ISSUE 10
5 JUNE 2020
CELEBRATING 80 YEARS OF STUDENT NEWS
MIR|ROR
REFLECTING ON LLA SINCE 1940 LOMA LINDA ACADEMY NEWS
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Table of
CONTENTS
Editor-in-Chief Noah Hernandez
Mirror Staff
17 18 June Birthdays 19 July Birthdays 20 Briefs 21 Pandemic Travel 22 Summer Quarantine Plans 23 Join the Mirror 24 Thank You! From the Archives ‘16
Copy Editor Olivia Kim
Designer Linlin Liu
Designer Alyka Mendoza
Photographer Melissa Gomez
CONTACT US mirror@lla.org Instagram: lla.mirror
Reporter Ethan Cruz
Reporter Emeka Ikechukwu
Reporter Natalia Rojas
Sponsor Danelle Taylor Johnston
Publisher Iveth Valenzuela
Graphics by: Josefine Garcia Cover photo by: Noah Hernandez
03 Graduation Plans 04 Year in Review: ‘23 06 Year in Review: ‘22 08 Year in Review: ‘21 10 Year in Review: ‘20 12 Year in Review: S.A. 14 Year in Review: C.M. 16 Advice from Seniors
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Graduation Plans By Olivia Kim
With the spread of COVID-19 continuing to be a threat in our society, graduations all over the world have had to be adjusted. Loma Linda Academy’s faculty and students have worked hard to plan the best possible senior graduation for the Class of 2020 during these difficult times. Faculty has had to work within the guidelines set up by Governor Newsom and the San Bernardino County Public Health Department to give the Class of 2020 a final sendoff. Although the seniors won’t be getting the graduation they were expecting, they will still be able to get some form of closure to their high school experience. From May 28 to 29, seniors were able to pick up their caps and gowns at the same time they cleaned out their lockers. On Friday, June 5, a pre-recorded Consecration service will be streamed in the evening at 7:30 p.m. The next
day, on June 6, a pre-recorded Baccalaureate service will be streamed on Sabbath morning at 9:00 a.m. On the morning of June 7, the school will host a drive-thru commencement ceremony in which seniors will wear their caps and
gowns, along with a provided mask, to receive their diplomas in a celebratory program while still keeping their health a priority. Each graduate is allowed to bring one vehicle, which can be decorated
with signs or other creative ideas, and arrive at the school during their designated time slot based on the first initial of their last name. For those who can not attend, there will be a livestream of the graduates receiving their diplomas. The entire commencement program will be recorded and uploaded at 6:00 p.m. that evening for people to watch at home. If social distancing requirements relax by July, there are hopes for an in-person celebration for the Class of 2020 so that the seniors can meet up together as a class for the last time and receive closure for their senior year. The seniors will be notified of any further updates at a later time. Photo Credits: Olivia Kim Pictured: (left to right) Jane Jabonillo (12), Samuel Chapman (12), Joshua Tongpo (12), Haley Walker (12)
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F R E S H M E N
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Photos by: Soobin Jeon
S O P H M O R E
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Photos by: Aileen Ahn and Andrea Vargas
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J U N I O R S
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Photos by: Melissa Gomez and Noah Hernandez
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S E N I O R S
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Photos by: Noah Hernandez and Olivia Kim
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Campus Ministries
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Photos by: Melissa Gomez and Noah Hernandez
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Student Association
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Photos by: Melissa Gomez, Noah Hernandez, and Fiona Lim
16 It may seem frightening when things are changing, but change is a good thing. Don’t be afraid to try new things and put yourself out there past your own limits. It’s important to always have an open mind and be willing to try new things. -Alex Fillman You probably hear this a lot but my advice to you is to get involved in as much as possible early on, build those connections early on with your teachers and upperclassmen.
Take Keep initiative. You don’t your realize how short high school is relationship with when you’re a freshman. Suddenly God your top priority. Be you’ll be a senior and you won’t resilient, confident, and brave. remember the past 3 years, so do Get involved and delve into the what you aspire to do. community around you while you still can! Have fun and live your life to the -Michael Kelly fullest. Don’t let school engulf you, do your best but also prioritize your mental Honestly, and physical health. Listen to your just enjoy high parents and realize that most of the school. Join clubs and time, they know what they’re talking participate for the class about. Last but not least, just enjoy games. Believe it or not, high your life and be excited for school is your last stage as a where God is taking you, teenager, and it goes really even in uncertainty. fast. Have fun and talk to the teachers. -Lauren Ashlock
-Gabby Razzouk Be involved in as many things as possible, because each experience will become a memory to look back on. Also, don’t be afraid to talk to upperclassmen! They’re here to help you. -Olivia Kim Learning time management Cherish will be your best friend in every memory the future. you make, you never -Brian Culberhouse know when you’re going to lose precious Keep memories with your up the friends. hard work and -Brianna Garcia have fun! Cherish each exciting Get experience. involved as soon
-Karina Lim
Advice from SENIORS
as you can, you won’t regret getting involved. Get your schoolwork done as soon as possible and spend as much time with your friends as you can. -Joanna Shelim
Enjoy it while you can! High school really flies by and it’s over before you know it. -Lexie Langford Get involved either on campus or off and find your passion!
Make -Josiah Headley It’s the most out of okay if every situation no matter some days all how sad or disappointed you do is survive you are and get through the -Kayla Bugayong Don’t school day. It’s okay be afraid Don’t to allow yourself to fall try to “fit in” or to be and let it show. You be somebody that involved! will get back on your you’re not. -Nicole Kim feet in the future, -Marco Ferando no matter how Participate long it takes. in all class -Natalia Ruiz -Krys Checo activities and go Go Spend on those trips that are to your as much time on school planned cause in the end classes events! trips and events with your friends that’s what you’ll cherish Trust me they are cause those are the times you’re the most in your heart fun :) gonna remember for a long and mind in the -Lauren Ortiz time. future. -Micah Soler -Micah Soler
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From the Archives: ‘15-’16 Issue 2
Page 10
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June Birthdays 1 2 3 5 8 8 9 10 10 10 10 11 13
Zhiyan Zhao Natalia Drachenburg Nathan Ro Gabrielle Razzouk Abigail Andrews Jarron Mangunsong Allan Gimbel Charles Amoatang Emma Paden Keoni Pang Alex Tello Iman Haq Sinjin Lane
14 16 19 19 21 21 21 21 21 22 22 23 23 24 26 26 28
Nicole Kim Clarissa Tching Mai-Li Putrasahan Zane Rice Luka Palitang Diti Shah Aiden Velez Leilialani Verdugo Jianhong Wang Elizabeth Baldwin Abigail Tching Yumin Joe Morgan Walls Carina Gutierrez Elijah Clark Haoyang Song Therese-Monique Ohannessian 29 Jacob Kelly 30 Marc Roy Ejurango
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July Birthdays 1 2 2 3 3 4 5 5 6 7 7 8 11 13 13 14 14 15 17 17
Brodie Langford Evan Cook Weston Cook Bryan Culberhouse Noah Hernandez Nam Ho Alexis Gonzalez William Kim Reuben Massey Ana Gonzalez Destiny Thona Su Lun Liang Elizabeth Mtango Ayan Desia Gianni Desia Trevor Banis Noah Weldon Kylee Uway Luchae Jang Lucas Sutorus
17 18 18 18 19 19 20 20 22 23 24 24 25 26 29 29 29 29 29 30
Yinuo Zhao Collin Ewing Kathrine Ko Gavin Machain Karina Lim Kristen Sihotang Justin Brooks Isaac Chen Annelise Kleman Tabitha Usery Savanna Garcia Kevin Lee John Michel Robles Lynelle Bathan Vedika Gadhe Summer Lachica Joshua Lohr Jeremy Marbun Joaquin Reyes III Andrew Adorador
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Briefs By Linlin Liu
2020 Graduation Link
June 5 at 7:30 pm Consecration June 6 at 9:00 am Baccalaureate June 6 at 9:00 pm: Video Presentations June 7 at 8:00 am: Graduation Live June 7 at 6:00 pm: Commencement
lla.org/graduation-2020 Dr. Brenda Mohr
Dr. Brenda Mohr, choir conductor, is leaving the position after two years. The joy and memories she left at LLA will forever be remembered by both the students and the faculty and staff.
Coronavirus Update
According to Worldometer, global coronavirus cases are at 6,789,571 and deaths are at 396,193 as of 5 June 2020, 20:24 GMT.
Summer Arts & Cultural Experiences
Due to COVID-19, high school SACE has also moved online, but is not required. For more information: https://spark.adobe.com/page/2ajw973l9spge/
SA Officers 2020-2021
President -- Atalia Villegas Vice President -- McKenna Davari Social Vice President -- Shelly Trinidad Religious Vice President -- Kalise Couture Treasurer -- Diti Shah Secretary -- Giselle Castro Public Relations Secretary -- Sophia Ciaramello Statistician -- Abby Tching Parliamentarian -- Clarissa Tching Activities Coordinator -- Kurt Barreta Technical Coordinator -- Jerry Liu
George Floyd
On the evening of May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 46-year-old African American George Floyd died after being arrested by a white ex-police officer Derek Chauvin. According to BBC News, Floyd was arrested after a teenage employee at store Cup Foods reported to the police about Floyd’s alleged use of a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin handcuffed and pinned Floyd down by placing his left knee on the right side of Floyd’s neck. According to videos filmed by bystanders, Floyd kept saying “I can’t breathe” and begging “please, please, please.” Chauvin ignored Floy’s plea and kept his knee on Floyd for 8 minutes 46 seconds. About one hour later, Floyd was pronounced dead. According to ABC30 News, Derek Chauvin, 44, was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on May 29, 2020. George Floyd’s death sparked mass protests and riots across the country. Cries for equality for African Americans are calling people’s attention to the injustice and flaws in US police system and urging people to refocus on the long-standing racial issues.
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Pandemic Travel By Danelle Taylor Johnston
Photos by Wendy Li from her trip home in April to China.
“My parents worry about me so they wanted me to come home,” Wendy Li, senior, said about her early return to China at the end of April. The decision to go back to China early was prompted because the COVID-19 situation in China has been getting much better and there are only a few cases everyday, while in the US the cases are still rising. When she found out she was going back in the middle of a pandemic “the first thing I thought about was the long trip. I had to go through New York. It usually takes 13 hours, but this time it took almost a day,” Li said. The airline has reduced its flights to only one flight per week from LA to Shanghai, so the only option for her was to go the long way home through New York. “There was no traffic at all” going to
the airport, and inside LAX everyone was spread out in the airport and there were not many travelers, Li said. She boarded the plane with full protective gear, which she said was really warm to wear, in order to protect herself from getting infected with COVID-19, She Said once she arrived in China after her long trip, “The doctors came to our plane and then they led us to take the test three rows at a time.” The experience ,she said was “so so so horrible.” To test for COVID-19 the doctors “put a long stick into your mouth then stir. Then they put two long and thin sticks into your nose. It was so deep.” In addition to this the doctors took blood samples. “It took me like three hours to get outside from the airport.”
“Only doctors and us were in the airport,” Li said. The passengers were then taken directly to a hotel from the airport where she was quarantined for 14 days. Being quarantined “was so boring. 14 days you could not go outside from your room.” She was so excited when she was finally able to reunite with her family. While in China she has attended her classes on Zoom, which occur in the middle of the night China time. “That’s a new experience,” she said. But she said she usually is a late sleeper so it hasn’t been too bad. However, Li misses LLA, explaining, “I miss the time we can study together. We can actually discuss the questions, and we talk.” Li said, “But it was worth it” to see her family.
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Summer Quarantine Plans By Ethan Cruz
Summer vacation is one of the best times of the year people look forward to. People do a lot of fun things such as going to the beach, traveling to another country, and going on road trips. Unfortunately, this year’s summer is most likely going to be a little different now because of COVID-19. According to the New York Times, many countries around the
ing. Unfortunately, they were both cancelled. One blessing about the government trip being cancelled is that I’ll be with my sister for her birthday instead of being gone for the trip.” “This summer, I was going to go to Italy with the orchestra and work at Kids’ U,” says Lauren Jones (12), “But they both got cancelled as far as I know.”
are a lot of trips down to the beach and maybe a few trips up to Big Bear.” “My original plans for the summer was to see some family over the Philippines for the first time in a while,” said Patrick Brilliantes (10). “Now that’s gone. Now all I can do right now is wait till this COVID situation clears up.” “Originally I planned to go to
world, including the United States, have imposed travel restrictions to help stop the spread of the Coronavirus. This resulted in airports temporarily closing, both incoming and outgoing flights, being suspended, and nationwide lockdowns. Before COVID-19 happened, a lot of LLA students had plans for the summer but had to cancel them. “Originally I was planning to go on the summer government trip with Mrs. Constanzo,” said Clarissa Tching (11). “I was going to go to the West Coast Korean Camp Meet-
After this interview, it was announced that Kids’ U would be open for the summer. The Mirror staff followed up with Jones, and she said “I’m happy that I get to go back to work, because it’s the only thing I can still do this summer.” “Originally this summer we were supposed to take a big family trip to the Oregon coast,” said Noah Injeti (10). “I was also supposed to take a few trips up to British Columbia, Canada to visit some family, but both of those trips are for sure cancelled. Now our plans this summer
Hawaii, Europe, and Texas for an internship,” said Erik Weniger (10., “Hawaii and Europe have both been cancelled. My friends and I also wanted to partake in a few weekend trips, but I don’t know if that will still happen.” Quarantine is slowly being uplifted and businesses are beginning to open while others are failing. It might take a little while until we’re allowed to travel again. Photo from Flickr
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Join the Mirror By Emeka Ikechukwu
Every couple of weeks, during homeroom or chapel, a newspaper or magazine is passed out. If you have ever opened up the newspaper or newszine and thought “Hey, that looks cool, I want to do that,” then this is the article for you. The Mirror is one of Loma Linda Academy’s main news sources and provides content for all students to enjoy, and has been doing so for over 80 years!
Current, 2019-2020, Mirror staff.
Joining the mirror not only gives students a chance to inform their peers of the latest information, but provides a family like community that provides students with memories they will never forget. Ivana Vargas (2018 alum), said her favorite part of the mirror was “the staff, because they became like a family to me and were oftentimes the best part of my day.” Current editor Noah Hernandez (11th), who first joined the Mirror as a freshman, said “The Mirror gave me the opportunity to meet many amazing people and learn things about writing, graphic design and teamwork that I would not have learned otherwise.” Current designer Alyka Mendoza said, “I was also able to work with a fun team and learned how to work together as a team.” Along with bonding with the team as a family, Mendoza said, “Being part of The Mirror gave
me an amazing opportunity to grow my skills both as a designer and writer. Former Mirror staff member, Angela Jin (2019 alum), said the reason why she joined the Mirror was because “I love using my camera to capture beautiful moments around me and I wanted to challenge myself to be more brave to talk to more people and make friends. Every task we are meeting new people and being put in different situations, which really helped me become more socialized.” Not only does being on the Mirror staff teach students technical skills it also expands one’s understanding of current events and social issues. Olivia Kim said “it is a really immersive way to learn about the world around you and to make an impact on your peers. It also gives you the opportunity to listen to other people’s stories while teaching you writing, photography,
Morales (2019 alum) said, “I learned so many technical skills with the Adobe applications we had to use, which is helping me with my search for internships right now. Mostly I learned how to be a better leader as an editor. Being part of the Mirror was an incredible opportunity that was incredibly fun and rewarding, especially in the long run.” The Mirror is now accepting applications. You too can be a part of the team and document the stories of LLA.
Mirror staff trip to Pacific Union College Publication workshop where we brought home publications awards.
Editors from the last three years left to right: Grace Morales (‘19), Ivonna Vargas (‘18), Noah Hernandez (current).
editing, and design skills.” “The Mirror prompts you to keep yourself updated about all the current events and is a great way for you to record what is happening in the community in your own way,” Lin Lin Lui said. Because the Mirror is also Journalism class there are many opportunities to learn as well. A former photographer and editor for the Mirror, Grace
Mirror food review day at Fix Creamery.
Apply to the Mirror www.lla.org/apply4mirror
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Thank You! By Noah Hernandez
I joined the Mirror team in my freshman year, which make this my third year. I started out as a reporter, eventually worked on graphic design, layouts, and I also photographed events every now and again. At the end of my sophomore year, I applied to become the editor-in-chief, and I got the position. In my three years of being in the Mirror, I have met many incredible people, and experienced many incredible things. One of the kindest, and funniest people I have ever met was the editor-in-chief of my freshman year, Ivanna Vargas. The following year, a close friend of mine, Grace Morales, became editor-in-chief. Throughout every year though, Ms TJ has been there, and she has to be one of the smartest and most empathetic people I have had pleasure of meeting. This year, I have had the blessing of working with an incredible group of people. Beginning with Olivia, she has restored my faith in humanity’s ability to not procrastinate. Anything that was asked from her was done well, quickly, and with a smile on her face. Thank you so much Olivia, and congratulations on your gradua-
tion. Alyka was our designer for this year, and she brought the aesthetics and taste to the table every single time. Alyka’s ability to create is nothing short of impeccable, and it was amazing to work with her this year. Alyka, I appreciate everything. Congrats on graduating! Ethan was on our staff last year, but he did not rejoin us until this semester. Ethan always has a constructive insight, and can make a reporter go deeper than the sur-
face of their article. Thank you for coming back Ethan, and congrats on graduating. Linlin joined us just this last semester, and she brought it every single time. For the sixth issue, she wrote, and designed an article which covered an 11 x 17 inch page. Thank you so much for taking such an initiative, and always bringing high quality work to the table. Congratulations on graduating! Melissa was our photographer for this year, and she always cap-
tures amazing and stunning photographs. When Melissa applied, I knew that she would do a great job, but she exceeded expectations and produced incredible spreads. Thank you so much for being the eye of 2020 Melissa. Emeka was one of our freshmen from this year, and he had a drive if I have ever seen one. Since the beginning of the year, Emeka’s interview questions have been unparalleled and insightful. Thank you for bringing a fresh perspective, happy attitude, and an optimistic outlook to the team Emeka. Natalia was our other freshman on our team this year, and she is about as innovative as they come. During our brainstorming sessions, she brings ideas to the table that are outside of the box, and large in quantity. Thank you so much for joining the team, it’s been a pleasure to have you here. Sincerely, Noah Hernandez