The Wildcat (#5 May 2016)

Every 15 minutes a drunk driver kills someone. pgs. 4-5

Wildcat brea olinda high school

volume 85 issue 5

May 2016

2

index

14 8 Lunch with Collier

In this monthly series, the Wildcat staff spends lunch with BOHS faculty. This month, co-Editor-in-Chief Anabel King sits with Jennifer Collier, math teacher.

Harry Potter World

Feature Editor Samantha Magpantay visits Universial Studios’ newly opened attraction, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which debuted on April 7.

PGS 4-5

PG 14

Prom Court

Dance

Meet your princes and princesses for this year’s prom court. King and queen will be announced tomorrow night at the ‘Happily Ever After’-themed dance.

Dance Production members, Hayden McElroy, Chihiro Takebayashi, Vanessa Min, Ciara Martinez, and Addisyn Harris, dance to Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep”.

PG 8

on the cover

Every 15 minutes a drunk driver kills someone. pgs. 4-5

Wildcat brea olinda high school

volume 85 issue 5

May 2016

Coordinated by Dan Moon, police officer, Every 15 Minutes was held from April 19 to 20 to inform juniors and seniors of the serious risks of drunk driving. Pictured: Officer from the Brea Police Department as the Grim Reaper.

Front cover photo by RACHEL LIN

16 the Wildcat EDITORS-IN-CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR

Anabel King and Astyr Ko Nicole Nam and Stacy Uhm Matthew Moon

FEATURE EDITOR

Samantha Magpantay

OPINION EDITORS

Anabel King

NEWS EDITOR

Jacob Nam

A&E EDITOR

Astyr Ko and Stacy Uhm

HEALTH EDITOR

Anabel King

TRENDS EDITOR

Astyr Ko

FOODS EDITOR

Stacy Uhm

PHOTO EDITORS

Ethan Ahn, Harry Cho, Rachel Lin, and Brandon Yun

STAFF WRITERS

Erin Chung, Vivien Coop, Amos Heo, Juliet Isles, Diana Jarrah, Aisha Khawaja, Ethan Pham, and Amber Tovar

PHOTOGRAPHERS ILLUSTRATORS ADVISER

Monica Hiemer, Halie Nam, and Deval Patel Deziree Cervantes and Halie Nam Alex Koers

mission statement The Wildcat is the voice for the student body of Brea Olinda High School. The purpose of our publication is to inform and educate the Brea community, as well as to highlight campus life and student achievement. Our energy is dedicated to the research of facts and opinions, and focusing on issues that concern the high school experience. Opinions stated in the Wildcat do not necessarily belong to Brea Olinda High School administration, faculty, and students. Unsigned editorials reflect the views of the staff. Bylines columns reflect the views of the writer.

the Wildcat

Brea Olinda High School 789 Wildcat Way Brea, CA 92821

bohs.wildcat.newspaper@gmail.com

FACEBOOK: The BOHS Wildcat Newspaper

opinion

T

by ANABEL KING

illustration by HALIE NAM

SeaWorld proves that even in our money-first society, morality and ethics can ultimately prevail over profit and greed.

he image of a killer whale drowning its trainer, or of orca gatherers snatching a young whale from its mother, were only some of the gruesome scenes depicted in the 2013 documentary film Blackfish that exposed the inhumane treatment of SeaWorld’s famous inhabitants. Now, in response to growing public resentment (just last year, the California Coastal Commission moved to ban orca breeding at the San Diego park), SeaWorld announced on March 17 that the amusement park will stop captive orca breeding and cease its orca entertainment shows as part of its “responsibility to preserve marine wildlife,” explained Joel Manby of SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment.

Many critics, such as the People of the Ethical Treatment of Animal (PETA), complained that SeaWorld’s decision was not a radical enough change to truly benefit the endangered species, even calling for the removal of orcas entirely from its facilities.

“PETA has campaigned hard and today there is a payoff for future generations of orcas,” PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk said in a statement. “For decades orcas, dolphins, beluga whales, seals and many other animals have suffered in SeaWorld confinement, and to do right by them now, SeaWorld must open the tanks to ocean sanctuaries so that these long-suffering animals may have some semblance of a life outside their prison tanks.

SeaWorld has taken a step forward but more must come.”

But others, like Blackfish’s filmmaker Gabriela Copperthwaite, and California representative Jared Huffman, applaud the theme park’s decision. For SeaWorld, an amusement park built to be an animal entertainment business first, and a wildlife protection organization second, any step towards more humane

Where there’s a whale, there’s a way

3

animal treatment is a step in the right direction.

SeaWorld is now thinking outside the tank, putting animal welfare before profit.

It’s a refreshing — and surprising — move for SeaWorld, particularly because its decision was in response to public reaction and consumer behavior.

During a time when other amusement parks like Disneyland continuously raise their admission prices despite public disapproval, SeaWorld has listened to its visitors — even partnering with the Humane Society of the United States — by recognizing that their practices are wrong and acting upon that recognition, even if it could affect their sales (the L.A. Times predicts a 12 percent decrease in park attendance). SeaWorld proves that even in our money-first society, morality and ethics can ultimately prevail over profit and greed.

SeaWorld claims that decades ago, before the park opened, the killer whale was a feared predator among humans as it was a black-and-white-colored predator that blended into murky waters and feasted on Great White sharks, mercilessly playing with its food for a long period before devouring it. With the emergence of whale shows, these social creatures were no longer seen as monstrous predators, but as an entertaining circus animal. The general public fell in love with Shamu as she performed mesmerizing tricks. But then, love and mesmerization turned into exploitation of the captive orcas to the point where drastic measures were taken to satisfy society’s hunger for orca shows, and it was here where SeaWorld’s mission to educate and protect was led astray.

Fortunately for SeaWorld, it’s never too late to right the wrong. When innocent lives are taken into consideration, when personal greed is set aside, when epiphanies born from ignorance and denial and fear are birthed into love and understanding, change — real change — is palpable. It’s imminent. And when change is palpable and imminent, it shouldn’t matter how grand or drastic the change is to begin with.

4

news

WAKE UP CALL: (clockwise from left): Brent Gutowski, senior, is “injured” in a traffic accident; a simulated traffic collision is presented to juniors and seniors in the stadium; a police officer gives Sarah Easley, junior, a sobriety test; a firefighter breaks through a car to save Gutowski. (bottom) Luke Fishman, senior, is a “victim” of a drunk driving accident.

A Dose of reality

by ETHAN PHAM & NICOLE NAM

Starting from zero period, the noise of a traffic accident played over the P.A. system, signifying that a death had occurred. Coordinated by Dan Moon, police officer, BOHS held the Every 15 Minutes program from April 19 to 20 in order for students to experience the tragedy of drunk driving.

Selected students were pulled out of classes by the Grim Reaper along with police officers, and their eulogies were read out loud. Each of the victims’ faces were painted black and white to portray the “living dead” and were not allowed to communicate to anyone. According to Moon, with the living dead unable to communicate with anyone, it creates “an artificial way to temporarily create loss” and allows their loved ones to experience grief. During the event, upperclassmen attended assemblies to learn about the consequences of drunk driving. Juniors and seniors gathered at the football stadium to witness a mock traffic accident.

Jordyn Olsen and Brent Gutowski, seniors, acted as the victims of drunk driving.

“It was a surreal experience to have gone through the firefighters getting me out of the car, having an ambulance take me to the hospital, and having a doctor tell my mom that I died,”

Gutkowski said.

Throughout that day, all the victims were taken to Embassy Suites and listened to guest speakers.

Parents of the victims’ were notified by Brea police officers and given hand-written letters from their child that they “passed away”. The following day, juniors and seniors gathered in the main gym and a footage of everything that happened on the first day was presented. Upperclassmen were able to listen to guest speaker Joan Brewer and her loss of her son due to drunk driving. The audience also listened to two of the victims’ handwritten letters to their families. After the end, all the “living dead” were brought back to life and reunited with their family and friends.

Though the program solely focuses on the deaths of teens, it also portrayed adults as victims, including Amy Welch, science teacher. Welch had been taken out of her class by the Grim Reaper while she was teaching, surprising her students.

“Seeing that an adult can be affected by these collisions as well was an impactful experience for them,” Welch said. “It was impactful to feel that loss and know that I was leaving them and not even saying goodbye.”

news

5

TEEN DRUNK DRIVING

The Wildcat presents a by-the-numbers look at teenage drinking and driving. sources: courtinfo.ca.gov & www.madd.org

.

R.I.P

4,700

YET they are responsible for

21 10%

drivers under the age of

teens were killed last year because of drunk driving related car crashes.

make up

17%

of licensed drivers

of fatal car crashes

Ray N. Carnation City Cemetary

1

40%

of all 10th graders drink alcohol

Car crashes are the

10

1

out of

no.

high school teens drink and drive

cause of death for teens.

West Banks High School

Mercy Hearts Hospital RIP

RIP

RIP

RIP

RIP

RIP

RIP

RIP

teens will die today because of driving under the influence.

YET ONLY

1 7 1 100 in

teens

binge drink.

in

parents believe that his/her teen drinks.

compiled by SAMANTHA MAGPANTAY infograph by MATTHEW MOON

25%

of teen car crashes involve an underage drinking driver.

6

feature

A

bomb outside the classroom door was the first sign that Jennifer Collier, math teacher, had been cursed. It was in a backpack, sitting just outside the BITA room, and her class was soon evacuated. The bomb turned out to be a hoax.

Then there was the fire. A few years after the bomb scare, the bitter scent of smoke seeped through a wall of her classroom. At first, Collier thought her coughing students were just being dramatic. But denial soon turned into alarm when she too smelled the thick smoke, growing stronger by the second. And although Bob Parish, assistant principal, told her not to leave the classroom, eventually the smell became unbearable. Heroically, Collier evacuated her room anyway.

When firefighters arrived, they discovered a fire had indeed been burning

in the adjacent room. They proceeded to knock down the burning wall, flooding Collier’s classroom. The culprit: A cigarette left in a vent from the nearby boys’ bathroom. Collier’s curse had struck again.

Collier soon moved to a different classroom, this time protected within the newly-renovated hallways of the New Building. Near the front of her desk is a hole in the wall patched up with mesh. Only three years ago, water from the Foods classroom upstairs had somehow leaked, and for nearly a month Collier would “swear [she] felt a drip on her head.” Then one day as her student teacher was instructing the class, a student told Collier that her feet and her backpack were soaking wet. Collier then saw water streaming down the wall. From behind the now patched-up hole was a water bubble which could burst at the slightest touch -- and it did.

But despite “the curse that follows [her] wherever [she] goes,” Collier

feature

Lunch with

by ANABEL KING

photo by DEVAL PATEL

could never stay away from her true passion: teaching math.

“Anyone who’s ever had my class knows that I get excited over the topics I teach,” Collier said. “I try to make math come to life and get kids really engaged in it. Anybody in my calculus and Algebra 2 classes will know that I’m very sarcastic, so if a kid makes a fool of themselves, I’ll totally run with it and I’ll integrate it into the teaching and constantly pick on them about that topic so they’ll never get it wrong again.”

Collier’s love for teaching math stems from her days as an engineer, where she would sit in a cubicle, coding on a computer all day. Collier earned her degree in electrical engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2002, but when she graduated (one of the few girls in her class of 200 graduates), it was hard to find a job due to the dot-com bubble burst, the speculative “bubble” created during the Internet boom in the late ‘90s and

7

early 2000s. At first, Collier wanted to be a sales engineer, but when she couldn’t get a job doing that, she saw teaching as a perfect combination of interacting with people and math.

With a teaching degree from Cal State Fullerton, Collier has been teaching for 12 years. She draws inspiration from her colleagues Andrea Ramos and Amy Welch, science teachers.

“Just knowing how they are, they’re so passionate about their subject, and they like to bring ‘outside things’,” Collier said. “It’s really hard to find ‘outside things’ for math so this summer I’m going to a training to see if I can make calculus come to life more and see if I can get some outside influence. Mrs. Ramos goes on those field trips to learn about the environment and Ms. Welch does all these experiments after school to really bring biology to life, and I want to make that change to calculus and make it less boring for kids, make it less blah. I want to really make a change, so they definitely inspire me to keep bettering myself and my teaching.”

Collier’s colleagues at school play an influential role in her life, especially her exercise group, which consists of Special Education teacher Samantha Greiner, and Skills for Success teachers Kara Dietz and Jessica Dombrowski. Along with Collier, the group is currently training for a half marathon in May. But since it’s “increasingly hard” to find a two-hour slot of training in all of the their schedules, the teachers prepare individually.

Occasionally, Collier and Dietz will run during sixth period together, but for the most part, Collier clocks in her miles at 4:30 a.m. every morning.

“On a typical day, I’ll get up early to run at 4 a.m., come home at 6 a.m., get ready, get my kids ready, drop my kids off at school, and then come here,” Collier said. “Today I have a Department Chair meeting, a Brea Olinda Teachers Association meeting, and then I have to get my son to baseball practice. I come home, cook dinner, make sure my kids do their homework, and then at 8 p.m. I finally get to relax for an hour or so and then I go to bed. It’s a crazy day.”

Collier attributes her greatest accomplishment to her children. Her son turned 4 years old in April, and her daughter, 6, has been singing the quadratic formula song since she was 3. “I used to show that to my students and I’d be like, if my daughter can memorize the quadratic formula, then you can too,” she laughed.

At BOHS, Collier is also known for collecting an “insane amount” of cans for the annual Canned Food Drive. Nicknaming herself the “crazy can collector”, Collier’s competitive side shines through as she wins the title of most collected cans almost every year.

One year, during the Canned Food Drive, Collier experienced an incident with the piles of boxes stacked across her room. “So I like to teach with my hands and walk and talk and get excited over the math as much as I can. And that day, I totally tripped and fell and ate it and I ended up needing Ken the trainer to come, because I twisted my ankle and ended up going to the doctor and my ankle by the end of the day was swollen so bad that I couldn’t even get my boot on.”

Most people would be embarrassed if they tripped and fell in front of 30 students, but Collier took it with pride and laughter. “I’ve always been clumsy, so if I was embarrassed by every time I tripped and fell that would be a lot of times,” she joked.

At the heart of Collier’s attitude on life, however, is a cornerstone of joy and good intentions.

Sarcastic but sensitive, opinionated but open-minded, Collier is not afraid to speak her thoughts and fight for what’s fair. And no classroom curse in the world could stop her from opening her students’ minds to the world of math.

8

prom

Happily Ever After PROM Presenting BOHS’s 2016 prom court

compiled by MATTHEW MOON & STACY UHM

photos by MONICA HEIMER & RACHEL LIN

The Princes

QUESTIONS If you could change the plot of any fairy tale, how would you change it.

Jared Baker

Brent Gutowski

Jeff Zordani

Josiah Hatch

“I’d make it so that Rapunzel from Tangled falls in love with me, so that I can take her hair.”

“I would make all [the characters] more patriotic.”

“I would change it to where in Shrek 2, the gingerbread man wasn’t a giant. That thing would eat me before I ate it.”

“Flynn Rider and Rapunzel never leave the Ugly Duckling Tavern and Rapunzel marries her Chameleon Pascal.”

Stephen Otto “No, Snow White! Don’t eat the apple!”

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

What would your happily ever after be?

“I want to live in a luxurious home with a hot and rich wife.”

“Living in the greatest country in the world.

Fortunately I already live in the greatest country: the United States of America.”

“To marry my beautiful wife, live in Newport Beach with a chubby dog as a pet, have 3 kids, and being able play major league baseball for the Angels.”

“I’m married with 6 kids, I’m a stay at home dad and my wife works from home. After our kids have left, we’ll move to the French countryside and paint the sunset every night.”

“Live an average life with an average job, but with a hot lady.”

Makayla Warren

Haley Richey

Alyssa Phelps

Rhyan Belanger

“I would make it so that Romeo knows about Juliet taking the conconction, and when they reunite, they return to their families who now accept their love.”

“I would like to be in the Princess and the Frog, except before the frog is transformed, it is Liam Hemsworth and after, it is Chris Hemsworth.”

I’m not really sure if Bambi is classified as a fairytale, but if it is then I would change it so that Bambi’s mama doesn’t have to die.

I wish the genie could have just given Aladdin one more wish to help expedite the whole process.

Imagine all the time and energy that would have been saved if Cinderella just told the prince her name.

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

“Being a successful human rights lawyer working with the UN. I would live in a cute, eco-friendly house surrounded by nature with my husband and four kids (twin girls and two boys). We’d spend our days loving life and loving each other.”

“I think the ultimate happily ever after story would be finding someone who is strong in faith, living on a comfortable income, and somehow developing superpowers. Then we move to the French countryside after our kids have left and paint the sunset everynight.”

My happily ever after would probably have to be living on a private island with my professional athlete husband getting fanned while being fed grapes

Winning the lotto and then using that money to buy an island then moving all my friends to the island with me.

I think my happily ever after would be inspiring and bringing joy to audiences eight shows a week on a Broadway stage in New York City, surrounded by people who love and support me. I don’t think anything could be better than that.

The Princesses

QUESTIONS If you could change the plot of any fairy tale, how would you change it. . . .

What would your happily ever after be?

Rewa Ousman

prom

MEET-CUTE: THE ANXIETIES OF PROM NIGHT

9

by Halie Nam & Deziree Cervantes

10

feature

kickin’ it with MIA DALGLEISH

Mia Dalgleish, junior, started her journey with taekwondo seven years ago. Now, as an instructor at Shambhala Martial Arts Academy, Dalgleish transforms lives through the Korean martial art.

by AMOS HEO

photos by RACHEL LIN

A

s summer drew to a close and the first day of school inched closer, junior Mia Dalgleish was faced with a daunting task. It was time for Dalgleish to finally send her student, Antonio Smart, a 30-year old legally blind man, onto the platform. The 2015 California State Open Taekwondo Championship had at last arrived after a year’s worth of struggles and accomplishments between mentor and student. And as the lights finally beamed upon Smart as he stood on the center platform, Dalgleish looked on with anticipation.

Only seven years ago, Dalgleish was far from being the beloved taekwondo instructor that she is today.

With barely any knowledge of martial arts, Dalgleish immersed herself into a new activity that would transform her physical and mental growth.

The inSTRUCTor Dalgleish corrects a blue belt’s punch. Although Dalgleish did not expect to enjoy teaching people of all ages, she was moved by her students’ growth in skill, selfconfidence, and personality.

KICKER Many of Dalgleish’s friends have questioned why she chose taekwondo over other martial arts such as karate and jiu-jitsu. According to Dalgleish, the first time she viewed taekwondo at a church event she was invited to, she was mesmerized by the finesse of the various taekwondo movements, especially those requiring the use of the entire lower body. Taekwondo seemed to “fit” her personality better than other martial arts, as they were either too aggressive (krav maga) or too amusing (tai chi).

Wanting to being able to defend herself against anyone who might try to harm her, Dalgleish encouraged her younger brother, Evan Dalgleish, 10, to enroll with her in taekwondo.

However, Evan, who “tends to remain home and avoid sports”, was not comfortable in the unfamiliar environment of physical combat and quit in the first few weeks.

Despite wanting to quit

Dalgleish demonstrates a front kick, one of the fundamentals of taekwondo. Head of Shambhala Martial Arts Academy, Sung Wook Yang, describes her ability as “the best mixture of passion, strength, determination, and discipline.”

too, Dalgleish’s temptation was outweighed by her desire to protect herself and her younger brother as they were usually home by themselves after school due to their parents’ long work hours. So she forced herself to stay, ignoring the aching muscles and the throbbing headaches from days of crunches and push-ups.

With every lesson, she improved her taekwondo form and eventually attained her black belt two years later.

A then a year after that, she won first place at the 2013 California State Open Taekwondo Championship, which consisted of three events: Individual Poomsae (form), Team Poomsae, and Individual Gyorugi (sparring). Highly impressed by her

talent in taekwondo, the head of the Academy, Sung Wook Yang, offered Dalgleish an opportunity to work for him.

Only five months after training under Yang, Dalgleish became captain of elite groups of black belt students, called demo teams, and began coordinating their shows for various occasions like belt ceremonies, birthday parties, and the Brea Korean Sister City Culture Night Show.

Seeing potential in her, Yang knew that Dalgleish would become capable of instructing people other than children.

“Never have I seen as rare a case as Mia in my entire career of instructing taekwondo. She actively displays

the best mixture of passion, strength, determination, and discipline, all traits that are necessary for martial artists.

She has learned to almost completely challenge her limits and extend the range of her abilities one by one,” Yang said.

Since then, Dalgleish has worked at the Academy as an instructor, teaching everyday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

However, after five years of coaching younger students, Dalgleish was faced with the daunting task of training Antonio Smart.

According to Yang, at Shambhala Martial Arts Academy, legally blind students from the Braille Institute in Anaheim often come to learn

feature taekwondo to defy the stereotype of disabled people not being capable of doing what able-bodied people can do.

Dalgleish believes that teaching blind students is a “unique experience”

“

Shambhala masters and instructors pushed me to do my very best and would not let me back down. They support me and will always be there for me.”

With Dalgleish’s help, Smart

I had no idea that I would enjoy

teaching students of all ages so much.

Seeing them grow not only in skill, but in self confidence and in personality as well made me feel really warm inside.

This is why I continue instructing and why I love what I do. Taekwondo and instructing are not just my hobbies, they are my passions.”

said.

Despite having to appear “perfect” in front of Yang, this was not Dalgleish’s chief reason for her involvement with the Braille Institute.

“I [decided to start] instructing [students at the Braille Institute] because I believed that it would be a good opportunity to increase my taekwondo knowledge and abilities.

When I first started instructing, I had no idea that I would enjoy teaching students of all ages so much. Seeing them grow, not only in skill, but in self-confidence and in personality as well, moved me. This is why I continue instructing and why I love what I do. Taekwondo and instructing are not just my hobbies, they are my passions,” Dalgleish said.

- Mia Dalgleish, junior because the students at the Anaheim Braille Institute vary in age and in their ability to see. While some can faintly perceive shapes, others can barely see at all.

Dalgleish states that the key to teaching these students is to teach them patience and trust, which she does by providing slower and concise instructions unlike her faster and lengthier instructions for her regular students.

In order to teach them different kicks and punches, she emphasizes other senses besides sight, such as touch. She places them correctly into each position and orders them to hold their posture for one minute before releasing it, and then repeating the process. In order to help them maintain their focus during their training, she drills her philosophy of “nothing good will happen if you don’t try” into them.

Smart said, “My five years of training for my black belt was full of struggles. Sometimes I would feel like giving up, but Mia and all the other

TOUGH COMPETITOR Antonio Smart, a 30-year old legally blind taekwondo student, shows off his first degree black belt, which he achieved through five years of intense training under the guidance of Dalgleish.

earned his first degree black belt after five intense years of training.

Dalgleish states that this is not only a considerable lifetime achievement for these students, but for the blind community as well. Students like Smart are some of the first black belt achievers in their community.

Dalgleish initially felt pressured from having to appear “perfect” in the eyes of her grandmaster and consequently did everything she could to train all of her students effectively.

“I do, at times, feel sorry for how much pressure I had put her under, but how she has grown and developed over the past several years under that pressure makes me feel even more [proud] that she is my student,” Yang

The 2015 California State Open Taekwondo Championship turned out to be a win-win situation after all.

Smart ended up placing first runnerup in his category.

As he continues to train under Dalgleish, Smart plans to compete in the 2017 California State Open Taekwondo Championship under Gyorugi.

Dalgleish’s passion for taekwondo may seem like a huge dedication to others, but these last five years were only the beginning of her taekwondo journey. As she continues to develop her martial arts career, Dalgleish hopes to encourage her students to challenge their limits through the gift of taekwondo.

11

BASIC TAEKWONDO STANCES source: martialartsguy.com

koryo junbi TKD FACT: Taekwondo was developed during the 1940s by Korean martial artists who combined elements of karate and Chinese martial arts.

high block and chop TKD FACT: Taekwondo is practed by more than 70 million people worldwide.

Only four million of them are black belts.

mountain block TKD FACT: There are six belt colors in taekwondo -- white, yellow, green, blue, red, and black.

back fist TKD FACT: Taekwondo has a lower injury rate than mixed martial arts.

12

prom

arts & entertainment

Q&A

13

SPOTLIGHT

The A&E Spotlight Q&A is a recurring series where coEditor-in-Chief Astyr Ko interviews interesting people in the Performing and Visual Arts programs at BOHS. photo by HARRY CHO

How was your season?

I thought we did very well this season. We didn’t end up placing very high during championships but we all learned and improved a lot this season, skill-wise and friendshipwise.

What are your goals for the team next year?

To form a stronger bond among the team and to encourage members to keep working as hard as they can to accomplish their color guard-related ambitions.

Erin Radke flying colors

What is your favorite part about guard?

My favorite part about guard is the rush you get while you’re performing in front of a crowd. The crowd cheering when you catch a toss or when the team spins in perfect unison -- it’s the most exhilirating feeling out there.

How has colorguard affected your life?

Colorguard has affected my life in the best way possible. Before guard, I didn’t really have an idea about how my high school life was going to go.

But now, I’ve made so many lifelong friends and created so many lasting bonds that I could never found if it it wasn’t for this sport. Along with friendships, I’ve also found what I want to do for the rest of my life and my one true passion. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

14

arts & entertainment

The Wizarding World of

Feature editor Samantha Magpantay and her junior friends Anabel King and Angela Messner visits Harry Potter World at Universal Studios, which opened on April 7.

by SAMANTHA MAGPANTAY

Every kid dreams of the day that they receive their Hogwarts letter so that they could be introduced to the world of magic.

I wasn’t any different. But like many, I was disappointed by the blunt reality that the letter would never come and consequently, that magic would never enrich my life. Yet as I walked down the grey cobbled streets of Hogsmeade, wrapping my Slytherin house scarf around my neck, I was content because this moment at Universal Studio’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter was the closest I would ever get to being a character in J.K. Rowling’s magical world.

To me, the best part of the Wizarding World was not the classic butterbeer, the quirky employee that guided the morning rush with an enthusiastic “this way, Muggles”, or even the moment I bought my very own Slytherin house scarf. Those features paled in comparison to a life-sized version of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The 4D motion picture ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey was cleverly built. Its wait line was woven throughout the whole Hogwarts school so the time before the ride was an attraction itself. While I struggled to find my footing through the dimly illuminated hallways of Hogwarts, I found myself impressed with the attention to detail, especially the unique quirks of the series like talking portraits. Deep in the school, I walked into a room that featured on all four walls dozens of the talking portraits. I

quietly snickered as Salazar Slytherin looked affronted, complaining about the “infestation of Muggles” to Rowena Ravenclaw. Typical Salazar, I thought. Surprisingly, there was even the Fat Lady portrait who granted access to the Gryffindor dorms, her sass neverending.

Right before the ride itself is the glorious Sorting Hat. I couldn’t contain a small inkling of disappointment in my heart that the Sorting Hat didn’t belt the school song. But my dismay was quickly relieved the moment I boarded Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. The wicked flying scenes, the altercation with the Whomping Willow, and the horrifying confrontation with Aragog and his fellow spider clan created an unforgettable adventure.

Unfortunately, the Hollywood version only featured Hogsmeade, unlike the Florida location, which also transforms the iconic Diagon Ally into life. Despite this, California’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter still amazed me with its striking accuracy.

At the end of the day, I only spent four hours at Harry Potter World as there weren’t that many attraction to visit. But I’d defnitely recommend going to the Wizarding World.

Just be ready to empty your wallet as I spent around $100 solely there. (The scarf itself was around $40).

It’s true, I never did receive my Hogwarts letter. But that one magical day in the Wizarding World was good enough to last a lifetime.

sports

Q&A

15

Sink awarded LA Times ‘Coach of the Year’

In a Q & A session with Ladycats head coach, Jeff Sink, he conveys his gratitude for his achievement as well as his thoughts on the team’s performance. compiled by ERIN CHUNG

> How long have you been coaching girls’ basketball?

“I have been coaching for 20 years at Brea and have coached 14 years in Alaska.”

> How is your job as a girls’ basketball coach?

“At Brea, I have an exceptional group of kids every year to work with. I am blessed with dedicated, athletic, and intelligent girls that come to this school. Many of them come to this school specifically to play basketball, so it is a very unique opportunity.”

> How did you feel when you were awarded the title of Los Angeles Times Southern California Coach of the Year?

“I’ve won other Coach of the Year awards, but this was the first time I had ever won this award. I am not sure that I deserve it because there are many excellent coaches, but it was a very nice statement of the commitment and hours I put in. I was very honored.”

> Is this award important to you?

“Only in the sense that it is a reward for all of

us — our program, the girls, and the coaches that work here. This is an award that rewards my entire coaching staff, all the girls that play here, and this school.”

> Have you won any other awards?

“I have twice been selected National Coach of the Year, which is really amazing. I have won the Naismith Award, which was given [to me] for being the number one High School Women’s Coach of the Country, and I won the Women’s Basketball Coaching Association’s National Coach of the Year.

That was really neat. It was in 2008, and they flew me back to the Women’s Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, where I got to coach the all-star team. So I’ve won a few awards, but again, it’s mostly a byproduct of working at a great school with great kids.”

> How do you feel about your team?

> Did they exceed your expectations?

“They did. Fourteen [girls on our team] were underclassmen, so clearly we were the youngest team to play that deep into playoffs. To win it all was pretty fabulous.”

> How many state championships has your team won?

“Brea Olinda now holds [the] state record for the most state championships for a girls’ basketball team. Brea has won 10 championships, but during my 20 years here, we’ve won five. [That’s] pretty thrilling.”

> What are your expectations for the team next year?

“We won the State Championship this year, and it wasn’t the typical state title, but it was the Division 1 state title. So we won a championship that is usually won by schools with a student population of three or four thousand kids. For a small school like us to win that championship was amazing, and I am just really proud of our team.”

“We will be very good. Twelve out of the 15 girls will be returning next year, so we should be one of the better teams in Southern California.”

> When you retire in the far future, what do you plan to do?

> Do you think you prepared the team well for State?

“I would like to travel a lot and possibly teach at an international school for a year. I also want to set up a little photographic boutique so that I can sell my pictures.”

“I think so. The three games before the State finals were more difficult to win — the Semifinals, the Quarterfinals, and the first round of State. The State finals was an easier game for us because we [competed with] such tough competition along the way, so kids were very prepared.”

> What made your team so successful?

“We had great chemistry. The kids worked really well together and their work ethic was excellent.”

Ladycats Accolades

REILI RICHARDSON

TYIONA WATKINS

JASMINE RACHAL

JANEI FUAMATU

KRISLYN MARSH

Crestview League MVP First Team All CIF LA Times All Star Team CA State Player of the Year Nominee

First Team All-County

2nd Team All-League 5th Team All-County

2nd Team All-League

1st Team Crestview League

senior

Season Timeline compiled by MATTHEW MOON

December

sophomore

sophomore

December 7, 2016 Ladycats win the Ladycats Classic after their victory against Serra 65-50.

February 11, 2016 Crestview League

Ladycats become the Crestview League champions following their victory against Foothill 76-39.

January-February

sophomore

sophomore

CIF

March 19, 2016

Ladycats achieve a Southern California Regional title with their win against Vista Murrieta 64-55.

March 24, 2016 CIF

March

Ladycats win against St. Francis 64-51, earning them a State Championship title.

16

Behind the Scenes

EAT, DANCE, REPEAT

Dance Production member Ciera Martinez, senior, poses with her back turned in “Rolling in the Deep”, choreographed by Chihiro Takebayashi. photo by RACHEL LIN