The Conqueror | Volume LVI, Issue I | Sep 2016

Volume LVI, Issue I

15325 Los Altos Avenue, Hacienda Heights

September 2016

Jasmine Alexander

Los Altos Football Rolls Past Conqueror Club Team Opponents in First Two Weeks Takes on Australia and New Zealand

By Caley Asbee

Varsity football readies themselves to conquer the field and later their upcoming season.

By Damien Alvarado Hopes were higher than ever as Los Altos kicked off the season facing San Marino, Friday, August 26th, and Wilson, Saturday, September 3rd. This senior heavy squad has only allowed 6 points and produced 97 points the past two games.

Los Altos Football prepared for San Marino this week by going over film and perfecting their plays. After Thursday’s walk-through, the team bonded when they had their traditional meal later that night. All the football players wore their game jerseys or polos to school Friday morning to represent Los Altos.

It was total domination for the varsity football team as they capped off a great performance with a final score of 38-6. The first play of the game was a hand-off to Senior Running Back Tyler Nevens. San Marino stacked the box allowing Junior Quarterback Kody Olmos to complete a 26 yard touchdown pass to Senior Receiver Khayman King. San Marino had a quick two plays which got them three yards but Senior Defensive End/ Tight End Andrew Manuele sacked the quarterback forcing San Marino to punt. Los Altos was up by 7 on the 21 yard line but All League Nevens broke out for a 79 yard touchdown run pushing the score to a 14-0 lead. Nevens said, “San Marino was going to come out with intensity and we just had to come with more.” Although Los Altos was able to drive the ball down the field with a minute left in the second quarter, Senior Kicker Hunter White kicked a 32 yard field goal giving the Conquerors a 7-0 lead at half.

Los Altos came out of half time firing on all cylinders, scoring and dominating on defense. Nevens was a man on a mission finishing with over 287 yards and four touchdowns. Junior Quarterback Kody Olmos threw one touchdown pass and completed 7-12 throws for 109

yards. “We’re still not winning in the trenches, we need to get better, and let Tyler be Tyler.” This was Los Altos’ first away game, starting off the season with a bang at 1-0.

The “Battle for the Wheel” between two cross town rivals Los Altos and Wilson took place Saturday, September 3, and it wasn’t pretty. Los Altos football prepared for Wilson by going through formations and different schemes throughout the week. Considering these two schools are 2.4 miles apart, they don’t only play for the Wheel, but for the city’s football bragging rights.

Nevens was set to return the kickoff, but the Wilson Wildcats attempted an early onside kick which resulted in a penalty setting up Los Altos at the 44 yard line. Nevens was handed off the ball for a ten yard gain, giving Los Altos a first down. Quarterback Kody Olmos threw two incomplete passes and later fumbled, resulting in a turn over on downs.

Wilson’s offense was unable to capitalize, ending their drive in a punt, setting up the Los Altos offense in a great scoring position. Tyler ran through opponents, racing to the end zone for a 34 yard touchdown. The first quarter gave the Wildcats’ hope as they held Los Altos to only 7 points.

This game turned into a video game in the 2nd and 3rd quarter as the Wildcats allowed Los Altos to score 42 points. Star-studded Nevens tallied five touchdowns and racked over 200 yards. Olmos struggled in the beginning, but ran for a 21 yard touchdown and White connected on a field goal late in the 4th quarter from 20+ yards out. The defensive unit got an interception, over five sacks, and returned two fumble recoveries for touchdowns. Los Altos defense starred in this victory, shutting out Wilson 59-0, improving to 2-0. Los Altos Football will keep the Wheel, improving their record to 11-2 against Wilson since 2004.

(LAHS faced Corona on Friday; story on the-conqueror.org.)

Conqueror Athlete Scores Varsity Football

W Vs

3-0-0

San Marino

38-6

Wilson

59-0

Corona

45-24

Varsity Tennis

L

0-1-0

Vs Whittier Christian

Varsity Water Polo

Varsity Volleyball

W

L

2-0-0

Vs 3-15

0-3-0

Vs

Burbank

14-11

Glendale

8-7

Corona

0-2

St. Lucys

2-3

Bonita

1-3

@LAConqAthletics / losaltosathletics.org

Lady Conquerors Club Team traveled to Oceania’s Australia and New Zealand this summer to compete in the Pan Pacific Tournament. Los Altos High School Girl’s Water Polo Club Team felt the stress of wanting to positively represent our school and country, but they were still able to perform well and enjoy themselves.

These Lady Conquerors were not only in another country, but they also were the only team from America in the competition.Despite immense pressure, they were still able to pull through the pressure and perform to the best of their abilities.

The Conquerors were able to place in the top eight - qualifying for the tournament. Their first win was with Mountfort Park in New Zealand, at an 11-7 victory. This win was vital for their showing against Canterbury, as that game ended with the Los Altos team winning 14-7. If they had lost that game, they likely would not have gotten as far into the tournament.

Even though there were a few losses they didn’t keep the players down.

Erika Galvan, Junior, remarked that, “While in the game I managed to get my finger broken that didn’t stop me from playing as hard as I could.”

With the visit to Oceania came new scenery and culture. The Aussie and Kiwi way of life was unlike America, and they were lucky enough to experience this different culture. Senior Alissa Medina, Senior, noted that “Water Polo is different there than it is here. It was hard to adjust to their style of playing, but I think we did good. All in all, it was an amazing experience.” Aside from play style and culture, the team needed to adjust further to this new atmosphere.

Kimberly Casterellon, Sophomore described the difference between America and Oceania as, “The food, the people, and the way they played was a whole different culture (sic) in both New Zealand and Australia. You could tell just by looking at people that they weren’t American and they could definitely see that we were not from their country.” Despite this, they all worked hard and delivered outstanding play.

Fortunately, even with all odds against the Los Altos High School Girl’s Water Polo team, they were still able to represent our school well with their performance.

2 Ta b l e o f C o n t e n t s News Mauch Stadium Reconstruction

WELCOME Letter from the Editor 3

Hacienda Heights Library Freshman Class President

News (continued) Spanish Honors Society

4

Illegal Dumping

Entertainment Improv Night

Hello, Conquerors. Thankfully, I am your LAHS Journalism editor for the 20162017 school year. I have been a part of this program for three years, and wish to enrich the paper and all of our publications. Now, political and global news can be delivered from the students in a more free and interesting manner. You, the reader, may even be unware that we had more than one publication. This year, if anything, will be exceedingly atypical. Layout, writing, pictures, and other miscellaneous aspects of our periodicals will be subject to change. My team and I labored tirelessly to piece together an assemblage of stories to be proud of, and this is the result of many hours of work and style revision. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed making it.

Sincerely,

[Mateo Sandoval]

5

Staff Box

Video Music Awards

Feature

6

Zika in the Golden State

Opinion

7

To Stand or to Sit? Student’s Opinions on Election

Sports

8

Staff and Faculty Game Boy’s Water Polo New Coach Junior Varsity Girl’s Tennis Game

School Adventures: The Long Line Effect B y An a l is e P ache co

m ! roo ath o long b The is soo l ine

Valeria Alcantara

Laila Jibrin

Jasmine Alexander

Christian Ledezma

Jasmine Alonze

Juan Morales

Damien Alvarado

Cesar Moreno

Caley Asbee

Briana Munos

Sumitra Ariel Bernardo

Analise Pacheco

Jeremy Chen

Danielle Porras

Emma Eriksen

Joshua Sanchez

Bianca Flores

Sabrina Sanchez

Adalilan Franco

Mateo Sandoval

Damian Hernandez

Brandon Vicuña

Nicolas Hernandez

Joshua Vivas

NEWS

3

Mauch Stadium Reconstruction Nearing Completion

By Sabrina Sanchez and Damian Hernandez

The Patrick J. Mauch stadium at Los Altos has been under construction since early May, and is nearly complete. Due to lacking amenities, HLPUSD is giving the long-standing stadium a new look - including an upgraded track and field.

One of the assistant principals at Los Altos, Mr. Jeffrey Hess, explained that the brand new stadium should be ready to be used by this fall, by September 16. Hess further explained that this will also be the date of the first home football game, and include a“ribbon cutting” opening ceremony. Regarding the sports teams at Los Altos, Mr. Hess shared that, “In a positive way, I think it’ll be great for all of (the teams).” He continued to explain that the football and soccer team will now have the benefit of being able to practice playing on a turf field, and the track team will also get to practice on rubber track. Hess also remarked, “Now all of these teams will no longer be at the disadvantage of practicing on a field that are not common to see at other schools.” This new track and field will not only provide a better foundation for LAHS athletes to practice on, but also a path that leads to victory.

One sport in particular (Track and Field) is looking to generate revenue to help athletes cover for the cost of equipment. One satudent believes the new stadium will be one more addition to the line of amazing renovations that Los Altos has acquired. Alondra Luna, the Renaissance President has said, “I feel as if it is a fantastic project for Los Altos!”, and she also said, “Prior to the renovation, Track and Field never had home meets, and now they will recieve more support from from fellow Conquerors because students will have easier access to view them

This reconstruction of the stadium is not only a tremendous improvement for the athletes of Los Altos, but also to the students of the LAHS Entertainment Unit. A member of the marching band, senior Benjamin Bernardo, sheds some light on to why band is thankful for the reconstruction of the stadium.

“Sometimes people would actually get injured because of the uneven ground and mud on the grass field, so the artificial turf would really help us move around.”

Bernardo also explained that with the upcoming band tournament that Los Altos will be hosting, the new track and field will be more convenient for those who come and perform. The reconstruction of the Patrick J. Mauch stadium seems to be constructing a more supportive and prosperous foundation for the students of Los Altos.

The reconstruction of the stadium may be beneficial to the athletes of Los

Hacienda Heights

Library Refurbrishment

By: Laila Jibrin

The sounds of hammers and drills have been resonating from the Hacienda Heights Library as the hardworking staff prepare for the newly imagined environmentally beneficial library, and the construction is expected to be continued until the beginning of the year 2017.

Since October 2016, the Hacienda Heights Library has been investing numerous amounts of time, money, and effort to improve the Hacienda Heights local community.

While waiting eagerly for the construction to finish, the local community can visit the temporary library located at the William Steinmetz Park (1545 S Stimson Ave, Hacienda Heights, CA 91745), where the library staff will

Adalilian Franco

The community eagerly awaits the reopening of the remodeled library.

be eager to help with anything they can.

The library’s approach to the refurbishment is to go green, so there will be upgrades to the electrical arrangement, bathroom and interior lighting due to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

“The proposed projects will support the Green Building/ Sustainable Design Program incorporating sustainable design features to optimize energy and water use efficiency, improve indoor environmental quality and to maximize the use of sustainable and local resources,” states the Construction Contract of the Hacienda Heights Library Refurbishment Project.

In other words, the library is designing its upgrades to conserve energy, water, and “resources”.

Not only is the library being redesigned to help the environment, but is also getting an entire reconfiguration of the interior floorplan layouts, with new bookshelves, service desks, computers, books and new furniture for the children, teen, and adult areas to sit down and relax while reading.

Additionally, new self-checkout systems will be added to the library to improve the rate of the check-out process.

“It will be a great way to get people to go to the library more often to do their homework, read or just hangout.” Says sophomore Los Altos student, Britney Cundiff.

Christian Ledezma Construction taking place on the Patrick J. Mauch stadium set to be finisheds soon.

Altos, but other students have mixed feelings on the matter. The students that are not quite as excited about this change remember the traditional Welcome Back Assembly and Homecoming Game of years past. Senior Iris Chan stated, “It definitely feels weird not having these traditions, especially during my senior year.”

Chan also stated that she liked the idea of a new and improved field, however, this sudden change from the tradition that she was accustomed to throughout her high school experience was quite a shock. Senior Annissa Guerrero also had similar feelings towards the re-vamp of the stadium, remarking that “From the perspective of one who has gone to every Welcome Back Assembly and Homecoming game, it is sad not be able to have these normal traditions on our home field.” Guerrero went on, “But as a soccer player at LA, it will be great to give our school a multi-functional field that works for all athletes.” As the stadium of Los Altos High School continues to re-form, so do several traditions that students are used to.

Bravo Conquers Freshman Class Election

By: Juan Morales

On Wednesday, August 24th, Joshua Bijelic, Alessandro de la Torre, Brandon Bravo and Madison Flores all competed a rigorous battle held in the Los Altos gym for the one position open in ASB as the Freshman class president.

Brandon Bravo earned enough votes to surpass the competition that would allow him to take the role of freshman class president.

Bravo, who enjoys communicating with everyone regardless of differences, first pondered the idea of running for class president when he joined the freshman leadership class on campus.

“I felt that the leadership class would help me strengthen my leadership skills,” he stated, “yet I felt that running for president would not only allow me to strengthen my leadership skills but also show them in action.”

Bravo comments upon how some of the qualities he possessed that made him the perfect candidate to be freshman class president are his communication skills, his positive charisma, but best of all, his school spirit.

“Hopefully the freshmen will see my spirit,” comments Bravo, “and they see me as an inspiration to be full of it themselves as well.”

Brandon Bravo expressed that even though he is relatively a new conqueror, he is very happy to be one. He plans on taking the role

of president not only as a leader hopes to serve as a role model to all his peers in the long run.

Starting his year long term, Bravo’s main goals are to serve as the voice of the freshman class and to create an enjoyable environment for them as well.

“I plan to create a better, safer, and an enthusiastic environment for everyone all around,” reports Bravo.

Serving as the epitome of the people’s president, Brandon plans on achieving the most his abilities can accomplish in order for the freshman class to bring the heat to the other grade levels.

Brandon Bravo now serves as part of ASB as of August 26 and aims to accomplish his goals.

4

NEWS

LAHS Spanish Honors Society Celebrates Its 5th Annual Independence Day Festival

By Adalilian Franco Spanish Honors Society hosted their annual Independence Day event this year on Wednesday, September 14 in the Hacienda.

During the event, members sold delicious foods such as tostadas, rice, beans, pan dulce as well as an assortment of traditional Latin American foods. Tables and seats were provided for attendees to sit and enjoy various performances.

“I have had terrific memories going to la fiesta de Dia de Independencia Latino Americano,” Angel Carrillo, senior.

Scheduled performances include student produced works, singers, poets, and traditional dancing. Beside the performances, students and guests had the chance to show their moves during dances like the “Caballo Dorado”.

The Hacienda was culturally adorned with flags to represent each South American country that claimed independence from Spain and France.

“The event allows for Los Altos students to experience culture and make connections to the history by working together with teachers, parents, peers, and other members in the community,” Erendira Andrade, Modern Language Department.

National Hispanic Heritage Month

is from September 15 to October 15.

During this time period, celebrations are hosted throughout the world known as Fiestas Patrias.

“The Spanish Honors Society hosts the Latin American Independence Day to observe National Hispanic Heritage month in celebration of the valuable contributions of Latin Americans,” remarked Andrade.

It all began with a man and a cry. Miguel Hidalgo’s words on September 16, 1810 were enough to motivate Mexico to fight for their independence. Unfortunately he was executed at the beginning of the revolt and never got to take the breaths of freedom.

“Viva Mexico” is shouted from all sorts of places to symbolize the Grito de la Independencia or the battle cry for Independence.

Similar to the United States’ Independence Day on July 4, Mexico throws fireworks, parties, food and music on September 16. Red, white, and green decorations are hung everywhere.

However, Mexico is not the only one who celebrates such an event. Countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica began their independence day on September 15 as well.

Many businesses and streets are

Todos a Una.

closed to provide space for Latin American Independence Day festivities. Towns celebrate such events to commemorate landmarks of history.

“There’s a unique ambiance in going to a Hispanic fiesta with all my friends, teachers, classmates, and family in the same room,” said Carrillo.

The Latin American Independence

Day Celebration is a great opportunity for students and parents to learn about the Hispanic culture. “My hope as a teacher and advisor of the Spanish Honor Society is to motivate students to start thinking about how they can also contribute and make a difference themselves in their community,” Andrade.

An Abundance of Illegal Dumping Plagues Community

By Sabrina Sanchez Illegal dumping in Los Angeles County frequently occurs because civilians may not have access to waste or recycling disposal centers. There are also those who live in low-income areas and trash pickup is not available, or residents cannot afford to pay for trash removal or disposal fees, and because of this, trash is dumped in vacant lots, wooded areas, or abandoned buildings.

However, there are cases that occur because those who partake in illegal dumping are merely not willing to go through the process of disposing of it properly.

Illegal dumping is not only a problem in Los Angeles but across the world and

when waste is illegally disposed there is a large negative impact on the environment, community, and the taxes payers who reside there. Materials that get illegally dumped often such as old appliances, tires, televisions, and electronic waste place damaging and unhealthy affects to the atmosphere. For example, appliances similar to refrigerators contain a hazardous substance that is released into the air, harming the earth’s protective ozone layer and hindering the safety of air that the masses breathe in every day. Also, illegal dumping interrupts the function of drainage and flood management in local communities. Improperly dumped

Nicolas Hernandez

Illegal dumping, any unauthorized disposal of waste on any public or private property, has occurred for over ten years in Los Angeles County and is continuing to increase due to civilians avoiding the inconvenience of proper disposal. waste can block the drainage system, contaminating natural water resources, like lakes, streams, and drinking water supplies, with waste and toxic substances.

People who have their community being “dumped on” are upset. When illegal waste is seen in any community, it represents that community poorly and displays a negative image of what that community has to offer. When asked how she felt about illegal dumping in her community, mother and nurse Elaine Shozuya said, “Of course it negatively impacts the neighborhood. It implies that this is a slovenly deserted place that no one cares about.” Along with the fact that illegal waste gives off an off-putting impression of a neighborhood affected by it, it also stands as an invitation for others to continue to do the same, almost sending out a subliminal message that the community does not care about their home so why would others. Shozuya asserted, “If left there, [it] can lead to a downward spiral for the neighborhood.”

Attempting to remedy this issue by removing the waste leads to extra costs towards taxpayers. In order to be able to pay for equipment and the staff to

remove the debris, those who have to pay for it are the residents of the poorly represented community in question.

When asked about this circumstance, local resident Melinda Jimenez responded, “I feel angry and extremely frustrated because you don’t usually see the individuals that are [illegally dumping] so you can’t report them.”

Preserving the environment by being more conscious of how dumping affects the people and things in the community will also save taxpayers a large sum of money, along with sparing them “anger,” as Jimenez stated, “because not only do our taxes go up but the value of our community goes down.”

Organizations such as Recology San Francisco to properly dispose waste; there are organizations such as O.C. Waste and Recycling and the L.A. Environmental Collection Center that offer free waste drop offs during the week and on weekends. The problem of illegal dumping is an issue that affects all aspects of a community and if waste-makers comprehend the necessity of proper disposal, the plague of illegal dumping slowly but surely be remedied.

ENTERTAINMENT

5

Throwback Favorites at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards I dedicate this award to the people of New Orleans.

Every year MTV hosts their massively iconic and memorable Video Music Awards featuring the most successful stars in the music. On Sunday, August 28th, MTV followed through with their performances by bringing a few of the publics favorite throwbacks.

Rihanna opened the show with an all-pastel pink ensemble with an entire dance crew to match. She performed some of her hit pop singles like “Only Girl in the World,” “We Found Love,” and “Where Have You Been,” but that was not the only time she performed. Rihanna had a total of 4 performances throughout the award show, each with a different feel.

Her second performance seemed to be a tribute to her homeland, Barbados, with a Caribbean dance party vibe. Rihanna, and all the dancers packed onto the stage, sang and danced to a few of her songs including one of her latest hits, “Work”.

Later in the show, Rihanna rocked bangs and thigh-high boots for her third performance, highlighting her hip-hop songs.

Rihanna left all the backup dancers backstage and let her brilliant vocals shine through by closing the show with a few of her beloved ballads like “Stay” and “Diamonds in the Sky.” After Rihanna’s opening act, Internet famous comedian duo, Key and Peele, began their ongoing sketch as Internet consumed social media superstars, @LizardSheeple and @TheShamester, while recapping the show. Other cohosts included Nicole Byer, Jay Pharoah, and DJ Khaled.

Josie Osborn, junior and member of the LAHS Dance Team, admits her least favorite part of the show was, “All the talking in between. I like the performances.”

Soon after, MTV gave the infamous Kanye West four minutes, not to perform, but for his other well-known talent, talking, before he premiered his new music video. As expected, he exceeded his time limit. In his seven minute long speech he mentioned the multiple controversies he has been involved in, including when he drunkenly interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for the Best Music Video of the Year Award in 2009 and another fairly recent feud with Swift.

West’s wife and reality TV star, Kim Kardashian, posted a recorded phone call of Swift acknowledging that West asked permission to use her name in his song “Famous” after Swift claimed she had no idea about the song. “You know, like, people come up to me like, ‘Yeah,

that’s right! Take Taylor! But bro, like, I love y’all.

That’s why I called her,” West revealed in his speech.

West also touched on a few serious subjects, like his personal career struggles and police brutality towards African Americans. He explained how older, rich, typically white men tell him, “Don’t compare yourself to Steve Jobs.

Don’t compare yourself to Walt Disney.” West reflects on the comments and with some advice from a friend, he tells the crowd that is what people do to keep him down.

West openly admits, “My role models are artists, merchants… Truman, Ford, Hughes, Disney, Jobs, West.”

Then it was the legendary Beyoncé to take on the stage, performing a mini concert of 5 songs from her newest album, “Lemonade.” She completely took advantage of the massive stage, performing numerous pieces of choreography with and without backup dancers. She sang a diverse group of songs, from the soft ballad “Pray You Catch Me,” to the raging rock anthem “Don’t Hurt Yourself.” Then she concluded with the most well known track on the album, “Formation.” When asked which performance was her favorite, Osborn immediately replies, “Beyoncé.” Anyssa Aguilar, junior, agrees and praises Beyoncé’s performance and explains, “Her ‘Lemonade’ album was amazing and when she did it live she did it perfectly. It was so good.” Beyoncé’s performance unsurprisingly earned a standing ovation, as everyone in Madison Square Garden bowed down to “Queen B”.

After Beyoncé’s performance was Britney Spears’ long awaited return to the VMAs stage. The MTV VMAs is the home to many iconic Britney Spears moments, like her 2001 “Slave 4 U” performance in which she strutted around the stage with a giant, albino burmese python. Spears put on her formfitting, sparkly leotard and performed “Make Me,” just her and two backup dancers. Then, she covered the song “Me, Myself & I” with rapper, G-Eazy. At last, all the devoted Britney fans were able to celebrate Spear’s success, however not everyone enjoyed it. Aguilar feels Spear’s performance was the most disappointing part of the show, claiming, “She did not make herself look good at all!”

Finally, at the end of the show the winner of the Best Music Video of the Year Award was presented. The Tonight Show host, Jimmy Fallon, walked out dressed as Ryan Locte, cracking jokes about his recent “robbery” scandal.

Fallon announced the nominees, which were “Hello” by Adele, “Formation” by Beyoncé, “Hotline Bling” by Drake, “Sorry” by Justin Bieber, and “Famous” by Kanye West.

Rightfully so, Beyoncé won for “Formation,” which was set in New Orleans, Louisiana and highlights black women’s beauty and strength. “I have the most incredible team,” Beyoncé explains, “They work tirelessly. They stay up all night.

And I could not have done this without you guys.” She ends her acceptance speech by saying, “I dedicate this award to the people of New Orleans. God bless you guys. I love you.”

Sabrina Sanchez

By Bianca Flores

Drama’s Improv Night Has Returned to Los Altos

By Emma Eriksen

The Drama department promises a night of fun and entertainment on September 28, 2016, with the annual Improv Night event occurring once more. Spectators are invited to watch participants perform skits and games on the spot, showing the light-hearted spirit of the event.

The Los Altos Drama teacher, Ms. Isley, is excited to continue the tradition of Improv Night. According to Ms. Isley, Improv Night has happened annually for the better part of a decade, with this being the ninth year it has occurred. Any event at Los Altos with such a long history has influenced the culture in that corner, and Improv Night is no exception when it comes to the performing arts.

Ms. Isley summarizes, “Improvisation is important to the genre of drama since it teaches actors to think on their feet, collaborate, and how to identify the structure of plot.” All of these skills are necessary to the art of theatre, and Improv Night showcases all of them, making this event an important precursor to drama events later in the year, like the winter play.

Freshman Jazlyn Lugo weighed in on Ms. Isley’s words, saying, “I really enjoy acting in the style of improv. It is different than other styles of acting, but just as important.” Lugo has attended the Improv Workshops held on Tuesdays, and agrees that improvisation is key to understanding how to build off of other actors’ talents. “I joined because I wanted to learn how to act,” Lugo stated.

Improv Night at Los Altos is meant to be enjoyable, for both audience members and performers. Ms. Isley describes the activities as theater games similar to the ones seen on the television program “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”

“One of the theater games will be hat scenes,” she explains. “A host will choose a scene from a hat or container, and the actors have to perform the scene on the spot. Another game involves props, where actors will make a scene using props pulled randomly from a box.” All in all, Improv Night promises to be an exciting evening.

Los Altos students, faculty, and parents can attend Improv Night on the 28, in the Hacienda, with tickets being sold presale and at the door. With the assurance that Improv Night will be more than enough to make viewers laugh, attending the event is sure to be rewarding.

FEATURE 6

BIANCA FLORES AND JUAN MORALES

The Zika virus just hit California. As of September 4, 2016 there are 241 current

virus infections in California according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Zika is spreading at an alarming rate of about four cases a day.

There have been 88 more cases in about 23 days since this article was first written alone, and there are several more cases popping up daily. Towards the end of July, the first cases of the Zika virus within the United States were identified as affecting Southern Florida locals. Recently, New York has surpassed Florida as having the highest amount of travel associated cases, and California is catching up in numbers too.

Primarily identifying the Zika virus that plagued the namesake’s forest of Uganda in 1947, the virus has bypassed borders in the last few decades. The Zika Virus outburst re-emerged from its isolation to reach Brazil in 2015, and since then has spread throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. The biggest transmitters are the U.S. Yellow fever mosquito and the Asian tiger mosquito, but the virus can also be transferred by humans in the form of sexually transmitted diseases. Both of the insects have been found in a few counties in California, yet no case has been currently linked to the virus being contracted from a mosquito’s bite. All known laboratory infections were somehow related to travelling to countries with active Zika virus transmission, like those that visited Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics.

Los Angeles, an area highly associated with travel, has some members of the LAHS community worried they may come in contact with the Zika virus. This is not the first time Zika has hit California, but Zika had not been a widespread outbreak like this before.

“When something big hits, I feel like the US works hard to contain the epidemic”, Senior Andrew Manuele commented.

Yet this July, the Senate refused to pass a Zika Bill which would grant $1.1 billion dollars in the effort to fight the virus. Sophomore Joshua Sanchez feels this is the downfall of the fight to end the epidemic.

“Like any other virus, we have been able to contain it, but if no effort is being done with any resources, then the process to end it will be delayed”, Sanchez stated.

Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to tell whether someone has contracted

the virus or not, considering the fact that there are only a few symptoms and they can be very mild. Common symptoms include a fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes, but these symptoms will only last about a week.

The most efficient way to avoid being infected by the Zika virus is to refrain from traveling to infested regions. “If you know you’re going to be in a particular region where you can be infected take the necessary steps to be protected. Have the mosquito repellent! It might sound obvious, but most people don’t use mosquito repellent” suggests, Orlando Perez, anatomy and physiology teacher.

Being cautious about health is important, but Perez brings up a point that as long as the proper precautions are taken, there is no reason someone should not live their life in fear of the Zika virus. Perez declares, “You have two options. You can either live life full of fear, or you can actually live life to the best of your ability.”

OPINION

7

Pledge of Allegiance: To Sit or To Stand?

By Analise Pacheco

Nicolas Hernandez

“One Nation Under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all”- these are the words that strike a chord with many Americans. The connection between religion and government bother many individuals, to the point where they do not take part in standing for the pledge. In the academic environment, this “refusal” to pledge sometime leads to consequence, ending with student angst.

Junior Aaron Pimental does not stand for the pledge of allegiance, he simply reasons “I don’t like how it says one nation under God, not everyone is religious.” The pledge, written in 1892, did not separate church from state- which is now problematic in today’s society. Majority of the public can argue that to not salute is disrespectful towards the nation’s armed forces. However, Junior Jessie Milan whom has military personnel in her blood, radically expands on the issue claiming that “ I do not stand, not in vain of our troops, I do not stand because of the corruption of why they go to battle; corporate material war.” According to Milan, the idea of saluting is also “a sign of submission to dictatorship.”

Others such as junior Alex Wong do stand for the pledge, but agree that “ I feel like it’s more of a ritual at this point than actually meaningful for day to day life.” The pledge does appear as a ritual, an element of manipulation read about in dystopian novels. Aside from the mindless look of the pledge, the act of not standing for the pledge is actually just as American as standing for the pledge.

Popular substitute on campus and political science major Mr. Smith supports this by refusing to stand, one is merely “exercising their Constitutional rights.”

Kaepernick - 49er Quarterback who Shocks Nation and Stirs NFL Fans

By Joshua Sanchez Kaepernick seated himself in the center of controversy regarding the National Anthem, and seemed unpatriotic - but there is more left unmined.

On Friday, August 26th, at Levi’s Stadium the San Francisco 49ers were facing the Green Bay Packers. Quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, faced something else that night. As the National Anthem played, Kaepernick “took a load off” instead of rising for the country’s musical anthem. Instead of resting his legs for the game or being too lazy to stand like some students at Los Altos High School, he described why he remained seated in his “musical chair”.

"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick told officials after the game. While his heart may be in the right place, several fans disagree with his choice to remain seated. In response, 49ers fans and especially those of Kaepernick, burned his jersey.

Varsity Offensive Line backer, Hank Lopez, felt it was a “screw you to veterans”, but did note that even students at Los Altos don’t all stand for the Pledge of Allegiance during the daily announcements. He also remarked “It’s disrespectful, but it’s their option.” Lopez’s view seems to go hand in hand with the NFL’s official stance. Ian Rapoport, NFL media insider, even remarked, "Players are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the national anthem." With only encouragement to stand, it is unlikely he will incur any sanctions by the National Football League.

Which may be why he took to sitting in the first place. Several speculate that his career has been going downhill recently, and that through activism he could bring attention to himself again. The theory goes that if he were sanctioned, he would become a martyr of the movement. However, that is just a theory - a football theory. In addition to the theories, this is not the first time that Kaepernick has sat down during the National Anthem. It has been reported that Kaepernick has been sitting down prior to the game against the Packers, what made the 49ers and Packers game so special was Kaepernick was wearing his jersey during the National Anthem. Sadly theories aside, the 49ers lost that game to the Packers at 21-10 regardless of him rested his legs or not.

Others support Kaepernick’s choice to sit. Varsity Wide Receiver and Cornerback, Spencer Hines agreed with Kaepernick’s decision surmising it was a “smart [move]” that “makes sense to me”. He also concluded that instead of disrespect, students are rather lazy, but regarding Kaepernick he feels that “America is not what [it] says it is”. Unfortunately, many individuals are becoming dissuaded with America recently, but it stands to question whether it’s America as a whole or certain individuals in the country that do not live up to the ideals and expectations of a great nation.

One thing is for sure, when Kaepernick took this action he left several fans and students here, like Hank Lopez in shock “because since he’s a pro it stands out more.”

LAHS Students Voice Perspectives on the 2016 Presidential Election

By Valeria Alcantara

“As it would seem in this election, severe apathy and distrust rule both sides of the political spectrum.”

The upcoming Tuesday, November 8 presidential election is one of the most popular and controversial topics due to vastly different opinions, like both candidate’s stances. Here, the Los Altos community shares their opinions even though most of them aren’t voters.

There are people in our conqueror family that favor Donald Trump and others in favor of Hillary Clinton. Some students hold a neutral stance on the presidential election, favoring neither, and of course there is also a handful that don’t really care about the election.

Junior Breeze Hernandez, who is in favor of Hillary Clinton states, “I support Hillary because she a successful and established women who’s been in the political spectrum for a long time. I’m against Trump because he’s never been a politician before and has little context on what’s happening in the world.”

Another student, freshman, Darianna Alcantara also emphasizes her support for this presidential candidate. “Hillary is a promising candidate for this presidential election. She’s is going to have more gun control which is something this country needs and it is going to make a better environment for everyone. I don’t think Trump is fit to be candidate of this current presidential election because he has never had a position in the political field, and he is just a millionaire businessman who can’t differentiate between running a business and running a country.”

Michael Fink, on the other hand, states why he is on Donald Trump’s side, “Personally, I believe Donald J. Trump would make an amazing president.

The most controversial topic on Donald Trump has to be about his immigra-

tion reform. Donald Trump exclaims he’s going to build a ‘great big, beautiful wall, where people can come into the country, but they have to come in legally.’

Wanting to keep illegal immigrants out of our country is enforcing the law,is not an act of racism.”

Unlike these students who know who to side with, there are students who side with neither of the candidates. Alyssa Estrada, a junior, explains why she doesn’t agree with either candidate. “I don’t follow either of them. Trump is seeing the election and office as a business and will bankrupt the country. Most of his companies are going bankrupt,” Estrada continues, “I don’t support Hillary because she doesn’t have an overview what’s it like to be in office,” Sophomore David Sifuentes, also elaborates on why he has chosen to not support either candidate. “I don’t support either of them. They both have unreasonable thinking.

Their views of doing what is right is incorrect in my opinion.” He states, “Trump just cares about business and Hillary has unreasonable thinking.”

Sabrina Sanchez

SPORTS

8

Staff and Faculty Game Lets Conqueror Spirit Echo Throughout the Court

By Nick Hernandez, Valeria Alcantara, and Damian Hernandez As the intense “Battle for the Wheel” rivalry spirit week concludes, the annual Los Altos vs. Wilson teachers and staff basketball game is held. Thursday, September 1st at 5:30 P.M. cheers were echoed alongside each dribble in this intense spirited matchup.

Every year the staff and faculty from both Los Altos and Wilson face off in an intense game of basketball. LAHS students in attendance were advised to go “Conqueror Crazy” as was the theme of Spirit Week. Conqueror spirit was strong after participating students wore class shirts on Monday, relaxed in Pajama Armor on Tuesday, sported a jersey on Wednesday, went “Con-Cray” on Thursday, and topped off the week with a blue-out on Friday.

This “Conqueror Spirit” was also echoed by Los Altos’ new Anatomy and Physiology teacher, Mr. Perez, who represented LAHS on the court as well, “I can appreciate that the school spirit is high and the unity amongst the students is very impressive.” When asked how this unity and school spirit will help the staff and faculty compete, Perez added, “It is important when it comes to competition [to] know that we have a supportive community.” This support works both ways.

Junior, Miguel Balderrama, expressed his thoughts about school spirit in noting, “Most of the staff here at LAHS are very spirited, when we see teachers such as Mr. Hedell, and Ms. Shin dressed Con-Cray it boosts student’s spirit.” With both students and teachers motivated there was much to be gained for the big game.

At around 5:30 students from both schools poured into the gym to get seated for the big game. About fifteen minutes later, GAWHS representatives called out their starting lineup, followed by LAHS’s very own Mr. Fisher announcing Todd “the White Mamba” Hedell, Eric “The Rookie” Palmer, Jeff “Laser” Lucas, and so many more Conqueror Staff/Faculty athletes.

After announcing, the game commenced with the Wildcat and Conqueror staff/ faculty letting loose all their school spirit. In the first few minutes, Conqueror athletes took the lead, but the Wildcats weren’t far behind. After an intense 1st quarter, the LAHS Dance Team performed in front of the crowd and left them with a quality performance.

The second quarter was filled with excitement as intense cheering was heard from every shot. When the quarter ended, Los Altos was in the lead thanks to an

Valeria Alcantara The teachers all put their hands together in the name of conqueror spirit. impossible 3 pointer that Mr. Alvarez had made.

When the game reached time the score was at a clear tie of 46-46, and despite the three minutes overtime the game would end with both Conquerors and Wildcats tied at 46.

Steven Mondragon, a freshman, stated his opinion on the game, “The game was intense and I really enjoyed it,” he explains, “The rivalry isn’t over. We still have the football game left.”

While that battle was settled on Saturday with an overwhelming victory, another student, Matthew Shozuya, a sophomore also explains his opinion of the game. “It was super energetic and fun. It was crazy but a good experience.” he remarked. When asked to compare this game to the years prior, he said, “This year was more energetic. The people were more energetic and there was more spirit.”

He also gave his opinion on the results of the match. “It was cool that there was a tie, but they should’ve kept playing.”

Faculty involved in the game agreed with Shozuya’s feelings about the matchup. Todd “The White Mamba” Hedell, when describing his feelings on the game remarked, “It was spirited. There was so much energy that was felt,” To describe the ending tie, he furthered Shozuya’s thoughts reflecting that “If we had more time to finish the game, we could’ve possibly won if we were very committed. If we refocused and worked together, we could’ve won. I’m okay with being tied”.

That seemed to be the resounding theme of the exciting game was that Conquerors could have fully conquered if there was more time, but all in all it was an exciting match.

A New Coach and Fresh Season for Boy’s Water Polo

By Caley Asbee

Laila Jibrin Edwards stands proud next to the pool.

Bryan Edwards, will be taking on the task of being the coach of the Boy’s Water Polo team. Without the boys having Coach Chris Coleman it will be a whole different game.

Edwards grew up in Rowland Heights, and he currently coaches the girls Water Polo team in Rowland Heights as well. He has his own coaching style, and with the boys losing Coach Chris Coleman adjusting will be some work. Aside from being unfamiliar with the team, he seems to have really helped some of the players.

Junior Lerma who has been playing water polo for two and a half

years weighs in on Bryan Edward’s coaching technique saying, “The new ideas Coach Bryan has introduced has changed the way I play water polo. I feel we have learned a lot in just these past 4 weeks, I can’t wait to see how we are able to use these new skills in a game.” One thing is certain, the new coach is becoming a Conqueror.

The coach has given the boys a way to believe in themselves, the excitement of their season is already approaching them. At this point a CIF title may even be a possibility for them. Carlos Zelaya a first year water polo player states, “Although he does have high expectations, Our coach is diligent and kind. He believes in us.”

It’s evident the personality of Edwards has made an impression on the boys.

The new season will show if that leads to success in their games.

Junior, Jason Soohoo believes, “Our team is capable of doing great things this year. I think we can make CIF and win league this year.” Zelaya also thinks that, “The way in which we work together and fix our mistakes will ultimately lead to success.”

The team will not only have to rely on their new coach, but in order for them to do well this season they realize they must work to the best of their abilities. The introduction of a new coach has not seemed to break the spirit of the team. The upcoming season will show if their playing has at all been affected.

Valeria Alcantara She sets up her serve to Conquer the court.

Girls’ Tennis Season Begins With Game Against El Rancho

By Sabrina Sanchez On Monday August 29th, the Los Altos girls’ JV and varsity tennis teams played their first tennis matches of the season against El Rancho High School at El Rancho’s court.

Under the coaching of former LAHS teacher, Mr. Bukholtz, the JV girls were able to put their best foot forward during their first match. Junior and member of the JV team, Vanessa Chen stated, “Although we did not win our first game, it is still pre-season and we have a long way to go.” All of the girls put in one hundred percent of their effort into this first game, and it is evident that this attitude will continue for the rest of the season. When asked how she thought this season will compare to the previous one, Chen stated, “Both last year and this year, the JV team has been made up of inexperienced players, but we always improve as the season continues along and I know that this season will be no different.”

With guidance from coach and math teacher Mr. Giang, the girls Varsity team also started of their season with determination on Monday night. Senior and varsity team member Irene Chia stated, “We struggled a lot more than our JV team because 1/5 of our team is injured and half of the team is new to varsity.” Nevertheless, the varsity girls continued to pull through the match with each member continuously learning about how to improve their game strategies for future matches. When asked about how she thought the season would go with this year’s team, Chia stated, “This season will require a lot of hard work and effort from our team… we may have rough matches but we can win with dedication and perseverance.”

Although this first match was not the greatest of conquests, it was a step in the right direction for the determined and focused girls tennis teams of Los Altos.