair, we talked about many things such as school, sports, music, life, and so on. Having a conversation with a barber and being taken care of in good hands made my experience comfortable, as if I were at home.

After the haircut, Steez fixed my hair with product and showed the results. I was blown away with my transformation before and after. I liked how it looked but I also liked how confident I felt as well.

Overall, my experience at FADESZNS was satisfying enough for me to come back next time.

Despite the high price, I can say that the customer service provided along with the high-quality haircuts are worth the money you spend.

Apple unveils new products

BY ANGELA LU

Over the last decade, Apple has brought revolutionary changes to technology. The iPhone 8, 8 plus, iPhone X, and Apple Watch Series 3, Apple TV 4K, IOS 11, and Watch OS 4 were the latest Apple products launched since Sept. 12.

The iPhone 8 and 8 plus, like the iPhone X, will have a glass design for wireless charging, resistance to water and dust, an improved camera with all new features, 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch retina high-definition (HD) displays, A11 Bionic processor, and augmented reality.

The iPhone X will have a new design. Along with the same changes of the iPhone 8’s changes, there will be a 5.8 inch super ret-

ina screen, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen, edge-toedge display, and Animoji. With the OLED, Apple is able to create a thinner device, consuming less power, and feature a curved display.

There will also a face recognition technology to replace TouchID for the iPhone X. Unlike the previous iPhones, iPhone X will not have a home button, invoking different responses.

The iPhone 8 is available in silver, space grey, and blush gold, while iPhone X will only have silver and space grey. The iPhone 8 and 8 plus will be released on Sept. 22. The iPhone X will be available on Nov. 3.

10

sports

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

2017 18 Fall Sports Scoreboard BOYS FOOTBALL

VARSITY 9/8 vs Marshall 9/15 @ Ganesha

FROSH 9/7 @ Marshall 9/14 vs Ganesha

CO-ED CROSS COUNTRY

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

41-12 W 26-19 L

VARSITY 8/31 vs San Marino 9/5 @ Temple City 9/14 @ Cantwell

3-0 L 3-1 L 3-1 L

42-7 W 52-14 W

JV 8/31 vs San Marino 9/5 @ Temple City 9/14 @ Cantwell

2-0 L 2-0 L 2-0 L

VARSITY 9/9 @ Rosemead Invitational

JV 9/9 @ Rosemead Invitational

(B)

17th

(G)

N/A

(B)

21st

(G)

N/A

GIRLS TENNIS VARSITY 9/8 vs El Monte 9/13 vs Arroyo 9/14 vs Rosemead 9/15 @ Duarte

11-7 17-1 18-0 13-5

L L L W

JV 9/6 9/8 9/13 9/15

11-7 10-8 15-3 10-8

L L L W

vs Glendale @ El Monte @ Arroyo @ Duarte

Successful home football game for San Gabriel

BY KABRINA BENNETT

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHELLE HO

Seniors Brian Maldonado (left) defends Brandon Nguyen (right) as Nguyen runs the ball.

The San Gabriel Matadors came out victorious against the Marshall Rams football team on Sept 8. While this was just preseason, the Matadors approached it with purpose and determination.

While the Matadors went onto the field with great expectations of winning; winning by such a large margin was a surprise to the crowd and even the players themselves.

Within the first few minutes of the game,the Matadors scored the first of several touchdowns for the night. The crowd went wild with lots of cheering and support which further energized the players. “It feels great knowing that you have people supporting and being there with you,” junior Dallas Ortega said.

Senior quarterback Brandon Nguyen launched the ball to Ortega where he scored a touchdown.

The energy certainly did not stop there. In the second quarter, junior receiver Tony Fernandez ran 55 yards bringing the team closer to the end zone.

“I was surprised I caught it.” Fernandez said. “I thought it was overthrown.”

Cross Country opens season at Rosemead

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRANDON LAU

Senior Randy Liu runs the course at the Rosemead Invitational with intensity and emotion.

BY KENNY LAM

Massive growth was shown by San Gabriel High School’s Cross Country team on Sept. 9 during their race at Rosemead High School’s 33rd Annual Cross Country Invitational. Racing throughout the Saturday evening, runners dashed through the 3.1 mile course, covering both Rosemead High School and the neighboring Rosemead Park.

The feelings of exhaustion and aching pain from their first race were both surprising new experiences for new members, and a unpleasant reminder for the old. Nevertheless, the team still continued to have a

positive outlook on their upcoming season.

“I feel like the team did well, and we all ran the best we could,” boys’ co-captain Kyle Lam said. “Our team has a lot of potential, and everyone has the chance to do well this season, with hard work.”

The team’s race was especially exciting due to the surge of new members, compared to the previous year’s smaller numbers. Many of these new members were eager to participate and finally have their first taste of competition.

“I felt physically exhausted after that race but my mind wanted to keep running,” freshman Jasmine Flores said. “With all of those people cheering you on, why would you want to stop?”

From this group of new members, freshman Jason Phung was a notable standout. Running the course in 19:03, Phung earned himself a top 50 medal by placing 32 out of 184 runners in the freshman boys’ division. Although Phung was satisfied with his overall progress, he still felt like he fell short during the race.

“I felt nervous, I knew that it’d be my first race of many,” Phung said. “[My time] was good, but not good enough. I feel excited [for the season] as it allows for more opportunity to improve.”

Returning members also looked forward to the upcoming season. Despite having to endure the tiresome grind, they remain hopeful that they will improve and break personal records.

“It’s hard for me to tell, because there have been many people that haven’t been consistent in practice,” junior Wendy Zamora said. “But we have many members that are both perseverant and talented, so I’m definitely hoping they surpass their times from last year.”

The cross country team are set to have their first league race at Legg Lake on Sept. 27.

The first half of the game ended with a score of 34-6. San Gabriel had the lead and did not seem like they would be giving it up anytime soon.

The Matadors started the second half with as much energy as the first.

Choreo, cheer, drill, Marching Band, and Colorguard kept the fans hyped up as the game continued. Ortega scored another touchdown once again in the third quarter.

The game became more competitive as both sides of the team stepped up their defense. San Gabriel’s defense could not be stopped as Marshall tried breaking through in the fourth quarter. The Matadors had great momentum throughout the game and Marshall only managed to put up 12 points on the board as San Gabriel put up 41. With that, the final score of the game was 41-12. Unfortunately this was Nguyen’s last game since he is pursuing a career in UFC fighting.

“I think we played great tonight as a team,” Nguyen said. “Sadly, this was my last game. I have to admit I wanted to cry, but I know my boys will do great this season and I will be there at the games cheering them on.”

History teacher Arellano coaches girls volleyball

BY CHELSEA LI

PHOTO BY CHELSEA LI

Q: What were you doing before taking on this coaching position?

A: I was grocery shopping, and attending bootcamp classes.

Q: What are some comments you can say about your team?

A: The girls are leaders, not just on the court, but also in the classroom.

Q: What made you decide to coach volleyball?

A: I saw that the team was in need of a coach. I played volleyball in high school and missed the sport, so thought I could take on the challenge.

Q: If you were able to coach another sport, what would it be?

A: I would coach track [because] I ran track all four years in high school.

Q: Who is your favorite athlete?

A: My favorite athlete is Misty May-Treanor [former professional beach volleyball player].

features

THE MATADOR

11

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

Nguyen promotes positivity through Musical.ly

BY SELINA HAN AND ADA ZHAO

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNIE NGUYEN

Nguyen performs a music video on Musical.ly.

What was initially a lazy browse on the App Store turned out to be the foundation of junior Annie Nguyen’s internet fame. Nguyen started creating short music videos on the popular social media platform Musical.ly back in Dec. 2015. Almost two years later, Nguyen finds herself with over 43,000 followers online and a passion for sharing positive songs to her young audience.

Nguyen’s interest for Musical.ly started when she saw other people making videos on the app. From there, Nguyen started recording herself lip syncing to popular songs. Eventually, her account grew into what it is now.

“I didn’t really care about followers at first. I just wanted to [create videos] for fun,” Nguyen said. “I don’t know how, but thousands of people liked it; I was confused but it started from there.”

It was not until one year later when Nguyen decided to take Musical.ly more seriously. She had gained thousands of followers within the first two to three days from when she posted her first video.

Nguyen decided to focus on creating upbeat content for her audience.

“I try doing songs that are positive, not with cursing.” Nguyen said.

“I try to stay away from that because my viewers are very young.”

One of Nguyen’s favorite parts about creating videos on Musical.-

ly, besides promoting positivity, is being able to collaborate with both friends and strangers on the app.

“I met so many new people on there,” Nguyen said. “It was really fun getting to interact with other people and getting to know their culture, like by working with content creators through emails. We make up different kinds of events that are coming up like trending hashtags and meet and greets.”

Although Nguyen’s passion for sharing positive music inspires her to continue to post videos, the feedback she receives from her fans greatly contributes to her consistent video making as well.

Nguyen plans to continue posting videos if she hits over one million hearts and gets verified on Musical.ly. Until then, she is going to try to continue to post videos and grow her account until she reaches her goal.

“Seeing the positivity—people seeing [my videos] and commenting on them; It encourages me to do more and to keep doing it,” Nguyen said. “Even though [creators] get hate, which I rarely do, I don’t really care and I just leave that aside and keep doing what I do.

It got me to where I am so it doesn’t really matter.”

Even though some of Nguyen’s videos can take up to three days to make, she wants aspiring content creators to “be very patient with followers; even if [they] get little amounts of likes,” because she believes that seeing the final product is worth all of the hard work.

Yu finds home at San Gabriel

BY LU JUNE LIN AND ADA ZHAO

At the age of four, junior Jiaxin Yu has moved to nine different schools. Yu’s experiences in the different communities have shaped her into the person she is now—giving her “social [with] people skills.”

Yu started out in her elementary schools in the San Gabriel Valley (SGV) area: preschool at Washington Elementary, kindergarten at Wilcox, first grade at Dewey, second grade in Rice, and third to sixth grade at Sanchez. Things started to change when she entered the seventh grade at Temple Intermediate, and in eighth grade she suddenly left the SGV and moved to Tuffree Middle School, which located in the Orange County (OC). In ninth to tenth grade, she continued to stay in OC and attended Troy High School.

“I moved to Troy because my parents had a shop over there and they were creating more branches of their shops,” Yu said. “My parents also wanted to [move] and for me and my brother to have a better future.”

In her new environment, getting a cup of boba was not easy and

there were not a lot of Asian people. Yu had difficulties adjusting.

However, these were not the only problems Yu had to face.

Even though she finds moving to different schools to be “really fun,” it is also sometimes “rough because [she] didn’t really fit in with the kids and would have to make new friends every time [she moved].”

Although Yu was in the girls basketball team at Troy and made close friends, she still missed the SGV. Whenever she visited her friends in the SGV—which was nearly every weekend—Yu would find herself having more fun within the two days at SGV than she did in the OC. She felt that all her close friends were not in Fullerton, but in the SGV, and Yu dearly wanted to graduate with them.

To show how badly she wanted to move back to the SGV, Yu made a sacrifice and left her parents and brother in Orange County to live with a relative in San Gabriel.

“I stay with my grandma and every weekend I would go visit my parents or they would come down here,” Yu said.

Yu is now attending San Gabriel High School (SGHS), her ninth school, for the 2017-18 school year, where she is finally with her closest friends. Yu plans on attending SGHS for the rest of her high school life and graduate with them.

From engineer, lawyer to teacher

PHOTO BY CLARA QUACH

BY CLARA QUACH AND VIVIAN ZHENG

Jason Barbarics, the new Advanced Placement (AP) and regular physics teacher, has gone through many different experiences before becoming part of the staff at San Gabriel High School (SGHS).

Barbarics, a graduate from University of Virginia, has had a range of jobs for the past several years: electrical engineer,software engineer, owner of a technology consulting firm, attorney, and finally, teacher—not just as a physics teacher, but also an AP Calculus teacher. However, out of all the experiences he has gone through, Barbarics changed his major— electrical engineering— and ended up upholding his passion for teaching.

“Law didn’t have either of

those [working with and teaching others and science].

I decided I like to teach as a career,” Barbarics said.

For Barbarics, the sight of thrilled students, when he helps them grasp a concept, makes him deeply satisfied.

“I really do enjoy helping people. It’s just great to impart knowledge to students, but then I think if you put physics into that equation, then physics is just fun,” Barbarics said. “If you enjoy teaching people and you get to teach something that you really enjoy, then perfect.”

His passion was partially the result of seeing the impact that his mother, who was an AP English teacher, had on her students who valued what she had taught them.

“She had people that went out of their way to come back and thank her for changing their lives,” Barbarics said. “I think that is something that I definitely aspire too.

Barbarics hopes to inspire his students throughout his career at SGHS. “Everyone’s got different abilities and different strengths, so that can really dictate where you’re going to be most effective and where you’re going to have the most fun and drive the most enjoyment,” Barbarics said.

“For me, physics is the perfect spot.”

PHOTO BY LU JUNE LIN

Gardening Club plants its roots for new school year

BY HENRY CHOW AND ELSIE WANG

It is scorching hot. Shortly after school, the sun and all its heat beat down upon Senior Yvonne Van, president of the Gardening Club, and other students who are laboring away: their hands and faces are covered in dirt and their faces painted with sweat. It is an enormous, time-consuming struggle, but in the end, they know their hard work will pay off with an amazing garden.

A group of high school students hope to bring environmental awareness to the school and community as a whole by starting a new gardening club at San Gabriel High School (SGHS) this year. The club is advised by English teacher Joan Lee and coadvised by Jesse Chang, a worker at Kingdom Causes, a local community group.

“We take care of our garden in front of the B-building with the plants and vegetables that we grow,” Van said.

The students of the club grow and maintain their own garden of vegetables and native plants on campus. The plants and fuits they grow are natural and safe to eat.

“There’s another section where we grow these milkweeds to help bring awareness for monarch butterflies,” Van said. “I hope that it will bring more awareness for the monarch butterflies as it helps the community and reaches out to local businesses with the vegetables and plants we grow.”

Despite the gardening club being new and barely introduced this year, the club members managed to successfully grow various crops, including basil, kale, mint, milkweed, turnip, tomatoes and wsquashes.

“A lot of people, when they buy groceries, [the vegetables are] not organic [because] sometimes [they are covered] with pesticides and stuff. We want to grow it nonpesticide [and] all-natural. The fruits there [are] pretty fresh,” senior Vice President

PHOTO BY HENRY CHOW

Members of the gardening club tend to their plants.

Valery Aguilar said. “Hopefully, more people can join and that they learn about healthy eating and about the native plants too because not a lot of people know about the native plants in California.”

The club hopes to grow and learn more about planting in the future.

12

features

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

Welcome to SGHS Jose Zarazoga Rm. B3 Teaches computer projects and animation, web design wheel, get focused stay focused, and web design What inspired you to pursue teaching?

“I’m a web designer. I work with a lot of different clients and I see that this is a point in my career where I want to give back. I see that there needs to be more diversity in the web design and creative fields. I love that most of my classes have girls and Latinos; Those are all faces that you don’t see out in the field.”

Do you have any interesting hobbies?

“I like to go to East Fork up here in the mountains and pan for gold. I never find any gold— only quartz—but it’s just really cool to hear just the river crashing against the rocks. I play roller hockey. I’m an artist; I like to sculpt, draw, and I can’t wait to buy some copic markers so I could do some really awesome artwork.”

Terri Johnson Reyes Rm. A210: US History, World History About me: -has a fox red labrador named Sisig -loves competitive shooting, hunting -been to 43 states, lived in 4`

Why did you decide to teach?

History was boring to me when I was in school. It didn’t become fun until I started traveling as an adult and admiring other cultures and their history. History is a class all about storytelling and I want to bring it to life!

Any hobbies?

“I play the ukulele, so I really enjoy the ukulele. I enjoy long distance running, so like a marathon. I did a 42-mile run on my birthday. So I like long distance running, like ultra marathons.”

Any interesting facts about you?

I am going to have a baby in January! Don’t ask if it’s a boy or girl, because I don’t know either! I took Spanish for 11 years, so I am confident that I can survive in a Spanish-only speaking country.

Any advice for students?

“I would say showing up is a lot of the issue. You know if you get to class on time, stay there, don’t miss any days, and turn in your work, often times you’ll find yourself learning the information regardless.”

Dwain Kline What do you like most about SG? “I like how everyone supports each other, Room U37 like a family. Everyone is very helpful and Mission View Teacher friendly.”

What inspired you to teach?

“Ever since elementary school, I dreamed of being a teacher. My mom always laughed because I was a class clown.”

What advice would you give to students?

“Always be prepared, learning can be fun if you give it a chance.”

Any facts about you, that students don’t know?

“I’m really excited to be part of the Mission View Program.”

Husam Zakharia Room. E106 English Teacher

What did you do before teaching?

-Used to be a salesperson -I sold a lot of merchandise -I stopped because I didn't think it was helping people Life Advice to students?

-Don't compare yourself to others but compare yourself how you were yesterday.

Fun Facts?

-Drawing cartoons for the last 10 years -Got Published on lots of websites, news magazines, mostly international

Design by Angela Lu Graphics courtesy of twinkl Interviews by Selina Han, Shawn Ho, Karina Matias Photos by Selina Han, Katherine Huang, Karina Matias, Ahyoung Nguyen

Kevin Encinas Gym: Weight Training, Physical Education (P.E) 1/2 About me: -has a bulldog (Gracie) and a pug (Giant) -has a son -knows how to juggle

What did you do before coming to SG? How are you adapting to this new environment?

“For the past 25 years I’ve been a school nurse in elementary schools in [the district]. Well, it’s hard but I’m learning everyday and I’m trying.”

Louise Tsoi School Nurse

What inspired you to go into nursing?

“I like to help others; I would say that is what inspires me.

Originally I was not a school nurse, I was just a regular registered nurse. After [completing] the nursing program, I became a school nurse.”

What do you do in your free time?

“Now I just enjoy cooking. I used to help a lot with Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, but not anymore. But if sometimes they need help, I would still go help out. I like to cook at home; anything I’m interested in, like if I see something on cooking channels and it inspires me, I will try and [make] it. My favorite cooking show is the Food Network because they have different variety; they have desserts and main dishes from different countries.”

Vincent Gabucan Room. U50 Math and Social Studies Returning Teacher

What inspired you to become a teacher?

“In college, I was unsure of what to do with my life. It wasn't until I volunteered to help out in a middle school in Pasadena.

It was then that I knew what I wanted to do. It was to work with kids and be a teacher.”

What are some of your hobbies?

“I like to watch basketball. I'm a Lakers and a Clippers fan.

I enjoy playing fantasy sports and doing creative things like writing, acting, and improvisation. I just got Netflix, so I'm spending ta lot of time there, right now.”

What is something interesting about you that not many people know about?

“My first job was when I was 12 years old. I delivered food in Hollywood for my aunt's restaurant. I got good tips!”

Anthony Zichella Room. H5 Culinary Teacher

What inspired you to become a culinary teacher?

“I grew up with my grandfather who owned a restaurant and my mother who also worked at a restaurant when I was younger... I can remember being in culinary school and thinking how much I would enjoy sharing my passion for food with others who were interested in learning... to teach.

SGHS has an amazing industrial kitchen and an awesome support staff and administration.”

What are you looking forward to the most as a new teacher? Any future plans?

“I'm really looking forward to next year possibly having an advanced class so that I'm able to start working in the bigger kitchen and doing some catering perhaps on campus.”