The Matador Issue 5 Jan.24.2018

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VOL. 63 ISSUE 5

THE MATADOR SAN GABRIEL HIGH SCHOOL

801 S. RAMONA STREET, SAN GABRIEL, CA 91776

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018

WWW.THEMATADORSGHS.US

Retired history teacher Ramsay passes away

BY NIAN CAPILI

PHOTO BY MICHELLE HO

Ramsay poses for a photo before he retired, almost a year before he passed away.

he first came to SG. He said he picked the area by throwing a dart at a map. He made quite a Recently retired San Gabriel High School first impression as a carefree and impulsive (SGHS) history teacher Michael Ramsay sud- young man…If you saw the movie, The Dukes denly passed away on Jan. 13 at the age of 62. of Hazzard, where they entered and exited the Ramsay taught in the social studies de- car through the window, that’s what I first saw partment and coached for numerous sports him do when he drove in.” including volleyball, swim, and Ramsay was desoccer for a total of 30 years at scribed as a relaxed SGHS. He took history courses teacher who was easy and participated in volleyball to talk to and open to “I am grateful that he and swim at the University of his students accordArizona which inspired him to was my teacher; ing to senior Shannon become both a history teacher Reyes. and a coach. Ramsay loved what he really changed my life “Personally, he he did for his students and colfor the better. ” made me have a difleagues, as they knew him for ferent perspective on being spirited with his work. life,” Reyes said. “He Former science teacher Larwould tell me to worry ry Kanow coached the volleyabout myself and my future, and not worry ball team with Ramsay for over 15 years. Kanow about what my friends are doing; to be authendescribed him as outgoing and personable and tic. I am grateful that he was my teacher; he said that Ramsay loved working with young really changed my life for the better. May he people as a coach, teacher, colleague, and friend. rest in peace.”

“His legacy is that he was fun-loving and Senior Caden Ong thought of Ramsay as impulsive yet at the same time caring and more of a close friend instead of a teacher, giving; he’s that friend that you love to spend constantly messing around with the students time with and sometimes get in trouble with,” which built a connection between them. Ong Kanow said. “I met him in the parking lot when also remembered poignant times in class.

Winter pep rally dazzles audience

continued on pg.2

Marshall Park completes prolonged construction, opens to community

PHOTO BY BASTIAN MENDEZ

All Male and Choreo members perform their collaboration, resonating enthusiatic and positive energy toward the crowd through their exciting dance moves and their energized hip-hop music.

BY KELLY LAC

Filled with new performances and spirit games, the winter rally proved to be exciting as crowds cheered in support of their peers. Held on Jan. 12, students swarmed the arena in rapid succession in hopes of finding good seats with their friends.

“I think [the winter rally] was good,” freshman Jared Santos said. “The performances were good and the spirit games [encouraged people to join].”

In between performances, the captains from the winter sports—basketball and soccer—presented their varsity members for all to see, promising that they would win.

“I’m pretty confident with my team this season,” senior Andrew Canizal, captain of the boys basketball team said. “I know we had ups and downs in the summer preparing for [the] league, but we’ve [made it through].”

To start off the rally, Colorguard displayed a sentimental presentation, with several people of the crowd turning on their lights in response to songs played like “Breathe” by Lauv, “Just Say You Won’t Let Go” by James Arthur, and “Little Do You Know”

by Alex & Sierra. Followed by Colorguard was cheer, performing new stunts that sent them flying into the

OPINIONS pg. 4-5

air and landing in style.

“We definitely tried our best out there,” cheer member sophomore Samantha Miana said. “There [were] some stumbles, but we [were still able to pull off] the stunts and worked our hardest until the end.”

Out of all the performances in the rally, the collaboration between both Choreo and All Male was the most notable performance, as both groups teamed up for a powerful hip-hop performance.

“The energy was really high and everyone cheered for us,” Choreo member sophomore Sophia Lin said.

“We had a lot of practices where [we had to make improvements, and] All Male and Choreo has different kinds of styles of dancing, so it was really hard.”

Aside from this, during the second rally, the Associated Student Body (ASB) introduced a new spirit game that involved the classes battling against each other in a dance-off. While not many people joined the floor out of shyness, it certainly made the crowd ecstatic as they watched their peers dance with confidence.

“I think the rally went extremely well because we had a lot of time to incorporate spirit dance games [as with past games],” ASB president senior Courtney Tong said. “Every rally is different, so for the next rally, [we’ll] probably put [more] decorations.”

FOCUS pg. 6-7

LIFE & ART pg. 8-9

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRYANT LAM

Equipped with gym and playground gear, the park offers fun experiences.

BY VINCENT MARESCA

Bring your family, pets, and any kind of barbeque because the city of San Gabriel has recently added to its landscape—Marshall Community Park. Marshall Park is the first new park to be created in the city in nearly two decades.

Why is there a new park in San Gabriel? The park sits on the site of the now closed John Marshall Elementary School. To make this possible, Proposition 84 was passed in 2010, which granted over four million dollars for construction.

While construction of the park was assisted by the Garvey School District, construction was halted due to policies and extra paperwork since the park was being built on an old schoolground. At the time, filing extra paperwork created a

SPORTS pg. 10

large roadblock for the building of the park. However, this was eventually overcome.

The accommodations of the park are as follows: sporting fitness buildings and equipment, playground with new equipment for kids ages 2 to 12, and picnic spots.

The park consists of 2.35 acres, and the landscape is designed to be drought resistant. Anyone looking for a quick rest or spot to picnic can go to the resting areas, with inclusion of picnic tables. In addition to basic park structure, the safety and efficiency of resources were involved in the creation of this park.

The new park is located at 311 West Marshall Street, near Jackson Street and was introduced to San Gabriel on Jan. 20, hosting a big introduction get-together for the whole community to enjoy.

FEATURES pg.11-12

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news

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018

Schoolwide athletic survey reveals students’ interests

Tree falls during rainstorm, causes disruption

BY EILEEN ONG

gives a 1.7 percent discrepancy, which is within the two percent limit.

Since the week before Thanksgiving, New field hockey and wrestling the survey garnered about 670 responses. athletic programs are highly requested among San Gabriel High School With the survey officially closed, Dultz (SGHS) students, according to the will meet up with administration from Interscholastic Athletics Student Alhambra High School and Mark Interest Survey. SGHS conducted the Keppel High School to discuss how they questionnaire to check that the school’s are going to move forward with survey.

“I was actually the first person to athletic programs comply with Title conduct the survey because the other IX, which states that no student can be denied or discriminated from programs two schools have new administrators,” in federally funded schools based on Dultz said. “Obviously, they don’t know their sex. The survey assesses students’ how to [conduct the survey]. We are sport interests; the school will then going to talk about how we did it and use the results to improve existing the results we got and they are going competitive athletic programs and to do it too.”

Based on the responses, SGHS will design new ones. determine which The 16-question sports students are survey was posted most interested in. on SGHS’s website to “I want to be able However, there is allow all students to no guarantee that to offer things to contribute feedback. It the school will inquired about athletes’ students, whether implement them. experiences on their “There’s a process it’s sports or other team, as well as about to it,” Dultz said. “This any potential interest extracurriculars is the beginning in sports that are not stage of it; basically, that interest currently offered at it’s exactly what SGHS. students, and it says—‘student “It is to ensure that all really get them to interest survey.’ Do schools are, to the best we have enough of their abilities because be a part of our students interested budget and finances school community.” to go to the next are an issue, offering step in seeing if it’s opportunities for possible to have that students to participate sport available?” in interscholastic Beyond the demand for the sport, athletics,” Matthew Dultz, Assistant the school must consider other factors.

Principal of Businesses and Activities, For certain sports, they must look at said. “Males and females are given opportunities based on Title IX for equal other schools in the league because representation that is in accordance it would be difficult for the league to function if few schools offer that with the school population.”

SGHS consists of 52.7 percent boys specific sport.

“I want to be able to offer things to and 47.3 percent girls, so the school students, whether it’s sports or other strives to stay within two percent of those percentages for their student extracurriculars that interest students, athlete population. According to a 2016- and really get them to be part of our 17 Participation Opportunity study, 54.4 school community,” Dultz said. “So percent of the athletic participants are whatever we find that the school can boys and 45.6 percent are girls. This financially support, I am all for it.”

PHOTO BY BASTIAN MENDEZ

The fallen massive oak between S and MS-buildings blocked the path leading to the E-building.

BY JENNIFER CHEUNG

A gigantic oak tree fell on Jan. 9 during the same rainstorm that caused devastating mudslides which led to several deaths in Montecito and other parts of Southern California.

The tree collapsed between the MS and S-buildings near the South Parking Lot, prompting for the whole tree to be removed.

“The foundation of the tree got soft when it rained,” Campus Supervisor Andrew Contreras said. “The heavy weight from the top toppled down.

I think it happened during the evening.”

Upon further investigation, rain was not the sole factor why the tree crashed.

“The district ground maintenance and facilities

came to examine [the tree],” Matthew Dultz, Assistant Principal of Business and Activities, said.

“After inspecting, it looked like it was diseased.”

After the examination, it was decided to remove the ill plant.

“A tree logging company came on Saturday to chop down the rest of the tree,” Contreras said.

“The tree was so big that they had to cut [the tree] into three sections.”

Although trees rarely collapse on campus, this is not the first time it has happened; trees near the band room fell over due to heavy storms a couple years ago.

“It’s such a beautiful tree, and it’s a bummer that it fell,” Idina Serrano, Workforce Development Technician, said. “Other than that, I think the bigger picture is that no one got hurt.”

Balboa club encourages active outdoor participation through group biking, hiking

BY SHAWN HO

The newly created club, Balboa, goes on biking and hiking trips and pushes students to participate in outdoor physical activities. The idea for this club all started in the most recent summer where a pair of friends, sophomores Vivian Pham and Tiffany Tang, felt as if they lazed around the whole summer.

In order to get rid of that feeling, the two planned to go on a hiking expedition; however, a problem arose: Tang’s parents would not allow her to go. The two thought that Tang’s parents would let if the trip were to be for a school club. And so, they decided to start one, Balboa.

“We realized that there are also other kids who are like this or who are interested in leaving their electronics to spend a little time in the outdoors,” club president Pham said. “So, we decided to make a club where kids who want to get a little workout in or enjoy the outdoors can join.”

Pham struggled to come up with a name until she vividly recalled a park that left a lasting impression on her when she visited it in the past:

Balboa Park in San Diego.

“The vibe of that park is just something that I could not forget and that is how I want people to feel in this club,” Pham said. “Not only do I want to help people enjoy beautiful scenery like that park’s, I want to recreate that vibe in our club.”

As of now, Balboa only plans to hike at nearby trails such as Eaton Canyon and Griffith Park.

They hope that their club encourages students to be active and stay healthy.

“With our future hiking and biking events, we hope to bring excitement to members and students as they participate with their friends so people can recognize the importance as well as the enjoyment of exercising,” said secretary sophomore Linda Lam. Many people already do exercise on their own but are too afraid to come out of their shell to go hiking or biking.

“In Balboa, I feel more encouraged to go hiking because I’m going with a group of potentially new friends,” sophomore general member Victor Ton said.

General meetings are held every Friday in E110.

continued from pg. 1

Retired history teacher Ramsay passes away “In class, he has this box full of memories of his past,” Ong said. “He brought it out one time to share with us and he would show us pictures of what he’s been through. I just saw some photos I related to and I found out he was the volleyball coach; he’s been here for a long time.”

Social studies teacher and department chair Henry Osborne enjoyed Ramsay’s sense of humor.

Ramsay affected him, along with other people, by showing him to not take himself too seriously.

“I think that’s a valuable lesson that most of us can learn from him,” Osborne said.

Osborne was also saddened that Ramsay could not enjoy his retirement longer. “We miss [him] around here and if I were to say anything to him, I would have said: ‘Retire earlier so that you can enjoy retirement a little longer,’” Osborne said.

Ramsay was a frequent visitor to the Business and Technology Academy (BTA) garden to check

up on the memorial tree planted for his friend John Robb, a former teacher at San Gabriel who passed away in 2012, said history teacher Nicole Manalang.

“The tree was growing and he would always ask to give him an update on the tree because his classroom was right next to the garden,” Manalang said. “There were days where he was like ‘the branch is falling or it’s leaning a little bit.’”

BTA has decided to plant a bush, a native plant to California and Arizona, for Ramsay, Manalang said. “Mr. Ramsay has roots in Arizona; he grew up there. [This is a] kind of a cool homage to him,” she said.

A Celebration of Life for Ramsay is set for Jan. 27, which is also the date of his birthday, at the Santa Fe Dam Recreational Center at 1 p.m. It will be a potluck lunch. There will also be a small ceremony on Jan. 31 at 3:15 p.m after school in the Business and Technology Academy garden in honor of Ramsay.

NEWS

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018

Get Lit showcases poetic talent

3

California introduces new state laws

BY BASTIAN MENDEZ

From marijuana to tampons, a number of beginning of 2018. Among them are many that

Health and Society Schools are now required by Assembly Bill (AB) 10 to provide free tampons and sanitary pads in at least half of their restrooms if they are Title I funded and serve grades six to 12.

San Gabriel High School meets the criteria of having at least 40 percent of students below the federal poverty line and will therefore be required to comply.

Assistant Principal of Business and

their property without a warrant from a children of deported parents to continue attending schools in California.

The 2016 minimum wage law, SB-3, continues to advance, raising the minimum pay by $1 per year. The minimum pay for a worker at a business with 26 or more employees is $11 and will continue to progress addition, AB-46 has expanded the law that intends to remove gender biased wages to include those who work for public employers.

Miscellaneous Previously, school administrators were given the authority to decide on whether or

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRYAN LAM, EL CAMINO REAL

Senior Miriam Flores expresses her love and gratitude for her mother through her classic poem, “The Lanyard” and her response poem, “I Love You Mami.”

BY DONNA HERNANDEZ

people,” Luu said. “I try to incorporate my culture in the things I do, say, and wear.”

Wednesday’s top poets had a tie with both

On Jan. 17 and 18, San Gabriel High School (SGHS) held its sixth annual Get Lit campus slam in the auditorium. In this competition, 23 place, and senior Carlos Carrillo in second. poets walked up on the stage and voiced their Thursday’s selection had senior Samantha truths through spoken word poetry. Students had to memorize and recite a classic poem as and senior Amy Pabon in third. Those who well as perform an original response. place do not necessarily gain a spot on the The poetry curriculum itself is taught slam team, but are considered as possible

by English teachers Cady Burkhart, Jessica candidates.

Sandercock, and Jordan Vogel. Typically, there “We are so excited about this year and are class competitions, and the top poets of each respective class go on to the SGHS slam. have a very strong and competitive team,” “If you want to join, then join it, man,” slam team co-coach Jordan Vogel said. junior David Clemente, “All of that being said, a performer, said. we’ve basically decided “Everybody is really who we want the rest of supportive; even when “It’s great being a part the team and alternates you forget your poem, to be; we just haven’t of something when they’re not laughing at talked or officially you’re surrounded by you.” confirmed with them The poetry slam yet.” love and are able to is more than just a A s o f n o w, t h e speak your mind with competition. It is a way members selected for to vent and disclose your the team are seniors amazing people.” truth for many poets.

Erika Duran, Patricia “I think [the reason Lipana, and Tabby I was so nervous] was Perez, and juniors Echo because I was literally spilling my truth out Dieu, Donna Hernandez, and Thomas and it’s scary, but it’s crazy awesome,” senior Uranga. The alternates are seniors Kevin Miriam Flores, a performer, said. “My mama Contreras and Amy Pabon. is what inspired me; she’s my rock and best “Being on the team is the biggest thing to friend so I wanted to write for her.” me and has been since my freshman year,” The events were hosted by Get Lit Perez said. “It’s great being a part of something representative Paul Mabon and SGHS slam when you’re surrounded by love and are able team alumnus Alex Luu. The latter’s main to speak your mind with amazing people.” muse was his Asian-American identity, and The Get Lit slam team will be performing he continues to shed light on that by means later in April. Until then, they encourage all of spoken word and literature like his book, to join Young Aspiring Writers with Power “Yellow Boy.” (YAWP) if they want to hear, write or recite “I write words and say them out loud to poetry.

about AB-10 very recently.

“I don’t have much information, [but] I know the district is actually doing a little bit more research on it as far as the numbers percentage wise that we need to support [and] if there’s a certain type,” Dultz said. “We actually do provide that already out of the changes the way we’ve been doing it, and I think we’re just waiting on more information.”

Transgender people can now apply to match their gender identity without having undergone treatment thanks to Senate Bill (SB) 179. A gender nonbinary option is now not identify as female or male and will become available on driver’s licenses in 2019.

with it.”

Other laws include AB-41, which requires law enforcement to report on the number of sexual assault kits they have and have not tested and explain why certain evidence has not been tested, a package of bills

police officer collaboration with federal a civil penalty on landlords who threaten to report their renters’ immigration status. Also

take a while to see the laws in action and

from allowing immigration authorities on

population.

from strikers is fair and equal treatment from employers.

Some bus drivers went on strike last week after unsettled disputes with First Student Inc. (FSI), a school transportation provider.

driver who has been working for FSI for 26 years, said in the same interview. “Bus conditions are horrible, I mean no respect and all we want is for them to value our job.”

As a result, San Gabriel High School students were are still arriving later due to assistance with elementary routes. Basketball teams had to arrive to games in a charter buses had to substitute for the lack of bus drivers. Because ways of transportation.

The district will be sending a letter home to students about community meetings to inform and update families of the situation.

Richardson said that AUSD “has no control over the will end.

“We are making every effort possible to ensure all of our AUSD students continue to get safe and reliable transportation to and from school,” Richardson said. “Once all the school sites.”

“It’s a good law though, I believe, just to make sure that we have no misunderstandings with

controversial legalization of recreational marijuana. Although all of these bills have

BY JENNIFER CHEUNG

James Motty said in an interview with Pasadena Now. “We’re trying to drive safer buses. We have problems with sick time. The company is requiring things that the state doesn’t require, breaking the law.”

Strikers are also demanding higher wages. Motty said that “[drivers have] a high rate of turnover because we have a low salary rate.” However, the most prominent request

law.

“I think it’s just a tough position to be at

Immigration and Wages Various “sanctuary state” bills are now in

Bus drivers strike for better pay, working conditions, cause delays in school bus routes

of a potential strike last week between FSI and union members,” Nico Richardson, Director of Transportation Services for AUSD, said. “The district has been preparing alternative transportation for all AUSD students in the event of a strike.”

The union members are employees of FSI and work as bus drivers. However, FSI drivers are not employees of AUSD and FSI buses are not district owned.

In addition to not attending work to transport students, strikers picketed with signs last Thursday at a bus facility in Pasadena where one of FSI’s stations is located.

“We are striking because the company is not recognizing

banned on campus.

Campus supervisor Andrew Contreras

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OPINIONS

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018

Too “young” for this

Ahyoung Nguyen Be true to yourself Life is such a valuable experience.

Luckily, I have one person who can be with me for the rest of my life: that would be my twin sister. As a 15-yearold girl who came from another place, according to our president, Donald Trump, I am called an immigrant, which makes me feel like I don’t belong here.

Students know my name, but not my background.

It was so hard to listen to and understand the English language. I recall a time when a student in my kindergarten class asked for a pencil and I thought to myself, “He’s asking for food.” My 6-year-old brain thought to give him a bag of chips, leaving me without a treat for my snack time. I have seen my mother feel frustrated because she did not know the language. Even now, she still struggles with English. However, she has me now, so mother, you do not need to worry about that; I got you!

I remember my biological father buying our plane tickets. Those tickets changed our lives completely. I remember my mother crying when she felt homesick. I would hug her so tight. I thought my life in United States would be great. That was not the case. Unfortunately, my father was stressed about money and did not pay our rent in time, leaving us with an angry landlord who wanted us to move out. So, when we were kicked out, we did not have anything.

My father got worse; he never acted like a real father to our family. My mother has been through many hardships. I would hear her sobbing at night when I was supposed to be sleeping. My heart would ache whenever I saw my mother in tears over my biological father. When my father agreed to the sign the divorce papers, he left us in my mother’s hands.

She was struggling to take care of my sister and me. We did not have enough money to pay our rent again, making all three of us move from house to house.

I do not remember how many times we had to move houses.

My mother is always scared that my sister and I will go hungry; she would rather leave herself to starve. She has her daughters on her mind as her first priority before herself. That is why I have taught myself to know if a person is hungry; I would give food to that person in any case. I’m so thankful to have a wonderful mother who is so strong and seeing tears in her eyes would be the last thing I would want to see. However, my life got better when my mother met another person who changed her life.

That person is my stepdad, who I am still living with now. I truly love this man and am thankful for having him in our life. He acts like a father, one that I have been missing for half of my life.

My mother currently feels happy every now and then, which I know because of her bright smiles.

So, as you can tell, my life is complicated. Yet, I always manage to put a smile on my face because I do not like to show my weak side. I have learned so many things because of my experiences.

My experiences molded me to be the type of person who cares for others and tries to put a smile on their faces. Like I said before, you knew my name but not my story. So be true to yourself and let your experiences teach you instead.

Editorial

Conduct toward teachers deemed unjust Teaching, at its core, is selfless and extremely demanding. An excessive amount of work both in and out of the classroom is needed to keep up with the burdening demands of the job. Yet, despite knowledge of these struggles, our school, from the student body to administration, often undervalues teachers, and that is entirely unacceptable; teachers are, undoubtedly, the most integral piece to the education puzzle and deserve to be treated as such. We need not wait for an arbitrary appreciation week to celebrate our teachers. As recent events have shown, we do not know how much time we have with them, so we must value them while it counts.

For one, administration must do a better job at accommodating teachers’ needs. Recent actions, most notably the elimination of Teacher Assistant classes, have proven burdensome; teachers can spend up to an extra hour per day making photocopies and doing clerical tasks, on top of grading and lesson planning.

Additionally, teachers voice concern about arbitrary and disparate treatment

from administration.

There are many ways in which the school can improve on this front. A study

by Pennsylvania State University found that mentoring, workplace wellness, and stress management programs for teachers all result in a happier, more effective staff while also saving money on teacher turnover. Schools should seriously consider implementing plans of this nature.

However, general programs should not be the only support that our school provides. Teachers have their own individual needs and our school should address these on a case-by-case basis in addition to with the broader “one size fits all” solutions. To accomplish this, a dynamic communication system should be put in place that gives teachers a meaningful voice to express their concern without fear of retaliation.

The problem also extends outside of administration’s reach, however.

Students frequently and ruthlessly undermine the importance of teachers in a myriad of fashions, from using profanity to disparage some to speaking disrespect-

fully to others to even being threatening in extreme situations. As a result, the student body needs to reevaluate how it treats its instructors. Simple actions, including friendly greetings, polite classroom behavior (see “”How to be polite” on page 8), and direct appreciation, can go a long way toward reassuring teachers that they are invaluable members of the school. Students should also refrain from constantly bashing their teachers among themselves; it does little more than perpetuate an unhealthy culture of apathy toward teachers within the student body.

There are ways in which teachers are respected by the community—some students truly love the staff, ASB recognizes Staff of the Month, and the school does ensure that instructors are well-trained— but they are few and far between. The fundamental issue is the constant devaluation of teachers, and that transcends any modest accomplishments. What is needed is a culture change, from one of tolerating teachers to one of appreciating them. That is the first step toward a healthier educational environment.

Overdue grades burden stressed students

BY SELINA HAN

With high school students’ grade point averages being one of the key factors in college admissions, it is no wonder that grades are one of the biggest priorities for students. In addition to taking honors and advanced placement courses, students are encouraged to invest their time into extracurricular activities like athletics and volunteering. If students are expected to balance their time between school work and extracurriculars, teachers should also be expected to balance their time with not just teaching, but with regularly updating students’ grades as well.

It is crucial for students to know how they are doing in a class.

Hypothetically speaking, students should always be trying their best in every class.

But in reality, students need to know where they stand in each class so they can

know which subject to prioritize and put more effort into. This cannot be achieved if they do not receive feedback for their work. Keeping in mind that teachers have lives outside of school, it is under-

ILLUSTRATION BY ECHO DIEU

standable that not every assignment gets posted on PowerSchool right away. There is also the fact that teachers need to grade and input scores for assignments for all

of their students from all of the periods they teach, but that is not enough to justify putting grades in weeks—or in some cases, even months—late.

Although it is unrealistic to demand teachers input grades every single day, it is important to shine light on the fact that students need relevant feedback for the work they are doing and the tests they are taking. Even if teachers cannot find the time to update PowerSchool grades frequently, they should at least give verbal feedback so students know what they are doing well and what they could improve on. Learning is not reflected by a percentage and a letter, but it does not mean that grades are not important. Teachers should focus on delivering feedback for the assignments they give out. If this cannot be achieved, students may be left in the dark regarding their academic performance and assignments will start becoming less meaningful.

Online assignments lack integrity, leniency for students

BY ECHO DIEU

In recent years, online assignments are increasingly becoming more integrated into teachers’ curriculum. They can be convenient, environmentally friendly, and supposedly easier for students to accomplish more with same amount of time invested or less. But do students say the same? Online assignments can be radically different from their traditional counterparts, and they offer less flexibility for both students and teachers in the way they are assigned and completed.

Since the internet has become a mainstream extension of people’s daily lives, teachers are taking advantage of it. At first glance, online assignments seem like the perfect package: they save time and costs on printing, and they can set due times and mark late or missing assignments.

Furthermore, teachers do not have to decipher students’ handwriting and deal with complaints about missing homework.

However, with the way online assignments are structured, they contain flaws that prevent them from being more beneficial than traditional mediums of

schoolwork. Online websites typically provide templates for teachers to use with few options for customization. In addition to that, students tend to find ways to circumvent proper procedures for completing assignments so they can cut the time they spend doing them while still getting marked as having completed the work.

Quizlet’s flashcard

ILLUSTRATION BY VINCENT MARESCA

feature, for example, are more convenient than conventional index cards, but they can be just as disengaging for students who have not put their heart into studying. When completing an activity online,

students can pop open a different tab on the browser to look up the answers.

Ideally, students should complete their homework assignments before the day they are due. However, in order to make practical use of their time, a student might resort to completing homework the morning of the day it is due. Online assignments can be extremely limiting with their timestamps.

Google Classroom, a popular website among teachers, enforces strict punctuality of homework, essays, and projects, and consequently limits students’ flexibility in arranging their schedules. Teachers may sometimes set due times that are impractical, and can intrude on students’ free time during holidays or weekends.

As it is, schools are struggling to provide students with as much liberty as it can without devaluing the educational process.

Students should at least be provided with the freedom of when they finish minor homework assignments.

As new technology spring up, teachers become more interested in utilizing them in the classroom environment. Online assignments carry potential, but with the way they are currently designed, they do not allow for more flexible learning.

OPINIONS

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018

Lyft, Uber drives controversy on policies PRO

BY LU JUNE LIN

When in need of going to a boba shop, or any desired place, after school, people (over 18) who are unable to drive and have busy parents can request an Uber or Lyft driver to drive them.

All that is required to request either an Uber or Lyft is a credit card, debit card, or prepaid card to pay for the drive, and a touch screen phone to download the app. Uber and Lyft are useful means of transportation and should be used more frequently.

Uber is a global taxi company that operates in 633 cities worldwide. Lyft is an on-demand transportation company. Both of these companies are easily accessible. With the press of a few buttons, your Uber or Lyft driver will take you to your requested destination, for the most part.

To ensure the safety of customers, both companies require that the applicants go through a background check. In Uber’s background check, taxi licensing commissions use Live Scan that takes the driver’s fingerprints to access the FBI’s criminal record database. In Lyft’s background check, drivers are screened for both criminal offenses and driving incidents.

Not only are these companies very convenient for riders, they are also beneficial to anyone who can drive and is looking to earn money. Being an Uber driver is unlike working at an ordinary job. For one, you are able to choose the hours you want to work. You are able to choose the amount of hours and time you wish to work. Uber drivers drive their own cars and use their own phones for navigation, both of which are brought upon their own expenses, but Uber offers discounts for its employees.

Uber tries helping its drivers by partnering up with businesses to receive discounts on things popularly used, such as discounts on car parts from places like Autozone or discounts on phone bills with Verizon or AT&T. Uber also provides drivers with a fuel card that gives them a discount per gallon.

During unpopular times for Lyft drivers, the prices are cheaper, but when it is about 3 p.m. on school days, the prices increase by a couple of dollars because that is when high school students get off of class. Even then, the prices are still relatively reasonable considering the circumstances. When students need to get somewhere in a short amount of time, Uber or Lyft is their best source of transportation.

Uber and Lyft are easy, safe means of transportation for teenagers—provided that they are accompanied by an adult—and a convenient way for adults over the age of 21 to earn extra cash.

Going from one destination to another can be difficult if you have busy parents or do not own a car. Uber and Lyft are great options for anyone in need of a ride. Nevertheless, there are cons to these services, not only for the riders, but for the drivers as well.

There are risks and negative factors in driving for Uber and Lyft, as simple as dangerous interactions with people that we do not know.

The most common problems known concerning Uber and Lyft are sexual harassment, employee behavior, and ethics issues.

Many reports have been made by both the drivers and riders.

Even though Uber and Lyft ensure that their drivers go through background checks and inspect their driving records, there is no indication as to whether the rider could be of any risk to the driver and those on the road. There is little to no information on who the passenger is as they enter the vehicle; the only impression you get is the star rating system that means nothing. This star rating system is like a grade; just stars, but nothing representing who the person is. Female drivers also tend to report that they have been inappropriately touched while on the job.

Furthermore, Uber and Lyft have all your private information, from basic statistics like birthdays to more sensitive information like the credit card number that is connected to that account.

The driver might also know where you live and the records of where you ordered the ride to where your destination is. Totally not creepy at all.

According to Uber’s terms of use and Lyft’s terms of service, it is stated that you must be at least 18 years old or old enough to use their service without supervision. It also stated that if you are not at the age of 18, you cannot give or receive transportations from other accounts. Parents worry about their teens using Uber or Lyft because of all the risks, but many people who use them are high schoolers and they tend to order rides for their friends. This, however, goes against both companies’ policies, and breaking these terms of service puts the rider and the driver at an elevated risk.

Even for the drivers, it is not really worth it when calculating the amount that they are making and the amount that they have to put back into gas, auto repairs, insurance, and interior maintenance. After all these deductions, their earnings are not as profitable. Driving for Uber or Lyft will classify you as independent contractor, which means you have to pay self-employment taxes.

Although Uber and Lyft are very convenient, the dangers outweigh the benefits, and you are riding them at your own risk.

ILLUSTRATION BY VINCENT MARESCA

MATADOR

The Matador Bullring

Editors-in-Chief

Managing Editor News Editors

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

Say “hi” to Sunhi

CON

BY ADA ZHAO

Carlos Carrillo Jennifer Cheung Kevin Contreras Selina Han Kenny Lam Opinions Editors Donna Hernandez Eileen Ong Focus Editors Alice Li Karina Matias Life and Art Editors Angela Lu Elsie Wang Sports Editors Nian Capili Chelsea Li Features Editors Henry Chow Vivian Zheng Copy Editors Lucas Jorgensen Kim Ta Andy Yung Photo Editors Katherine Huang Ahyoung Nguyen Artist Vincent Maresca Business Managers Shawn Ho Anny Li Wu Website Editors Echo Dieu Emily Tan Multimedia Editors Brianna Huynh-Tong Lu June Lin Blogs Manager Kayla Tang Community Editors Clara Quach Virginia Situ Special Projects Manager Bastian Mendez Humans of SG Editor Kim Ta Adviser Jennifer Kim

5

Do you feel disadvantaged at SGHS?

“ “ “

Like every school, they would teach you about everything you [need] to know and prepare you for [your] future.”

-Henry Thai, 9th grade

If you choose the right class or talk to the right people, you will [have the] advantage.”

-Vicky Vo, 10th grade

“

In San Gabriel High School, I was never really put down of any sort [of] way.”

-Antonio Sandoval, 11th grade

The teachers at school help me prepare for the real world.”

-Jeannette Picasso, 12th grade

PHOTOS BY AHYOUNG NGUYEN

Sunhi Nguyen In my own way Life. Wow, that word always gets to me.

People would often ask me, “Hey Sunhi, how is life so far?” Then I would respond, “Why ask me that?” The next thing I know, my mind blanks and I do not know what to say next. Anyway, let’s get down to business and talk about my own life. My life is not what you see in the movies, where people have great, wonderful biological parents and have a great time with them at every late night dinner or movie night.

Let’s call my life a roller coaster ride, so hop into my ride and I will take you on my journey about how I struggle with learning English.

First off, I want to start with how I came to the United States as a Vietnamese citizen. Not knowing the English language was the toughest thing I have ever faced.

When I first stepped onto California’s concrete floor, I was amazed with how the United States looked. People were walking past each other with phones pressed to their ear, talking out loud while rolling their suitcase in their other free hand. I was about four-years-old, and I thought that the Americans were really cool with their enthusiastic tone when they spoke out loud. Every time I went with my parents and sister to different stores, I’d hear people talking in English. That was when I wanted to go to school to learn English.

When I was six-years-old, I started in kindergarten and skipped preschool. I remember interacting with other classmates was difficult because I did not know how to speak English. I would always stay quiet when a classmate spoke to me. I was really shy back then compared my current self; I am now an energetic person.

I recall memories of my step-father and my mother always moving from a house to apartments, making me move schools as well.

Then, we decided to stay in Alhambra because it was affordable, making me stay at Martha Baldwin Elementary School for all of my elementary and middle school years. Gosh, Baldwin was great, I’ve got to say, yet the students would always correct my grammar a lot, making me feel self-conscious about my English. Even my eighth grade teacher got fed up with me because my grades were lacking and my writing and speaking were getting worse.

My teacher would like to correct me when I was speaking to the class, and my other classmates would tell me directly as well.

I appreciate them for helping me improve my English, yet I felt like other students didn’t understand me while I was speaking.

I could not get help at home because no one else knew how to speak English expect my twin who is learning English as well. It was really hard to speak two languages at home since my parents speak Vietnamese with me while I speak English to my sister.

When I was promoted to San Gabriel High School, things became different.

I was focusing more on my grades and would be careful with my speech to other people as well. When I saw the newspaper that was on my English teacher’s desk, I got interested in the work of the newspaper. That is why I am here for the 2017-18 newspaper as a reporter, and I will continue to stay for all my two years. If you do not understand what I am trying to say, I’m trying to to say that people have their own ways of communicating to other people who weren’t born in the United States. I am glad people still understand me and accept me who I am.

6

focus

THE MATADOR Wednesday, January 24, 2018

ARE WE

TITLE WHAT SCHOOL??

ISSUES AND

AUSD ENSURES STUDENTS HAVE THE RIGHT ‘IDEA’

BY CHELSEA LI Students with learning disabilities at San Gabriel High School (SGHS) are served under a special education program implemented in 1975 by the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, which provided support for people who required more care due to their disabilities. In 2004, the act was modified to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal special education law, funding schools to ensure special-ed students receive an education equal to that of a regular student. “[SGHS] serves students with a wide range of disabilities including autism, visual/auditory processing disabilities, emotional disabilities, and attention deficit disorders,” special education teacher Andrew Bitterolf said.

In special education, the students are put in two class settings: collaboration and Special Day Class (SDC). Collaboration classes consist of special education students in a general education class. Maria Arroyo, an orthopedically handicapped assistant for 17 years in the Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD), goes to class with her student every school day. She prepares the work in advance so that it is easier for her student to learn the lesson.

“I go to class with him and sit right next to him. I set up all the work [and] if he’s tired, I write for him,” Arroyo said.

Instructional aides stay with their students, walking from class to class to being in the room with them. They make sure that the students are equipped and ready to learn. “[My aide] gives me more confidence and helps me to be better person, because talking to an aide helps me open up to people,” senior Bruce Hernandez said. “Having an aide is having a guardian with you all the time.”

A SDC class is designated to have instructional specialists and assistants to facilitate students with special needs. The number of students is smaller, so teachers are able to spend more time with each student and accommodate their needs.

Lora Pfister, an Instructional Aide for AUSD since 2010, helps special education students through explaining assignments or working directly with them.

“It is easier to concentrate [in SDC] than if it’s with 20 other people,” student Jessica* said. “If you need help, the aides and teachers are down to help you real quick. They don’t judge you.”

In a typical classroom, a teacher supervises a class of 36 students and the amount of individual attention can be limited. Students with disabilities may not receive enough help needed in order for them to learn the materials, inhibiting their learning process and abilities to do well.

“With the classrooms I’m in, I’m able to see that the school has enough resources to help students who need special care in order for them to learn as well as a regular student,” Pfister said.

Under IDEA, the district must have a special education program and within the program, every student has an Individualized Education Plan, a document that explains the educational services they will receive, to focus on their academic goal each year. Arroyo, Bitterolf, and Pfister believe that the AUSD “has the resources to effectively address the needs of our students with disabilities.”

FEDERAL FUNDING IMPROVES SCHOOLS BY kelly lac Titles are federal acts that provide funds for financial assistance to schools to help improve class curriculum, student education, and teacher and staff quality. Some Titles are meant to help at-risk students, which may include students who are low-income or have attendance, academic, or behavioral issues. How these funds are spent is decided by the School Site Council (SSC), which determines what materials are in demand. The SSC will prioritize funding to whichever department needs the most improvement.

Title I: provides funds for financial assistance to schools with high percentages of children from low income families Funding must be spent on students that are failing or at risk of failing. If children from low-income families make up at least 40% of enrolled students, then the funds may be used on schoolwide programs.

At SGHS, Title I funds are allocated to supplemental education programs including PODER, a senior year class meant to help students in the college application process; Acellus, a credit-recovery system; and After School Academic Progress (ASAP) tutor-

ing. Title I funds are specifically us certificated employee salaries for t grams.

Title II: provides funds inte increase academic achievement proving teacher and principal qu Funds can be used for pro development, improving teache ity (new teachers, teacher retention sional development) or for the ne pable principals and assistant prin serve as effective school leaders In Alhambra Unified School (AUSD), Title II funds are used for teacher training, from off-site A Placement instruction conference presentations on teaching methodo Title III: provides funds int ensure that English Learners me ciency and state academic standa Funds can be used for profession opment and language instruction p In AUSD, Title III funds are o to send employees to conference ing English instruction. They have used to fund English Learner pro the summer.

TAKE A PICTURE OF THE SCHOOL FOR THE DESIGN!!!!

GET A HEADSTART ON THIS PAGE!!!

* Name changed

RISK FACTOR: DROPOUTS

BY KENNY LAM Across the country, public high schools all face the same problem: nongraduates. In California, the average percentage of non-graduates in public high schools is a staggering 20 percent. Narrowing the scope, this percentage in San Gabriel High School (SGHS) is a significantly lower 3.6 percent, meaning that across four years, around 90 students from SGHS fail to graduate.

Those who fail to graduate high school suffer immense consequences and risks. Economically, according to a study by Civic Enterprises, non-graduates earn on average $9,200 less per year compared to those who do graduate, totaling up to an average of $375,000 less over the course of a lifetime. In addition, unemployment rates are much higher for non-graduates, and about four out of 10 young adult non-graduates need to receive some form government assistance.

Aside from money matters, failing to graduate also negatively affects one’s role in society. Non-graduates are significantly more likely to be involved in crime, whether it be drugs, violence, or robbery. This results in nongraduates being eight times more likely to be incarcerated compared to their graduate counterparts. Adding on to the list of negatives, failing to graduate also correlates with one’s future health. Those who graduated reported to be

twice as likely to be in good health compared to non graduates.

So how does SGHS combat these dangers of not graduating? Some traditional ways include making up credits by attending summer school courses or through makeup classes created by teachers. With the advent of the internet, online courses, such as Acellus Learning System, have also made their way into classrooms in order to aid these at-risk students. These courses compress lessons, trying to teach a full course in only a short period of a few weeks so students can quickly earn credits.

These methods of makeup do indeed assist many of our at risk students in graduating, but there is debate as to whether or not these credit recovery methods are effective. Some argue that at first glance, makeup classes may boost up our graduation rates, but their compressed learning does not properly teach students the skills they need. These methods can be seen as a band aid solution—a solution that may help in the short term, but could be potentially damaging in the longer term. However, others argue that these methods do help our students graduate and give them a future to look forward to.

Regardless of opinion, these recovery systems are here to help students learn better.

Background photo by Bastian Mendez Design by Alice Li and Karina Matias Graphics by Kelly Lac and Angela Lu Renactment of a scene in the quad Models: Campus surpervisor Chris Perez and Karina Matias

focus

THE MATADOR Wednesday, January 24, 2018

AT RISK?

?? (RESEARCH!!!)

RESOURCES

sed to pay these pro-

ended to t by imality. ofessional er qualn, profeseed of cancipals to

l District r periodic Advanced es to local ology. tended to eet profiards. nal develprograms. often used es regardalso been ograms in

SAMPLE AUSD BEHAVIOR CONTRACT BEHAVIOR CONTRACT TERMS In lieu of a recommendation for expulsion, __________ and his parent/guardian(s) agree to the following terms and conditions outlined in this Behavioral Contract for continued enrollment: ___ Student shall enroll at for the _____ school year. Probationary status may be immediately terminated if he/she violates any terms of this contract.

____Student shall participate in_________sessions of counseling. ____Student and Parent/Guardian(s) understand that the student shall submit to a search of his person, and/or personal property upon request by school officials. ____Parent/guardian(s) shall participate in _____Parent education classes

TRUANCY/ LOW INCOME/ RESEARCH!!! ___ Student shall abide by all laws of the State of California, educational code, and code of conduct as outlined by the Alhambra Unified School District.

___ Student shall maintain regular attendance.

The student shall not be absent or tardy from class without an acceptable or valid excuse.

____Student shall not possess any item prohibited by the law or educational code.

___Other:

___The contract will be subject to review on__________.Failure to abide by the terms of this contract may be grounds for further disciplinary action, including, but not limited to, a recommendation for expulsion.

Signature indicates that parent/guardian agree to ALL terms and conditions of this contract Student Parent/guardian District Administrator Site Administrator

SPECIAL ED STUDENTS ____Student shall maintain satisfactory grades.

____Student shall pay restitution in the amount of $_______to ______ .

WHAT IS A BEHAVIOR CONTRACT?

BY AHYOUNG NGUYEN AND SUNHI NGUYEN

When a student misbehaves, there are many different ways the school can get the student back on track. One way is by placing the student under a behavior contract, which is an agreement between administration, the adolescent, and their parents to improve student conduct, establish consequences, and deter recurring wrongdoing.

Behavior contracts are often times used to prevent expulsions and suspensions. They allow students to stay in school but make them subject to conditions which may include change of school, counseling, parent education classes, monetary restitution, and maintenance of grades and attendance.

There are two types of contracts: Site Contracts—handled by San Gabriel High School (SGHS)—and the District Contracts—handled by the Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD).

Contracts are one of the first forms of discipline and are given out on a case-by-case basis; there is no specific action that warrants a contract.

Though there is some controversy as to whether behavior contracts are effective, Principal Debbie Stone has a positive outlook.

“Behavior contracts are helpful because they keep students learning in school,” Stone said. “Some students also find them helpful because they get [the] support they [have] not gotten before.”

Students on behavior contracts can be pulled

out of class at any time to be searched. Searchers make students remove their backpacks and jackets, lift up their arms, and pat them down. Student Russell*, on a contract for alleged bullying, has mixed emotions about contracts and searching.

“I believe contracts are effective because they make me go to class, leave certain things at home, and think before I speak,” Russell said. “However, other students look at you like you’re bad when you get pulled out to be searched, and searches make me uncomfortable.”

Similarly, student Andrew*, on a behavior contract for possessing markers that could potentially be used for graffiti, believes that there are both pros and cons to contracts.

“I feel like it can keep you on track; it keeps you from doing stupid things,” Andrew said. “However, I think it is not really necessary because they would do check [ups] on me, and I think that [it is] really stupid, but they do help others.”

It is mandatory for students to clear their behavior contracts before the end of the school year, and before graduation if the student is a senior. If this cannot be achieved, further intervention follows. *Name change

Source: AUSD Board Policy, July 2011

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life & art

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018

Review: Let’s taco about Baja Cali Fish & Tacos

BY BRIANNA HUYNH-TONG

PHOTO BY BRIANNA HUYNH-TONG

The fish tacos consist of a crispy batter -fried filet, topped with fresh cabb age, thick crema, s crumptious pico de gallo, and refreshing s als a.

Unfortunately, we went on a Wednesday.

The quality of the taco made up for the Baja Cali Fish & Tacos, a Mexican taco fact that we had to pay full price. Within our place, opened up a new location on Main St. table, we had three asada tacos, five fish taand it has built up a solid ground of custom- cos, and one crab ceviche tostada. The total including tax came out to be a little over $21. ers since their opening in December.

The asada tacos were topped with onions, The restaurant is small and may be hard cilantro, and salsa. This to spot the first time but was my friend’s first time has a fresh, new feel to it trying a real taco and she with indoor and outdoor was beyond satisfied with “On Taco Tuesday, seating. Upon entering, the experience. The fish my friends and I were tacos were topped with greeted with kind faces for $0.99. On Thurs- cabbage, crema, pico de and were self-seated. gallo, and salsa. The taco Their menu has meat day, meat tacos are itself was huge and deand seafood in the forms $0.99 instead of licious, but the crema of a taco, burrito, tostada, made it a bit thick. Howquesadilla, nachos, caldos, $1.99.” ever, eating the the crab sopes, and fries. They also ceviche (tostada topped offer a vegetarian choice with crab, salsa, and avofor their customers. They cado) after the tacos made have a mini bar to the side with radishes, lime, onions, and jalapeños and it feel much more refreshing.

Overall, I would give the new Baja Cali loa variety of sauces at each table.

Baja Cali participates in the famous “Taco cation a five out of five. The restaurant was Tuesday,” where they serve fish tacos for nice and clean, the service was good, the food $0.99, as opposed to $2.09. They have their was amazing, and the price was just right. I own special promotion on Thursdays as well, will definitely be coming back; and this time, where meat tacos are $0.99 instead of $1.99. on a Tuesday or Thursday.

How to be polite: tips for students

BY SUNHI NGUYEN

Having manners and being polite are important on a daily basis. San Gabriel High School students are typically

Incorrect

polite, yet sometimes use awkward phrases while addressing teachers. Here are some common mistakes English teachers Melissa Bishop-Magallanes, Alicia Canzano, Breanna Hunt, and Sabrina Morales have noticed in students’ speech.

Explanation

Correct

“Can I use the restroom?”

“May I use the restroom?”

This phrase is the most common mistake students make.

Since “can” stands for the ability to do something, “can I” does not work here. It is not correct to ask someone for permission using “can” instead of “may.” “May” is associated with asking for permission, rather than the ability to do an activity.

“I could of done my homework last night.”

“I could have done my homework last night.”

This is a common mistake because the pronunciation of “have” quickly rolls off the tongue when said as “could’ve.” The reason why it is correct to say “could have” is because it talks about things in the past that are are not happening at that moment.

“I’m doing good.”

“I’m doing well.”

This mistake is made when someone is asked how they are doing, and they answer “good,” which is incorrect. “Good” is an adjective and cannot be used to modify a verb, which is “doing” in this case.

“May you please write me a recommendation letter?”

“Will you please write me a recommendation letter?”

“Will you” is the correct phrase to say because you are asking the teacher to do the actual action, not permission to do the action. “Will” is grammatically correct and clearer than “may you.”

You can call the teacher “Mrs” If she is married; “Miss” if she is unmarried; “Ms.” applies to both married and unmarried females.

Some female teachers are not using their married name and prefer “Miss” or “Ms.” “Miss” means the teacher is no married. “Ms.” applies to a teacher who is married or unmarried and depends on what the teacher prefers to be called. “Mrs.” means that the teacher is married. Ask your teacher what her preference is.

Calling a married female teacher by Miss

Another common mistake that students make is not giving their teacher a “thank you” card when the teacher does something extra for the student, such as tutoring or writing recommendation letters. Some teachers are willing to use their free time to tutor students if they require help; they sacrifice their lunch and spend extra hours after school doing so. Teachers may appreciate receiving a “thank you” card or note because it shows that the student recognizes the extra effort and time the teacher is putting in. Here is an example:

Dear (Your Teacher’s Name), Thank you for your taking the time to help me during lunch.

Your explanation of the math problems really helped me understand them, and I will do my best on next the test. I appreciate your patience and expertise. Thank you for being a great teacher!

Sincerely, (Your Name)

WHO announces a new gaming disorder

BY KELLY LAC

All that nagging your parents made how much you play video games may have been for the better, as the World Health Organization (WHO) officially recognized “gaming disorder” to be a real mental health condition as of late Dec. 2017. Stated in their beta draft of the 11th International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), a person that is diagnosed with this disorder is said to have: impaired control over gaming, priority given to gaming over one’s interests or hobbies and life activities, and the continuation of gaming despite knowing negative consequences.

However, these behavioral patterns must be evident for at least 12 months in order for gaming disorder to be diagnosed.

Because this disorder is new, some say their description of gaming disorder is rather vague; for instance, “impaired control over gaming” or “priority given to gaming over one’s interests.” Gamers would be most likely concerned about this new condition; many YouTubers and Twitch streamers rely on playing games, and the rest of the community play for entertainment.

Bruce Y. Lee, associate professor at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, argues that specifically classifying excessive video gaming reflects on how our society shames the enjoyment of technology.

“Classifying an activity as a mental health condition is all about context,” Lee said. “Practically any activity, even those seemingly good and necessary, can become mental health issues when you no longer can control the activity and it starts interfering with your life. Why then specify video games [as a disorder] when any activity can be done in excess?”

However, there have been cases where gaming has been excessive and indeed taken over people’s lives. Gregory Hart, a spokesperson for WHO, stated that “there is increasing and well-documented evidence of clinical relevance of these conditions.” It is cases like these that the WHO are trying to prevent in hopes of reducing the number of lives harmed because of gaming addictions.

Despite this, the chances of acquiring this new mental health condition only affect a small amount of people, as stated in the WHO’s FAQ on gaming disorder. However, if you feel like gaming as taken a toll on your social, family or academic life, Lee recommends asking yourself the CAGE Questions: 1. Have you ever felt that you should Cut down on [playing games]?

2. Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your gaming [behavior]?

3. Have you ever felt bad or Guilty about your gaming?

4. [Is playing games] the first thing you think about in the morning when you wake up (Eye opener)?

life & art

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018

9

New Winter Movie Reviews Greatest Showman swings audience emotions with music

PHOTO COURTESY OF 21ST CENTURY FOX

Barnum was always proud of what he achieved with his circus even when there was a lot of people who protested against his circus for acts that were “not normal.”

BY CLARA QUACH

The Greatest Showman is a musical which celebrated the birth of show business as well as expressing the feeling of joy when one is able to achieve their goals.

This movie was based on and inspired by Phineas Taylor Barnum’s ambition of achieving his dream, which was to start a circus. Barnum is a man who grew up with his father, who was a tailor. Barnum was a natural salesperson, selling snacks and cherry rum to soldiers by the age of 12.

Barnum also tried a variety of businesses from newspaper publishing to running a boarding house. Barnum opened two museums which both ended up burning down.

Eventually, Barnum ended up starting a circus, which is what he is now known for.

The movie revolves around the character Barnum, played by Hugh Jackman, who went from having nothing to having everything he could ever dream of and more.

The Greatest Showman follows Barnum throughout his entire life to show how he was able to reach his dreams.

It gave insight to the hardships that Barnum had to encounter as well as the highlights of his journey.

Barnum started his circus with many different types of people who were avoided by the citizens. The main star that was part of the circus was the trapeze artist Anne Wheeler, played by Zendaya Coleman. Barnum partnered up with Phillip Carlyle, played by Zac Efron, in order to promote his circus more. The music, such as “This Is Me” and “Rewrite The Stars,” helped develop the emotions in the scenes that linked with the song. The song “This Is Me” was powerful since it showed how the “not so normal” people were now accepting themselves. It showed so much realism of how people discriminate if you are not like them. The message in this song definitely brought light to the fact that no one is really the same. The movie also showed the feelings of the citizens, who disliked those who performed in the circus, and the feelings of those who were asked to join the circus. A history of discrimination

against those were “not normal” was thoroughly shown in the movie by having people protest against the circus, expressing their disapproval of Barnum’s business.

There was a scene from the movie where Barnum was trying to persuade Carlyle to help promote the circus by working for him. This scene was intense because Carlyle already considered himself successful. This scene was joined with the song “Other Side,” which made the scene much more intense. Watching this scene got me to the edge of my seat since I was convinced that Carlyle was not going to join Barnum, however I was completely wrong. Carlyle agreed to partner up with Barnum with a percentage of the show. This caught me off guard, but after evaluating the scene and the lyrics in the song, I realized that Barnum is convincing. Barnum and Carlyle teaming up brought me joy since, I wanted the best for Barnum and now Carlyle, an experienced showman, was going to help promote the circus.

Overall, the movie revolves around Barnum’s journey of getting to where he wants, however, it was still able to bring light to the problem of society. The movie displayed the hardships in history that occurred in the past, the birth of show business came, and how hardships that attempt to keep you away from your dreams could be overcome. The Greatest Showman has now become one of my top favorite movies. I was not entire interested in this movie, but now that I have watched the movie, I was very intrigued and would watch this movie over and over again. It gave me more insight into the discrimination that happened in the passed and expressed emotions with music, which is the best way to express emotions. In the end, I would highly recommend this movie, The Greatest Showman , for others to watch.

The Post portrays power of journalism based on a true story

BY VIVIAN ZHENG

Based on a true story that created an uproar in the nation, The Post is centered on the publication of the leaked, 7,000-page, highly classified Pentagon Papers to reveal the government’s deception on the US’s participation in the Vietnam War since the Truman Administration.

Played by Meryl Streep, distinguished publisher Ka t h a r i n e Gr a h a m d e c i d e s t o m a i n t a i n t h e publication of the Pentagon Papers with the assistance of editor Ben Bradlee (played by Tom Hanks) in The Washington Post in 1971. The decision was made under the pressure of the recent legal precedent set by The New York Times case– which resulted in Time’s provisional censorship on coverages of the Pentagon Papers–and the discrimination of her male executive board.

From vintage furniture to old-fashioned buses to the ‘70s fashion, as well as the incorporation of actual voice recordings of President Nixon, the production team’s attentiveness to the ‘70s America setting captures the heart of the Generation X by

creating a nostalgic feeling. The intense atmosphere in the newsroom with the endless rings of telegrams, the distinct sound of the typewriter, and the smokefilled office takes the audience back in time. In spite of the movie’s depiction of a prominent historic moment, the lack of background context may bring confusion to audience members who may be unaware of the event.

While the main themes range from journalism to business, the most memorable is the execution of the subtle and natural development of feminism in the workforce in just a two hour movie. A notable scene is when Graham confronts her executive authority over the company despite being limited by her male board.

However, the movie’s central focus on the business aspect of the event falls out of the expectation of the typical moral focus of a journalism movie, giving it a more realistic push. As Graham’s stance on the publication became clearer, the pressure of losing the uprising company becomes evident.

Overall, The Post is a sensational film that is worth sharing among those who enjoy a business twist to a historical journalism film.

PHOTO COURTESY OF 21ST CENTURY FOX

Ben Bradlee, played by Tom Hanks, and his colleagues race against the clo ck to comp os e a newsp ap er using t h e s t u d i e s fro m t h e d i s o rga n i z e d Pe n t a go n Pap e rs .

Darkness colors Voldemort in Origins of the Heir

BY KIM TA

PHOTO COURTESY OF TRYANGLE FILMS

Fanmade film Origins of the Heir made by Tryangle Films delivers a s p i n t o t h e we l l - l ove d cl a s s i c fi l m s e ri e s , H a rry Po t t e r. Th e movie tells the story of how Voldemort became the person he is.

With the beloved Harry Potter film series in its sixth year since the last movie, an unofficial fan film was recently released with the characters that J.K. Rowling created. The film is much shorter than a Harry Potter movie, but it has racked up 10 million views so far and was number one trending video on YouTube.

Its synopsis is simply about the way Tom Marvolo Riddle came to be known as Voldemort.

The film starts off with a mysterious woman fighting off guards of an unknown place searching for a diary. As the motion picture comes along, it is panned in a sort of storyteller perspective of the Grisha McLaggen (the woman) who is the descendant of Godric Gryffindor (founder of the house of Gryffindor).

The setting of the film goes back and forth from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to where McLaggen is. McLaggen depicts how Riddle transformed and how the other descendants of the four houses of Hogwarts played a role.

To be frank, there were not high expectations for this movie. There are many other fan

films with unique backdrops and storylines; however, this is a very noteworthy one, due to its unexpected ending. The movie itself gives Harry Potter fans a raw outlook on the series with the addition of yet another prequel.

I would say that if you enjoyed the Harry Potter series, you will be ecstatic while watching this. The film had decent cinematography and good acting. Coming from someone who did not watch the trailer, all I can say is that I was truly shocked at the end.

For the most part, I would give this film a 4 out of 5 rating because there were pros (new visuals of the Harry Potter world) and cons (minimal action compared to any Harry Potter movie) to both the plot and scenes of this fanmade film.

If I had watched the trailer, then I would have gotten more clarity to what was going down. There were several standout lines from the characters themselves, just like Rowling’s lines for characters such as Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter. One of the most memorable lines is: “There will always be darkness in this world, Igor. The darkness...is all that we have.

How else...would we remember the light?”

10

sports

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018

2017 18 Winter Sports Scoreboard BOYS BASKETBALL

GIRLS BASKETBALL

BOYS SOCCER

VARSITY 1/5 vs Roosevelt 1/9 @ Montebello 1/12 vs Alhambra 1/16 vs Mark Keppel

66-59 61-40 49-46 55-46

VARSITY 1/9 @ Montebello 1/12 vs Alhambra 1/16 vs Mark Keppel

44-26 W 49-43 W 83-39 L

VARSITY 1/9 @ Alhambra 1/11 vs Schurr 1/16 @ Bell Gardens

4-0 L 4-0 L 15-0 L

JV 1/12 vs Alhambra 1/16 vs Mark Keppel

49-33 L 56-46 L

JV 1/3 1/5

37-28 W 63-14 W

JV 1/11 vs Schurr

2-1 L

W W W W

BY BRIANNA HUYNH-TONG AND LU JUNE LIN

First home game of the season against one of their rival teams, Alhambra High School, San Gabriel High School (SGHS) captured everyone’s attention with a very close score.

In preparation for the game, the Matadors used knowledge from past games and analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing team, as well as themselves, to come up with a game plan that resulted in a victory. of winning] because we played them last time and even though we lost, it was due to our mistakes,” co-captain senior Miguel Quintana said. “So I knew that we had a chance if we but if we lost again, it would’ve been on us.”

It was a competitive game throughout all four quarters. The Matadors started the game winning the tip-off and ended the

@ San Marino vs Rosemead

5-1 3-0 2-0 1-0

JV 1/9 vs Alhambra

7-0 L

W L L L

The audience grew with immense focus on the game, as either team could take home the the fourth quarter. As it came to an end, the Moors began fouling, which gave San Gabriel 46-46 and point guard junior Zetao Xie at the free throw line, the crowd sat in nail-biting silence, waiting for the tie-breaking shot.

the game. Another foul sent him to the line the game and putting the Matadors in the Arena erupted with music while spirited

momentum and took the game back in the second quarter with a score of 21-17 at the

when the buzzer rang, indicating the end of the game.

The players were proud of the work they put out on the court, and the victory against

their home teams, while Marching Band ous atmosphere heightened the game in the second half.

The third quarter came with more action

VARSITY 1/2 vs Sacred Heart of Jesus 1/9 vs Alhambra 1/11 @ Schurr 1/16 vs Bell Gardens

and a magnitude of energy from both crowds.

Both teams moved back and forth on the court with an increasing number of fouls and contested shots from both teams. Point guard junior Jason Hong assisted Canizal for a three -

senior Andrew Canizal’s three pointer with

The crowd and performers were roaring

GIRLS SOCCER

hope for the team is that despite their win, they strive for improvement and maintain their composure and ambition for the rest against the Montebello Oilers on Jan. 26.

PHOTO BY BRIANNA HUYNH-TONG

Junior Jason Hoang (23) dribbles past the Moors’s defense, attempting to find an open spot and shoot toward the basket.

Girls varsity soccer face Bell Gardens, results in an early loss of the season

BY ALICE LI

PHOTO BY LEO YUE, EL CAMINO REAL

Freshman Jennifer Lopez (18) keeps the ball and drives through the Lancers’s defense.

San Gabriel High School (SGHS) girls varsity team charged carefully, finishing off a tight game with a 1-0 loss. The Lancers’s kick-off matched SG’s pace when the game started. Even though the audience had numerous Lancers families scattered around, the Matadors showed determination and spirit through their strong teamwork.

During the first half of the game, both sides were cautious and aggressive with their plays until one of the Bell Gardens players scored an offside goal. The misleading goal not only confused the audience, but the varsity girls playing as well. As the commotion died down, no goals were scored, but a tight call from the Lancers woke up the Matadors. At this point, Bell Gardens snatched the ball away from San Gabriel’s midfielders and charged straight to goalkeeper Alondra Lopez. Luckily for the Matadors, Bell Gardens accidentally launched the ball up against the crossbar, relieving some of the tension in the audience. “[The person that scored the goal] was offsides,” girls varsity soccer coach Jessica Correll said. “So even the shot went in, it is considered off sides because they blew the whistle. So she was already behind the line.”

As the game became more aggressive and

tense, the halftime whistle blew.

During halftime, Correll reflected on the mistakes made during the first half of the game and discussed tactics for the second half. The Matador girls returned to the game with strong perseverance and motivation. When the second half began, however, SG was struggling to keep up with the Lancers as they scored from a free kick goal that made the girls lose their coordination. Nevertheless, after much cheering from family and friends, the Matadors were ready to fight until the very end. Multiple corner kicks from SG got both headed and kicked out of the field by the Lancers as the Matador girls strived to tie the game.

Facing the last corner kick coming from Bell Gardens, San Gabriel gave it their all to block every opportunity the Lancers had to score. The Matadors took a heartbreaking loss of 1-0 despite successfully blocking the corner kick.

“I’m not disappointed in our team. I think we did a really good job against [BGHS]. Technically, I think it was a tied game even though they scored a goal because that free kick never should’ve happened,” senior Janelle Cabrera said.

With the experience of this second league game SGHS has been through, the team unanimously agrees that they have improved this year compared to their previous league games.

FEATURES

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018

11

Troung displays passion through dance TELL ME What's the

word?

Famous hallway quotes “Money doesn’t buy happiness but I’d rather cry in a Ferrari than in a Toyota.”

- A student talking about the interim assessment prompt “What tea did you get?

The SAT.” - A teacher asking about what tea a student got at FTB “I never felt more Asian in my life when the sun is directly shining in my eyes.”

BY ELSIE WANG

It all started in kindergarten. The teacher had simply asked the students to dance to the music being played. While everyone waved their hands in the air and twirled in circles, there was one kid who stood out. He was the only kid that would go absolutely wild. That’s when senior Jimmy Truong, discovered his passion for dancing.

For Truong, he has always been an avid dancer, taking on the positions of co-captain and vice president in All Male. When he was young, his friends and family taught him simple moves from shuffling and how to dougie. Over time, his zeal for dance began to grow. Initially, Truong had never found anything that he truly belonged in until he joined All Male his freshman year.

“No matter what sport I tried, whether it was football, basketball, or soccer, they were never as fun as dance,” Truong said. “Dance was simply more fun than any other activity.”

Truong especially enjoys not only dancing, but the team bonding as well. The fact that the members of All Male bond and interact with each other

ong said. “I don’t want to be an office worker. I want to keep dancing forever.”

PHOTO BY AHYOUNG NGUYEN

Troung practices dancing to become more fluid and improve in expressing the song through his moves.

Granados displays generous actions toward teachers

BY SUNHI NGUYEN

-A student coming out of class and joking about his race in general “Do you have to be a pirate to say ‘arrgh’ ?”

-A tired teacher complaining about their day

while disregarding cliques and age is something he treasures.

“One moment that I cherish was during senior night when the freshmen gave us gifts,” Truong said. “They gave me a card and I still keep that card today. It’s just very nice to read it over and over.”

Currently, he is interested in a new style of dance called urban choreography, a combination of several dance styles but is mostly based on the dancer’s own interpretation of the music. He also plans on making a start on YouTube.

“For dancing, I’m going to record [a dance video] on Feb. 3 and hopefully, about two weeks after that, I can post it on YouTube,” Truong said. “I’m just trying to make more dance videos more and more so I can get myself more known.”

In the near future, Truong plans on attending University of California, Irvine and major in dance education. He wants to become a dance educator, directing All Male still, and join dance teams.

“The reason I want to make [dance] a career in the first place is that I want to still dance and I want my job to be my excuse to not stop dancing,” Tru-

PHOTO BY BASTIAN MENDEZ

Senior Scarlett Granados likes to use her free period in the morning to help out her teachers. Scarlett explained that she used to have a first period, but she decided to drop it since she thought the class was too easy for her. When she noticed that math teacher Amanda Blackwood needed some help, she decided to drop in and offer her support.

“I have Ms. Blackwood [for] my fourth period, and I noticed there were a lot of things on her desk and students were leaving trash in her class,” Scarlett said.

“I know her personally as I’ve had her [class for] three years. When I saw the opportunity to go help, I was like ‘Maybe I will come in the morning.’ I am already here anyway since I take the bus around 6:50.”

Scarlett explained that she also has personal reasons as to why she would help out her math teacher.

“You will see me going through her desk and organizing her stuff,” Scarlett said. “She is someone important to me. She is really nice, has helped me out, and also gave me chances to raise my grade. So, basically, it’s like

paying her back.”

Knowing that Scarlett likes to give a helping hand, choir teacher Cecilia Revilla has grown fond of spending time with her.

“I’m happy [that] she has been in my class [for] all four years; she is always in choir and always super helpful,” Revilla said. “She is really wonderful and I hate to see her go next year.”

Her sister, sophomore Esmeralda Granados, is also impressed by Scarlett’s willingness to help others.

“She’s honestly a great person,” Esmeralda said. “She uses her time to help people. Instead of sleeping in, she likes to take her time to wake up an hour early and goes to Ms. Blackwood. I think that is generous of her.”

Scarlett encourages other students, especially freshman, to help teachers, since the school does not have many teacher assistants.

“A little help won’t hurt them and it builds a [small bond],” Scarlett said. “I have gone to Ms. Blackwood for personal stuff too. She’s really awesome and her personality alone is so upbringing. It’s kind [of] cool when you have an adult you can always go to. You can build the trust by helping them.”

“So today we are going to be talking about cosmetics. You know, it might be on the makeup test.”

Granados (right) directs a substitute teacher on how to do the project.

-A teacher joking with his students in class

Casino trains to be a part of “The few and the brave”

BY KEVIN CONTRERAS

“You guys have watched the movie Titanic right?

It cruised its way to the top movie.

It was a big hit.”

-A teacher talking about a movie in class with his students “If I had a son, I’d name him something cool, like

-A chemistry teacher talking to his students

ALL QUOTES OVERHEARD

BY THE MATADOR STAFF

Strength, courage, and faithfulness. Like his uncle before him, senior Cedric Casino wishes to embody these traits in the United States Marine Corps. Casino is one of the few people of Filipino descent who have made the decision to enlist in the Marines. Luckily, Casino has found other Marines who are of the same nationality, but has noticed their small size in numbers.

“In our community, we have these get togethers with the higher ranked Marines and there are actually Filipino Marines in there,” Casino said.

“But when I went to [Los Angeles] for the registration, there was a difference in races, mostly [Caucasian] and African-American.”

At first, Casino was unsure about joining the military. He knew very little about what enlisting in the Marines really meant. He soon met Staff Sergeant Chen, a recruiting officer, who helped enlighten him on what joining the Marines really entailed and all of the benefits from joining.

“I thought it was just all about war,” Casino said.

“But then when I met Sergeant Chen, he told me about it and persuaded me to join the Marines.”

Upon learning the different resources offered by the Marines, he became more interested in joining. What most caught his attention was the myriad of benefits he would obtain, especially the help he would receive with tuition.

“My sister and brother are still in debt [from college],” Casino said. “It doesn’t cover the whole [tuition], but it helps.”

Aside from financial and health benefits, Casino also wishes to grow internally. He looks forward to be able to prove to his family that he is not as timid as they believe. Like his uncle , he aspires to be brave. “[I want] to learn some things; I want to be deployed to Japan if that’s possible,” Casino said.

“I just want to experience something not a lot of people get to at my age.”

In Japan, he wants to be able to escape from this social bubble he feels trapped in; he wants to be able to travel and be able to find out more of what else there is beyond this community here.

“I feel stuck in this spot of San Gabriel; there is nothing really here for me to find and to truly discover,” Casino said.

While in the Marines, Casino also has goals he

would like to accomplish. He has a four year term and hopes to become a Sergeant in the Marines.

Currently, he is focusing on what lies ahead of him; passing his tests for the Marines.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID CHEN

Casino (right) stands with recruiting officer, Sergeant Chen.

TA C O ' B O U T A G O O D R E C I P E

BY ANNY LI

Filled with simple, delicious ingredients, tacos can make you fall in love with it at first taste. Tacos are simply savory and tasty. Although tacos are not hard to find, you can easily create your own tacos at home. There are many other ways to make tacos, but here is a quick and simple recipe to make tacos.

Ingredients: - meat of choice - lime juice and lime - ground cumin - dried oregano - salt - pepper

- chili powder - minced garlic - diced cilantro - diced onions - salsa of choice - olive oil - tortilla of choice

ILLUSTRATION BY KELLY LAC

Steps: 1. In a bowl, marinade the meat by mixing in lime juice, ground cumin, dried oregano, salt, pepper, chili powder, and minced garlic. Let the meat marinade for a couple of hours in the fridge.

2. Using a skillet, put in some olive oil and let it heat up in medium to high heat. Place the meat on the skillet and occasionally stir until the meat turns brown.

3. Warm up both sides of the tortilla in a skillet using medium heat.

4. Assemble the tacos by putting meat on the tortillas then the chopped onions, chopped cilantro, salsa, and lime juice.

12

features

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018

Students share their passion for performing arts

Strutting Down a Path of Passion

BY KATHERINE HUANG

PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMES GIOVANNI PAN

Clark poses at the Walt Disney Concert Hall for her first official photo shoot for Lumiere Imagery.

Blaring lights pierce her eyes while the soft murmur of the crowd echoes in her ears. In spite of the burden of nerves and expectations on her shoulders, she keeps a straight back and maintains an aura of confidence. Eyes and cameras follow her every move as senior Samantha Clark struts down the runway in nothing more than lacy swimwear.

Starting at the age of 13, Clark took modeling classes to aid her in pursuing a ballet career. By understanding how to look and pose under the nose of cameras, she would be better equipped to take on the challenge of being a ballerina.

“The first thing I learned was probably how to smile properly, and I basically learned that [my smiled looked] best when I didn’t [show] any of my teeth,” Clark said. “Then, I learned the basic catwalk. Being a classically trained dancer, my body was [very] awkward.”

As she got older, Clark’s modeling agency introduced her to new job opportunities ranging from advertising at a night market to walking down a runway in Las Vegas. Not only did these jobs generate an income, they also provided Clark a chance to build

such a drama king

BY ELSIE WANG

For sophomore Marco Cardenas, acting is not just a hobby, but a driving passion; he aspires to make acting a future career.

From supporting to leading roles, Cardenas’ attraction to the stage, costumes, music, and theatrical performances have built him an impressive portfolio of roles such as Chuck in She Kills Monsters, and the lead role of Gomez Addams in the upcoming play, The Addams Family. His love for the theater all started the moment his sixth grade self walked into his soon-to-be middle school gymnasium to see the production of Schoolhouse Rock! on a school field trip.

“When I saw all the performers on stage just singing and dancing and having a really good time, it really got me thinking,” Cardenas said. “It hit me emotionally, thinking, ‘well, that’s what I want to do with my life.’ I wanted to have fun and be something I’m not, so when I saw that musical, it kind of got me into drama.”

Although he was in the Temple Intermediate band, Cardenas participated actively in the drama department on the side.

He auditioned for every musical that the school had to offer,

eventually aiming for the lead role of Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls his seventh grade year and landing it.

“If I really wanted to be serious about being a professional actor, I thought, ‘I can’t just stick around minor parts’,” Cardenas said. “I had to start building my way upward, so I decided why not risk it and go for the lead role.”

Not only are his future goals motivating him to do his best and put on a good show, but friends and cast members inspire him to shine in the spotlight.

“One of my fondest memories would definitely have to be rehearsals because you really get to connect with people,” Cardenas said. “My inspiration to be a great actor is all my friends who tell me, ‘I really believe in you.’ My worry in life is that I’m going to let them down, and I really don’t want that.”

After high school, Cardenas plans on going to New York University to further his acting skills and upon graduating, audition for as many movies as he can. Growing up with Marvel, he especially hopes to land roles in the Marvel movies in the near future. “[Drama] gives me a chance to forget about all my problems in life and just think I am a new person,” Cardenas said. “It lets me act [out a character] that I’m not really in real life.”

‘i like to move it, move it’

BY ADA ZHAO

PHOTO BY BASTIAN MENDEZ

Liang (center), along with her Choreo teammates, performs a co-ed dance program with All Male at the Winter Pep Rally after about three months of preparation.

GRAPHIC DESIGN BY ANGELA LU

and develop her confidence. However, behind the glitz and glam, it also opened her up to the reality of how harsh the modelling world is.

“In a way, that was the beginning of learning what it felt to be objectified; to be looked at not only as a 15-year-old girl named Sam Clark, but as a genuine ‘product,’” Clark said. “This is also a world in which your weight and look is so highly moderated.

I can’t even begin to explain how many photo shoots I’ve done where I worried that my face looked uneven or I looked too fat.”

Despite the extremities of modelling, the enthralling experiences it offers have pushed Clark to reconsider ballet as a profession. Upon taking up acting and singing in her sophomore year, the prospect of being a ballerina seemed less and less appealing.

“I just thought it was my only life path because I hadn’t really been exposed to much, so I sort of gave up my dream to be a ballerina,” Clark said. “It was kind of heartbreaking because I loved ballet a lot, but I was getting injured in ballet and it took up a lot of my time, so it was best for me to say goodbye to that chapter of my life.”

For Clark, the profession she pursues in the future matters little as long as she is able to flourish in her passion.

Junior Carmen Liang was in pre-school when she was first introduced into the world of dance through ballet classes. At the time, she was only three-years old and had not found her commitment towards dance, causing her to quit ballet. However, in seventh grade, Liang found herself interested in dancing again.

A friend of Liang introduced her to Jayvee Dance Center, which she later decided to give it a shot, wanting to spend time with her friend. During the summer of her eighth grade year, Liang auditioned for Jayvee Dance Center’s hip hop dance team, Junior Hit List, and made it in. However, due to the expenses that were required for competing and purchasing gear, she was unable to join.

Despite that setback, Liang was able to attend the Matador Showcase and discovered San Gabriel’s Choreo team.

“I saw Choreo perform and that was like my calling; it doesn’t cost a lot of money and it works for my parents’ work schedule, and I just wanted to dance,” Liang said.

Since Liang has had past experience with dancing, she was not nervous when it came to Choreo tryouts.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARCO CARDENAS

Cardens acts in the school play “Almost, Maine,” opposite Erika Duran.

One of Cardenas’ goals in theater is to put on a good show above all else for the audience.

“I just hoped they would accept me,” Liang said. “They said to just smile and do your best, and that’s what I did.”

Liang has been part of Choreo for three years now, allowing her to develop leadership skills, confidence, and friendships that will last a long time.

“In my team, I feel like everyone has a spot of leadership to help each other out and to take charge,” Liang said. “I’m a third year, so I have to help out a little with the new members.”

Dancing has helped Liang become the person she is now, improving her confidence.