The Matador: December 2016

OPINIONS

FOCUS

Satire: “Make America great again! Make America great again!”

“Undocumented” p. 6-7

p. 5

LIFE & ART

“All Male members join collegiate dance team, UnderGround” p. 8

THE MATADOR

SAN GABRIEL HIGH/DECEMBER 8, 2016/ VOLUME 62 / ISSUE 4

WWW.THEMATADORSGHS.US/801 S. RAMONA ST., SAN GABRIEL CA 91776

Bus pass fees put on hold L-building construction seeks to fix leaks

Photo by Sydney Trieu

Sydney Trieu With the Zonar tracking systems already in place on Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD) buses, the required use of student bus passes will begin on Jan. 19, 2017. There will be no fee for this pass next semester.

The application process has already begun; until Friday, Dec. 9, students will receive informational letters at the bus waiting area asking them to fill out the “Race to the Bus Stop” form at <goo.gl/yB1o39>. The link can also be found on the school’s website, <sghsmatadors.org>. After submitting this information for a preliminary headcount of students who take the bus, students will receive an application for a bus pass from Jan. 4-10 next year.

“We want to make sure the kids who ride the bus are the ones who get the passes,” Amy Rush, principal on Special Assignment for the AUSD, said. “Right now there’s no list of kids who ride the bus and what particular bus, [which is] why the [pass implementation] is taking so long.”

Without a pass, students will not be able to board the bus. If a student loses a pass, they may request a replacement for $5. However, there is no initial fee for the first bus pass.

“No one will be charged because this is a pilot run to make sure everything is established,” Matthew Dultz, assistant principal of Business and Activities, said.

In regards to implementing the bus passes, Rush stated that “there was much to look into,” such as how many students use transport, appropriate training for bus drivers, and general logistics. “[Because of this], seeing which students need and don’t need to pay [for the pass] wasn’t a priority,” Rush said. “More than anything else, we wanted to roll out the system and see how it works.”

According to Nico Richardson, director of Transportation Services for the AUSD, the possibility of a fee for these passes will be decided at a later date for the 2017-18 school year.

“We’re still collecting data about how many students would need to pay for a pass,” Richardson said. “The fee for a majority of students will be waived, but we’re going to see if the board policy [about charging for passes] will hold for the next school year.”

The bus passes will be distributed from Jan. 17-18.

Photo by Sunny Chen

Kayla Tang Arriving at school after a week of Thanksgiving break, many students noticed the construction site located on the east side of the L-building on campus.

Assistant Principal of Business and Activities, Matthew Dultz said that “over Thanksgiving break, [staff members] found that a large pipe underground cracked at its joint due to how old the pipelines were,” causing the water inside to burst underground.

“It got to the point where it was saturated and was brought to attention that there had been a leak,” Dultz said. “The leak posed a hazard to the water pressure in the bathrooms and also would cause the concrete above the pipes to cave in, creating an unsafe area for students and staff if not removed and replaced.”

Fencing now surrounds the site of construction, posing as an inconvenience for students during passing periods.

“The fencing area may cause a bit of a congestion, but I guarantee it would be of much bigger inconvenience if you fell in a hole,” Dultz said.

Contrary to the idea that the school pays for new improvements on campus, Dultz said that “this is something that had to take place; it wasn’t the school wanting to replace the pipes, but rather something that needed to be worked on.”

“All construction is funded by the district facilities,” Dultz said. “Everything is handled on the District’s end, including contractors, when a problem is brought to attention.”

Dultz also mentioned that the pipes were intended to be repaired and the concrete repaved during the first weekend of December; however, due to previous weather conditions, construction was delayed.

Before the leak happened, there had already been numerous recurring problems within the L-building’s girls bathroom, such as the mucky sink water. However, Dultz assures that the matter has been brought up many times in the past—to the extent where countless tests have been conducted by health professionals; each test concluded that the water was safe. As for the cloudy component, Dultz said that it was caused by calcium deposits in the water, which were also a past concern on the campus’ athletic field.

Dultz plans oversee the construction’s progress until completed.

J i l l S t e i n l e a d s e ff o r t f o r p re s i d e n t i a l e l e c t i o n re c o u n t Kevin Contreras About a month ago, Donald Trump became the president-elect of the United States; about a week ago, Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein filed for a vote recount in three key states where Donald Trump won by a small margin against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. These states include Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Independent presidential candidate Roque De la Fuente also filed for a partial vote recount in Nevada. In each of these states, Donald Trump won by approximately 100,000 votes, and in order for Hillary Clinton to reverse the outcome, she would have to be declared the winner in all of three of the these states.

When asked why she asked for a recount, candidate Stein suggested computer hacking, tampering, and human and machine error might have affected the election results.

“In part, Michigan has this very high level of under votes; that is blank ballots,” Stein said in an interview with Stephen Henderson on WDET radio.

There is a possibility that the amount of votes will change slightly, but it is very unlikely for the change to

be large enough to dethrone Trump from his presidency.

History and psychology teacher Mark Juarez said that the recount probably will not have a major effect.

“The fact that they have gone this far tells me that there are some discrepancies, but I don’t think it’s going to change who’s in the White House,” Juarez said. “It’s just going to be another stain on Trump.”

President-elect Donald Trump spoke about this issue through a series a tweets, declaring Stein’s effort as a “scam.”

“This recount is just a way for Jill Stein, who received less than one percent of the vote overall and wasn’t even on the ballot in many states, to fill her coffers with money, most of which she will never even spend on this ridiculous recount,” Trump said in a statement.

The recount in Wisconsin began Dec. 1 with little change in the results announced on election night. In Pennsylvania, Trump’s lead shrank a small amount, from approximately 71,000 to around 49,000 votes. The result in Nevada and Michigan have remained largely the same with a few changes in voter turnouts. Despite the efforts, Trump remains president-elect.

Photo courtesy of The New York Times

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein leads election recount efforts in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.

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THE MATADOR

THURSDAY, DECEMEBER 8, 2016

SG alumni overcome hardships, win in Nov. elections

Photo courtesy of kimforjudge2016

Two San Gabriel alumni recently prevailed in the November elections. Kim Nguyen, class of 1994, was elected as a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, and Lamar Thorpe, class of 1999, won a seat on the Antioch City Council.

According to her campaign website, Nguyen is a first generation Vietnamese American whose parents were political refugees from Vietnam. Her parents were relocated to a refugee camp in Arkansas in 1975. Nguyen was born in San Francisco years later.

After San Gabriel High School, Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles and Harvard Law School. With many different legal experiences, she became a Deputy Attorney General and an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School.

Retired teacher Larry Kanow remembers Nguyen as an “intelligent and determined student who overcame difficulties with persistence and a work ethic while being a top debater.”

While at San Gabriel High School, Thorpe was a heavily involved student serving as vice president

CTE classes expand future careers

Photo courtesy of eastcountytoday

In the left photo is Kim Nguyen; in right photo is Lamar Thorpe and his family.

L u c a s J o rg e n s o n

NEWS

of the Associated Student Body; a member of the debate and track teams; vice president of the drama club; and participant in four plays. He most enjoyed being a student aide, saying, “I loved serving our high school in any way imaginable.”

Thorpe’s early life was full of challenges, according to his campaign website. He was put immediately into foster care after his birth in jail.

Raised by adoptive Spanish-speaking parents, he did not know how to read nor write English, so the school system proved difficult for him. Eventually, he joined the Navy and earned many commendations.

He then went to George Washington University (GWU) and majored in Sociology and Women’s Studies, later earning a Master of Arts in Women’s Studies as well. He was elected president of the GWU student body.

City Council and Superior Court all encourage active community participation. Nguyen and Thorpe were active and concerned about what happened in their schools and communities. Thorpe recommends running for a city council seat to any interested students, “especially those interested in impacting their local communities through public policy.”

All Male, Choreo prepare for showcase

Photo by Michelle Ho

Senior Sharon Lee leads the practice routine for her Choreo performance.

Vi rgi ni a S i t u Sweat drips down their faces as All Male and Choreo members practice hard to choreograph their own routine for their upcoming winter showcase.

As an experienced performer, senior Kevin Huynh shows his passion for dance by spending around 2 to 3 hours practicing for his first and last winter showcase in high school.

“I felt like I didn’t do enough last showcase, routine-quantity-wise,” Huynh said. “[The showcase] will be in the auditorium which makes the experience a lot more [liberal] for the audience and the performers.”

With the school year’s first showcase occurring in the winter instead of the usual spring, junior performer Sara Hang is more anxious this year than she was last year.

“I’m really anxious for the showcase [since] we still have a lot to do,” Hang said. “This [showcase] includes more solos, duets, and group routines [than last year’s].”

Working hard to create more performing experiences, sophomore Wilson Tran is nervous for his upcoming performance because he had not finished his routine yet.

“We couldn’t get a rally routine done in time [last year], and not getting rallies done in time just led to cancelling the whole performance,” Tran said. “You really get to see people come out of their shell and show that they have an ability to dance.”

After placing first in the trio category at the Sharp International Competition along with seniors Kathlene Ha and Ivy Ly, senior Sharon Lee encourages her team by having this showcase challenge everyone to “get out of their comfort zone” and to choreograph their own routines while working with one another in solo, duet, or group performances.

“It’s our first mid-year [showcase],” Lee said. “It’s making me really sad because I’m realizing that my fourth and last year on this team is already halfway over.”

Wrapping up closed week, All Male and Choreo will present to the students and staff of San Gabriel High School their annual winter showcase. It will take place in the auditorium on Dec. 9 starting at 6:30 p.m. and ending around 8 p.m. The entry fee will be $5.

Photo by Sunny Chen

Auto tech teacher Bruce Pardee watches over a student changing a tire.

Chelsea Li Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes offer students from different high schools a variety of subjects to help expand their interests in particular fields of study. For the past six years, the College and Career Center has provided more than 20 after school classes, including transportation. Select classes such as Intro to Administrative Justice and Pharmacy Clerk are held around the Los Angeles area, connecting students from Mark Keppel High, Alhambra High, and other schools.

The CTE program can assist students who need credits to graduate. Not only high school credits are given, but college credits can also be earned depending on the type of class taken by each student. A variety of topics such as Intro to Pharmacy Clerk, Medical Terminology, Engineering Terminology, and General Psychology allow students to widen their choices for future jobs.

“Our CTE classes are for high school students here at San Gabriel and all of our Alhambra Unified School District. [They] are welcome to take [them], and we also open [them] up to schools like South Pasadena, San Marino, and Gabrielino,” Molina Ochoa, CTE technician, said.

Most classes take place two days per week because they last about three hours per lecture. Falling on either Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday, the amount of time spent in class is six hours a week. “[In video game design class] you follow instructions and it tells you what to do. It is not exactly coding. [I take swim after school, and] sometimes I would skip swim on Mondays so I [could attend] the class,” senior Crystal Lam, a student enrolled in video game design, said.

With more than 20 classes to choose from, the most registered class have been within the medical field. The Emergency Medical course occurs two semesters, but its topics and lectures have their differences. Emergency Medical Responder starts at the beginning of first semester which can be considered a stepping stone to second semester of Emergency Medical Tech.

“I think that Emergency Medical Tech is [the most helpful to students]. It is one of our hardest classes but I recommend it for students who are going to the medical field, whether they want to be a registered nurse or a doctor,” Ochoa said.

The next registration for the second semester classes will start after winter break.

NEWS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016 3 Safe Space club opens second N S L C recruits semester to support students San Gabriel students THE MATADOR

Photo by Michelle Ho

President Amy Pabon wears a safety pin, the symbol of the club,to let others students know that they can come to her for help.

N a t h a n Ta In response to Donald Trump becoming president-elect, English teacher Melissa Bishop started the club, Safe Space, to “empower students and provide them with the sense of dignity and support that they need to be successful students.”

“I want to be that person who not only cares for other people, but militantly stands up for their rights as people who deserved to be treated well,” Bishop said. “This club hopefully will give you a chance to feel the power that you really do have and should have. It is a club that demands an investment in concern and care for others as well as for oneself.”

Bishop plans to use the club as a support group for anyone who feels “vulnerable, marginalized, or feels like they are not cared for” and ensures that this group is open to everyone.

“It is so easy, I think, to get in a space of dejected fear and feeling compromised like you’re not able to grab ahold of your world,” Bishop said. “The primary goal is for students to come to this club and find peers who are going to say ‘I will walk with you in whatever struggles you are facing.’

It is to empower students committed to each other as people.”

The club plans to empower these students through an organization called Digital Storytelling, created by Joe Lambert.

Bishop plans to use his video essays and small group sharings of what students have gone through as a way to build a support group between the students.

“These video essays are rich moments

for people to engage with at times traumatic experiences [enter] their lives, and render it therapeutic through the act of putting words into visuals [and] auditory,” Bishop said. “I think many of the concerns would tie into why students feel so vulnerable, and these concerns are issues that could also be shared with politicians.”

Part of the club’s goal is to “engage with Congressmen, Senators, and other political leaders through letter-writing and other activists techniques.”

“It is extremely important to empower [students] with the knowledge and the act of engaging with organizations and politicians who can embolden in you by affirming you your needs and interests and how you can take those concerns and vulnerabilities and turn them into actions to affect positively your needs,” Bishop said.

Overall, Bishop hopes that students walk away from the club “[seeing] that they have the power in themselves and in their imagination to change their world.” “[Changing the world] does not happen without collaboration. I hope to share with students that the way to make our lives better is to do it with each other,” Bishop said. “Even just a mind frame change would be enormous; a new mind frame of being in this world, one that is not about competitiveness and one’s own personal success, but one that measures success by the triumphs and well being of our neighbors.”

Though the club does not open until next semester, further information can be found through Bishop in P206.

Band, choir preview winter concert in assembly

Photo by Sunny Chen

Band director Tammy Cogneta conducts the band at the assembly.

Thomas Wang The Matador band and choir performed in the annual Winter Concert on Dec. 7. The two hour concert featured the advanced choir, choir, beginning band, concert band, and Marching Band in the auditorium. On Dec. 2, San Gabriel High School implemented a modified schedule in order to accommodate three 30 minute assemblies, showcasing a preview of the concert. The school was treated to a Winter Concert preview for the first time in recent history. The performances were positively received by the student body, describing the performances as “cool” and “uplifting.” Senior Angela Gomez enjoyed the concert, saying that “the drumline was invigorating. I felt it.”

Photo by Chelsea Li

Chelsea Li For the past 25 years, the National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) has been nominating students based on academic achievement and leadership qualities to have them experience life on a college campus. The program holds their conferences in campuses such as American University, Fordham University, Georgetown University, Georgia Tech, Harvard Medical School, Northwestern University, Rice University, UCLA, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Washington, and Yale University. A selected group of students from across the world attend NSLC and receive a glimpse of the career path they wish to chose. Whether it be biotechnology, game design, journalism, or environmental science, students build up their leadership skills and experience life on a college campus as a high school student.

“I wanted to pursue a career in finance and business finance so I [attended the conference] to learn more about [what it offers],” senior Kelly Tam, who was nominated by NSLC, said.

In 2016, the NSLC was held at Yale University in Connecticut for ten consecutive days.

“I was able to network with a lot of people [and] we were contemplating whether to put a business plan idea into action but could not because of financial problems, Tam said.

Although Tam was unable to put the plan into use, she is now directing a leadership conference, Youth Action Summit of California, in early February in Ontario. She is also the only state council representative at the 27th Congressional District of California.

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THE MATADOR

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

“Rillo”cating Home

Carlos Carrillo Changing cultures Sometimes we don’t realize it, but Southern California is immensely different than the rest of the country in a good way. It really is a melting pot of diversity, and that sounds incredibly cliché, but if you’ve ever been to the Southeast you know that what we see here everyday isn’t really common anywhere else.

Most of my childhood was spent in North Carolina, though I did live in Washington D.C. and Mexico City when I was young, but I remember next to nothing from those places.

Contrary to what some people seem to believe, I didn’t live on a farm and wake up to roosters when I lived in Raleigh, North Carolina, but it was quite different than here.

For one, the cultural difference is astounding. I don’t think I ever saw a single business or restaurant or anything with a name written in Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, or any language that isn’t English.

Every single sign, advertisement, school memo; all of these were in English. When I first moved here I was amazed at just how much variation there was: a Peruvian food joint on one corner, a Vietnamese shopping center on the other; there was none of that in North Carolina. Not even fake Chinese food restaurants like Panda Express bothered to put up locations in town. There was only one remote Chinese restaurant in the city. I didn’t notice it much as a kid (I left when I was eleven), but in retrospect there was a fair bit more racial tension there than there is here. I remember visiting bordering Tennessee and seeing a Confederate battle flag flying on a mast outside of a restaurant, well before controversy and debate arose from the flag two summers ago. By no means were the people discriminatory, though. Most were quite open and pleasant, but there was a small minority that was more close-minded.

There were differences beyond culture too, small idiosyncrasies that made stark differences between here and there. The high schools looked like typical ‘90s movie high schools with indoor hallways connecting every class and lockers for every student, where people were reportedly shoved into. It seemed as though everything was a little different there: there were stoplights at every intersection no matter how miniscule, there were delicious Chick-Fil-A sandwiches in walking distance and it even rained more than three times a year.

These differences aren’t necessarily better, though. If I were given the opportunity to move back, I wouldn’t go. There are things I miss about Raleigh, but I think I gained a more valuable experience living here than I would have over there. Developing as an adolescent in a place as diverse as this one teaches important lessons.

Over there I would have grown up ignorant of all these different cultures, only to be trapped in a bubble of odd Southern culture, much of which is quite unappealing to me. I’m grateful for having the opportunity to end up here in this astoundingly diverse, amazing community.

OPINIONS

Editorial

San Gabriel, California offer safe haven in face of Trump It is undoubtedly true that the election of Donald Trump has brought panic and anxiety to a great deal of the student body at San Gabriel. The controversial policies that the president-elect has proposed have made students question whether or not they are safe in this country. However, in a time where hatred and hostility seem to dominate everyday life, San Gabriel’s organizations and administration, along with California as a whole, are well prepared to protect students and offer aid and relief to those who feel unsafe.

Various clubs on campus are available to aid students who are feeling isolated.

A new club named Safespace aims to provide students with a place to be open about their issues and feel empowered, no matter the difficulties they are facing.

Furthermore, Gay and Proud Supporters (GAPS), a club aimed to provide a safe community for people of all gender identities, is a great example of how school clubs effectively integrate students who could otherwise be marginalized from the community. The fact that our school has clubs such as Safespace and GAPS

shows how our school can effectively address the needs of students of varying backgrounds.

Further, the Association of Latin American Students, along with the Asian American Association (AAA), also believe they can offer help for the community through spreading a positive view on the situation. “[Trump] has changed his stance on some issues, all we can do is hope for more,” President Brandon Gallardo said.

Emily Su, president of AAA, believes that San Gabriel has been making efforts to promote diversity, but “hope[s] [students] can eventually realize that there is more to learn about our world.” Clubs like these, which help build ties between communities, show San Gabriel’s ability to handle its diversity well.

Support for student needs does not stop at clubs; it reaches administration.

Principal Debbie Stone, while not encouraging the walkouts after Trump’s election, did acknowledge that the protesters had a right to express their thoughts. Stone believes that in order to aid students express themselves, adults

on campus should be able to help by listening to what they have to say. This administrative understanding shows one of the great success of the school: giving students a voice when the national discourse can be so ruthlessly oppressive.

Along with San Gabriel, the state as a whole has pledged to protect its residents from a potentially divisive Trump presidency. The California State Legislature, as well as local leaders from both major political parties, promised safety for its citizens after the election.

Through these actions, California has made it clear that it will not let a Trump presidency deteriorate the progress it has made.

The fears that people feel are not unfounded; given the events of the past months it may seem as though hatred, bigotry, and racism are becoming constants rather than diminishing as they should. However, in a time of great alarm and anxiety, no other place in the country can provide the level of security and assurance that is available here in the heart of Southern California.

Legalization of marijuana encounters skeptics despite much support Ei l een O ng For the longest time, drugs have had bad reputations, with all sorts of myths surrounding them. Parents would instill into their children the idea that everybody who tries drugs goes down a dark path to destruction. However, the legalization of medical marijuana in California came in 1996 through Proposition 215, and the legalization of recreational marijuana came on Election Day through Proposition 64. In fact, 25 other states and the District of Columbia retracted the prohibition of some form of marijuana. There must be good reasons for why over half of the United States (U.S.) decided to decriminalize it.

Tobacco and alcohol can cause a laundry list of health problems, yet they are legal. In fact, alcohol has one of the highest mortality rates of substances whereas no one has ever died from marijuana overdose.

If tobacco and alcohol are allowed, it makes no sense as to why marijuana is illegal.

School nurse Rebecca Barker said, “I don’t think [marijuana is] any more dangerous than alcohol, which has been legal for years.”

As a matter of fact, marijuana offers some medical benefits. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, cannabis has pain relieving properties and can help treat health conditions like Glaucoma, epileptic seizures, cancer and HIV/ AIDS. Certain cannabis strains can also reduce anxiety.

At a time when the National Institute of Mental Health reports

that about 18 percent of the U.S. adult population, which is about 40 million adults, have anxiety, medically-prescribed marijuana would provide a remedy for the disorder.

Money is a big factor in permitting marijuana. Billion of dollars of taxpayers money would no longer be wasted on dealing with illegal cannabis possessions; instead the money could go toward funding education programs and other useful reforms. The marijuana market would bring in millions of dollars into the economy. The Colorado Department of Revenue reported that marijuana stores sold 996 million dollars worth of recreational and medical cannabis in 2015, thus resulting in a tax revenue of about 135 million dollars. And that’s only in one state. Imagine how much money the market would bring in if cannabis was legalized nationwide.

While it is true that people can abuse the policy, there are restrictions that come with Proposition 64. The recreational use of marijuana is only for adults over the age of 21, so teenagers can’t legally use it, and consequences are enforced if the law is broken.

The bottom line is that the full legalization of marijuana can open up a lot of medical and economic opportunities. In many ways, this situation is similar to the Prohibition Movement from 1920 to 1933; keeping marijuana illegal doesn’t help. So while it is still debatable, perhaps as time goes by, Propositions 215 and 64 will show their true effects.

Illustration by Vincent Maresca

Revealing test scores promotes unhealthy competition K i m P ham It is difficult to ignore the presence of test scores in a school environment. The scores on standardized tests determine the reputations of teachers, gauge the quality of school administrators, and establish the worth of neighborhood schools. Rather than simply pose as a measure of a student’s comprehension of a subject, the emphasis placed on earning high test scores has instead come to be viewed as a measure of a student’s intelligence and value. It has detrimentally created an atmosphere of unhealthy competition, where everyone is focused on being the best among their peers rather than improving their own capabilities.

“What is your ACT score? How did you do on that chemistry test? Did you pass your SBAC?” These are all questions commonly heard in the halls of San Gabriel.

Although it may come from a place of genuine curiosity, students still should not feel obligated to reveal their test scores when asked the dreaded question. Whether they feel bad about their own score or they are saving you from feeling bad about your own score, a student’s wish to keep that information to themselves should be respected. Junior Nancy Huynh believes that knowing all of your friends’ test scores only feeds into the

vicious cycle of comparison.

“I stopped telling people what I got on my tests because it doesn’t really help anyone to know,” Huynh said. “I think people should just focus more on themselves instead of being upset over someone else getting a higher score. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, so it doesn’t make any sense to keep comparing scores.”

There is still no explanation for the reasoning behind why we continue to devastate ourselves over another person’s expectations for themselves. Personally, even after realizing how illogical it is to be comparing apples and oranges, I still find it difficult to tell people my scores when I know I did not perform well. It comes from a place of insecurity, and fear of being deemed as stupid or lazy, when what should really determine my feelings about a score is the amount of effort I put into my comprehension of the subject.

As a whole, students need to recognize that low test grades do not equate to low levels of worth, intelligence, or talent. There are various factors that go into the outcome of scores other than pure knowledge of the subject, including money to pay for test prep, genuine interest in the topic, and the privilege of having a household that supports making studying a priority in life. In other words, there is no use in competing in a race where all the runners have different starting and finish lines.

OPINIONS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

5

THE MATADOR

Satire

Make America Great Again! Make America Great Again!

T h o m a s Wang I rolled over, as I turned off my alarm. Groggy, I dragged my feet to the bathroom only to find a phantom of myself in the mirror before me. The cut across my cheek I got from the mining accident was starting to turn green. However, I couldn’t afford health care to get the medicine I needed.

Dubbed “The Great Trumpsession,” the entire country lived on its knees after the economy collapsed in 2018. Under Trump’s America, relations with both the European Union and China were strained. But hey. At least Putin is our homie now. The European Union abandoned the United States after Trump tried to hit on German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

China cut all financial ties after he flipped off the president.

After withdrawing from NAFTA and the Trans Pacific Trade agreement, the U.S. went into full-fledged isolationism.

He brought back factory jobs to the Rust Belt, alright. Jobs formerly filled by child laborers in foreign countries are now being filled by domestic child laborers. The pay was almost nonexistent. After minimum wage was gutted, many private companies paid only two dollars per hour. That’s how much I make, anyways. I had to drop out of school after colleges began to lose funding, and I lost all my financial aid. On the bright side, degrees became worthless. Trump and his Congress slashed education and healthcare when the economy started to collapse.

As I left my tiny dwelling, I marched forward to the coal mine nearby for another days work. I was scrolling through the only functioning newsite, Trump’s Twitter. In between all the whining and paranoia, I learned that America is now 90 percent white. Funny. It was only three years ago when the San Gabriel Valley was a sprawling epicenter of culture and when everyone claimed that America would have a minority majority. However, all the minorities left at the first sign of the Trumpsession. At first, this was deemed as a victory for the Republicans. There was no need for deportation because the undocumented immigrants fled back to their home country.

However, as the year went on, over 50 million people left.

Canada was suffering the worst humanitarian crisis in history, as the country took in over 20 million American refugees, 10 times more than the Syrian migrant crisis. They erected a wall along their southern border to keep us out. In a last ditch effort to retain the fleeing migrants, Trump built an electric wire fence along the U.S.-Mexico—keeping many illegal immigrants in. When it was built, he tweeted, “At least our borders are great!” It’s a sad consolation prize if you ask me.

I live along the Mexican border now as well. I needed a job and the San Diego Coal Mine was offering. To be honest, things aren’t that bad for me. I was given a room the size of a bathroom stall by my employer, and sometimes I am lucky enough to take a shower at the communal water spout. Heck, my boss even gave me the ham off his sandwich the other day.

Real ham. Real meat. I’ve only eaten a slice of bread a day for the last year. Despite these private companies controlling my entire life and living like a serf, I lived better than the shanty town along the border.

After being stuck in the damp coal mine for half the day, I stepped outside onto a cliff, and I was able to see past the shanty towns and past the border. I couldn’t believe what I saw.

In a bustling Tijuana, cars zoomed by, and people were actually dressed decently. My sight was finally fixated on a sign with two words. Two words that made me weak in my knees. Two words that brought back the memories of my childhood. Like an explosion of in a vacuum, the familiar feeling of being human surged through every cell of body. In silence, I could only gape at the view before me. Now, I couldn’t read the words because it was in Chinese, but it denoted a restaurant that was probably owned by a new immigrant.

In that moment, I realized that I could not take this any longer. I couldn’t bear the constant back pain after being jammed in a tiny coal shaft for 16 hours a day. I couldn’t take that Trump’s relief policy was giving away excess Trump merchandise from his website. I was sick and tired of this Trumpsession. I didn’t care if there was an electric fence.

I was hungry.

So, I ran.

One nation, under Trump... with ‘liberty’ and ‘justice’ for all

Illustration by Jennifer Cheung

MATADOR

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Sydney Trieu Thomas Wang Joanne Chau Nathan Ta Sunny Chen Eileen Ong Karina Matias Kim Pham Lu Yue Wang Jennifer Cheung Jessica Tran Uyen Sy Kim Ta Michele Thai Selina Han Kelly Ho Shirley Dinh Eva Hernandez Andy Yung Sunny Chen Michelle Ho Vincent Maresca Anny Li Wu Christina Lov Tom Cheah Kathy Quach Kevin Contreras Michelle Ho Vivian Wong Carlos Carillo Virginia Situ Jennifer Kim

Reporters: Nian Capilli, Lucas Jorgensen, Chelsea Li, Vincent Maresca, Kayla Tang, Emily Valentin The Matador is published monthly by the journalism class of San Gabriel High School. 1,600 copies per issue are published at J. E. J Print Inc. The Matador is a public forum for student expression and highly encourages responses in reaction to issues discussed in the paper. The opinions expressed are those of the writers, not the faculty or administration. Articles without bylines are the opinion of the staff. Submit comments as a letter to the editor, signed (anonymity is guaranteed if requested), to H-2, or Ms. Kim’s mailbox.

The Matador Bullring

Do you feel like your teachers make an effort to get to know you?

“ “

I don’t really mind if teachers don’t make an effort to try to get to know their students because they have so many, but I would appreciate it if they did.”

-Kimberly Quiocho, 9th grade

Yes, I feel like my teachers try to get to know me by socializing outside of teaching.”

-Jason Hong, 10th grade

“

I feel like teachers do try their best to get to know you but considering time and the amount of students they have, it’s not really ideal but I feel like most of them do try.”

-Sam Clark, 11th grade

“

I feel like they try their best to get to know every student, and I’m just another one of the many so it’s okay if they don’t know everything about me.“ -Jesse Rodriguez, 12th grade Photos by Sunny Chen

“Tran”scending Life

Jessica Tran Mind over matter Wake up grumpy. Go to school. Do schoolwork. Go to sleep. For the past three years of high school, this was how I went through school days on a daily basis. That is, until I epiphanized the grand scheme of things, life, and the universe that transformed my general outlook in life.

During the summer of 2015, my family and I stayed at a campground in Bishop, an isolated town in central California. With such a tiny population count, the light pollution is minimal, allowing the night sky to shine as opposed to the faux-star satellites we see in Los Angeles. Over a campfire, seeing the stars spawned a conversation between my family members and me about parallel universes and how microscopic we are on Earth. This was the catalyst that sparked the whole big picture notion, but I did not grasp the specific terminology until many moons later. In present-day time, the “whole big picture notion” is what I, and many others, call the grand scheme of things.

Being in that singular, outdoor setting allowed me to come to awareness that my predicaments (e.g. not being able to pick up social cues right away) and where I end up in college are miniscule in the grand scheme of life. I began to reflect that there was a plethora of more important things that I could stress about, including the movement behind climate change and how my actions affect other people and the environment. Of course, I credit gaining cognizance of these issues to the many documentaries I watched over the course of my high school career.

Wa t c h i n g d o c u m e n t a r i e s a n d reading books led me to pick up the 1968 paperback novel titled “The Pigman.” There was a quote in the novel that stood out to me from one of the characters, John Conlan: “I’m really looking for ghosts. I’m looking to prove that when I drop dead there is a chance I’ll be doing something a little more exciting than dying.” Firstly, I am deathly afraid the dark. Secondly, this quote not only disguised the fear I had for the dark but also allowed me look at things at a different light.

Among the many epiphanies I had, I realized that life really is short; I decided to act and applied for a program called Project Bridge with one of the highlights being a completely subsidized, 10-day tour in Korea.

The process involved filling out an application form, and completing essay questions and if lucky, one would move to the second stage, an interview. Fast forward two months after applying, I received a congratulatory letter in my email inbox.

Although my thoughts on school are still in some ways versed, I try to think optimistically; for example, I think of what I have to gain rather than what I have to surrender like my time or in other words, depleting time. My current outlook is comprised of unchronological epiphanies and occurrences that I stomached throughout my life, but I still have a lot to learn. It was a rocky road to get to reach where I am now, and I have no regrets. Without the obstacles I have overcome, I would not contain the mindset I have today.

8

THE MATADOR

THURSDAY. DECEMBER 8, 2016

LIFE & ART

González pursues DJ-ing career

Photo by Vivian Wong

González shows his business card for his DJ services.

Vivian Wong Senior Robert González, otherwise known as DJ González, marked his music career just two summers ago when he began to create his own remixes.

Inspired by late night radio stations such as 107.1 and 96.3, González decided to try out the art of DJ-ing himself.

Ever since his first encounter with DJ-ing, DJ-ing has become

a “fun and entertaining” hobby.

After a few months of practicing and polishing up his DJ routine, González played his first gig at Mas Malo located in Downtown Los Angeles.

“At first, I felt nervous because it was my first time showing everyone my skills. And then I felt a little disappointed and a little pride,” González said. “I was afraid that they might not like it, so that kind of pressured me into a struggling moment that I couldn’t control.”

Although he felt uneasy and fearful when he first performed, he quickly overcame that fear by showing his music to his friends and peers.

“They were surprised. They didn’t believe me at first, but they finally had that feeling I wasn’t lying,” González said.

“They encouraged me by saying that I could be a good DJ.” González explains that he lives for the exuberant ambiance and the rush of euphoria he feels whenever he performs at his family parties.

“A memory that stands out the most is everyone just being happy and cheering you up for what you did or done to make them cheerful or happy,” González said.

González plans to major in music production in college and wishes to continue his DJ career in the future by DJ-ing at different parties around the world.

“I’m not like any other DJ,” González said. “Every DJ has a certain skill and a way they do their own music, and I hope I get to share that with others.”

The Matador Muse

Submitted by Ivy Thong, 12

All Male members join collegiate dance team, UnderGround

Photo courtesy of VIBRVNCY

Ly (bottom left), Chung (right of Ly), Leap (above Chung), Huynh (right of Leap) and other UnderGround members perform at a dance competition.

Anny Li Wu Out of many dancers in a team, four of those dancers are from San Gabriel High School (SGHS). Junior Thomas Chung, and seniors Rithy Leap, Jonathan Ly, and Kevin Huynh made it into a collegiate, dance team composed of different colleges called UnderGround (UG).

“I feel really appreciative and respected being in UG because I’m surrounded by an atmosphere of people who share the [same] passion as me,” Huynh said.

This environment involves many directors and dancers, and among them is director

Kenny Ung. Ung, an alumnus of the All Male dance team at SGHS, inspired the boys’ passion to dance.

“I started having this passion [for dance] in my sophomore when Kenny showed me how fun and difficult dancing could be,” Leap said.

For Huynh, sharing a passion was not enough. Instead, he followed Ung’s journey and tried out for UG. “I’ve had the intention [to] try out [since] last year. Knowing that Kenny was in it, I [wanted] to follow his footsteps because he is the person that motivated me to start dancing,” Huynh said. “I wasn’t hesitant to try out at all because I knew this is what I wanted to pursue and once my mind was set on it, determination and tenacity followed along.”

Since joining the All Male dance team at SGHS back in 2014, these four boys have wanted to improve their dance skills. Leap decided to end his dancing career at SGHS this year.

“I wanted to regain my passion for dance again because I was starting to lose it with the very few opportunities I have at [SGHS],” Leap said.

Although there are not many opportunities at SGHS, it was hard for the boys to decide whether or not to try out for the dance team due to the forty-mile commute to Irvine.

“I needed to figure out a way to get there but I’m glad I went through with it and I’m grateful to Kevin for driving me,” Leap said.

The boys all have a different view of what dance means to them. “[Dance] is my form of expression, and it’s something really empowering to me,” Huynh said.

On the other hand, Chung thinks that dance is a way for him to be more sociable and humble and allows him to become a better leader as well. Comparing UG to All Male, the boys think that dancing in both environments is really different. “[Dancing in UG] is different because of the style,” Ly said.

Overall, the boys think that dancing will just be a hobby to them.

“Hopefully if I become good enough I’ll be able to go big with it somewhere,” Leap said.

As passionate dancers, they hope to improve their dance skills through UG.

Tieu continues “Wall of Gin” legacy in Art Gallery

Photo by Eva Hernandez

The “Wall of Gin” is displayed at the Art Gallery.

Eva Her nandez From paintings and mosaics to ceramic pieces and chairs, students who submitted their pieces to Art Club showed off their talent in the Art Gallery from Dec. 3-4.

Out of all of the pieces shown at the gallery, one of the most prominent was the self-proclaimed “Wall of Gin” by senior Serena Tieu. Started last year by alumnus Tiffany Giang, the Wall consists of nine Snapchat posts of AP Government teacher Raymond Gin. Tieu decided to continue the Wall’s legacy by providing her own Snapchat posts to create the Wall this year.

“When first attended his class, I understood

why [Giang] made [the Wall],” Tieu said. “He’s just a really cool teacher who has a great sense of humor.

That is what [sparked] my interest in adding onto it.”

Each Snapchat features Gin while teaching with drawings added to accentuate the gestures that he uses during lectures. Captions such as “Mr. Gin, the Airbender” and “He’s cooking up something” highlight the entire piece, making for a hilarious wall.

“I gave them permission to [take pictures],” Gin said. “Most of [the pictures] were food related, which was interesting.”

Tieu also displayed her talent with her piece titled “09.08.2016,” which a depicts a girl standing, her side facing the observer, and her hair cascading down her back. A stream of tears falls down her cheek—a reflection of the date’s significance.

“I titled it with the wrong date,” Tieu said. “It is [supposed to be] the date when the 2016 election results were announced. The girl is [reacting to the election] results, as [many] Americans were [devastated], myself included.”

The piece was made with a simple pen and paper but still manages to capture the emotion that rocked through the liberal parts of the United States. Tieu said that she plans to continue creating art as she pursues a career in fashion design and persists in creating visual art with her free time.

“I am always proud of what I display,” Tieu said.

“It makes me happy that I can share my creativity, as well as show off my artistic skills to people. I especially love it when people smile, or laugh at my art pieces.”

LIFE & ART

THE MATADOR

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

9

Fall Movies Review: Moana, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Photo courtesy of Disney

Karina Matias Every time I hear the word “Disney,” many images come in mind. Fairy dust, love, romance—that’s usually what a Disney movie is based on.

Throughout the years, some changes have been seen in Disney princess movies.

With the premiere of Moana, those changes are obvious. Moana demonstrates different actions and the first Polynesian princess, making her unique from any other Disney princess.

Moana, voiced by Auli’i Cravalho, is different because she is a fearless and adventurous teen who risks her life to save the people she loves on her island. A Disney princess usually waits for her prince to rescue her, but Moana does not; instead, she ventures out and fights.

Moana does everything for her family.

She explores without caring about all the danger that she has to confront. Alongside her is the demigod of the wind and sea, Maui, voiced by Dwayne Johnson. At first Maui refuses to take Moana with him because he does not believe a teen was capable of anything, especially since she was a girl.

However, she is capable of so much more, and together, they face difficult encounters throughout their journey.

This movie does not include any romance, and that is something different since most Disney movies do. Instead, there is a friendship and an embrace between Moana and Maui at the end after going through so much together.

This great movie shows more than what we think a Disney princess really is. It reaches past their appearances and focuses more on who they are. Moana is a great representation of a strong, independent person who fought for what she wanted to accomplish.

Uncle Tetsu’s cheesecake meets expectations

Kim Ta The No-Maj (Muggle) writer J. K. Rowling is back again a magical series; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a prequel to the Harry Potter series taking place in 1926 New York.

The two hour movie was released on Nov. 18, obtaining around $23 million on that day and more than $350 million in the box office globally to date. So instead of seeing Potter’s face, the world was introduced to Newt Scamander played by Eddie Redmayne.

Scamander goes on a journey to discover “fantastic beasts,” and the movie begins with him making it to New York.

He meets a No-Maj named Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) through an incident that may have caused tension and chaos between the two worlds.

Honestly, I set my expectations too high and too close to the original Harry Potter series. After watching it, I thought to myself that Harry Potter is better; however, the overall storyline and film production was well-executed.

But the movie gave Potterheads (the Harry Potter fandom) a sense of excitement, an imagination overload, a chance to forget about reality, and a different perspective of the wizarding world. I would know, since I am a Potterhead.

Overall, I would give, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them a rating of 7 out of 10 partly because it was not that memorable and I hyped myself up too high to climb back to Earth. I would definitely watch the movie again, but I would not watch it ten times over again, unlike Harry Potter where I will watch over ten times. There is no news yet for a second installment for what could be a start of a new magical series.

Nintendo ‘Switches’ console up Vincent Maresca

Photo by Kayla Tang

Kayla Tang Uncle Tetsu, a Japanese bakery best known for its original “fluffy” and “airy” cheesecake, caught the attention of many when it first opened in Fukuoka, Japan in 1990. The establishment was founded by Shuntaro Kurakake and Tetsushi Mizokami (Uncle Tetsu himself).

Stirring up quite a craze, the bakery began expanding, now with over 50 locations nationwide.

With over 700 Yelp reviews and an average rating of 3.5 stars, many applaud the Japanese dessert, with comments on its light and soft texture allowing it to practically “melt in your mouth.” Although a majority of the ratings seem positive— the bakery’s constant long lines due to its policy of one cheesecake per person— hold reviewers back from giving higher star ratings.

When I arrived at the bakery, the line was one of the first things I noticed, along with a sign that read: “expected 30-40 minute wait.”

Although the sign gave me a dreaded feeling, I still gave it a chance and found the wait wasn’t

as long as predicted. The line moved constantly, only pausing for five minutes between each batch of cheesecakes that came out of the oven.

Once a batch came out, the cashier would ring a cowbell alerting customers they would soon get to purchase one after it was boxed.

Once I placed my order and received their original cheesecake, I immediately opened the box and was impressed by the presentation of the cake itself. There was a stamp of their logo in the center, and a golden brown layer on top.

I found the cheesecake very soft and light, as what many have claimed before me, and also discovered the term “melt in your mouth” could not have been a better way of describing its consistency. The only downfall about the cake for me was its eggy taste; although if you are not one with a sweet tooth but have a mouth for dessert, this cheesecake is perfect for you.

All in all, I give Uncle Tetsu’s original cheesecake a 3 out of 5 star rating. The pricing of $8.75 per cheesecake was not bad for its size nor for its popular name, and the experience was definitely unique. Uncle Tetsu opened this year and is located at the Westfield Santa Anita Mall on 400 S Baldwin Avenue in Arcadia.

Nintendo is well known for surprising people with their controversial products, but the recent first look at the Nintendo Switch, codenamed “NX,” was finally revealed as of Oct. 20. The new console appears to be Nintendo’s attempt at impressing their fans and creating a home console that can be used on the go.

Despite sharing many relations to the previous console, the Wii U, it can be seen as portable, maneuverable, and controllerfriendly.

The Switch has not yet been confirmed to be touchscreen friendly. The Switch also appears to have 720p resolution and is about six inches in length. The console is shown using cartridges similar to the 3DS to provide the mobility that the Wii U never had. Despite looking like a home console, it is shown to be much more portable like a 3DS and multiplayer and third-party game friendly.

The controllers used for the console revolve mainly around the detachable sides. The sides can be used as TV or Wii remotes and can be attached to have a similar feeling as the Wii U gamepad. The

Switch is slimmer than the clunky ancestor and has a stand to use as a mini television.

A second controller was revealed in the trailer as well, and looks like the Switch’s version of the Wii U pro controller. For more information,the community must wait for Jan. 13, 2017 to hear more about Nintendo’s most abstract console yet.

The Switch was discovered in 2015 with the name NX before it was officially revealed. It is still unknown what “NX” stands for. All that is known about the name is that it was replaced with “Switch.” Even though the Switch has been known for about a year, there have been no screenshots, games, nor any news until Nintendo confirmed it on Oct. 20. Nintendo fans are hyped and confused as to what the console is exactly.

“I do not think Nintendo made a good choice with the name of the console,” sophomore Rafe Grossmann said. “But I am excited to see what kind of perks the NX has in store for us.”

Now that the Switch is revealed, people just want more information on the Switch immediately. But for now, all the interested fans can do is wait until Jan. 13 for Nintendo to tell their community more about the new console, “Nintendo Switch.”

10

THE MATADOR

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8. 2016

SPORTS

2016-17 Winter Sports Scoreboard BOYS BASKETBALL

GIRLS BASKETBALL

BOYS SOCCER

*VARSITY 12/1 @ Gabrielino 12/2 @ Diamond Bar 12/3 @ La Serna 12/6 @ El Rancho

*VARSITY 11/28 @ Chino 11/29 @ Sylmar 12/1 @ Pasadena 12/3 @ Bassett

*VARSITY 11/30 @ St. Paul 12/3 @ Temple City

N/A 65-60 69-59 N/A

W L

*JV 12/1 vs Gabrielino

N/A

*JV 12/6 vs Montclair

*FRESHMAN 12/1 vs Gabrielino 12/6 vs Mark Keppel

N/A N/A

*FROSH/SOPH 12/5 vs Flintridge Sacred Heart

38-27 43-28 44-36 76-26

W L L W

46-17

W

20-19

W

*JV 11/30 @ St. Paul

GIRLS SOCCER W T

*VARSITY 11/30 vs St. Paul 12/6 vs Rosemead

3-0 L N/A

10-0 W

*JV 11/30 vs St. Paul 12/6 vs Rosemead

8-0 L N/A

2-0 1-1

*All games are preseason

Hoang, Ong stand out as most valuable players

Photo courtesy of Vanessa Hoang

Sophomore Vanessa Hoang, number 126, pushes to the finish line.

Photo by Sunny Chen

Senior V icky Ong goes up for a spike against her opponent.

U yen S y When sophomore Vanessa Hoang first attended cross country practice, she struggled and panted as she made an attempt to run a small loop around the track fence. However, over time, she built her stamina through agonizing runs and can now easily run eight miles at practice.

As a freshman, Hoang wanted to join the volleyball team but she did not feel like she belonged. Instead, she stumbled across a cross country member who was recruiting new members and decided to give the sport a try.

“I remember my first week [at practice]; I wanted to give up but everyone there was really encouraging,” Hoang said. “We are all there to motivate each other no matter what state or level we are at in running, and that’s what I really like about [track].”

With a brisk pace averaging six minutes per mile, Hoang specializes in the one mile and 800-meter events at races. Through perseverance and hard work, she received her first medal of this year at the Rosemead Invitational meet.

“I wasn’t too confident of medaling since Rosemead was a hard race [in which] only the top 50 [runners] got a medal,” Hoang said. “Luckily, I was able to really motivate myself and I ended up getting the 50th medal.”

Through joining cross country, she found many benefits. Hoang has had the opportunity to meet and build bonds with fellow teammates that she would have never talked to. Not only has cross country helped her become a more social person, but it has also changed her mentally and physically as an individual.

“Physically, I’m able to endure a lot more when it comes to running. Mentally, I’m able to encourage myself more, especially in cross races,” Hoang said. “ I really think that you shouldn’t give up on any obstacle you face, because it really ends up paying off.”

Although she admits that it is a struggle to balance school work and other extracurricular activities, Hoang looks forward to track season and anticipates attending CIF for cross country or track at least once before she graduates.

Joanne Chau After four years of grind and dedication, senior Vicky Ong received reassurance that hard work really does pay off. As a team captain and a leader of the volleyball family, Ong has established great influence amongst the San Gabriel High School volleyball teams.

Ever since her freshman year of high school, volleyball began to change her life.

Practices after school and during breaks became part of the daily routine. Balancing homework and practices was a challenge, but it was all worth the excitement.

“The adrenaline I feel during games is unbelievable,” Ong said. “I get really pumped and focused on winning. I feel happy after one of my teammates or I get a kill. It’s what [my teammates and I] work hard for during practice, and it all pays off when we take home the win.”

Dedicating herself to a sport in her high school life has definitely brought Ong some confidence and new company. Bonding with teammates and meeting newcomers were some highlights, as well as learning how to work well with others.

“I learned to be accountable and more responsible for my actions,” Ong said.

“Without volleyball, I wouldn’t have found my way through high school because it’s given me a place to belong.”

Ong also sought out the authoritative side of herself once she found out that volleyball coaches Larry Kanow and Chris Kwan would not be returning this year.

“When Kanow and Kwan told us that they weren’t going to coach anymore, I felt the need to step up and take charge [as the] varsity captain,” Ong said. “With such unstable conditions, this made me realize that in order to be the captain my team needed, I had to take initiative and be the leader that the girls could look up to.”

Although Ong does not plan on playing intercollegiate volleyball, the competition, teams, and winning, will always have a spot in her heart.

Her advice to underclassmen is to “work hard because in the end, it truly is worth it.”

Workout of the month: Scissor Kicks Vi rgi ni a S i t u The scissor kicks workout is the best way to workout your abdominal muscles by tightening your abs. The main purpose of this exercise is to strengthen your abs as well as your arms and legs. This workout will help start or maintain a healthy and fit body.

Step one: Stretch your arms to the side around shoulder height and have your legs about shoulder width apart.

Step two: Cross your arms to the front and make sure your right arm is above your left arm. Cross your legs and have your right leg in front of your left.

Step three: Go back to step one’s position.

Step four: This time have your left arm above your right and cross your legs so that your left leg is in front of your right.

Step five: This is a complete rep. Repeat steps one through four until you have done three sets of 10 reps.

Step 1.

Step 2. Return to Step 1.

Step 4.

Photos by Sunny Chen Modeled by Tiffany Le

SPORTS

THE MATADOR

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

11

Captains of 2016-17 Winter Sports

Name: Andrew Canizal Grade: 11 Sport: Boys basketball Q: What are your expectations for this season?

A: My expectations for this season are to get the team ready and come up winning instead of losing.

Q: What actions will you take as a captain?

A: As a captain, I will try to encourage my team to do their best both on and off the court. If they’re having a bad day, I’ll encourage them to keep their heads up and work hard as individuals.

Q: What legacy do you hope to leave behind?

A: I just want the team to go to CIF; that’s the legacy I want to see.

Name: Jarett Tan Grade: 12 Sport: Boys basketball Q: What are your expectations for this season?

A: My expectation for this season is to win league. I want our team to play their hardest every game, and we’ll just have to see what will happen after that.

Q: What actions will you take as a captain?

A: As a captain, I will push my teammates to work their hardest every game and encourage them to do their very best.

Q: What legacy do you hope to leave behind?

A: This year, I hope that we will win league since San Gabriel has not won league in a very long time.

Name: Deanne Dinh Grade: 12 Sport: Girls basketball Q: What are your expectations for this season?

A: We should continue building off what Coach Honda taught us like to be able to compete with Schurr—hopefully, beating them twice—and giving Keppel a run for their money.

Q: What actions will you take as a captain?

A: As captain, I hope to unite the team in all aspects. I hope to remind the girls that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and to just have fun.

Q: What legacy do you hope to leave behind?

A: I want to leave behind the ideology that everyone should always try their best to succeed.

Name: Kitty Lu Grade: 12 Sport: Girls basketball Q: What are your expectations for this season?

A: I expect us to get into CIF and pass the first round. I also want to compete with Schurr and Mark Keppel, regardless of what past years have shown.

Q: What actions will you take as a captain?

A: I hope to give positive energy when our team is down and encourage everyone to keep going and work hard.

Q: What legacy do you hope to leave behind?

A: I want to show that even if you don’t get the results right away, you will get there. Coming from personal experience, I sat on the bench most of last season, but now I am captain.

Name: Jennifer Yan Grade: 12 Sport: Girls basketball Q: What are your expectations for this season?

A: I’m really trying to work hard to get into CIF. Q: What actions will you take as a captain?

A: I would not want myself to be like a dictator or boss people around, but rather want to listen to other teammates’ opinions as well as other captains. Also, I want to cheer them up when they are down.

Q: What legacy do you hope to leave behind?

A: I want to leave behind a winning record, getting into CIF and passing the first round. I also don’t want to face defeat against Mark Keppel.

Name: Andres Huerta Grade: 12 Sport: Boys soccer Q: What are your expectations for this season?

A: I want our team to grow and build a better chemistry.

I want to give it our all and at least win league and make it into CIF. Q: What actions will you take as a captain?

A: I want my team to have a mind of winning. You can’t win by yourself in soccer; you have to have a team, and I want them to know we still have to be close as friends.

Q: What legacy do you hope to leave behind?

A: I hope I can be that one captain that everyone likes. I want to let the team in the future know that I played my position well.

Name: Gerardo Salina Grade: 11 Sport: Boys soccer Q: What are your expectations for this season?

A: My expectations for this season is to hopefully improve overall as a team and make soccer in San Gabriel a well known sport.

Q: What actions will you take as a captain?

A: I will try and bring in outside experiences and skills from club teams and try to implicate it into our schools team.

Q: What legacy do you hope to leave behind?

A: I’d like to leave behind a better attitude towards the sport, so more people would appreciate it and take it more seriously.

Name: Cristal Alvarez Grade: 12 Sport: Girls soccer Q: What are your expectations for this season?

A: My expectations are to win more games than last year and to give it my all on the field. I hope to go to CIF because I want to leave this school with a better record than my last four years.

Q: What actions will you take as a captain?

A: I’ll try to motivate my team to better each other as a team so we can look good on and off the field and and try to communicate.

Q: What legacy do you hope to leave behind?

A: I hope my teammates keep working hard and not give up.

Also, I hope they’ll be there for each other because we’ve always been sisters.

Name: Angela Rodriguez Grade: 12 Sport: Girls soccer Q: What are your expectations for this season?

A: I want our team to be able to go to every game as a team, to win as a team, and to also play our hardest without giving up on each other.

Q: What actions will you take as a captain?

A: I’ll make sure my team is always focused and in a good mood. As players or captains, I’ll make sure that they’re keeping their grades up to continue enjoying the game of soccer.

Q: What legacy do you hope to leave behind?

A: I want them to keep feeling like sisters because we were always told that we’re family and sisters.

Interviews by Sunny Chen, Virginia Situ, and Michele Thai Photos by Sunny Chen and Michelle Ho

12

THE MATADOR

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

FEATURES

Ochoa checks Greece off her bucket list Michelle Ho Italy. North Africa. Spain. Honduras. Junior Nadia Ochoa has explored almost every continent. Ever since she was 10, Ochoa and her family—consisting of her mother, father, and brother—have been traveling around Europe and the Caribbean, but on this last venture, the family decided to tackle the well-known country located in southeastern Europe between the Aegean and Ionian Sea for the first time—Greece.

The family had neither a special agenda nor a reason to tour different places other than to enjoy the spectacular scenery around the world and spend quality time with each other while also moving quickly down their bucket list of future expeditions. Ultimately, the Ochoas took full advantage of their Thanksgiving break to do so.

“My family has been piling up a list of future travels for a while now, and we realized that we haven’t traveled in quite some time, [so] we decided that we had to go somewhere,” Ochoa said. “There wasn’t an exact reason as to why we went, but it was a place we’ve been wanting to go to especially since we have the chance.”

Ochoa said that whatever inconveniences she faces with

her family during her trips will never affect her enjoyment, believing that no one could take away the beauty of the magnificent sights of her travels.

“Although the people were really rude and honestly weren’t too fond of Americans, I really enjoyed the trip because I got to spend quality time with my family,” Ochoa said.

Ochoa spent her time in Athens, Oia, Delphi, Meteora, Thira, and Albania. She shopped down the main street, Pláka, toured around the Acropolis in Athens, visited monasteries in Meteora, and went to the Zeus temple. “[The trip] was filled with historical landmarks that dated back thousands of years ago, which was really a sight to see,” Ochoa said.

Ochoa believes that every single trip she goes on is an adventure. She says that no matter where the next adventure takes her, the real fun is spending time with her loved ones.

She also suggests that if one receives the opportunity, they should travel to Italy or to foreign places in general.

“No one should ever regret going to a new place, trying new things, or meeting new people,” Ochoa said. “Also, if you ever meet someone who isn’t worth talking to or about, then just don’t talk about them. ”

Hacbang (middle) exploring the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park.

Ochoa is photographed next to the flag of Greece.

Hacbang visits underground river of Philippines S el i na H an

Photo courtesy of Danica Hacbang

Photo courtesy of Nadia Ochoa

After traveling over 8,000 miles from California to her birthplace in the Philippines, senior Danica Hacbang found herself in a small riverboat going through a cave on the longest underground river in the world.

Hacbang was born in the Philippines but moved to America when she was four years old. Nearly a decade later, she returned to visit her birthplace on a three week trip that started on Oct. 27.

“One [of my reasons for visiting] is family,” Hacbang said. “Second is just the country itself; it is really fun and there are a lot of things to do.

There is the metropolis life and the

Lin tastes nightlife of New York Despite the intense cold weather, Lin enjoyed the urban atmosphere. From 8 a.m. to 12 a.m., she explored what New York had to offer and walked around 20 miles each day at her leisure.

“It’s a lot busier there,” Lin said. “I like the fast pace, and no one pays attention to [the] traffic.

Literally, the hand [signal] could be up for pedestrians to [start] walking, but we walk anyways because there are no cars or we’re in a rush.”

During two of the five days Lin was there, she visited upstate New York and lived in her cousin’s Photo courtesy of Anney Lin cabin. One of her favorite places was Pine Hill, a prominent tourist Lin and her mother hold each community. other through the New York cold.

“It was a three-hour drive, and it was the first time I saw snow,” Lin said. “[The] fresh snow was a Chr i s t i n a L o v foot deep, [which was] really hard to walk in.”

Staying near where the Twin There, she spent quality time Towers once stood, senior Anney with her cousin, who studied Lin stares out the window of her abroad in Italy. Learning how to temporary abode with the World bake cookies the “correct way” and Trade Center staring back. make spaghetti was an experience What started as a joke to her she would never forget. parents became a reality when “It was really fun,” Lin said.

Lin’s parents took her suggestion “But the whole time I was [in New to visit New York and booked a York], my friends Snapchatted flight there. When Thanksgiving me, ‘I’m summoning Anney, come break rolled around, it was the back.’” perfect time to go. During the five Lin still desires to “go back [durdays Lin was there, she explored ing] spring break,” reflecting her many cities and created a myriad love for New York. Lin also dreams of memories. of going to college there as well.

“It was fun [but] really cold,” “It’s just my favorite place,” Lin Lin said. “Because I can’t handle 70 said. “If I could live anywhere, I degrees here and it was under 30 would live there.” degrees there, I just died.”

province life. There are really nice places there.”

Hacbang spent her family vacation island-hopping and visiting the beautiful beaches of the Philippines.

The highlight of her stay was her trip to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, where she sat in a small boat with nine other people, guided only by the pre-recorded voice of a tour guide and a small flashlight.

“It’s basically this really long underground cave and river underneath the mountain. [When I went] inside, the [ceiling] was just covered in bats. As you go further there is an aisle they call ‘The Grocery Lane’ because there are a lot of rock/mineral formations that look like carrots and mushrooms,” Hacbang said. “There

is this one part they call ‘The Cathedral’ because there is a giant candle and rock formations that look like [statues resembling] Baby Jesus. It was really cool.”

Hacbang is no stranger to travelling as she has been to Chicago, Japan, and China as well. Her visit to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park was special to her because some consider it as the eighth wonder of the world. Hacbang said that if she had grown up in the Philippines, she would have chosen to stay there, but she would still choose to stay in America since this is where she spent most of her life.

“It’s cool because each country you go to, even if it’s just a stop transitioning to another plane, the culture is just very different,” Hacbang said.

Zhang takes memorable cruise, trip to Mexico Photo courtesy of Alex Zhang

Zhang takes a selfie with his family at Cabo San Lucas Beach.

N athan Ta With the impending doom of college application deadlines, senior Alex Zhang and his family escaped it all on a cruise to Mexico.

“I definitely enjoyed being able to put off most of my responsibilities during the trip,” Zhang said.

Zhang went to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico over Thanksgiving break.

During his time there, he explored some of the city’s landmarks, such as El Arco de Cabo San Lucas.

“We got a ride with a local who showed us around the shoreline in Cabo San Lucas,” Zhang said.

“After that, [my family and I] just chilled on the beach for few hours.”

Although Zhang found the tour interesting, it wasn’t exactly comfortable for him.

“It was okay, but seating was really cluttered,” Zhang said.

Afterwards, Zhang spent most

of his time alone on the cruise ship exploring the lower decks.

“The lower decks were pretty industrial ship-like, nothing special, but you could see the waves up close.

It was really peaceful,” Zhang said.

Zhang also watched nightly theatre performances near the lower front of the cruise ship. The first night featured a Broadway-style musical, the second night had a Luminescence acrobatics performance, the third night had a magic show performed by the cruise director, and the last night was a mash-up of all the performances called “Le Cirque de BijouI.” “The shows were nice, the overall management was really well done and the service staff were really hands-on and extremely welcoming,” Zhang said.

Out of all the shows, the Luminescence acrobatics performance stood out the most to Zhang.

“It was really peaceful and relaxing compared to the bombastic nature of musical numbers,” Zhang said. “It was more about the skills of the two performers rather than the cinematography, but the magic show was really quirky and funny [so it] would probably be a close second.”

After four days in Cabo San Lucas, it was finally time for Zhang to head home. Although his trip was short lived, it will be an experience he will always remember.