25 February 2022 Vol. 82 Issue 4
Loma Linda Academy News Reflecting on LLA since 1940s
3/07 Jr/Sr Banquet Announcement
3/28-4/3 Spring Break
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CELEBRATING 80 YEARS OF STUDENT NEWS
Briefs
Chinese New Year
Black History Month At Loma Linda Academy each Friday for the month of February we have Black history month chapel, where we learn about black culture and listen to chapels of what it was like to grow up here. On the 11th the BSA had a cultural debate where they would discuss different cultures.
BY JASON GREGORIUS-GRAKOV Also referred to as The Lunar New Year, the Chinese New Year is an annual celebration. It starts on the first day of February and it lasts fifteen days. This cultural holiday is celebrated in order to welcome the new year and honor ancestors, as well as to have the opportunity to gather with family members. “The major countries that celebrate Chinese New Year are of China but are not strictly limited to China. In Southeast Asia there is a very prominent Chinese New Year celebration including countries such as Indonesia and Thailand. There are also celebrations here in America, although not on the scale of countries that celebrate it more prominently but can still be seen here within Chinese communities.” shared Keoni Pang (12). Some of the main countries that celebrate this annual event are China, North Korea, South Korea, and Vietnam. So, what do people do during the Chinese New Year? “We will clean the whole entire house, invite tons of relatives, and have a big dinner. A lot of times on the big dinner people will cook meat, hot pot and other things” shared Anna Chang (10). The holiday is a great opportunity for the family and friends to gather together and have a fun time. At the freshman celebration at Loma Linda Academy, they read the book Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. The celebration also included eating dumplings. The students had a lot of fun.
3/13 Fresh./Soph. Spring Dinner
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2/28 SA Talent Show
Women’s History Month
Women’s history month is about to arrive, it reminds all of us of the accomplishments of women and women’s contributions to events in history and contemporary society. Purple is the official color of women’s history month, which happens from March 1 to 31. Super Bowl
February 13, 2022, Superbowl LVI kicked off at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. The Los Angeles Rams took down the Cincinnati Bengals in an intense game with the Rams winning 23 - 20. Sophomore Bracelets
Photo Credit: Danelle Taylor Johnston “ As a kid my grandparents would come and give me red envelopes full of money once we said, “Kung Hei Fat Choi (Congratulations and best wishes for a prosperous New Year!)” to my Chinese grandparents and “Saehae Bok Mani Badeuseyo (please receive lots of blessings in the new year)” to my Korean grandparents,“ said Zadie Tsao (11). The red envelopes symbolize good luck and posterity in Chinese culture. Usually, some amount of money is placed in the envelope. Children give the envelope to their parents as a sign of respect and the parents give a red envelope in return, wishing prosperity throughout the year. An interesting thing is that during the celebration, a manmade dragon appears, symbolizing wisdom, luck and wealth.
The class of 24 is selling Pura Vida bracelets for $6 for a fundraiser. See any sophomore sponsor to purchase. Olympic Count
Top three Beijing Winter Olympics placements based on the total amount of medals won: 4. Canada (26 medals) 1. Norway (37 medals) 5. USA (25 medals) 2. ROC (32 medals) 3. Germany (27 medals)
Photo Credit: Danelle Taylor Johnston This year, Omicron significantly affected the Chinese New Year. “Large celebrations were being canceled thus preventing people from meeting. It was celebrated without many people but in my experiences it has always been better with many relatives” said Pang (12). Editor-inChief Allison Kim
“People who cared about COVID were more wary and careful during the celebration, stayed safe and enjoyed the family celebrations indoors” included Tsao (11).
Copy Editor
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Online Editor
Reporter
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Larissa
Nicole
Abigail
Calixto
Seheult
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Photo Credit: Danelle Taylor Johnston Reporter
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Reporter and Photographer Stephanie Lopez
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Black History Month Celebrations
LLA Mirror | 25 February 2022 | Vol. 82 Issue 4 | Page 2
Photo credits: Emyiah Burroughs
Sneaker Heads BY ALEXANDER SALLES Sneakers have been something most of the world has had their eyes on recently. One of the major reasons sneakers became popular among consumers was their introduction into sports, especially basketball. “Michael Jordan wanted to sign a contract with Adidas because it was his favorite brand. However, a turn of events ended up creating the biggest shift in the history of sneakers. Michael Jordan’s Nike Air Force Sneaker debuted in 1985, becoming a part of pop-culture legend. Michael Jordan’s Nike Air Force Sneaker debuted in 1985, becoming a part of pop-culture legend,” according to sneakernews.com. We also have people who are really into fashion trends and sneakers at our school, our so called sneakerheads. Bait x Initial d Adidas It is Kadin Mangunsong’s (11) favorite sneaker “If you have shoes that match your car they gotta be your favorite sneaker”. Mangunsong has been into sneakers for around two years now “Shout out to Noah Saesim, he got me into the game also with my dawg dashe,” said Mangunsong. Initial D is one of the most important and most notable racing manga to date, Source: solecollector.com influencing an entire generation of car enthusiasts.
Among the series’ many fans, there is a shared love for the Trueno AE86, the cult classic MC Takumi Fujiwara drives throughout the eighteen year publication. Thanks to the effort of both BAIT and Adidas, the car came to life atop the Nizza Hi. Kybrid S2 Merged with some of Irving’s most cherished color schemes and themes, this rendition integrates SpongeBob elements via right side pineapple Swoosh panels and left tongue branding, multiSwoosh decor on the medial side to nod to his Pride offering, Chinese New Year roses on the right tongue, Kyrie 4 “Confetti” medial walls on the left foot, Source: solecollector.com cheetah patterns on the carved-out heels, and more. This sneaker has a little of everything. It is also a great basketball shoe. Kaleia Valdez(9) uses them for basketball and she says they are great. “They are my basketball shoes, I play with them mostly in practice and sometimes in my basketball games” said Valdez. Oreo 5s It is David Jones’(10) favorite sneaker and according to him, the sneaker of the year in 2021. Jones has been into sneakers since 6th grade “my parents said I had 0 shoe game whatsoever.”
“Black suedes wrap much of the upper in a near vantablack-like Source: solecollector.com saturation, while the sole leans into its “Oreo” nickname by way of bright trims and spiked prints of black with white speckling. The outsole underfoot then contrasts in an icy blue, the lace toggle outfits the instep in a see-through finish, and both the Jumpman symbols and side netting color in a light grey.” - sneakernews. It is such a versatile colorway that the pair moved 500,000 units back in 2013.
from grids to diagonal lines, while the top half is far more straightforward as it makes use of only two light grey variations,” according to sneakernews.com.
OFF WHITE x Air Jordan 1 “UNC” This sneaker is Eric Curiel’s (12) favorite sneaker in his collection. Curiel has been into sneakers for 2-3 years now. “ I thought they looked cool,” said Curiel. The OFF WHITE x Air Jordan 1 “UNC” was released on June 23rd 2018. As many may know, OFF WHITE and Air Jordan collabs are usually highly expected and appreciated by sneakerheads and regular customers. It happens because both brands are considered “hype.” OFF WHITE is an Italian luxury fashion label incorporated in Milan in 2012, and Nike has endless Yeezy Carbons reasons for This is Noah Saesim’s (11 favorite being such a sneaker. Saesim has been into sneakers huge brand for three years now and had the main worldwide. purpose of reselling them. Nike and Yeezy Boost 350 v2 Carbon or simply Yeezy Carbon was actually priorly Source: highsnobiety.com OFF WHITE called “Asriel” but was renamed to avoid the religious reference of its pre- did an excellent job with this sneaker. vious name. “The pair lies low both in The Nike swoosh has a stitch appearits palette and shape, the arguably un- ance but still preserving the Air Jordan necessary heel pull completely removed 1 look, and the colorway combines for a sleeker look in comparison to the blue, white and details in neon orange. silhouette’s original appearance. Below, The writings on the sides make the sneaker even more detailed and give it the weave the streetwear look that OFF WHITE is thick has been looking for when designing and varied, fashion. abruptly changing
Source: soneakerbardetroit.com
Winter Sports Tournament
LLA Mirror | 25 February 2022 | Vol. 82 Issue 4 | Page 3
BY ANDREW ADORADOR During the second half of Christmas Break, December 27 through December 30, Loma Linda Academy (LLA) held its annual Christmas Basketball and Soccer Tournament. It is a weeklong tournament that includes teams all over the Inland Empire. The tournament took place at LLA for basketball, and Drayson Center for Soccer. The experience as a whole with COVID made this tournament very interesting. Trevin Skortez, the senior captain for basketball, talked about how the team played with more than just skill. “As a whole, I think that my team played well. We had more chemistry than in previous games and we seemed like a unit. Even though we lost the championship game, I think that we played with heart.” Skortez said, “COVID definitely impacted the tournament. We we’re missing a few players and having less available players definitely took a toll. We also won our first game due to a COVID forfeit from the opposing team.” Unfortunately, the boys varsity basketball team lost in the championship game to Woodcrest. Nathan Hansen, a senior captain of the boys soccer team,
talked about how the tournament went in general with either the weather or how they played. “I think we played well as a team due to the circumstances and we fought through the struggles of the weather conditions. Our team has improved with chemistry with playing over the past few years. We know each other’s skills and when to help out when necessary. During this tournament, all of these improvements were brought to light.” COVID affected the soccer team unfortunately, leaving only 10 players to play in one of the games, according to Hansen. The boys varsity soccer team lost in the championship game against Aquinas High School. Kylie Balog, a sophomore captain of the girls soccer team, spoke on how the girls team played. “I think that we all played very well and we had two very good games on the first day of the tournament.” With the same problem as the boys soccer team, the girls soccer team had to play on the turf field due to the harsh weather. “It was cold and raining the whole tournament so we didn’t have that many people come to our games, although there were a handful
that showed up to support. We also had to play on the turf at the Drayson Center so that we wouldn’t ruin our field.” The girls varsity soccer team was not able to make the championship game. Emma Paden, a senior captain of the girls basketball team, was not able to play due to an injury. But she was able to talk about how the girls team played. “I think my team played really well during the tournament. We made it to the championship game and placed
able to play a game everyday. Everyone hustled and executed our strategies.” COVID made its way onto the team and affected some of the girls team players. “COVID did affect a couple of our players. Towards the end of the tournament, our teams size decreased, but we were able to adjust and players were able to step and play different positions.” The girls team put up a battle, but couldn’t take the win in the championship game against Aquinas.
Photo Credit: Kylie Balog second. Everyone had fun being
Cultural Traditions at LLA BY LARISSA CALIXTO Culture traditions are special because they can show the history of the family and can celebrate the life that came before the current generation. Culture traditions are events, rituals, that a society shares either based on religion, family, or politics. Our school is a very diverse community and we have many different countries represented here. Sharing these traditions can give students more knowledge about the cultures that we have at LLA. We have many different clubs and activities that surround the different cultures, such as the Hispanic Culture Club, Black Student Association, Japanese Club, and Korean Culture Club. These clubs showcase the different backgrounds represented here at school. Ella Parsons’ (10) background is Romanian, and a tradition that her family has is wearing handmade pins on the 1st of March to welcome the beginning of Spring. There is also another tradition in her family where every Christmas Eve,
Parsons and her brother buy a board game to play that night. Parsons said, “It’s a way we can all get together to relax and have fun.” A special recipe in her family is her great-great grandmother’s sugar cookies that hold a special place in her family. These traditions are special to Parsons because she is able to spend time with her family and be close to them. “The ability to have all my family in one room, all laughing and talking just brings me so much joy.”
are important to her because these remind her of her roots and where she comes from. Raffaela Dias (12) is from
Zimbabwe Flag
Brazil and speaks fluent Portuguese. A tradition in her family is celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve and having a barbeque with friends. Her family hasn’t started any traditions since she was born, but her mom wears a necklace that she has had since Dias was born. The biggest tradition in her family is Christmas Eve Romanian Flag Faith Ncube (11) is from Zimwhere the family plays different games and they also sing karababwe and Africa. A big tradition in her family is called oke. The traditions in her famiLobola; this is where the fiancé ly are very important to her. “It of one of the female relatives keeps us close as a family and will pay homage to the family keeps us close to our friends,” before the two get married. stated Dias. Ncube’s family does celebraTraditions in families are tions that have been passed what keep them close, it brings down through the previous gen- everyone together to celebrate erations. Her family traditions their culture. Whether it’s new
traditions or ones that have been passed down from previous generations. Every culture has different ways of celebrating with their families and that’s what makes every family unique. Being able to connect with your family during special occasions is a feeling that is special to the heart and is what keeps families close. Celebrating these traditions is also honoring the ones that have come before us, celebrating their lives and their accomplishments.
Brazilian Flag
National Walk Your Dog Month
LLA Mirror | 25 February 2022 | Vol. 82 Issue 4 | Page 4
BY ABIGAIL COOLEY The month of January is a month of new beginnings, opportunities, and reflection. This month is National Walk Your Dog Month, and fellow students at Loma Linda Academy can take time to reflect on their relationship with their dog(s) and how they can improve their physical activity. Appreciation for pets includes improving their physical well being and allowing them to live happy and healthy lifestyles. Walking your dog can greatly improve their physical and mental health. In fact, according to National Today, physical activity releases endorphins, which can create a state of happiness for your dog. By exercising with your dog through something as simple as going on a walk, both you and your dog can benefit from the activity, along with creating lasting bonds and memories. As students take time to reflect upon last year, it is important to remember the pets we love so much, and how to show appreciation for them by giving them a healthier and happier lifestyle. For example, Ava delaRoca (9) appreciates her dog’s friendliness. “I like the fact that my dog is so friendly. She basically runs to everyone, and I’m positive everyone enjoys
her presence and energy,” said DelaRoca. Additionally, Elizabeth Baldwin (11) appreciates her dog’s enthusiasm. “I appreciate the unconditional love and energy that my dogs bring into my life,” stated Baldwin.
well beings. Just getting fresh air and moving around really makes a difference in how we both feel,” said Baldwin. Walking your dog is probably one of the most important things about this month-long event, and some students also know ways to make it more fun for both you and your dog. Castillo stated, “Play with them all the time, like fetch or chase. Just get them very active until they are tired out.” Baldwin suggested, “If you prefer a more active lifestyle, jogging or even taking your dog to dog agility [classes] will provide lots of enter-
tainment for you both!” Lastly, delaRoca suggested trying to take a more playful approach to exercise. “Try to have fun with your dog as well. Make walking or throwing a ball a fun activity instead of a task,” DelaRoca explained. As students take time to reflect upon last year, it is important to remember the pets we love so much. We should show appreciation for them by giving them a healthier and happier lifestyle.
Photo Credit: Elizabeth Baldwin, Maggie There are many reasons why exercise for your dog is important. Ashton Castillo (9) said, “You can get exercise in and your dog can get exercise in as well.” Additionally, Baldwin recalled how walking her dog regularly benefits her and her dog. “Going on walks with my dog has done a lot for both of our
Transfer Students
Photo Credit: Maya Castillo, Mickey (L) and Chewie (R)
Valentine’s Day
BY STEPHANIE LOPEZ
BY ERIN STONE
There are two students that came this semester. Micah Giden(12) and Hyeri Kang(9). Micah Giden(12) coming from Grand Terrace High School loves to play NBA 2K and enjoys track and basketball. “I currently have an offer to La Verne University to run track over there. I run the 100m and my fastest time for that is 10.83, and I also run the 200m.” Giden also enjoys listening to rap music in his free time.
As the month of February gets underway, love is in the air at Loma Linda Academy. Many students took the campus’ famous Compatibility survey, which was handed out by the Senior class as a fundraiser. This survey is used to see who is the most compatible based on personality and choices and is matched electronically. For the price of three dollars for one sheet and five for both, it is a fun way of seeing who you get matched with, both in your grade and schoolwide. Freshman and Sophomores also have the Valentines Day Dinner to look forward to. Unfortunately, due to the COVID variant outbreaks as well as inadequate time for proper planning, it has been postponed until March 13, 2022, in the Azure Hills Church Fellowship Hall. In order to make the dinner safe and fun, event planner, Ms. Robertson, has made sure certain covid precautions are being put in place,
Hyeri Kang’s (9) english name is “Heidi”. She comes from JunGang Girls High school in Korea. She loves to knit during her freetime. Out of classical, pop and rap she enjoys kpop. She does not own a pet but one day she wants to get a cat or dog. From going to a school in Korea to a school in Loma Linda she says “All the people here are really kind.”
“It feels good to be back with my friends and to graduate alongside them.” - Kang
including distancing and masks after eating. When asked about the importance of the event, Robertson said, “It is a wonderful event for the two classes to work together to plan. It also is an awesome training tool to prepare officers for planning the Jr/ Sr Banquet. More importantly, it is just a fun event for both classes!”
Winter Olympics
LLA Mirror | 25 February 2022 | Vol. 82 Issue 4 | Page 5
STEPHANIE LOPEZ Erin Jackson “made her Olympic debut in 2018, where she competed that Jackson has worked for has paid off for her and even the pressure in the 500m and finished 24th with a time of 39.20 seconds,” according to where most people would crumble under she instead used it to perform NBCMiami.com. because sometimes pressure might just make you perform better. Jackson has now won gold for America and made her parents proud with tears of joy. We wonder what else this girl has ready for us. When Brittny Bowe gave her position to Jackson many people were wondering what would happen to the team. Would we win or would we lose? Jackson in fact proved many people wrong winning gold with a time of 37.04. Inspiring many people that just because you didn’t do good the first time gives a second chance because who knows if the second time will lead you to winning gold. Also inspiring minorities that just because of the color of one’s skin it doesn’t limit you to being the first person in everything. All the work Photo by: Jon Gaede Photo by: Jon Gaede
Student Spotlight CHIKWENDU OKWANDU
Writing Backstory Chikwendu Okwandu (24) likes to write, draw, and compose music in his free time. He began documenting his life just before he started third grade. He was inspired by Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. “I read a lot of them when I was younger and decided to start documenting my own life around late summer of 2014. Since then, I’ve completed five journals and a 6th is currently in the works.” “When it comes to illustrations, my first few books weren’t very creative. Every person was basically just a Greg Heffley base with a few different characteristics.” “Over time, as I improved in my drawing, I started to realize how limiting and inaccurate the ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ style was, so I developed my own around 2017, and I still use it to this day!” “The main goal of my art style was to be expressive and cartoonish, but still recognizable, and kind of show how I perceive the appearance of people.”
LLA Mirror | 25 February 2022 | Vol. 82 Issue 4 | Page 6
January Birthdays 1 1 3 3 4 5 5 6 7 8 8 8 11 11 12 12 12 12 13 13
Genesis Alfaro Ryan Ho Aaron Friesen Jonathan Navarro Haley Boggs Emily Castillo Devon Resiwain Janelle Pagarigan Zoei Toh Hannah Bahri Lastarzha Fabra Justin Weley Noah Aguilar Rodrigo Manzanilla Andrew Almaguer Emmeline Cress Kendal Martin Kyle Martin Larissa Calixto Abigail delaRoca
13 13 14 19 19 20 21 21 22 23 24 24 24 24 24 25 26 26 29
Ava delaRoca Keltin Harris Jessica Almaguer Landon Loreman Ruby May-Tetz Zenon Alzola Melissa Lee Sibusisiwe Ncube John Banta Joshua Smith Adelaide Conchas Lucca Ferrando Kian Ignacio Liane Magnaye Owen Walls Jillan Belli Xaria Clark Annabelle McCully Jordyn Jamison
February Birthdays 1 1 1 3 4 4 5 6 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 11 11 13 13
David Jones, III Samantha Reynolds Yash Singh Kalista Lee Eve Blanchard Landon Parchamento Aniah Barron Gabrielle Kim Robby Leite Emma Caballero Jonah Im Keith Bayeta Aurora Sutorus Chloe Becerra Trinity Bass Zaiden Ricketts Sophia Lalas Silvia Cisneros Erin Stone
14 14 14 14 16 17 17 18 18 18 18 19 19 22 22 23 24 26 28
Kurt Barreta Val Erben Bayeta Shawn Manoharan Jeremiah Zamora Joshua Cho Breanna Lezcano Rebekah Mendoza Kemi Adeyeye Yuchen Feng Noah Mata Natallie Ruiz Kailee Bilbao Noah Saesim Jake Mohr Andrew Zinke Anna Chang Abel Massey Sara Rodgers Larry Cruz Jr