The Matador: April 2016

Page 1

LIFE&ART

“San Gabriel alumnus opens barber shop” p.8

SPORTS

“Staff beats seniors in annual basketball game” p.10

FEATURES

Kwan, Kanow’s decadeslong legacy ends in

bittersweet nostalgia”

THE MATADOR p.12

SAN GABRIEL HIGH/APRIL 14, 2016/ VOLUME 61 / ISSUE 8

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

State Senators announce new bill at San Gabriel

Photo By Sydney Trieu

Senior Leo Liu speaks at the senate press conference to show his support for Senate Bill 1050. S h i rl e y Di n h a n d N a t h an Ta California Senator Kevin De León (D-Los Angeles), several other elected officials, and community leaders announced the College Readiness bill, Senate Bill (SB) 1050, at a press conference in the Matador Arena on April 8. Coauthored by Senators Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina) and Dr. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), SB 1050 was created to help high schools that enroll 75 percent or more lowincome, English learners, and/or foster youth students, also referred to as Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) Plus students, to enhance their college readiness programs. “[SB 1050 promotes] higher education, [is an] effective way to create upward mobility, and can critically drive economic competitiveness. A student’s zip code can make the difference [between] admission or rejection. California high school graduation rates are increasing; however, only 42 percent meet the A-G requirements,” De León said.

Spring play premieres tomorrow C a ro l i n a L oai si ga The annual spring play, “Noises Off,” will be featured in the auditorium for the first time in 14 years. “Noises Off” will be a comedy feature of a play within a play, in which the characters of the play are reenacting another play called “Nothing On.” The play is split into three main acts; the first act features the cast running around missing cues, illustrating a disorganized play. The second act highlights the behind the scenes of a play production, showing the cast members in distress and a deteriorating relationship between the members. The last and third act shows the cast still trying to hide their imperfections and continue on with the show, but they cannot get rid of the bad tension surrounding them during the production. Senior Daymian Castro is a main character in the play and expects the play to be a hit among the students. “This is my first time being in a play, the production and crew have worked very hard to make this happen,” Castro said. Tickets are currently eight dollars presale, five dollars with ASB at the student bank and 12 dollars at the door. “Noises Off” will be playing at the auditorium April 15, 16, 22, 23 at 7 p.m. and April 21 at 4 p.m.

The funding will come from Proposition 98 and the state government; however it is up to the school to apply for a K-12 College Readiness Block Grant, meet criteria, and decide what to use the money on.This can mean a variety of things from opening up more AP classes to providing professional development for the staff. “We believe that SB 1050 will create more opportunities for the youth of all backgrounds. If students don’t have a sufficient amount of counselors, then the parents and students would not know what to do,” Stewart Kwoh, Founding President and Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, said. SB 1050 also aims to increase admissions to Universities of California (UCs) and Cal State Universities of students from schools with LCFF Plus students. Dr. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento)

commented on how UC admissions should be about a student’s effort, rather than a competition to grab any remaining position available. “Some people want to talk about UC admissions as a ‘zero sum game.’ I have it, you don’t. This is not what it should be about, it should be about [working hard],” Pan said. “This is not good for California as a whole. Everyone who works hard should be given this opportunity to go to college.” Many senators and officials from school and college districts also spoke at the press conference, including Garvey Elementary School District board member Henry Lo. “Our parents look to our public schools as modern day Ellis Islands for their children to reach the American Dream. I support this bill, because it attempts to ensure more students are qualified to be admitted to a UC, so everyone competes on the same academic level,” Lo said. Seniors Trista Rios and Leo Liu also spoke at the press conference. “I believe that everyone deserves an opportunity to discover their own path to higher education,” Rios said. “Approving this bill will provide students from all backgrounds the resources to navigate the collegiate world.” Senior Eric Thai, who attended the conference, commented on how SB 1050 could be utilized. “Since our counselors provide expert knowledge in college, we probably won’t need the funds to train counselors,” Thai said. “Instead, we need to increase the rigor in classrooms to better prepare our students. In order to get this bill passed, De León must introduce the bill to the senate, allocate the funding, and get the bill approved by the governor of California. Principal Debbie Stone felt honored to have the school host the press conference. “[San Gabriel] was chosen to host this press conference because our school has over 75 percent students that are economically disadvantaged. Our school is eligible for the funding and resources from this senate bill.” Although De León has not heard any opposition towards SB 1050, he said that “those who do oppose the bill are opposing economic growth.”

FEATURES

K w a n , K a n o w ’s d e c a d e s - l o n g legacy ends in bittersweet nostalgia Sydney Tr ieu

Photo courtesy of Larry Kanow

Larry Kanow and Chris Kwan attend an alumnus’ wedding.

“History? Mr. Kanow has the history. Me? I am history,” volleyball coach Christopher Kwan jokes as he oversees the boys volleyball practice alongside head coach Larry Kanow. Kwan pauses, his gaze scanning the court before continuing. “This is my last year.” With 21 years of coaching experience and 17 league championships under his belt, Kwan is no stranger to the San Gabriel High School community. Taking home victories in both the local Almont League and in the California Interscholastic Federation, Kwan and Kanow have created a tight-knit family with both the girls and boys volleyball teams since the 1990s. But in 1987, the beginning of the Kwan’s freshman year, there was no boys volleyball team. The team was formed later that year, with Kwan as one of its very first players. It was then that he met Kanow, whom Kwan describes as his teacher, coach, mentor, and above all else—friend.

continued on pg.12


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