Tongva Times-February 28, 2018

Page 1

Gabrielino High School

tonGvA times

VOLUME XX • ISSUE VI • Wednesday, February 28, 2018 • 1327 S. San Gabriel Boulevard, San Gabriel, California 91776

Five of 15,000 scholarship finalists

By Annie Phun Sports Editor

For the first time in Gabrielino history, five students have been named finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program and will be considered to receive National Merit Scholarships. These students include seniors Jannelle Dang, Angelina Liang, Christopher Lung, Hugo So, and Benjamin Vuong. In order to be considered a finalist, students must meet or exceed the PSAT standard for their state and be marked qualified by the corporation after completing an application process, where information on the student’s academic record, community service, and awards are given. Each of the students are also required to submit a letter of recommendation and write an essay. The winners are set to be announced by the NMSC in March. Roughly 8,000 students will be chosen to receive one of three types of scholarships. These

Gab Talks inspire students By Marleld Duran Staff Writer

Christine Tran|Tongva Times

STAR SCHOLARS Seniors (from left to right) Hugo So, Jannelle Dang, Christopher Lung, Angelina Liang, and Benjamin Vuong are five of 15,000 National Merit Finalists across the country. awards include receiving a grant of $2,500, being selected for a corporate sponsorship, or obtaining a college sponsorship. As one of the top private-

ly-funded programs in the country, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) began in 1955 and has awarded approximately $1.5 billion dol-

lars to over 380,000 students for undergraduate study. The corporation’s mission is to honor and recognize the academically talSee Merit Finalists, Page 4

City Council sends ICE packing By Ethan Tan Staff Writer After public outrage and pressure, the San Gabriel City Council voted 3-2 on Feb. 6 to terminate a partnership agreement between the San Gabriel Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Councilmembers Chin Ho Liao, Denise Menchaca, and Jason Pu voted for termination of the agreement and Mayor Juli Costanzo and Vice Mayor John Harrington voted to keep the partnership in place. The agreement, which designated one police officer to act as a federal customs task force agent to enforce criminal immigration law, had been proposed in July 2017 but did not become official until December, when a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed. Councilmember Pu told the Tongva Times that he was shocked that the agreement had been signed without input from the community or the City

Ethan Tan|Tongva Times

SPEAKING OUT Advocacy groups gathered at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse on Feb. 2 to discuss the partnership between SGPD and ICE, and how it would affect undocumented immigrants in the city. Council. The core controversy centered on whether or not partnering the police department with ICE was in violation of California State Senate Bill SB 54, more commonly known as the Sanctuary State Bill. SB 54 prohibits any

law enforcement agency at the state or local level from cooperating with federal immigration officials. Shiu-Ming Cheer, senior attorney at the National Immigrant Law Center, pointed out that, “in cities like Oakland [...]

police departments who have had task-force agreements with HSI, have had HSI report criminals [for deportation] without the approval of the local police department, which would be a violation of SB 54. In addition, See ICE, Page 14

Since 2012, Gabrielino High School has held Gab Talks, a week-long event for staff members and students to share stories to the rest of the community. Senior co-hosts Jannelle Dang and Sydney Jung worked alongside the Associated Student Body (ASB) to pick this year’s theme and presenters. Speakers are presenting all week in the Gary E. Goodson Theatre during lunch. Today’s speakers include senior Mariah Aragonez and science teacher Dave Cameron, who will be sharing how their experiences connect to the theme, Passion Matters. On Monday, senior Victoria Nea and English teacher Marguertia Drew spoke about their past experiences with dedication. Yesterday, senior Winfred Wang and special education teacher Sheila Mateo shared how their love for a hobby led them to continue pursuing their passions. Senior Kayla Dang and police detective Martin Garcia will be presenting tomorrow. Science teachers Kevin McClure and Thomas Velekei, and alumnus Roy Rosell will speak on Friday. The speakers filled out applications last month and were then selected by Dang, Jung, and ASB advisor Yvonne Aparicio. Garcia and Rosell were recommended by Principal Sharon Heinrich. Gab Talks was inspired by “TedTalks,” which is a series of influential videos presented by experts on topics such as education and creativity. Gab Talks was brought to life by a group of students led by Raymond Lam and Sharon Liu, who were a part of the 2012 graduating class. The goal of Gab Talks was to serve as a community forum and share lessons that would humanize the types of people on campus. Speakers each day consist of one student and one staff or faculty member. When Gab See Gab Talks, Page 4

In this issue... Gabrielino’s varsity cheer team performed against 19 other schools at Nationals. See Community, Page 4

Michael Hong reviews Marvel’s newest film, “Black Panther.” See Entertainment, Page 12

February is Black History Month. Learn about 16 African Americans who are shaping the 21st century. See Features, Page 6 Art students can do a lot with pencil and paper, but they can do even more with other artistic mediums. See Student Life, Page 8


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