MIR ROR Spirit Week
Briefs
Haiti Fundraiser
BY LARISSA CALIXTO During family day it is encouraged to have four people from each grade and dress up together. This gives a chance for students to branch it and go out of their comfort zone. “It was cool to see people from different grades coordinate costumes,” said Breanna Lezcano (9). “It was so inclusive and brought together different people,” also said Ethan Richards (12). You see all kinds of different costumes throughout the week and it is very interesting to see what people come up with. “I saw someone had a dinosaur blowup suit on, and although it didn’t really make sense because it was superhero day, it was funny,” added Kalee Cautivar (11). The week ended with tourist day. During Red Ribbon Week the students were told about drug awareness and were committed in getting class points by participating with different costumes and bringing cans of food to be donated to Drug Alternative Program
Jr./Sr. Bible Camp Jan. 27-29, 2022 @lla.mirror
Loma Linda Academy News Reflecting on LLA since 1940s
CELEBRATING OVER 80 YEARS OF STUDENT NEWS
Spirit week is a time where students are able to showcase how they interpret all the days of the week. This week applies with our Drug Awareness week (Red Ribbon Week), and the days of the week connect to phrases about staying away from drugs. Spirit week occurred on October 25-29; the days were Pajama Day, Decades Day, Superhero Day, Family Day, and Tourist Day. The phrases are as follows; “Wake up drug free,” “Leave drugs in the past,” “Fighting back against drugs,” “Work together to say no to drugs,” “Guide yourself away from drugs.” This is a time where students are able to dress up in non-uniform outfits. Some students have very creative perspectives and go all out when they dress up. Eve Blanchard (10) said that she enjoys spirit week because she does not like being in uniform. “I liked family day because it was fun to see my Star Wars family around the school.”
No School on MLK Day, Jan. 17, 2022
@lla.mirror
December 2021 Vol. 82 Issue 3
Christmas Dec. 25, 2021
Second Semester Begins Jan. 5, 2022
The BSA held a fundraiser to raise money for the people who are in need of housing due to the earthquake in Haiti. As BSA partnered with HANDS International, a Loma Linda based medical missionary group, the association and students as a whole were able to raise around $625 in total.
Astroworld
On November 5, eight died on sight while hundreds of others were hospitalized after Travis Scott’s concert (Astroworld). The death total as of November 15 is 10, including a 9 year old boy according to CNN. Scott and the Astroworld organizers as a whole have been sued for 750 million dollars, according to BBC.
Oxford Brief
Four students have now died and seven more were injured in the shooting that occured at Oxford High School, Michigan on Tuesday, November 30th, 2021. More than 100 calls were made to police and the alleged 15 year old shooter appeared in court on Monday, December 13th, via Zoom.
Families at Risk in Madagascar
On August 1, 2021 men, women and children in Madagascar are suffering by the changes in their environment. Right now in Madagascar a drought like no other is happening due to climate change and the people are left with no food, water, or money. Check out savethechildren.org for more details.
Fall Sports Records XC Boys 2-22 XC Girls 15-9
Girls Varsity Volleyball League: 4-10 Overall: 12-10
Girls JV Volleyball League: 4-10
Girls Flag Football 16-1
Boys Flag Football 19-0
Stress
BY JASON GREGORIUS-GRAKOV
Photo Creds: Lynn Panggabean Photo Creds: Kalee Cautivar
School can be stressful for students. Stress affects one’s mental and emotional state. Stress impacts your thoughts, feelings and behavior. Many factors can cause stress. Some examples are being overwhelmed. Sometimes things feel too much and that is normal. “Homework, extracurricular activities, distractions can be very stressful sometimes,” said Soobin Jeon (11). Andrew DelaRoca (11) explained “junior year is putting a lot of pressure on me and there is lots of homework. Homework keeps me busy during the day. It can be hard to not be busy with the large amount of homework given this year.” We need to learn how to deal with stress. Here are some exam-
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GregoriusGrakov
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ples of ways we can deal with stress according to the Center of Disease Control: Keep distractions away! Distractions, such as social media, can lead to procrastination, which will lead to having too much work. Distribute your work evenly! Take breaks! Even though there might be too much work, taking a 10 minute break can be relieving. This will clear the mind and refresh the body. Snacking and drinking water is a good idea too. Go exercise! Doing something that you enjoy, such as exercising, is a good way to relieve stress. Talk to someone! Social interactions are a good way to take your mind away from stressful things and connect with people.
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SA Christmas Banquet Announcement BY STEPHANIE LOPEZ On November 1, the Student Association presented the theme of the annual Christmas banquet. This theme was Tangled, a classic Disney movie. The Student Association had been planning, practicing lines, rehearsing, and preparing since last summer. SA Social Vice President, Liane Magnaye (12), said “Our top four options were Cinderella, Princess and the frog, Tangled and Beauty and the beast. We ended up with Tangled because of the lanterns that was a big thing that’s how we came up with it for the Christmas banquet.” As seeing Rapunzel trapped in the castle, played by Regan Couture (12), she said that, “ decision was to cast me as Rapunzel and honestly I think it helped that I had blonde hair. Also seeing Flynn Rider running away from the guards to the castle was played by Jack Balli (12). He said that “I was actually asked to play the role by some of the SA officers. I’ve done performances on stage in the past so when they asked me if I could play Flynn, I accepted.”
To get everything ready in time for the announcement, Couture said, “There weren’t too many setbacks with planning, the thing that stuck out to me though was the fact that it was difficult to communicate with participants from time to time. Another tricky thing was figuring out how the lanterns and the boat scene were going to play out.” During the wonderful performance and hear the beautiful voices of all of the actors live in the chapel, according to Balli, he didn’t sing live. Every song in the announcement was pre-recorded. He said, “hope[s] people did think it was live, because that’s what we were going for.” Students show enjoyment for the announcement and cheering for the performers and planning who to ask for the banquet and wondering what they will wear and wondering what next year’s banquet theme will look like. Photo Credits: Nicole Seheult
Instagram Polemic BY ERIN STONE
On October 5th, 2021, former Facebook data collector, Frances Haugen, spoke at a hearing of the Senate Commerce according to the CNN Business article, “Whistleblower Appears in Court.” She spoke out on the negative effects social media has on humans of all ages, and about how creators know this, but still continue to promote bad things to get more money. Haugen said, “the company intentionally hides vital information from the public, from the U.S. government, and from governments around the world,” she stated in “Whistleblower takeaway” on the CNN website. She said they do this because they are gaining “astronomical profits.” Facebook’s collaborative social media app called Instagram is what students are more familiar with as teenagers. According to a recent LLA poll of 50 LLA students, 95% of students use Instagram, and 83% of those students are actively online for six hours or more every week. When polled, 62.8% of students said that they feel good when using Instagram, but 24.3% also feel insecure about themselves after they get off. Students reported 27.9 % of students
say Instagram makes them feel anxious and confused. Over 50% of students said they could not go a week without using Instagram. Yet these are just numbers, not fully capturing the damaging impact that social media has on students. Madison Kohltfarber (10) shared her personal experience with mental health and social media. She said, “I know for me personally, I see people who just look so good and who have so much fun posting about it and I compare myself to them. It makes me feel bad about myself and about how I look.” Some students downloaded Instagram for personal reasons, but quite a few downloaded it to stay up to date with school. And with almost 980 followers and 486 posts, llastudents is doing a great job keeping them informed on many school events. According to their bio, “The LLA HS Student Association has created this Instagram to upload photos of LLA students during activities and to notify you of upcoming events.” But with all the negative impacts social media has, Sophia Souza (9) wonder if it would be better to move these announcements off
Student Spotlight BY STEPHANIE LOPEZ
At Loma Linda Academy, some students do activities to make our community better, such as doing drives for homeless organizations or making new clubs. Divit Shah(10) is hosting a sock drive for the homeless people in Redlands and Loma Linda. It is held through UReach at LLU and is in need of a lot of socks. “The goal is that I would like to get 300 pairs of socks,” said shah. When you have the chance to bring socks please put them in the box that will be provided in the front office. As for spreading diversity in our community, there are many clubs at LLA to learn different cultures, such as the Korean club and the
Photo Credit: Ana Gonzalez
of social media and put them on a website instead. “Sometimes I think the school should just make an announcement page on lla.org, so I wouldn’t need to check Instagram for stuff,” Souza said. According to the “Teens and Effects of Cyberbullying” survey by the Pew Research Center, “59 percent of US teens have been bullied or harassed online.” According to the Atlantic article “Teens are Being Bullied Constantly on Instagram” cited a PEW research study finding that “one in five 12-to-20-year-olds experience bullying specifically on Instagram.” Inaccurate news and misinformation is also a problem. Some people have become less vigilant online. Instagram has added a report button to help moderate misinformation. Fact checking and looking for a credible source can help to protect the community and yourself. Instagram is still one of the most popular social media apps used by teens. However, by maintaining a positive mental state, moderating your time, double checking your sources,and being mindful and kind to others, Instagram can still
be a fun and enjoyable place to talk to your friends and stay connected to the latest events.
Photo Credits: Erin Stone
Student Art Showcase BY ABIGAIL COOLEY
Here at LLA, many students BSA(Black Student Association). have wonderful artistic abilities. Ana Gonzales(11) along with Ethan It is important to recognize the Lin(11) are a part of the Hispanic significance of art, as well as the culture club. ability of students to express themselves through art. Art allows students to portray their emotions, ideas, perspectives, and more. Our students vary in different artistic styles, ranging from paintings of nature, to even scribbles that combine to make a beautiful picture. Sophie Rai (11), said she likes artwork by Georgia O’Keeffe, as well as artwork about nature. “I’ve always liked the subjects, nature, and natural colors,” she said. One of her favorite creations that she has made was a sculpture of a frog, which she made for a friend. “Sculpting is a new medium for me, so it was fun to figure that out Photo Credit: Ethan Lin while making it as a gift for some“Ethan actually came up to me one.” and talked to me about it but I Lauren Parchamento (10), exnever really saw it as a reality considering the fact that so much plained how she enjoys abstract art, including a type of scribbling needs to be put into starting a club. Ethan took the initiative and technique often referred to as line art. This line art is a series of scribI decided to help” said Gonzables that makes up a picture of an les. The goal that they have is to make everyone feel included and object, such as a person or animal. “I feel like that style of art makes to educate people. Meetings are people realize more that, just beon Monday but will be moved to Tuesday so more people can join. cause something is messy doesn’t
mean it can’t show something that means a lot,” she said. Benjamin Pasaribu (11), enjoys art work by Hokusai, including woodblock prints, as well as his famous creation The Great Wave off Kanagawa. “I find his art style to be very interesting and I love the vivid imagery he creates with his composition and color choices,” he added. One of Pasaribu’s own creations includes a piece on his sketchbook cover for art class. He explains, “This was originally an art project where we were assigned to create something based off of the psychedelic art style of the 60s. It’s one of my favorites because I think it captures a very free and vibrant emotion which spoke to me when I finally finished it.” Many students at Loma Linda Academy rely on art, including diverse types of mediums, and look to art as a form of self expression. Clearly here at LLA, we have many artistically talented students, who have creative minds.
Alec Baldwin
Reaching Out in the Community
BY SAMANTHA ZANE
October 21, 2021 in Santa Fe, New Mexico well known actor, Alec Baldwin, was filming his next movie Rust. During the filming Alex Baldwin accidentally shot and killed a Cinematographer, and also badly wounded the director using a prop gun, according to ABCnews.go.com article “Alec Baldwin on ‘Rust’ shooting: ‘Someone is responsible...but I know it’s not me.’” Students learned about the news from different sources. Gia Wright (10) heard about the news story through a news channel on TV. Kurt Barreta (11) heard about this news through his weekly assignment from Ms. Constanzo through Now Comment, that she gives to her students to read in her US History Classes. Lynnae Garnett (12) heard it through Snapchat. “They have the daily mail that I subscribe to,” she stated. There are many things that the crew could have done to prevent this event from happening. Wright and Garnett both agreed that if the set had more equipment checks this could have been prevented. Kurt said, “If the actual instructor handed him the gun and knew it
BY ABIGAIL COOLEY was a live round instead of a blank round it probably wouldn’t have happened.” Many are wondering whether this movie is going to be finished after this incident or are they going to postpone the release date. Many students thought that the movie would not be finished. A Today.com article “Production of Alec Baladwin’s ‘Rust’ Paused Indefinitely After Fatal On-set Shooting” “the production of ‘Rust’ won’t continue for now after the shooting accident.” On Hulu there is an unscripted interview with Alec Baldwin if you would like to learn more.
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore
Reaching out to the community is a key step in learning how to serve others, which can be done in multiple ways. Volunteering for the community can be viewed in many different ways such as participating in vacation Bible school at your local church, joining an LLA campus ministry which serves others, and volunteering with other clubs such as Youth2Youth and Friends Next Door. Here are some ways in which our students serve the community. Zadie Tsao (11) serves the community through a Campus Ministry club called Friends Next Door. She enjoys helping kids learn about God through various activities. Tsao said, “I get to help plan things, and it’s basically a VBS for kids. I actually really love working with kids, and I am able to, you know, sing and dance for them.” Tsao values volunteering because she believes that it is a lasting experience that can help you later on in life. “You get to make new friends, you get to have new experiences, and all in all, it helps the world become a better place,” she summarized. Julia Ko (12) serves the community through various outlets, including Youth2Youth. She states,
“My favorite type of volunteering is the one where I can connect with the people who I am helping.” She recalled one memory back in 2019, where she helped with the Youth2Youth Christmas party, in which they celebrated many families’ new ownership of their homes. “I was responsible for helping plan and set up the party as well as getting a gift for a little girl, and I will always remember the joy on her face when she opened her gift and the innocent, childlike energy she exuded,” Ko recalled. Ko said that volunteering allows her to take a step back from her hectic life and focus solely on giving to the community. There are clearly many ways that students can help volunteer and reach out to the community. Volunteering is both beneficial to the giver and the receiver, and allows new and unlikely bonds to occur and manifest. If you are interested in reaching out to the community, but are hesitant or don’t know how, consider talking to Pastor JO or one of the ministry directors at school.
School Trends BY ALEXANDER SALLES
Trends are everything that is expands its reach to toddlers, popular at a certain time. As a trendy teens and their grandparschool, we are not exempt from ents” being affected by current trends. That is why the LLA Mirror gathered data from students from each grade to see what the trends for this year looked like.
Photo Credit: Logan Kim
Photo Credit: Jaren Vintagcol
Photo Credit: Megan Robles
Megan Robles (9) says she has been really into trends. One of the rising trends she has seen are crocs. Megan tries to keep up with the trends, “I like following trends while also mixing them up to make my own” says Robles. According to The Washington Post “Crocs has unexpectedly turned its polarizing crayon-colored shoes into a hip, even glamorous, statement. Sales have skyrocketed during the pandemic — up more than 60 percent the past quarter — as the brand
Jaren Vintagcol (10) has noticed different trends this year, “I think I’ve seen a lot more baggy jeans rather than skinny jeans.” Girls are also using more scrunchies and everyone is definitely so much into white shoes. Vintagcol says he isn’t very much into trends, “I try not to keep up with trends often and just wear what I like” states Vintagcol. Logan Kim (11) says that vintage clothing and thrifting were very popular trends this year. “I get a lot of ideas from social media like pinterest and TikTok” says Kim. Making trends on your own is the most fun part and helps you get
creative and show your own style. Logan says “I like to take ideas from trends but not exactly copy trends”. Kim has seen oversized hoodies and pants the most at school.
Photo Credit: Jenel Salamante
Jenel Salamante (12) says, “I’d say oversized sweaters and odd skirts for our California weather is a pretty solid pair.” states Salamante. She likes to see how other students keep up with the trends and sometimes make their own, “At school, I haven’t seen too much, we have school uniforms but sometimes I see underclassmen up-styling themselves to their own style and it makes me happy.” Salamante shares a very relatable opinion, “Our uniform sucks but that doesn’t mean you look bad in it.” Trends are drawing attention all around the world. It is interesting to see what people come up with when talking about style. No trend is better or worse than others, they are just different and there is a right style for everyone. But keep in mind that following examples and doing what everyone else is doing is not always something good. So keep up with your own trends and no matter what trend comes next you will be in style.
SA Christmas Banquet DEC 5, 2021 AT SHERATON PARK HOTELS, ANAHEIM On December 5th the students had a fun night from 5pm to 11 pm at Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort with a beautiful venue and amazing ravioli and cheesecake. Students also had fun learning , eating, and making memories with friends. The next day students enjoyed having a late start instead of having to get up early for an 8 am class
Photo Credit: Stephanie Lopez
Photo Credit: Nicole Seheult
Photo Credit: Alexander Salles
Photo Credit: Stephanie Lopez
Photo Credit: Stephanie Lopez
Photo Credit: Alexander Salles
Photo Credit: Stephanie Lopez
Photo Credit: Stephanie Lopez
Photo Credit: Larissa Calixto
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