The World Is Our Campus Volume 61, Issue 5
Arcadia High School 180 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA
January 2014
Goals vs. Reality: Bridging the Gap
In this issue:
Graphic courtesy of AUTOSTRADDLE.COM
NEWS pg. 2 2014 Winter Olympics: The much anticipated games at Sochi have become a subject of intense controversy.
Graphics by BELINDA SHOUNG
A FRESH START With a chance at a new start, millions of people all over the world make New Year’s resolutions in
hopes of accomplishing both new and old goals—but what matters is actually carrying those goals out. By RENA CHEN Executive Copy Editor Photo courtesy of LATINABLOGGER.COM
PERFORMING ARTS pg. 8 Singing with Heart: Chanteurs recounts its past successes and prepares for upcoming performances.
Graphic courtesy of JACKY LIANG
STUDENT LIFE pg. 12 Score Portal: A popular, innovative website designed by AHS students is helping many breathe easier about their grades. Have a question, comment, or concern about the Pow Wow? Email the Editors-in-Chief at eic.powwow@gmail.com or find us online at apachepowwow.com.
With the start of a new year and a new semester, it’s easy to see the light of a productive future. There’s just so much time. Grade resets mean another chance to right study habits; simply seeing the number ‘2014’ is novel enough to compel self-improvement regimes. So we set goals, eager to take advantage of this newfound time. A couple years ago, I conducted a simple poll, a few questions on a small slip of paper inquiring about people’s goals (jobs, majors, etc.). There was one peculiar detail that I recalled. Everyone answered with what he or she wanted in the future. Yet, only a couple answered if they had thought about “how” they would achieve it, with a simple yes or no. It sounds basic enough. “Yes”, if they had done anything they believed that would further their career goals. “No”, if they hadn’t and had decided to spend the last decade devoutly enjoying the delights of youth. But on a majority of those poll slips, that one question returned to its creators with an empty space below, devoid of even a scribble, which meant something was incompatible between it and its audience. The question might have been simply too boring to answer. The energy required certainly did not add up to the result. There were far more interesting polls to occupy oneself with, and the
thought—oh, those mental faculties!—required to truthfully answer would have been a complete waste of utilities. The question might have been too offensive. Even in anonymity, it’s not easy to admit “No, I didn’t look very far into how to get what I want” on a piece of paper. In fact, it was probably wise for the respondents to ignore it in case something traumatic happened to their nerves. The question might have been, to its audience at least, irrelevant. Simply dealing with high school should be sufficient for the present. There were more chances later on to mull over technicalities. College, for example, has many more options in terms of broadening skill sets. And now you notice a slight discrepancy in reality, for how could one properly have a goal if one didn’t expend the energy to figure out and execute the process? The year ahead seems bright because of the sheer untapped potential to accomplish something worthwhile, and yet, it’s scary to face because it forces people to realize how much work needs to be done. A goal is a pretty thing; the road is not, and that’s when the respondents of the aforementioned poll turned away. They didn’t want to think about reality, what they had done, what they needed to do. They left the question blank. Somehow they’d get there. But then those goals might lose their weight. Then they might disappear. I’ve heard people promise to do better in classes; I’ve heard people swear to eat healthy for the entire year. But somewhere along the way the resolve
fails, and the students either get too overwhelmed by work or lose heart, and the newly-turned healthy eaters devour the pizza, thus tossing their resolution into the abyss. It’s not enough to have a goal. People need method to drive them forward. There has to be value to what we do, so that we don’t aimlessly study until the next morning, or feel life thus far was a complete waste of time. Make every day, every class count. In that poll, the question of what people did to further their goal shouldn’t have been unanswered because high school in general was their tool; they needed nothing fancy, like a special engineering program. They only needed to bring their goal closer to home, to find a way to gain something from their everyday experiences and use it to their advantage. Some days will undoubtedly be dreary. Lack of sleep and heavy work loads will burden and discourage many, and at those moments, it’s tempting to stop and question whether the effort is worth the energy. Yet, in those instances, it’s important to remember that goals can be reached. Those subjects of fantasy can be very real if one takes the extra step to prioritize, to specify what one wants to gain from those two hours of study or four hours of instrument practice. The great thing is that it’s conscious; it all depends on how much initiative one wants to take. We have another year ahead, but time isn’t indefinite. It can, however, be memorable in terms of what we accomplish. Let’s make the most of it. rchen@apachepowwow.com