Volume LVIII, Issue 5
15325 East Los Robles Avenue, Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
May 2019
Conquerors Celebrate College Signing Day
Senior Erika Gomez and Genovieve Castillo Del Muro sign to Cal State Long Beach Photo by Laila Jibrin theirs for along time, their By Douglas Lin years of studying and exMay 1 was National Sign- tracurricular activities and ing Day for students signing sports pay off with an colcommitment statements to lege acceptance letter. While college they will attend in gaining college admission through sports or athletic the fall. For many seniors, attend- recruiting is one often times ing a four year university or celebrated, the academic college has been a dream of route is more popular and
suits the majority of the student body. Senior Kevin Ku was accepted to Cal Poly Pomona to study in their renown engineering program. “It puts into perspective the different ways you can get into college. For me, playing sports at the college level was impossible so I just studied and got in that way,” Ku said. The college signing event was held at the quad during lunch, where seniors attending a four year university or college signed their letters of intent among peers. The idea stems from the idea that the school values education and wants to recognize those who have academically succeeded and intend to continue their education. Senior Kristy Lee will attend Cal State Fullerton for their design major. “I like the idea that school recognizes
more academic achievements because that is the main thing people get into college for,” Lee said. The benefits of the Signing Day event held on campus expand beyond just the senior class and to the underclassmen who may feel inspired to
continue working hard for a set goal in mind. “Yeah, it is always cool to hear about all the impressive schools Seniors have gotten into because it makes you wonder if you can be just like them in the future,” Lee said.
Seniors Jasmine Alexander, Mary Rached, and Manjoth Kaur smile proudly after signing on the line. Photo by Laila Jibrin
Santa Monica Yallwest: Home to the YA ‘Book Nerd’ By Laila Jibrin Ecstatic bookworms and book fandoms stand in line down the block, awaiting the highly anticipated young adult book festival Yallwest to open its doors. Laughing and talking about their fun day ahead, book fans await the annual festival to commence at 8 to 5 on May 4 in Santa Monica High School. “Yallwest is so cool. You get to meet your favorite authors, get your books signed, attend panels, enter giveaways, and get free things,” past volunteer and this year attendee Senior Jasmine Alexander said. “I got to meet other book nerds like me while getting my favorite books signed and getting new recommendations to read.” Yallwest is the only Young Adult book festival in the entire western United States, so it attracts book fanatics that refer to themselves as “book nerds” to travel hours to go. Admission is free and nearly 20,000 people attended. “Its insane. Its only the fifth year Yallwest has happened and each year I have seen the amount of people
Best selling authors Rainbow Rowell and Holly Black smile after speaking on a panel. Photo by Yallwest.com almost double,” Alexander said, “I think this might be the next Comic Con, except everything book is related.”
The festival had multiple famous authors including Ransom Riggs, author of the Best Seller book with a
movie adaptation, Miss Parrington’s Home for Peculiar Children, and Veronica Roth, author of the Best Seller Di-
vergent series. Story makers from numerous comics, TV shows, and movies also attended, such as Gwenda Bond, story maker of stranger things and Judy Stephens, a Marvel Producer. Panels where curious fans can ask questions on different topics throughout the day were held and rooms were filled with raised hands. “Every year their booths set up all along the walkways, passing out free stickers, bags, pins, and even beach towels,” previous Yallwest volunteer Senior Manjoth Kaur said. “Every half hour, the booths pass out early released books and best-selling books to around every 50 people. I know some people went home with around free books.” Yallwest is expected to have another successful year in 2020 and they encourage anyone interested in anything book to attend. From middle schoolers to elderly, Yallwest is for all bookworms. The lineup for attending authors, publishers, story makers, and exhibitors for the 2020 year are planned to be published on Yallwest website, Yallwest.
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Mission Statement The 2018-2019 Journalism team strives to provide the school and the comunity with reliable and factual information that encourages thoughful coversations and discourse. On this diverse campus, we hope to report and respect the various viewpoints of all members of our community. We believe this to be an imperative role, as the students of Los Altos are to be future leaders and deserve to be informed. We hold this duty with the utmost respect and responsibility and view ourselves as representatives of our campus.
Staff
Student Journalists: Damien Alvarado Lucy Argaez Adrian Banuelos Giovanna Fernandez Kimberly Gonzalez Laila Jibrin Briana Muñoz Danielle Porras Elias Robles Brandon Soung Briana Trujillo Adviser Ms. Guzman
Media & Contact For even more content including up-to-date articles and videos visit our website: The-conqueror.org For any comments, questions, ideas, or concerns contact us through our email: 2019lahsjournalism@gmail.com Journalism proudly contributes to LA Conqueror Athletics: @LAConqAthletics Losaltosathletics.org
LA FOCUS
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Zavala Rocks Music & School By Kimberly Gonzalez Junior Vincent Zavala lives an interesting life as he strums his guitar loud and hard in his band while maintaining good grades in his AP classes and contributing in the 3 clubs he is a member in. Zavala said, “Handling my classes and music has not proven to be some major inconvenience, so that’s a plus. If anything, trying to juggle my hobbies and duties as a student has taught me a little bit of time management.” Classmate and friend Leandro Wong has grown a closer bond with Zavala ever since they were introduced by mutual friend David Olvera who is also a guitarist in their band. Wong said, “He's got a lot of great ideas and the connections he makes between stuff are amazing. Personality wise he's extremely kind-hearted and respectful, and he's not afraid to speak his
Zavala strums his guitar between classes. Photo by Kimberly Gonzalez mind.” Moreover, Zavala has developed good time management skills with clubs, schoolwork, and band taking most of his time. But he has learned to become open minded to the idea of teamwork. Zavala said, “I’ve really learned to enjoy the presence and importance of friends. I’ve never been much of a
team person but now I’ve realized it’s important to have people with you that really want to ‘make it big’ and are trying to get better with as much passion as me - if not, more.” The passion and dedication that Zavala has for his education and music will continue to make an impact in his future.
Senior Baseball Honors Parents By Adrian Banuelos Senior day, for all baseball was a memorable day. On April 23, Los Altos baseball played at home against West Covina and won this game 3-2. After the game every senior presented a sign and flowers, thanking parents for all the time, money, and effort that was invested in them playing baseball. Senior Donovan Toledo said, “Both of my parents came to support
me, because they truly love me and can’t believe that I am almost done with High School and going on to college. They are just so proud of me, to how much I have accomplished in my high school baseball years.” A lot of emotions ran through the evening. Toledo also said, “My mom was even crying after the game, and I gave her a big hug and a kiss on the check. This was the end to my high school baseball career,
but the beginning to a new chapter in my life, to college baseball.” Senior baseball day happens, towards the end of the season, to honor each and every senior in the varsity team. Senior Alvaro Ortega said, “My parents have been there for me at all of my baseball games for all of my life, and I’m just super thankful for everything they have done for me. If it wasn’t for my parents, I wouldn’t be the baseball player I am today.”
May 2019
OP-ED
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Boba: The Best Of The Local Favorite By Elias Robles Boba beverages, flavored teas and other drinks accompanied by chewy tapioca pearls, have been extremely popular with many. Locally, there are many great Boba places, providing different strengths to serve to crowds. While there are countless Boba Places throughout the Hacienda Heights area, a couple of places stand out to patrons for multiple reasons, including drink quality, price, and environment. Of the shops, places such as Quickly, 85 Degrees, Ding Tea, Half and Half, and Taste hold their local popularity. Quickly holds its popularity among students, being conveniently located near the school campus on 15848 Halliburton Rd, Hacienda Heights and having lower prices than their competetors. Freshman Mikayla Lowe said, “I really like Quickly because they have a huge variety of flavors and it has really good prices. People have different tastes, and Quickly caters to everyone with their many drinks.”
Although Quickly contains a wide range of flavors within their menu, other places prioritize quality over quantity. Quickly does not compare in quality of drinks to other shops, such as Tastea. Tastea not only contains the large menu like Quickly, but also sells quality beverages ranging from teas to refreshing fruit drinks. Their boba stands out for being green. While a simple drink may be enough, 85 Degrees Bakery goes an extra step with their drinks. Not only that, the shop is also a bakery, selling various desserts and pastries. “85’s drinks are really good if you want something that’s a little bit extra. They put foam and whipped cream and different topping to add to your drinks that really make them extra fancy I could say,” said Lowe. The quality of the drink is crucial to good boba, but the quality of the boba itself matters just as much, if not more. Different shops use different ways to prepare their boba and adding on the sweetness that makes boba so addictive. Freshman Adrian Lopez said, “There are many differ-
Delicious Milk Bubble Tea must prove stand out quality to patrons. Photo by Reilly Olson ent ways to prepare to boba itself. One place that makes really good boba is ‘Half and Half ’ because it always comes warm and fresh in your drinks and they soak it in honey to add extra flavor.” A local shop that is strong
in all the traits that make boba good is Ding Tea. Customers can enjoy delicious drinks in the comfort of an aesthetically pleasing shop. “Ding Tea is one of my favorites because not only are the drinks really good but
the shop itself is really photogenic and an overall cool hangout spot,” said Lopez. Boba can be found all over the place nowadays, with each place providing a different trait to that makes each one stand out among the rest.
Stitch Gone Wrong: What The Movie Will Look Like By Briana Munoz
Audiences question artist’s rendering of Stitch from the motion picture “Lilo and Stitch” Artwork by Boris Kiselicki
Everyone who grew up watching movies from dvd boxes knows how the quality was completely different than present generation movies. Lilo and Stitch was released on June 16, 2002. Fans of the movie want a live action film, and they may get what they want. Senior Alexis Padilla said, “This movie is cute, and gives positive feedback to the audience it shows that even though he seemed to be this mean creature he chose lilo, and family over hurting the earth.” One thing people have noticed all around the world is that mostly all of their favorite childhood Disney movies are going to be re-enacted in live action form. Junior Bella Barnes said, “I am excited about this actually being a film. Disney has started to realize that everyone likes live films instead of cartoon based films.” Disney has created many already ones including Dumbo, Jungle book, Christopher Robin, Aladdin, beauty and the beast, and the list goes
on.
Padilla said, “Disney is making big moves they are recreating all of my favorite movies and making them with real life people that to me is so cool, and I cannot wait for Lilo and Stitch to come out.” One movie that is in the process is Lilo and Stitch a fan made a fan art picture of how Stitch this loving, caring, and innocent animal looked so scary, and unfriendly. This ticked off a lot of fans of the original Lilo and Stitch. “I personally do not think that Disney will use this fan art because of how creepy he looks,” said Barnes. The reactions were endless, it went from a cute movie to this film will be the scariest Disney film ever. The public will just have to wait and see if the fan art will be used by the Disney company. There might be a film based on the scary creature that was shown, or they may do some changes to make him look more sweet.
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May 2019
REVIEW
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Los Angeles Comedian Inspires Many Lives By Adrian Banuelos Laughter, cheering, and applause was heard all across the room. All because of comedian Mattio Martinez. Martinez is a gay Latino co-
median, writer, and director based in Los Angeles. He first started comedy in 1994 at 19 years old. Growing up in the 90s made it hard for him to just live a normal life. People all around Marti-
nez judged him for is sexuality. But he found Comedy as the escape to come out of his own shell, and be himself. Most importantly he did not listen to what others thought of him.
Martinez was inspired by Wanda Sykes. The reason he was so motivated by her is because he wanted to resemble her. She was also facing many challenges of being a black woman in today’s soci-
Mattio Martinez performing his stand-up comedy routine.
ety. Martinez wants LGBTQ+ youth to express who they truly are and people one day will have to accept them for who they truly are and not judge them. Even today it is hard for people to accept Martinez in certain places all around the world, but still manages to stay strong and continue being a comedian. Martinez’s main goal is for people who are like him to be able to relate their lives to him. He hopes that he can inspire anyone and make them laugh. He loves to see when people are enjoying their time, and are having a blast. Mattio’s first performance as a comedian was in an Urban comedy club. This day forever changed his life, because it was the day he realized he wanted to become a comedian. In becoming a comedian, he knew that he wanted to change the world’s perspective. The main message is to stand up to what you really are, and not hide behind the curtain.
Photo by mrmattio.com
K-pop Groups Comeback, Wowing Audiences By Elias Robles K-pop is rapidly climbing its way into the interest of Americans. While multiple groups have struck interest with many teens, two groups are truly dominating the American market: Blackpink and BTS. Both of these groups have grown to be wildly successful in the states and are only getting bigger with their recent mini album releases. April 5 marked the comeback of Blackpink with the “Kill This Love” mini album. BTS released their mini album “Map of Soul: Persona” on April 12. Blackpink, the four member female group, released a five song mini album, featuring brand new songs, “Kill This Love”, “Don’t Know What To Do”, “Kick It”, and “Hope Not”, also including a remix of their previous song “Ddu-Du-Ddu-Du”. Freshman Krysta Tec said, “Blackpink has really expanded their platform. They explored many different styles of music compared to their past party sounding songs.” The songs all present very different styles. Right from the start, “Kill This Love”
features blairning horns, which is just a preview to the intensity of the song that does not loses its momentum. Durring Coachella, Blackpink was able to perform these new songs and more, being the first female K-pop girl group to perform at the festival. Fans will get to see the group from South Korea, while first time listeners will get an idea of what all the buzz is about. “People hearing them for the first time will have more of an understanding as to why people like them. They don’t know a lot about K-pop yet so they can see it through these performances,” said Tec. Blackpink broke the record for most views in 24 hours on YouTube, with 56.7 million views in 24 hours. However, they were no match to BTS, the 7 member male group, who broke their record a week later, with their title track “Boy with Luv” gaining 78 million views in a day. BTS’s new reccord featured 7 new songs. Their energetic title track “Boy with Luv” even featured U.S. singer, Halsey. Freshman Rufina Chow said, “The songs were amazing. They’re trying different things and still staying true
Black Pink performing at coachella. to who they are with their music styles.” Tracks “Mikrokosomos” and “Make it Right” are laid back pop sounding songs. “Jamais Vu” captures fans heart with its emotion filled vocals. “Intro: Persona” and “Home” highlight the members’ rap skills. “Dionysus” progresses throughout the song to become a rock song with the aggressive raps. BTS has been featured in countless American pro-
grams, including the Grammy Awards Show, various late night shows, and were recently on the Saturday Night Live stage. All of these new songs will be featured on their North American Headlining tours. Blackpink will be visiting various arenas around the country, while BTS perform in stadiums around the nation. Both Blackpink and BTS have made first impressions
Photo by www.nme.com on the American audience, not only in the strong K-pop fanbase, but with many music lovers for their vocals, rap skills, and flawless dances. Chow said, “People at first think that they shouldn’t listen because it's in Korean and they won’t understand. But, now that K-pop is dominating America, people will get to learn more about it and try to accept it.”
May 2019
JOURNALISM MATTERS
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Plastic Straws: Small But Mighty Destroyers By Elias Robles Robles’ commentary piece earned an “excellent” JEA ranking in competition In our world filled with factors that are potentially detrimental to our environment, an issue has been hiding from us up until recently. Steps have been taken to destroy the damage plastic straws have done to the environment. Plastic straws are commonly used in our day-to-day lives. The thought of a simple drink is accompanied by the idea of consuming it with a straw. While these little tools are seemingly harmless, their unobjectionable damage destroys that image. In 2011, 9-year-old boy Milo Cress noticed this issue. As a result, he began his campaign, “Be Straw Free” to bring a voice to an issue disregarded by many. Cress’ shocking research proved how Americans use more that 500 million straws every day. Cress said, “Why I use this statistic is be-
cause it illustrates that we use too many straws. I think if it were another number, it still illustrates the fact that there is room for reduction.” It is not until this is put into perspective that the plastic truly appears as terrible as it is. Kara Lavender Law conducted a study on the usage of plastic straws and the marine environment as a part of her role as a research professor of The Oceanography at the Sea Education Association. An estimated 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic have been used since the mid-1950s worldwide. Minus the mere nine percent of those which were recycled, 60 percent can be found invading landfills and natural environments, including the ocean. “If you take a look at your own plastic footprint, one of the easiest ways to help the issue in restaurants is to decline the straw. Many of us use a straws simply because it came with the drink that was given to us,” said Law. Unfortunately, that is our world’s ridiculous reality. People choose to
Elias Robles earned the Excellent ranking for Commentary writing. Photo by Danielle Porras. take advantage of what is given to them, even if it means harming our environment. Curiosity and concern struck consumers as restaurants began to remove straws as a material provided with every drink, which is just what Cress realized. Curiosity develops into awareness. Cress said, “I thought if restaurants were to offer a straw instead of serving them with every drink automatically, it could really reduce the
Briana Munoz earned the sole Superior ranking for the JEA Broadcast Anchor competition. Photo by Damien Alvarado
number of straws that we use. With the amount of straws used every day in restaurants, this elimination task is seemingly monstrous, but our society has begun to shift their mindset on straw usage. Straws are an item that may be convenient, but are not absolutely needed to live our lives. Who must have a straw with their Starbucks order to survive the day? The answer is quite obvious, nobody. That is the situation straw usage is in. While helpful with beverage consumption, it is not a necessity to the task. Why should we continue using plastic straws, harming the world we live in? We don’t need to at all, and better yet, there are alternatives to these cylindrical helpers. Paper straws are being utilized in many businesses. A complaint at mind may be that it is simply frustrating when the straw becomes rather soggy. While frustrating, it should be a relief to know the positive, environmental outcomes of them compared to plastic straws.
Dune Ives, the executive director for Lonely Whale, an environmental advantage group, said, “I think philosophically, markets, need to lead the way. Policy helps codify what the market needs.” This idea is obviously tailored toward the usage of plastic straws in the business industry. But that does not mean this fact is not applicable with any user of straws. More and more people are doing the most they can do to ban straws, which has been effective in many places. While not everyone is willing to go out of their way to voice their opinion loud enough to be heard by major chain businesses or even states, everyone can do a simple task: stop using plastic straws. Trends have already begun due to the fact that more and more people have eliminated plastic straws from their lives. We can make this trend into a worldwide habit. Awareness will be spread and the progression towards a straw free world can develop.
Creativity in the Arts: Kristy Lee Captures Colors Racing Across Her Canvas By Laila Jibrin
Lee’s painting exhibits a gloomy day in the city. Artwork by Kristy Lee
Listening to Korean Pop Ballads as a brush strokes colors on the canvas, Senior Kristy Lee paints the most recent scene that she wants to capture. “I started painting and illustrating when I turned 5 years old,” explains Kristy Lee, “Since then, my passion for art really grew to what it is today.” From a young age until now Lee has been using art to cope with the stress of school, the emotional toll of life, and as a pastime. With the free time and practice put in, Lee developed her skills in painting and illustrating into what it is today. “My mom supported me from the beginning,” Lee shares. “She used to sit next to me and put me in classes and buy all these supplies for me. She was a really big factor in what my skill has become.” Sitting in the kitchen, Lee’s mother would point at random objects in the kitchen from pots and forks to ovens and rice cookers for lee to paint. “My sketch book was
filled with the most random illustrations of objects,” Lee laughs. Like every adolescent, identity was a tough battle, which Lee fought with art. “In a way, art made me realize that I couldn’t be an exact copy of someone, even though I desperately wanted to in middle school. Everyone did,” Kristy explains, “but my own style of art and the idea that I’m the only one who can paint the way I can made me realize I am the only the only me in the world.” By finding emotional release Lee is planning on going to college, majoring in something art related, although she’s not sure what. “I’m hoping I can make my art my career. It seems really hard to make a living off painting, so I want to find a career where I can still use my skills and be financially stable.” Through struggles, smiles, and stress, art has always been there by Kristy’s side and she hopes it will follow her into the future.
Lee’s Artiwork of a Starbucks kiosk.
Artwork by Kristy Lee
Inspiring Love for Music, Painting, and Theatre Brittney Arnold: Kind Hearted Stu dent Leads Conquerors with a Smile By Elias Robles
Arnold passionately singing her farewells to high school. Photo by Briana Trujillo
Stepping onto the stage, Brittney Arnold takes in the eager audience before singing her first note. At the same time, she leads Renaissance. Through all this hard work, time, and dedication she puts into these programs, she keeps her bright spirit shining on. Senior Brittney Arnold holds an impact on the Los Altos campus. Being the vice president of Prestige, formerly Production Choir, and president of Renaissance, Arnold is constantly busy with one activity or another. She also run Brittney’s Boxes and Bows, a seasonal gift wrapping company to raise money for different causes. Arnold, playing a major role in Renaissance and Prestige, has worked her hardest to get to where she stands today in those groups. Her commitment to Prestige began her freshman year and Renaissance in her sophomore year. “In Prestige, every spot you receive in the choreography is earned. This is something I’ve
learned to be true with everything I do. Anything from helping set up or break down stage pieces or volunteering to work a last minute event in Renaissance are things I have done that I feel have led me to the positions I have now,” Arnold said. Arnold’s work as a leader to fellow Conquerors, all while humbly standing beside them as any other student, is sure to take her far. Senior Raymond Arroyo said, “She has shown great leadership in Renaissance and production choir. She’s a bright soul and I know she’ll go far in life.” These activities have helped Arnold with her life in and out of the programs. They have shaped her to be the person she is today. Arnold said, “I wholeheartedly believe that being involved in these two groups have made me a better person in demeanor and integrity. I always have to try my best in my activities. It's definitely something I’m able to apply even outside of the clubs.”
Maya Padilla: Freshman Student Lives and Breathes the Arts By Giovanna Fernandez A young teen girl performs her final number on stage with great energy and finishes by flashing a grin to the audience during curtain call. Later at home, you can find her in the creative process again with a ballpoint pen pressed into her notebook. On campus, freshman Maya Padilla is involved in choir and film club. In her free time, she gets to express her unique ideas through painting, as well as writing stories and songs. With bright eyes, she said, “My love for the performing arts was there for as long as I could remember. It feels like I’m in a new world every time I perform, and I could never enjoy this in
the real world itself.” For many, channeling inner creativity may seem difficult. However, that’s not the case for Padilla; the ideas come naturally, and she’s always going with the flow of her own thoughts. Every day when Padilla gets home, she spends at least an hour getting into her creative process. This would usually involve either drawing, singing, dancing, or writing anything she could think of in the moment. “Without the arts I wouldn’t be where I am today. They’ve helped me become a happier person with a better lifestyle. Every show I play, there’s always a new moral that I can learn from and use to help me get through every day,” she said. Padilla expresses her passion, dramatically gazing at a mask. Photo by Giovanna Fernandez
8 I, Conan Jian, a graduate of class 2019, hereby will the following: To all the people who have helped me on my journey throughout high school I would like to thank you all for the wonderful time I had and the many things you have taught me. To Mr. Becker, thank you for making your class as difficult as it was, without that difficulty I would have never realized the many things that I did and progressed as a student. To Mr. Fang and Mr. Duran, thank you for restoring confident in me by showing me that AP classes aren’t hard if you work for it. To Mrs. Gilbert, thank you for showing me how the high levels of math are like and setting my foundation for Calculus. To Mr. Giang, thank you for being a wonderful Computer Science teacher and helping me realize what I wish to do in life. To the AP Computer Science class in general thank you for being so rowdy and engaging without the energy that is present in class I would have never been so engaged and happy in that class. To Ms. Chen thank you for having me for four years and showing me that Chinese isn’t just about knowing words it’s about the meaning contained in them, their implications, and even their backstories, 所以谢谢! To all of my fellow classmates I wish to thank you for giving me the inspiration and for stimulating me to work harder than ever before. I especially want to thank Ryan Lau for helping me realize that not everything is about school and for being a good friend in general. Overall, my stay at Los Altos High School has been some of the most enlightening years of my life and I hope everyone will be happy next year! I, Gabriela Guevara, a graduate of the class of 2019, hereby will the following: I would like to start by addressing the lower classmen. During your high school career make sure you take risks and get yourself out of your comfort zone. Make sure to discover new things and figure outwho you are and who you want to be in the future. Please don’t rush yourself with homework and pace yourself appropriately. Also overall enjoy yourself, you’re young and full of energy so make memories. Now onto the individuals who has stayed with me since I arrived at Los Altos High School. Thank you so much for accepting me into your group/family. I will never forget you kindness and support. I personally cannot list all of you for there is just too much to say to each of you. All I want to state is that you all will have a piece of my heart no matter how far we are away from each other. Even if it’s decades later I will still hold onto the fondest memories I hold for each one of you. Now onto the staff of Los Altos, I would like to thank you, each one of you, for support and advice which I carry to heart the rest of my life. Then to my brother, I love you ill bro your gonna do great things in high school. Remember you always have support. Love all of you!
May 2019
SENIOR WILLS
I, Amanda Patino, a graduate of class 2019, hereby will the following: Be you. High school is a life changing experience. You will meet new people, you will want to give up some times, but you will remember these 4 years for the rest of your life. Try new things and make memories. It doesn’t matter what people think about you, do what makes you happy. Live life and learn from your mistakes. Cherish every moment because you might not feel this way ever again. Each year will be something different and new opportunities will come your way. As time gets closer, you start to prepare yourself for the future. Others might think you will not be successful, prove them wrong. Do your work and do not procrastinate, it will all be worth it in the end. It has been a long journey, but the experience has been life changing. I would like to thank my family for always supporting my decisions and motivating me throughout the year. To all of my teachers; thank you for your help and always motivating me throughout my high school years. To all my friends who are graduating, thank you for all of the amazing memories. To Matt; thank you for being my best friend, we’ve made the best memories together and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us. To my girls: my life and high school experience has been the best because of you. I can’t wait to see what the future hold for every one of you. We’ve made it to the next step in our lives and I wish all of you the best in the future. It’s time to end this chapter and start a new one. To the class of 2019: we did it. I, Amber Tec, a graduate of the class of 2019, hereby will the following: I leave behind words of wisdom to my sister Krysta Tec. Never ever feel like you are alone and never give up on what you believe in. High school can be tough and you will find yourself in tough spots at times, but always remember that things get better and they never stay bad for long. Remember to stay on top of all your assignments and remember that it’s important not to procrastinate. Most of all remember that I will always be there for you even though I won’t be physically there at school with you, I will always be a phone call or a text a way. You can always count on me no matter what. I hope that you take this opportunity in high school to learn a lot of cool and interesting new things and I hope that you make many friends on this long journey called high school. Keep your head up high and be a leader as well. You were meant to shine and I believe that you can do that every well during your time at Los Altos High School. Also, don’t ever feel like something is too hard so you just give up on it because life is too short to let go of things and regret them later. I think you should also learn to not be uptight. I spent many years of high school caring so much about the grades that I would get, that I didn’t realize that it’s not grades that matter in the end, but that you have fun while
keeping good grades. Something I think is very important that I also wish to leave you with, is courage. Don’t be afraid to tell others how you feel, don’t bottle up your stress and pretend like everything is ok. It’s good to cry it’s good to feel sad sometimes. Sadness is normal and so is frustration. If you ever fine yourself stressed out don’t feel as though you are alone, tell people what you feel and I promise you, you will feel better. This is what I leave my sister, words of wisdom that I have learned throughout my high school days, never forget that you are loved. I, Alejandro Quesada, a graduate of the class of 2019, hereby will the following: To the underclassman of Los Altos High School. As I look back on the years at Los Altos there is one thing that I wish there was more of and that is time. Once you start your senior year you realize that the past 3 years went by so quickly. What I can leave behind to you the underclassman is that enjoy high school while you can because before you know it, it will all be over. Make the most of the years while you are there, go the all the dances and participate in the school activities. To the underclassman get involved in the school and don’t be shy to meet new people because before you know it you will be in my shoes looking back on the last 4 years and try to remember what happened to all the time you think you had. You hate coming to school and think that doing work is dumb but once you graduate you are now part of the real world so enjoy the time at school and be proud to show up and be proud to be a Conqueror because you’ll look back at the time you were in high school and wish you had done more because I know I am. I wish I would have done more but it is too late for me but not too late for you. To Mr. Hess, I would like to thank you for all that you have done for this school and for making this school the greatest school of all time. You are a true inspiration to us all and I was to thank you again for supporting me in my decision for joining the Navy. I, Madison Hagerty, a graduate of the class of 2019, hereby will the following: Never give up or stop working hard to reach your end goals. To Alexis Cardenas, stay positive and continue to lift everyone else up throughout the day, you are a blessing to this earth and school and I hope you never forget that. To Vanessa Johnson and Kaitlyn Bolanos, keep everyone in soccer motivated at practice and continue to be your best selves on and off the field, I’m thankful to have known you and watched you grow these past couple years not only as players but as people. To Mr. Hernandez, thank you for always believing in me and pushing me to do my best and giving me never ending encouragement in and outside the classroom. To my brother and sister, Reagan and Garrett Hagerty, I know these next couple years of high school are going to be tough but never give up, turn in all your assignments and don’t
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be lazy. Remember I am eternally grateful for you two and you two motivate me to try harder in everything I do, I strive to make you two proud of me and want to be like your big sister one day. To all future and present students of Los Altos High School, make your years here count because they go by faster than you could imagine. I, Pedro Zepeda, a graduate of class of 2019, hereby will the following: To all my soccer and water polo teammates the ones who helped me get through high school. To all my coaches that taught me to be the best player I could be. To my soccer coach in giving me a job after soccer season to continue doing what I love and that’s working with cars. I want to thank Isak Andrade for always helping me with studying for math and also chemistry also for being my best friend. I want to thank Samsung in hooking it up with a tablet and being able to participate in the contest. Jared Ibarra thanks for always being my friend and a work out bro. Matthew Heredia thanks for being a friend and a close friend you were my homie since 6th grade thanks bro. Nacho Rivera thanks for being like a big brother even though we don't hang out anymore, but when we did it was a good time I’m glad your going to be graduating and hope the best for you.To all my teachers that helped me and provide tutoring in order to get my grades up.To my parents that were the ones who pushed me to always have good grades and showing me life lessons till this day without their motivation I wouldn’t know where I would of been. In graduating that the most greatest accomplishment I could give my family and myself in being the first person in my family to attend college and specially to graduate. I want to thank my cousin Osvaldo for always helping me out and being a bigger brother I don’t have he’s always showed me that in working hard and taking care of your parents that’s all that matters the money isn’t everything always live your life to the fullest. Something I learned is money doesn’t mean anything family iis what matters that’s something you will have forever and don't worry about it leaving. I, Edgar Magana, a graduate of the class of 2019, hereby will the following: The advice that I would give to understand is to keep going. Do not get senioritis and do your best to keep yourself entertained at school and make the best out of each year. For those of you who are in water polo, I think that you guys will do great. A thing that you need to remember is that you can always learn something and always do better. You should strive to be the best especially with the new division thing that you guys to have. That should not matter because you’ll be great if you set your standards high and go to practice every day. I expect that you guys get in league for the next season because this year I think, too bad that wasn’t really the fault of the players but that’s ok because you guys
are going to get first in league no matter what since you will go to practice every day and set your standards high. Good luck underclassmen and have a great rest of high school. I, Jose Meza, a graduate of class of 2019, hereby will the following: To the incoming freshmen of Los Altos I wish you the best of luck through your high school which will mold and define who you are as a person for the next four years for it will define how you act under pressure and stress due to school work. I know that you guys will be fine and you will do fine in your classes, electives, and sports if you chose to be apart of one which I highly recommend. I also recommend that you try and be apart of the school activities and what I mean by this is to go to the games that take place especially the football games because they are one of the funnest things of as well as going to other sports such as baseball, volleyball, basketball, and many more because one of my regrets is not being more apart with the school more than I wanted to because I was too afraid of standing out too much and me not belonging there but that was not true because there are a lot of good people at Los Altos that will definitely help you succeed and experience good things at Los Altos but you will just have to find them. I also suggest to be apart of the dances and ASB/Renaissance events that take place at school and to be apart of clubs because if you join the right one can be the highlight of your senior year. I know that despite what happens for the next four years high school will be one of your most memorable events in your first taste of the real world and possibly a sort of people and many friends and will be your first taste of the real world and possibly a sort of independence. I know that I sound like that average college speaker when I say these things but it is true and that you would regret some things that that would happen in high school and just like me regret missing out on it because I missed out on hanging out with my friends more often and be with your friends having fun will be the biggest let downs that you would experience for a long time before you go to college if you decide to continue your education. Let me say this that if you indeed plan on going to college I suggest going too AVID because not only will they help you they can become close to family and eventually become great friends with your AVID peers. I wish you the best of luck and that the next four year will be great. Good luck. I, Jose Meza, a graduate of class of 2019, hereby will the following: Don’t waste your high school years. There will be ups and downs but life doesn’t get easier, you just learn to become stronger. Thank you to all my teachers that showed true passion in their teaching and helped me become who I am today. 2019: I will never forget how PSG, Barcelona FC, and Real Madrid all blew a huge goal lead in the UCL.
May 2019 I, Genovieve Castillo Del Muro, will the following to the girls water polo team: The hanging body mirror that I bought for all of us before season. I will to Maggie Moreno my favorite ball that I would use to pass with. I will to Lauren Ortega my row of lockers in the girls aquatic locker room. I will to Jackie Moriel my favorite game cap that I love so much. I will to Pamela Vazquez my favorite pari of goggles that I have kept all throughout my high school water polo and swim career. I will to Mia Heredia, my bathing suit that I let you borrow that one time, but you never gave it back, so you can keep it anyways. I will to Izabella Zavala, the cap that I got from Hawaii because I know how much you love Hawaii and how you could not get a cap while we were there over the summer for club water polo. I will to Priscilla Hernandez my favorite weight ball out of all the ones that we had, the one weight ball that I would use because it had the most grip. Also, I wanted to say thak you to Coleman for being an amazing coach, I am so glad that I was able to learn how to play water polo from you and was able to grow, not only as a water polo payer, but as a person. In addition, I would like to thank all the teachers that I have had throughout high school, especially: Mr Giang, Mr. Perez, Mrs. Kim, Mrs. Gilek, Mr. Hedell, Mrs. Oseguera, and most of all Mr. Hernandaz and Mrs. Munoz. I know for a fact that my high school experience would not be as great without everyone I just mentioned. Thank you. I, Gisselle Blas, a graduate of class 2019, hereby will be following: To my sister, Jessica that has been my rock every step of the way. Thank you for being the best sister any girl can ask for and being my best friend. For begin there just to wipe tears away from stress or even to make me laugh in a matter of seconds. You are such a hard working momma and I admire that so much. I will strive to make you proud. I love you always. To my parents who sacrifice everything for my siblings and I. Thank you for making me into the person I am today. You guys are my motivation to work harder. I promise to always work my best and I hope to make you guys extremely proud in everything i decide to do with my future, Los amo Mom and Dad. To Naya and Brianna,I hope to see you both grow into intelligent young ladies one day. Better best friend than a sister, I love you sister, Naya, well you will not be able to read this but I just wanted to say that I love you always my baby nd that I’m so proud to be your Tia. I work hard always to set a great example for you guys To Adrian Ojeda, my lifetime bestie always. Thank you for always just begin a facetime call always. Thank you for picking up from school when I wanted to get food or ice cream. Endless memories with you always puts others before yourself. Love you. To Jocelyn Vidal and Larissa Anderson, thank you for always
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being there for me. I literally could not have asked for better friends. I hope for a forever friendship with you both. To all the high school memories made, thank you for making my high school experience exciting. For shaping me into the person I am today and will continue to become. To my future self, work hard to achieve all your goals. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something because anything is possible with determination. I, Kimberly Morgan, a graduate of Los Altos High School class of 2019, will the following: 4 chapters have gone by and I will say they have been my favorite chapters in this book, To my favorite underclassman, Amara overmyer, I will never forget anything about you, you have a genuine soul and i will never forget you. Thank you Amara for everything you have done these past years. I would like to thank Mr. Fisher for letting me use his microwave throughout my high school years to feed Erick. Thank you to all my teachers who have supported me throughout my high school years. I will never forget the memories i have made with my fellow classman, and to my choir members thank you for creating beautiful music i have never made before. Thank you Mr. Fahey for always looking on the brighter side of things, and specially never giving up on us. I appreciate everything you do for me and choir program. I would like to say thank you to this school, for being here to create memories with my friends and also my past friends who have graduated. Thank you to my family who will always push me to the best I can. I will truly miss this and everyone in it, it’s another chapter in the book for me, and I will say these have been my favorite chapters ever. I, Alexis Rodriguez, a graduate of class 2019, hereby will be following: As my senior year is about to end, it is crazy to believe that the place where I spent my last four years is about to end in the blink of an eye. I have been involved in many school events and I could net be more proud that it has been at Los Altos. I have built many close relationships with students who have become my best friends, my teammates, and most importantly teachers which I will remember for a lifetime. I am so sad to say that as everyone in the senior class going is going to go their separate ways, I have hope nothing but the best for the future of theirs and of course mine. Los Altos Girls Volleyball program has been a huge part of my life the past four years here an it has taught me me not only volleyball skills but life lessons I can distinguish in the real world, I was part of varsity my junior and senior year and it has been incredibly to witness the school pride when the students, staff and parents show up to games, giving me a sense of pride for ourselves and school. I thank every single teacher who has been part of my success
here at this school each and every one of them taught me a part of life that I will never forget. As life begins after High School and the real world is coming i feel prepared for what will come. To underclassmen , just enjoy every single day at school, as much as you will dread coming and as senioritis kicks in, the end will hit you sooner or later and you will appreciate every little thing. Do your best in everything you do and give it 110% goodluck on your upcoming years and I wish nothing but the very best. I, Cristina Mendez, a graduate of Los Altos High School class of 2019, will the following: To all those that have been there for me, thank you for pushing me to succeed and work hard. To those teachers like Mr. Contreras who inspired me to an advocate for my people and to stand up for my Latino Raza, thank you for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to be Latino Leaders of tomorrow Co-Chair. I truly enjoyed the experience and loved speaking about school to my peers. Also to my friend Briana Tercero , thank you for being such an amazing friend and always sticking by my side. Thank you for showing me true friendship and always giving me such amazing advice and being such an amazing supporter. I love you! To my other friends, my Plebes thank you for being there for me and always being such supportive friends. To you guys thanks you for helping me along the way and showing me not to give up. Also to my parents, thank you, muchas gracias Mami and Papi por todo lo que hacen por mi y siempre estar alli. Gracias por ser padres tan ideals, los amo! To my sister Gabby, thank you for being such an amazing sister and always being there. Thank you for inspiring me to be more and to never give up. I appreciate your help and your love and for being so dedicated and caring. I’m so blessed to have such an amazing supporter and such an amazing sister like you. To my fellow peers graduating this year 2019, I wish you the best and that you may achieve so much of this world. You will do amazing things, you all have a bright future ahead of you. And we did it! Also to my fellow underclassmen, don’t give up, work hard and challenge yourself by taking AP or honors classes. Don’t procrastinate and always manage your time and you can do it!!! I, Melanie Alfaro, a graduate of the class of 2019, hereby will the following: To my brother Anthony C. Alfaro, I know he has a long way to go but I just want to wish him the absolute best.. He has so much to learn and to experience. I’m so excited to see how my little brother whom I love so much will turn out to be. He has so many amazing mentors, including me, who will hopefully guide him on the right path to success and happiness. As I stated before, I wish him the absolute best in life and everything he does.
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I, Gabriela Murillo , a graduate of Los Altos High School class of 2019, will the following: A word of advice to all lower classmen is just mind your business and don’t get into drama because it will lead to altercations, and well that’s never good. Spend your days. Also, stay positive, just do it. It will make all the difference and make your high school experience fun. Be a part of clubs and sports or you’ll regret it, GET INVOLVED! First off, I would like to give some advice to my lower classmen who may want it. I do recommend staying on top of your homework and not trying to start your essay the night before it’s due. I also recommend paying attention in math and economics class because it will come back to haunt you when finals roll around. However, most importantly, I recommend that you have fun. As much fun as you possible can, while you can. Go to games, parties, plays, there are so many different things you can get involved with. Also I recommend trying things outside your comfort zone. There is no better time than high school to try new things. Enter the talent show, sign up for speech and debate class, take a music or art course, join a new club, or even make a new club. You could end up finding something you really love to do or have a really fun time doing. So that is my advice. Even though work is important, so is having fun and experiencing new things. At the time you may not care if you miss out, but when you are writing your senior will and looking back on your high school years, you don’t want to be focusing on the things you missed out on instead of fun memories. Second of all I would like to leave my colorful pens to someone I know will really appreciate them; Jerika Savage. Over the past year we’ve grown close and I’m so glad that we became friends. We’ve had some pretty fun and crazy moments this year but, my favorite was psychology class. This is why I’m leaving you my colorful pens. In hope that they help you remember the fun times we had and not to forget me while I’m at college. It’s going to be weird without you around. I hope you have an amazing senior year and make the most of it. Lastly I would like to give thanks to all my fellow seniors. You’ve made this year amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a better school to have moved to. I’m glad I got to meet each and every one of you and got to share so many memories with you all. From rec. nights to getting kicked out of the science museum and even prom nights. I wish you all luck in your future endeavors and hope you get everything you’ve dreamed of. See ya at graduation. I, Douglas Lin, a graduate of Los Altos High School class of 2019, hereby will the following: To Los Altos, my common sense in decision making because everyone can use a bit of that; to Mr. Hedell, my ability to not overreact, to Mrs. Banda, my thanks for I got my act together second semester (boy was first semester rough); to Mr. Nares, my appreciation for you over prepared me for the AP test; to
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Mr. Shaw, my verbal viciousness to those who take advantage of your kindness; to all my other teachers, my thanks for making me the academic person I am today; to Justin Tran, my basketball handles and shot, may your trap car rest in peace; to Isaiah Barcelo, my literacy and productivity for I know you haven’t read anything in a while, much less this will; to Devin Walker Lewis, my academic finesse and balance in life; to Cristina Liao, presidency of Key Club; to Amy Tam, my 88Rising ticket; to Jonathan Tang, my Adidas shoes so that your brands match for once; to Alvin Chen, my ability to feel and reciprocate emotions; to Kevin Ku, my toxicity, you can keep that; to Coach and Jarod, my thanks for the lessons taught off the court; to Ariana Nunez, my energy because you need more of it; to my AP Gov group, my thanks (you know why); to Vicente, my basketball skills, like, a lot of it; to my basketball people, the support as I missed thirty games to study; to Davie, my appreciation as I had someone to talk to on the bench; to the administration, my thanks for making my four years here bearable and even enjoyable at times; to Mr. DeBellis, my thanks for being a chill counselor; to anyone else reading this, I wish you the best in life for it is short so take advantage of every opportunity and live life to the fullest. I, Solo Velasco, a graduate of class 2019, hereby will be following: To all of my friends and teachers, my friends has been with me since junior year. When I needed someone to talk too they were there to listen to what I had to say. God has blessed me with incredible and great people and I’m glad He did because I wouldn’t be the same without them here to experience High School with me. I dedicate this to my friends and teachers because they’re always there and they had my back, and they’re one of the reasons why High School was fun. We’ve been through the ups and downs, good times and bad times, we’ve lost some people on the way due to other reasons but there was obstacles in our way but we’re able to overcome it and learned to let things go. I considered ourselves as a big family because I’ve got the moms, the dads, my sisters, my grandmas and my big brothers. We tend to love each other like a normal family and tend act like a crazy and smart family but that’s what makes a special. We don’t judge anyone that’s any race, anyone who’s on the other side; we care about each other, we respect one another, and we love each other like family. We’ve going to fly and start living or making our dreams come true some point and we got to learn how to let go everything that we learn in this campus. I will miss all of you and I will miss everything that made us special, everything that makes a family. I’ll miss my best friends in juniors, sophomores, freshman and seniors and my teachers, too. “Friends are the sunshine of life.”- Solo Velasco. Thank you for all you done. Love all of you.
10 I, ShaKari Renee Ross, a graduate of the Los Altos High School class of 2019, hereby will the following: To Mackenzie, my role as Poetry Club president. Brandon, my tenor saxophone that I use in every class, at every rehearsal, and in every Jazz and wind ensemble performance. Jesse Camacho, gratitude of every good thing that I accomplished during these four years of high school, because I was competing with him the whole time. Jesse Camacho, my cousin, has been a huge help to me throughout these four years of high school. He has gotten on my nerves and I have gotten on his, but he has always been there. Monty an apology for starting a BSU on campus and not being able to maintain it because of the best underclassman that I ever met, she is definitely my favorite person, my princess Jasmine. Thank you for being a great friend all the time. I appreciate all the long talks that we had, and we never got to hang out after school, we still have a strong friendship, I promise to pick you up and visit you here whenever I have the chance and I already don’t have plans to do something else. Contreras, thank you for being a great teacher, a great person, and a great advisor for my club. You really did a lot throughout these three years that I knew you. I hope you, your wife, and your kid have the best life and that your struggles are minimal. I really appreciate everything that you have done form me and for my club. You truly are an amazing teacher. This is my will. I do not have much to give, but thank you all for giving me such an amazing, beautiful experience here at Los Altos High School. I really enjoyed my four years here. I hope everyone does great. I have no idea what the next chapter of my life is going to be like, but I’m excited to start it and see. I, Ryan Lau, a graduate of the class of 2019, herby will the following; With the closing of the year 2019, the year 2020 is bright full of new ideas and students that come to learn, grow, and move on to great and better places. To Mr. Richter, another great and successful year with the engineering program, with the brightest students on campus. Thanks for the 4-great-years working with you and the great amount of experiences learned while working towards projects. To Mr. Fang, another wonderful year working with his class and the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow project. To Mrs. Chen, to have some more help with her workload of teaching 5 classes of Chinese and getting home earlier. To Leandro Wong and Michael Garcia, the mechanical department in the best condition it has been in years, and good luck for with operating for the coming and many years ahead. To Mr. Becker, to have the best Science Olympiad team with time to work and test the projects. To Mr. Hess, a grand school with the best students and staff in the world, to learn and teach towards the future.
May 2019
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I, Jasmine Pahimna, class of 2019 pass my will to all the undersclassmen I have gotten close to throughout my high school career. Especially to the following: To Caine Monroy, I wish you the best with the career you choose and more success to come. To Allessandro De La Torre, I wish you love and acceptance as I believe you are such a loving and kind-hearted individual. To Avarey Lopez, my little sister, thank you for letting me be your “mentor”. I hope that in the future you do whatever you love. To Darla Cardenas, one of the sweetest souls. I hope that no one takes the kindness of your heart away. Continue to stay optimistic and nothing can stop you from doing something that you please. To Justin Pungprechawat, I’m going to miss your smile. I wish you all of the happiness in the world. To Jessie Johnson, I wish you strength in all that you do. I know times get tough but just push through. To Colton Heredia, thank you for being such a good friend. There’s so much potential I see in you, as well as compassion and I hope that doesn’t change. I wish you prosperity. Last but not least, to Christopher Kissling, one of the must selfless and genuine person I know, I hope that you are surrounded by love and happiness and nothing less. I hope that nothing stops you from being the good person you are. I hope that you continue to remember how important you are. I wish you success in your future and impactful experiences to come. I love you. I, Giordanno Rodriguez, a graduate of the class of 2019, hereby will the following: To Mr. Hedell, a fresh new group of great students and TAs that will make his life interesting and crazy. Hopefully, you win a Dancing with the Staff next year! To Mrs. Banda, a year full of more students that will appreciate her efforts as a teacher and a great yearbook staff that will make her all the more proud of being a teacher at LAHS. To Mr. Giang an infinite amount of epic Pi Day festivities. To all the juniors from AP Calculus AB that are planning on moving forward to BC, the ability to understand and have patience with all the new concepts they face. To all the people from tennis, another year full of lobs and Cheesecake Factory, a new coach, and my skills at net. A special thank you to Coach Buchholtz for all the time and effort he placed into the tennis program especially throughout all four years of my high school career. Reflecting upon these years as a senior now is rather bittersweet to me since I didn’t fully understand how fast everything was going by until just a few days ago. I still can’t believe I’m actually graduating, in my heart I still feel like a naïve little kid yet I know that once I walk off the stage and graduate I’ll be a much different person than who I was four years ago when I first walked into Los Altos. As Coach B would say, “it’s time to rip on out of here,” thank you to all my
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classmates of 2019 and all the amazing teachers I had along the way. To the class of 2020, I envy your cool class title and hope you live up to that name. With your 20/20 vision, I hope you all see what you must do to make your next year at Los Altos the greatest year of your high school life.
last years of high school with you by my side. Have patience with the team, show them what a good leader is and steer them towards the right direction. To my water polo babies, LEAGUE CHAMPS BABY!!! Continue to do great things ladies I’ll make sure to go out and support you guys at your games.
I, Damien Alvarado, a graduate of Los Altos High School, would first like to thank all the teachers, administrators, janitors, lunch ladies, and many other staff members that have all impacted my journey. I truly appreciate those who gave me a platform to showcase my writing at Los Altos High School. I dedicate all my journalism sports stories to the next young sports writers who go into journalism. To Mrs. Guzman who helped prepare me in journalism I will my sports templates to you in order to help the team. I remember four years ago when I joined the team I was nervous, but in the end I witnessed history and covered all the great games. To my online editor position I will it off to Adrian. I hope you can continue to push for online publication because that is where our future is heading. To David in Video Production I will off my position as the host of the Sports Conqueror Rundown, I wish you the best and hope you make it even better. I will off my football knowledge to my great friends Sergio and Christian. You two were always clowns in football. You guys were my locker buddies and you both made me laugh at the dumbest things. I will off my binder of clustered notes to Antonio. Antonio you are a great football player and I hope you go far, but I am glad you are in AVID so keep taking those notes. To all the underclassmen I will my knowledge of four years of high school. I want all of you to participate in the most events you can. I want you to take risks and accept failure because you can always use it to motivate you and better yourself. Thank you Los Altos for a great four years. This school has given me everlasting memories that I will cherish forever, thank you I will see you later.
I, Annalee Hack, a graduate of Los Altos High School class of 2019, will be writing this about some of my favorite memories with some of my friends. My life wouldn’t have been the same without you guys. My best memories were made with you and the fun moments that we had. From telling jokes and having funny activities. Like when I drew Patrick star on ‘Coconut Champagne’. The best drawing in my opinion was the one that I put on the coda. I hope Laging doesn’t notice, or maybe he will when he passes it out to the next generation of Jazz Band students. To Jesse I leave nothing, I’m kidding but I do appreciate the way you tolerated hearing me talk about Fire Emblem Horses and Fire Emblem in general. To Stevee, I give my friendship and hope that you strive to learn how to trombone better. Gabe, I leave all my sheckles, and whatever change you find in the band room. My Anime Club members I leave the joy of starting new things and letting you enjoy yourselves but behave too. My discord friends, thank you for being nice to me, making me feel better when I’m down, talking about the same interests and straight up have fun in games. These past four years have been the best. I made friends in marching band, symphonic, wind ensemble, and jazz band. It was the best due to how much I enjoyed myself and playing my instrument more and more made me appreciate my abilities of playing my trombone. Everything and anything that helped shape what I want to do in my life, thank you, especially to Mr. Anderson for introducing me to accounting and business. It was thanks to that I now am pursuing a career
I Kimberly Castrellon, a graduate student of the class of 2019, hereby will the following: To Stephanie Castrellon, you truly are an amazing person. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for you on the following years. The capabilities you have on the court and during your studies will take you great places. To Ian Conrekas, my best friend, and my person to rant to. Thank you for being my rock and the person I share memories to the Annie concert with. But in all honestly, you’ve made me so happy in the kid you’re starting to become. Don’t let yourself go so easily, you know the fights you have pick and you never fall short. I’m amazed at everything you’ve accomplished and you’ve gone this far for you to give up so easily, fight you’re battles. To Margarita Moreno, Maggot I love you. Starting off 8th grade year with you and finishing my
I, Mickie Vega, a graduate of Los Altos High school class of 2019, hereby will the following to the underclassmen. You most likely will never meet me but read this it will help you in the long run. I do recommend you to staying on top of your homework and not trying to start an essay the night before its due. I also recommend paying attention in math and economics class because it will come back to haunt you when finals roll around. However, most importantly I recommend that you have fun. As much fun as you possibly can while you can. Go to games, parties, and hang out with your friends. At the time you may not care if you miss out, but when you are writing your senior will and looking back on your high school years, you don’t want to be focusing on the things you missed out on instead of fun memories you did during high school. I hope you have an amazing high school experience and you
make the most of it. Lastly, i would like to give thanks to all my fellow seniors. This year has been one of the best years of high school , I have met new people even though I have seen them since freshman year. I also want to thank my teachers who have had a lot of patience with me throughout high school. Thank you for making my high school experience great. I, Laila Arditto, a graduste of Los Altos High School class of 2019, declare to the underclassmen: The next four years of your life will go by a lot faster than you think it will. Do not lose focus, do not get distracted, and make sure all of your priorities are in place. The people you are currently friends with will most likely fade away from you as the years go on, but if you are lucky enough and that friendship is strong, they will still be there. For me, my best friend didn’t become my best friend until senior year, so don’t worry. For most people, they also find their best friends in college, so again, don’t worry. If you plan on going to a four year university, do not lose focus on your grades. To a university, your grades are the first thing they look at, then they look at your skills and what you can bring to the team. Most importantly, do not let a girl or boy distract you from what is good for yourself. High school sweethearts are not for everyone, you have the rest of your life to find the right person for you. From personal experience, I lost focus and lost out many opportunities, but I believe everything happens for a reason. These four years may be fun or it may be stressful, but you will have memories, so make these memories the best ones ever.
I, Jessica Rivera, a graduate of Los Altos High School class of 2019, hereby will the following: I leave my mural for all eyes to see or for those who can’t see the mural let it be described to you in any way. Peace for all and freedom of expression to all, equality, love, and happiness. I wish all those underclassmen luck for their following years at Los Altos High School, make the most of it. Don’t give up keep your head up keep on going even when times are full of poop and nonsense. Make friends keep the real ones who care about you and your health cast away toxic people from your life don’t get in fights. Join clubs on campus, get involved have fun focus in school remember you are not alone someone will always be there for you all staff faculty are there to support you. Don’t be afraid to be yourself, be bold, and be kind. EVERYONE LOVES YOU <3.
May 2019 I, Cielo Martinez, a graduate of the Los Altos High School of 2019, hereby will the following: Nicole Davila, I leave to you the love and passion I have for choir into your hands, you always gave me confidence and helped me no matter what, for that I am truly grateful. Keep being the sweet, gentle, smart, and sassy girl I know you are. To my beautiful LA Rhythm girls, I leave you all the warm and funny memories we made not only during class but during competitions as well. Don’t pay attention to the people who find you odd just be those “Weird people on the dance floor” and party like no tomorrow. Watching you all grow not only in music but in yourselves too made me extremely proud of each and every one of you, realizing this I hope you lovely ladies help each other out grow even more as time passes by. I’m very happy that I got to be your president, I will miss you all. Ariana, Sam, and Sophia, I leave to you three my weirdness behind, since I never really made sense and y’all got a kick out of it made my day seven better, thank you, I will miss you deeply. To Mr. DeBellis, I leave to you my voice. I know you will understand what I mean by that, thank you for always making my days better even when I lost my hope you always somehow gave me motivation for the future. And even now I lookback onto our talks, they really helped me a lot. Lastly, to my favorite teacher Mr. Fahey, I will be leaving you many things behind good memories, the beautiful melodies and songs our class gave to you, but most importantly the love we were able to share with one another. There were many obstacles this year but we were able to overcome them and grow from it together. I will never forget the words you said “I’m not the one making the music...it’s all of you producing it” ever since you said that I always looked upon it. You may not have created the singing voices throughout the song but YOU lead us there slowly but surely to make sure we succeeded and got the results we wanted. I will never forget how hard you work for all of us to make sure in the end we are happy and proud of what we did and for that on behalf of the choir I thank you. I also want to thank you for treating me like your own child, I’ve said this at least three times but you are like my own parent and I truly mean this. When I come back to watch all the choirs whom will be stronger than ever, I hope you will always feel proud of yourself Mr.Fahey. Ps: I expect you to tell your new choirs on why we always chant Jeff at each performance haha they’ll LOVE that story just like I do. Thank you for my wonderful experience in choir for the last 4 years I will never forget it. Thank you for everything LAHS. I, Brittney Arnold, a graduate of the class of 2019, hereby will the following: To my choir family, another year of success as you all explore your passion of singing and dancing
SENIOR WILLS
amongst each other. To my Renaissance group, another year of fulfilling our mission of making every individual on this campus feel special and appreciated. You all are amazing people and are bound to have a tremendous impact on this world. To Mr. Reeder, thank you for being my mentor throughout my high school career. I will never forget you. Maybe I’ll come & take over the leadership program here when you decide to retire. To Mr. Fahey thank you for giving me the most enjoyable choir experience imaginable. Never in a million years did I think I would possess a passion so great like the passion I have for choir, and I have to thank you for that. To Mr. Palmer, I will you a career full of students that you will one day turn into In-N-Out Associates! I will forever tie the memory of my very first job with the memory of you. To Mrs. Gilbert I will you the patience to deal with crazy classes like our 5th period MRWC class. In all seriousness, I hope you are able to win the hearts of students for the rest of your career the way you have with mine. To Mr. Nares, thank you for putting in all of the extra work that you do for your students. I’m convinced that there’s no other teacher on this campus that puts in as much work and effort as you do. To Arianna Ordaz, I will you a lifetime of happiness, as we all know it’s what you deserve. Don’t forget about me when you embark on the world and do amazing things. To Big C, I will you the ability to grow and mature as you age. This is just the beginning for you and although you’re already a genuine, kind-hearted being, I can’t wait to see the person you become. To Amara Overmyer, my alto baby forever, I will you my love for music, performing on stage, and twenty-one pilots. To Aaron Kim, my All-State buddy! I will you the confidence to pursue whatever it is that your heart desires. To Victor Flores, I will you the determination it will take for you to be the world renowned composer that I know you’re bound to become. I, Ashley Marquez, a graduate of Los Altos High School class of 2019, hereby will the following: To my Cheer Babies, I leave you all with all my love and support. You have all shaped me into the person I am today and I will forever be grateful to you for letting me not only be your captain but also your friend. To Aaliyah Mata and Hailey Godinez, my little sisters, I leave you my legacy and guidance. You both mean the absolute world to me and the amount of love I have for you will only continue to grow. Thank you for trusting me and letting me be your big sister. Remember to always be true to yourselves and believe in yourselves. I love you so much. To Arianna Ordaz, I leave you the strength and confidence to accomplish not only your goals
but the person you want to be. You are truly someone special who will achieve great things. Remember to never give up and continue to be the person you are. I love you. To Michael DeBenedetto, my husband, I leave you with all the happiness in the world. Thank you for being who you are and always being there for me. May our bond last until death do us part. I, Brianna Beverly Munoz, cannot believe that the time has come. Who knew that these past four years would go by so fast. I feel like I blinked one time, and I ended up here with a few days left of high school. What I would let the underclassmen know is that school may seem like a drag, and “useless” but in reality think about how this schooling will benefit your future, and everything you want to accomplish. I have always been someone who has always tried to overcome a lot of issues, and struggles that I may have received within my years in high school. With the help of all of my teachers, the administration staff, and my amazing principal. One thing that I would suggest the underclassmen do within their years of being in high school is get more involved whether that be joining clubs, or creating a club everyone has the ability to make a difference. What really is the best memories of being in high school is creating my own show called “The Conqueror Rundown” at first I was extremely scared of how the outcome would be, and I will admit it was nerve racking at the beginning because you do not know what people will think about you creating a club, or even a show like I did. What I do remember from that experience is knowing my worth, and turning all the negativity into positivity. I, Juliet Herrera, leave my love to all my friends equally .I will miss my friends because they are always there for me. My favorite memory is my senior year as a whole. I hope the underclassmen don’t let the upperclassmen pick on them or rule this school. This is your school, too. Take control of it and be positive. Never let anything put you down. Teachers are here to help you and make a positive difference in your life .Finally, walk a little faster in the hallway and don’t stand in the middle of the hallway. I leave books to underclassman, I also leave my parking spot to juniors .I will miss annual day because we don’t do anything all day. Leave my memories to the underclassmen .I also leave the fun times to my teachers and friends. I will miss my friends and teachers because they helped me through high school. My favorite memory is the football games and all activities Los Altos had. I advise underclassman to keep your grades up and strive to do your best. I, Rigoberto Valadez, a graduate of the class of 2019, herby will the following: To the LAHS underclassmen get out of your
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comfort zone and conquer new challenges. Trust, if you do not try new things you will regret it. Never be afraid to fail! Always thank and appreciate all the teachers and peers that help you along your high school journey. Do not compare yourself to your peers you set your own path. To next year’s officers of the Spanish Honors Society do what’s best for the society. Hopefully, the society keeps on growing and have fun because senior year is going to fly by. To all the current AVID students don not drop out, trust me it is worth it senior year. Ms. Crowther will answer all of your questions on your college application process and make your life easier. When you receive your college acceptances, you will understand how much AVID has prepared you for college. Finally, I would like to thank Mr. Palmer, Ms. Crowther, and Ms. Andrade for helping me out the most throughout my high school career. Furthermore, I would like to thank all my friends Ramon Morales, Alex Martinez, Cristina Mendez, and Pablo Duenas for all the help they provided me with. Lastly, thank you everyone that I did not mention. Leave your own legacy. I, Madison Hagerty, will to Alexis Cardenas, stay positive and continue to lift everyone else up throughout the day, you are a blessing to this earth and school and I hope you never forget that. To Vanessa Johnson and Kaitlyn Bolanos, keep everyone in soccer motivated at practice and continue to be your best selves on and off the field, I’m thankful to have known you and watched you grow these past couple years not only as players but as people. To Mr. Hernandez, thank you for always believing in me and pushing me to do my best and giving me never ending encouragement in and outside the classroom. To my brother and sister, Reagan and Garrett Hagerty, I know these next couple years of high school are going to be tough but never give up, turn in all your assignments and don’t be lazy. Remember I am eternally grateful for you two and you two motivate me to try harder in everything I do, I strive to make you two proud of me and want to be like your big sister one day. To all future and present students of Los Altos High School, make your years here count because they go by faster than you could imagine. I, Seth Sliger, a graduate of the Los Altos High School class of 2019, hereby will the following: To my Graduating Class, graduation is the end of a chapter in our lives titled high school. Let us make sure that we write our next chapters even more exciting than the last and be unique with our lives. To my Teachers, thank you for all your effort and time throughout the years. The skills and knowledge that you left me with shaped me into the person I am
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today. To my Friends, the memories and laughs we had are timeless. Whether it was spontaneous adventures or planned occasions I will never forget the fun times spent together. To Rene, you helped me realize tomorrow is not guaranteed. Your exceptional spirit was unparalleled. Now I realize life is too short not to live it to the fullest. To everyone, karma is real so be kind to one another. Finally, remember to, be ambitious, be determined, and find purpose. I, Neslie Orozco, a class of 2019 senior graduate. I really suggest to try your best in the beginning of the year. Senior year truly goes by fast. I learned so many things going into the class of 2019. During my senior year I started working and I can truly say it was a balance but not impossible. There was certaintimes that was very stressful and very tough. I had to push myself through trying my hardest. In the beginning of the year I had some tough classes I had to pass and it was a struggle. I ended the year strongly and happy. In the end you definitely do feel different. I want to thank my family members and my teachers for going through this journey with me. I could say it was difficult but not impossible to overcome. I want to thank Ms.Fuller. She was my English teachcer who encouraged all her studets to do their very best throught the entire year I was in her class. English is my favorite subject and it still is till this very day. I also want to thank my Math teacher, Ms Wong. She was a very imspirational teacher with ambitions. A teacher that I won’t forget. I had a tough time in Math. She helped me throughout the entire way of my senior year and encouraged my to not give up. I also want to thank Mr. Shaw, I had him for my senior year and he was very inspirational. He encouraged all of his to pass and succeed not only in class but life as well. He was very positive and also another teacher I will never forget. I can say I honestly will miss high school. I’m going to miss going to class every say with the amazing teachers I have had. High School was an amazing journey. I will truly never forget the class of the year I had graduated. I, Alexsait Mendez, a graduate of the class of 2019, hereby the following: I leave the following statement to my sister Litzy Mendez to be confident and to give it her best her sophomore year and the rest of her high school career and all the upcoming events she will accomplish and all the hard work she will be doing next year as a sophomore and to make so many memories at Los Altos High School and my strength to the upcoming Seniors, do not procrastinate on the senior project. Make sure to get all the assignments in ahead of time. Do your best, do not give up and no matter what happens, always remember to finish strong.
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May 2019
SPORTS
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Los Altos Boys Volleyball Road To Glory Damien Alvarado Los Altos persistent play all season shows why they were destined to play in the CIF-Southern Section Division 4 boys volleyball championship game. If the Conquerors dominant historic season was not enough the team powered their way through the postseason into the championship game. Los Altos road to glory started with a different mindset than previous years. Head coach Paul Sanchez assured his team early in the year that this season would be different. “Well one of the goals I set in the beginning was to be different from last year. As long as we had a better season from last year and the guys have fun, that is what mattered the most,” said Sanchez. After wrapping up a perfect record in the Hacienda League without losing a set, the Conquerors hosted Anaheim in the first round of playoffs. After sweeping Anaheim the Conquerors swept Torrance in the second round. Los Altos took a road trip to take on Paraclete in the quarterfinals. In dueling fashion after being tied 1-1
after two sets Los Altos went on to win three out of four sets. St. Anthony’s is a prestigious boys’ volleyball school, as they have some of the top athletes going D1. Los Altos came into the semi-finals with near matching records, and both teams did not disappoint. Down 3-2 St. Anthony’s miscommunication allowed Los Altos to take a 12-2
lead and eventually a 25-19 set win to tie the match. Jordan Lucas was determined to will his team to victory with consecutive kills. The Conquerors came out on top 1511, which advanced them to the Championship game vs Windward. There has not been a championship appearance for boys’ volleyball since 1985 but the 2019 team brought home gold
Boys Volleyball play fot the win at the CIF game.
Conqueror Softball Proves Successful Season Damien Alvarado
Los Altos softball graduated most out of their key starters last season, but managed to make the most with a reloaded squad. Conqueror softball started the season off 1-2-1 and finished off the year 1610-1 with a first round loss in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 Playoffs. Talent is hard to come by in public schools, but Los Altos girls softball team has no problem in returning three of last year’s starters. It is always tough when a team loses their two time MVP pitcher in Savanah Dietrich, but her success has led her to Ole Miss. The team was still led by coach of the year Lydell McCullough. Los Altos fell short of the Hacienda League Title but many of them including senior Jocylyn Vidal felt proud of what her team accomplished going into playoffs. “The team started out the year a little rocky, but as the season progressed and league had begun the team had grown into a well-rounded team that competed each pitch to the very end. As Captain, I loved the energy and bond we all had with each other, we always had a good time at practice and in games making the season fun and
enjoyable,” said Vidal. Los Altos hit a sparking point by improving hitting wise and mentally. In their matchup with Crosstown rival Wilson, the Conqs fell behind early and trailed 5-0. After chipping away the lead run Junior Mikayla Ceballos hit the walk off homer giving the Conquerors the 6-5 victory. The struggle occurred again when the Conquerors dropped four of the next six games. The team faced tough competition such as Sonora and Brea Olinda but soon enough the team bounced back finishing off the year winning 10 out of the next 11. With a 16-10-1 record and a 7-3 League record the Conquerors found theirselves in Division 1 Playoffs against Orange Lutheran. The first three inning were mad for the Conquerors. They allowed five runs early on, and were becoming frustrated with each hit landing right to their opponent. Freshman pitcher Sam Bohorquez managed to shut out Orange in the next four innings but besides Ceballos home run the struggle on offense led to a 5-1 loss. Laila Arditto said, “Everyone expected us to lose 12-0, but we didn’t. We came together as a team after the
first few games, learning how we are on the field, since we already had a close bond off of the field. Again still very proud of the team, they were just a really great team.” The rigor of a D1 schedule is tough but this year’s unit managed to defy all odds and prove all the naysayers wrong. SGV predicted the girls to drop to the middle of league but the team rounded up taking second and ended on a winning note. “The season went a lot better than everyone expected us to do, since everyone had their doubts. Im extremely proud of the team for shutting up most peoples opinions, our improvements as a team and how we always battled in the game. I’ll miss these girls deeply, since we all had a very close bond with one another, truly being a year I wont forget,” said Arditto. Vidal let it be known that she truly appreciate wearing the red, white, and blue, “ I am going to miss the great pride of representing Los Altos across my chest on the field and the school spirit at every event. I am truly blessed to be a conqueror.”
in Saturday’s night victory over Windward. Lucas led the night with 28 kills giving the Conquerors a sweep of 25-23,25-23,25-22. “Representing Hacienda Heights and Los Altos and having a legacy here where my dad is a coach and my brother is an all-star, it’s unbelievable. All the work that we put in paid off,” said Lucas.
Although Lucas has been the guy all year he has received plenty of help from key players such as senior Damien Soriano who had eight kills and Federico Flores with four blocks. Chris Kissling has one of the best IQ’s out on the court and his performance all year has proven this statement. “Every ten seconds I was just thinking like wow this actually happened. This happened my senior year it is so unbelievable. I would have cried but I was full of excitement,” said Soriano. Los Altos finished off the year in the State Regional vs Mt. Carmel. After winning CIF the Conquerors hit the road but were defeated three sets to none. Although the team was swept, the series was barely lost in each set, 25-23,25-23,25-18. “ I really liked my team because we all had one goal. That was to win CIF for the first time in Los Altos Volleyball History.” Damian and the Conqueror unit are ready for the next challenge ahead of them., “We have to keep working as family and not argue in order to be successful.”
Photo by Briana Trujillo
Conqueror Baseball Caps off the Season Damien Alvarado When the season started Los Altos showed signs of success starting off the year 3-1. Midway through things seemed to take a turn in the wrong direction as the Conquerors were lodged with a record of 11-15 looking outside into the playoffs. Senior Abel Dera said, “I liked how we built close bonds with each other, and I am proud to not only call these guys my teammates but also my brothers.” Going into March Los Altos held a 5-2 record until they skid to a 5-4 record with 3 consecutive losses. Many of the guys understood that the losing was only temporary and senior Danny Jimenez made sure his team was held accountable. “The team was doing very well but we lost and won against some great teams. We just needed to work on the basics and continue getting better,” said Jimenez. After a dominating 11-3 redemption victory over Walnut things became a rollercoaster for the Conquerors. The team went on a run of wins and losses slumping to the bottom of the Hacienda League. Once again the Conquerors showed their true potential after upsetting South
Hills High School 2-1. As the season was coming to an end Los Altos dropped 3 crucial games in a row which hindered their chances towards a playoff run. The Conquerors aspirations for playoffs were high and the final two games were must wins. Los Altos defeated West Covina at home 3-2 on April 23. In the final game of the regular season the team swept the Bulldogs in their final game, winning 7-4. Jimenez said, “We were shocked at first because we felt we should have made the playoffs. We played our final games like they were our last and they turned out to be our last.” Jimenez is proud of his team’s accomplishments this year, “For having underclassmen we did very well. We beat some great schools, but I feel the season could have gone better than it turned out.” Los Altos finished off the season with a record of 13-15, failing to make a wild card selection. This year’s squad showed signs of greatness and had some lows but a bond created throughout the team will never be broken. Coach Lopez always emphasized on “family” and the team’s ability to face adversity.