March 2023

The Arcadia Quill

The official student newspaper of Arcadia High School since 1952

Class of 2025 Bonding: You Look Good

By AVA SHAW Staff Writer

Part Time Job Student Feature: Kurt Wong

By KATHY WONG Staff Writer

Arcadia High School (AHS) students take on many extracurriculars and AP classes throughout their four years of high school to challenge themselves and plan for their futures. The competitiveness of the school is real, and the expectations students have for themselves are set high. With the stress and strong ambitions of students in the school, those who hold part-time jobs must balance their work hours with school and other responsibilities. Senior Kurt Wong talked about his experience working as a crew trainer at the Arcadia McDonald’s.

–Continuedonpage9

Appreciate Origami

Caroline Li’24 explores the value of origami and why it should be appreciated more.

Opinion • P6

Prom Rizz

Kaitlynn Trinh’25 shares tips on how to secure a prom date using “rizz.”

Features • P8

The Use of Anachronisms

Michael Hum’24 discusses the impacts of anachronisms in the film and entertainment industry.

(TW: Spoilers for some movies.)

Arts & Entertainment • P13

Rio Hondo/Pacific League Challenge Varsity Track Meet

Ava Shaw’25 showcases an outstanding performance by AHS’ Track and Field team at the Rio Hondo/Pacific League Track Meet.

Sports • P14

Arcadia High School

180 Campus Drive Arcadia, CA 91006

@arcadiaquill

2023 Regeneron Science Talent Search

By BREEANNA PHAM Staff Writer

The Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) is a pre-college science and mathematics competition in which high school seniors may enter for the chance to earn a prize of $2,000, with another $2,000 for their school to use for STEM-related activities. The top 40 Finalists have the capability to win $25,000 and partake in the final March competition, and the scholar with the top prize is granted $250,000.

The Regeneron STS is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious mathematics and science competition, and began in 1942. Every year, 1,900 students enter the competition, conducting their own unique research project. The goal of Regeneron STS is to find promising, engaging, and inspiring scientists among the nation’s high school seniors. In this year’s 82nd contest, Arcadia High School (AHS) teacher Mrs. Cherryl Mynster was recognized as a Teacher of Merit within the program.

As a Teacher of Merit, Mrs. Mynster’s role within the competition is to “support, review, and recommend students’ projects for the Regeneron Competition.”

Additionally, through their amazing research projects, two of AHS’ students, seniors Cindy Lu and Ian Peng made the top 300 cohort out of 1,949 students across the country who entered.

Lu explained that she did her research paper on “the possible aberrant human gut microbiome in COVID-19 patients, which may be an important factor in long COVID development and disease severity.”

In her project, she utilized meta-analysis to merge the findings of independent research papers, and statistical methods to find the

absolute effect of the data. From her findings, she found that if the health promoting bacteria is regrown, there is the possibility for various therapies someone can go through to alleviate the long term COVID symptoms.

Similarly to Lu, Peng constructed a way to help cure COVID facilitated through elevated temperatures, where lasers attach to the COVID virus and destroy it. His goal in pursuing this project was to not only assist in detecting a new way to destroy the virus, but to also introduce a new cure for viruses similar to SARS-CoV-2.

“The ACE2 (Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) functionalized PTA (photothermal absorbents) particles I created, which have a dual function, virus decoy and destruction, presents a unique and highly effective approach to tackling the dangers posed by widespread infection of COVID-19 variants, as well as other contagious diseases which involve rapidly mutating viral species,” said Peng.

The Regeneron STS is a program that can impact the lives of many seniors. For students who are looking into STEM majors, the lessons learned from this program are invaluable— from the ability to experience the process of writing a research paper, to gaining a different perspective on your passion project.

Congratulations to Mrs. Mynster, Cindy Lu, and Ian Peng on their success in the Regeneron STS!

The skies were clear and the sun was shining at the Class of 2025 bonding event, You Look Good. Sophomores gathered after school on Mar. 17 as their class council hosted a fun afternoon of arts and crafts, drinks, and fun with friends.

Upon arriving at the Rally Court, students lined up and waited for the event to commence. At the check-in station, they gave their ID numbers, were given a blue stamp, and headed up the stage towards several booths.

Students expressed their creative side as they decorated mini mirrors. At the first table, the sophomores were given a choice between either a square or circle mirror. At the decorating station, they had access to an array of supplies to embellish their mirrors. Laid out across the table were colorful acrylic paint pens, letter stickers, flower stickers, and more. The sophomores gathered around and chatted as they doodled on and decorated the mirrors with cute designs.

“I chose to decorate a square mirror with cat stickers. I’m looking forward to taking the mirror home so I can continue decorating it with my own supplies. I enjoyed expressing my creativity,” said sophomore Stephanie Ho.

Additionally, Sophomore Council treated their peers to a delicious boba bar. The ASB officers served up cups of refreshing mango passion fruit green tea with ice. Toppings included classic lychee jelly, as well as passion fruit popping boba. The drink was finished off with either a pink or yellow boba straw. Throughout the event, students sipped on the tasty beverage, with some even going back for seconds. As an accompanying snack, rice crackers were also sold at the rally court stage.

You Look Good also featured a board game table for students to take part in some friendly competition. Some games included 5 Second Rule, Rapid Cup, and the beloved card game Uno.

As all these activities went on, music played in the background, creating a cheerful atmosphere. Students sang along to songs such as “Loverboy” by A-Wall and “Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossoms” by boy band HIGH4.

“I had a good time spending time with my friends at meeting new people,” said sophomore Snigdha Boynipalli. “It was especially fun looking at other people’s mirrors because I was impressed by everyone’s artistic abilities. I also enjoyed how they included popping boba instead of regular boba in the tea. That was a fun touch.”

bpham@arcadiaquill.com

You Look Good was definitely a success among the Class of 2025. Sophomores enjoyed spending quality time with friends sipping boba, playing games, and decorating mirrors, all while listening to some great tunes!

NEWS: Seniors Cindy Lu and Ian Peng made it to the top 300 out of 1,949 students across the country in the Regeneron Science Talent Search Competition.

Photo courtesy of Arcadia Unified School District

The Arcadia Quill

Editors-in-Chief:

Catherine Chan, Lilian Chong, Enzo Goebel

News Editors:

Stephanie Wang, Madison Yee

Opinion Editors:

Ashley Chan, Chloe Wong

Features Editors:

Darin Buenaluz, Pamina Yung

Arts & Entertainment Editors: Anna Odell, Maryam Sadeghifard

Sports Editors: Sophia Li, Sohana Sahni

Media Editor:

Amanda Chang

Campus Focus Editor: Michelle So

Publicity Manager: Vritti Godani

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The Arcadia Quill acknowledges the systemic inequities persistent in our country and community, and therefore we maintain a dedication towards equity, diversity, and inclusion. As a studentled organization, we strive to inspire high school students to use their voices to discuss issues that affect them in conjunction with our goal to provide a space of journalistic integrity and professionalism. We expect ourselves to be inclusive and respectful of everyone regardless of identity—including but not limited to race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic identity, immigration status, socioeconomic status, ability, and religious belief. We strive to put our values into action by doing the following: Highlighting the stories and experiences of students from backgrounds that have historically faced inequality. Assessing how The Arcadia Quill can improve by taking steps to avoid contributing to cultural appropriation and systemic injustice. Working to educate our staff on the impact of systemic inequality, and equipping them with tools on how to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion within their own means. Following standards set by Arcadia Unified School District to confront systemic injustice including racial inequity. We hold ourselves to high standards in advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion. If you have any questions or concerns regarding these efforts by The Arcadia Quill, please email eic. arcadiaquill@gmail.com.

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Staff Writers:

Ryan Chai, Nathan Chen, Niyah (Elliot) Davis, Harini Devaguptapu, Juliette Fang, Jose Gama, Eleanor Gladson-Pang, Michelle Ho, Michael Hum, Amish Jha, Annie Jiang, Emily Lee, Caroline Li, Lisa Li, Justina Liu, Zhilin Liu, Samantha Luan, Victoria Thalia Mair, Emmaline Pan, Breeanna Pham, Ava Shaw, Sofia Payan Siegrist, Clarissa Suryapranata, Kaitlynn Trinnh, Ziming (Sarah) Wang, Kathy Wong, Lin Zhang

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Advisor: Mrs. Lesley Lee

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WELCOME TO THE INTERNET WELCOME TO THE INTERNET

In one of their most controversial and probably ineffective measures by the federal government, the White House and Congress seek to do what former President Trump sought to do: ban TikTok. Citing threats to national security, they fear that the expansion of TikTok usage could infringe on the privacy rights of Americans, as TikTok is a service owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company, underneath growing American-Chinese tensions.

While TikTok is used by people of all generations around the world, its most pronounced effects can be seen through how it has shaped the culture and minds of its most prominent user demographic, America’s Gen Z. According to Wallaroo Media, 62% of TikTok’s main viewers, aged 16-29, are so heavily influenced by apps like TikTok that they can’t perceive the world without making some sort of Internet reference, either mentally or out loud. In fact, it seems like young people have trouble communicating without TikTok and internet culture. The social media app is vital in online communication and entertainment, so many users are reasonably upset by the prospect of a serious ban on TikTok.

Aside from sowing generational divides, banning TikTok threatens to have a more

global impact. With relations between the U.S. and China already being less than desirable due to several factors, including but not limited to the recent axis established between Beijing and Moscow, theories about the true origin of COVID-19, and the spy balloons that were shot down, it wouldn’t be surprising if a trade embargo or travel restriction arose as a result of the US cutting off one of China’s biggest sources of revenue and publicity. It’s not news that the U.S. fears foreign access to American data. However, there could be an ulterior motive behind the ban. According to Capitol Trades, Congress members who conducted the TikTok hearing invest in Meta, Al-

phabet (Google), Amazon, and Apple which are all American-based companies that would greatly benefit from an elimination of international competition. This explains why Congress tightly pursued TikTok in court with weak evidence and questions, such as ones asking if TikTok needs to use WiFi. Protecting the data of American citizens is a reasonable concern and justification for a possible ban on TikTok. However, all the inquiries directed at TikTok apply to any social media company in existence, and it’s unfair to have legislators with inside knowledge decide which companies prevail and which ones don’t.

It doesn’t seem likely that the federal government’s ban will trickle its way down to average citizens. However, even if the ban on TikTok comes to include everyday people, Gen Z is unaffected by this. Removing access to one platform of online expression will just cause a mass Internet migration to another, while unnecessarily provoking another arm to the political conflict with China. Gen Z would give the President a bombastic side-eye, but teenagers and young adults will ultimately find a way to continue and grow their internet culture elsewhere.

ARCADIA SCIENCE OLYMPIAD PLACES 2ND AT LA REGIONALS

By ELLIE GLADSON-PANG Staff Writer

Representing Arcadia High School (AHS) at the Los Angeles Regional Science Olympiad Competition on Mar. 4, the AHS Science Olympiad team grappled with tests and challenges related to all things science. Chemistry, forensics, engineering, physics, anatomy, epidemiology, geology, and meteorology proved to be no match for the AHS team, however.

Out of 60 teams from all across the region, AHS’ A Team placed second overall in the country-wide regional qualifier, cementing their place at the state competition on April 8. Their B Team placed sixth, with another great placement, making AHS the only school in the entire competition to have placed with both teams.

From their 7 a.m. arrival at Rio Hondo College, all the way until the celebratory team dinner afterwards, the team’s 28 participants had the chance to demonstrate their skills in the event-based team competition. With the traditional spring competition season drawing closer to the ultimate culmination at Southern California State competition, AHS students were certainly itching to show-off their knowledge and know-how in the 23 events of Science Olympiad’s high school program.

“It was a long day, packed full of events; we went in the early morning and stayed until the awards ceremony at 6 p.m., and had a team dinner afterwards. It was tough, but very rewarding,” said sophomore Avani Athavale.

Science Olympiad is a national organization that hosts competitions in events pertaining to a variety of scientific fields. Even in a stiff field of high school teams from all 50 states, AHS’ team has been historically successful, earning top 10 places in Regional and State events since 2019. There are 23 events in which pairs of students from the same team enter, including test, lab, and building-based ones. Some events, like Chemistry Lab, Forensics, and Environmental Chemistry, simulate real lab scenarios centered on obtaining results. Others, including Detector Building and Wifi Lab, have both a test and a build

portion to hone a variety of skills on one topic. Furthermore, some fully building-focused events like Flight, Bridges, Trajectory, and Scrambler require students to work on creating their own devices and developing their own processes to put to the test during the event.

“In this competition, I participated in Disease Detectives, and we got 1st place. I also got 5th in Flight and second in Forensics. Like most of the events in Science Olympiad, these are all partner-based events,” said Athalvale. “My favorite event is Forensics, which I’ve grown to really enjoy this year due to the in-person competition. A major part of the event is having samples of different powders, fibers, hairs, and plastics to use to implicate suspects in the crime that we are given. Last year, since it was mostly online, we couldn’t do the actual lab portion for most competitions, but this year we have participated in three in-person competitions for which I have done this event.”

Team Captain senior Janell Wang would also encourage STEM interested students to join the team. “Science Olympiad is a lot of fun because not only do you get to explore a huge variety of events that cover different fields of science, but you also get to meet a lot of interesting people with the same interests as you,” said Wang.

“If this sounds like something you could be interested in

doing or you have a huge STEM interest, definitely consider trying out,” continued Wang.

“Being on the team for three years now and as the captain, I have made a lot of fond memories with people, whether it would be preparing for an upcoming competition or having a postcompetition dinner. I’m truly proud to be the captain of such an amazing team of people.”

AHS sent two teams of 15 members, an A and B team, to the LA Regionals with hopes of placing within the top six overall in order to advance to the State-level competition. The winner of that competition receives the title of State Champion and the opportunity to represent Southern California at the National tournament in May.

“We knew that our main competition for regionals was Temple City High School (TCHS) and Glen A. Wilson High School (GAWHS). Arcadia usually does quite well at regionals, and this year, are two teams placed second and sixth respectively, which means that both technically qualified for State. However, only one team per school can go to State, so our first team will be advancing,” said Athavale.

“We were a little disappointed with the second place, because it was by three points, but overall everyone was proud of having done so well, with many of our competitors placing first in their events.”

Congratulations to our Science Olympiad team, and good luck at State!

For any AHS students who are curious about joining the team and participating in future events like this one, visit the team website or their booth at Spring Preview. From Codebusters to Green Generation, Science Olympiad surely has an event to foster your love of science. The collaborative team environment and exciting competition days add to the fun. Check out the event descriptions on the official member website and their public information page.

Photo courtesy of AHS Science Olympiad egladson-pang@arcadiaquill.com

ASB SOPHOMORE COUNCIL HOSTS BONDING EVENT:

You Look Good

By AVA SHAW Staff Writer

The skies were clear and the sun was shining at the Class of 2025 bonding event, You Look Good. Sophomores gathered after school on Mar. 17 as their class council hosted a fun afternoon of arts and crafts, drinks, and fun with friends.

Upon arriving at the Rally Court, stdents lined up and waited for the event to commence. At the check-in station, they gave their ID numbers, were given a blue stamp, and headed up the stage toward several booths.

Students expressed their creative side as they decorated mini mirrors. At the first table, the sophomores were given a

choice between either a square or circle mirror. At the decorating station, they had access to an array of supplies to embellish their mirrors. Laid out across the table were colorful acrylic paint pens, letter stickers, flower stickers, and more. The sophomores gathered around and chatted as they doodled on and decorated the mirrors with cute designs.

“I chose to decorate a square mirror with cat stickers. I’m looking forward to taking the mirror home so I can continue decorating it with my own supplies. I enjoyed expressing my creativity,” said sophomore Stephanie Ho.

Additionally, Sophomore Council treated their peers to a delicious boba bar. The ASB officers served up cups of refreshing mango passion fruit green tea with ice. Toppings included classic lychee jelly, as well as passion fruit popping boba. The drink was finished off with either a pink or yellow boba straw. Throughout the event, students sipped on the tasty beverage, with some even going back for seconds. As an accompanying snack, rice crackers were also sold at the rally court stage.

You Look Good also featured a board game table for students to take part in some friendly competition. Some games included 5 Second Rule, Rapid Cup, and the beloved card game Uno.

As all these activities went on, music played in the background, creating a cheerful atmosphere. Students sang along to songs, such as “Loverboy” by A-Wall and “Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossoms” by boy band HIGH4.

“I had a good time spending time with my friends at

meeting new people,” said sophomore Snigdha Boynipalli. “It was especially fun looking at other people’s mirrors because I was impressed by everyone’s artistic abilities. I also enjoyed how they included popping boba instead of regular boba in the tea. That was a fun touch.”

You Look Good was definitely a success among the Class of 2025. Sophomores enjoyed spending quality time with friends sipping boba, playing games, and decorating mirrors all while listening to some great tunes!

Photo courtesy of ASB ashaw@arcadiaquill.com

2023 Spring Pep

Assembly

By MICHELLE HO Staff Writer

The sky was gloomy and drizzling rain, but inside the North Gym, students were buzzing with chatter and excitement as they waited for the Spring Pep Assembly to start. On March 10, ASB rallied together all Arcadia High School (AHS) students to show support for the school’s teams and organizations this semester.

“The atmosphere of the assembly was my favorite part,” reflected sophomore Max Ma. “It’s always an enjoyable experience to gather with fellow Apaches and celebrate school spirit and our hardworking organizations.”

As the first performance was being prepared, Pep Band played enthusiastically to keep the audience entertained before the show started. ASB President senior Benjamin Oh and ASB Spirit Commissioner senior Jaimie Lee welcomed the crowd and introduced the first performance by World Drumline. The team, which was made up of several different percussion instruments, put on a dazzling performance with sequined black uniforms, complicated platforms, and choreography.

“The drumline produced some pretty cool music,” said freshman Collin Hardy. “It was one of the best assembly performances.”

The next performance was by World Guard, an excellent team of dancers that boasts over 13 consecutive years as a finalist in the Scholastic World. The performance, lasting nearly 10 minutes long, consisted of intricate choreography and props. The largest prop was two metal wheels with bright blue lights, illuminating the North Gym with a soft blue hue. The crowd oohed and aahed at the sight of the dancers spinning over, under, and on

top of the two wheels, and tossing rifles and flags up in the air with sheer talent and skill.

Next up, ASB Athletics Commissioner senior Jocelyn Wang announced each of the Varsity Spring sports teams to the student audience. Track and Field, Boys Varsity Golf, Varsity Baseball, Varsity Badminton, Girls Varsity Softball, Boys Varsity Tennis, Boys Varsity Volleyball, and Varsity Swim and Dive all enthusiastically made their respective entrances, drawing out cheers and applause. Each team performed their own cheer, with some especially entertaining performances by Boys Varsity Golf and Varsity Swim and Dive.

With half of the golf team on one side of the gym and the other half on the opposite side, a member of the team putted a golf ball across the gym into a red solo cup in one attempt, eliciting amazed and excited acclamation from the crowd. Adding a comedic end to the sports introductions, the swim team carried their members on their stomachs as they “swam” to the middle of the gym, sporting swimming caps and goggles. As the sports introductions drew to a close, excitement for this season’s sports competitions rose.

“It was a very cool experience [watching the assembly,] and seeing what other [AHS] teams had to offer was incredible,” said sophomore Samuel Li, reflecting on the different performances of that day. Li himself partici-

pated in the assembly as part of the Boys Varsity Tennis team. The tennis players had senior Jason Li bench press another player, freshman Matthew Chen, displaying their strength and athleticism in their own distinctive way.

Then, Pep Squad performed a routine for the audience after the sports announcements, ending with an epic sequence of backflips and turns through the air. The show was followed by an Orchesis performance, though this differed from the past few assemblies. Unlike the previous dances, Orchesis chose a select 10 members of their group to partner with teachers and students to make their own 5 to 10 second long choreography. Not only was this an enjoyable experience for the dancers, the students in the bleachers were filled with excitement as they recognized their very own teachers performing.

“I liked the student-teacher dance the most because it was funny seeing the teachers dance,” said senior Lynn Chen. “It was different compared to all the other assemblies we had, so it made things more interesting.” The studentteacher performance was definitely one of the unique highlights of this year’s spring assembly.

After the exhilarating performances, the 2023 prom theme and location were an-

nounced in enormous, bright posters. Located in Wallis Annenberg Building at the California Science Center with the theme “Lost in the Afterglow,” juniors and seniors are highly encouraged to partake in the dance to celebrate the last few years of high school.

Once the chatter and excitement for this year’s prom subsided, AHS seniors performed their very own dance sequence in a fun way to exhibit their pride and spirit for their last school year. Combining several of the most popular songs of recent years in a dramatic remix, the seniors incorporated a unique piece of choreography in which the lights of the gym were switched off, and they danced with their phone flashlights, illuminating the gym as the assembly drew to a close. After the Alma Mater was played, the Spring Pep Assembly officially ended.

“I loved being able to dance and perform with friends that I’ve known for so long,” said senior Helena Wang, who was part of the senior dance. “We hyped each other up and really enjoyed ourselves!”

Overall, the Spring Pep Assembly was a revitalizing experience that brought together AHS students for the 4th and final quarter of the 2022 to 2023 school year. With just a few months to go, this final assembly boosted the spirits of AHS students to support them through the last months of the school year. Congratulations to the teams and organizations that performed in the Spring Pep Assembly, it was a wonderful performance that will definitely be remembered.

Appreciate Origami.

By CAROLINE LI Staff Writer

You’re waiting in the lunch line. There’s nothing to do but count the pieces of dandruff on the hair of the person you’re behind, and 10 people just cut in front of you in the time it took to bend down and tie your shoe. Faced with little choice, you sigh dramatically, pull out your phone, and open up a few apps. Maybe check your email. There’s no real reason, but your hands feel empty, and you want to look like you’re doing something, even if it’s just swiping boredly back and forth between the pages of your homescreen.

The problem? As our Screentime notifications love to inform us, phones are great at eating up large chunks of our time. And as cool as it is to have the entire Internet squeezed into a little metal box that fits in the palm of your hand, if you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to spend five hours liking realistic food drawings on Instagram and another five sharing them with his friends. Instead of racking up Screentime minutes, I believe that more people should take up the art of origami because it can be done anywhere and anytime, fulfills and stimulates different parts of the brain, and can have stress-relieving effects.

The word “origami” comes from the Japanese words “oru”, meaning “to fold,” and “kami”, meaning “paper.” Unlike our phones, paper as we know it was invented by the Chinese in the Han Dynasty—approximately 2,000 years ago. Origami followed soon after, expanding gradually to the West as paper became more and more accessible to the masses.

Aside from being used in religious rituals, origami used to be a major source of entertainment for Japanese children and adults alike and has been shown to improve handeye coordination, attention span, concentration, and imagination. It also doubles as a therapeutic exercise for individuals recovering from a stroke or injury, as was the case for Sadako Sasaki, a young girl afflicted with leukemia due to radiation exposure from the Hiroshima bomb. Sasaki attempted to fold 1,000 paper cranes (which symbolize good fortune) in hopes of being cured, and later on, for world peace. In honor of her death and those of the countless other children killed by the atomic bomb, a statue of a girl lifting a paper crane into the flight, known as the Children’s Peace Monument, was erected in Hiroshima.

Unlike our phones and other electronic devices, origami doesn’t produce any overstimulating blue light, which has a shorter wavelength than normal light. Although blue light can come from natural sources, the blue light our phones produce creates more visual noise in our eyes, which can disrupt our circadian rhythms, damage the retinas, and cause eye strain. It also doesn’t have predatory algorithms trying to get you to buy weight loss tea, resulting in hour-long doom-scrolling

sessions, or give you a headache when you realize just how much homework you’ve procrastinated on.

But enough about why origami is better than phone addiction—why should you do origami?

Due to the ubiquity of paper and online tutorials, origami is an extremely accessible and affordable hobby that attracts people of all ages and backgrounds. Moreover, origami is known to stimulate the brain by building hand-

used for solar panel arrays on satellites).

Furthermore, the repetitive action of folding a particular origami over and over again can establish neural pathways that transfer clumsy, conscious movements from the motor cortex into the cerebellum, where movements become fluid and unconscious. Due to this process, origami can help individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by serving as a low-effort, inexpensive fidget toy. Additionally, the more complex, interconnected neural

Doraiswamy. “Serotonin influences mood and helps us feel happy and calm…it helps kids increase their overall levels of attention.”

Lastly, origami breaks are immensely helpful for getting past mental blocks. Not only do they provide a tangible token of your time, care, and effort, but they also serve as cognitively and physically engaging respites from long periods of work. Similar to how our brains use dreams to interpret and sort the overwhelming amount of stimuli we receive during the daytime, folding origami occupies your hands with a series of low-effort, repetitive movements, allowing your mind the space and time it needs to work its troubles out. For example, while writing this article, there was a period where I couldn’t for the life of me get the first paragraph to sound right. I was so caught up in the cycle of deleting and writing and reading and deleting again that it started to impact my emotional state because fun little intros like that usually come very naturally to me. Eventually, I just couldn’t summon the motivation to continue, so I took a minute to step back from the screen and folded myself a yellow paper crane with some repurposed scratch paper (who I have since named Curious George).

While folding George, I was also unconsciously sifting through my emotions and expectations, thinking of ways to improve upon my writing, and allowing my thoughts to pass in and out of my mind without resistance— all of which helped me re-approach my intro with a less turbulent and more objective mindset. In other words, George helped me realize that nothing is perfect and that sometimes, that realization in itself is immensely valuable to the creative process. Thanks, George.

“It’s not uncommon for people to have breakthrough ideas while mindlessly working on something with their hands,” claimed Dr. Susan Biali Haas. “When we engage in a repetitive task, completely taking our minds off whatever problem or issue we have been struggling with, the solution will often magically appear.”

As for Arcadia High School students, junior Justina Liu mentioned that “origami challenges the human mindset to think from another perspective.” She also expressed that it was conducive to learning.

eye coordination, developing fine-motor skills, improving memory, and encouraging concentration in children. While its creative aspects exercise the imagination, it also has practical applications that can be extrapolated to the realms of engineering, molecular physics, and invention through concepts such as optimization algorithms (used in mathematical/technical origami, or “origami seeker”), Gaussian Potentials, and the Miura Map Fold (a type of fold

pathways created from committing these movements to the cerebellum serve as comprehensive highway systems that expedite the learning process for future skills.

If these physical and mental benefits aren’t enough for you, then origami is just plain fun.

“It turns out that when your hands are engaged in the process of folding the paper, impulses are being sent to your brain [that], in turn, releases serotonin,” wrote Dr. P. Murali

Origami is a more enriching, entertaining, and productive alternative to phone fidgeting. Aside from relieving stress and emotional turmoil, it helps the brain commit future skills to muscle memory faster, improves attention and cognitive function in children, and stimulates the brain. As teenagers with way too much screen time under their belts, origami is a great way to remember that sometimes it helps to take a page out of the past, even if it’s to make paper cranes.

cli@arcadiaquill.com

COMMONS

Photo courtesy of

The Unattainability of Pinterest

By ELLIE GLADSON-PANG Staff Writer

“Pinterest-worthy” is a term that means picturesque and visually appealing, or aesthetic enough to be worthy of being posted, saved, and shared on social media. It’s a common enough phrase—there’s no apparent malice in the compliment. The doubt about it. Trends crowding the site create a vacuum, reducing any non-conformance to a lesser status. Without reverence and popularity on Pinterest, individuality is condemned, as one particular style or look is elevated to be the expectation.

The popular Pinterest aesthetic called “Coastal Granddaughter” is a hidden example of this disturbing truth. You may have seen pictures of blue and white color palettes, knit tops, and button-up linens. Yes, this particular style is one of many

popular on Pinterest, so its exclusivity isn’t because of a condemnation of those who don’t dress this way. In actuality, the trend has seemed to favor pictures of white, thin, blond girls. Deviation from this particular look won’t earn as many saves, boosting creators with a born advantage and leaving others out.

This inequity of representation cre

The core issue with the site is that it fosters a sense of insecurity. The incessant obsession with being someone else, the spiral of self-loathing, and the need to conform to the pictures on a screen, are all side-effects of using such a dangerous social media site and contribute to a mental health crisis associated with social media and young people.

“I find myself deleting and redownloading social media apps all the time on my phone,” said AHS sophomore Reena Hsieh. “It’s Instagram most of the time that starts to feel toxic, but

stark difference between Pinterest and reality makes it seem more like a slap in the face. It’s a cruel metaphor for the entire dynamic of Pinterest when the app suggests the cheap, uglier version of your perfect outfit. Or a piece of furniture that you would kill to own. Or any product that is so completely different from the picture that you have to scoff. The entire app’s premise is to present an ideal lifestyle that is essentially unattainable and creates a black hole for the young adults who try.

The whole idea of Pinterest is unattainable and unrealistic toxicity, disguised as uplifting inspiration.

featured the most trendy clothing pieces; users felt excluded by trends, and Pinterest only exacerbated those issues as the center of the movement.

“I saw a lot of those boards on Pin terest last year, and it was so obvious how toxic that mindset is and how people were victimized by social media. All the body image stereotypes about looking a certain way are still really common on Pinterest though,” said Arcadia High School (AHS) sophomore Vania Ahmadi.

boards for every single part of their lives, inviting an epidemic of self-hatred for not fitting the image.

Pinterest has a feature that creates a list of products similar to the item in a picture. Seems like a useful tool, but the

PINTEREST.com

PROM RIZZ

By KAITLYNN TRINH

Staff Writer

As spring approaches, Arcadia High School’s (AHS) prom is creeping up on us. Prom is an iconic high school dance that many attend with a date. However, asking someone out to prom can be difficult or daunting. Are you a junior or senior struggling to ask out your person of interest to prom? Well, don’t worry; TheArcadia Quill team is here to help!

Asking someone to prom is no easy task, mentally and physically (in some cases) as some promposals require more physical effort. Throughout many decades at AHS, students have come up with varying and creative ways of asking their loved ones out! Compiled in this article are a few different methods some of our AHS alumni have used to rizz someone up for prom.

Asking someone to prom is undoubtedly nerve-racking, but in most scenarios, the outcome is worth the risk.

AHS alumni Dylan Wei shared his thoughts on his pre-prom anxiety.

“Initially, I was really scared to ask out my

courage to ask her out. Honestly, I was deciding [between] two ways of asking her to prom: by making a poster or writing a song for her. Although it was a tough decision, I chose to make a poster because singing [seemed] too scary.” All in all, the end result was amazing. Al though I spent nearly two hours mak ing a poster for her, she said yes, and I like to think my artistic skills really helped me in the chance category.”

Wei proposed us ing a simple, yet memo rable method of creating a poster to ask someone to prom. Well done!

AHS alumni

Sharron Lui shared another creative method to ask someone to prom.

“I created a plan with my friends to organize a flash mob to ask out my boyfriend,” explained Lui. “We choreographed a dance to ‘Future Husband’ by Meghan Trainer. It was a lot of work and time invested, but it was worth his reaction and he said yes. Honestly, if you’re willing to put in the effort, especially the time, and you have a [strong] bond with your friends, I suggest doing something like this. My boyfriend still brings it up from time to time, proving it’s mem-

Lui definitely took the lengthy approach to ask someone out, but it was all worth it in the end. Great

don’t need to be flashy to ask someone out to prom. At times, being discreet is best suited for a situation. AHS alumni Kody Trinh shared his experience.

“Immediately, I knew I was going to discreet and quiet approach. To be front, being [flashy] is not my thing. I took some time during an idle school day to bake a few cupcakes. On the cupcakes, I wrote the individual letters of ‘prom’.”

Trinh added, “The next day during school, I drove my crush to Starbucks and showed her the cupcakes and asked her out formally, but quietly. Luckily, she said yes!”

As shown, being extravagant isn’t always necessary. Baking desserts for someone sounds so sweet! Thanks, Trinh!

Unfortunately, as much as we’d like to say otherwise, not all promposals work out. AHS alumni Hannah Wang shared her unfortunate experience.

“I’ve always been a really shy girl, but I racked up enough courage to ask my crush back then to prom during junior year,” she said. “With encouragement from my closest friends, I felt confident and asked him over text. I was aware of the risk of him saying no, but I didn’t expect him to be so blunt about it. I was heartbroken about it for some time, but I eventually got over it and still had fun at prom, with my girls obviously.”

Wang demonstrates that someone else’s rejection shouldn’t define a possible prom rejection. At the end of the day, you should always prioritize yourself over another.

To our junior and senior Apaches looking to ask someone to prom, The Quill wishes you the best of luck! We hope we encouraged or motivated you to take action! Good

ktrinh@arcadiaquill.com

Design by Skye Escobedo

MARCH 2023

Part time Job Student Feature: Kurt Wong

By KATHY WONG

working more enjoyable or stressful.

Staff Writer

Arcadia High School (AHS) students take on many extracurriculars and AP classes throughout their four years of high school to challenge themselves and plan for their futures. The competitiveness of the school is real, and the expectations stu dents have for themselves are set high. With the stress and strong ambitions of students in the school, those who hold part-time jobs must balance their work hours with school and other re sponsibilities. Senior Kurt Wong talked about his experience work ing as a crew trainer at the Ar cadia McDonald’s.

Wong started working at the fast food restaurant in June 2021 to make money and plan for college. When asked how he balances school with his work life, Wong admitted that Google Calendar is a big help to his weekly schedule.

“I usually schedule designated times and days for different things,” explained Wong. “For instance, I make sure that on Wednesdays and Thursdays, I don’t have any work so I can finish my homework before usually having a test on Friday.”

Having a part-time job as a high school student can be overwhelming at times, depending on the classes you take or how well you handle stress.

“I work on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,” said Wong. “For Friday and Saturday, I work from 4:30 p.m. to midnight, while on Sunday, I work from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m..”

Wong shared about whether he finds

“Working can be stressful sometimes, especially when it gets busy, and when we are short-staffed, but at the same time I know that I’m also making money, and it’s a good experience.”

Time management is an important skill to have if you’re working a part-time job. Procrastination is usually not an option, and this is no exception for Wong. He described how he tries to finish all his homework at school and has a designated time during the week to focus on schoolwork. In addition, he even uses time during working hours to ensure that he stays on top of his priorities.

“If I have a lot of homework I need to complete, or I have to study for a test, I usually also utilize my breaks from work like my half an hour meal break or my 10-minute rest breaks.”

Having a part-time job as a student comes with many challenges. Personally, Wong found his main difficulty to be the balance between work and school.

Wong reflected on his experience working part-time as a junior.

“I felt like I struggled a lot with that because back then I worked five days a week, and after working and doing all that stuff, I just needed to set my priorities straight and focus more time on school.”

“When you work a first-time job, it can be really hard to say no to your boss, especially when setting firm boundaries,” Wong further stated.

During the summer, students tend to go on vacation, relax, get ahead by taking summer

courses, and of course, start working with all l0 the time that they have. Wong found it hard to decline the work that he could learn from, not to mention, the money that he could earn.

Working a part-time job in high school is a commitment that is not for everyone, so stu dents typically work in the summer without having to worry about school and grades. Wong shared his thoughts regarding this topic.

“If you’re taking five APs and your goal is to do well in all of them, I would say you shouldn’t work a part-time job unless you’re good with time management,” Wong said. “But if you think you can man age schoolwork and your job while maintaining your grades, then you should def initely consider doing it.”

Although working a part-time job during the school year is hard, there are also many perks that come along with it. Wong learned a lot of life experiences that really helped him open his eyes to the real world.

“You learn a lot of life experience while working a part-time job, and you learn about customer service that you can really use and put on your resume,” remarked Wong. I know that a lot of jobs, especially later on, really look for those types of customer service experiences, and having a part-time job really can help you with that.”

For students unsure whether or not they should start taking a part-time job during high school, Wong provided his thoughts and gave some advice with his personal experience.

“I think it really depends, but I would say having a part-time job during high school is

really beneficial.”

In his sophomore year; Wong took Retail Marketing, a 7th-period class that AHS offers. Wong found it extremely beneficial for him and highly recommended it to students. Having learned a lot about job skills, like how to write a resume, and laws that employers can or can’t enforce on minors. As a student, it was a class he didn’t regret taking.

“It was really helpful for me knowing those types of background stuff to know that you don’t get taken advantage of by your employer as a minor,” said Wong. “It’s open I believe to sophomores, juniors, and seniors, so it really is a good and beneficial class for students to take.”

With AP classes, difficult customers he faces, and college on his mind, Wong continues on with his job at McDonald’s. Although it may be difficult sometimes, Wong manages to overcome the challenges and remains motivated.

kwong@arcadiaquill.com

Photos Courtesy of May Wang and UNSPLASH.COM

LIFE AFTER GOVERNMENT: A FIRESIDE CHAT WITH DR. FAUCI

By MICHELLE SO and MICHAEL HUM Campus Focus Editor, Staff Writer

There is no face of the pandemic more recognizable than that of Dr. Anthony Fauci. The former Chief Medical Advisor and Director of the National Institute of Health (NIH) is best known for his messages of resounding reassurance during the peak of pandemic uncertainty. In December 2022, the 82-year-old officially stepped down from his government duties, marking the beginning of an end of a remarkable legacy in public health administration.

In a webinar hosted by The Boston Globe as part of Health and Biotech Week 2023, the Quill was invited to view and participate in the fireside chat. Fauci took center stage and screen as he answered a variety of questions pertaining to COVID-19 and the pandemic. He joined the meeting in a gray suit and a navy blue tie, giving a little wave to the camera before moderator Anna Kuchment noted that he was muted—as is typical of the start of such meetings.

Kuchment began the questioning by bringing up the recent Department of Energy’s findings that contest the origins of the COVID-19 virus. Once thought to have originated from a wet market, there have been suspicions that COVID-19 may have escaped from a lab instead. Fuaci was quick to question these claims, neither supporting

nor denying their credibility.

“We must all keep an open mind to all possibilities that need to be entertained,” Fauci responded. “It would be nice to see that data to make an evaluation.”

The questions then shifted from the origins of COVID-19 to any recommended preventive measures we can use to contain the virus. Fauci was quick to reit erate the policies he explained over his tenure as Chief Medical Advisor, including vaccina tion, preventative measures such as frequent maskwearing, and frequent tests when presenting any symptoms.

“Only 69% of [the U.S.] population is vaccinated,” Fauci reminded. “Compare us to other countries—even countries in the developing world—our vaccination level isn’t as good.”

In addition to preventative measures, mask-wearing was also brought up during the questionnaire. Fauci noted that he had been double-boosted, infected (which prodduces natural immunity), and boosted again.

He chuckled, “I have a lot of immune

response in me…but I’m not reckless.”

His ultimate decision, he noted, depends on a multitude of factors, including the crowd size, the local transmission level (per the CDC’s regularly updated data), and his

“When I’m in a situation like a crowded indoor situation, I may or may not wear a mask,” Fauci concluded. The interview then considered more questions about his personal life, notably about if there are still any death threats he has received over the decisions he made during the pandemic.

“Every time someone makes a conspiratorial comment that I’ve destroyed the country’s economy or I created the virusvirus or something like that, then the threats elevate,” Fauci commented. “They really haven’t diminished since I stepped down.”

The interview also discussed what Fauci considers his greatest accomplishment. From leading the nation through COVID-19 to working under numerous presid ents, he aptly responded with his contributions to fighting against AIDS.

“I’m most proud of developing the AIDS program… that transformed the lives

of patients with HIV,” he noted, citing that the program has “saved millions of lives throughout, without a doubt.”

The interview also discussed what Fauci considers his greatest accomplishment. From leading the nation through COVID-19 to working under numerous presidents, he aptly responded with his contributions to fighting against AIDS.

“I’m most proud of developing the AIDS program…that transformed the lives of patients with HIV,” he noted, citing that the program has “saved millions of lives throughout, without a doubt.”

With the fireside chat coming to a close, the webinar has given us new information about Fauci’s perspective on managing the entire COVID-19 pandemic. It shows that even though he has stepped down from a public role in government, Fauci still contributes to the safety of Americans by continually instructing people how to successfully manage the pandemic.

mso@arcadiaquill.com and mhum@arcadiaquill.com

Photo Courtesy of FLICKR.COM

Webcomics: Where Art and Reading Intersect

Codak, and charming interactability of An drew Hussie’s Homestuck. Not only that, but the complex, often interwoven storylines, flawed characters, and signature art

“Diversity is legitimacy. It’s sincerity.

Daily News, echoing the sentiments of Mr. John Keating, of Dead Poets’ So ciety fame: “We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race.”

To accommodate for this explosive up tick in popularity, the webcomics industry has revolutionized to include more genres and works from a more diverse cast of cre ators than ever before. And while there still are some series that take large teams of artists, authors, and colorists to produce, webcomic corporations have repeatedly dis tinguished themselves from old money Big Comic by opening the platform for anyone with the means to publish their own comic. This invitation paves the paths for indie creators to rise the ranks, and places webcomics unwaveringly on Team Fans in terms of input and interactability.

“Webcomics offer a simple solution to a complicated issue. Instead of relying squarely on large corporations to react to the trends of the public, indie creators are now in a position to tackle this with their own hands, and they’re doing it really well,” wrote CG Glover, staff writer for the Book Riot, going on to note that “the freedom to create something that fills the void of the market is a magic in itself. Indie creators and webcomics accomplish what a lot of mainstream titles struggle with: they allow for the audience and the creators to work together to make a great piece of media that can be enjoyed on a large scale.

As Glover argues in her article, the technology of today can be used to create a more colorful and diverse tomorrow, another freedom of webcomics sadly absent from both the casts—and, unfortunately, creators—of many major mainstream titles.

any) for greater independence and creative control is well worth the end results: extensive, exquisite worlds rivaling those of the most renowned epic fantasies, chillingly rendered stills of horrific creatures, and scandalous court politics in scintillating gowns—all at no additional cost to patient readers.

As for AHS students, junior Emily Luo remarked that she enjoys reading Lookism, a thriller webcomic about the adventures of one high schooler with two bodies. AHS junior Patience Choi recommends Of Machines and Beasts, the story of a worldwide apocalyptic succession war fought between cyborgs and humankind.

The line between visual and language arts is tensile, and if the overwhelming demand for webcomics tells us anything, it’s that the stories they tell—whether they envelop us in their worlds with familiar tropes or drag their nails across all preconceived definitions of a genre—are what bridge the gap between these two disciplines.

Controversy Behind CalArts “Style”

Controversy Behind CalArts “Style”

By SARAH WANG Staff Writer

How often is it that you see the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), the famously prestigious art university,dream school of many student artists, and the guaranteed entry pass into large animation corporations, be labeled as a term of mockery for “simplistic animation style”? Although this concept might raise confusion and offense in the school’s account, this term is, however, not slandered with out reason.

The use of the term “CalArts” to describe cartoons with a simplistic art style emerged around 2010, where sim ple art styles for cartoons are becoming more common. Its concept was first coined by John Kricfalusi, the creator of The Ren and Stimpy Show, and was originally used to criticize films such as The Iron Gi ant, which was made by Brad Bird, a Ca lArts alumni. However, what Kricfalusi

criticized was not the simplistic style of the animation, but how young animators like to “regurgitate” the Disney renaissance style without grasping the animation skills that lies underneath its popular facade. Overtime, this term has become a sort of infamous trend for the public to criticize cartoons that they dislike.

But why did this trend reach the fame that it has? This is due to an economic downturn in 2010, which turned into a call for cheaper animation, and thus a simple artstyle. The “CalArts style” is an effective solution that is affordable for the industry, storyborders, and animators to pump out more episodes with less expense. This style of animation might also be influenced by western animation such as anime, which tend to

ment of the

ters rather than a complex artstyle andter design. Be - cause of this art style appear ing in multiple cartoons such as the shows

Star v.s. The Forces of Evil, Adventure Time, and Gravity Falls lead the public into thinking that these cartoons lack creativity, which is an important factor in the arts and entertainment industry. This is proven by a meme that popped up over Twitter a few years back, depicting the heads of different characters from different shows next to the same bean-shaped head with a smiley face.

This controversy has led to extreme bias and criticisms over works created by CalArts artists and tend to focus more on the assumed “CalArts Style” rather than the message and entertainment value behind the work. This sud den outburst over art styles also applied to works that weren’t even made by a CalArts student, such as Steven Universe. Some even claimed that it was adopted into the CalArts curriculum to indoctrinate their students to drawing this way.

AHS Junior Tatiana Ko who is taking art at school shared her opinions on if this term is used appropriately by the public, “I don’t think this term should exist in the first place,” said Ko, “although these cartoons have arguably similar styles, the main fo cus should be that the plot and the mes sage conveyed is unique.”

Although good art should contain both the entertainment value and creativity of various styles, it’s also important to know that certain arts do not usually

apply to the likes of everyone. Certain works are made to entertain certain audiences, and trying to discredit a piece of art just because of biases is not supportive criticism, but rather ignorant and notorious, not to mention the fact that this mockery uses the name of a successful art school. Arts should not be judged on a single factor, but should be viewed in different perspectives in order to successfully appreciate its appeals.

THE USE OF ANACHRONISMS THE USE OF ANACHRONISMS

By MICHAEL HUM Staff Writer

(TW: Spoilers for some movies. Read at your discretion.)

What is the specific accuracy of historical things in film?

For set designers working on a movie set in a particular period, the historical accuracy of everything featured in a scene, from the attire the actor is wearing to how the room is laid out, can help immerse a viewer that the scene plays out in the period specified. However, intentionally or unintentionally, some elements of a historical setting can compose of things that won’t be seen until the future or a heavily futuristic scene full of airships and new-age spacecraft that still harken back to our period’s airplanes and cars. All of these are examples of anachronisms, where an element is seemingly out of place within the context of a setting. So, why do people use this element, besides being another continuity error for critics to spot?

If used intentionally, the primary use is to shock, humor, and juxtapose our time period with another one. As an example of a clever use, anachronisms can help us relate to the character if they are from a different period. An excellent

example of this would be the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite, where the plot is about how the protagonist feels alienated. Background scenes in the movie are donned with things from the 1980s: cassette tapes, walkmans, and CRT televisions with humorous intent. However, the actual film takes place in the modern day (at the time.) This can give us a visual cue for the sense of isolation the protagonist feels in the movie, as a person in 2004 may not be familiar with items in the 1980s.

Another main reason to use anachronisms is to help relate the character to an audience more lightheartedly. A good example is the 2006 film Marie Antoinette, a modern re-telling of the late French queen. When making the film, director Sofia Coppola wanted to portray the youthfulness and naïvety of a younger Marie. As a result, Marie in the movie wears a pair of Converse High Tops, which did not exist in the late 18th century; instead, the shoes’ predecessors were first released in 1917. However, the intended audience, who are generally unfamiliar with late 18th-century monarchial customs, can more easily relate to the character without an explicit cue in the script. As a result, the story told can be more fluid without delving a lot into exposition, yet the audience can still find the implicit meaning of these anachronistic items.

“Well there’s a variety of reasons for

popular object to relate to a certain time period. While the item may not be historically accurate, stereotypes can help readers understand around what time period the film takes place in. For example, if a movie showed a character donning a cowboy hat and boots, even without any confirmation of the time period, the viewer can come to the conclusion that they are watching a movie taking place in the wild west or around that time frame.”

While frequently cited as a continuity error within a story, if appropriately used, anachronisms are a way to imply context without drowning a script in exposition or frequent and unoriginal dialogue that can take away from a story. Whether it is to add humor to a movie, juxtapose something familiar with a scene that can be unfamiliar to our context, or appeal to the eagle-eyed viewers, anachronisms will continue to be used by filmmakers everywhere.

Athlete Feature: Amanda Chang

By KATHY WONG Staff Writer

Junior Amanda Chang is a current member of Arcadia High School’s (AHS) Girls Varsity Badminton team. Having joined in sophomore year, Chang has been on the team for around two years.

“My friends and interest [in the sport] made me want to join the team. I’ve been playing badminton for a long time, and there’s a badminton team at school, so I thought it would be nice to keep pursuing my hobby,” said Chang.

Chang first learned about badminton in elementary school, but it wasn’t until she grew older that her interest for badminton grew, which led her to try out for the team.

“I forgot what grade, but it was just a club at our school and with friends. I just joined the badminton club and we had fun. As I grew older, I got more interested, so I actually started joining training in middle school,” explained Chang.

Chang shared her journey through badminton and the types of training she did as her love for badminton grew.

“I started out by taking part in group training, and as my passion for badminton grew, I later began taking private lessons to improve my technique. Additionally, I look for friends to play with on the weekends. This is a great way to socialize, and it’s also really helpful because my friends often provide me with feedback on my areas for improvements.”

In her opinion, Chang personally finds badminton to be one of the most underrated sports in the world. Chang believes badminton deserves more recognition and that there shouldn’t be a comparison or competition between tennis and badminton. Although tennis is more internationally popular than badminton, she believes badminton shouldn’t be forgotten and both sports should be equally recognized.

Like many other sports, badminton is an extracurricular activity that requires time outside of school for training and practices. According to Chang, the badminton team has practices every week from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m, and their coach posts the schedule on Facebook to notify students. Coaches allow students to have at least one day to rest every week to focus on school and so that it doesn’t become too overwhelming.

“Near our season we’ll start having practice more frequently, like four days a week and our coach always gives us at least one day off so we can rest,” said Chang.

While school is important, badminton is an equally important sport that requires time and practice to get better at it. Chang talked about how she finds time to balance school with badminton.

“I try to finish my homework beforehand, and since we don’t have sixth period and our training doesn’t start until around 7 p.m., I just try to use that time efficiently. Some important

Boys Varsity Volleyball v.s. La Canada

things are time management and staying organized. Most importantly, don’t procrastinate, I try not to procrastinate a lot,” further stated Chang.

Joining the badminton team has allowed Chang to know more people and make lasting friendships that have really helped and encouraged her.

“Since joining the badminton team, I made a lot of new friends that are very encouraging, and I learned a lot from them. As a team, we just kind of encourage each other and improve,” said Chang.

Being on a sports team comes with challenges and difficulties that students may face. Chang brought up that everyone has busy schedules and shared how they’re able to overcome this challenge.

“This is a challenge because if we’re having a game, and people are busy all the time, then we don’t have enough people to play the game. We overcome this by letting the coaches notify the player what time and when the game will be so we will know beforehand to schedule our plan correctly and we have less schedule conflict,” stated Chang.

Chang has learned many takeaways from being on the badminton team but the most important thing she learned is sportsmanship and how important it is to be respectful to one another.

“Most important is sportsmanship, to be respectful and to always help your teammates when they need it because you never know when you’re gonna need their help,” replied Chang.

Every sports team has the opportunity to grow closer with their teammates and learn from their mistakes by working with one another. Chang explained what she hopes to achieve or accomplish as a team.

“One thing that I hope our team can do better is we should be more connected as a team. I think badminton is just a big family so people should communicate more so we can be more comfortable around each other and do better,” added Chang.

When asked whether there was something she wanted to pay more attention to or improve on in future tournaments, Chang agreed that she just hopes to have better team spirit, and that everyone would just be more comfortable around each other by having more conversations and communicating more with one another.

“Something to improve on is team spirit. I guess skill-wise we’re pretty okay, but again we should just be more connected as a team,” answered Chang.

No doubt Chang will continue improving and getting better at badminton, and AHS’ badminton team is so lucky to have such a talented and hardworking player!

By SARAH WANG Staff Writer

The Arcadia High School (AHS) Boys

Varsity Volleyball team scored an astonishing win in their game with La Canada High School (LCHS) on Mar. 1. After their defeat the day before in the game against South Pasadena High School (SPHS), the boys were able to dust themselves off and get on track, improving their league record through this victory. After an intense battle, the Apaches ended the final set of the three with a score of 25-17.

“We want to play through adversity,” said Varsity Head Coach Stephen Bernabe. “This year I feel like we have a really good experienced boys team. For our overall goals, we want to win the league and playoffs. We’ve been working for about two full weeks of practice, and we’ve been running our offensive plays and trying to do all the little things. Because boys volleyball is really about power, we’re trying to make sure that all our plays and defenses are ready to go.”

The game started off with a couple of errors from AHS as several balls were blocked into the home court. However, the players quickly got back on their feet and adjusted to the gameplay, using smart methods such as tipping or taking advantage of overpasses. Thanks to the multiple errors made by La Canada, the Apaches quickly took on a great lead. Some highlights made in this set include an amazing block and a hit on an overpass made by #44 Middle Hitter Jesse Lok and a serving rally made by #19 Libero Kevin Nakaishi. With their overwhelming efforts, the Apaches forced La Canada into calling two timeouts for this set, and overall taking this match by a score of 25-15.

In the second set, more errors were made by both teams as the players started to show fatigue. #34 Opposite hitter Wayne Wiarta on AHS managed to start the set off with a great block, along with amazing hits and tips made by Lok and #42 Outside Hitter Luke Teriman. Although AHS made a few serving errors, the lost points were made up by miscommunications on La Canada’s defense. LCHS struggled to score in the later half of the set, with the Apaches ending the set with a big gap of 25-13.

For the last set, tensions were high as ever.

Several serve-receive errors were made by both teams, and AHS decided to play the ball safe by mainly using tips for the offensive method. This method posed a challenge on the opposing team’s defense, and the score was at a huge gap of 11-4 toward the middle of the set. As the gap enlarged, AHS made the decision to switch its lineups, which caused the opponent to slightly close the score difference. But in the end, the Apaches pulled through and scored the final win at 25-17.

“This team was not the best competition,” said junior Kevin Nakaishi, “so we were able to have more fun with it and stay focused, but also experiment with our rotations and techniques.”

Indeed, multiple players including coaching staff also think that LCHS does not serve as the best opponent to improve the team’s skills. In order to prepare for the intense competition in the future, more intense matches are a necessity. The game with SPHS is a great example for how the team wants to push their skills to the next level.

“I think it really helped playing a tough game yesterday,” said Assistant Coach Jose Gonzalez. “It really made everybody question how much intensity there needs to be on the court, and that translates a lot better today into something more urgent. And it helps to remind the coaching staff that this game could really slip away from us if we’re not really focusing and paying attention.”

Team Captain and senior Luke Teriman is also very proud of the team’s effort and was able to share some insights he had for this game.

“Improvement wise, it’s really just about the consistency with our hitters,” said Teriman. “Communication is key, and we could always do well with more communications on the court. But I would say that the discipline we showed today definitely shows a huge progress compared to the beginning of the season.”

Overall, the players are strongly motivated and are planning to take more victories in the future. Congratulations to the Boys Varsity Volleyball team on this successful win and best of luck to earning further accomplishments to come!

swang@arcadiaquill.com

Photo by AUSD DCI

By AVA SHAW

Staff Writer

Arcadia High School (AHS) hosted the Rio Hondo/Pacific League Challenge Varsity Track Meet on Mar. 4. AHS did an excellent job right on their home turf. It was a cold and windy evening, but nonetheless, many supporters filled the stands to cheer on the participating athletes.

The AHS Girls Varsity Track team accumulated an outstanding total score of 119.5, coming in at 2nd overall, falling just a few points short of South Pasadena. The AHS Boys Varsity Track team was awarded 1st overall with a score of 112, beating out all 10 other schools. The meet’s events included shot put, discus, high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, and a variety of races.

AHS dominated with placements in the top three for almost every event. Some notable performances include:

Sophomore Layla Roslan, Girls Varsity: won 1st place in 400 meters.

Sophomore Reena Hsieh, Girls Varsity:

won 1st place in 1600 meters.

Junior Deanna Chen, Girls Varsity: came in 2nd place in high jump.

Sophomore Yong-lin Hu, Girls Varsity: came in 2nd place in triple jump.

Senior Brandon Chang, Boys Varsity: came in 3rd place in 800 meters.

Senior Weber Lin, Boys Varsity: came in 3rd place in 1600 meters.

Senior Sky Clay-Ducre, Boys Varsity: came in 2nd place in high jump and 3rd place in long jump.

Junior Kyle Soriano, Boys Varsity: came in 2nd place in triple jump.

Junior Vrishank Biju also came out on top, securing a 1st place victory in discus.

“As a thrower, to prepare for the meet I did a couple of practice throws, stretched a little bit, and made sure to take it easy for the rest of the day,” said Biju. “I think the reason I got this PR was because there was a lot of competition that pushed me.”

Additionally, Hsieh brought home the

gold, adding another win under her belt.

“I was pretty happy with my race because I was able to get a huge personal record. Even though I wasn’t able to achieve my goal of running a sub-5 minute mile, I felt really good during the race and executed my plan pretty well– that’s the most important thing. A 5:01 is still a really good result though!” said Hsieh.

Junior Emma Samvelian also went above and beyond at this meet. She started this season off strong, with new personal records, and placements within the top three for three events. She took 1st place in discus, throwing a 104’9”. Samvelian also won 1st place in pole vault and 2nd place in shot put.

“Track meets are both stressful and exciting for me! My combination of events is one that is rarely competed, so I am more often than not, running around to get to my next event, and constantly changing shoes,” said Samvelian. “When I break personal records, I can tell before they are even measured, and I like to celebrate.”

The AHS Varsity Track team has worked hard in preparation for this event. From frequent practices, to maintaining peak physical shape, and overcoming mental challenges, competing is no easy feat.

“I’ve been working on changing my mindset so that no matter how good or “bad” I perform, I don’t see myself as a bad athlete,” added Samvelian. “I know that no matter what happens to me, my team always has my back. Through this team, I have built the closest relationships of my life. I have never been in a more supportive, friendly, and inspiring environment. That’s what AHS Track and Field is all about!”

The future is bright for all the talented athletes on the AHS Varsity Track team. AHS is lucky to have such a hard-working team on campus, putting their best foot forward in all that they do. Go Apaches!

ashaw@arcadiaquillt Photo courtesy of ARCADIA DCI INTERN

RIO HONDO/PACIFIC LEAGUE CHALLENGE VARSITY TRACK MEET BOYS JV BASEBALL VS SOUTH HILLS

By ANNIE JIANG

Staff Writer

Arcadia High School (AHS) JV Boys Baseball played against South Hills High School On Feb. 18. With the JV Baseball season fast approaching, the Apaches used this game as a pre-season practice by giving everyone on the team roster the opportunity to play their own positions. The game resulted in an unfortunate loss of 0-5 for AHS, despite the outstanding efforts demonstrated by both teams. At the end of the game, several Apaches shared their thoughts.

“I think [the game] was overall fluent, but we didn’t play as well,” said junior Edward Baker, who played 2nd position. “The team has been working hard, but when we come back [to practice] again, we are going to work even harder.”

Furthermore, 1st and 3rd position player junior Ryan Gleason expressed that for certain games like this, it is important for the Apaches to “stay focused” to avoid the opposing team from getting in their heads.

The game started first with Apaches’ defending, in which they exhibited their incredible skill by completing a double play, which happens when two of the three outs in an inning are made with the same play. The ball was also caught by Apache catchers, which was certainly not an easy catch to manage.

AHS JV Baseball Head Coach John Valerio commented on the overall performance and efforts Apaches displayed during the game as a “fairly good” game, which prepares all players for the actual season league.

“This is a pre-season tournament game so we tried to use all the players on the roster. In that way they all get a chance into [positions] they look to play. There are 14 players on the

roster and all of them played, which is certainly not an easy or a typical thing to do”, said Coach Valerio. “This game has a lot of highlights such as the double play from Gomez to Cooper, and Bryson also stole two bases. Pitchers also did really well!”

The Boys’Varsity Baseball team maintained its winning streak this season.

“Our goal is to win the Pacific League for a fourth straight season,” explained Coach Lemas. “But, we can always get better. Offensively, we need to make adjustments earlier and more consistently through our lineup. Our pitching has carried us, and our defense has been able to do what it’s needed to do, but we can always get more consistent with our defense.”

Even though the result was not what the team hoped for before the game, Coach Valerio still reassured the abilities among all players. He claimed that this game really prepared the Apaches well for the league in terms of the positions they are going to play, and everyone is looking to do well during the actual season.

With their efforts and the new tactics they had picked up from the game, they gave themselves experiences. As the league is approaching, it is without doubt that the Apaches will perform extraordinarily well after this experience. And with that being said,the league will start with the match between AHS and Pasadena High School on Feb. 28. Be sure to go out and support our Apaches! ajiang@arcadiaquillt

Photo by SKYE ESCOBEDO

THE GEN Z THESAUR-RIZZ

“It’s natural swagger. It’s just like pulling someone, if you have game. Pulling is, like, to get someone. If you go like

‘Oh, what’s that?’ [she points at the floor] then you take your hand out and touch their chin.”

“Zoomers are probably doing TikTok dances everywhere and being obnoxious, addicted to [their] phone, overly sensitive, and [have] 2 a.m. sleep schedule.”

Hugo Fang (11)

What is W Rizz?

Riley

Giammanco (11)

How do you slay?

Slay?

W Rizz?

“To slay is to do something well. [For example], Joe Hisaishi slays at composing. I would say that I slay at learning random and very unecessary information.”

Danika Wang (9)

Gen-Z, coined “Zoomers” as a nod to Baby Boomers, has been wilding. New phrases are coined on the vast expance of the Internet nearly every day, no cap! Here to explain and debunk some of these terms are some of Arcadia High School’s students.