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@SGHS The Matador
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MATADOR
SAN GABRIEL HIGH SCHOOL
VOLUME 64, ISSUE 1
801 S. RAMONA STREET, SAN GABRIEL, CA 91776
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
THEMATADORSGHS.US
Vote at 16 SGV advocates for change in voting age BY KATIE PHAN
Tonight, Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD) students are hosting the AUSD Board of Education Round Table, held at the Grapevine Arbor from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. School board candidates Robert Gin and Joanna Russell-Chavez will be answering students’ questions regarding their stances and views. “[The] Round Table is an opportunity for students to get informed and get involved,” Alhambra High School (AHS) senior Anthony Hu said. “The school board members attending directly affect how each of our schools are run.” Vote at 16—San Gabriel Valley (SGV) is a student-led campaign that started five years ago at Mark Keppel High School (MKHS) by Scott Chan, the program director of the Asian Pacific Island Forward Movement. “Vote at 16 aims to better connect and bridge the divide between [the] students and school board administration and increase transparency,” MKHS senior Wilson Yeung said. Students of the movement want to lower the voting age for school board elections from 18 to 16 across the AUSD. Because students are the most affected by the school board’s decisions, Chan said that it seems only logical that students are able to play a part in making decisions for their education.
continued on pg. 2
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAN KHONG
Students from Vote at 16—SGV speak to parents and students at Mark Keppel High School’s PTSA meeting on Aug. 22. They adressed issues on student representation, civic engagement and the public address system for high schools.
Nguyen promoted to Mark Keppel High School after 11 years of teaching
PHOTO BY MEGAN TIEU
Math teacher Nicolas Nguyen transferred to Mark Keppel High School where he now serves as an assistant principal. BY ERIC MAI
Math teacher Nicolas Nguyen was promoted to the position of Assistant Principal of Student and Employee Welfare at Mark Keppel High School (MKHS). He officially left on Sept. 7, after 11 years in the classroom.
“I was looking for a transition,” Nguyen said. “Being prepared? Of course [I am].” Nguyen has both the credentials for working as an assistant principal and teacher. Despite changing jobs, his objectives and values remain consistent; he wants to work with a bigger part of the student population. “At the end of the day, my goal and my philosophy in education is [to raise] successful students and being able to experience working directly with students,” Nguyen said. After moving to MKHS, Nguyen hopes to expand his reach to people not just in the classroom or math department, but schoolwide. He expects to work more with adults and be more of a leader. “I’m excited and I’m looking forward to [this assignment],” Nguyen said. “It gives me the opportunity to make a greater impact in [the] student body.” His background and focus in science, technology, engineering, math, and Englishlearning have also had their effect on his teaching during his time here. He developed these skills during his time as a NASA intern as well. “[Interning at NASA] builds technical skills that you can bring into the classroom with real-life experiences,” Nguyen said. “Not
LIFE & ART Perez finds creativity, passion for filmmaking pg. 8
just textbook concepts, but how they apply in real-life situations.” As leader of the math department, Nguyen worked diligently while considering his students. “He showed a great compassion with his duties,” math teacher Kevin Nong said. “He put people first and cared about his students.” Nguyen was the adviser of Math, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) club. “Nguyen ensured that MESA not only met expectations, but surpassed them as well,” Iris Zhou, alumna and former cabinet member of MESA, said. “He created an engaging community and... help[ed] students win exceptional numbers of awards.” He was also popular because of his kind disposition and comedic behavior. “[I’m going to miss] his kind heart and the way he treats his students,” sophomore Olivia Chung said. “He wasn’t always serious about math. He added jokes.” Before leaving, Nguyen gave the school a parting message. “It’s important to have a mindset that anyone can do something if they work hard at it,” Nguyen said. “And the gift of our students is that everyone can learn.”
Senior portrait prices create controversy among seniors BY ENRICO GONZALEZ
A rite of passage for seniors is taking their senior portrait. However, many seniors were hesitant to do so when they learned that a minimum of $20 was required to put one’s senior portrait into the yearbook. “I have the money for it, but it doesn’t seem reasonable to spend $20 on one picture,” senior Sam Houn said. Doug Chan-Wing, the manager of Furious Photography, explained why the portraits were priced at $20. “The minimum for seniors to have their photos professionally taken is $20 in order to cover the expenses of photographers, setup crew, editors, prints, etc.,” Chan-Wing said. “If they opt out to take their portraits, the yearbook department may use their ID photo in replacement.” Al t h o u g h $ 2 0 m a y s e e m l i k e a significant amount of money for one picture, according to Chan-Wing, the reason Furious Photography was chosen was due to their low price point compared to other companies.
contiuned on pg. 2
SPORTS Football fences down Ganesa Giants under 45 points pg. 9
FEATURES Enter the Bullring: Welcoming the new staff pg. 11 & 12