The Matador - December Issue 2014

Opinions

Focus

“Catcalling frightens and degrades women” pg. 5

THE

“Hands Up: Your rights, your beliefs, yourself” pg. 6-7

Matador

Volume 60, NUMBER 4

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

Features

“Artistic Endeavors: student artists share their passions” pg. 12

S a n G a b r i e l H i gh S c h o o l

801 Ramona St., San Gabriel, CA 91776

www.thematadorsghs.com

Grand jury reveals inconsistencies in Ferguson court case S y d n e y Tri eu The grand jury of St. Louis County announced its decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson on Nov. 24. Wilson had fatally shot unarmed teenager Michael Brown on Aug. 3. No charges were pressed because of conflicting evidence reported by multiple witness accounts.

According to the New York Times, 12 jurors, consisting of nine Caucasians and three African-Americans, met with the court for 25 days spread over the course of three months beginning in late Aug. All of this was kept out of public eye, much to the disappointment of those who wanted to stay updated.

“For me personally, I wanted to see the court decide whether or not he was guilty or innocent,” history teacher Nicole Manalang said. “I do think that, for the community, he should’ve been put on trial because I think that’s what [they] would’ve wanted. I don’t necessarily feel that a [public] trial would’ve bridged the gap [between law enforcement and the community], but maybe the community would’ve felt better if he got a trial with time for lawyers to look at evidence and ‘do it the right way.’”

In response to critiques about the secrecy of the trial, prosecutor Robert McCulloch of St. Louis County released documentations of the court processes to the public the day after the jury reached a decision.

However, coming to the decision not to indict Wilson was not easy. The grand jury listened to 60 witness accounts, reviewed extensive testimonies from investigators, and flipped through multitudes of evidence. Going through all the information proved to be complicated.

Witnesses presented differing accounts of what happened

in Wilson’s encounter with Brown, many of which did not have coinciding facts. Various questions were raised. Did Brown actually attack Wilson? Did Wilson legitimately feel threatened by Brown? Did Brown really put his hands up to surrender in the end?

“Stories have been changed, and people in the community are saying one thing but not saying another,” Manalang said. “It’s unfortunate that there wasn’t a truly accurate depiction about what happened that day. I think with any story, there are so many sides, but not one party is willing to be absolutely honest about it. [Because of that], justice

Photo by Joshua Sinn/CC BY

A Ferguson protester stands defiantly in front of a police vehicle in order to show her stance on the grand jury’s decision on the Brown case.

BTA utilizes campus resources, creates pond H a n f re y Deng Next to the A-Building, a quiet spot of peace and serenity can now be found – a new student-created rain garden.

A large amount of effort went into making the garden possible. Business Technology Academy (BTA) students and Environmental Club members arrived on a Saturday morning and worked until the afternoon. The volunteers loosened dirt, spread mulch, and dug holes for the plants in order to create a place of beauty on campus. Senior Janette Nguyen thought the garden she helped create “looked awesome.”

“I like how [the garden works] exactly as we envisioned it,” Nguyen said. “We made the middle part [of the garden] deeper than the rest, so all the rain would go there, and it did.”

Rainwater collected into a large puddle due after heavy showers. Assistant Principal of Student Services Jocelyn Castro noticed the garden during the showers and thought that “it was so beautiful.” “[It was] a serene place on campus,” Castro said. “I appreciated the strategic trenches that take advantage of the run-off.

Great job to [the BTA teachers] and students!”

The rain garden was funded by a grant received from

the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District. Jesse Chang, a Kingdom Causes staff member, helped coordinate the planning behind the rain garden and directed students on planting the garden. Chang was hoping to create “a native plant demonstration garden to help beautify, inspire and educate others on how to [conserve water] and use native plants.”

“We hope a garden like this can inspire others to ‘go native’ and realize [it is] a better option that also encourages more biodiversity,” Chang said. “[Or] at the very least, give [students] something naturally beautiful to walk by every day!”

Additionally, the garden was planted directly next to the ABuilding to take advantage of the water runoff.

Photo by Tran Lam “The goal is to twofold: maximize the rainfall we have and [for the rocks to] act [like] a biofilter to remove contaminants before they runoff into our storm drains,” Chang said. “During warm weather, one of the drains actually puts out a lot of water from all the AC units running to cool our classrooms, so it was an ideal place to put a rain garden.”

The rain garden is a welcome addition to the BTA garden.

The garden utilizes resources that San Gabriel provides and will provide flourishing native plants for years to come.

can’t be served.”

Despite the questionable witness testimonies, forensic evidence told its own story. Brown’s body was found 153 feet away from Wilson’s car. His blood was 25 feet away from his body’s location, implying that he continued to move toward Wilson after he was shot. Wilson fired 12 shots total, at least six of which hit Brown. Brown’s blood was also found in Wilson’s car, on his clothes, and on his gun.

A medical examination revealed that Wilson had swelling and bruising on his face.

Evidence and witness testimonies aside, the trial itself was unusual. Usually, the prosecutor, who initiates legal actions, provides charges (such as first-degree murder, assault and battery) against the defendant, who, in this case, was Officer Wilson, for the jury to indict on. However, the prosecutor, McCulloch, did not recommend charges and left the decision up to the jury.

“The argument can be made that this meant it was more likely that there would be no indictment,” said Todd Swanstrom, a professor in public policy at the University of Missouri St. Louis, in an interview with The Guardian.

In addition to the abnormal prosecution process, Wilson also testified for his own case. In typical trials, the grand jury does not usually hear the testimony of the individual who may be charged. However, Wilson had a testimony lasting four hours, detailing his account of his encounter with Michael Brown.

Though the current verdict names Wilson innocent, future trials are within possibility. Petitions have been created to press federal charges of first-degree murder. Whether or not the outcome changes, one thing is certain–what is happening in Ferguson is far from over.

AUSD introduces new online after school permit system

Photo by Simon Yung

Speech and Debate Coach Andrew Nguyen uses the new online system to submit an after school permit.

Simon Yung The Alhambra Unified School District has established a new online permit system for all activities that take place after school or on days without class, such as on weekends or during breaks. Permits are filled out online and are processed first by the Business and Activities office and then sent to the district office for approval.

“You go online and you just fill out the information you need. Some of the fields can be a little confusing.

For classrooms, you have to select a classroom option and fill out the number, and they also ask if this event is open to the public or students. Other than that, it’s fairly straightforward to fill out,” Speech and Debate Coach Andrew Nguyen said.

The new online system was implemented mainly to help streamline the application process. It also serves to... continued on pg. 2

NEWS

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

Around San Gabriel San Gabriel students participate in Poetry Out Loud, place 2nd in district

Matador Band and Choir to perform in annual Winter Concert

The annual Poetry Out Loud school competition filled the auditorium with the sound of beautiful poems recited by poets at San Gabriel High School. On Nov. 14, 25 seniors, juniors and freshman, nominated by their English teachers, competed against each other on the big stage. Encouraging students to learn more about poetry, students were required to memorize and recite their poems to understand the deeper meaning of their pieces. This year, nine of the 25 were selected due to the two-way tie for eighth place. The students who moved onto the district competition: freshmen Samantha Clark, juniors Yvonne Cui, Lillian Liu, and Alberto CervantesNavarro, and seniors Robert Lam, Beth Rangel, Daisy Cruz Robles, Amber Stern, and Teresa Truong.

“During the school competition, I felt excited,” Rangel said. “Poetry is something I’m passionate about and enjoy; I felt more nervous during the district competition because only one person [would go on to the County competition] so the stakes were higher.”

Progressing to the district level, the eight students from San Gabriel competed against nine other students from the Alhambra Unified School District (Mark Keppel did not participate) on Nov. 19 in at the auditorium.

“I honestly think that I felt more nervous during the school [competition], even though I had a close friend there,” Lilian Liu, who placed second place at district, said. “During the school one, when I was on stage, I lowered the microphone low enough so that I was staring into it so I couldn’t see anyone in the crowd. That made it feel so different from the district [competition] where I actually lowered it properly and I was looking at the judges.”

Alhambra junior Tina Le who recited, “What It Looks Like to Us and the Words We Use” by Ada Limon, broke down in tears as she walked back up on stage when she heard her name announced as the 2014 Poetry Out Loud district winner.

Although many students and family members came to watch the school competition, very few attended the district competition at the auditorium. Despite the empty seats, each poet recited their poems with their own unique and strong emotions.

“The district was more challenging because there were talented poets [each] representing their schools,” Cervantes-Navarro said. “It pressured me since it was a tough competition, but I still gave it my all.”

As the district representative of Alhambra Unified School District, Le will perform in the Los Angeles County competition on Feb. 5, 2015 at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts from 5 to 7 p.m.

To celebrate the holiday season, novice, concert, and advanced band will be performing alongside the drum line, mixed choir, and advanced choir in the annual Winter Concert produced by the band and choir teachers, Tammy Cognetta and Cecilia Revilla. The concert will be held in the auditorium tonight, running from 6:30 8:30 p.m.

Novice band will open the concert with “Jingle Bells” and “Christmastime March.” Concert band will follow up with “Reindeer Rag,” “Greensleeves Rhapsody,” “Blue Alien Accumulation,” and “Feliz Navidad.”

Advanced band will then play “British Eighth,” “Coventry Control,” “Pompeii,” “Christmas Pipes,” and “Jingle Bell Jam.” The Drum line will then close with “Interruption.”

After the bands’ performances, mixed concert choir will sing “Once Upon a December,” “Believe,” “The Christmas Miracle,” “The Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth,” and “Mele Kalikimaka.” Advanced choir will then perform a mixture of English and Spanish songs, such as “Christmas Time is Here,” “A La Puerte Del Cielo,” “Duerme Duerme,” “A La Nanita,” and “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.”

The concert will conclude the concert with “Angels We Have Heard On High,” performed by the advanced band, and “Peace, Peace,” performed by all the combined bands, choir, and the audience.

The concert’s admission fee is $2 dollars.

Junior Cassandra Chen places fourth in national journalism competition After participating as a finalist in a four-day (Nov. 6-9) journalism convention in Washington D.C. hosted by the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), junior Cassandra Chen returned to San Gabriel with a fourth place award for NSPA’s Comic Panel/Strip, thus placing her fourth in the country. “I learned a lot about journalism [at the covention],” Chen said. “I got to hear from great speakers like Bob Woodward.”

In addition to listening to journalism speakers, Chen also had the opportunity to tour the city.

“I got to go to the Newseum, which had a 4-D presentation that elaborated on the history of journalism,” Chen said. “There was also a journalist memorial for journalists who lost their lives in search of the truth.”

Chen states that it was an “educational and fun” experience.

“I’d like to go back one day,” Chen said.

Briefs and previews compiled by Justin Toyomitsu and Amy Yee

San Gabriel put in lockdown because of replica weapon Kri s t y Du o n g

Gabriel Police Departments were immediately on the scene to investigate. Though the weapon turned out to be fake, The blaring sound of the lockdown bell towards the end Schofield stressed that bringing anything even resembling a weapon to school of the lunch period on Nov. 4 is against the school alerted staff and students on rules and education campus to take immediate code because no one shelter in nearby classrooms. can tell the difference Administrators set off between a real or a the bell upon the discovery fake weapon. He also of a “replica weapon” on said that in situations campus. where students break “A student was seen the rules, there are during lunchtime and it consequences. was believed they had a “Kids that bring potentially dangerous stuff that’s not real, object,” Principal Jim whatever the object Schofield said. “Because of is, if it gets mistaken that, we wanted to make by someone like law sure that everyone was in a e n f o rc e m e n t , t h e y safe and secure place while could end up being we investigated it. As it turns severely injured or out, the object in question severely hurt. That’s was not real but we have Photo by Sydney Trieu why it’s important we to always err on the side of caution.”

Students hunker down at an administrative office during know if someone has The campus supervisors the end of lunch in response to the sudden lockdown. something that they shouldn’t have. For the were the ones who made students’ own safety,” the observation during their usual lunch rounds and immediately took action when they Schofield said.

Overall, Schofield remarked that he was impressed by saw the student holding the weapon.

“They did what they needed to do to make sure everyone how well the situation was handled and how well staff was safe and it’s just very impressive,” Schofield said. “What and students responded to the emergency bell, though could have been a weapon turned out that it wasn’t but they he is thankful that it was just a false alarm. Students were didn’t wait. They made sure you all were going to be safe released around 1:30 pm to their fifth period classes and a phone message was sent home later that afternoon to inform before anything.”

Shortly after the weapon was reported, Alhambra and San parents about the lockdown.

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AUSD introduces new online after school permit system continued from pg. 1 ...help better organize the custodial staff and protect the school and teachers from legal liabilities.

“It’s more of an organizational type instrument for us to use to help keep [things together],” Assistant Principal of Business and Activities Chris Takeshita said.

Despite the system speeding up the application process significantly, it did not come without complications.

“We did try to get [permits] over Thanksgiving break,” Coach Nguyen said. “But we could only get some of the days for Thanksgiving break so we decided to just take Thanksgiving off.”

Practice sessions for sports and other competitive academic clubs such as Academic Decathlon or schoolsponsored events do not require a fee in addition to the permit, but outside user groups such as booster clubs or outside performances in the auditorium are subject to a fee.

ASB restores winter formal to San Gabriel’s dance repertoire Judy Tang After three years of hibernation, the winter formal dance is back. Planned and produced by San Gabriel High School’s Associated Student Body, “Unmask the Night” is a masquerade-themed dance.

The dance came back due to the changes to homecoming earlier this year as many people were not able to attend.

Having another dance and opportunity to run for court would boost attendance and school spirit. “[ASB] wanted to bring [winter formal] back to start the tradition again,” ASB president Qi Guo said.

Winter formal will be held on campus at the Matador Arena on the last night before Winter break, Dec. 18 from 6 to 10 p.m., and dinner will be served at 6 p.m. The dance will feature the same DJ who hosted last year’s prom.

“I am excited for the DJ because I heard [that the DJ did a good job at prom last year],” winter court candidate Koby Khauv said.

Students of all years are encouraged to go. The winter court will be made up of and voted on by both juniors and seniors, with the senior king and queen, plus court announced at the dance.

The menu features a catered Italian dinner from Charlie’s Trio of pasta, salad, and soda, served in the arena balcony behind the bleachers.The theme colors are white, plum, and gold. Tickets can be bought at the student bank for $13 with ASB and $20 without ASB.

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THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

NEWS

Art Club to renovate lockers in SA-Building over winter break H a n f re y De n g The SA­-Building hallway lockers will be painted in the coming new year by Art Club members as part of an effort to beautify the old lockers.

The idea had been circulating between members of Art Club and Principal Jim Schofield for several years before the plan was finalized. After getting approval from the district and Schofield, Art Club members began creating designs for the lockers this year.

Club adviser Karen Keller appreciates the “opportunity for students to participate in campus beautification.”

“I think it [gives] students a chance to participate in their environment and to share their gifts and talents with the community,” Keller said.

After the lockers are primed to prevent paint from seeping into the lockers, they will be painted over with a “cultural” theme, which will portray different cultural holidays and traditions in chronological order.

The bright and diverse lockers will be painted by all Art Club members.

Club member junior Cuiting Yu feels that participating in the locker project will allow her to collaborate with others.

“This project gives me a chance to work with others to create an art piece together, something that I [have]

never done before,” Yu said. “Also, [eventually] seeing my design on the lockers makes me feel that I contributed to the school. I am glad that my art can remain on the campus for a long time even after I graduate.”

The project is expected to be completed in a few months. Additionally, the lockers need to be adequately prepared and carefully painted, starting with the designs, which have been digitized. “[We will] use the projector to project the image up [onto the lockers] for lines,” Keller said. “Then they’ll begin to put down the first layer of paint just to put the basic colors in place. Shading and detailing comes after that; final detailing is blending the lines and other smaller details in the end. Then it [is] covered with a clear finish to protect the paint [and] so that [the lockers] can be washed.

In order for the project to be approved, the mural needed to have an educational basis. Principal Jim Schofield also added that it needed to “enhance the campus.”

“It [will also] give a chance for students to leave a positive impact,” Schofield said.

Although the lockers are not being restored for functional use, the mural that will be painted over them will nonetheless enhance the hallway’s atmosphere and give Art Club members a chance to beautify the campus using their talents.

Photo by Sydney Trieu

Students walk by the old SA-Building lockers that will eventually be painted over by Art Club members.

Students learn about medical careers at Mentor Mixer Ca ro lin a L o a i s i g a San Gabriel’s Multi-Purpose Room was awash with medical professionals on Dec. 4, when the Medical Careers Academy (MCA) held their annual Mentor Mixer to promote student interest in medical careers. Academy coordinators utilized connections to invite a well-rounded list of guest speakers, ranging from doctors, therapists, nurses, paramedics, and veterinarians. Dr. Sheri Johnson, a general and surgical veterinarian, Dr. Michael Ko, a physical therapist, and Garett Roach, a paramedic and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) intern were some of the 12 professionals in attendance.

The event began with dinner and snacks. Then the speakers were introduced by Cynthia Okimura, the club’s adviser.

Students were encouraged to visit mentor stations and discuss career questions, requirements, and future concerns for a maximum of ten minutes. After every student went to at least a total of five different stations, they thanked the mentors

for attending the event. Each mentor received a certificate as a token of MCA’s gratitude for devoting their time to the event.

Senior Melissa Benavides, president of MCA, supported Okimura in planning and organizing the event and noted that this was one of the best mixers she has attended in her three years of participating in the academy.

“I think what we got out of mentor mixer this year, we got more information about all the careers out there or careers we did not know about [than in any other year],” Benavides said. “I think this will open a new path[s for] us to decide [which] career we want to pursue.”

Okimura hopes that in the future, MCA’s mentor mixers will have a greater variety of attending medical professionals and that students will be able to think about more types of medical careers.

“I am going to start early next year,” Okimura said. “Hopefully, we will have more connections by talking to fellow teachers and staff members that work here who know someone that is a doctor or a nurse.”

43 Mexican students are missing, citizens outraged Carolina Loaisiga

Photo by Staff

Dr. Sheri Johnson with a group of MCA students and her dog Maya.

MCA students will complete a paper in reflection of the event in order to show what they have learned, both at the mixer and in class.

“I like to get their feedback to see how it felt like it helped them and why or why not,” Okimura said.

Okimura hopes to extend the Academy’s annual mentor mixer into something bigger next year with many more guests and students participating.

It’s a staggering statistic: 43 college students from the same school, all hoping to become teachers–all missing and feared dead.

Their disappearance became a flashpoint for national protests. Mexico’s President Enrique Penia Nieto met their parents. The Pope sent them prayers.

Mexico’s Attorney General Juan Palacios says they were captured by police on the orders of the Iguala mayor, Jose Luis Abarca, then handed over to a drug cartel and executed.

Authorities say they believe the students’ burned remains were thrown into a river, but many family members are still holding out hope until there’s DNA proof.

The incident has led to protests and became a catalyst for the issues of corruption and instability in the country.

As thousands of protesters–angry about a grand jury ruling that cleared a NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo on Wednesday Dec. 3 in the videotaped chokehold-related death of Eric Garner–took over Midtown Manhattan, a separate demonstration of activists–some masked, some with signs saying, “SOS for Mexico,” and one with a manipulated image of a Time magazine cover featuring Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto as the Grim Reaper–were part of a group of about 47 protests and vigils taking place across the country to demand the end of U.S. antidrug funding to Mexico.

“In 47–perhaps 50 cities–people are coming together by the hundreds to say, ‘Ya basta!’ No more Plan Mexico,” writer Robert Lovatos said to Univision. Lovatos helped organize the #USTired2 which indicates social media campaign that put together the nationwide demonstrations in Times Square.

“We want our tax dollars to be used for peace, not for an undeclared war on the Mexican people,” Lovato said.

He and other organizers blame much of the pervasive violence in Mexico on the weapons and funding given to the country under the Mérida Initiative, a security strategy between the two countries signed in 2008 that has provided $2.1 billion to Mexico to combat drug trafficking in the country.

OPINIONS “Just” being myself

Justin Toyomitsu “Culture shock” In middle school I was always ashamed of my Japanese heritage. I used to nag my parents during middle school with questions like, “Why can’t I be a regular American boy and buy school lunch or bring a simple sack lunch to school just like everyone else?” It was always an embarrassment to carry around an abnormally large bento box, or Japanese traditional lunch box, and be the first and only one to sit at a table playing with my food while other students went to the lunch line with their friends. It was only natural to do so at my Saturday Japanese school with the rest of my fellow classmates, but not at an American school. Because I spent more time at an American school, it felt more unnatural to perform Japanese traditions in front of my friends who I considered “normal Americans.” My withdrawal from such traditions worsened when I first found out about World War II. As a class, we learned that Japan was part of the Axis powers, or the “enemy,” and people looked at me like I was representing Japan and began to mock or joke around about what had happened during the war. It stung my heart each time someone did so, and I couldn’t respond other than to laugh along and say “Yeah, you’re right.” I remember hoping on my way home from school that one day, as my classmates matured, the mockery would end, but to my surprise, it continued throughout the entire school year. Even though I tried seeking advice from my father, who had immigrated to America when he was 11, he would always give the same reply, “Mushi-shiro,” which meant “Learn to ignore.” Unable to fight back or find a distraction, I found that ignoring the constant mockery was easier said than done.

Everything changed when I visited Japan for the first time during my seventh grade year. Taking a ten-hour flight to the small island, I was immediately awed by the beauty of the landscape in my home prefecture, Fukuoka, and how friendly the neighborhood was. Elementary school kids could walk to school because of the low crime rates, and the Japanese school, which I attended for a month, strictly emphasized “Reigi-sahou,” or manners and respect, despite being a middle school. It was nothing like an American middle school, where hired janitors would clean up any mess that students left behind at school.

In Japan, it was part of a tradition for the students to clean the school everyday. By the time I was on the flight back home, I had discovered numerous reasons to be proud of being of a Japanese descent. As a more mature senior now, I have even more pride in my nationality and have already taken the necessary steps to help me overcome any obstacles, including the mockery of my race. My pride has led me to join multiple Japanese-American communities, including the Kendo Organization and the Kizuna Leadership Programs, which have taught me about the endless interesting opportunities my Japanese community have to offer me even in America.

Knowing what it meant to be Japanese, I was able to turn my life 180 degrees around from the dreadful life I was imagining in middle school. Though I don’t mind the mockery anymore, I would like for those who mocked me before and even from now to “prove you have superior rights over mine to mock my nationality, culture, and existence that I take pride in first, and then, you can mock me all you want.”

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

Editorial

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Protesters protest progress by protesting “Hands up, don’t shoot.” “No justice, no peace.” For thousands of protesters across America and even overseas in other nations, these words have become a rallying cry for citizens to band together and protest the grand jury’s refusal to indict officer Darren Wilson in wake of the events taking place in Ferguson, Mo. However, all things considered, the cumulative effect of both the demonstrations and violence have opposite the intended effect; though increasing awareness of the issue of racial profiling, the ends do not justify the means as violence does more harm than good.

The fact that protests bring a certain sort of progress cannot be denied; when a nationally-recognized football team puts their hands up to protest the injustices they see present in American society, a poignant message is sent–and the world has no choice but to stop and listen.

But notice the glaring contrast in these voiceless actions when compared

to the violent demonstrations that so consume so many of the big cities–one puts the lives of the innocent in danger with constant rioting and razing, and the other sends a powerful message by making a symbolic, nonviolent gesture.

Both capture the public’s attention, but where one inspires change, the other inspires fear.

Violence breeds more violence.

From the riots during the civil rights movement in the 1960’s to the Los Angeles riots in the 1990’s, violent protests have never really alleviated the unrest of a torn nation, and with the rioting that has occurred in the wake of the court decision, the protests seem almost hypocritical.

Burning buildings and broken windows undoubtedly arrest the attention of audiences, and this path of wanton destruction and heightened emotion does cause watchers to really rethink and reevaluate the morals with which they live by, but the price of these realizations often involve the unraveling the seams of the destroyed

communities.

The purpose of these protests is to end violence, but after causing millions of dollars in damage with looting and destruction, can it really be justified?

Moreover, with all of the violence currently occuring, are the police really at fault? After all, it is their duty to maintain order among chaos.

What these protesters need is a paradigm shift. A way to broadcast to the world the injustice that they feel has been inflicted on the world, a way to make themselves heard, but not feared.

After all, a supposedly noble cause should not require such uncivilized actions. As advocates of a racial justice and innocence for the voiceless, nonviolent methods should be enough.

Long bus lines are a nuisance, interfere with students’ schedules A nt hony Yang “RING!” goes the bell, signaling the conclusion of school for students at 12:10, 1:54, or 2:58 p.m. Some students travel back home by having their parents drive them home or riding their bicycles home. Others deal with the misery of taking the school buses home. Students often take the bus home because they want to save some money on gasoline or they may have no one to take them home. Although the school buses are usually easily accessible, a bump in the road can cause the entire system to fail.

Most students finish their classes by the end of sixth period, which means more students need to be driven to the designated bus stops.

More students mean that the buses fill up at a faster rate. Getting out of the front gate and into the bus parking lot can be comparable to sprinting in the Olympic Games, especially when one’s last class is on the second floor of the E-building. Back when I had sixth-period classes, I often had to dart out of the doors in order to be able to board the bus. Straggling meant that I would have to wait almost 20 minutes in the heat or the rain for the next bus.

The issue with the long bus wait times disrupts many students’ schedules, especially during collaboration. Students find this to be a nuisance. One time, a bus did not show up for over half an hour, so most of the students had to wait outside in the heat. This led to some students planning to go to the office to complain. The bus did manage to come just in time, but this is a major problem when buses are not readily available.

Most of the time, the second buses are driven by the same bus drivers as the first bus, which means having to wait for the same bus driver to pick students up. However, this can be a problem since valuable study and homework time is being wasted. Standing in line with at least 50 students on dusty terrain is hardly the ideal study environment. After aboutt half an hour of waiting for the next bus, some people are unfortunate enough to still be left behind. If it is just ten students at most, the bus driver may allow them to board the bus if they are able to squeeze into the occupied seats.

Despite these problems, many students still take the bus home, even though there are numerous problems. While the bus is a great form of transportation, the system needs to be fixed to avoid inconveniencing the students who take the bus on a daily basis. Right now, the school buses take too long to drive students home and one issue creates a strong ripple effect.

Illustration by Emmanuel Maresca

Illustration by Cassandra Chen

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OPINIONS

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

Catcalling frightens, degrades women M a ri o M a n d uj ano

Eri n Tr uong

It would be safe to say that a majority of women who have walked down the street have experienced some form of catcalling.

Catcalling occurs when men who make an attempt to compliment a particular woman but do so in the most inappropriate way. A social experiment was created by a marketing agency on behalf of the anti-street-harassment movement, Hollaback!.

The video displays an attractive woman walking through the streets of New York in a crewneck t-shirt (that did not expose cleavage) and jeans-- a decent, casual outfit that still managed to provoke a reported 108 instances of street harassment.

The purpose of the video was to give broader insight to what some women experience everyday while innocently walking down the street, crying out for an end to such harassment incidents that cause discomfort to the person experiencing it.

In a response video which premiered on CNN, Steve Santagati, an author and a self-proclaimed expert on how men think, and stand-up comedian, Amanda Seales, were invited to discuss the message the video sent and what message they wished to send as a result of seeing the video.

Seales maintains that catcalling is inappropriate rather than flattering. Although I am not a woman, I can seriously imagine the disgust they may feel when men (especially strangers) create the idea that women should appreciate being objectified.

Illustration by Katherine Hoong Santagati used the claim that women seek to be harassed and ask for it with the way that they dress in public, showing the patriarchal mindset of some of these men.

Women do not need to be harassed or feel at risk when they are in the street; on the contrary, safe, yet confident. The way ladies choose to dress is only practice of the First Amendment and God-given right to express themselves. They must never be asked to change their ways of fashion in order to suppress the sexual instinct of men; rather men should be taught — if not disciplined—to respect women despite what they are wearing.

Sometimes we, as males, must be considerate of the fact that the women we often disrespect can someday just as well be our wives, daughters, mothers, or sisters, which brings me to the suggestion of getting rid of such tasteless behavior to resurrect the custom of being polite gentlemen.

It sure is a pain, huh? To be treated like a piece of meat in the supermarket, or a meal to be sized up on the menu. If every day, during your daily routine, a stranger put you on the spot and told you to smile because they thought your glutes looked great in those jeans.

But I’m not writing about a scenario. I’m describing a reality.

In anti-street-harassment organization Hollaback!’s viral catcalling video, actress Shoshana B. Roberts experienced catcalls, whistles and stalking from total strangers. The impunity with which men would approach a stony-faced Roberts was disturbing to see. If that wasn’t a wake-up call to the realities of street harassment, then author Steve Santagati’s reaction to the video was.

Santagati and comedian Amanda Seales were invited by CNN to provide commentary on street harassment .Throughout the segment, Santagati frequently interrupted Seales, eventually culminating in a debate that ended with Santagati declaring, “Then carry a gun!” in response to being told by Seales that women were put in danger trying to defend themselves.

In what world must a woman carry a lethal firearm to ward off unwanted advances? Why must the blame lie with the woman when she is harassed, abused, and raped? She is a victim, and as Seales said, a woman standing up for herself leads to very dangerous situations.

When a woman stands up for herself, she is told she is overreacting. That “boys will be boys,” and that she should take being told that a stranger would have sex with her as a compliment. There have been instances where, after taking a stand, the abuse toward a woman was intensified, occasionally resulting in her being hurt or even killed. Mary Spears, for example, who was murdered by a man who would not take no for an answer. Some may argue that these incidents were isolated, but the fact is that something as harmless as, “you look beautiful,” or “hey gorgeous” inspires fear in women because history gives them reason to fear being the victims of these “isolated” cases.

Catcalling is not innocent. It’s dangerous, threatening, and unwanted. We must be able to identify it and prevent it from escalating into something far more physical, and far more terrifying.

*This article is abridged. To read the full article, please go online to thematadorsghs.com.

*This article is abridged. To read the full article, please go online to thematadorsghs.com.

Editors-in-Chief News Editors Opinions Editors Focus Editors Life and Art Editors Sports Editors Features Editors Copy Editors Photo Editor Artists Business Managers Website Editors Multimedia Editors Blogs Manager Adviser

Kristy Duong Rebecca Lei Erin Truong Amy Yee Carolina Garcia Amanda Molina Judy Tang Jennifer Thai Annie Huang Ileana Perez Carolina Loaisiga Justin Toyomitsu Cassandra Chen Chelsey Tran Roland Fang Angela Fong Chelsea Huynh Sydney Trieu Katherine Hoong Emmanuel Maresca Ying Chow Anthony Yang Hanfrey Deng Tran Lam Emmanuel Maresca Anthony Yang Vanessa Huang Jennifer Kim

The Matador Bullring What qualities do you look for in class council members?

“

I think that to be in class council, you would have to be reliable and honest.”

-Adrian Kobayashi, 9th grade

“

“

People running for Class Council need to be sociable because they need to know what people like nowadays.”

-Edney Van, 11th grade

Reporters: Alexandra Albarran, Hellgert Almontes, Stacy Chau, Christy Deng, Frank Lieu, Mario Mandujano, Kim Pham,Thomas Wang, Simon Yung The Matador is a public forum for student expression and highly encourages responses in reaction to issues discussed in the paper. Submit comments as a letter to the editor, signed (anonymity is guaranteed if requested), to H-2, or Ms. Kim’s mailbox.

The Matador is published monthly by the journalism staff of San Gabriel High School. 1,600 copies per issue are published at American Foothill Publishing Co., Inc. The opinions and views expressed in The Matador do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of the school or the Alhambra School District. The Matador and the Alhambra Unified School District do not endorse the vendors advertised in this paper.

I think the most important quality for a class council member is leadership since they are a representative of their class.”

-Tina Lam, 10th grade

“

Anyone with ideas on how to make the school year fun. “ -Desiree Pacheco, 12th grade Photos by Stacy Chau / Border by Katherine Hoong

“Kim”iting to greatness

Kim Pham “The road less traveled” There’s an old video of when I was younger that shows me wearing orange star-shaped sunglasses while holding a giant toy microphone. Two-year-old Kim was scream-singing “Dancing Queen” at the top of her lungs. It’s shameful and embarrassing, yet I can’t think of anything more perfect to describe myself than that video. I was obsessed with becoming a pop star one day, and completely fixated on becoming an astronaut the next.

“So… have you decided on what you want to do yet?”

This question has now become pretty much unavoidable. It’s engraved into conversations I have with my distant relatives and two supportive, yet terribly anxious parents. Family reunions have become advice sessions and small talk is unbearable. My cheeks practically turn red when I hear this.

“Oh, I’m still deciding.”

I envy people my age who are already so passionate and dedicated to one single thing they do; for them, it takes less than a second to answer that question. You could probably see their life goals tattooed across their foreheads.

They’ve drawn up blueprints of their future and I only have sketches so far.

Growing up with two immigrant parents, there’s an unspoken pressure to work hard and make enough of a living for myself that would make up for all the risks they took and the struggles they went through for me to have the “American dream.” I appreciate everything they had to give up for me, but it’s a heavy burden for someone who is not an aspiring doctor or engineer. As much as I want to be into saving lives and building rockets, it’s just something I can’t imagine myself doing anytime soon.

I feel like the moment I decide on a career path, I will lose the girl with the orange star-shaped sunglasses and the giant microphone. Becoming an adult still sounds like a far-away task that I’m never going to quite finish. The thought of having to settle with a job simply because it pays well scares me, and it sucks that we live in a world where this has become the “realistic” point of view.

Since when did wanting to do something that would genuinely make you happy become such an impractical notion?

The whole idea started to consume me a little bit. Breaks don’t feel quite as relaxing anymore because if I’m not thinking about homework, I’m getting anxious over this. What if I fail? What if I put myself out there and people laugh at me? What if I make the wrong choice?

What if I can’t undo it? Then it occurred to me: well duh, genius, of course you’re going to have to fail. Some of the best opportunities in life come from taking risks, and how are you supposed to take risks if you’re afraid of failing?

It’s taken awhile for me to come to terms with the fact that it’s okay to take some time to decide on a major or career path. Big life decisions often do. Personally, I just want to be able to do something that makes me excited to wake up in the morning. I want it to feel like how it did when I was a little girl scream-singing Dancing Queen. In other words, I want to have fun with whatever it is I end up doing, whether it be a dentist or a sword swallower.

FOCUS

THE MATADOR

Ferguson shooting drawS national attention to police brutality The Incident “Hands up, don’t shoot.” With both hands raised in the air, protesters have been using the gesture as a rallying cry against police brutality on the streets of Ferguson, Mo. in the wake of the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-yearold black male, shot to death by white police officer Darren Wilson. Protesters across the country can now be seen with this exact gesture, as the case has called national attention to the issues of police brutality and racial profiling.

On Aug. 9, Michael Brown was with his friend Dorian Johnson when police officer Darren Wilson allegedly stopped near the teens and berated them for walking on the street. According to eyewitnesses, including Johnson, the officer drove off as the boys explained that they had nearly arrived at their destination. From there, the officer stopped his truck, put it in reverse and nearly hit the teens. Witnesses state the two began to argue which eventually led to a physical altercation between them outside the car, with Wilson threatening to shoot the teen. Brown began to run and Johnson hid behind a car, stating that he witnessed the officer shoot at Brown despite the teen having his hands in the air and yelling he had no gun.

Two days after the death with no conclusive evidence, the FBI launched a separate investigation. Mo. Governor Jay Nixon removed local police from the investigation and handed it over to the state’s highway patrol.

In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Wilson explained his knowledge of the incident. After receiving a call about stolen items at the Ferguson market, Wilson saw Brown and Johnson walking on the streets and noted that Brown was holding a box of cigarillos in his hand; Wilson reversed and cut them off. An argument ensued between the two, resulting in Brown striking Wilson across the face through the open window. Once outside the patrol car, Brown attempted to run away, but Wilson said the teen soon turned back and charged after him, even after Wilson fired multiple rounds. Brown was only eight to ten feet away when Wilson said he opened fire. Wilson fired 12 rounds and an autopsy revealed that six of the bullets hit Brown.

When asked if the result of the event would have been any different if Brown were white, Wilson replied “No way.”

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

THE DECISIONS Both the actual event and the grand jury decision to not indict Wilson sparked protest demonstrations across the country, including a week long, 120-mile march organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People starting from the Canfield Green apartments where Brown was killed to the Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City. This event resulted in violent riots on both parties, with protesters setting fires and looting stores and the police essentially militarizing their forces and using rubber bullets and tear gas.

According to the LA Times, 61 people have been arrested in Ferguson, with an additional 21 in nearby St. Louis, and at least 12 buildings were burned during the night.

Michael Brown’s death by the hands of a police officer was not the only one to spark debates on the same issues. Eric Garner, a 43-year-old black male, was interrogated for selling loose cigarettes and despite failing to show any signs of any physical resistance, was killed by an officer in a chokehold move on July 17. The grand jury found that there was “no reasonable cause” to indict, despite the fact that the whole event was caught on camera and the chokehold is a move prohibited by the New York Police Department. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. attorneys prosecuted 162,000 federal cases in 2010. The decision to not indict Wilson was expected but extremely rare, since only 11 cases out of the 162,000 were not indicted. There is a low amount of data on officer-involved killings, but newspaper accounts suggest that grand juries rarely indict law-enforcement officials.

This continues to add to what many fear to be true- officials would rather look out for each other rather than the justice of the community.

THE RESPONSES Missouri was not the only place rioting the night of the jury decision. People from New York City to Seattle to Boston were protesting, with multiple demonstrations of protesters lying on the ground with chalked lines drawn around their bodies for four minutes, each minute representing the four hours Brown’s body lay on the ground in Ferguson. Here in Los Angeles, protesters tried to get onto the 110 Freeway, but police held them back. Many streets in South Los Angeles were flooded with protesters chanting and trying to get people out of their cars. Writer Shaun King told ABC News that his 12-year-old daughter walked out during her lunch period at her middle school in Orange County to join the protest.

Articles by Christy Deng, Kim Pham, Thomas Wang, and Simon Yung

6

“It was something she wanted to do,” King said. “And something her peers wanted to do. It was clear they were affected by Michael Brown’s death and what they believed was an injustice. It’s powerful to see them thinking for themselves.

I’m really proud of her and kids all over the country who have taken these actions.”

Wilson has since resigned from the Ferguson Police Department after Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson notified him of credible threats towards him and the department.

According to NBC News, President Barack Obama and the White House have proposed new funding in the wake of the Ferguson eruption to elicit better training and cameras for police officers. The funding plan of $263 million dollars would include training programs for police officers to better handle a situation not unlike the case of Michael Brown, as well as lapel-mounted cameras. While there is still a long road towards the end of racial profiling and police brutality, these cameras could improve the provision of the exact account of events, protecting possible victims from officers attempting to abuse their authority and protecting officers from wrongful accusations.

WHY DO WE PROTEST?

What do Michael Brown and the Martin Luther King Jr. have in common? Both of their deaths caused riots that ended in fire, tear gas, and looted stores.

From peaceful demonstrations to violence on all sides, protesting has taken shape in all forms in order to draw attention to what is perceived to be social injustice. Just as protesting comes in different ways, the reaction is just as varied. Yet, all protesting shares a similar cause: heightened emotion.

“The majority of people who would see themselves as active subjects in the democratic system are being steadily reminded that they are mere objects of processes that are beyond their influence, even if they are still asked to participate in them,” Piotr Dutkiewicz, a political science professor at Carleton University, said in an article on valdaiclubcom. “This hypocrisy and powerlessness makes them angry and they, again – naturally - protest.”

Protesting has historically been a way for to call for social change. It offers an outlet for the voice of the citizens to advocate for political and social change. Protesting has generally been easier to become a part of, due to its protection by the Constitution.

“Protesting has been historically our first amendment

7

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

right to assemble,” Jennifer Wong, UC Berkeley communications coordinator of Cal Students for Equal Rights and a Valid Education and former editor-in-chief of The Matador, said. “We protest because it is the a very powerful way for the powerless to ask the people with power to listen. It may seem impractical, but it is the best thing for change.

We protest so we don’t need to protest.”

Due to the emotional nature of protest, rioting often occurs. For example, the acquittal of four police officers involved in the assault on Rodney King was the catalyst of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. At first, there was only a small protest against the verdict. However, the protest eventually led to a six-day riot that caused over a billion dollars of damage. The causes for these public disturbances, as Harvard economics professor Edward L. Glaeser explains on bloombergview.com, is the combination of the sheer mass of people overwhelming law enforcement and social unrest.

“These public disturbances are a classic example of tipping-point phenomena,” Glaser said. “There is a tipping point in rioting because the cost of participating–the risk of going to jail–gets lower as the number of people involved increases.”

Because of its chaotic nature, rioting has been used for monetary gain through theft and looting of small businesses. This can be seen as an exploitation of the chaos that goes on, and thus the credibility of these riots remains questionable. “[The] opportunity to get something for nothing is why people riot,” history teacher Raymond Gin said. “There is no purpose [for rioting] and it’s very selfish.”

However, some claim rioting and protesting is needed in order to call for social change.

“I feel that protesting is a very important way for people to express their disdain and discontent. Peaceful protests are sometimes effective to bringing about change, but sometimes, they are not,” senior Charmaine Martinez said. “Rioting is not desirable, but throughout history, it’s proven to be effective when people were too stubborn to listen to peaceful protests. On the other hand, rioting is more difficult to justify.”

Others see protesting as a gray area.

“Protesting is good because it promotes life, liberty and happiness… but as long as it doesn’t impede on other people’s rights,” special education teacher Linsey Krauss said. “Rioting is obviously wrong because it takes away life, liberty, and happiness.”

Throughout history, protesting has left its mark. From

the efforts of Martin Luther King Jr. to the rioters’ rage at Ferguson, protesting was born through disdain. However, this disdain and how it is used may draw controversy.

TIME AND TIME AGAIN

If photos of the protests regarding the Ferguson case and Civil Rights Movement, which occurred around 60 years ago, were compared, they would appear similar.

Rallies, riots, and protests held the same purpose: to fight for fair treatment among people of different races and skin colors.

The literal definition of “civil rights” is “the liberties, or freedoms for the people of any race, nationality, and color of their skin.” Americans’ civil rights and constitutional protections are defined in the first ten amendments of the United States Constitution, listed in the Bill of Rights.

These rights include the freedom of speech, press, assembly, petition, and religion, the right to carry weapons, the right to not allow authorities to search homes without a warrant, and access to a fair and speedy trial if accused of crime. The protections include the quartering of soldiers against the law unless there is consent by owner, the prohibition of self-incrimination and double jeopardy and mandates, the outlawing of excessive bail and cruel or unusual punishments, the securing of people’s rights, and the limiting of the power of government.

When the grand jury of the Ferguson case did not indict officer Darren Wilson, protests began to sprout in different parts of the country; other parts of the world, such as in Egypt and England, have also shown their support for the ongoing demonstrations against the jury’s decision for the case. During the peaceful protests, police shot guns with bean bag and rubber bullet projectiles and sprayed tear gas at the protesters. Instead of the authorities being charged with the consequences of attacking the protesters, they have become more brutal and violent; the same can be said of the protesters who recently have been looting and breaking into businesses. Even after 60 years, there are still rallies fighting for justice and civil rights.

IT'S NOT JUST ONE ISSUE With both Officer Darren Wilson and Officer Daniel Pantaleo no longer facing indictment, many issues regard-

FOCUS

ing the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner are now coming to light. The public is now wondering whether the justice system works the way it was intended. Protesters on both sides of the debate have forgotten that the United States judicial system was founded on the basis of presumption of innocence. Defendants in this country are presumed innocent until proven guilty, in spite of popular opinion stating otherwise. In both cases, both officers were deemed justified in their use of force, which questions the use of force continuum that police agencies use to determine an adequate response to a perceived threat.

Officers are trained to use a variety of methods to arrest a suspect. These tools and techniques include verbal de-escalation, unarmed holds, less lethal weapons such as batons and pepper spray, and when necessary, lethal force. Heavy controversy arose in the Brown case when it was revealed that Michael Brown was unarmed when fired upon by Officer Wilson. Most protesters believed that Officer Wilson’s use of force was excessive, while others believe it was justified, as it was reported that Brown had tried to grab Wilson’s sidearm during the incident.

The coroner’s report for Eric Garner’s death showed that Garner had died due to asphyxiation via chokehold.

The New York Police Department had banned officers from using chokeholds to subdue suspects in Nov. 1993, yet a report by New York City’s Civilian Complaint Review Board shows that 219 chokehold complaints were submitted between July 2013 and June 2014 despite the ban. The continued use of a prohibited technique by NYPD officers questions accountability in law enforcement.

Both the Brown and Garner incidents are key examples regarding police accountability. The actions of Officer Wilson in the Brown case and Officer Pantaleo in the Garner case resulted in the deaths of two presumably innocent people. Protesters contend that both officers were allowed to walk free from what could have been murder charges for anyone who was not a police officer.

A glaring discrepancy in both sides of the debate involves copious amount of misinformation. Court transcripts in the Michael Brown case show both sides presenting conflicting eyewitness accounts, with variations ranging from Michael Brown charging headlong at Wilson to Brown kneeling as Wilson discharged his firearm. With so many protesters demanding action and change, it is evident that people should not be swayed so easily by popular opinion. Instead, people must gather and analyze the facts at hand before taking drastic actions.

PHOTO BY SYDNEY TRIEU featuring Ashley espinoza, Alex Garcia, Katherine Hoong, Mario Mandujano, and Simon Yung.

FOCUS

THE MATADOR

Ferguson shooting drawS national attention to police brutality The Incident “Hands up, don’t shoot.” With both hands raised in the air, protesters have been using the gesture as a rallying cry against police brutality on the streets of Ferguson, Mo. in the wake of the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-yearold black male, shot to death by white police officer Darren Wilson. Protesters across the country can now be seen with this exact gesture, as the case has called national attention to the issues of police brutality and racial profiling.

On Aug. 9, Michael Brown was with his friend Dorian Johnson when police officer Darren Wilson allegedly stopped near the teens and berated them for walking on the street. According to eyewitnesses, including Johnson, the officer drove off as the boys explained that they had nearly arrived at their destination. From there, the officer stopped his truck, put it in reverse and nearly hit the teens. Witnesses state the two began to argue which eventually led to a physical altercation between them outside the car, with Wilson threatening to shoot the teen. Brown began to run and Johnson hid behind a car, stating that he witnessed the officer shoot at Brown despite the teen having his hands in the air and yelling he had no gun.

Two days after the death with no conclusive evidence, the FBI launched a separate investigation. Mo. Governor Jay Nixon removed local police from the investigation and handed it over to the state’s highway patrol.

In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Wilson explained his knowledge of the incident. After receiving a call about stolen items at the Ferguson market, Wilson saw Brown and Johnson walking on the streets and noted that Brown was holding a box of cigarillos in his hand; Wilson reversed and cut them off. An argument ensued between the two, resulting in Brown striking Wilson across the face through the open window. Once outside the patrol car, Brown attempted to run away, but Wilson said the teen soon turned back and charged after him, even after Wilson fired multiple rounds. Brown was only eight to ten feet away when Wilson said he opened fire. Wilson fired 12 rounds and an autopsy revealed that six of the bullets hit Brown.

When asked if the result of the event would have been any different if Brown were white, Wilson replied “No way.”

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

THE DECISIONS Both the actual event and the grand jury decision to not indict Wilson sparked protest demonstrations across the country, including a week long, 120-mile march organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People starting from the Canfield Green apartments where Brown was killed to the Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City. This event resulted in violent riots on both parties, with protesters setting fires and looting stores and the police essentially militarizing their forces and using rubber bullets and tear gas.

According to the LA Times, 61 people have been arrested in Ferguson, with an additional 21 in nearby St. Louis, and at least 12 buildings were burned during the night.

Michael Brown’s death by the hands of a police officer was not the only one to spark debates on the same issues. Eric Garner, a 43-year-old black male, was interrogated for selling loose cigarettes and despite failing to show any signs of any physical resistance, was killed by an officer in a chokehold move on July 17. The grand jury found that there was “no reasonable cause” to indict, despite the fact that the whole event was caught on camera and the chokehold is a move prohibited by the New York Police Department. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. attorneys prosecuted 162,000 federal cases in 2010. The decision to not indict Wilson was expected but extremely rare, since only 11 cases out of the 162,000 were not indicted. There is a low amount of data on officer-involved killings, but newspaper accounts suggest that grand juries rarely indict law-enforcement officials.

This continues to add to what many fear to be true- officials would rather look out for each other rather than the justice of the community.

THE RESPONSES Missouri was not the only place rioting the night of the jury decision. People from New York City to Seattle to Boston were protesting, with multiple demonstrations of protesters lying on the ground with chalked lines drawn around their bodies for four minutes, each minute representing the four hours Brown’s body lay on the ground in Ferguson. Here in Los Angeles, protesters tried to get onto the 110 Freeway, but police held them back. Many streets in South Los Angeles were flooded with protesters chanting and trying to get people out of their cars. Writer Shaun King told ABC News that his 12-year-old daughter walked out during her lunch period at her middle school in Orange County to join the protest.

Articles by Christy Deng, Kim Pham, Thomas Wang, and Simon Yung

6

“It was something she wanted to do,” King said. “And something her peers wanted to do. It was clear they were affected by Michael Brown’s death and what they believed was an injustice. It’s powerful to see them thinking for themselves.

I’m really proud of her and kids all over the country who have taken these actions.”

Wilson has since resigned from the Ferguson Police Department after Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson notified him of credible threats towards him and the department.

According to NBC News, President Barack Obama and the White House have proposed new funding in the wake of the Ferguson eruption to elicit better training and cameras for police officers. The funding plan of $263 million dollars would include training programs for police officers to better handle a situation not unlike the case of Michael Brown, as well as lapel-mounted cameras. While there is still a long road towards the end of racial profiling and police brutality, these cameras could improve the provision of the exact account of events, protecting possible victims from officers attempting to abuse their authority and protecting officers from wrongful accusations.

WHY DO WE PROTEST?

What do Michael Brown and the Martin Luther King Jr. have in common? Both of their deaths caused riots that ended in fire, tear gas, and looted stores.

From peaceful demonstrations to violence on all sides, protesting has taken shape in all forms in order to draw attention to what is perceived to be social injustice. Just as protesting comes in different ways, the reaction is just as varied. Yet, all protesting shares a similar cause: heightened emotion.

“The majority of people who would see themselves as active subjects in the democratic system are being steadily reminded that they are mere objects of processes that are beyond their influence, even if they are still asked to participate in them,” Piotr Dutkiewicz, a political science professor at Carleton University, said in an article on valdaiclubcom. “This hypocrisy and powerlessness makes them angry and they, again – naturally - protest.”

Protesting has historically been a way for to call for social change. It offers an outlet for the voice of the citizens to advocate for political and social change. Protesting has generally been easier to become a part of, due to its protection by the Constitution.

“Protesting has been historically our first amendment

7

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

right to assemble,” Jennifer Wong, UC Berkeley communications coordinator of Cal Students for Equal Rights and a Valid Education and former editor-in-chief of The Matador, said. “We protest because it is the a very powerful way for the powerless to ask the people with power to listen. It may seem impractical, but it is the best thing for change.

We protest so we don’t need to protest.”

Due to the emotional nature of protest, rioting often occurs. For example, the acquittal of four police officers involved in the assault on Rodney King was the catalyst of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. At first, there was only a small protest against the verdict. However, the protest eventually led to a six-day riot that caused over a billion dollars of damage. The causes for these public disturbances, as Harvard economics professor Edward L. Glaeser explains on bloombergview.com, is the combination of the sheer mass of people overwhelming law enforcement and social unrest.

“These public disturbances are a classic example of tipping-point phenomena,” Glaser said. “There is a tipping point in rioting because the cost of participating–the risk of going to jail–gets lower as the number of people involved increases.”

Because of its chaotic nature, rioting has been used for monetary gain through theft and looting of small businesses. This can be seen as an exploitation of the chaos that goes on, and thus the credibility of these riots remains questionable. “[The] opportunity to get something for nothing is why people riot,” history teacher Raymond Gin said. “There is no purpose [for rioting] and it’s very selfish.”

However, some claim rioting and protesting is needed in order to call for social change.

“I feel that protesting is a very important way for people to express their disdain and discontent. Peaceful protests are sometimes effective to bringing about change, but sometimes, they are not,” senior Charmaine Martinez said. “Rioting is not desirable, but throughout history, it’s proven to be effective when people were too stubborn to listen to peaceful protests. On the other hand, rioting is more difficult to justify.”

Others see protesting as a gray area.

“Protesting is good because it promotes life, liberty and happiness… but as long as it doesn’t impede on other people’s rights,” special education teacher Linsey Krauss said. “Rioting is obviously wrong because it takes away life, liberty, and happiness.”

Throughout history, protesting has left its mark. From

the efforts of Martin Luther King Jr. to the rioters’ rage at Ferguson, protesting was born through disdain. However, this disdain and how it is used may draw controversy.

TIME AND TIME AGAIN

If photos of the protests regarding the Ferguson case and Civil Rights Movement, which occurred around 60 years ago, were compared, they would appear similar.

Rallies, riots, and protests held the same purpose: to fight for fair treatment among people of different races and skin colors.

The literal definition of “civil rights” is “the liberties, or freedoms for the people of any race, nationality, and color of their skin.” Americans’ civil rights and constitutional protections are defined in the first ten amendments of the United States Constitution, listed in the Bill of Rights.

These rights include the freedom of speech, press, assembly, petition, and religion, the right to carry weapons, the right to not allow authorities to search homes without a warrant, and access to a fair and speedy trial if accused of crime. The protections include the quartering of soldiers against the law unless there is consent by owner, the prohibition of self-incrimination and double jeopardy and mandates, the outlawing of excessive bail and cruel or unusual punishments, the securing of people’s rights, and the limiting of the power of government.

When the grand jury of the Ferguson case did not indict officer Darren Wilson, protests began to sprout in different parts of the country; other parts of the world, such as in Egypt and England, have also shown their support for the ongoing demonstrations against the jury’s decision for the case. During the peaceful protests, police shot guns with bean bag and rubber bullet projectiles and sprayed tear gas at the protesters. Instead of the authorities being charged with the consequences of attacking the protesters, they have become more brutal and violent; the same can be said of the protesters who recently have been looting and breaking into businesses. Even after 60 years, there are still rallies fighting for justice and civil rights.

IT'S NOT JUST ONE ISSUE With both Officer Darren Wilson and Officer Daniel Pantaleo no longer facing indictment, many issues regard-

FOCUS

ing the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner are now coming to light. The public is now wondering whether the justice system works the way it was intended. Protesters on both sides of the debate have forgotten that the United States judicial system was founded on the basis of presumption of innocence. Defendants in this country are presumed innocent until proven guilty, in spite of popular opinion stating otherwise. In both cases, both officers were deemed justified in their use of force, which questions the use of force continuum that police agencies use to determine an adequate response to a perceived threat.

Officers are trained to use a variety of methods to arrest a suspect. These tools and techniques include verbal de-escalation, unarmed holds, less lethal weapons such as batons and pepper spray, and when necessary, lethal force. Heavy controversy arose in the Brown case when it was revealed that Michael Brown was unarmed when fired upon by Officer Wilson. Most protesters believed that Officer Wilson’s use of force was excessive, while others believe it was justified, as it was reported that Brown had tried to grab Wilson’s sidearm during the incident.

The coroner’s report for Eric Garner’s death showed that Garner had died due to asphyxiation via chokehold.

The New York Police Department had banned officers from using chokeholds to subdue suspects in Nov. 1993, yet a report by New York City’s Civilian Complaint Review Board shows that 219 chokehold complaints were submitted between July 2013 and June 2014 despite the ban. The continued use of a prohibited technique by NYPD officers questions accountability in law enforcement.

Both the Brown and Garner incidents are key examples regarding police accountability. The actions of Officer Wilson in the Brown case and Officer Pantaleo in the Garner case resulted in the deaths of two presumably innocent people. Protesters contend that both officers were allowed to walk free from what could have been murder charges for anyone who was not a police officer.

A glaring discrepancy in both sides of the debate involves copious amount of misinformation. Court transcripts in the Michael Brown case show both sides presenting conflicting eyewitness accounts, with variations ranging from Michael Brown charging headlong at Wilson to Brown kneeling as Wilson discharged his firearm. With so many protesters demanding action and change, it is evident that people should not be swayed so easily by popular opinion. Instead, people must gather and analyze the facts at hand before taking drastic actions.

PHOTO BY SYDNEY TRIEU featuring Ashley espinoza, Alex Garcia, Katherine Hoong, Mario Mandujano, and Simon Yung.

LIFE &ART

THE MATADOR MUSE

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

Play Review: Dial M For Murder C hri st y Deng A quiet, calm atmosphere filled the San Gabriel High School Little Theater as the audience walked to their seats, which were arranged in rows in thrust stage-style, all surrounding the stage of drama teacher Patrick Posada’s newest production: Dial M For Murder. The play is a suspense classic from the 1950’s written by Frederick Knott, which was adapted into a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, well-known for his psychological thrillers.

As the play started, the spotlight shone on the main stage, where Margot Wendice, played by firsttime actress and senior Teresa Truong, appears with Max Halliday, played by senior Jonathan Hurtado.

As the two converse in the Wendices’ living room, Margot’s husband Tony Wendice, played by junior Emmanuel Maresca, walks in as he greets Halliday.

The story unfolds as Margot and Halliday leave and Tony calls up Lesgate Swann, played by senior Simon Yung. The play’s initial normal demeanor turns mysterious when Swann comes in and Tony blackmails him into agreeing to kill his wife for cash.

As the play progresses, the audience has the chance to see into the mind of Tony and his devious plot for murder. Inspector Hubbard, played by freshman Brizeth Lomeli, shows her keen sense of observation as she and Thompson, played by junior Grayson Ing, investigate the crime committed in the Wendices’ apartment.

The clever dialogue between the characters was

The December Matador Muse showcases Au Natural, a pencil illustration of a mysterious girl by junior Katherine Hoong.

Opinion

Money should not validate intimacy of shared music Spotify-free until just last month. That’s not far behind the United States, which had an eight percent decline in album sales last year. Spotify also pointed out that songs Whether you use Youtube, Pandora, Spotify, or not- on streaming services continue to earn money from fans so-legal downloading sites, it’s hard to imagine actually with each play, while a download results in a one-time having to pay to listen to music nowadays with services payout to the artist.

Fellow musician Adam Levine said he didn’t care that offer them for free floating around the web. The days of saving up every penny of your allowance to purchase where fans listened to music, just as long as they’re so-and-so’s brand new deluxe edition album are falling listening.

“Music is for everyone,” Levine said. “I don’t care how behind us. But while you’re enjoying the music, is the lack of willingness to go out and buy albums hurting your anybody obtains it as long as they get it and enjoy and love it.” He added that as long as the consumer favorite artists and devaluing music as is “supporting the artist in some way,” a whole? they should be able to access music With over 16 million Spotify ushow they choose. ers playing the songs on her new While accepting an award at the album the month following it’s American Music Awards, Swift took release and over 1.3 million copies the opportunity to thank fans who sold besting her last album, which purchased the album and bought sold 1.2 million copies, Taylor tickets to her show because they “beSwift has broken sales records for lieve music should be consumed as best opening week for an album albums, and that albums should since 2002. The country-turnedbe consumed as art and apprecipop artist, admired for her ated.” Although music should unapologetic post-breakup definitely be valued as an art songs and the close relationform and provide compensation ship she has built with her to the artists, not everyone has the fanbase, removed her entire luxury of being able to go out and catalog from the streaming buy an album or concert ticket. Just service last month in order to because they can’t “value” music in promote her recent campaignthe form of money, it doesn’t mean that ing of the fact that music should Graphic by Annie Huang these fans don’t enjoy and relate to the only be available to paid subscribers album any less than the fans who purchased and withheld from users who listen to the it do, nor does it mean that they don’t support the artist. service for free.

“I’m not willing to contribute my life’s work to an The only thing that’s different is the form of delivery.

Swift’s manager stated that “music has never been experiment that I don’t feel fairly compensates the writers, producers, artists, and creators of this music. And I free,” but this only goes to show that there is a vastly just don’t agree with perpetuating the perception that different viewpoint on the roots and purposes of music. music has no value and should be free,” Swift stated, in If I had to pay my cousin every time she decided to play an interview with Yahoo! Music. “Music is art and art is a song on her guitar, that intimate feeling of being able to share music instantly would be lost. Music is meant to important and rare.”

Spotify, meanwhile, has argued that streaming give a glimpse into the artist’s emotions and experiences, is additive to music consumption and doesn’t actu- as well as connect to its listeners in any way, shape, or ally jeopardize sales. Canada’s music industry saw a six form. Money shouldn’t have to be the only way to validate percent decline in album sales last year despite being that connection.

Ki m P h a m

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brought to life by the actors’ flawless performances.

Their British accents were genuine and sounded authentic in the English setting. The way the seats were arranged gave the audience a closer proximity to the stage, which also provided them with greater intimacy with the performers. Thrilling scenes kept the audience interested and left them thinking, “What just happened?” Although the play was entertaining to watch, the beginning was slightly lackluster and unexciting.

On the first night, there were a few pauses between character dialogue, indicating that the actors had forgotten a few of their lines. There were also technical difficulties with the lighting and it was evident that more rehearsal time was needed to perfect the play.

This was also Truong’s first play, in which she gave an impeccable performance.

“It was really amazing. I learned how to step into the shoes of another character, which allowed me to learn from other people’s perspectives. I wish I had done more plays during my high school year,” Truong said. “The other actors have unique personalities that I’ve never encountered in my life and I grew fond of them. It made me learn more about different individuals and they made me feel like I was part of a family. They are also extremely talented and I learned from them, not just as a character, but as a person.”

Dial M For Murder was another one of Posada’s great and exciting plays and the students’ performances were remarkable, as usual. The play was held at the Little Theater from Dec. 3 to Dec. 6.

Photo courtesy of Jazzmin Perez/ El Camino Real

First-time actress senior Teresa Truong gets into character as Margot Wendice by sinking into a chair after learning that her husband, Tony Wendice (not pictured, portrayed by junior Emmanuel Maresca) had hired a hit man to murder her.

The play, Dial M For Murder, written by famed playwright Alfred Hitchcock, ran from Wed., Dec. 3 to Sat., Dec. 6 at San Gabriel’s Little Theatre.

SAN GABRIEL

REACTS

With regards to the recent issue of artists taking their music off Spotify, how do you feel about the idea of having to pay to listen to music?

“Even though I wouldn’t pay for music, I can see why artists would remove their music off Spotify. Artists put so much effort into producing something great, but don’t profit from it if their music is free.”

-Alex Zhang, sophomore “I don’t like it, because listening to music is my getaway; there shouldn’t be a price on it.”

-Melissa Hernandez, junior “I think that in today’s standards, everyone should have access to free music. Although [artists] may earn more revenue, they will probably also lose a lot of fans by putting a mandatory price tag on their music.”

-Frankie Zhuang, senior Quotes compiled by Stacy Chau

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THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

SPORTS

Winter season sports: Basketball, Soccer, Wrestling Boys Basketball Wrestling

Bouncing towards success

Grappling for the win

F ra n k L i e u Forget all the blood, forget all the sweat, and forget all the tears from the past years–basketball season is here. Once the ball starts rolling, there is no stopping it, and the San Gabriel Matador basketball team will roll out. Coming out from disappointing seasons from the past couple years, this year’s roster will try to once again break the depressing cycle with its new and improved lineup.

Captain: The captain is senior David Gonzalez.

Key Players: The big man for San Gabriel, standing over six feet, Gonzalez will make his last stand as a senior to make a lasting imprint upon San Gabriel varsity basketball. Utilizing his height and athletic talents, he is the go-to man that will clean up all the bricks and bail out tough possessions.

As the starting point guard for the Matadors, sophomore Jarett Tan will embark on his second year as a varsity player leading San Gabriel basketball with his ability to finish around the rim and to get buckets off of easy pull-ups.

Sophomore guard Nick Miyamoto reminds players of his presence through his tenacious and persistent play on defense, shooting and penetrating ability, and the effort to sneak a couple of offensive boards despite his height.

Hellger t Almontes With the first San Gabriel wrestling match this Friday on Dec. 12, wrestlers prepare for their first match of the season. Although the wrestling team faces various challenges including not having enough athletes, the team remains determined, as they all the have heart and effort to compete against other schools in league and in the area.

Leaders: The team is led by Coach Alex Cabral and team captain senior Maxwell Ta. While this is not too different from last season, it is a different type of bond this team has with each other, and the team is expected to compete against the schools they challenge.

“Regardless of the level of participation, my goals for being a competitive team in our league will be a challenge, but still possible with plenty of time,” Cabral said.

As the season progresses, Cabral hopes to leave a lesson with his team, no matter what the circumstances are.

“A lesson I would like the team to take with them along the season and as they grow through the sport or life [is] that you can not lose in life if you keep trying to learn and grow from your experiences and failures,” Cabral said.

The wrestling team and Cabral face the difficult task of recruiting members and having numbers on their side due to the risks and expectations of the sport.

“Wrestling in general is a difficult sport, both in the time and physical effort that is required to be successful.

It is one of the few sports where you learn by wrestling people better than you, and as a result, go through plenty of physical exertion, mental fatigue, and pain,” Cabral said. “It is because of this reason that I feel students are having trouble committing to the wrestling team.”

Key Players: Sophomore William Pasqual, junior Juan J. Sandoval, and senior Albert Espitia. Cabral says the two sophomores to look out for are Hellgert Almontes and Steven Escobar because of their promise, potential, and quick adaptability to the sport.

Photo by Sydney Trieu

The boys basketball team surrounds their captain, senior David Gonzalez. who holds up a basketball with his right hand to symbolize their pride and passion for the sport.

Expectations: The team’s confidence was high coming into their first game of the season; however, there were mixed feelings about the projectings of this year’s varsity squad.

“Our chemistry is good this year as teammates, but we should be more [of] a family,” senior center Gonzalez said. ”We [don’t] even hang out outside of practice.”

“We’ll do better than last year,” sophomore guard Jarett Tan said.

Boys Soccer

Girls Soccer

Kicking off the season, running for the goal I l e a n a P e re z With many returning members and great leadership, the San Gabriel girls varsity soccer team is determined to improve and win more games this season.

“I think it is time to take the next step and compete for a spot in the playoffs,” Coach Albert Fernandez said.

In addition to their strong leadership and determination, the girls have been training more frequently during off-season than they did last year, and have incorporated new strategies to their training.

“We’ve trained really hard during off-season,” Fernandez said. “It is going to show on the field.”

Key Players: Key players this season will be juniors Carolina Loaisiga for defense and junior Annie Wu for midfield, and senior Cynthia Arias.

Key player Arias believes that they have a greater chance of winning games this season and is excited to attend playoffs.

“I am very excited,” Arias said. “I think we have a chance of winning. We have been practicing a lot and I feel like [we have] improved a lot.”

The team is determined to let their intense training pay off on the field by winning as many games as possible.

Photo by Carolina Loaisiga

Senior backup varsity goalkeeper Viridiana Gonzalez jumps for an incoming ball during practice for their upcoming Bellflower tournament on Dec. 13.

Girls Basketball

C arol i na Loai si ga With last year’s CIF chance gone, the boys varsity soccer team hopes to redeem themselves and prove to the school, their friends, and themselves they are capable of going to CIF. Under varsity coach’s Cesar Franco command, the team looks forward to one of their best seasons yet.

“This is the team that we have been building towards for the last two years and now, on our third season, with the majority of the core team being seniors, we are ready to make a challenge in [the Almont League] this year,” Franco said.

Expectations: Franco’s expectations are set high for his team and he expects each and every one of his players to play the role he directs them in.

“The main objective is to finish with an overall winning record and a CIF spot. Last year we finished 10-0-11 with a runner-up finish in the Don Bosco Winter Invitational. This year we aim for an overall winning record, and finish in the top 3 of Almont League.”

Strategies: Over the summer and fall, the team prepared and practiced for their season through constant heat waves and diminishing temperatures, which only allowed them to get better at their roles on the field.

“I have been doing a lot more technique, possession and ball control training. We have also been doing more training on set pieces, such as corner kicks, and free kicks.

I have also coached a select few to be the ‘eyes’ and ‘brain’ of the team to control the pace of the game for their teammates on the field,” Franco said.

Key players: Goal scorers, seniors Henry Duarte and Brandon Miramontes and juniors James Coe and George Rivera. The defense, or “iron curtain,” as Franco describes them, consists of seniors Ricardo Contreras and David Corona and junior Jorge Aguirre. The midfielders, “the eyes and brain of the team,” are seniors Alexis Mercado and Javier Gomez. Franco’s starting goalkeeper, “greatness himself,” is senior Octavio Duran.

Illustration by Cassandra Chen

Photo by Carolina Loaisiga

Senior Alexis Mercado prepares to give a short pass to senior David Corona as they both prepare for their up coming game against El Monte on Dec. 9.

Lady Matadors shoot hoops toward victorious season A n t h o n y Yang Summary: As the season commences, the San Gabriel girls varsity basketball team is quite positive about their performance on the court. “A lot of the other schools lost a lot of their seniors from last year because they’ve graduated and they have a lot of their new players coming up,” senior Coco So said.

Although So feels confident about the team’s performance in the season, some of the newer members feel nervous. “I’m just a sophomore and I’m playing at varsity level, [so] I’m also a little excited,” sophomore Lynh Luong said.

Captains: Seniors Judy Huang and Coco So are the varsity girls basketball co-captains.

Key Players: Huang and junior Melissa Quach are both experienced players. According to So, they have vital roles whenever they play.

Comments: “We’ve been practicing all year. The way we’re playing right now, I’m pretty confident about the season,” So said.

“Our practices go pretty [well]. Everybody shows up,and we all are focused on basketball. About everybody gives their best efforts to try to improve each and every day,” Luong said.

“I feel like we have a really good team this year. We don’t have that much team chemistry yet, but we’re getting there. We practice about six days a week and we have a lot of pre-season games,” sophomore Deanne Dinh said.

Photo by Sydney Trieu

Seniors Coco So and Judy Huang line up the varsity team for their upcoming game in the Whitter Christian Tournament on Dec. 8.

SPORTS

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

2014-2015 Winter Sports Scoreboard BOYS BASKETBALL

GIRLS BASKETBALL

BOYS SOCCER

GIRLS SOCCER

VARSITY 12/02 @ Diamond Bar 1203 @ Mountain View

VARSITY 12/6 @ El Monte Tour.

12/8 @ Whitter

39-28 W 48-46 W

VARSITY 12/2 vs. Rosemead

VARSITY 12/1 vs. Workman 12/4 vs. Mission

5-0 W 4-0 W

JV/FRESHMAN 12/8 vs. Whitter

42-40 L

JV 12/1 vs. Workman

7-2 W

78-55 L 41-37 W

-postponed-

VA R S I T Y W R E S T L I N G

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First game 12/17 vs. Schurr @ Schurr High

Illustrations by Cassandra Chen

Coach Kanow hypes and warms up the girls varsity volleyball team by practicing drills before the beginning their first CIF game against Fairmont Prep on Nov. 11.

Girls Volleyball

Aiming a spike for CIF victory Justin Toyomitsu Photo by Justin Toyomitsu

San Gabriel’s girls varsity volleyball team participated in the 2014 CIF tournament throughout Nov. this year; they played three games, winning two and losing the third game with the set scores of 2-3.

“There is nothing better than having a team that shares the same passion for volleyball as I do,” varsity member Ivy Pham said. “CIF was an amazing experience and even though we knew we could have gone farther, in my heart, we are all individual winners [to each other] and I am proud of each and every one of my girls.”

The Matadors played their first 2014 CIF Southern Section High School Girls Volleyball Playoffs against Fairmont Prep on Nov. 11. The game suprisingly finished in a breeze, with the Matadors winning all three sets; however Fairmont Prep slowly decreased the gap between their points each set, but finishing the last set with the set score of 25-23.

Advancing into the second round, the Matadors played against West Valley High School on Nov. 13. Having trouble from the first round, the Matadors won their first set with the set score of 2520, which was closer than the previous game with Fairmont.

However, the Matadors kept their ground during the second set and moved on to claim victory for the third set and the game as a whole. The Matadors ended their second round with another set win of 3-0.

For their last CIF game, the Matadors clashed against La Sierra High School. It was a devastating situation for the Matadors, who quickly lost their first two sets. Determined to win, the Matadors miraculously made a shocking comeback and managed a temporary tie, losing their fifth set. The Matadors lost their first and final game in the CIF, ending the tiebreaker with a score of 8-13.

“Don’t cry because it’s over,” Pham said. “Smile because it happened.”

The Lady Matadors were unable to reach the finals this year, ending their season with an upsetting result. However, they will always remain as San Gabriel’s cherished varsity girls volleyball team.

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THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

FEATURES

By Stacy Chau

Students create different kinds of art media C arol i na Garci a Drama and humor are offered for the speech aspect of Speech and Debate. Interpretation is an event in which members memorize a script and perform it competitively in tournaments. These scripts range from dramatic to humorous. The differences between taking part in interpretation and acting in a play are the number of participants and the length of each performance.

Art Club offers their members a chance to create something amazing and beautiful.

Members are surrounded by people who are as passionate about art as they are. The Art Club also hosts galleries where students can showcase their art to the entire school. Art Club educates students about art through creative, expressive activities.

Since a lack of visual arts programs has been an issue in many schools, it is advantageous that San Gabriel has a wonderful Drama Club and allows students to audition to be a part of numerous plays throughout the year. Like the drama class, the club has members participate in exercises that improve their acting skills.

Dance is as beautiful to watch as it is to participate in. MMCD, Matador Multicultural Dance Club, learns about different cultures and their style of dance.

Living in a society where many students are ignorant of other cultures, this club combines learning and creativity. Members also perform one or two dances for a convalescent home as a service.

YAWP, Youth Ambassadors Word Poetry club, encourages its members to enjoy and write poetry. The club participates in competitions, in which they recite a classical poem and then write an original response poem that allows them to unleash their creativity. Members feel that YAWP allows them to influence people positively.

T h e a r t s i n v o l v e m o re than writing and acting.

Fashion and Beauty club allows members to express themselves with fashion. The club teaches members how to take care of their skin. Fashion is an art that allows people to use themselves as canvases and clothes as paints. Members wear the end results proudly down the halls.

Illustrations by Katherine Hoong

Handcrafting for holiday season Chr isty Deng As the holidays approach, the season kicks in with stressful and last minute Christmas shopping. However, with a mason jar, plastic figurines, waterproof glue, and glitter, this quick and easy to make snow globe can become the perfect gift for anyone.

Materials: • Mason jar • Plastic figurines • Waterproof glue • Glitter Steps: 1. Glue the figurines to the bottom side of the lid. Make sure the figurines fit within its width.

2. Fill up the jar with water up to the brim and add in a few specks of glitter.

3. Place the lid over the jar and screw the band on tightly so water will not leak out.

4. Turn over the jar and shake.

Photo by Christy Deng

By creating a homemade gift, such as the mason jar (pictured above), gift givers can cut down on holiday costs and create more holiday cheer.

Olivos plays punk to blues Kr isty Duong “Music made me get into music.”

From the punk and metal of his youth to the rockabilly and blues of his present, music has followed social studies teacher Teodoro Olivos throughout most of his life from the bands he used to play in to the guitar that now sits him in the corner of A208.

Olivos was first introduced to the classical acoustic guitar when he was seven and had to take lessons.

“I hated the lessons,” Olivos said. “It was a stale environment in a small colorless room with some guy telling me things like ‘All American dogs have big ears’ and such. Then we would play single notes that sounded like no song I ever listened to.

So I eventually had to be bribed by my parents to go to lessons and I got a toy every time I went to a lesson. That got too expensive so we quit and the guitar collected dust in closet for about 7 years.”

Despite his initial disinclination towards the guitar, Olivos was later drawn back to the guitar at the age of fourteen when he discovered hardcore punk and alternative bands like Bad Brains.

“That made me dig the guitar out of the closet and try to learn how to play some of those songs,” Olivos said.

Music was never something Olivos thought to pursue a career in; it was simply a passion.

“Music was an expression of angst, an outlet, and often a violent endeavor in the punk scene that I started playing in,”

Olivos said.

As the idea that punk music is “just something you do and eventually get too old to do it” emerged as Olivos came out of the punk scene, he moved on to other styles and made money playing for different bands and playing shows on the west coast. After getting “burnt out on music” from working at a recording studio, Olivos took a break from music, only to return again.

“When I came back to playing music I pursued it from a different perspective and that was playing songs that I learned to cherish over the years for money,” Olivos said.

“With that perspective, the last band I played in was able to play some pretty big shows, appear on a morning television show and we had fun doing it.”

As of now, Olivos is not with a band as he has dedicated most of his time to being a full time educator and parent, but “if Photo by Sydney Trieu someone calls one of us for a paying gig then we get together and play.”

“I would like to start playing again on a more regular basis but I need to find time and an efficient group of musicians to play with.

I hope to spread whatever passion I have for music with as many young people that will listen by encouraging them to explore the century of recorded music that already exists,” he said.

Though Olivos had never intended to pursue music as a career, some may wonder why he chose to become a teacher. Olivos says that he stuck with education because “the feeling I got from working with students and making a difference in their lives was more rewarding than the feeling of playing on stage.”

12

FEATURES

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

Photos by Stacy Chau and Sydney Trieu; Graphics by Cassandra Chen

C h e l s e y Tra n Paint bottles litter the floor; a canvas sits to dry; he has again perfected another art piece.

Among his friends, senior Frankie Zhuang is known for his realistic landscape paintings, as well as his detailed Snapchat masterpieces. With only his fingers, Zhuang manages to shade, create shadows, and ultimately form a multi-dimensional image through Snapchat, an application with a basal color wheel.

Now imagine what he can do with an actual paint brush and paint.

Zhuang is an artist with a preference for painting, especially with oils or acrylics. “[Color] gives a painting or picture more detail,” Zhuang said. “It gives viewers more to focus their attention on.”

Zhuang started drawing because of a private art class and plans to attend college as an art major.

“My favorite part about art is the flexibility for expression because you get to draw things you like or show your ideas and creativity through artworks that you make,” Zhuang said.

He hopes to pursue a career as a designer, either in the architectural field or interior designing. This is not surprising considering he enjoys painting sceneries and still-life, as evident by his college art portfolio, which consists of paintings of waterfalls, sunsets, and other agrarian scenes.

“My ideal place to paint would have lots of greens, like a forest or a garden, like the Huntington Botanical Gardens,” Zhuang said.

Art is not necessarily a stress reliever for Zhuang–it is additional stress whenever he is working on a painting, but enjoys it all the same.

Zhuang created the above painting for his mother, which was displayed at the recent art gallery.

“My favorite piece is a painting of a sunset. It’s done in oil, so it took a while, but it’s my favorite because it’s colorful,” Zhuang said.

According to Zhuang, the arts consist of any displays unrelated to academics. It is clear that painting is his preferred artistic medium. Zhuang can often be found doodling on pictures of his sleeping friends in class and creating works of art at home. Zhuang is looking forward to painting on his canvas of life.

Il eana P erez

Er in Tr uong

From salsa and hip hop to ballet and even folklorico, junior Trista Rios has performed many different genres of dance.

Rios began to dance when she was four years old. Rios likes each of the genres she dances but feels a stronger connection towards folklorico.

“I have been [dancing] folklorico the longest,” Rios said. “It is my heritage, and I love the zapatiados and their intensity and the traditional dresses.”

Rios enjoys the feeling she gets when she is dancing and loves how there are many contradictions when she is dancing, such as how she could be dancing to one song and suddenly change to a completely different genre.

“It is confusing, but really interesting,” Rios said. “It is amazing how you can make your body move slowly and gracefully and the next minute your body is moving powerfully.”

In addition to the rush she gets from dancing, Rios is also inspired by her director Raven and the memories that come with dancing. She once performed a folklorico piece for a Clippers half-time show at the Staples Center, which motivated her to continue dancing.

“Starting up [at the Staples Canter] was really exciting,” Rios said. “I was really nervous, though, because I had just started dancing folklorico.”

Originally, Rios’ heart was set on becoming a ballerina; however, she suffered a back injury two years ago and had to stop dancing pointe for a while. Rios did as she was told and returned in six months. She was then told it was not recommended for her to pursue a career in dance because of her injury, which led her to consider a career in law enforcement because she likes the intensity she thinks it will bring. Now Rios plans to serve the Navy for five years and then pursue a job that involves dancing.

“I [do not] think I will ever stop dancing,” Rios said. “Even after I come back from the Navy, I plan to get a job that involves dance.”

Although Rios will not focus her entire career on dance, she will continue to dance because of her passion and love for it.

The hall is flooded. Countless numbers of enthusiastic fans are herded up elevators and stairways, milling through the convention center and around islands of people parked against the railings, windows, and walls. Most convention-goers are bedecked in elaborate outfits, toting props, backpacks, and shopping bags.

The expo is awash with cosplayers, laughing and chatting, exchanging compliments, and reaping the rewards of love, labor, and dedication.

Junior Ashley Hua is no stranger to cosplaying. A sewing needle and a glue gun are her weapons to wield in the world of costumes and fandom livery, and wield them she does. Having twice attended Los Angeles’ annual Anime Expo, Hua dedicates a portion of her spare time to crafting costumes for herself and commissions for friends.

Hua was first introduced to the cosplay community when she began using the Internet.

“I looked up fandoms like Pokemon and Harry Potter,” Hua said. “And seeing other cosplayers got me into [the community.] There were a lot of good-looking people with costumes and props, and they looked cool, so I thought, ‘I want to be cool too!’ and picked it up.”

Hua values cosplaying because it “makes her feel proud of what [she’s] accomplished.”

“Normally, whenever I finish something, I feel so proud and happy about it because I see the improvement from my past works,” Hua said.

Hua believes that there is “value with making things with your own hands.”

“You become more skilled as you progress--and in addition, you can save money!” Hua joked.

In addition to cosplaying, Hua also draws and paints, using both traditional and online mediums.

Hua believes that she will continue her hobby after graduation, and possibly open up an online shop for cosplay commissions and other assorted art pieces online.

“It really depends on the circumstances,” Hua said. “I doubt I’ll have the time to run an online shop, but I consider it a possibility.”

Hua is currently in the process of creating costumes from an animated web series known as RWBY in preparation for Anime Expo 2015.

Il eana Perez Freshman Ernesto Cardenas is living the teenage dream–following his heart and singing his way to fame.

At the age of five, Cardenas sang songs by famous artists, which included bandas, notreños, and corridos, regional Mexican music genres. Now, nine years later, Cardenas specializes in this specific genre.

“I started singing the songs of Adan Sanchez when I was five,” Cardenas said. “Then, I started to sing other regional Mexican music.”

Cardenas was recently signed with Duartuta Records. He will soon begin his promotion high school tour, which means he will perform at different high schools to promote his newest single, “Número 43,” which talks about the 43 missing students who disappeared in Mexico. The song also talks about how there needs to be a change, so incidents like this one are prevented in the future.

“As of right now, we are doing [the tour] for promotion purposes,” Cardenas said. “Which means there is no money, but in my future tours I will be getting paid.”

Cardenas’ first single, a corrido, was posted on Facebook and soon received over 60 thousand views.

The song was released on Dec. 4, along with the accompanying music video.

“I posted the song on Facebook,” Cardenas said. “I got a lot of feedback, which was really cool.”

In addition to his singing, Cardenas writes his own songs and plays the guitar. He has been playing the guitar for three years and sometimes plays it while he sings his songs.

Cardenas plans to continue singing after high school and hopes his career will continue growing over the years. He also assures that as of now, this hobby is all about the passion and not about the fame.

Cardenas wants to keep singing, and thinks that pursuing this musical career path would be like following his dreams.

“It is something that I really want to do,” Cardenas said. “I [sing] for the passion and the love I have for music. [It is] not really for the fame.”

Cardenas is excited for what is next in his rising career and upcoming tour.