2019-2020 Issue 2
Table of Contents Page 1: Homecoming Overview Page 2-3: Candidate Profiles Page 4: Senior/Freshmen Sisters Fall Fun Page 5: Alumni Homecoming Memories Page 6: Upcoming Events; Spooky Baskets Page 7: Halloween Candy Page 8: Behind the Scenes Page 9: The Campus Cat; HOCO Over-Explained
Immanuel Students Celebrate "At the Box Office" for Homecoming 2019 by Jonah Gomez
What’s up Eagles and Eaglets! Here we are once again, when students dress up and teachers are annoyed, A.K.A homecoming. Coming at you with a fresh new theme, “At the Box Office”! Dress up days kick off the week with Musical Monday, followed by Classic Hollywood Tuesday, Comedy/Teen Movie Wednesday, Action/Adventure Thursday, and ending the week with Animation/ Fantasy Friday. Homecoming chapel will be held Tuesday, and students will display their skills at the iconic Talent Show, this year opened up to junior high students as well, on Thursday. The crowning ceremony will be held at the Immanuel Sports Complex at half time during the Varsity football game against Sierra High School.
Halle Brett Unknown Quirk: I give really good hugs. Favorite Hero: Supergirl Favorite food: Kabob City Three Words to Describe Me: Loud, funny, and outgoing Goals: To be happily married, and have a couple dogs and cute kids Who I Would Cast as Me in a Movie: Ashley Tisdale Most Excited for This Year: The rest of volleyball season and hanging out with friends
Jazmine Cabrera Unknown Quirk: I save every fortune from my fortune cookies. Favorite hero: Spiderman Favorite Food: Popcorn Three Words to Describe Me: Loyal, artistic, and chill Goals: Help preserve the earth with Megan PeĂąa. Who I Would Cast as Me in a Movie: Selena Gomez Most Excited for This Year: Making more memories with the homies
Camilo Maldonado Takeo Fujioka Unknown Quirk: I love airplanes Favorite Hero: Iron Man Favorite Food: Italian Three Words to Describe Me: Funny, kind, compassionate Goals: Graduating and going to GCU and becoming a special ed teacher Who I Would Cast as Me in a Movie: Justin Baldoni Most Excited for This Year: Senior night and doing fun things with my friends
Unknown Quirk: I wake up at 7:45 for school Favorite Hero: Captain Marvel Favorite Food: Japanese Three Words to Describe Me: Funny-ish, Weird, Unfashionable Goals: To have a job that pays enough Who I Would Cast as Me in a Movie: No one because I'd never be a character in a movie. Or Josh Gad lol. Most Excited for This Year: To graduate and have a Disneyland trip because the school thought it was a good idea to take away Six Flags.
Sarahjane Clothier Unknown Quirk: I can make a killer dolphin noise. Favorite Hero: Spider-man Favorite Food: Cheese Three Words to Describe Me: Athletic, kind, and saved Goals: Become a sonographer, and travel around the world Who I Would Cast as Me in a Movie: Elle Fanning Most Excited for This Year: The Disneyland trip
Wolfgang Hoffman Unknown Quirk: I have doublejointed fingers
Favorite Hero: Barnacle Boy Favorite Food: Cinnamon Rolls Three Words to Describe Me: Tall, blonde, studious Goals: Go to college; be successful Who I Would Cast as Me in a Movie: Heath Ledger Most Excited for This Year: Graduation
Molly Klassen Unknown Quirk: The first time I had chicken and waffles I cried. Favorite Hero: Joni Eareksen Tada Favorite Food: I love chicken. Three Words to Describe Me: Fun, emotional, and chatty Goals: To make the most of my time on earth, travel, have children, and be an awesome mother Who I Would Cast as Me in a Movie: Amanda Seyfried Most Excited for This Year: New friends and doing legendary things with my homies
Curtis Balakian Unknown Quirk: I enjoy making iced tea. Favorite Hero: Ronald Reagan Favorite Food: Medium-rare ribeye steak Three Words to Describe Me: Cool, conservative, carnivorous Goals: To not waste my life, but instead make it count Who I Would Cast as Me in a Movie: Keanu Reeves Most Excited for This Year: I'm planning on having a lot of memorable and legendary moments during my last year of high school.
Claire Ramirez Unknown Quirk: I'm terrible at spelling. Favorite Hero: Olivia Barsoom Favorite Food: Mexican Food Three Words to Describe Me: Straight up chillin' Goals: Have a career in interior design and eventually start a family Who I Would Cast as Me in a Movie: Vanessa Hudgens Most Excited for This Year: Volleyball season and hanging out with the homies
Andrew Herrera Unknown Quirk: I look like Martin Luther King Jr. Favorite Hero: Captain America Favorite Food: Buffalo Wild Wings Three Words to Describe Me: Competitive, hardWorking, sarcastic Goals: Graduate from college, become a farmer, and start a family Who I Would Cast as Me in a Movie: Andrew Sorensen Most Excited for This Year: Saturdays with the boysssss
Taylor Simonian Unknown Quirk: My mom works in the office. Also when I laugh I wheeze. Favorite Hero: Jesus Favorite Food: Eggs and toast Three Words to Describe Me: Loud, chaotic, and creative Goals: Married. Rich. Happy. Who I Would Cast as Me in a Movie: Danny Devito Most Excited for This Year: The future, even though I'm absolutely terrified of it
Josh Cabaluna Unknown Quirk: I never wear jeans. Favorite Hero: Finn from Adventure Time Favorite Food: Salmon Three Words to Describe Me: Timid, hopeful, chill Goals: Survive Who I Would Cast as Me in a Movie: Seth Rogan, obviously Most Excited for This Year: Graduation... but all jokes aside, I'm actually excited for all the senior activities we get to do this year.
Senior/Freshmen Sisters Start the Year Off Right by Sienna Mehling
Senior and freshmen girls enjoy an evening together
Mikaela Mora and Elizabeth Young
Taylor Simonian and Sienna Mehling
Fill Your Fall Season with Fun by Lexi Perez
Don’t have anything to do during spooky season? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Here are a few ways to make your spooky season a little better. So stop being BOOing and go try some of these fun activities! Hobbs Grove: This best place to get a good scare! Hobb’s Grove in Sanger has corn mazes, hayrides, and pumpkins! Attractions, hours, and pricing is available on their website - www.hobbsgrove.com. Fall Family Fun Night: Located only a couple of blocks from school, the Reedley Mennonite Brethren Church will hold their annual fall carnival on Halloween night. Festivities start at 5:30, and include food for a nominal fee and tons of free games. Trunk or Treat: Don’t have anywhere to trick or treat? Visit Northpointe Church in Fresno! It’s free, safe, and fun. More information can be found at www.northpointe.org/ event/trunk-or-treat-2019/. ZooBoo: Every year the Fresno Chaffee Zoo has 4 nights with the whole park decorated for Halloween. Trick or Treat through the zoo, get lost in the hay maze, get up
High school life can be challenging for new freshmen, but the transition can be smoother with the help of some involved seniors. In August, the senior girls kicked off the year with the annual freshman/senior sleepover. This is a tradition that has been happening at Immanuel for some time now. All of the senior girls invited the freshman girls for a sleepover, hosted at senior class president Jaiden Purewal’s house. All the girls participated in activities such as swimming, games, and making s’mores. Girls are paired up after the freshmen fill out a questionnaire about themselves, answering questions such as what they like to do in their free time or what their favorite TV show is. The point of having a senior sister is to have a familiar upperclassman that you can talk to and be comfortable with. “Elizabeth and I have a lot in common. This includes we both play volleyball, soccer, and like to have fun!” Senior Mikaela Mora says, and her freshman sister Elizabeth Young agrees, saying “yeah, and we both have older brothers and we are both very talkative!” This is a tradition that will hopefully be passed on for generations to come.
close with Education Animal Ambassadors, or dance the night away to family-friendly music at Dracula’s Disco! Stop by on October 18, 19, 25, or 26. Pumpkin Patches Want to carve a pumpkin this year? Go to Hillcrest Pumpkin Patch in Reedley! They have many pumpkins to choose from, as well as a corn maze, activities for kids, and a small scale train that runs through the harvest season. There is also Planet Pumpkin in Fresno! Find them at 640 E. Nees Avenue in Fresno, and take in the carnival-esque experience with great food and rides!
Alumni Homecoming Memories by Nathan Orosco
Homecoming is upon us once again and that means creative floats, good food, and of course, voting for Homecoming King and Queen. It has been 53 years since the first Homecoming Queen was crowned, and to commemorate it, The Talon asked some Eagle alumni about their favorite homecoming memories. Mr. Thomas: Our float theme my junior year was the 1970's. Our idea was to make a full disco scene including a dance number on the float to the song "Staying Alive." No one in my class knew how to dance. We discoed our way to last place and a reprimand for using an ‘inappropriate’ song and theme for our float.
Mr. Thomas, formal, 1998
Mrs. Ayers: I remember one float well - we had an exploration theme - like Indiana Jones style. We built a volcano frame, and a group of kids papier-mache and painted it, and then they put dry ice down inside it so it smoked while the float was driven around the track.
Mrs. Ayers, far right, senior year class color day, 1993
Mrs. Simonian: I had a great experience during homecoming and was fortunate enough to be chosen as a queen candidate back in 1987. As a candidate, you had to have a talent and showcase it for the students and then on a separate night for parents and whoever else wanted to watch. Since I had no "talent,� I decided to brave the stage with my ballet slippers! I was so nervous that I forgot the whole thing and had to improvise a 3 minute dance in front of my peers! It was a sweet time with some great memories. Mrs. Simonian, Homecoming queen candidate, 1987
Spooky Basket 101 by Julia Scarborough
Chances are if you have a Twitter account, once the month of October hits your timeline is full of girls posting pictures of ~spooky baskets~. For those of you who don't know, spooky baskets are baskets filled with goodies that are given during the Halloween season. It can be given between friends, or between a boyfriend/girlfriend. Got someone special in mind? Think you might like to give them a spooky basket? Well here are some simple steps on how to do it and what to put in them! Step 1: Find yourself a boo (good luck). Step 2: Go shopping for items. Step 3: Give it to your boo. Some ideas to put in a basket would be face masks, candles, socks, favorite candies, cookies, gum, favorite drinks, maybe a lock of your hair or one of your fingernails, and if you want to be extra sweet give some flowers! Also a tip - have the colors of all the items be the same (typical Halloween colors) if you want to be extra cute!
Good News! Sadies Isn't Cancelled! by Aly Perez
Girls, Sadie Hawkins is right around the corner! After a bit of a rocky start to the planning of Sadie's, StuCo has the event locked down and ready to go! It’s an “AllAmerican” themed gathering this year, and it will be held on Saturday, November 2. If you haven’t already, ask your guys, assemble an “All American” picnic, and join in on the fun. More details about time and location will be posted in the daily bulletin soon! Be on the lookout!
Seniors Look Forward to Retreat by Jonah Gomez
The annual senior guys retreat is almost upon us. On October 19 Don Knaak, Gale Bamford, and Grant Thiessen will be taking the senior males to Dan Souzas’ ranch down in Paso Robles for a weekend filled with bonding, worship, and absolutely fantastic food. There will be a big skeet shooting competition for a very big prize. The message that the retreat will be centered around is Proverbs 27:17. The verse says “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another”. Bruce Jeffcoach will be the special speaker at the retreat and will speak on the four soils.
Coming This Fall: "The Secret Garden" by Aly Perez
This year Immanuel will be showcasing "The Secret Garden" as their fall musical. "The Secret Garden" is based on a novel, and has been performed by the Immanuel Performing Arts Department in years past. Shows will be held on Saturdays and Sundays from November 9-17, at 3 & 7 pm. "The Secret Garden" is a story of an orphan girl in early 1900s England who has lost her parents in a cholera epidemic and has been placed in the home of her estranged uncle. Everyone she comes across in the house is keeping quiet about one particular garden, and she makes it a mission to find it.
At Least It's Not Candy Corn by Ronnie Alvarado
Every year, people of all ages all over the world dress up in costumes and put on makeup to celebrate the tradition of Halloween. As people meet with their friends and family and go doorstep to doorstep to go Trick or Treating and receive candy, have you ever wondered what everyone’s favorite Halloween candy is? Look no further. We have the answers for you. Before the big day make sure you stock up on lots of candy. If you really want to make people smile with your candy choice, make sure you get them the favorite candy of California: Skittles. According to Forbes magazine, Californians
prefer Skittles to every other candy. I would have thought that California’s favorite candy would have been some kind of chocolate, but hey - it could be worse. We could be like Idaho, Iowa, or Nevada and have our favorite candy be Candy Corn. Arizona’s favorite candy is Hot Tamales, which I
honestly don't understand. It's already hot enough over there without having your candy contribute to the temperature. I’m fine with Skittles being the California State candy. It’s not the best, but at least it’s not Candy Corn.
The Talon surveyed the Immanuel student body to determine the favorite candy of each class. Candy choices were Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Skittles, Candy Corn, and Sour Patch Kids. The (extremely scientific) official results are as follows:
Behind the Scenes at an Immanuel Production by Ethan Garcia
Everyone knows about the productions Immanuel puts on throughout the year. But if you’re not in choir or drama you don’t really know what it takes to run such elaborate shows. It takes a multitude of people working backstage to make a production run smoothly. The Talon asked some people in choir and drama about their experiences helping behind the scenes. Senior Andrew Sorensen and Junior Nathaniel Ayers have both helped out behind the scenes, as well as being cast members in shows on stage. What are your responsibilities behind the scenes? Sorensen: I usually help out with construction for the sets of the musicals. Ayers: I usually help set up equipment on stage and wire equipment to the sound console. What is the most important part of your job? Sorensen: I assist Mr. Robbins and other people of the set crew in building the scenes that the shows take place in. Without the sets, the shows would be pretty bland. Ayers: The most important part of any production responsibility is ensuring that the audience has a good experience and making everything appear smooth when it really may not be. Behind the scenes, you often don't get noticed unless there is a glaring error in the event.
What is something you would like people to know about people who work backstage? Sorensen: There is more to the production than what you see on stage. Many people, especially Mr. Robbins, invest much of their own free time to make the production the best it can be. Ayers: People who work behind the scenes actually are there for a reason. People will assume that a band will sound fine without a sound technician, or that the stage lighting has nothing to do with the atmosphere. However, services without a production crew would be much more low energy and less immersive. Production is a bit of a thankless job, but when people don't notice you, you're usually doing that job well. What shows have you been a part of? Sorensen: I have been a part of Music Man, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, Guys and Dolls, Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast, and this year I will be a part of the Secret Garden, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and the February Musical. Ayers: I have been involved in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" (Ensemble), "Guys and Dolls" (Ensemble), "Peter Pan" (Leach), "Beauty and the Beast" (Cogsworth), and this year I will
be involved in "The Secret Garden" (Lt. Shaw), and "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" (Elmer Hopkins). Sophomore Ava Gomez, who has been an extra in past productions, filled The Talon in on what her experience has been like. Do you feel like the role of extras can be unappreciated? Gomez: I don’t necessarily feel that they’re unappreciated because they make the show that much more fun and it makes the stage feel more alive. Mr. Robbins tries his best to include all students in his classes in his drama and/or choir performances and I really appreciate that about him. What is something you would want everyone to know about being an extra? Gomez: Being an extra is FUN. Even if you’re disappointed about not having a bigger role, do your best to have a positive outlook on it and it will make the show that much more fun. Would you encourage people to take choir and/or drama? Gomez: Being an extra is FUN. Even if you’re disappointed about not having a bigger role, do your best to have a positive outlook on it and it will make the show that much more fun. What is something you would do different? Gomez: I would like to do some more behind the scenes stuff just to have the experience.
HOCO Dress Up Days, but Over-Explained by Erin Orosco and Taylor Simonian
“Musical Monday” The perfect opportunity to let your inner theater kid shine. It’s definitely not a phase, Mom. You laugh now, but when I’m on Broadway I’ll have the last laugh. Just kidding. Unless? “Classic Hollywood Tuesday” Modern day is so oppressive. Don’t you wish you we could turn back the clock, I don’t know, 90 years? Ignore the fact that minorities had no rights, the 20s were fun! You get to dress like a rich white man, and when else do you get to do that? “Comedy/Teen Movie Wednesday” Ladies, guess what time it is? Let your hair out of that messy ponytail and slowly take your glasses off so the sensitive,
secretly artistic captain of (insert sports team) will finally notice you! And not to leave out the guys here, this is your chance to finally stand up to your dad! Make sure to tell him before you quit (insert sport) to pursue your music career that you’re not giving up your dream, you’re giving up *his*. “Action/Adventure Thursday” Tired of your sad, boring little life? Wish you could be as interesting as Indiana Jones, The Rock, and Paul Walker (may he Rest In Peace)? Well now you can! Break out the archaeology gear or strap on your racing boots and settle in for the quest of a lifetime…high school. “Animation/Fantasy Friday” It’s every little girl’s dream to be a princess. Now’s your chance to wait helplessly as the man of your dreams fights off seemingly menial tasks to win your hand in marriage! And guys, haven’t you all dreamt of a day you can turn on your charms and win the heart of that one damsel in distress? What are you waiting for?
Cat Fight by Jordyn Baptista
The controversy continues to rage over the name of Immanuel’s campus cat, and it shows no sign of lessening. To Ms. Myers, the cat’s name is Kit, the sophomore girls have dubbed her Luann, and to the student body who participated in The Talon Twitter poll, her name is Karen. This is a cat-astrophe, and it’s fur-tunate an all-out war hasn’t broken out yet. The Talon staff members tried to track down sophomore Jamie Rose Clothier, who seems to have led the charge to name the feline Luann. She was unavailable for comment on this name in the kitty cat war. Why did Ms. Myers name the cat Kit? “I came up with the name "Kit" because it was short for Kitty,” Ms. Myers explained. She thinks that this cat helps with the students, decreases stress, and increases students’ performances. “Moreover, classroom pets are described as being particularly helpful for children who are stressed, tense, or in need of deescalation" by the American Humane Association. Studies have shown that a dog or a cat helps students relax. The lazy nature of cats, and this cat’s loving personality in particular, have helped the campus atmosphere become a better one, unless you’re allergic. If that’s the case, stay away from the cat, please.
Luann? Kit? Karen?
So how did The Talon come up with Karen? On 26 September 2019, The Talon used a democratic poll on Twitter (@thetalon_ihs) between Karen, Smush, Foo Foo Snaz, and Thomas Jefferson. After two days, Karen won with 44% of the total votes, barely edging out Thomas Jefferson. This moving story shows how The Talon looked for a general consensus among the student body and fairly named our female cat friend Karen. If you have a very strong mind set that this cat should be called something else, think of it this way: it doesn’t matter what you call this friendly feline. Her lovely personality will never change. She loves to be fed, and doesn’t care if you call her Luann, Kit, or Karen. Just make sure to wash your hands after petting or touching this cute cat, because we have absolutely no idea where she came from.