The Pride II.iv

DECEMBER 17, 2015

ST. PIUS X - ST. MATTHIAS ACADEMY

ISSUE 4

The First  PMA Student  Newspaper VOLUME 2: ISSUE 4

WINTER RALLY

STUDENT LIFE

COLUMNS

RECAP

CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING  CAMPUS MINISTRY  SNAPSHOTS

VEGETARIANS   STAR WARS  SENIOR FEATURE

THE PRIDE THE FACE OF A WARRIOR What does a Warrior look like? The 2015-2016 Yearbook team, headed by Editor in Chief Gabby Omar and senior editor Nicole Camacho along with the new team practiced this semester on taking photos that would tell a story and show true emotions. These photos were taken by several Yearbook members as assignments. We are proud to present the best photos from these assignments. Thank you to these students for allowing Yearbook to photograph them.

Pictures from Left to Right:   Ivan Gutierrez (2018)   by Jennifer Ordonez (2018)  Amy Rios (2017)   by Emilia Escobedo (2017)  Jasmine Loaiza (2016)   by Melany Fletes (2016)   Paloma Huerta (2019)   by Kayla Maldonado  Cecilia Halpin (2016)   by Lady Huerta (2016)  Ricky Latimer (2018)   by Jennifer Ordonez (2018)  Paola Hernandez (2018)   by Erika Martinez (2018)  Izbeth Vega (2019)   by Miriam Villareal (2019)

QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, IDEAS? EMAIL: NEWSPAPER@PIUSMATTHIAS.ORG

DECEMBER 17, 2015

CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING This month started with the Christmas Tree Lighting on December 8, 2015. The liturgical choir, led by principal, Mr. Rubalcava, spent weeks in the music rooms preparing the songs The Wonder of Christmas and Silent Night. Sophomore Marisol Garcia, and senior Rosemary Hernandez, played the bells lead by Mrs. Lozano. On the day of the performance the choir was finally set to go up in front of the audience and show them what they were really made of. They went up and sang with all their heart. As a memorial, the community remembered the victims of the San Bernardino shooting. Each section of people had their candles lit throughout the song in the dark evening. Although the night was colder than usual the event was full of joy and happiness. Senior Rosemary Hernandez sang a solo in 'Silent Night' . After her solo the rest of the song continued with the great vocals of the choir. After the two performances, the Christmas Tree Lighting was at last counted down by Mr. Rubalcava and was lit. The tree illuminated and the night with its lights and everyone smiled as they looked up to the beautiful tree. Once the tree was lit the night was coming to an end, everyone was chatting with each other, eating food and taking pictures in front of the magnificent tree. The night was a success. The choir and bells were complemented by many and Mr. Rubalcava was proud of his successful and talented choir. Many thanks to ASB and Mr. Raymundo, our parents at the snack bar (Mrs. Rivera), sound engineer, junior Matthew Rivera, our chaplain Fr. Sam Ward, Mrs. Lozano, and the MC for the night, our dean Mr. Ramos. Thank you to all who attended!    by Denia Ramos, class of 2018

ISSUE 4

Felicidades a la Hermosa Pareja!

Pretty soon, we’ll be calling Spanish 1 and 2 teacher Ms. Collins, Señora Pardo. This December, “Señiorita C” got engaged to her boyfriend Rogelio Pardo. Ms. Collins and her boyfriend met at UCLA during their junior year of college. They were both resident assistants, who are in charge of teaching college freshmen the school policies and rules. She didn’t really like him at first, and she tried to make that clear to him many times. “We were friends and I kind of friend-zoned him really hard” explained Ms. Collins about the beginning of their relationship. Although Roger (which is what she refers to him by) never really got the message, he invited her for dinner and attempted to hold her hand. He thought that they were on a date, but Ms. Collins thought that it was just a lunch between friends. She made it very clear to him that he was not allowed to hold her hand because they were not dating. That was what she specified as their first “unofficial” date. Nevertheless, Ms. Collins stayed friends with him and began to realize that she really loved having him in her life. She then agreed to date him.Fast-forward to November 27, 2015, Ms. Collins and her boyfriend are having their anniversary dinner at the same place where they had their first unofficial date. Roger asked her if she remembered the time when he tried to hold her hand that first time and asked if he could hold her hand now. “Of course” Ms. Collins said. “What if I asked to hold your hand forever?” said Roger. Before Ms. Collins could react, he was already getting down on one knee. By then, Ms. Collins already knew what was going on and began to back away out of excitement. This prompted a very panicked reaction from Roger, who took that gesture as a No. Ms. Collins quickly reassured him and happily accepted his proposal. “The sun’s setting in the background. We were at Santa Monica Pier. It was honestly perfect. It was private, intimate, and very personal. He thought about something that was special to us as a couple” gushed Ms. Collins. The newly engaged couple certainly aren’t waiting anymore! Wedding plans have already begun, and Ms. Collins confirms that she wants to get married within the year. As for the topic of children, Ms. Collins is very interested in having children. However, since she gets very nervous around newborns, she is considering adopting, so that she can raise a toddler or a teenager instead. “You all are enough kids for me. I feel like I have 120 babies just running around” laughed Ms. Collins. We certainly all wish them the best!    by Lexi Hernandez, class of 2018

Photos by Ms. Smet in the PMA Facebook page

DECEMBER 17, 2015

ISSUE 4

WINTER RALLY FUN! The Winter Rally was yet another great success thanks to the ASB. During the rally, there was a mixture of sports, dance routines, and a class game. For the first half of the rally, the winter sports teams including Girls’ and Boys’ soccer and basketball teams were recognized. Everyone applauded as each player was recognized individually for their hard work on our teams. Between the announcements of the players, the Cheer team put on an amazing dance with the school chant and “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey. The routine was led by Cheer captain, senior Gabby Omar. The cheerleaders’ enthusiasm was infectious as they got the students excited for the rest of the rally. The entire rally was hosted by the MC and ASB executive council president, senior Melissa Castellanos. Along with the excitement of the sports teams, the student body showed off their style with ugly Christmas sweaters! Mr. Raymundo flaunted his multicolored Christmas sweater

with flashing lights. We were all proud to see everyone participate in the ugly Christmas sweater contest. After announcing the sports teams, we watched as five members of each class participated in a game called “Guess That Sound!” There was an interesting catch to the game though. The participants didn’t know that if they guessed the sound wrong they would be hit with raw eggs on their heads. Each class gave their ASB president the honor of smashing the eggs onto their own classmates’ foreheads. The entertainment of the game came from everyone watching as their friends got the questions wrong and became drenched in the unpleasant gooey substance. The rally ended in the recent broadcast that came out that day. A prayer was said, and after the eventful winter rally, the day winded down to a beautiful end.    by Arianna Villegas  class of 2019

LIFE IN THE   BOY SCOUTS Going on campouts is a big part of Boy Scouts. During these campouts we are tested in many things. First is planning the campout, we need to plan where we are going, what we will accomplish there, what food we will make, and what jobs people will have at the camp. This takes a lot of time and people to make this work, we discuss this once every week, so we usually plan and discuss about our campouts a month ahead of it. Last Friday on December 4th we went out to the Boy Scout Freeze-o-ree. This is held once per year in Camp Tahquitz which is near Big Bear. At this camp we are put in a bunch events and it is our challenge to solve them as fast as possible. The Campout was a challenging test to our teamwork as a group. Camp Tahquitz was already 22 degrees Fahrenheit (which is below freezing). We arrived to set up camp late Friday evening. We made quick work of setting up our tents and getting ready for bed. That first night the numbing cold was bothering us so we piled at least 3 to 4 people to each tent and used all of our winter gear and clothing to insulate us. After that night we woke up to a big day full of activities for us. The Freeze-o-ree had many events to test our survival skills and how well we problem solve and work together. One of the notable events we had was where we had to cross a ravine because Coyotes were chasing us and the only equipment we had were 2 ropes and whatever was around us. We tried using a log but it broke as we tried crossing. We lost a scout doing that, then we tried jumping on the ropes and shimmying on the rope, as shown in the picture of me jumping on the rope. It was a fun experience and was a growing experience for all of us.. This was our first campout for our new Senior Patrol leader Ryan Muniz and myself as assistant senior patrol leader. He was a great leader in events and planning went pretty well. We did forget some things like sponges to clean the dishes but learned to improvise using our surroundings. He did well though and he came up with some cool dishes to cook like omelettes in a bag where you crush 2 eggs in a plastic bag, mash them together, put your ingredients, and boil them for about 30 minutes. I was impressed with how my troop was able to provide for themselves. It was a fun campout even though it was freezing cold and was a great first time campout for our new leader. by Valentino Orihuela, class of 2019

DECEMBER 17, 2015

ISSUE 4

MEAT SOME VEGETARIANS Vegetarian. You’ve probably heard someone use this term before. A vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat. There are many different variations of vegetarians, such as a pescatarian, who do not eat any meat other than fish. The terms vegetarian and pescatarian apply to some of the students and a teacher in our school, like sophomores Fernando Rodriguez, Bridgette Varela, and Josie Armendariz (me); seniors Carmelita Islas, Jasmine Loaiza, Lizette Reyes, and Audrie Tapia; and senior English teacher, Ms. Rudolf-Dib. There are many reasons for becoming vegetarian or pescatarian. For some, like Audrie, it's an ethical reason. For others, like Carmelita, it's simply a matter of not liking meat. Sophomore Fernando Rodriguez doesn’t eat meat or dairy. When asked why he chose to become vegetarian, he replied with, “I didn’t like how they treated the animals, and after I watched a bunch of videos on how they were treated I started to feel really bad for eating them”. Some of the questions that vegetarians say that they are most frequently asked are “Where do you get your protein?”, and “Don’t you miss eating meat?”. While these are some of the obstacles that vegetarians face, they are proving that it’s possible to maintain a vegetarian lifestyle, even with the challenges that come in the form of finding food to eat, or even from other people. Some of the people who choose to eat this lifestyle or a similar lifestyle have said that they’ve had people literally start yelling at them simply for choosing to eat how they eat . Luckily, they haven’t let that stop them from being vegetarian. The vegetarians at PMA have all been vegetarian for different amounts of time, ranging from six years to a few weeks. However, no matter how long they have been vegetarian, or why, they all clearly have one thing in common, which is that they’re all very passionate about what they eat.

KIM, M.D.

by Josie Armendariz, class of 2018

Growing up Kimberly Hernandez, also known as Kim, was always independent and a fast learner. She would constantly get in trouble for distracting other students because she always finished her work before them and got bored shortly after. When she was younger, she thought she would grow up to be a lawyer. “Mind you, I was probably 6 when I had this mindset. My reasoning behind it was because I could argue for days and convince anyone to let me do whatever I wanted. To this day I believe I can stop/prevent a war with my speaking skills.” As she grew older she realized just how great of a writer she was. 12 year old Kim thought she wanted to be a journalist. “My dream was to move to Paris and become a world renowned writer,” but her plans shifted during her freshman year of high school. “My first actual science class, Biology, changed my life. My teacher, Ms. Krebs, was so passionate about what she taught. Everything she taught the class would catch my attention and I wanted to know more about it. At the same time, I began watching Law & Order: SVU. Then, I realized I wanted to become a Medical Examiner. However, I knew I wanted to make a lot more money.” That same year, her father had a stroke. It impacted her life greatly, and her curiosity about medicine grew immensely. She began watching brain surgeries on Youtube and was intrigued by this profession. “I thought to myself, ‘What if I become a neurosurgeon?’ Then I started thinking, ‘But wait, I want to meet celebrities and become rich and famous too.’” The following year, Kim began watching Botched, and realized she wanted to become a cosmetic surgeon too. “So how do I choose? Brain surgeon? Plastic surgeon? Man, I don’t know but, “Kim M.D.” is sounding pretty good to me. I plan on going to USC or a UC to achieve my goals. This was all made possible through the help of my family, God, and my family here at PMA.”    by Nicole Biley, Co-editor in Chief  class of 2016

DECEMBER 17, 2015

ISSUE 4

CAMPUS MINISTRY: LIT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT Have you ever wondered who those 12 girls that lead your retreats are? They are seniors Jasmine Loaiza, Julianna Jaimes-Diaz, Christina Ortiz, Paula Quiroga, Audrie Tapia, Giovanna Barreto, Isabella Guerrero, Kim Hernandez, Melissa Castellanos, Rosemary Hernandez, Ruby Delgadillo, and me, Jasmeen Santos; members of the Campus Ministry Team. We are in charge of the class retreats, masses, adorations, and are a part of a Christian Leadership class with Mr. Raymundo. This class is specifically for the seniors who are a part of Campus Ministry. We are a very close-knit class and our bond is stronger than any other. We really connect as a family and are able to relate to each other’s struggles and hardships. Mr. Raymundo is a big role model to all of us. He takes us to the chapel, pulls out his guitar, and we open up and let each other in on what we are feeling and how we are doing. Each semester, we are assigned a day to do a special prayer for the class. Christina Ortiz brought each of us a white balloon and we wrote a letter to someone special, tied it to the end of the string, and on the count of three, we all let it go into the air together. Ruby Delgadillo wrote us each individual letters of encouragement and we read them in the chapel. Melissa Castellanos recently gave us individual pieces of a board to write our prayers on and decorate and she put all the pieces together into a “Class Cross.” These prayer activities are one of the most beautiful experiences ever. Our end of the year project was to create our dream wedding. We learned about vocations and this was a fun, creative way for us to speak about the vocation of marriage. The 12 of us girls went all out, from dress, to venue, to food, to colors, to decorations, and even to who the groom will be! Everyone always asks and wonders about what we do in this class. This may sound like a fairly easy course. But our job of planning and leading retreats is not as easy as it sounds. We put time and effort into every retreat that we do. We go through training and practice how to react when we encounter certain scenarios. One of the toughest parts of this class is having to come up with testimonies to say in front of the students during retreats. We may be comfortable with each other, but we need to open up ourselves to all of the grade levels, and trust in them when we are chosen by Mr. Raymundo to speak to them. Being a part of this Christian Leadership class as Campus Ministry leaders takes a lot of bravery and personal commitment. We all feel very privileged to be a part of such a wonderful class. Our goal is to inspire others with our personal experiences and guidance to let God into their lives. by Jasmeen Santos, Co-editor in Chief, class of 2016

DECEMBER 17, 2015

ISSUE 4

NERDING OUT WITH NATALIA:   RETURN OF THE REBELS If you’ve been on social media lately, odds are you’ve heard about the new Star Wars movie coming out on December 18th. Additionally you may notice the huge fanbase anxiously awaiting its release. I bet some of you are wondering what makes the Star Wars franchise so special?     Here’s a little history. The first Star Wars movie, simply titled ‘Star Wars’, was released on May 25, 1977. At first, writer George Lucas wasn’t sure how people would react but they loved it. The idea of a futuristic world that occurred in the past was new and exciting. Then, 3 years later in 1980, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back was released and ‘Star Wars’ was renamed Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Fans were confused as to why the first and second movie were labelled four and five but the movie was a success nonetheless. In 1983 Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi came out bringing what fans thought was the end of the story, only it wasn’t. In 1999, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released as the first movie in a prequel trilogy. Fans were wary as the story was definitely different than the original trilogy. Then, 2002 brought Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and 2005 brought Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Of course, this trilogy didn’t have the same love that the original had but the fanbase didn’t die out, it only grew. This was what fans thought was the second end to the movies until Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens was announced. This newest episode is set 30 years after Episode VI and has many new characters as well as familiar faces. It’s definitely a highly anticipated movie that will provide answers to those who wondered what happened to the galaxy after Episode VI. Fans are hyped and even crashed theater websites getting tickets.

Ms. Nicdao’s signed photo of Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia)

Still wondering why it’s so special? It’s because of it’s impact on people. It’s because the characters are dear to us and teach us. For fans, Star Wars isn’t just a story. Star Wars is inspiration. It’s inspiration for a better future and to grow as people. Star Wars is something that brings people young, old, on opposite ends of the planet, and of different personality types together. That’s what makes this franchise so special. That is why the fanbase won’t die out anytime soon. May the force be with you. by Natalia I. Garcia, class of 2018

DECEMBER 17, 2015

ISSUE 4

STUDENT LIFE

SHOUT OUTS! Do you want to give a shout out to someone? Email the Newspaper team to give a shout out to someone in the next issue. Shout outs must be appropriate, and only one sentence addressed to a person at PMA. Editors and Ms. Nicdao reserve the right to choose shout outs as deemed fit for the school.

Pictures - Left to Right: • CLIK Club enjoy a Christmas pizza party together. • Kiwins juniors Maria Beltran, Destiny Cielo, and Catherine Quinones join Assembly member Cristina Garcia for the Downey Parade. • National Honor Society Members help out with tutoring at the LINK Crew Cocoa Cram. • Broadcasting Class show off their talents with their Christmas movie directed by senior MaryLiz Serrano. • Seniors in Marine biology dissect a squid. • Teachers and students   at OPEN HOUSE on Dec. 6

Birthday Shout Outs:  Mr. Conroy - Dec. 1  Yaritza Garcia - Dec. 4  Ms. Nicdao - Dec. 6  Kayleigh Ayala - Dec. 6  Valentino Orihuela - Dec. 13  Johana Garcia - Dec. 13  Cecilia Halpin - Dec. 16  Jesus Christ - December 25

COMING SOON • School resumes: January 6  Mass Schedule (Formal) • Junior Ring Ceremony  January 8 • Class meetings: Jan. 8  SUPPORT YOUR CLASS GIFT! • Girls’ Soccer vs. Lasalle  Jan. 12 (Home) • Boys’ Soccer vs. St. Paul  Jan. 13 (Home)

THE 2015-2016   NEWSPAPER STAFF  Nicole Biley - Co-editor in Chief  Jasmeen Santos - Co-editor in Chief  Josie Armendariz  Natalia I. Garcia   Lexi Hernandez  Valentino Orihuela  Denia Ramos  Arianna Villegas  Ms. Nicdao - Adviser/Teacher

DECEMBER 17, 2015

ISSUE 4

“When each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises.” - Paulo Coelho, in the Alchemist Things I am Grateful for this Christmas:

_______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________

Dear PMA Warriors, On behalf of all of us at PMA, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and blessings in the new year. Now that finals are over, take the time to enjoy your well deserved break and ready to come back renewed and refreshed in 2016.   Let your New Years resolutions be focused on becoming the best version of yourself and living lives of pride, virtue, and purpose! I wish you God's Peace and blessings, Mr. Rubalcava Principal

2016 is going to be my best year because….

Merry Christmas and Have a Happy 2016! “When we love, we always strive to become better than we are.   When we strive to become better than we are,   everything around us becomes better too.”  - Paulo Coelho in The Alchemist

From the 2015-2016 PRIDE Newspaper Staff