Cypress High January 2017

Volume 17 Issue 5

January 2017 9801 Valley View St., Cypress, CA 90630

A Whale of a Time at Winter Formal

by Jenny Tong Business Manager & Front Page Editor The evening of January 14th, the night we had all been waiting for, ended too soon. Memories of this year’s Winter Formal will forever be part of the students who attended. Dedicating a Saturday to dressing up and hanging out with friends was an opportunity for students to have a day for themselves and find relief from the recent semester finals. Junior Phillip Suos attended Homecoming last year and states the difference in formal is that “I’m surrounded by more people I love.” Despite the amount of planning and taking “what seemed to be three years when in reality was three hours.” Kristin Tsujimoto says, “It’s more fun than the other dances I’ve been to. You get to dress up and go with your friends. I’ll definitely go again next year!”

The theme and location added to the fun and took a unique spin on the

typical Formal. Downtown Long Beach seemed to be a popular spot for Formal with Los Alamitos having theirs down the street from the Aquarium at the convention center. Irving Vega jokingly explains, “I think the theme and location could have been better, but it’s better than having it at the gym.” From 7-9pm, students were given access to a variety of exhibits ranging from sharks to penguins. There was a photo booth, a gambling room, beautiful terrace, and a wide food selection. Senior Amy Nguyen states, “The food was really good...a lot more food than last year. They had great desserts.” AP Composition and Language teacher, Mr. Bavis attended the event as well and describes the outcome to be “very successful...I loved seeing students in a different setting other than class. Everyone was well-behaved and ASB should be proud of the event and work they put in!”

Spotted “gambling” with other Centurions,

Mr. Bavis “had a good time earning lots of ‘money.’” Although the DJ played foreign songs the audience didn’t recognize, the crowd danced the night away. Senior Alberto Cortes escorted Miss Fullerton Teen USA, Alondra Palacios as his date

Jessica Rojas inside one of the Aquarium’s many exhibits

that evening and she says that she “had a great time! The music was great the venue was amazing just everything about it made this a special night! Getting to walk around the exhibits was one of my favorite parts.”

photo courtesy of Jessica Rojas

Winter Formal’s Best Dressed

Classic Little Black Dress with detailing that pairs with casual blue coat

photo courtesy of Phillip Suos

Navy blue dress with gold accents coordinating with Navy blue bow tie and vest

photo courtesy of Taira Rhandami

Knee long, red velvet vest matching with red velvet bow tie

photo courtesy of Alberto Cortes

Forest Green slip on dress and metallic sleeveless dress

photo courtesy of Kailey Delos Santos

Most Unique School In America

photo from “Better Together” video on youtube.com

by Alexandra Moreno Front-page Editor “Better Together” is a short video celebrating the uniqueness of students at Cypress High School. The video displays an extremely diverse group of people from all different backgrounds, genders, sexualities, ages, and ethnicities. Within the span of six minutes and 22 seconds, the students partaking in the video discuss what some may call “heavy” topics such as religion, discrimination, sexual orientation, and stereotypes.

One of the creators, Athela Fadul, explains the inspiration for the video came from the urge of wanting people to be informed. Fadul said, “What inspired me

was that the people around us don’t really understand each other and are scared to ask questions. We just wanted to make it easier for people to understand and learn what others go through.” A participant in the video, Junior, Niko Sanchez, said, “ I felt really happy that I could be a part of something so positive. To be able to say what was on my mind and inform people what it’s like to be me was so liberating.”

After the video was broadcast school wide, many students and teachers praised the creators. Some students even took to social media to share the video with friends and family. Senior, Estephania Ovall, tweeted, “Wow the better together video is really cool. Good Job Cypress

High School. “ On top of social media, a few people left kind words in the comment section. Katty Williams commented, “ Love, love, LOVE this !! Everyone who participated is so beautiful and brave. I cried watching this in class today! Thanks for putting it together. Spread the love.”

The creators of the video, Maya Gutierrez, Athela Fadul, Alaa’i Ahmed, Swetha Jayasinghe, Danyah Mousa, and Amanda Abraham, urged their viewers in description to “ listen, understand, and embrace- that is the key to this wonderful video with these amazing people. Every person is unique and has their own story and struggles.”

Amazon Prime Go - pg. 3

2016 Wrap Up - pg. 7

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Winter Pep Rally - pg. 2

Moana - pg. 6

page 2

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Party Under the Sea at Winter Pep Rally

Advanced Dance showing off their moves

by Niko Sanchez & Gina Le Copy Editors On Friday, January 13, 2017, Cypress ASB hosted the Winter Pep Rally. Students cheered in the crowd as they watched their peers perform.

Choir, Cheer, Song, Kpop club, Advanced Dance, and Band performed. The rally began with a great performance of the National Anthem by Choir.

ASB set up many fun games for all of the students to play. The games ranged from “Finish That Tune” to their form of “Hungry, Hungry Hippos.” ASB played songs such as Hannah Montana’s “Best of Both Worlds” which hyped up all of the students. Although the game was supposed to be for the selected students,

Advanced Dance ends their performance with a striking pose

photo courtesy of Taira Ramdhani the whole gym was singing along. When class chants came around students got up on their feet and cheered as loud as they could so their class would win. Everyone was smiling and laughing as the rally went on. As always the pep rally ended with a tribute to Cypress High by all of the students singing along to the Alma Mater.

Grace Kim, Junior on Varsity Song said, “Performing was super great. All of the students reactions were so positive. All the hard work we put in was definitely worth it.”

Paige Magee, Junior in Advanced Dance said, “I had so much fun working on our dance routine and when we performed I had the biggest smile on my face. I love that dance so much.”

photo by Gabriella Doran

Seniors Jump For Joy At Skyzone

by Kevin Silveira Staff Writer Cypress High School Seniors went to Skyzone on Wednesday December 7, 2016 at the Westminster Mall. From 6 to 8 pm, students were able to jump, play dodgeball, and play basketball all on the trampoline.

Students work on their rodeo skills by“riding the bull”

“It was an extremely exciting event that allowed seniors to massively bond,” stated Dr. Wales Over 200 students came to have fun; others were sore by the end of the event.

Overall, this was a good event to have some fun with friends and play some games.

photo by Kevin Silveira

Cypress Dance Dazzles at Cyp Du Soleil

by Gina Le & Niko Sanchez Copy Editor On December 15-16, the Cypress High School dance department hosted their annual show at KPAC, Cyp Du Soleil. The dance classes spent the entire first semester preparing and practicing for the show. The show was choreographed all by the dance teacher, Kerri Fenton.

Avylon Kemma-Berg, freshman, said, “There were a lot of different dances, and a lot of people did solos, it was really fun to watch. My favorite solo was a Polynesian dance that was performed.”

Kaitlyn Park, a junior in advanced dance said, “It was a lot of time and effort the week before, but once it was done I was super happy with how it turned out.”

Their dances ranged from a Harley-Quinn number, Polynesian, a number with a song about lions. The

Dancers in their show outfits

photo coutesy of Amy Nguyen

dances were inspired all by the Cirque Du Soleil show. Great job dancers! Be sure to watch their next show coming up towards the end of second semster.

Girls Supports Girls During Pink Week

Students collected feminine products for homeless shelters

by Athela Fadul Student Activities Editor “Girls are taught to hide what is so natural,”- Madison Mixer Homeless shelters have a certain allowance to get food, clothes, condoms, and other essentials in life. However, the Feminist United Club at Cypress learned that women are unable to get feminine products such as pads and tampons. This led to the Feminist United cabinet deciding to do a feminine drive and call it Pink Week. “ Pink Week is supposed to create an environment where we get together for a good cause,” said Ambassador Cali Thornton.

During the week, former Cypress Centurions Rachel and Helen Lee, AKA the Pink Tax Twins, came to Mrs. Shimogawa’s room to speak to the Feminist United members. They talked about how they had to go through many obstacles to get the AB 1561 bill passed. AB 1561 is a bill which removes tax on feminine products.

The Pink Tax Twins also talked about how they were planning to meet Governor Brown to hand in their petition, but then Governor Brown vetoed the AB 1561 bill.

Although this happened, the twins are now teaming up with Assemblywoman Garcia to help propose the bill again in 2017.

The club advertised Pink Week by putting up a “tampon tree” on Mrs. Shimogawa’s door but the “tampon

photo by Athela Fadul

tree” was quickly taken down. Feminist United had a meeting with the Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Fried discussing Pink Week and the “tampon tree.” “Pink Week was a week that addressed an issue that does not get much mainstream attention,” said Mrs. Shimogawa. Soon after the “tampon tree” was approved and put back up having full support from Dr. Fried. Feminist United also advertised Pink Week by putting up posters. Some posters were torn up that week while some others received negative feedbacks.

Although Pink Week received some criticism, they also got an enormous amount of support from many teachers, staff, and students. Feminist United received about 8,753 feminine products.

“Pink Week brings awareness to the fact the males at homeless shelters are able to get condoms and hygiene products, yet women cannot get feminine hygiene products,” said Orion Gutierrez. “By doing Pink Week, we wanted to destigmatize feminine products and feminine hygiene not to be seen as something taboo but instead as a health concern,”said Co-President Ashley Hormaza.

Currently, Feminist United is working with Sharon Quirk-Silva, California Assemblywoman, to propose school safety policies. If you want to join Feminist United come every Tuesday at room 410 in Mrs. Shimogawa’s room.

FEATURES Amazon Go Lets Shoppers Keep Going page 3

by Davin Nguyen Staff Writer This season, Amazon Incorporated will be opening the first no lines, no checkouts Amazon Go store. According to Amazon.com, Amazon challenged themselves four years ago to bring a no line, no checkout store by pushing the boundaries of “computer vision and machine learning.”

Amazon Company is already the largest internet retailer with new standards for commerce. They have been working on new ways of delivering to consumers in ways such as using a drone, using Amazon Dash. Most recently, Amazon unveiled its Amazon Echo with Amazon Alexa, driving their stocks nine times larger than previous years according to their stock quote on marketwatch.com.

Amazon Go Stores use the same type of technology found in self-driving cars. The “Just Walk Out Technology” knows when items are taken off or returned to the shelves and keeps track of them in a virtual cart. Once you are done all you have to do is walk out and Amazon will charge your Amazon account and send you their receipt. However, Amazon expects their customers to have “an Amazon account,

a supported smartphone, and the free Amazon Go app” to use their service.

Amazon Go Stores have onsite chefs and local kitchens and bakeries which deliver ready-to-eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack options made fresh every day. Their grocery service ranges from bread and milk to artisan cheeses and locally made chocolates. Amazon is also offering quick home-cooked dinners, Amazon Meal Kits, with all the ingredients people need to make a meal for two in about 30 minutes.

Since 2007, Fresh service has been available in parts of the US, and their grocery delivery service has been expanding rapidly. It is now available in Seattle, New York, Washington, Boston, northern New Jersey, Philadelphia, Connecticut, Baltimore and many parts of California.

Also, their delivery service has been available on many smart fridges such as the one on the Samsung Family Hub Fridges. All customers have to do at home is order their food from their fridge and food will arrive within an hour.

If the artificial intelligence technology were available to schools, it would change the way students get lunch and other things like checking out books from the library. Centurion Librarian,

Stores are opening soon Mrs. Lessard, said “having that technology would be great, but technology is not reliable.” She added that the school wifi “is not reliable.” Still Mrs. Lessard favors this idea “because [she thinks] that this technology could do it half digital and half physical” since having physical books is “less damaging to the eyes.” Mr. Delgado, known for his usage of technology in

photo from cnn.com class, remarked, “you’re stealing from the store” and that this technology is “too expensive, why not just use Apple Pay.” The 1,800 square foot Amazon Go store is located nearby their headquarters in Seattle, on the corner of 7th Avenue and Blanchard Street. According to leaked documents, Amazon plans to open 2000 new stores across the country.

Centurion of the Month: Arian Namavar

photo by Daniel Park

by Daniel Park Staff Writer Junior Arian Namavar comes from a background different from most students at this school. He came from Tehran, Iran in 2013 with his family and has continued his education in Cypress.

Although English is not his primary language, he has been able to adjust to his environment and develop his English writing and speaking skills. He has also been able to adjust to the totally different culture.

At Cypress, Arian is on the tennis team but many do not know that his true passion is table tennis. He believes that he possesses a unique talent and claims he is undefeated in the last 50 matches he has played in. He played table tennis back in Iran with people who were aspiring to be professionals and still plays today in different parts of the world like Asia and Europe during the summer. He enjoys playing table tennis more than tennis because of the fact “he doesn’t have to run around.”

Interestingly, Arian has only won one table tennis tournament while he has had many runner up finishes.

He believes that the problem is “getting exhausted from all the matches that lead up to the final match.” His plan for this year is to prepare better when going into a match and to not exceed the number of tournaments he played last year, so his performance at the tournaments that he does play in will be his best.

Belmont Shore Parade 2016

“A Candy-Land Christmas” was the theme

by Nicki Roberson Staff Writer On December 3rd, The Port of Long Beach presented its 34th annual Belmont Shore Christmas parade. Held from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, the parade began on Livingston Drive, and traveled down East 2nd Street.

The Belmont Shore side streets were closed at 4:00 pm and 2nd street was closed off to traffic at 5:00 pm. Over 100 floats made appearances and were accompanied by dozens of local marching bands. In addition to this, stage coaches, a medley of fire trucks, buses, and other vehicles also made appearances. Many of the floats were designed by Long Beach Business Associations, marching bands, and local personalities. Roughly 30,000 spectators attended the festive event, many observing it from the sidewalks of the parade route,

photo from activerain.com setup with chairs and blankets. Horace Mann Elementary, “Our Lady of Refuge,” and Cub Scout Pack 206 were among the many floats included in this year’s lineup.

This year’s theme of the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade was A Candy Land Christmas. Rachel Wiggins, the event coordinator for the Belmont Shore Business Association, stated that her boss, executive director Dede Rossi, “picked out the theme. She was going with something that went with the Christmas theme and would be fun to decorate.”

Spectators were treated with bright, colorful, and sweet designs that created an entirely beautiful display. The diverse creations of each of the floats represented the festive spirit of the holiday season.

School marching bands such as the Jordan High School

photo from gazette.com Entertainment Group, Lakewood High School, Millikan High School, and Wilson High School were also featured.

The Long Beach Police K-9 unit wanted to pay a special tribute to one of their K-9 officers who died this year while on duty. Wiggins explained, “The Long Beach police department thought it would be a nice thing to do and raise awareness to the K-9 unit and show how important they are to the police force.”

One of the core values of the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade is “bringing our community closer with a fun family event and bringing happiness and cheer to everyone during the Christmas season,” Wiggins said. Also, in benefit of the Belmont Shore Community, “it’s bringing more awareness to different sponsors showcasing and letting everyone see who is in

their community.”

Throughout the night, dozens and dozens of incredible displays swept the streets of Belmont Shore, creating an atmosphere full of joy, laughs, and amazed reactions. At the end of the parade, Santa Claus is carried in his sleigh by Long Beach Fire Department’s Engine 13, a tradition for many years. The sleigh was built by the firefighter team themselves.

Wiggins feels that this is the highlight of the parade, because, “It’s kind of that magical moment in the holidays.”

The Belmont Shore Christmas Parade in general has never ceased to draw in wide audiences for such a momentous occasion. With astonishing new themes every year and unique, attractive designs, the anticipation of this parade will definitely continue in the years to come.

FEATURES

page 4

Christmas 2016 Gift Reactions

Madelyn Overton

photo by Nicki Roberson

by Nicki Roberson Staff Writer January is commonly that time of the month where we not only try to brush off bad vibes from last year but also return some unwanted gifts. Many people become trapped in the dilemma of not wanting to hurt someone’s feelings because of an undesired gift they were given. Sometimes that problem can stretch to several years.

Senior Madelyn Overton says, “For the last three years in a row my great aunt got me a Wonder Pet. I used to think they were great, but that was like ten years ago.” Feeling guilty because her great Aunt “always asks about them,” Overton won’t be returning any of her Wonder Pets. AP stats and Math 3 teacher Mrs. Espinoza was in a similar predicament when her sisterin-law got her some workout shoes from Amazon. As much as she’d like to return them since they’re not really the kind she’d want to work out in, Espinoza won’t return

photo by Nicki Roberson

Jennifer Acevedo (Left), photo by Nicki Amanda Abraham (Right) Roberson

the pair because her sister thought of her and she’d feel really bad if she did. Senior AJ Randolph, however, had it better when it came to the gifts he obtained. “Someone I know got me Beats headphones and I bought Gamma Jordans online. I was ecstatic about them both.” Also, Junior Kailey Delos Santos was “excited to wear these black boots from Nordstrom” that she received.

The Christmas season is often a time that many people gain possession of some of the most unexpected items, sometimes things that were never even asked for or considered something you would ever use. Or, something that you already have. Senior Jeremiah Westbrook experienced the disappointment of getting RSQ pants even though he already owns a pair, but stated, “Since I had the receipt I returned them for something I wanted, so that was good.”

In an even more ironic case, seniors Jennifer Acevedo and Amanda Abraham hilariously bought each other the exact same gift, a slip dress. “One was red and the other was black. We were screaming at each other!” Abraham said jokingly. She also mentioned, “We were mad but laughing at each other at the same time.” Despite the surprising exchange, Abraham and Acevedo have decided not to return their gifts.

Senior Emmanuel Vizcaino says, “My Aunt sent me some Calvin Klein pj’s.” Even though Vizcaino states that he didn’t even ask for any, he says he won’t be returning them “because I’ve already worn them.” Noelle Cunanan, freshman and another recipient of an unrequested gift, states that she “got a nail dryer even though I don’t paint my nails. And it broke.”

AJ Randolph (Left), Jeremiah Westbrook (Right)

Beyond the Mat Layout Editors: Copy Editors:

Distribution Chiefs:

Photo Editors: Noah Zuzuarregui, Devin Daugherty, Diego Schindler, Damian Conlon

by Jacob Mercado Staff Writer In the world of sports, athletes put their bodies under intense conditions in order to be at the perfect level to compete. As part of the audience, we as spectators do not see all that goes into this process of becoming game-ready. One of the most demanding sports is amateur wrestling, as competitors must maintain a specific weight in order to participate in a match. If they are slightly over or underweight the day of, they spend all of the time before the competition to make sure they are at their desired weight.

Cypress Boys’ Varsity Wrestling Captain, Diego Schindler, has been part of the team for all four years and has gone through the rough conditions many times.

As he describes, “In order to make weight, I put myself on a strict diet all season and wear sweats to practice to lose extra pounds. If I am ever over weight, I try to sweat out as much weight as I can. If I am ever underweight, I am able to give myself an extra meal that day to get up to where I need to be.” Schindler also explained that he spends more time in the gym and in the wrestling room than hanging out

photo by Jacob Mercado with friends because he wants to be at peak performance when he steps on the mat.

At a recent tournament, another wrestler, Noah Zuzuarregui was abridging CIF safety rules by having hair that was over his eyes. In order to compete and save his team from being disqualified a few points, Zuzuarregui allowed Coach John Lundberg to use a pair of scissors to get rid of the illegal hair. Zuzuarregui was amazed at the spontaneous action, and he says, “It happened really fast and I didn’t have much time to think. After he explained the team will lose points if I ended up not cutting my hair, I just was willing to let it happen. I just wish Coach would’ve cut it straight.” Fortunately, Zuzuarregui was able to compete, winning both of his matches that day.

As a spectator in the crowd, the appreciation for the sport that is shown is merely based upon the amazement in athletic ability of the athletes on display. However, they miss all that is put into what is seen in competitions like wrestling tournaments and other sporting events. These athletes work hard and devote their bodies day-in and day-out for the ultimate goal of a victory.

Equipment Manager: Illustrator: Staff Writers:

Page Editors:

Faculty Advisor:

Some people may be left scratching their heads as to why they got the gifts they did, but may somehow use it to their advantage. Freshman Jack Zannitto admitted to literally getting a piece of coal, humorously adding, “but jokes on them.

I’ll just use it for my fireplace!” He also mentions ironically receiving a pair of shin guards, but noted that “I play basketball, not soccer.” Even though Zannitto didn’t really want them, he jokingly says, “but I think I’ll get into soccer now.”

The holidays have often seemed to teach us that, when no one wants to be the person labeled “ungrateful” or “hard to please” because they returned all the gifts they hated, didn’t see any use for, or whatever existing reason there may be, it could for some become necessary to request not to receive gifts from others and settle for the one easiest option: only buy gifts for yourself.

Ashlyn Salao Alexandra Moreno Kyla Salas Jenny Tong Vanessa Felix Amy Nguyen Gina Le Niko Sanchez Hannah Shuff Marissa Zaidi Mohamad Doughani Jason Nguyen Arianna Rodriguez Gabriella Doran Tala Essayli Avylon Kemna-Berg Miranda Santos Ashley Han Andrew Kim Jacob Mercado Davin Nguyen Daniel Park Nicki Roberson Kevin Silveira Kyla Salas Jenny Tong Stephen Liem Miranda Santos Athela Fadul Maya Gutierrez Taira Ramdhani Kristy Takacs

The Centurion Spotlight welcomes Letters to the Editor. Letters may be edited for space and content, and must contain the author’s name, signature, and grade. They can be submitted to room 325 or to cypresshighnewspaper@gmail.com.

The Spotlight newsroom is located in room 325 on 9801 Valley View St., Cypress CA 90630, and can be reached at (714)220-4144

photo by Nicki Roberson

The Centurion Spotlight is published nine times a year by the Cypress High Journalism class.

Comments or editorial opinions expressed in the Spotlight are those of the staff, and do not neccessarily represent the CHS administration, ASB, or AUHSD.

Spotlight Staff

Editor-in-Chief: Asst. Editor-in-Chief: Business Managers:

Kailey Delos Santos

OPINION

page 5

Looking at Astrology: Beyond Horoscopes

by Maya Gutierrez Entertainment Editor Astrology has always been a topic that people either believe in or are completely against. Some have even drawn comparisons to religion. Though many people read horoscopes for some sort of entertainment or understanding of oneself, astrology is also seen as a real belief. The twelve zodiac signs are grouped into four essential elements that life would be impossible without.

FIRE SIGNS (Aries, Sagittarius, and Leo) Fire signs are very fun people. They are very adventurous, always wanting to go out and explore. They are known to be very prideful and stubborn when it comes to topics they are confident and passionate about. Fire signs are very impulsive and will usually say what is on their mind without thinking or having a filter. Fire signs crave the attention of others and love being in the spotlight.

AIR SIGNS (Libra, Gemini, and Aquarius) Air signs are known to be the most

photo from astrology.com “intellectual” signs of the zodiac. Though they often use their minds to make decisions, many of them are idealists at the end of the day. They see everything that happens as a sign, and that things are “meant to be.” Air signs are known to want to be in control, and this trait usually comes off as being bossy or controlling.

These people are known to be very detached when it comes to love, and often are a “hard catch” because of their fear of love. Air signs crave change, seeing it as a necessity for personal growth and success.

WATER SIGNS (Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces) Water signs are the Drake of the zodiac.

Many of them use their heart and emotions to make decisions. Water signs usually believe when bad things happen that the whole universe is conspiring against them. Though water signs are very emotional, they are good friends to have because they are always thinking and checking up on you. Water signs are seen as idealists because their emotions tell them to follow their heart, and they romanticize films, books, and dreams.

EARTH SIGNS (Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn) Surrounding yourself with a couple of Earth sign friends is very convenient because these are the most reliable and responsible people of the zodiac. Earth signs are very observant and quiet and often come off as cold or detached. A positive about Earth signs is that their personal endeavors are their number one priority. Their success and dreams are put ahead of a lot of mundane activities. Earth signs are known to be very practical people and are seen as realists when it comes to life and love.

Tasty New Hangout for CHS Students

by Tala Essayli Photo Editor A new hangout spot has recently opened up to Cypress High School students. The Cypress plaza that had been dead for some time now has never been more alive! With places such as 85°C Bakery Cafe, Burger Boss, Pieology, and WaBa Grill, the shopping center has become crowded with students.

One good thing about the new additions to this plaza is the variety of food places that students now have to choose from. For those days where we’re just looking for a quick drink such as boba or a little dessert, 85°C Bakery Cafe offers it all.

For those of us with unsustainable hunger after school, a quick burger or pizza after school is absolutely ideal. Student Matt Alhafez explains “Pieology has become my new favorite restaurant in Cypress! I love going there after school with my friends and ordering my special pizza. You can always find me there.” An overall good response was given by the students of Cypress. There are still spots available in the plaza, with open space for possibly more food options for the Cypress community. Students have strong opinions about what should open there next. Students Jordan Matsuda and Alex Joo said, “I would love it if a Chickfil-A or a Yogurtland were to open there,”

Senior McKenna Keough said, “I would want to open the best place around in Cypress, my own food business called McKenna’s Café. ” Dareh Nguyen indicated his love for Mexican food saying “I would absolutely love it if a Chipotle were to open right there. I would be there every day.”

For the owners of these franchises, business has never been better after opening so close to a high school. An employee at Pieology said they stand apart from the competitors in this plaza, “Pizza!

How do we not stand apart? It’s unlimited toppings, one low cheap price, you can build it how you want it. We also have delicious desserts and I just think overall

photo from Orange County Breeze the service we have here makes us a little bit better than our competitors around.”

Casual observation shows that 85°C Bakery Cafe and Pieology are attracting the most students after school. What a good way to start off the 2016-2017 school year.

Book Recommendations for 2017

by Maya Gutierrez Entertainment Editor It’s the new year, and reading good literature should be at the top of your list of cool things to accomplish this year. I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite books that you should check out in your free time instead of sleeping. Grab a book and head over to a local coffee shop and get to indulging yourself in good words and hot coffee.

My freshmen year I found a copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns in a thrift store for a dollar. I decided to buy it because I thought the cover and name were cute. I have since bought many more copies of this book, giving them away as birthday and Christmas presents. This book opened up my eyes to the fact that there is still so much hurt and oppression everywhere in the world. Since I’m a girl, I felt empathy

for the main characters who are women being controlled by a male dominated atmosphere. This is definitely a book you will cry at the end of, but it’s completely worth it.

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom was given to me by my favorite cousin, who was given it to by her teacher in college. It’s a book about appreciation of wisdom and maturity. It’s one of those reads where you feel like crying and smiling at the same time. Reading this book inspired me to look up to my mentors and find somebody older to confide in, and to guide me through the journey of learning and growing up, because learning is something that you never stop doing.

photo from goodreads.com

photo from goodreads.com

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl is the book that made me fall in love with reading when I was in the second grade. James’s caring and curious nature is so cute, so following his adventure of freedom and happiness is an adventure in itself. This book opens you up to the idea of loving friends of all kinds, fruits, and your dreams. The book also teaches you how caring people will show you that staying in a bad situation and getting treated terrible is never a good idea, and you just need people in your life who will actually have your back and want the best for you.

Though I don’t really favor John Green’s work much because he romanticizes teen love as some sort of tragedy, Looking for Alaska is one of my favorite teen books.

It brings you into this more grown up high school version of Zoey 101. I think a lot of cynical girls can see themselves in Alaska the character, and that is why it is such a good book. The main character reminds me a lot of the main character Charlie, in Perks of Being a Wallflower. The book gives you a feel of experiencing high school in a different way, but a “good” different way.

I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai was a novel made into a film this past year. For some reason, humans are drawn to tragedy and revolution, and this book incorporates all of that. This book inspired me because it was about this Muslim woman who wears a hijab, embodying all the things that White America is “afraid of,” who is speaking out trying to revolutionize for girls and their education. It puts into

perspective real statistics and facts about girls education in third world countries.

My best friend recently lent me a book that changed my perspective on growing up. Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan, is about this beautiful young girl living in New York as a journalist for the New York Post. It’s a real story written from diary entries and what she and others could remember about the time she “went crazy.” It’s a good book to read because you see how everything could be going good normal and mundane in your life, and how something medically bad could just happen out of the blue. This book is a good reminder how anything could happen at any given moment, and we need to do what we want in this world cause nothings ever promised, especially time.

photo from goodreads.com

ENTERTAINMENT

page 6

Disney’s New Princess Technology of the Future: VR Headsets

by Gabriella Doran Photo Editor With the rise of popularity, the new Disney movie Moana continues to fascinate its viewers with an amazing soundtrack and story. Many fans were happy to see that Disney brought cultural traditions to their movies and really hope to see more of it in the future. “I really liked how they tried something different and didn’t do the usual hero centric type of storyline. They stuck to a realistic islander look like the traditional tattoos and curvy body features,” said Mike Lueders .

Moana’s cultural values brought many Hawaiian families together. Cypress High School Senior, Aggie Manu said “17 members of my family went to see the movie on Thanksgiving Day, and it was a great bonding experience! Everyone loved it and my parents thought it was really realistic and true to the books.”

From the goofy characters to the emotional adventure, there is something for everyone to enjoy in this film. Riley Keester says, “I loved the music, it was fun to sing along with, and the characters

by Jason Nguyen Distribution Chief

photo from pintrest.com were cute, especially my favorite one, Maui!” Although it was a happy and funny movie, there were also a lot of emotional tear jerking scenes. Manu says, “My favorite part was the stingray scene, It was very emotional and made me cry.”

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Released in stores in October 2016, Sony’s Playstation Virtual Reality, or VR for short, gives us the reality we dream for. Gamers dream of a world where they feel a new type of presence and scope, a perfect blend between digital and real life. Many versions of this type of gaming have come out before, but they weren’t good enough. These games have induced vomiting, are very uncomfortable, and just don’t really fit the “virtual reality” standards.

Although the Playstation VR consists of previous properties gamers never wanted, this version of the VR experience turned out to be successful. To make sure it’s worth paying for, Sony even has a large number of games you can play including worthwhile games such as Batman VR, Rez Infinite, and Headmaster. However, most of these games are only good in small doses. There is also limited space to play due to the many wires and other Playstation consoles that come with it. Some players saw commercials and thought it looked ok, but then thought, VR is not going to be a thing for them. Some even feel the games aren’t that great ether.

Overall, this game is a great start for the “virtual reality” world.

photo from express.co.uk

Unfortunately, many Playstation fans predict with Playstation’s track record it will not go on for too long. Some Playstation 3s don’t allow users to use Live plays anymore. Even according to Time, Playstation VR is popular, but Augmented Reality games are much better and will gain more money than Playstation VR ever will. In the end, Playstation VR is not ready to become the best game of the year yet.

Playstation VR is indeed a good console to try no doubt in 2017, but in the end, this generation is not ready for VR realty gaming yet. Maybe some day we will have VR that will finally work, become popular, and be highly revolutionary.

Post Holiday Sales Equals Savings

by Arianna Rodriguez and Taira Romdhani Sports Editor and Distribution Chief You can never go wrong with receiving money or gift cards for Christmas and especially around one of the best times of the year! Believe it or not, one of the Mall’s busiest weeks is during the “After Holiday Sales” that start the week after Christmas and ends in late January. Popular stores like Forever 21, American Eagle, and Hollister have huge sales up to 70% off !

What better way than to restock on your winter essentials and start off the new year with a new wardrobe? Not only can the stores wait to get a hold of your cash, but no one can resist those door buster deals.

Forever 21’s sale this year is 70% off on men, women, and kids clothing plus accessories. They also have a buy one get another half off for shoes and purses. This sale is perfect for getting your winter shopping done and finding deals for early Spring clothes. So if you’re behind on trends or just love a good sale, hurry to Forever 21 before their sale ends.

Score some awesome deals at American Eagle where you can find clearance women’s clothes, men’s clothes, and the aerie collection up to 60% off !

There is a wide variety in products ranging from tops to fragrances. You can never go wrong with their buy one get one 50% off on men and women’s jeans. You can also find a cozy pair of joggers and sweatpants for 40% off. No one can ever have enough socks so why not stock up on some stockings? American Eagle is having a buy one get one 50% off on their socks ranging from crew socks to their no show socks.

photo from pintrest.com With the New Year here it may be time to update that wardrobe and there is no better feeling than knowing that you didn’t break your bank account while doing so.

If you love working out or just like Adidas style then this news is for you, Adidas is having a 50% off sale on men’s and women’s attire. Get great deals on clothes, shoes and accessories for half the original price. Their sales ends on the 16th so hop on your computers or hurry down to their stores to make sure you don’t miss this sale.

H&M just added new styles and eight new trends on their website, but the best part is that their having 80% off sale!

This sale is offered at hm.com and in stores until their stock runs out. H&M is also offering free shipping for orders over $40 with code 0040 and free returns in stores.

According to senior fashion enthusiast, Brent Hawkins, enjoys finding great steals at outlets such as Citadel to compliment his look. Hawkins enjoys shopping at stores like Pac Sun, Urban Outfitters, and H&M to find unique statement pieces for his outfits that he loves to pair with basics. As Hawkins puts it, “Style because your personality isn’t the first thing people see.”

ENTERTAINMENT

page 7

Centurions Share Their 2017 New Year’s Resolutions

by Hannah Shuff and Marissa Zaidi Copy Editors 1.“This year, I want to change the way I treat and talk to people. I want to be an overall better and nicer person.” -Priscilla Orozco 2.“This year, I would like to change how I perceive life. I would like to make life more meaningful and try to impact people’s lives in a positive way.” -Cheyanne Hoeffken 3.“My New Year’s Resolution is to be more optimistic.” -Aliyah Zaidi

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4.“I want to practice forgiving and forgetting more this year.” -Emily Iannotti 5.My resolution is to be more optimistic and to try harder in school.” -Carlyn Hernandez 6.“I want to be more determined to get good grades and make my mom proud.”

-Juliana Vogelpohl

all photos by Niko Sanchez

Last Year Filled With Struggles and Tragedies

by Ashlyn Salao Editor-in-Chief A new year brings resolutions and the chance for new beginnings, but it’s also a time to reflect on the past year.

In 2016, the world lost many of its greatest, such as David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Harper Lee, Prince, Kenny Baker, Elie Wiesel, Gene Wilder, Arnold Palmer, George Michael, Muhammad Ali, Carrie Fisher, and Debbie Reynolds.

In America alone, there were many social, economic, and political controversies in 2016 that sparked various emotions and conversations, and Americans were faced with the possibility of major changes to their ordinary lives.

President Barack Obama’s final term has come to an end, and the United States welcomes Donald Trump as the new president. Trump, who lost the popular vote to his opposing candidate, Hillary Clinton, faces a rocky beginning to his presidency with multiple court cases against him.

Lauren Norfleet, senior, says, ¨Some stuff I’ve heard Trump say worries me, especially as a black teenage girl living in America.

Losses in 2016 I hope he exceeds my expectations and leads America on a good path.”

Many people also rallied together for causes that they believed in, such as #NoDAPL, which protested against the Dakota Access Pipeline that would be built near Standing Rock

photo from cnn.com Reservation. There were months of protesting and spreading awareness until the Army Corps of Engineers announced that the pipeline would be re-routed.

Social media played a big part in other movements as well, such as PrayForOrlando, and PrayForNice in

support of those who were lost in mass shootings.

The BlackLivesMatter movement also continues to fight for their cause after the deaths of people such as Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Kendra James, Sean Bell, and Alton Sterling.

This past year, President Obama declared an emergency in Flint, Michigan, after discovering that state officials had rejected reports of problems with water due to damaged pipes. That water had been used for bottled water for state workers, and thousands of children were exposed to it.

In Syria, there is still a refugee crisis that is affecting a lot of Europe, causing major backlash against immigrants. Thousands of people are being displaced from their homes, and those still in Syria are being subjected to extreme violence and prejudice.

Although 2016 was filled with tragedy and injustice, there were still many things to celebrate. It was a year full of mistakes and triumphs, and hopefully, we can learn from both of them in 2017.

Last Year Filled With Victories and Triumphs

by Avylon Kemna-Berg Equipment Manager The year 2016 was memorable with everything from the release of Apple’s iPhone 7 to scientific breakthroughs in chemotherapy treatments.

Apple released the iPhone 7 on September 7, 2016. The iPhone 7 is complete with advanced features like water resistance, stereo speakers, and a touch-sensitive home button.

Challenges and trends like Water Bottle Flipping and the Mannequin Challenge took the world by storm.

People of all ages and backgrounds were flipping water bottles and freeze framing to the song “Black Beatles”

by Rae Sremmurd ft. Gucci Mane.

On July 6, 2016, Pokémon Go was released by the company Niantic Inc. This popular game allows players to trade, battle, and collect Pokémon characters through real-world geocaching. People everywhere went crazy over Pokémon Go, which made more people go outside to play the popular

game. Since its release date, Pokémon Go, has had over 500 million downloads worldwide and has won numerous awards including the best mobile/handheld game.

The 2016 Olympics was held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil from August 5-21. In all, 11,237 athletes from 207 countries competed in 306 events.

Among these athletes was the accomplished American swimmer, Michael Phelps, who ended his career with 23 gold medals, three silver medals, and two bronze medals for a grand total of 28 medals.

According to cancer.gov, recent scientific research has led to the discovery of a new chemotherapy treatment called adoptive T cell therapy. Unlike other cancer treatments, it only targets and kills cancerous cells, instead of also killing healthy cells.

A recent ban on harmful chlorine chemicals has resulted in the shrinking of the Antarctic ozone hole. According to National Geographic, this is the first time the Antarctic ozone hole has shrunk, since it was first discovered in 1985

by a group of British survey scientists.

Remember the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in 2015? In 2016, CBS News reported that scientists discovered the gene that causes ALS, which could lead to new treatments and therapies to cure ALS. Small plastic beads in body scrubs and toothpastes have been wreaking havoc on our planet’s oceans. Every day, the US uses approximately 808 trillion micro beads, which end up in our oceans. Fish mistakenly consume the micro beads thinking that they are food; however the micro beads are highly toxic. Newsweek reported

photo from youthlogix.com

that as of 2017, all manufacturers can no longer use micro beads in their products.

The New York Times recently reported that giant pandas are no longer endangered due to an increase in panda births in China.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, the wild tiger population has significantly increased for the first time in 100 years.

Juno, NASA’s spacecraft, reached Jupiter’s orbit after five years of travel time. The spacecraft will explore Jupiter for 20 months.

photo from youtube.com

SPORTS

page 8

Girl’s Water Polo Starts Girl’s Soccer Will the Season Swimmingly Be Contenders

by Andrew Kim Staff Writer The Centurion’s Ladies Water Polo Team are starting the season strong. With five wins under their belts, the team is confident and ready to take on the upcoming season.

The Centurion Ladies have been the reigning league champions for two consecutive years, and they hope it will be no different this year. Varsity Captain Mareena Vivas states, that the team’s key to success is the “tight-knit family feeling the team has.” Vivas also states, “Because we’re pretty young, we’re still growing and improving with each practice and right now the sky’s the limit.” Head Coach, Darren Sandvig, states, “It’s a growing year. Lots of new young players to fill the big footprints of the seniors that we lost last year.” Currently the team’s goal this season is to keep up the trend of success and get another league title.

The Ladies played a close one with their toughest competitor, Tustin, but fell a little bit short. They ended the game with a score of 4-5, however Varsity Player Lauren Lui states, “The game was slow and if we could play them again, we would win.” The team however does have another chance at Tustin as long as Cypress remains undefeated or if Tustin loses a League Game.

The girls have been working hard, they practice before the sun rises and after the sun sets in order to keep bringing home victories.

Mareena Vivas sets up for a shot

photo by Andrew Kim

Chemistry and Brotherhood

by Ashley Han Staff Writer Boys basketball has started this winter season and they are in it to win it. With the Kennedy vs. Cypress game coming up, the boys are preparing to make Cypress proud once again. Varsity captain, Marcus Swain, says, “We are pretty focused and confident. With 10 wins so far we are hoping to win league and CIF.” Swain explained how the team prepares for each team they play, rather than preparing for all the games together.

In every game they play, the team shows hard work and dedication. With their 10-7 record they are putting in more work every day, hoping to go far this season. Varsity

player Karl Schneider (F) says, “We are going well, we beat some top teams in the county.” Schneider continued, “The team has great chemistry, we have been playing with each other for a long time so our bond is amazing.” In order to prepare for each game the boys listen to music and get hyped up.

by Kevin Silveira Staff Writer This year, girl’s soccer will be competing to be CIF champions. This new season started with an excellent performance in the 5-1 victory against Valencia.

The game started with Valencia scoring in the first five minutes into the game. After a few minutes, Cypress started attacking more and were able to score. Courtney Allard shooting in the top right corner, bringing Cypress back into the game. The second goal was scored some time after Cypress tied the game. Before the end of the first half, the third goal was scored by Macey Keester, after a corner was taken, Keester took the rebound and shot into the back of the net.

In the second half of the game, Cypress midfielder Rachel McClure, who injured her ear earlier in the game, came back and scored with her weak foot from a shot outside the box, right into the top right corner. The fifth goal was scored from an offensive rebound, right into the back of the net.

Not only does this dominant result show that Cypress had a great start to the season, but it also showed that they look to be favorites to win the CIF championship, “This season, Cypress is

looking to forward to win championship for the fourth year in a row, this would be great for the seniors, and we are also looking to win the CIF championship,” stated Coach Woiemberghe. Showing no signs of weakness, scoring five goals in their first game, the team shows the potential to be a title contender and also shows class among the players.

This season, Cypress is looking to make some improvements on the team.

“We need to improve on our offense, we have not been scoring as much,” said Centurion Riley Keester. “We just need to find a way to put the ball in the back of the net,” stated player Tatum Gee. This is also a time to look forward to the next games of the league. “One of the biggest games of the league is Pacifica,” stated player Jessica Jackson. “Kennedy or Pacifica, they are usually the most emotional games of the league,” stated Allard.

Even though Cypress tied 1-1 against rivals Kennedy. They are showing off their skills on the pitch. The girls are showing no signs of flopping when they show their opponents how to play soccer, the Centurion way to win. Cypress girls’ soccer is a team to look out for this season, because with this domination, they could win CIF.

With a close loss against Valencia (59-56), the boys are determined to win the next game against Kennedy. Varsity player (F), Myles Jones, said, “Yesterday’s game was intense. We are learning from our mistakes and going over a whole game plan. In order to prepare we are getting every player’s stats on the team. With a great team chemistry and brotherhood we are expecting to win league championships and CIF.” The girls are all smiles after a victory

photo by Kevin Silveira

CHS Girl’s Basketball Shooting for Success The boys are determined to win

photo by Ashley Han

Boy’s Soccer Showing Improvement

by Stephen Liem Opinion Editor One of the lesser reported teams of the year would be Boy’s Soccer. The team has a win-loss ratio during the current season of 7-5 so far.

Morale has risen among the team, with Coach Victor Lighte having high hopes for the team, stating that “winning and losing are all part of the experience, and the victories we enjoy are all the sweeter.” The team has already qualified

for CIF and based on their record, expects to finish off the year with a good season.

It is important to note, however that the boy’s team has done much better than their last season. Their record last year was an astounding 3-11.

The record this year shows that the team has indeed improved, by a great margin. Be sure to go to their game on February 11th, at 3 pm, against Kennedy.

by Miranda Santos Illustrator/Features Page Editor Defeating Valencia 36-25 in their first league game, the Lady Centurions are driven to go far this season. Junior, Katherine Moreno, says, “I look forward to playing my first year of varsity this year with all of these really talented and amazing girls and see how all of the team’s hard work and dedication this past year will pay off.”

The athletes confirm that teamwork and dedication are most essential to their growth this season. “There is never a dull moment when we’re together off the court,” Moreno adds, “we really just need to continue challenging ourselves during practice and focusing on our weaknesses.”

Coach Nathaniel Rivera has a huge impact on the lady’s success this season as he puts in daily hours to ensure the team progresses in the way they need to. “Our coaches not only teach us on the court, but off the court they emphasize trust and unity, which has brought us far and is evident when we play,” says captain Sabrina Ichiho.

Last year the ladies fought hard throughout the season but this year, they are determined to leave the court

Agnes Manu goes hard in the paint, with opponents putting on the pressure

photo courtesy of Sabrina Ichiho

victorious. “I think we look bigger and faster this year. We also have the thought of redemption in the back of our minds motivating us after coming in second in league last year,” affirms Ichiho.

Although the team is very determined to redeem themselves this season, they will still have to face their biggest competition, the trolls. Playing against our rivals can get pretty nerveracking so girl’s basketball will need as much Centurion support as they can get. Don’t miss an intense game against Kennedy High School at home on February 1, 2017.