October 2020 by The Arcadia Quill

volume 68 - issue 1 Arcadia High School 180 Campus Dr, Arcadia, CA 91006 theapachepowwow.net

THE APACHE

october 2020

POW WOW

th e w o rld is o u r c am p u s

@ ah sp o w w o w q u o te o f th e m o n th : “G o s e e k t h e g re a t

p e r h a p s .”

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ADVANCED THEATRE PRODUCTION DURING COVID-19

By AUDREY SIOENG AND CHLOE WONG Staff Writer Every semester, the AHS Advanced Theatre Program brings a story or play to life in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) that never fails to blow the student body away. In the past, Arcadia Stage has presented classics such as The Giver, Les Miserables, and Beauty and the Beast; this fall season is no different. From Nov. 12 to 21, our talented Arcadian performers will be putting on Stefanie Hero. Each performance will air at 7 p.m. on the scheduled dates —but this year, students have participated with a distancelearning twist. Among the many losses of a pandemic-defined school year, students across the country no longer have the chance to participate in a biannual tradition—the end-of-semester play. But that hasn’t stopped Arcadia Stage from turning misfortune into opportunity and moving the theatre program entirely online. Although we were all extremely disappointed to not be able to watch Newsies this past spring, this amazing program has pushed past the limitations of distance learning and has managed to put together an impressive schedule for the semester. During a normal school year, advanced theatre students would usually perfect their performances during class and after-school practices. Behind the scenes, the AHS Stagecraft program would work to create detailed props, elaborate setpieces, and gorgeous lighting. But this year, things are a little different: students have filmed their performances for Stefanie Hero entirely on green screen. Each clip has been edited together to create a full-length play. “I’m so excited to finally be working on a theatrical production with our advanced theatre students - even if it’s from home,” Arcadia Stage’s Artistic Director Steven Vol-

OPINION: Modern-day T H E U S P O L IT IC A L politics has not only influD IV ID E P G . 0 6 enced the division between Americans today, but it’s also causing many more problems. But instead of recognizing the problems and working together to solve them, Americans are taking strong stances on opposite ends of the spectrum leaving, no room for negotiation. Congress is a Photo courtesy of STANFORD.EDU prime example.

pe said. “As artists, we are asked to live truthfully in imaginary circumstances. Therefore, it makes no difference what venue we perform in.” In addition to working on Stefanie Hero, Arcadia Stage also entered the DTASC Fall Festival, a competition where drama departments across Southern California competed in various divisions such as set, graphics, lighting, costumes, and monologues. For instance, the Stagecraft class sketched costumes to enter in the Costume division, and while junior Miranda Romero admitted that she was “kind of bummed” about not being able to compete in person “to see everyone’s costumes and acting scenes,” she was overall very grateful for the virtual competition. Students were also able to present comedic and dramatic scenes, including The Wolves and The Tarantino Variation. All division results for the competition will be announced Nov. 15. All in all, Arcadia Stage has been extremely perseverant in these uncertain times and continues to inspire by pushing through the pandemic’s obstacles. As such, it’s important to support Arcadia Stage in all of these endeavors by purchasing tickets for the upcoming Stefanie Hero! Stefanie Hero is a fantastic play for all ages that follows a young Princess Stefanie. When the King and Queen decide to abdicate their child-rearing responsibilities, it’s up to Stefanie to take care of the royal family. Her adventures involve clashes with an evil sorcerer, a dragon, magic spells, and a mysterious knight. Tickets are available online at www.arcadiastage.com. Single tickets cost $10, while a family package is $30.

WHAT’S INSIDE

H A L LO W E E N Q U A R A N T IN E ID E A S P G . 0 8

asioeng@apachepowwow.ne cwong@apachepowwow.net Photo of ARCADIASTAGE

B L A C K P IN K ’S “LO V E S IC K G IR L S ” P G . 1 4 SPORTS: The internationally-famous K-pop group BLACKPINK released their new single, “Lovesick Girls,” a song about heartbreak and rebounding from the pain. “Lovesick Girls” is the title track of BLACKPINK’s new and first fulllength studio album called “The Album”.

FEATURES: This year, it may be difficult to go door to door collecting a large variety of candy from your neighbors. However, improvisation is key, and there are still plenty of fun activities to partake in for this upcoming spooky season with your friends and family. “It is definitely worth going because it’s a unique experience that you can’t get anywhere else. I personally wasn’t that scared when I went, but it was still incredibly fun.”

Photo courtesy of DBKPOP.COM

POLICY PAGE

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the Social Media & Comments Social media will be used to promote appropriate media, to promote published content, and to engage with Arcadia and Arcadia High School’s community. The Editorial Board reserves the right to remove comments deemed inappropriate, offensive, or threatening. The information posted on social media platforms (i.e. Instagram) will be held to the same standards as all other reporting in terms of information gathering and factchecking. Bylines If more than one person works on a story or an editor has to rewrite a significant portion of a story (as determined by the editor), all names of contributing writers will be listed on the byline of the article. All articles, graphics, photos, and other media, with the exception of staff photos, will be bylined with the photographer or contributor’s name. All bylined writers will be held accountable for their work and the information contained within. Corrections Policy Corrections will be printed when brought to the attention of the staff. Original stories will carry bylines but additional contributors to a story will be listed on the byline. Plagiarism Plagiarism of any form will not be tolerated. Story ideas and article content are to remain completely original with the exception of the use of outside graphics/images/quotes, which are to be duly credited.

Quotes Quotes are representative of a single opinion; they do not represent the beliefs of the student body and staff. Quotes are to be written in past tense with the correct style guide format. Editorial Policy The Apache Pow Wow will not print anything in our publication (online or print) that is deemed libelous, obscene, or otherwise offensive or inappropriate, in accordance with the Supreme Court’s justified standards. Rights are reserved to postpone, edit or withhold from publication anything submitted which does not meet the specifications. Unsigned editorials represent the view of The Apache Pow Wow Editorial Board. It does not necessarily represent the view of other Pow Wow staff members. The Apache Pow Wow refuses to print criticism which is not constructive and not supported by fact or evidence. The editors and adviser will make the final decision on all material appearing in The Apache Pow Wow. The Apache Pow Wow will not intentionally invade the privacy of any person or publish facts and quotes given off the record. Opinions will be clearly marked and found on the editorial pages or as designated on other pages (i.e.- front page). Signed opinion articles and commentary are the expressed opinions of the author and not of The Apache Pow Wow and its editorial board, adviser, or Arcadia High School’s faculty or school board. Staff members are guided by the Canons of Journalism of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, a code of ethics which outlines the principles of responsibility, fairness, and accuracy.

editorial board

OCTOBER 2020

p o w w o e w

a p a c h

general staff

Staff Writers: Saket Akalamkam, Emily Banuelos, Brandon Chan, Catherine Chan, Amanda Chang, Angela Chien, Lilian Chong, Jorge Espinoza-Gonzalez, Vritti Godani, Joy Herrera, Editors in Chief: Cassidy Chhay, Margaret Merrick Hua, Shirley Huang, Logan Johnson, Lin, and Jocelyn Thao News Editors: Leslie Chen and Rebecca Tao Siddharth Karthikeya, Kate Larrick, Bryan Lim, Linda Qiu, Kaytalie Shang, Ashley Sioeng, MagOpinion Editors: Emma Chen and Michelle gie Sun, Lorin Teng, Avari Wang, Greg Wang, Lee Features Editors: Abby Choy and Anya Yang Janell Wang, Stephanie Wang, Chloe Wong, Kailani Yamashiro, Sean Yang, Madison Yee, and Student Life Editors: Robinson Lee and Pamina Yung Tanya Lee Design Staff: Catherine Chan, Amanda Chang, Arts & Entertainment Editors: Ariana Angela Chien, Kate Larrick, Linda Qiu, KaytParizadeh and Jenny Qiu alie Shang, Audrey Siong, Lorin Teng, and Avari Sports Editors: Enzo Goebel and Zoe Lin Wang Campus Focus Editors: Melody Lui and Photography Staff: Emily Banuelos, Lilian Ashley Zhao Chong, Logan Johnson, Janell Wang, Kailani YaDesign Editor: Kate De Prima mashiro, Madison Yee, and Pamina Yung Photography Editor: Kylie Ha Adviser: Mrs. Lesley Lee Publicity Manager: Becky Chen

azhao@apachepowwow.net Graphics courtesy of FREEPIK.COM PNGITEM.COM and CLIPARTLIBRARY.COM

EDITORIAL

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OCTOBER 2020

Youth Are Growing More misinformed Why Our

By ARIANA PARIZADEH, KATE DE PRIMA, and TANYA LEE

fect has aided in bringing division to an extreme.

Editorial Board For decades, Americans aged 18 to 29 have had the lowest voter turnout of any age group. There are a multitude of reasons for this, from potential voters being too busy to voting being inaccessible, but arguably the most significant reason is a lack of interest. For teenagers, especially, voting seems years away and learning about elections or government seems worthless.

ing filter bubbles more challenging to escape. The echo chamber effect among AHS students: Although young people are likely to lean more liberal than older generations, not everyone at AHS shares the same political views and certain topics have led to disputes. This can be

It’s a lot harder to take a step back from social media, especially in the midst of an isolating pandemic, because we want to know what people in our community are thinking. The amount of and rate at which information spreads makes it difficult to control what we come across, mak-

What can we do to prevent ourselves from getting caught in an echo chamber and

As for the content you see from your fellow peers, we suggest researching information you feel may be untrue or taken-out of context. Some social media sites have implemented “false information” warnings, which allow users to click a link that leads them to a factchecker. These warnings are opportunities to seek out true facts, using unbiased or bipartisan news sources. Another idea would be to follow and watch people who have opposing beliefs.

With political tensions at an all-time high, an election in progress, and a multitude of human rights campaigns and movements taking place, more young people feel it is exceedingly important to educate themselves. However, since this education and activism are largely taking place on social media and the Internet, many teenagers are finding themselves caught up in online echo chambers, or “filter bubbles”. The echo chamber technique is a method for recommending content through social media search engines that confirm and reinforce an individual’s beliefs. When you search for something online, or view a certain type of post on social media, your data, or “cookies’’, are saved and used to bring you targeted posts, sites, and advertisements that are likely to cater to your interests. While Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are useful for sharing stories and experiences, these social media platforms have also created a growing problem of spreading misinformation. In a groundbreaking study, researchers found that false stories on Twitter can spread six times faster than the truth.

Although it takes two to tango, it takes many to make a flash mob. This is a pretty large flash mob, and there is no single source of blame. The echo chamber is misinforming American voters, many of which are youth on social media, and must be put to an end.

Along with switching search engines, consider switching from partisan to bipartisan or facts-based news providers. To reference how biased or credible certain sites are, you can reference a media bias chart, which rates the severity of political bias as well as their credibility, ranging from “trustworthy” to “fake”. Some news sources that fall right in the middle of the spectrum, with little to no bias, and score highly on credibility include: Associated Press, Reuters, C-SPAN, and ABC News.

Most importantly, remember why becoming informed is important. For some, it’s out of necessity, as their rights may be in jeopardy. For those of us who don’t have to watch our rights debated, it’s a privilege to become informed from a distance.Becoming educated about politics, and eventually voting, cannot be rooted in selfishness or a desire for kudos. seen as a reflection of our country, which becomes more divided by the minute with echo chambers perpetuating one-sided or out-ofcontext material—material that further convinces people their opinion is exclusively correct and the other side is wrong. In a poll by the Public Religion Research Institute, 74% of participants felt the country was divided, with 91% of Democrats and 96% of Republicans agreeing with that statement. These statistics reveal that more and more people are failing to understand that politics aren’t black and white. Whether we like it or not, our circumstances influence our beliefs, and the echo chamber ef-

become more informed: Lastly, the idea for this editorial was largely One of the best ways to prevent your- inspired by The Social Dilemma, a Netflix docself from becoming trapped in a filter bubble umentary that delves deeper into the world of is to download an extension that will prevent echo chambers and the dangers of social media. search engines from storing your data. A useful Google extension called “Don’t add custom search engines” does exactly this by blocking Google from creating limited search engines that adjust search results. Another option is to use a private search engine. According to comparitech.com, the top seven private search engines are DuckDuckGo, MetaGer, Qwant, Mojeek, Searx, Startpage, and Swisscows.

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NEWS PROTESTS AGAINST AZERBAIJAN AGGRESSION theapachepowwow.net

BY CATHERINE CHAN Staff Writer Azerbaijan and Armenia are fighting amidst the current pandemic over the Nagorno-Karabakh territory. Armenian-Americans are showing their support for Armenia and solidarity with Nagorno-Karabakh as they protest in the city of Los Angeles. Many are protesting to demand recognition in light of the escalating disputes with Azerbaijan. Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, is a breakaway region where 95% of its population are Christian-ethnic Armenians who have been inhabiting the lands for centuries. The region is located within Azerbaijan and is under control of the local ethnic Armenian forces, backed by the Armenian government since 1994 at the end of a separatist war. With the war outbreaks beginning on Sept. 27, Armenian officials said that Turkey, a NATO member, is now allegedly aiding Azerbaijan in this dispute by supplying military and hiring mercenaries from Syria to fight for Azerbaijan. Turkey officially addressed this by saying they would provide assistance to Azerbaijan if they requested, but denied sending them foreign mercenaries or weapons. The KTLA Press reports this crisis, deeming its fighting as “some of the worst in Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas since the end of war in 1944.”

While Azerbaijan stands with ally Turkey, bound through their relationships as being one between “two states, one nation,” NagornoKarabakh is being defended by Armenian forces and the Armenian people. Since the beginning of the outbreaks, Armenian-Americans took matters into their hands and set out to protest for awareness of their homeland against the Azerbaijan aggression on the civilians and territory. With Los Angeles being home to the largest Armenian community outside their country, thousands gathered in Hollywood to march on Sunset Boulevard on Saturday night, Oct. 3. Protester Natalie Samargian, shares her opinion on the current situation: “Azerbaijan and Turkey has started a completely unprovoked war… This is, again, a genocide because you have civilians involved, when you have human life, when they are not fighters and they are not soldiers, you are discussing a massacre,” as she speaks feeling concerned about her brothers and sisters in Armenia. As there are over three million Armenians, it’s a diaspora in the U.S. Woven deeply into its culture lies the events of the 1915 genocide. Historians estimate that the Ottoman Turks killed approximately as many as 1.5 million Armenians. Ergo, Armenia, and Azerbaijan have been locked for decades in this conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan views this re-

gion as an opportunity to reclaim land that was over 150 servicemen on their side have been illegally occupied by Armenian separatists. killed, along with several journalists who were Rather the involvement of Turkey supporting wounded in the shelling of the town of Martuni Azerbaijan has concluded Armenians to “view and the casualties of over 19 civilians with 55 this as a continuation of the genocide” said wounded. Because Azerbaijan has allegedly cut off by Alex Galitsky, involved in the LA-based Armenian National Committee of America’s all social media channels, except twitter, citizens are being terrorized with no understandwestern region. The most recent incident raises a sig- ing of what is truly happening from the lack nificant escalation in violence as Azerbaijan’s of social media. Armenian-Americans have ally, Turkey, shot down one of Armenia’s war- also taken the activism online on social media planes, killing the pilot inside. The Armenian platforms. Online, social media platforms have military said Turkey shot down their warplane been calling for coverage on what the Armeand pilot with a Turkish F-16 fighter jet that nian government deem as an “aggressive war” that Turkey and terrorist organizations have took off from Azerbaijan. Interestingly, this allegation of Turkey’s waged against the Republic of Artsakh. To spread awareness, environmentalist escalation in violence was “absolutely untrue,” declared by Fahrettin Altun, communications and writer Ani Garibyan shared a post on Insdirector for Turkey’s president. Azerbaijani of- tagram entailing that “this is a continuation of ficials add on by stating how it is only “another the Armenian genocide… they dream of a panfantasy of the Armenian military propaganda turkic state.” Garibyan goes on to ask people to “put pressure on [their] elected officials to machine.” As Turkey and Azerbaijan continue to demand that both Turkey and Azerbaijan stop deny their provoking in the escalation of vio- their aggression over landlocked Armenia and lence, the Republic of Artsakh’s Ministry of Artsakh,” continuing to tell others to “please Foreign Affairs, release in a public statement: voice [their] concern over this matter and hold “In particular, the Azerbaijani-Turkish armed [their] governments accountable for not conformations are deliberately shelling cities, vil- demning these countries.” lages and civilian products of Artsakh with the aim of terrorizing and destroying the civilian population.” cchan@apachepowwow.net Nagorno-Karabakh officials say that Photo courtesy of INDEPENDENT.CO.UK

By JOY HERRERA Staff Writer

HOUSE CONDEMNS BIG TECH MONOPOLIES

OCTOBER 2020

Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google are four of the biggest technology companies in the world. They control unprecedented amounts of modern American’s lives and a House panel has recently declared that they exercise monopoly power. This declaration comes at the end of a 16-month investigation into the four companies which has culminated into a 449-page document, which details the actions that the Congressional Committee believes constitutes as anti-competitive and proposes anti-trust legislation to resolve the larger problems. The report stated, “These firms have too much power, and that power must be reined in and subject to appropriate oversight and enforcement. Our economy and democracy are at stake.” According to The New York Times, Google was already under investigation by the Justice Department, due to their large market share as a search engine and advertising on the platform. The report also found that they had engaged in anti-competitive actions by using third party sites like Yelp to improve their own features. The company argued that their free services were an aid to the consumer but the committee believes that this company among the others should be broken up or restructured to allow for free competition in the marketplace. Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp was a large red flag for the com-

mittee. By acquiring competitors or mimicking features on other sites, they were limiting their competitors in social media. The report found that Facebook was using Instagram to further benefit themselves, the parent company, and vice versa, forming an internal sort of communication which is hostile to the industry. The committee’s recommendation was to separate the two social media platforms. Amazon is under fire for their policies with third party sellers. Amazon promotes their own products ahead of other merchants and is capable of changing policies rapidly on sellers who depend on their site for income. According to The Wall Street Journal, their internal production has been found to use third party data to copy products for their own line undercutting independent sellers. Apple faced criticism for their policies towards app developers. The representatives found that Apple holds a monopoly on the apps sold on iPhones and iPads which has allowed Apple to take 30% of the earnings and has driven up prices overall as a result. The push for antitrust reform was bipartisan, but the legislation in this report was primarily suggested by Democrats. Republicans are more hesitant to engage in breaking large companies and drastically changing the market. However, this report will serve as a stepping stone to amending legislation and returning power to the consumer.

jherrera@apachepowwow.net Photo courtesy of IMORE.COM

OCTOBER 2020

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NEWS

PRESIDENT TRUMP TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 By ANGELA CHIEN Staff Writer President Donald Trump announced on Twitter on Oct. 1 that he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for COVID-19. With just a month away from the presidential election, the news stunned the people of America as Trump had been an adamant downplayer of the virus. Just a few hours before President Trump notified the public, Hope Hicks, a close advisor to the President tested positive. She had accompanied the president and his family to the first presidential debate in Ohio on Sept. 29, where the family and senior staff violated the host rules by not wearing masks. The following day, Hicks was among the staff that traveled with President Trump to a private fundraiser in Minnesota and an outdoor rally in Duluth. Many attendees of the rally were seen not wearing masks. On the trip back, she isolated herself on Air Force One because she was feeling unwell, and disembarked from the back door once the plane landed. CBS reporter Weijia Jiang reported in a tweet, “She developed symptoms during the day and received a second test, which came back positive. The White House knew about this Wednesday evening but Trump still had a fundraiser Thursday.” Since the news of President Trump and the First Lady testing positive for coronavirus,

numerous cases of coronavirus have emerged from the White House. So far, the list includes First Lady Melania Trump, Senior Presidential Advisor Hope Hicks, President Trump’s campaign manager Bill Stepien, Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Political Counselor Kellyanne Conway and daughter Claudia Conway, Senator Mike Lee of Utah, Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Notre Dame president Father John Jenkins, and White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany. In the past week, President Trump’s campaign schedule was packed back to back. On Saturday, Sept 26, Trump announced Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to the Supreme Court. These ceremonies took place at the Rose Garden, where Senator Lee, Senator Tillis, Father Jenkins, and Conway were present. In the published pictures, staff of the Trump administration were seen without masks, and not abiding to the social distancing guidelines as they shook each other’s hands and hugged each other. The public speculates that this ceremony was where it all began. Later that day, Trump attended a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where many of the thousands of supporters were also not wearing masks. On Monday, the President held an event at the White House South Lawn for Lordstown Motors, which was attended by two Congres-

sional members and three representatives from few days, as advised by his physicians. He has the motor manufacturer. Then, at the Rose been experiencing “fatigue,” a White House Garden, he announced the administration’s staff commented. plan to distribute millions of coronavirus test However, according to statements from kits to states.The Vice President, members of the Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Trump is the Congress, and state officials were pres- still actively engaged in working. “His first ent. question to me this morning was, ‘How’s The following Tuesday, Trump and his the economy doing? How are the stimuentourage, including Hicks, traveled to Cleve- lus talks going on Capitol Hill?’” Meadows land for the first presidential debate. Despite claimed. the pre-arranged rules, Trump’s family in the It’s worthy to note that just a few days audience and staff members were not wearing ago, the president mocked Biden for wearing masks during the debate. Then on Wednesday, a mask too often. Trump was in Minnesota for a rally. Hicks was In the debate, the president exclaimed, “I present with him too. don’t wear masks like him. Every time you see The next day, Hicks tested positive for him, he’s got a mask.” Furthermore, he comcoronavirus, yet Trump still persisted to attend mented that Biden “could be speaking 200 feet his rally in New Jersey. That evening, Presi- away” and “shows up with the biggest mask dent Trump tweeted, “The First Lady and I are I’ve ever seen.” With 31 days until the 2020 Presidential waiting for our test results. In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!” Three Election, President Trump and his campaign hours later, the president followed up to state are in deep waters. No one in the nation could that he and the First Lady have been tested have predicted that the president would catch the virus, especially during such a vulnerable positive for COVID-19. Since then, the White House has spoken yet valuable time in the race. The political and up about the current conditions for the presi- social implications of President Trump testing dent and his wife. Campaign manager Bill St- positive are unknown and too early to tell, but epien said that campaign events will either be either way, with so little time left to sprint, this postponed or turned virtual while Vice Presi- will definitely impact the election. dent Mike Pence, who tested negative, will continue his schedule as planned. On Oct. 2, Trump checked into Walter awchien@apachepowwow.net Photo courtesy of LATIMES.COM Reed Medical Center, where he will stay for a

THE 2020 VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE BY PAMINA YUNG

Staff Writer

During the vice presidential debate, California Senator Kamala Harris, the first woman of color to participate in a presidential or vice presidential debate, faced off against Vice President Mike Pence in a discussion concerning topics such as climate change, taxes, the Supreme Court, abortion, and healthcare at Kingsbury Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah. In great contrast to the first presidential debate, in the vice presidential debate on Oct. 7, the discussion of race was overshadowed by matters of COVID-19 in the U.S. and the economy. Moderator Susan Page from US Today started the debate by asking Senator Harris what the Biden administration would do to level the increase of COVID-19 cases. Harris brought up Trump, saying the coronavirus was a “hoax” and blamed him and Pence for concealing information about the disease despite acknowledging how dangerous it was. Harris accused the two of being incredulous of scientific evidence regarding climate change, stating, “We have seen a pattern with [the Trump] administration which is [that]

they don’t believe in science.” Page attempted to conciliate Pence’s constant interruptions, but he continued to charge at Harris, telling her, “You’re entitled to your own opinion, you’re not entitled to your own facts.” He later added, “We will have a vaccine [for COVID-19], we believe, by the end of this year.” Moving on to the topic of the justice system and recent police brutality, Harris stated, “We need reform of our policing in America and our criminal justice system.” On the contrary, Pence said, “But I trust our justice system. There’s no excuse for what happened to George Floyd and justice will be

scribed as a “disapproving auntie vibe.” But the perhaps most viral moment was when a common housefly landed on Pence’s head and perched on it for about two minutes during Pence’s turn to answer the question of whether or not Breonna Taylor’s case was served justice. Social media went wild over the incident. Political figures including Joe Biden and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, tweeted fly jokes and puns while sending messages encouraging people to vote. The late-night live variety show, Saturday Night Live, even made a comedic sketch about it, named “VP Fly Debate Cold Open”, in which Joe Biden, played by Jim Carrey, attempted to teleport to the debate but accidentally became a fly in the process, reenacting Jeff Goldblum’s famous scene from The Fly. There is to be only one vice presidential debate this election, but we shall see how the points made by Harris and Pence will carry into the next presidential debate.

served.” He, like Trump, also denied the existence of systemic racism in America and then averted the topic, saying, “But there’s also no excuse for the rioting and looting that followed.” However, the debate was not exactly the most civil. Harris interrupted Pence five times throughout the entire debate, and Pence interjected ten times. The moderator cut off Harris 13 times when her time was up and asked Pence to stop talking 41 times. Harris’ facial expressions towards Pence during his elaboration on Trump’s and the pyung@apachepowwow.net administration’s response to COVID-19 were Graphic courtesy of FREEPIK.COM joked about in a handful of Tweets and dePhoto courtesy of LATIMES.COM

OPINION

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are taking strong stances on opposite ends of By SIDDHARTH KARTHIKEYA Staff Writer the spectrum leaving, no room for negotiation. These days almost everything has turned political. Whether it is the act of wearing masks, the news channels you watch, or a woman’s right to do what she wants with her body, there are always political conflicts, and those conflicts are getting worse. Furthermore, the political divide is ravaging through communities, leaving them extremely biased against each other. Modern-day politics has not only influenced the division between Americans today, but it’s also causing many more problems. With school shootings, homicides, gun violence, police brutality, systemic racism, and sexism, America is seeing more problems than ever before. But instead of recognizing the problems and working together to solve them, Americans

By STEPHANIE WANG Staff Writer While political correctness and sensitivity become more important in today’s increasingly diverse world, everyone, including celebrities, is no longer able to avoid the political scene, leading to cancel culture, a practice of withdrawing public support from a certain person or business to hold them accountable for problematic behavior. Since its popularization in mainstream media, cancel culture has made an impact on people from all walks of life, pervading popular culture, the corporate workplace, and even the political scene.While cancel culture has only recently become part of mainstream pop culture, the ideas behind it—withdrawing public support and group shaming—can be traced back to the Civil Rights Boycotts in the 1950s and 60s. Cancelling can be described as “a survival skill as old as the Southern black use of the boycott,” chair of linguistics of African America for the UC Santa Barbara Anne Charity Hudley wrote. Of course, key differences have emerged between Civil Rights Boycotts and modern cancel culture, but the idea behind both is the same; even without influence to incite direct change, an individual can make a difference by withdrawing support from a certain person or business and refusing to participate. Modern cancel culture can be broadly described as bringing attention to an issue and the people who perpetuate it, and muting offenders through public shaming or boycott. Although the term “cancel culture” has a negative connotation in today’s media, it’s generally had a positive impact on our culture. For one, cancel culture gives members of marginalized groups a voice against those in positions of power. Cancel culture can be seen

Congress is a prime example. With the Democrats in control of the House of Representatives and the Republicans in control of the Senate, it is a wonder how anything gets done. President Trump has had to strong-arm many of his policy actions through Executive Orders, which is also another point of contention in partisan politics. It’s ridiculous. This is largely due to the conflict between political parties. Emboldened by radical statements made by modern-day politicians, Americans are motivated to hold strong positions on complicated issues, ignoring expert opinion and backlash. Even now, President Trump is calling the Democrat Party radical, left-wing socialists, fanning the flames with his divisive rhetoric. In the past, these strong political views were not as much of a problem because politics

as a solution to cope with the sense of powerlessness that results from lacking the political, social, or professional power to incite change. “Canceling is a way to acknowledge that you don’t have to have the power to change structural inequality,” Hudley notes. “You don’t even have to have the power to change all of public sentiment. But as an individual, you can still have power beyond measure.” Additionally, this practice also helps to hold powerful people responsible for their actions. With the increased connectivity of the modern age, public figures have even more influence than they did in the past. This unfortunately means that any problematic comments, also reach more people. Being “cancelled” can bring their attention to social issues, serving as a wake-up call to guide their future actions. Cancel culture also pushes the notion that harmful ideas in pop culture shouldn’t be promoted, which serves to better society as a whole. While cancel culture can occasionally be excessive for people that still have the room to learn from their actions, many cancelled celebrities blame cancel culture for all their woes, despite repeated defending the politically incorrect actions that caused them to get cancelled in the first place. Being cancelled is only meant to be a wake-up call, and if the offender chooses to continue with the same problematic behavior, it’s about the wrongdoer’s morals. Despite the controversy surrounding it, cancel culture has emerged as a tool to hold people accountable, reflecting a change in cultural values. And as people become more interconnected, one thing is certain: cancel culture is here to stay.

swang@apachepowwow.net Graphic courtesy of FONTSPACE.COM and 123F.COM

was kept where it belonged and did not intrude into everyday life. But today politics seems almost as if it is life itself, and it shouldn’t be. This intrusion of politics into the private sphere is also influenced by political figures taking to social media platforms, such as Twitter. If causing many problems in the country wasn’t enough, politics is also resulting in Americans unconsciously judging those with different views. I personally often catch myself creating a mental image of someone based on their political affiliation without even knowing them. And this isn’t the case with just me. I see people do it every day with very few actually catching themselves in the act. It’s simply wrong to be prejudiced towards someone with a different view. They might just have a different perspective, and no opinion is really incorrect. Although you may think that their view may not be as educated as yours, it’s

OCTOBER 2020

incorrect to judge them for it. Rather, there are more effective ways to get your point across and vice versa. For example, you could have a conversation. Most disputes can be solved with a simple conversation between individuals or a small group rather than an attack on a generalized group of people. A small group allows everyone to be heard and allows for less generalization of a person’s views based on the majority opinion. People can also solve disputes by finding common ground. Often times, politically driven parties rush to extremes without negotiating at all. A simple common ground where both values are incorporated would be another solution to lessening the political divide.

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and Bartman’s private information was put out By SIDDHARTH KARTHIKEYA Staff Writer everywhere on the internet. His phone number, Technology is one of the greatest platforms in the world. People can use technology to write informative articles, promote their views, and create entertaining content. But there are also terrible people as well. The trolls, the hackers, but worst of all, the cancel culture doxxers. What exactly is internet doxxing and cancel culture? Doxxing is the public broadcasting of someone’s private information. It’s a part of the punishment system on the internet called “cancel culture.” Cancel culture involves the defamation of anybody on the internet who’s found to have made a mistake. As a result of this defamation, many are doxxed, or have their private details released. But while trying to pursue online justice, people often miss the cruelty and long-lasting impacts “cancel culture” can leave on its victims. The first major incident of cancelling, the Steven Bartman incident, dates back to 2003. A baseball fan of the Chicago Cubs reached out to catch a home run ball and by mistake disrupted the ball’s trajectory. That disruption caused the ball to drop. Soon after, the Cubs lost the game. After the baseball mishap, Bartman went into exile. While incognito, several companies reached out to interview him, for hundreds of thousands of dollars, on the incident. As a response, Bartman declined. So why would an ordinary man deny all these opportunities to use his fame for his own benefit? After all, this kind of money could have him set for the rest of his life. The reason Bartman refused was one of personal matters. In the days following the Cubs loss, outraged fans decided that Bartman was to blame in entirety for the team’s defeat. Following the loss, came many social media leaks

address, and emails were all released and the harassment that followed was brutal. Bartman was spammed with death threats to him and his family. After receiving all of this harassment it was only natural for Bartman to refuse the many requests for him to step back into the spotlight. Bartman for one is a perfect example of a victim of cancel culture. None of his harassers knew him in real life. To them, he was simply a devil that caused the Cubs to lose a baseball game. But in reality, Bartman was just doing what all fans loved to do. Watch some baseball and hopefully catch a homerun ball. Bartman is not the only one who went/ is going through it. Whether it’s the offensive comment or the elementary school bully, everybody’s worst mistakes are being reposted and shared. But cancel culture isn’t something to applaud. In fact, it’s something that shouldn’t even be happening. People aren’t the same online and canceling others shouldn’t be the first step taken to resolve an issue. Most of these confrontations can be had much more effectively in private. By calling people out online for things they shouldn’t have said or done, “online social justice warriors” believe they are solving a problem. Oftentimes after being directly called out online, victims face harassment that could wreak havoc on their mental health before even getting a chance to explain themselves. And if we look at Bartman, and many more unfortunate victims, participants in cancel culture are consistently seen to create more problems than they solve.

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OCTOBER 2020

OPINION

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ONLINE SCHOOL IS IS... HARDER

EASIER

THAN IN-PERSON SCHOOL

By BRYAN LIM

By LILIAN CHONG

Staff Writer

COVID-19 has taken a big impact out of all of our lives with a lot of students having to learn online virtually. With online school in the mix of our lives, many students have to face the difficulties of online learning such as internet problems. However, there are many upsides to online school rather than actual school. That is why I believe that online learning is easier than actual school for students and teachers. One reason that online school is easier than actual school is because of convenience. The convenience of just having to wake up, get ready in the morning and sit down on your chair and take classes is very convenient for students. It doesn’t take a long time to get ready in the morning, and to just turn on your computer and sign in to your classes takes no effort and time at all. It also is very convenient as you don’t need to drive or get driven to school, but instead go to your computer with no risk of having to leave a little early in order to be on time for school. Another example of online school being easier than actual school would be flexibility with time and location. This is because if a student is at a different location other than their home, they can just bring a mobile device such as a phone or computer to communicate virtually with their classmates and teachers. This provides more flexibility. Online school is also easier than actual school because of the minimal time it requires to take online classes because of the extra time walking to class or even going to actual school, which instead can be used to study, do homework, or even bond with your family. Online school can also help students determine their own pace when it comes to studying or doing homework because of the extra time they have and can use.

The online system is frustrating period. After what seems to be seven months of mandating orders like social distancing, wearing a mask, and quarantining at home, it almost feels as if this apocalyptic pandemic has no ending whatsoever. Our current lives revolve around the dependency of the internet, our computers, and social media. And it would be unsurprising if one of us goes insane from sitting on a chair for almost the entire day. Despite the few advantages of online school––more hours of sleep and easily accessing your food pantry, there are certainly many flaws in our everyday virtual school environment. Run a lap around the track. Sure, no problem. Run a lap around your house. Um, how? Virtual physical education is everyone’s worst nightmare; albeit, some could dispute about running a mile around the track being the worst torture. Once you’ve completed your short jog around the house or backyard, you come back to your screen and see so many breathless, sweaty faces. The room is utterly silent, and there isn’t any chatter like you’d normally expect when everyone gathers around and waits patiently for further instructions from the teacher. The trouble of physically moving around a compact room is undoubtedly everyone’s biggest challenge. Sports in physical education is unequivocally the best part of joining the class. You can encourage others, enjoy the games, and create new friendships along the way. But once the barrier of online school gets in the way of fun, it is exceptionally difficult to cherish and enjoy the physical education experience. What’s it like competing in virtual competitions? Speech and debate competitions are exceptionally difficult to tackle during these unfavored times. “The virtual environment is something new, something different, and something we never thought we would be in,” she says, “Usually, during competitions, there are lots of people in a room/ chamber, and sometimes the internet connection can become a huge problem. And I remember for virtual debate tournaments, it lagged like five seconds for each person, so that was definitely a struggle. However, I’m extremely thankful that Speech and Debate (S&D) is currently happening in this virtual environment, because I thought that with the current COVID-19 pandemic, S&D would never happen,” explains Sophomore Anvitha Marlapati. With the current situation and virtual competitions, it becomes unfortunate for many to cherish memories and celebrate a team’s victory online. However, as Anvitha mentioned, students should be extremely grateful for the teachers and organizations making every tournament possible. Taking tests in a virtual classroom can seem daunting and stressful. Once you enter your test window, there is no turning back, and immediately, the timer on the bottom right starts counting down until you can no longer access the test window. There is no doubt that online testing is much harder than taking a regular test in a normal school classroom; albeit, many could argue that online tests have one great advantage––using your notes! Although many students are using this advantage during online tests, we are, in fact, defeating the entire purpose of learning and quizzing ourselves. Once we return to school, we will have a much more difficult time adapting to quizzes and tests on paper. Hence, virtual exams have various flaws in terms of how it defeats the purpose of expanding our knowledge and preparing ourselves for future challenges and career exams. Distance learning is everyone’s biggest challenge, especially during unprecedented times like these. However, maintaining motivation is our only hope of getting past the unfamiliarity of virtual classrooms. We can anticipate in a couple of months that our lives can switch back to normality. lchong@apachepowwow.net Graphic courtesy of BUSINESS.COM

Online learning is also easier than regular school as with regular school it usually requires the teacher to be there and to be ready to ask questions in person for students. However, with online school, teachers can make a video about their lesson which creates flexibility for the teacher when it comes to teaching students, and it also gives students more time to think of questions and to ask the teacher when they’re available. It also gives students more access to their work as if most of the lessons are online, so they can usually access it most of the time. Online school is also easier because of the shortened time we have in online school. Instead of having to spend eight hours in actual school, online school only takes around five or six hours. With this, you can do other things that are your priority or let your stress from school go away and finally just rest. Another pro to having online school is that it is financially easier for most students. This is because instead of having to pay for textbooks, equipment, and etc., most students just need a computer and a stable internet connection, which most students already have. That will be easier for students financially and they don’t have to stress about having to pay for a lot of things. In conclusion, online learning has taken a big impact out of most students’ lives, but online learning is easier than actual school because of many reasons. Those reasons include convenience, flexibility for students, extra time to use, and accessibility for lessons, teachers having more flexibility, fewer financial problems, and having less time to spend in school. That is why I believe online learning is easier than actual school.

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FEATURES

By BRANDON CHAN Staff Writer Although Halloween is coming up, the COVID pandemic has unfortunately made the idea of trick-or-treating look not too promising. This year, it may be difficult to go door to door collecting a large variety of candy from your neighbors. However, improvisation is key, and there are still plenty of fun activities to partake in for this upcoming spooky season with your friends and family. If you’re going to celebrate this Halloween with your own family at home, throw on a scary Halloween movie (some recommendations are A Quiet Place and Get Out). Grab some candy corn or chocolate such as KitKat, Twix, and Reese’s and you have a nice cozy night in. Senior Emme Chen said, “A Quiet Place is a very good horror film, but make sure to watch with someone else. It makes it more enjoyable.” Even though you may not get to go trick or treating, designing a costume can still be a good source of entertainment. Pick a certain theme to dress up as with your friends or family and have a costume party at home. Set up a competition to see whose costume is the best. Another activity you can try amid this pandemic is carving pumpkins. While this may not be an out of the ordinary activity

whatsoever, it’s a classic and will still be plenty of fun. Just make sure to clean up the insides of the pumpkin when you finish. You can even try roasting the seeds to make them nice and crispy. Junior Irene Chen said, “Pumpkin picking and pumpkin carving is a great way to celebrate Halloween. With pumpkin carving, you can get as creative as possible, drawing different designs on your pumpkin.” For the extra adventurous people out there, drive-through haunted houses are a fantastic option. The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride is located in Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas and has plenty of scary Halloween elements including live characters from Midnight Falls. At this drive-through haunted house, there is also a 40-foot screen that displays a haunted show. Though you may get suddenly startled, please make sure you don’t hit the gas pedal accidentally. That wouldn’t be too ideal, especially if you hit the car in front of you. Senior Zachary Green has been to the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride and said, “It is definitely worth going because it’s a unique experience that you can’t get anywhere else. I personally wasn’t that scared when I went, but it was still incredibly fun.” Remember to still have a blast this Halloween, but please practice social distancing in order to limit the spread of COVID. bchan@apachepowwow.net Graphic courtesy of FONTSPACE.COM, ICONS8.COM, MSKATECUTTABLES.COM, and PNGIO.COM

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By VRITTI GODANI Staff Writer Spooky season is approaching, and excitement fills the air. Many of us are excited to get our yearly supply of candy while most of us can’t wait to show off our costumes on social media. In past years, many would spend Halloween with their friends outside, trick-or-treating or watching Halloween movies at home. However, this year Halloween is being celebrated under extremely different circumstances and a countless number of people are celebrating with their families. If you are struggling to come up with a costume, here are some costume ideas for Halloween costumes that you can wear with your family. Among Us Inspired by the popular game, Among Us, characters can be perfect for a family costume. To put this costume together, all you need is a solid-colored hoodie with no writing or graphics on it and a mask. You would need to put the hoodie on backward and put the hoodie over your face. Then, you would put the mask over where your eyes would be positioned. Characters From Your Favorite TV Show/ Movie All families have a favorite movie or show that they can always watch and never get bored of. Dressing up as your favor-

OCTOBER 2020

ite characters from your favorite movie or show can not only be a good photo opportunity, but it can also lead to having a themed dinner which can also lead to a fun and safe night. Some examples of costumes like these would include Mike and Sully from Monsters, Inc. Punny Costumes A punny costume is sure to always make everyone around you laugh and bring in loads of compliments. If you want to do a punny costume, you can do one with your sibling or do one just by yourself. Some ideas for pun costumes include dressing up as an angel and putting black patches over your costume to be a holy cow or dressing up as a cheerleader for a fan to be a ceiling fan. Punny costumes are my personal favorite, and I would highly recommend trying one! Sophomore Destiny Delgado says “I love doing punny costumes because they also brighten everyone’s day and lift the mood. In conclusion, there are many costume ideas available that can make this Halloween a great one!

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features.pw@gmail.com

OCTOBER 2020

By LILIAN CHONG

Staff Writer

Ever walk into the dollar-fifty store, pick up a basket from the stack, and race towards the stationery aisle? Once the aisle comes into view, the plethora of school supplies are hooked on the shelves and assorted by item. Your first instinct is to desperately reach out with your hands on the colorful 12 pack of pens, then onto the Mildliner dupes, then onto the erasers sculpted like food. Daiso, our ultimate, favorite go-to Japanese store, has everything you need to ensure that you have the most efficient supplies for your home, lifestyle, and even school. As distance learning prevails, Daiso has all the essentials you need to survive the online learning experience. So grab the shopping cart, and let us begin our ultimate search for the best school supplies at our local dollar-fifty store, Daiso! Every trip to Daiso, you are guaranteed to pull out an item from the stationery section, probably the led, erasers, and highlighters. Daiso has recently stocked great,

durable erasers from popular brands, including Pentel and Pilot. For only $1.50, you’ll receive two great-quality erasers. Daiso has so many different vibrant colors of chalk markers, art markers, and highlighters. With Daiso’s erasable highlighters, you can avoid making the mistake of highlighting the wrong texts in your book by using the eraser on the tip of the pen’s cap. However, if you make a mistake on a paper using a pen, Daiso has you covered with various types of correction tapes, including the decoration tape, white-out tape, and glue tape. Are you getting tired of using the same college-ruled spiral notebooks every year because the lined paper has a poor quality? Well, Daiso has a diverse selection of notebooks with various paper textures––graph, lined, and dotted––and distinct front cover designs. Without having to worry about markers bleeding through thin, cheap papers, Daiso notebooks will ensure that your words are nicely bolded without a smear. Sophomore Angelina Liu suggests, “Before, I was heavily dependent on using spiral notebooks for class notes. Everytime I would have any spillage in my backpack, the

FEATURES

Now, you’re contemplating about front cover would be damaged and the notebooks would no longer be usable. It was until where the current items in your Daiso basket then that I realized Daiso had a diverse selec- are going to belong on your desk. Your pens tion of notebooks for journaling and note tak- cannot permanently stay dispersed all over ing in general.” The size of each journal varies, your desk. Ultimately, your best option is to depending on your intention of use. Typically, purchase a cup holder for all these beautiful smaller journals are best for writing quick pens! By spending another $1.50 on a desk notes, while medium to large-sized books are organizing tool, you are not only spending your money wisely but also efficiently orgapreferable for taking in-class/textbook notes. I’m sure there are many of us out there nizing your workspace! Another alternative who would certainly love to add extras to to storing a large number of pens is by purmake our notes more appealing. Daiso offers chasing a pencil case. Lastly, the best orgavarious colors and patterns of sticky notes, as nizing item that Daiso has to offer is their well as washi tapes, stickers, and sticky tabs. book baskets. Daiso book baskets keep all While your class notes may be a little messy your books in one area and neatly arranged. and dull, Daiso notetaking accessories allow Hopefully, the trip was not too overyou to add a little sticky note here and there whelming, and you grabbed all the Daiso and conceal mistakes using washi tape. Along school essentials you need to survive this with the packs of washi tape, you can also pur- online learning experience! So the next time chase a tape dispenser, designed only for your it’s school shopping season, look for your lowashi tapes. Although these accessories may cal Daiso, and happy shopping! not be necessary or essential for your note taking experience, it is always fun to decorate and lchong@apachepowwow.net reward yourself once in a while with some cute Graphics courtesy of 1001FONTS.COM and THECURVE.COM stickers and lovely patterned-tape.

SUSTAINABLE FASHION By KATE LARRICK Staff Writer For broke high schoolers, fast-fashion brands like Shein and Romwe can seem like the ideal option for shopping. Unfortunately, these cheap clothing companies have roots in unethical labor and are the opposite of sustainable. Fast fashion brands sell cheap clothing that caters to the latest trends. These brands have many things in common; they sell a seemingly endless number of products, they use low-quality materials, and they typically use factories in foreign countries where workers are on very low wages. The growth of fast fashion has been detrimental to both our environment and the working conditions of factory workers around the world. The fashion industry is currently the second largest polluter of clean

water after agriculture. The manufacturing of polyester contributes to global warming and producing cotton requires 2,400 gallons per pound. In the U.S. alone, 21 billion pounds of clothing end up in landfills every year. Meanwhile, workers are suffering as well due to the pressure on large companies to reduce product cost and increase production speed. Many offshore garment laborers work in dangerous conditions for a small fraction of minimum wage and without basic human rights. A significant number of these workers face impacts on their physical and mental health due to working with toxic chemicals. In direct contrast, sustainable fashion is designed and manufactured in a way that causes the least environmental damage possible. Sustainable fashion brands focus on addressing five main issues: high water usage, dangerous chemicals, low durability, large amount of waste, and harmful agricultural techniques. It

is intricately related to ethical fashion, which refers to clothing made by companies with the welfare of their workers in mind. The first alternative to fast fashion is buying clothing that has been previously owned. Although it may not have been manufactured in a sustainable way, thrifting clothing means fewer wasted resources and less clothing in landfills. In relation to that, clothing that is still wearable should be donated to used-clothing stores, even if only to keep them out of landfills for a short while longer. Senior Tiffany Nguyen, an avid thrift shopper, is an advocate for buying used clothing. “I prefer thrift stores to regular stores now,” Nguyen said. “I never actually thought about how it helps the environment, so that’s very cool to realize and it’s definitely a bonus.” The second alternative is to buy clothes from companies that are proven to be sustainable and ethical. Many of these brands are,

admittedly, more expensive than what the average high-school student is used to, like but the way they protect the environment and support human rights makes their products worth the cost. Additionally, the point of sustainable fashion is for clothing to be long-lasting, so the higher price is reasonable for the high quality. Paying $25 for a shirt instead of $5 will eventually be worth it. Without a doubt, companies that focus on environmentalism and socially equitable practices are worth your time and money. Even if clothing from a sustainable fashion brand costs more than an outfit from Fashion Nova or H&M, there shouldn’t be a price on a healthy environment and a thriving population of workers. klarrick@apachepowwow.net Graphic courtesy of MEDIUM.COM

STUDENT LIFE

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OCTOBER 2020

HEALTHY MORNING HABITS By MADISON YEE

By LILIAN CHONG Staff Writer

Staff Writer

Everyone deserves to start out their day on a fresh note and a mind filled with gratefulness. To succeed, it is crucial to make sure that you are beginning to follow certain habits to stay healthy. Through these four morning habits, you will soon be able to set up a life of happiness. Waking Up Early I know that we all like to sleep in, but have you ever noticed that when you do, you often feel like you are in a rush with no time to get ready? Waking up early gives you extra time to take a break from the outside chaos. By having time to relax, it sets up a good day because when you are in a better mindset, you will find yourself to have less stress. While I know that you will want to hit that annoying snooze button, it is important to resist that urge. A study hosted by Texas University even found out that students who chose to wake up at an earlier time, performed better and had an easier time focusing compared to those that decided to sleep in. Drinking Water and Having a Healthy Breakfast Water is the main factor that keeps you hydrated. In fact, once you wake up, your first instinct should be to get a glass of water. With this, your body will rehydrate to help yourself work efficiently. If you feel thirsty, that is a sign that you have already become too dehydrated. Even having some fruit infused water can do the trick and has the extra benefit of giving you vitamins and minerals which help your immune system. While drinking large amounts of liquids is healthy, so is eating the proper foods. Often, many kids don’t eat the right foods or end up completely skipping breakfast all together. Andy De Santis, a Toronto-based registered dietitian says, “When kids and adults eat breakfast they tend to focus better at school and work, and it may also help reduce cravings that come from unaddressed hunger.” There is a reason why people call breakfast the most important meal. It is the main component to your energy for the day which provides fuel for both your body and brain. When deciding on what to eat, search up nutritious breakfast items and maybe even create a meal plan. Getting in Some Physical Activity When getting in physical activity, it doesn’t have to be a full 40 minute workout. You can simply get your exercise through stretching, by taking a quick walk, or by doing a five minute workout from YouTube. Exercise wakes you up and contributes to many health benefits like losing fat and building up your metabolism. Michael Morelli writes, “Exercising in the morning gives your body a healthy kind of fatigue and stress at the end of the day which results in deeper and better sleep. Also, morning exercises affect not only the quality of your sleep, it also helps you get longer rests.” Journaling Lastly, there is journaling. Many may not think of doing this at first but journaling actually helps you to feel more motivated for the workload ahead of you. By easily writing down any goals, things that you are grateful for, or by doing a quick creative writing session, you will find yourself to be more content and happy with yourself. This process rids of any negativity which lets you find appreciation, later giving drive to move forward in your life. It is important to keep to a routine. By coordinating a set routine, you are able to become more organized with your life while feeling good about the rest of your day. With consistency, it reduces stress levels while teaching you to stay productive with structure in your life.

That one free app on your phone undoubtedly looks akin to a notepad; it sits patiently on your phone’s screen, waiting for you to open the app and make some note of what your intentions are for the day. But instead, you take a different route, and you end up in an app where it either has nothing to do with productivity, or is just another version of Apple’s Notes. Out of all the possible productivity apps in the App Store, Notes has often been shunned by most students due to the misconception that the app only allows you to type words on lines. But once after reading this article thoroughly, you can hopefully recognize some of the free and useful features the underrated app provides. iCloud Feature Replacing your old iPhone 6 with a new Apple device, but worried that all your notes from the previous years are going to vanish? There is certainly no need to fret; your iCloud has you covered if or whenever you decide to replace your phone or receive a new Apple device. By signing into your iCloud on a new phone, you can sync the exact notes from your previous device. Once your data has transferred, you can easily access them in a folder titled, “All iCloud.” Now, it is uncertain whether or not other apps will have an iCloud feature. However, iCloud on Notes will guarantee that previous notes are accessible from all devices. Helpful Shortcuts Out of time trying to rummage through 600 other notes stored in your iCloud folder or trying to keep track of important points during a meeting? Notes has all the essential shortcuts you need when efficiently searching a memo or getting tasks completed. This app has a voice recognition feature that allows you to search a specific note in your folder by enunciating a key term in that note. Just say “cupcakes” into the mic, and your cupcake recipe will automatically appear! Say, perhaps you mistakenly deleted an important note that contains all your homework assignments for the day. Notes has a recently deleted folder that allows you to access all your deleted and old memos. However, keep in mind that the documents in the recently deleted folder are available for 30 days. After that, the note may permanently delete on its own. The edit button on the top right of your Notes screen will enable you to customize, share, move, and rename your folder. With this shortcut, students are able to share folders for group projects and invite others to edit the notes within the portfolio. The Notetaking Feature Another amazing feature the app provides is the ability to make checklists, data charts, graphs, and pictures. Certainly, with these tools, you shouldn’t be solely limited to just your phone’s keyboard; you have so many other options available to stay productive and efficiently take notes. By choosing a line or a grid to handwrite on Notes, you can doodle a picture or even graph lines. This notetaking feature works well on large touchscreen devices like iPads. Using a stylus pen comes in hand when deciding to take class notes, do graphing problems, or jot meeting discussions. Document Scanner Finally, for the grand finale of this article, the most useful feature on this app, especially for the intention of distance learning, is the document scanning feature! At the bottom of every note, there is a camera icon. Select scan documents, and you should be able to use your camera to take a photo of your assignment. Once you have adjusted the size and shape of your document to your liking, select keep scan, and the scanned paper should immediately save on your memo. To turn in your written assignments/exams from Notes, hold the documents, and select share. You should be able to share your documents through Google Classroom, Drive, Gmail, etc. Notes has every feature you need when efficiently turning assignments in or learning the skills of notetaking. Hopefully, the productivity app can someday be your best guide to success during your experience with distance learning. lchong@apachepowwow.net Graphic courtesy of IDOWNLOADBLOG.COM

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By LINDA QIU Staff Writer In high school school, students who know and speak to many people have greater access to the knowledge and resources of other students. Beyond high school, people who know how to endear themselves to others often find themselves rising more quickly in their chosen fields. The ability to socialize is strongly correlated with success. Socializing prepares you to participate in a social group by teaching you its norms and expectations. So in the long term, being less social affects your success by influencing the amount of social influence and practice you get. According to junior Sylvie Thompson, the less social you are, the less help you have access to. “Since I’m an introvert, I think my social skills lag behind my friends who are more outgoing. I think I’m stuck in a cycle where I don’t socialize very much, so I’ve become bad at it and find it discouraging and unrewarding. And because of that, I socialize even less,” Sylvie said. This has had some effects on her learning at school. “I know some of my classmates have access to resources from previous AHS students,” Sylvie continued. “They know a lot more older students, so they get an advantage in school. For example, they get advice from alumni on how to adapt to a teacher’s grading and teaching style,

as well as examples of their homework and classwork.” The effects of not socializing carry on into life after schooling. In the workplace, forming strong relationships with your coworkers and superiors is essential. “If you’re not able to relate to your coworkers as human beings and build positive relationships, your career will suffer,” said Alexander Kjerulf, an international author and speaker on happiness in the workplace. “Socializing and getting to know them as people will help you to communicate better, trust each other more and work better together. Also, employees who have positive workplace relationships are happier at work, and we know that people who are happy at work are more productive, more creative and more successful overall.” Socializing at work not only improves teamwork and productivity but also betters your individual prospects. If you and a coworker work the same amount with the same level of productivity, your boss will probably select the employee she is more familiar with for a promotion. If your coworkers know you well and trust you, more responsibilities may be handed to you. This doesn’t mean that you’re guaranteed to succeed if you’re good at socializing, or that you can’t succeed if you aren’t. But being proactive in your social life will help you in many ways and is important to your personal development and success. lqiu@apachepowwow.net Graphic courtesy of FREEPIK.COM

OCTOBER 2020

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By SIDDARTH KARTHIKEYA Staff Writer Do you ever wonder how extroverts do it? How are they so confident? It’s almost like they’re naturally able to strike a conversation and be so likable. Although we’re not all born with the dashing confidence, given to a lucky few, everyone can harness this skill with some hard work and dedication. But to be confident, we must first learn what confidence is. Confidence is the consciousness of one’s powers. In other words, confident people are aware of their capabilities. So to be confident, one must first believe in themselves. Although that sounds like a cheesy movie line, there’s a lot of importance behind it. Believing in yourself is an integral part of growing your confidence. For example, were there ever times where you were so sure of something yet the thought of being wrong leaves you paralyzed with fear? Sophomore Kevin Wu says, “Oftentimes I know the answers to questions in class, but I’m too afraid to answer. It’s almost like it’s impossible to push myself out of my comfort zone.” Moments like these, although seemingly daunting at first, are the building blocks to gaining confidence. The way to lose that fear of failure is to gain awareness of your capabilities. And once you have self-awareness, you have confidence. But how does one become aware of their capabilities? There are several ways to become aware of your capabilities. Oftentimes people like to practice. The more someone practices, whether it be a premeditated joke or a dry run of a presentation, the more awareness they gain of their capabilities. Practicing before doing something often lets you better understand how prepared you are and generally the more prepared you are the more confident you will be.

STUDENT LIFE

Another way of gaining awareness would be a 2nd opinion. Whether it is a trusted friend or close family member, you can always run whatever you’re doing through them for approval in case you can’t gauge your capabilities by yourself. For example, you could practice a speech in front of a family member and ask them for feedback. This will give you exposure on how you perform in front of a real audience and hopefully some constructive criticism. Then there’s the YOLO attitude. You’ve probably heard the saying you only live once by now. So if you’re only going to live once, push yourself to do what you love to do. Whether you are capable or not, overcome that fear of failure by thrusting yourself into awkward situations and learning from them. Making yourself do uncomfortable things gives you experience on what to do in certain situations often resulting from hilarious mistakes. And finally, you can fake an ego. Oftentimes, all that’s required to build confidence is a little boost to your ego. This can be achieved through either hyping yourself up or having your friends do it for you. It could be as simple as looking at yourself in the mirror every morning and being thankful for looking so hot. Although you may not initially actually think it, over time it’ll start to seem more and more believable and soon you’ll learn to embrace your insecurities and improve upon your self-image. So if you were looking for a way to increase your confidence there you have it. Be yourself and be happy. Good luck!

skarthikeya@apachepowwow.net Graphics courtesy of DARDISCOMMUNICATIONS.COM

By AMANDA CHANG Staff Writer

Rose Parade

2021 Cancelled

After performing their halftime show in Oct. 2019, decked in Halloween costumes, Band and Colorguard were invited by the 2021 President of the Tournament of Roses Bob Miller to perform in the 2021 Rose Parade. “I thought it was pretty cool because not a lot of people get to do it and be able to show off to the community what we do,” Colorguard Co-Captain sophomore Arianna Tear said. The students were, in sophomore Doris Dai’s words, “really excited.” Doris said the prospect of the Rose Parade “kept [her] going because there were times when [she] wanted to quit, but [she] wanted to stay because [she] wanted to march in the Rose Parade.” Unfortunately, by June, the pandemic was in full swing and an announcement was released that the 2021 Rose Parade was canceled. Doris said it “was really hard to find out that it was canceled, but we all saw it coming.” Many of the other members of Colorguard and Band said similar statements. For Varsity Drum Major senior Justin Wu, the cancellation of the parade was an especially hard blow. Justin has been training since seventh grade to learn to be a drum major. In eighth grade, he won the title of drum major for Dana Middle School and in his sophomore year, he earned the title again. This past spring, Justin auditioned for the Varsity Drum Major and won. “One of the culminations of my drum major journey would’ve been to march in the Rose Parade,” he said. This summer, the Band and Colorguard Music Camp was held online. Band had two days of drill and five days of music camp where three were focused on music. During those brief days of drill camp, drill formations, marching, and technique were reviewed and learned. Though the camp was not in-person, there were still socials where Colorguard and Band were able to play online games with one another to bond. For this coming season “all competitions are canceled… but since the band’s still practicing with their marching and music, Colorguard’s also been practicing a new routine,” Doris said. Colorguard Co-Captain juniors Kate Fletcher and Jayda Pham revealed that although field shows, competitions, and the like have been canceled, Colorguard is working on choreography and technique in the hopes of creating a video compilation of its performers to release for this year’s Spaghetti Dinner, although the event will not be held in person. Though the 2021 Rose Parade has been canceled, Band and Colorguard, as well as our current seniors, have been invited to perform in the 2022 Rose Parade. Justin plans to come back and march in next year’s parade and hopes that some of his friends will too.

achang@apachepowwow.net Picture and Graphics courtesy of HOWSTUFFWORKS.COM and MADISON.COM

CENTER

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SEPTEMBER 2020

Breast Cancer s s e n e r a w A Month

SEPTEMBER 2020

cf.powwow@gmail.com

By MELODY LUI Campus Focus Editor October signifies the beginning of semi-cold weather and earlier sunsets, but it is also widely known as Breast Cancer Awareness month. With approximately 1 in 8 US women being diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, the signature print ribbons and annual rallies make breast cancer awareness month one of the more well-known awareness months. Breast cancer, like many other cancers, occurs when cells mutate and grow rapidly in the breast area. This type of cancer is most common in women over the age of 50, and can rarely occur in men. Some symptoms to look out for include: a lump in the breast or the armpit area, swelling, flakiness, pain, and irritation in the breast. Treatment varies depending on the stage of breast cancer that the patient is in. Often, patients can undergo multiple treatments in order for the best results. Lumpectomy, mastectomy, axillary lymph node dissection, and sentinel lymph node biopsy are all different types of surgeries that patients can undergo. Lumpectomy is the small removal of a tumor or the areas of the breast around the tumor while mastectomy is the removal of the entire breast. In the earlier stages of breast cancer, lumpectomy may be performed. However, as the cells start to mutate more rapidly, a removal of the entire breast would ensure any further cell production. Each individual would receive the necessary treatment and surgeries for their specific stage and type of cancer. After lumpectomy or mastectomy, those undergoing surgery may also get implants to reshape their breasts however, it is not necessary. Certain inherited genes like BRCA1 and BRCA2 can increase a person’s chances of getting breast cancer. Inheritance of BRCA1 and BRCA2 can cause breast or ovarian cancer at a younger age, but are also notably associated

SPREAD

with other cancers including fallopian tube cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. People with family members who were affected by breast cancer may want to check with their doctors, as the gene may have been inherited. Before COVID-19 hit, many would raise awareness during October by walking in relays. Events such as Relay for Life, Bark for Life, and Walk for Hope all help spread awareness and raise money for cancer patients and research. With the inability to hold walks in real life during 2020, Relay for Life is holding virtual events with guest speakers and chances to donate. Virtual donations and fundraisers are still active on their website for those who wish to help. “Our club events were mostly based on participation in neighboring relays or helping to fundraise for cancer research. Because of COVID-19 Hope Can Cure Cancer has decided to hold virtual fundraisers in order to contribute to events online during these tough times,” says Hope Can Cure Cancer Co-President senior Kaitlyn Li. Without any steady solutions to the current pandemic, events may be delayed until further notice. With organizations including City of Hope, Relay for Life, and The Pink Fund, the pandemic has no restraints on those who wish to donate for cancer research programs or support families impacted by cancer. If breast cancer runs in your family, it would be beneficial to checkup with your doctor every so often in order to limit your risks. If you experience any signs of breast cancer, make sure to seek a doctor for a checkup right away.

mlui@apachepowwow.net Graphics courtesy of CLIPART-LIBRARY.COM PNGWAVE.COM STAZIESSTITCHSNSTUFF

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

By PAMINA YUNG Staff Writer The internationally-famous K-pop group BLACKPINK released their new single, "Lovesick Girls,” a song about heartbreak and rebounding from the pain. “Lovesick Girls” is the title track of BLACKPINK’s new and first full-length studio album called “The Album” which also includes “Bet You Wanna,” a collaboration with Cardi B, making it their first collaboration with a rapper. The music video for “Lovesick Girls” hit 10 million views within 53 minutes of its release on YouTube, breaking the record for the fastest Korean girl group to reach such a count. The previous record was actually also held by BLACKPINK with their song “Ice Cream” featuring Selena Gomez. The “Lovesick Girls” music video reached 100 million views 75 hours following its release at 12 a.m. UTC on Oct. 2, becoming the 22nd of BLACKPINK's music videos to surpass that number of views. But within all the statistical success, was a political controversy. In the music video during Jennie’s line, “No doctor could help me when I’m lovesick,” Jennie was shown in a tight nurse’s uniform wearing red high heels. This few-seconds-long scene was heavily rebuked by the Korean Health and Medical Workers’ Union (KHMU), which is composed of 71.8% women, for sexual objectification of nurses. “Despite nurses being health care laborers and medical professionals, the fact that there are more women than men in this profession exposes us to sexual objectification and forces us to deal with belittling depictions that question our expertise.” said the KHMU. “Now that BLACKPINK’s new song is ranked at the top of various global

charts, we urge YG Entertainment (BLACKPINK’s agency) to take responsible action to match its popularity and influence.” However, some BLACKPINK fans opposed the backlash, claiming Jennie was simply representing the lyrics in a modest manner. Ultimately, the scene was removed from the music video. “We had no specific intention and are worried about the distorted views. We ask that people watch MV (the music video) as an independent art genre and understand that the scenes do not have any other intention than expressing the music,” YG Entertainment responded to the reprimand. “We feel greatly responsible for this and will consider it an opportunity to deeply learn. We relay our apologies to the nurses who felt discomfort, and we once again express our respect to all healthcare workers who are working hard for the sake of the health of the citizens. We have decided to edit out all of the scenes with the nurse uniform in BLACKPINK’s 'Lovesick Girls' music video, and we will replace the video as soon as possible.” "We are happy to hear BLACKPINK's decision to replace the video as soon as possible, showing a quick response befitting of a global star,” answered the KHMU. “We hope that this incident will serve as a warning to all regarding the problematic climate in our society; in which people so easily sexualize people of certain professions and certain groups, not just nurses.” With the political dispute dealt with, “Lovesick Girls” along with “The Album” are expected to top the charts and gain a vast amount of streams worldwide.

pyung@wwapachepowwow.net Graphics courtesy of DAFONT.COM and PINTEREST.COM

theapachepowwow.net

By AVARI WANG Staff Writer The Harry Potter franchise, including both the books and the movies, has grown to be one of the highest grossing franchises in history, having a net worth of about $25 billion dollars as of 2020. After the publication of the last book of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in 2007, another book called Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was released in 2016. Based upon the original series, the sequel was written in a play/script format, and elaborated on the lives of Harry, Hermione, and Ron’s children after the initial defeat of Voldemort, the primary antagonist. Recently, there have been rumors that there will be a movie based on this sequel. The play itself, surprisingly, received quite a bit of negative criticism from the Harry Potter fandom, mainly about how confusing and irrelevant the plot was compared to the original series. Many new characters and their backgrounds are introduced, which draws attention away from the original characters. However, members of the fandom may be biased because it was not written by J.K. Rowling, but instead Jack Thorne and John Tiffany. “The play was sort of a Walmart version of Harry Potter’s Wizarding World. It wasn’t as detailed or well thought out as the original series,” said freshman Chloe Wong. Nevertheless, the play still managed to win six Tony Awards in 2018. Because Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is indeed a script for a play, it is traditionally performed on stage. According to various tweets by members of the Harry Potter fandom, it might be likely that we can expect an official filmed version of this play. Another Harry-Potter-related series that Warner Bros. is currently working on is the

OCTOBER 2020

Fantastic Beasts series. This set of prequels takes place before Harry Potter’s own generation, and explores a lot more of the Wizarding World. However, the Fantastic Beasts series is still in progress, which pushes the possible release date of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child further towards 2030. Most Harry Potter fans would love to see the original cast star in yet another Harry Potter movie, but the chances of this happening are actually quite slim. Due to recent tweets accusing J.K. Rowling of being homophobic and racist (she retweeted multiple homophobic tweets supporting them), Daniel Radcliffe (who plays Harry Potter) stated that he would not be in the new movie if Rowling was involved in it. Furthermore, Tom Felton (who plays Draco Malfoy) thinks that “it [most likely] will not be reprised” as he believes that “it was a wonderful eight chapters” in which “everything that needed to be done was done.” So even if the movie does in fact get filmed, chances are that the original cast will not be in it. This news saddened the majority of the Harry Potter fandom. There is a possibility that those who play the characters in the Cursed Child play will also be the actors in the film version. In short, the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie will most likely be delayed, or not happen at all. It is still very much undecided, and the information and decisions regarding the production of this film is largely unknown to the general public.

awang@apachepowwow.net Graphics courtesy of HARRYPOTTERTHEPLAY.COM and SCHOLASTIC.COM

OCTOBER 2020

arcadiaperformingarts@gmail.com

By ANGELA CHIEN Staff Writer A walk down Malibu beach and you’ll lose yourself between groups of roller skaters. Some groups are stationed at corners of the beach to learn some funky yet groovy dance moves, while others are chasing the horizon with the wind in their hair and good vibes all around. You’ve probably also heard of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dream,” either on the radio or on TikTok, where videos feature users with cranberry juice in their hands whilst cruising down the street with their skateboard— oblivious to the oncoming cars and whatnots. Ah yes! That’s the sound of the good ole’ 70’s breaking through the surface and demanding our attention to ride the wave

By CATHERINE CHAN Staff Writer When sophomore Erin Li first opened Depop, she instantly became intrigued by the vibrant colors, prints, faded denim fabrics and ‘80s patterns she discovered. Pages after pages, she explored an evident trend that has resurfaced on the popular retailer app. As Li attempted to navigate through the myriad of the overpriced accounts, dupe items, and “ios” posts, she ultimately found the real treasures hidden within the rather niche profiles on the app. Li became a seller on Depop in the summer and is one of the many AHS students that have taken a liking in the opportunity Depop provides for online retailing. Depop allows many young adults to indulge in the world of business and the means of running a business. Li shared that she “feels like Depop is a good platform to buy [and, or] sell used clothes as well as handmade items or accessories.” She went on to explain that “especially now, it’s a good way to buy new clothes online, especially during these unprecedented times of the pandemic and encourages people to be environmentally conscious of reusing clothes instead of supporting fast fashion.”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

of trends with them. Ever since March, “roller skates” have been searched more than ever, peaking in popularity according to Google Trends. Users across the social platform have picked up on the nostalgia and revival of the sport and began documenting their moments with their retro-looking skates, captioning their videos with “#moxieskates” or “#rollerskating.” Showing off her fancy footwork, Ana Coto is a Cuban-American actor, dancer, and quite possibly the queen of roller skating on TikTok. She has garnered 33.5 million views on her most popular skating video, and her recent skating videos have been consistently inspiring others to try out the sports as well. To Coto, the renaissance of roller skating is crucial because the sport has been weakening due to COVID with

skating rinks owners taking the biggest hits. “I hope this trend means renewed interest in skate culture and more dollars spent supporting local rinks. Rink are often safe spaces for the LGBTQIA and BIPOC communities and everyone in between,” Coto commented in an interview with Bustle. In the 70’s, roller skating was deemed a counterculture, nonetheless, it dominated the leisure industry and was a form of transportation for people. It was a social norm to hit the rinks on Saturday nights, even if it means having to wait in the long lines outside while it snowed. Rinks also often scheduled “free skate” time, a time for anyone to impress or wipe the floor with their bottoms. Additionally, Fleetwood Mac’s “Dream” has re-entered the Billboard Music Charts thanks to a video featuring a man vibing with his cranberry juice in hand while lip syncing to the 70’s hit. Fleetwood Mac, to this day, is one of the most influential rock groups that came out in the 70’s. Their album, Rumors, laid the foundation for the distinctive “California sound,” which became a sonic touchstone for many bands today. Stevie Nicks, the singer of the band, attended Arcadia High School for her sophomore and junior years. Then she moved to San Jose where she finished her high school education. But beyond the temporary 70’s culture trends that bought a shimmer of light during the past few months, let’s not forget the social implications and impacts of that decade. Our society today would look a lot different had it not for the fights that were fought during the 70’s. In 1972, Congress finally approved the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution

Being impassioned on the topic of not supporting fast fashion, Li further elaborates that “sometimes when people don’t wear an item of clothing anymore they list it on Depop, and it could be what the buyer had been planning to buy from an independent brand, but by buying from Depop, they reduce the resources used to make that piece of clothing and can get it at a better price.” As stated by FOX Business, Depop spokesperson Rebecca Levy revealed to the public that 90% of Depop’s over 15 million users, globally, are under the age of 26. Li believes that the accessibility and affordability of online thrift shopping accounted in popularizing the vintage fashion culture among younger generations. Shoppers are now able to easily buy and sell second-hand vintage items they’ve grown out of or no longer want to wear. Depop ultimately became a creative outlet to raise money by selling their clothes to its users who are primarily teenagers or young

adults. Simultaneously, buyers are able to collect new pieces to add to their closets. Shannon Cheng, class of 2023, is one of the many students who initiated their entrepreneurial experience as she began her sale of handmade earrings on Depop. Cheng said that “[she] started making earrings in the summer for the fun of it and got the idea to try selling it on Depop.” She described the process, overall, as a “learning experience as [she] learned how to manage money and handle issues with customers in a more professional setting. Selling on Depop was also an easy experience as people can discover your goods easily and a great way to make a bit of money on the side.” Another sophomore, Gwyneth Ngo, sells many of her clothes on her Depop account. Ngo sold over 30 items, accumulating over a thousand dollars in sales. Though she struggled at first, being an alien to conducting business

fifty years after the amendment was introduced. Unfortunately, it was passed but not ratified. However, with this disappointment, the women of the 70’s turned their energy into empowering and popularizing the word “feminism” by building book stores, art galleries, health collectives, rape crisis center and abortion clinics. Furthermore, the 70’s was also the first time the US became environmentally conscious. Due to devastating events such as the nuclear meltdown at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania, and the overwhelming toxicity from industrial wastelands like Lovecanal, an environmental crusade began. The US celebrated its first Earth Day in 1970, and Congress passed the National Environmental Policy Act later that year. In 1977, the Department of Energy was created, and the country also began to look into alternative and renewable energy. The mix of nostalgia and fascination for the 70’s bought something new to the table this year: freshness, leisure, and empowerment. With 2020 reminding us that things can’t get any crazier by the month, roller skating and Fleetwood Mac with cranberry juice have proved otherwise. And perhaps this is the silver lining during this pandemic, because as superficial as social media might seem, the laid back attitude found in those skating queens and cranberry drinkers serves as a reminder to consistently perform a vibe check on ourselves.

achien@apachepowwow.net Graphics courtesy of CREATIVEMARKET.COM and DAFONT.COM

transactions, Ngo said that she learned how to successfully sell her clothes by being helpful and fair to her customers. “When I first started Depop, I was a bit nervous to ship items to other people because I wanted everything to be perfect. In fact, the first sale that I made had some technical problems but thankfully the buyer was super nice and cooperative.” Ngo shared that she “started Depop because [she] saw an excess [number] of clothes in [her] closet that [she] no longer wore or had use for. By selling [them], [she] hoped that someone else would love the clothes that [she] no longer had use for.” Additionally, Ngo also wanted “to make some money to purchase some clothes on [her] own. Right now, [she] has been getting frequent sales but since school started, [she] stopped posting as often.” Despite the app’s success, controversy prevails around how environmentally and economically ethical Depop is. Certain accounts purchase clothes at thrift stores, such as Goodwill, for low prices and raise them on Depop in order to raise profit.

cchan@apachepowwow.net Graphic courtesy of FREEPIC.COM and VECTEEZY.COM

SPORTS

theapachepowwow.net

OCTOBER 2020

THE BOOM OF THE SPORTS CARD MARKET

By JANELL WANG

Staff Writer

The coronavirus pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of society, including the economy. Oddly enough, while the economy is in decline, the sports card market is actually booming. Why is this happening, and who is buying all these cards? One factor of this boom is the existence of platforms such as eBay and Amazon. This caused much competition in the market and prices increased rapidly. The pandemic caused people to stay in their homes on screens, leading to impulse buying. Rookie cards that are autographed are especially valuable. As it turns out, sports cards can sell for surprisingly high prices. I mean, yes, sports cards are valuable, but the prices they sell at are ridiculously high. An example of this is a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card which can sell up for millions of dollars. John List is an expert in the economics of sports cards. Alongside his dealings with sports cards, he now teaches at the University of Chicago as an economics professor. Dr. List gave some insight into his field of work. “I looked for the best ways to negotiate, the best auction types to sell your cards, how trustworthy dealers were when promising specific grades, loss aversion,” he said. As rare and valuable sports cards can cost a fortune, the people who would be most interested are huge investors and collectors, people whose net worths range in the millions to billions. Dr. List has also attributed the boom being, “part nostalgic, part art and part investment potential. That combination is what’s magical.” The current pandemic definitely hasn’t been slowing down the business, and instead there’s been an increase in the selling of sports cards. The National Sports Collectors Convention was cancelled this year because of the COVID-19 situation. Virtual auctions instead took its place and it practically took off breaking records. Statistics show that at least $50,000 was made from selling over 40 cards on eBay during May to early June. This number increased to 96 cards, 35% of which sell for around $90,000. In 2019, an FBI investigation was conducted involving some important players like the Professional Sports Authenticator, an organization responsible for creating a system for grading the conditions of sports cards. A lawsuit was then filed on the basis of the manipulation of prices during auctions and misrepresentation. The judge ended up throwing out the case. The pandemic has caused much of the economy to decline, yet the sports card industry still thrives. It’s strange to think that this phenomenon was caused mostly due to the pandemic.

jwang@apachepowwow.net Graphic courtesy of BECKETT.COM and SPORTSCOLLECTORSDAILY.COM

COVID-19 FALSE POSITIVES AMONG THE NFL

By PAMINA YUNG

Staff Writer

Up until October, the New Jersey BioReference Laboratory, which has been the sole source of providing the National Football League (NFL) with COVID-19 tests for its players, has given the NFL almost 80 positive COVID-19 tests. The tests and data were sent back to the same lab to be re-examined, and each test came back negative, indicating the previous ones to have been false positives. Out of the five total BioReference labs across the nation working to diagnose COVID-19, the facility located in New Jersey has been the only one producing false positives. False positives can occur due to specimen-to-specimen cross-contamination or mixing up names with containers. Regardless, no testing method is 100% accurate. Nasal turbinate swabbing, which helps test for COVID-19, is similar to the test for influenza which, according to the Centers for Disease Control, has a sensitivity, or diagnostic accuracy, of around 50-70% when performed correctly. “Our investigation indicated that these were most likely false positive results, caused by an isolated contamination during test preparation in the New Jersey laboratory,” stated BioReference Laboratories in late August. “Re-agents, analyzers, and staff were all ruled out as possible causes — and subsequent testing has indicated that the issue has been resolved.” Teams that were affected by the false positive findings include the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, Tennessee Titans, and Cleveland Browns. One recent NFL false positive case was that of a New Orleans Saints player. Fullback Michael Burton tested positive for COVID-19 on the night of Oct. 3. With the game between the Saints and the Lions the following morning, Burton was quickly retested and received negative results. The game remained as planned, but the situation was quite a scare, considering the team had just flown on a plane, which would have made contact

tracing a nightmare. Inaccurate tests have been giving the NFL a headache for months, especially since there’s no real telling when exactly the pandemic will cease. These erroneous results have been a hindrance to games and practices for the concerned teams. Many events are being posponed or canceled, jumbling the schedule of the fourth and fifth weeks of the season. But the NFL will most likely put all its effort into keeping the games running and televised even in these dire circumstances to avoid losing billions of dollars in advertising and TV revenue. “We are working with our testing partner, BioReference, to investigate these results, while the clubs work to confirm or rule out positive tests,” the NFL said in a statement.

“Clubs are taking immediate precautionary measures as outlined in the NFL-NFLPA’s (NFL Players Association) health and safety protocols to include contact tracing, isolation of individuals and temporarily adjusting the schedule, where appropriate. The other laboratories used for NFL testing have not had similar results [as the laboratory in New Jersey].” With incredible uncertainty ahead regarding the soonest and most effective COVID-19 vaccine, along with the faulty results of the New Jersey BioReference lab, things aren’t looking so bright for future diagnoses.

pyung@apachepowwow.net Photo courtesy of CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COM

SPORTS

sports.powwow@gmail.com

OCTOBER 2020

THE NEW E-SPORTS LEAGUE AT AHS

By CATHERINE CHAN

Staff Writer According to Arcadia High School Listserve, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) announced a historical addition to the CIF-sanctioned sports, an esports league. With such unprecedented times in the COVID-19 pandemic, esports will provide a safe opportunity for students to now compete in the very sanctuary of their own homes. The new esports league at AHS will be coached by Zack Barrone and William Lai, AHS Class of 2015. The CIF’s esports league will consist of SMITE, League of Legends, and Rocket League. Many students and athletes are excited about this new addition to CIF sports.

As expected, the esports league will have to compete in tournaments as do other CIFsanctioned sports. In preparation for when they must begin competing, they will play once a week and create a club team as well. It is believed that the league will have three games through the platform they use. The games on these platforms include SMITE, League of Legends, and Rocket League. At this very moment in time, there are 20 colleges that are currently offering scholarships for those who participate in esports. Additionally, UC Irvine has already opened their new arena for the new esports league on their school’s campus. AHS believes that esports is a fantastic addition to the CIF sports community. Barrone said, “esports at AHS is something new and that we have never tried before

in the history of our school, yet I am feeling ports league will be sending out information excited for an amazing season with new begin- through email and through the new AHS app. The season has officially started as Oct. 1 nings.” The detailed organization creates a healthy marked the beginning of a new addition to environment for the students as they are sched- CIF-sanctioned sports. The tournaments are uled to partake in their club team once a week beginning as well, with the first tournament until further announcements. This action is play being on Oct. 16. Coaches Barrone and Lai will soon be hoped to not only engage the students with a conducting a couple of informational meetnew league but also regulate gaming habits and encourage the students to not game every ings for both students and parents to attend single night. Since the beginning of quarantine to get to know their new esports league betand possibly before, many student-gamers have ter. Overall, the AHS esports team is looking taken gaming seriously and as a routine. With optimistic to a bright future and reputation as the esports league, students will be actively well. engaged and involved with their club team for cchan@apachepowwow.net weekly practices, shifting their focus from their Photo courtesy of DMEXCO.COM, hectic gaming schedule each night of the week. STUDYINTERNATIONAL.COM, and Within the next few days, the new esWIRED.COM

Athlete Feature: Christine Chua and Tyler Ybarra

By SEAN YANG Staff Writer Water polo is a daunting sport that requires both stamina and speed in order to achieve success. Two outstanding athletes that have earned Coach Janice Clark’s praise on AHS’ Water Polo team are Tyler Ybarra and Christine Chua. Here is how they got to where they are today. Tyler first got interested in water polo when he watched the sport during the 2012 Summer Olympics. “I was motivated to join the sport because I wanted to meet new friends, form connections, and become a stronger athlete,” said Tyler. Christine, on the other hand, had always been a swimmer. After she became aware of

the aquatic sport, she looked up some YouTube videos of water polo and was immediately hooked. “The amount of excitement and fun I had during camp motivated me to join the team,” said Christine. Although both are on Varsity now, the two did not immediately make it into the Varsity team and had to work hard to get where they are. Tyler started his freshman year on the JV team and in his sophomore year, he was able to make his way onto Varsity despite setbacks, such as balancing his academic life with the sport. On the other hand, Christine started off on the JV team and by working hard, she was able to get a spot on the starting lineup. Even though she did not have as much experience as some of the other players, Christine was able to become a starter on the Varsity team in both sophomore

and junior year. After being accepted onto the Varsity team, Tyler and Christine found their hard work paid off. In his junior year, Tyler received the title of Varsity MVP as well as becoming the Varsity team captain in both his junior and senior year. He also qualified for CIF in both his sophomore and junior year. During Christine’s first year on the Varsity team, she earned Third Team All-Southern Section Division 6. In her junior year, she received Second Team All-Southern Section Division 5 as well as First Team All-Pacific League Honors. She was also named Girls Varsity MVP for 2019-2020 and obtained the Scholar-Athlete award for the last three years. These two individuals are not only skilled in sports, but are also high achievers in academics as well. Even though these athletes pooled a lot

of time into the sport, they were also able to keep up with their academics despite the abundance of work provided by the AHS curriculum. “By prioritizing academics above athletics, I was able to make sure my grades were fine, while still having time to play sports,” said Tyler. Christine knew she needed to improve her time management skills, and “playing the sport I absolutely love with my teammates became a huge motivation for me to excel in school,” said Christine. These two amazing athletes show how hard work and motivation can produce results. With some determination, anyone can aspire to succeed!

syang@apachepowwow.net Photo courtesy of CHRISTINE CHUA and TYLER YBARRA

CAMPUS FOCUS

l a l o h w l e a e u t n r i v ny are there a ons traditi n e e w o l l a h g on n i n n a l p e r you’ h over t i w p u g n keepi ? quarantine

ting anytrick or trea o g ’t n ca e on the choco “Though w be feasting ies to v o g m in o n g ee l il w ing Hallo ch more, I’m st at 0) w (1 d i h an h Sadeg ht myself se!” - Kayla u lates I boug o h y m g n ecorati as well as d a few of my have invited I l, o ting, o h sc trick-or-trea elementary een. We go year. w y lo “Ever since er al H ev y te d to celebra ns of can to er v d o an s d s n n s, d ie to fr eat frien and movies, and adition for me and my eed tr watch scary ea d we will n itely becom k-or-treat an ic like tr n to ee It has defin le w lo ab brating Hal e won’t be le w h ce g e u b o l th il al ill st to (11) tance, we w elly Segimo to social dis N ” s. ay w al

theapachepowwow.net

OCTOBER 2020

would you rathe r celebrate hallow een virtually or in pe rson?

“I’d love to invite my friends over to celebrate Ha lloween, but with the ongoing pandem ic, I’d rather do it virtually! There’s no de nying that trick-or-t reating outside or going to a haunted house with friends would be more exciting, but I feel that celebrat ing virtually would also make for a fu n and interesting ex perience.” - Stephanie Chen (11 ) “I would rather ce lebrate Halloween in person with socia distancing. There’s l still a lot of limita tions in a virtual se Celebrating it in pe tting. rson with socially distancing would en our safety and also sure creates a “pandemi c-spooky” vibe. So really looking forw I’m ard to an in-person Halloween celebrat since I can hang ou ion, t with my friends in a safe way but also get to experience an d enjoy a different kind of Halloween.” - Felix Chen (12)

what do you enjoy the most about halloween? “The thing I enjoy most about Halloween is all of the decorations! I love driving past houses and seeing how each home is personalized with different pumpkins, lights, etc.” - Joanne Zhao (10) “I guess dressing up, because it’s fun and I get to be who I want.” - William Tong (9)

azhao@apachepowwo w.net Graphics Courtesy of PN GA RT S.C OM and FAVPNG.COM