The Matador: Issue 6 - March 1, 2023

Inside

the Pages

MATADOR THE

LIFE LOVE SEX

News, p.2-3

Focus, p.6-7

Sex-ed is a topic in the U.S. that many debate as to whether it is needed or positive for high school students.

Features, p.11-12

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ZUYUAN ZHOU

Drama Club hosts the 2023 Valentine’s Day Cabaret as its last open mic event for this year.

Seniors Christi Nguyen and Amber Mash build their relationship oncampus and off.

Fan’tan’stic Hikes

Connecting with the past

Fourteen years ago, my family and I traveled up north to visit Yosemite National Park, which was the first national park that I visited. I was three years old and thus do not remember the contents of the trip, even when looking back at photos taken during our visit to the park.

As the years went by, the number of national and state parks that my family and I visited increased. We would visit national parks during winter and summer breaks, and state parks during spring and Thanksgiving breaks. Our visits to national parks would sometimes be as long as two weeks, where we spent much of our stay hiking and enjoying the scenery. Some national parks that I have visited recently are Death Valley, Grand Canyon, and the Rocky Mountains. With regards to state parks, our visits would only last a day, since the ones we have visited were not too far from home, such as Point Mugu. The duration of our hikes would range from two to seven hours long. Although it seems like a long time, it does not feel like it when in the face of nature. The breathtaking sights would take my mind off the strenuous and long hikes, and we would reach the parking lot (the end of the trail) after what would seem like only one hour of hiking.

My father is the one who has a passion for hiking and adventure, and his enthusiasm for the outdoors spread to the rest of my family. Since he was a teenager, my father liked to explore countries through volunteering. For example, he worked in a kibbutz (an agricultural community) in Israel after finishing high school in the Netherlands. He brought his love for exploration with him when immigrating to the United States.

In my opinion, nature is fantastic. The idea that people from many centuries ago have stood in the same place where I have stood when I hike or have seen the same trees that I have seen is fascinating. I plan to explore nature in other countries when the pandemic is over. But in the meantime, I will continue to visit different national and state parks in the United States during the upcoming seasonal breaks.

Students perform at drama club’s Valentine’s Cabaret

The Valentine’s Cabaret, the last Open Mic hosted by the drama club this year, occurred on Feb. 10. The Open Mic allowed students of all grades to participate in a talent show. Students used their creativity and skills to perform on the stage. Many performances took place, including singing,

comedy, and dance. Students were able to perform in front of a crowd and showcase their unique talents.

Many of the performances consisted of drama students, however all students were welcome to participate. Those who wanted to perform were also able to sign up during the event. Friends and family were all invited to watch free of charge.

“It was a class project for us,

so we got a grade for it,” drama club member sophomore Elijah Luna said. For one of his acts, Luna played guitar and sang lead for a band consisting of three other members. “We didn’t know what we were gonna do for the [Open Mic] so we [had the idea] hey! We all play instruments, let’s do a band.”

Many performers spent months practicing their performance in order to put

on the best show possible. In some cases, singers who already had experience in instruments practiced songs.

“[I played the ukulele] for five years,” said senior Sofia Chavarria. Chavarria sang a cover with a ukulele during her performance. “I practiced [my] song every night for a month.”

Drama Club will be hosting the spring musical, which is the final show of the year, in late April.

95th Academy Awards ceremony during March

This year’s 95th Academy Awards (the Oscars) ceremony is scheduled to take place on March 12 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Some of the categories for the awards are Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress. From March 2 to 7, members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences will vote on which nominees should win which awards. Viewers in the United States can watch the ceremony on ABC.

This year’s Oscars nominations included many firsts, such as the first time an openly Asian woman was nominated for Best Actress. Michelle Yeoh was nominated for that category after her performance in the 2022 movie EverythingEverywhereAll at Once. Additionally, Yeoh’s costars, Hong Chau and Stephanie Hsu, were nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Ke Huy Quan was also nominated for

Best Supporting Actor. Angela Bassett was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress after portraying Ramonda in Marvel’s 2022 film BlackPanther:Wakanda Forever. This marks the first time a Marvel actor has received an Oscars nomination for their role in a Marvel film. In total, this year’s Oscars included 16 firsttime Oscars nominees, which is the most firsts in the history of the Oscars.

Everything Everywhere All at Once is the most nominated 2022 film (11 nominations), followed by the German film All Quiet on the Western Front, and the tragicomedy The Banshees of Inisherin, both with nine nominations. Other films with multiple nominations are: Elvis (eight nominations), The Fabelmans (seven), Tár (six), Top Gun: Maverick (six), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (five), Avatar: The Way of Water (four), Babylon (three), The Batman (three), Triangle of Sadness (three), The Whale (three), Living

(two), and Women Talking (two).

The fifteen films mentioned above can be streamed on various platforms, such as HBO Max, Paramount +, Hulu, Amazon

Prime Video, Apple TV, Netflix, and YouTube TV, among others. Some, such as Avatar: The Way of Water can still be viewed in theaters.

“Oscar award,” CC BY-SA 2.0, Jose Manuel

JOSEPH CHO BUSINESS MANAGER

This year’s Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 12 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

First performance on Feb. 10. Left: Julian Rivera and Right: Natalia Gonzalez. A day full of exciting spectacles and a look into the dreams of students. The open mic was a surprise nothing can top.

PHOTO BY JEREMY GUTIERREZ

MEREL

EDITOR

Schedule reform removes stress for workers

ILLUSTRATION BY ZUYUAN ZHOU

Staff Stance

Four day work week beneficial for workers

Across the United States, people struggle in difficult jobs for long hours. This leads to exhausted workers and little personal time as employees need to rest and recuperate, leaving them with lives dedicated nearly entirely to rest and work. The restructuring of the modern work week from five days to four promises to solve this problem.

Studies across various nations, such as: the United Kingdom, Iceland, Canada, and the United States, have shown that a work week of four days — with the additional day off being used when the employee wants — leads to improved employee job satisfaction and reduced stress. The aforementioned studies tested a schedule of four work days instead of five, reducing work hours from 40 hours to 32-36 hours per week, and it has shown promise in reducing employee stress.

MATADOR BULLRING

Students share their opinions on current topics.

Do you believe that schools should only be four days long?

Tests of the shortened work week policy have borne solid results in the real world. New Zealand-based trust company Perpetual Guardian trialed a four-day work week for six weeks in 2018, and was reported as a success by the University of Auckland Business School, who helped oversee the project. Both employees and Perpetual Guardian administrators reported: improved productivity, customer engagement, and work-life balance, proving the benefits stated by proponents of the altered schedule. Opponents of the shortened work schedule often cite the perceived need to compress work and rush in order to finish it within a four-day timeframe. Such an issue would only be problematic during the adaptation period, and once workers acclimate to the adjusted schedule and workflow,

Vincent Phan, 9

"Yes, because I don't want to go to school. I just go to school for practice."

the additional stress will fade as employees readjust their schedule to handle their workload in the new timeframe. The negatives posed by the period between adopting the schedule and workers acclimating to it are far outweighed by the benefits.

In the modern world, the five-day and 40-hour workweek is an outdated model. Replacing that schedule with one proven to improve outcomes for both workers and employers is the best choice. The benefits of a shortened schedule have been verified by research, and the growing pains of adaptation are far outweighed by the positives. Adopting a four day schedule will lead to improvement for laborers and the economy alike, and as students enter the workforce, they will construct healthier working habits from the start of their careers.

"I don't care since I think education should be a priority."

Derek Guan, 11

"No, because it would obstruct the current schedule of schooling. School wouldn't be the same."

Anna Ngo, 12

"Yes, I think people should have time to have an identity outside of school as spending too much time on academics takes away from self discovery."

I’m not even 18, and yet I feel like an 80-year-old woman. Although this may sound odd, I have felt this way for about as long as I can remember. In fact, I genuinely believe that I was born in the wrong era. Although the feminist in my heart abhors the unbelievably sexist social practices of the past (and present), I have always felt that my soul belongs somewhere in 18th-century Europe. I have always wished I could time travel, and see cities like Paris and Venice three hundred years ago. Since I was young, standing with my mom and dad as they talked to their friends, I have been repeatedly told that I’m an “old soul.” Family members, teachers, and strangers have made this remark to me countless times over the years. In every situation where I have been referred to as an old soul, because of the context and tone of the speaker, I assumed it was a compliment. I always thought that people meant that I was uncommonly mature for my age. Apparently, there are several definitions of the phrase “old soul” that branch beyond the idea of being wise beyond your years. According to the Urban Dictionary, old souls are usually quirky oddballs, not letting modern society dictate what they wear, do, or say.

I have always loved musicians, books, and fads of the past. Since before I can remember, my greatest influences were Lupe Velez and Siouxsie Siox, rather than Millie Bobby Brown and Doja Cat. At just six years old, I used my dad’s vinyls to discover “new” artists including The Cure, Queen, David Bowie, The Doors, The Mamas & The Papas, Janis Joplin, and more. Starting at a young age, I had a deeply rooted fascination with Gothic literature. I was given books of the past including Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden, and more. I read and absorbed as much as I could about certain periods of history. I sometimes felt that I was at a disadvantage being an old soul. I didn’t really fit in with my peers. I couldn't relate to my middle school friends and classmates who all were obsessing over Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Junie B. Jones. While they were reading Magic Treehouse, I was daydreaming of running around medieval Europe.

From talking to friends and family, I understand that it is one of my defining traits, and the more I have learned to embrace it, the more proud of it I have become.

RAMONA RIVAS FOCUS EDITOR

Jazmin Munoz, 10

OPINION: SEX-ED CLASSES SHOULD BE REQUIRED IN SCHOOLS

BY KELLY LY OPINIONS EDITOR

Sex Education (Sex Ed) is often a neglected topic found in the American education system. Often regulated to a short class within Physical Education (PE) classes for barely a month per school year, many students are usually left without much understanding of their own bodies. A general lack of Sex Ed among youth makes them susceptible to unknowingly contracting and/or spreading sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and partaking

in unprotected sex that may result in unwanted pregnancies. Sex Ed is vital to the health and safety of growing teens. This stresses an importance to why designated Sex Ed classes should be required in schools. Sex Ed is meant to teach growing adolescents about how their bodies function and about everything revolving around the topic of sex. The concept is often omitted in households mainly due to the household’s religious beliefs, plain negligence, or a general lack of knowledge regarding Sex Ed.

Many teens aren’t comfortable sharing their frustrations or asking questions of maturing with their caretakers, leaving them to learn for themselves, often with dire consequences at times.

A general understanding of bodily functions helps teens engage in safer sexual intercourse. Studies conducted by the CDC have shown that nearly 50% of people who have STDs had contracted it as a teen. Although the rate of teen pregnancy has been falling roughly 5% yearly since the

1900s according to the WHO and CDC, pregnancy is still a serious matter, especially with maturing teens. Designated Sex Ed classes for teens could potentially further reduce the likelihood of teen pregnancy and STD contraction in youth through accessible education. Though it could be argued that incorporating designated Sex Ed classes into schools just puts further strain on their limited budget. Schools often incorporate Sex Ed into PE classes temporarily,

saving money while educating teens on the basics of Sex Ed, leaving no purpose for an entire class to be focusing on the subject. While that is reasonable, it doesn’t take away from the fact that Sex Ed is vital to keeping teens informed and safe. The pseudo Sex Ed classes that are shoved into the middle of PE classes often provide little to no substantial information due to limited class time, leaving a false sense of understanding in teens. Sex Ed is a topic that needs time to be understood, especially with the life-altering

consequences that pregnancy and STDs could have on the lives of teens.

Sex Ed is a vital class that is often absent on the roster of many schools. Teaching teens sensitive information about their bodies, it aims to prevent cases of unwanted pregnancy and slow the spread of fatal STDs. Many teens find themselves confused about their own bodies, often without a trusted parent or guardian to discuss such topics.

Designated Sex Ed classes should be required in schools, protecting teens and keeping them informed.

BGFCGGUYRTFUJH

? ?

What do students SGHS have to about sex-ed?

Yes! No!

70% of students believe that sex-ed is useful

30% of students do not believe that sex-ed is useful.

Survey conducted by the Matador Newspaper staff

Knock At The Cabin, a family vacation gone wrong

BY STELLA CHEN COPY EDITOR

The movie opens to a patch in the forest, sunlight streaming down, illuminating the greenery with a golden light. A little girl holds grasshoppers in a jar as she’s approached by a kind-faced man — Leonard. He presents her with a fairytale-esque idea; he needs her and her family to save the world. However, things take a darker turn when Leonard apologizes for what he and his friends are about to do to her and her family.

Knock at the Cabin is a film centered around sacrifice and familial bonds. The premise of the movie is simple: four strangers trap a family of three in their own home, and the family must kill one of their own in order to prevent

an impending apocalypse. However, with limited contact to the outside world, the strangers’ revelation treads the line between truth and delusion.

An element that sets Knock at the Cabin apart from other horror films is its antagonists. The strangers — though tasked with the mission to end a life — easily evokes sympathy from the audience. It becomes clear right off the bat that the strangers are simply four people randomly chosen to fulfill their role.

However, Knock at the Cabin is a hit or miss. It is a very safe movie, and has little to no twists, initially relying on the shock value of the suicides and sacrifices of the four strangers. One of the strangers, Redmond (Rupert Grint), is revealed to have a negative connection with the

family, but the three others are simply strangers. From the start, we as the audience know that someone will be sacrificed, and that there are stakes at hand. However, said stakes are merely told through words or the background television — there is no real stake for the audience to worry over.

Overall, KnockattheCabin achieves the goal of getting its message across — sacrifice is the greatest form of kindness — but one that doesn’t take risks. Though movies do not necessarily need to break rules or have a masterful script to be enjoyable, Knock at the Cabin is one filled with unused potential. For anyone who loves suggestive horror, prioritization of emotion over plot, and Dave Bautista, Knock at the Cabin is perfect for you.

The beauty in paper-folded flowers

ZUYUAN ZHOU LIFE AND ARTS EDITOR

Whether it is the breeze in the air or a cupid’s arrow, around the corner, every February, is love and a flower bouquet.

The fragrance, beauty, and elegance that flowers attain do not just come from their very existence, but by the way they fall victim to time, drying out and slowly wilting, reminding those around them that nothing is eternal. Paper flowers, on the other hand, carry a perennial beauty in their petals, something that is not present in real, ephemeral flowers.

Paper flowers imitate the beauty of fresh flowers, but are the

fruits of labor from the fingertips of pensive human hands instead of mother nature’s. These flowers do not grow under the sunlight or trickles of water. Instead, they grow from each meticulous and gentle fold, push, and crease. By Plato’s definition of art – “art imitates the objects and events of ordinary life” – choosing to give paper over real flowers is considered as giving someone art. Every human-made art piece, whether that be poems, sculptures, or paintings, contains a sliver of the human soul. Making a bouquet of paper flowers and giving it to a friend, family, or loved one is essentially saying, “I am giving you a piece of myself.”

Paper is the bearer of human creativity. It subjects itself to the smooth graphite during sketches and the weaving of inky words. However, the art of folding paper gives itself a spotlight. It takes plenty of patience and diligence to make a big bouquet of paper flowers. One has to spend a lot of time folding the paper and gluing the same shapes repeatedly. A bouquet of paper flowers translates one’s willingness to do something for another and the amount of dedication they will put into the act. If real flowers represent love in the month of February, let paper flowers represent a long lasting love; one full of longevity.

Are you a florist? Because I’ve always wanted to put our tulips together.

I think someone must have stolen the stars and put them in your eyes.

I’m not an organ donor but I would be happy to give you my heart.

WRITTEN BY VIVIAN NGUYEN

When I’m around you, I can’t think straight

If you were a transformer, you’d be Optimus Fine!

Are you a bank loan? Because you have my interest.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BLINDING EDGE PICTURES FILMNATION AND ENTERTAINMENT WISHMORE ENTERTAINMENT

PHOTO BY GISELLE CARDENAS

Tran plays e-sports competitvely, is lead to new career opportunities outside of gaming

“ Like most people, I got into gaming as a hobby,” says senior Eric Tran.

At the early age of 8, Tran was already playing video games. Quickly discovering his affinity for gaming, Tran decided to try his hand at competing professionally at 13 years old. Only a few years later, he was offered a tier 2 offer for Counter Strike in a Major League Gaming (MLG) Pro team. Unfortunately, he had to

decline the offer due to his conflicting school schedule, but his experience in the professional gaming industry led to him discovering a different opportunity.

“I started building a passion for the business side behind [gaming] and the things it takes to be someone of that caliber,” says Tran.

Tran already had an interest in pursuing business as a career, and his professional gaming career had connected him to people behind the scenes of professional gaming. He met online alias NachoCustomz,

who was an artist for several prominent players within the VALORANT community.

“I met them through a convention for a brand called Finalmouse,” says Tran.

Through this connection, Tran was introduced to an internship with Addice Inc., an esports gear manufacturer that worked alongside Nacho.

“I’ll be shadowing how it works logistically, doing some system analytics and view market trends,” says Tran

This opportunity was made possible by his exploration of professional esports, so he naturally had much appreciation towards the sport. In an attempt to let others experience the wonders of professional gaming, Tran helped cofound an esports club on campus during his junior year.

“We came in with the intention of making this club more than just a gaming

club, and hopefully give more people the chance to compete, and experience firsthand what professional gaming is like,” says Tran. Now in his senior year of high school and on track to graduate, Tran plans to attend Cal State Fullerton and start his internship with Addice, where he will develop essential skills to his potentially prominent future career in the gaming industry.

Huang heads Asian cultural association (ACA)

Huang and the ACA collaborate with other Asian cultural clubs to battle AAPI hate one step at a time

CARLA HAU FEATURES EDITOR

Wanting to spread Asian culture and battle AsianAmerican/Pacific Islander (AAPI) hate, Benjamin Huang started the Asian Cultural Association club. The club welcomes students from all backgrounds to experience and embrace Asian culture as a community.

“I wanted to help prevent further racist behavior towards Asians as a whole because of the systematic racism that the media fails to portray,” Huang says.

Through the ACA club, students are welcome to learn more about Asian culture. “I really hope that ACA creates a large impact in spreading AAPI hate awareness in our community [and teaches] everyone about the diverse Asian cultures,” Senior Benjamin Huang says.

To work toward this goal, Huang also teaches other students how to embrace Asian culture as a whole. In December 2022, ACA hosted a Snack Tasting Event. It was a competition where students tasted snacks within a given time limit and had to guess their snack before their opponents did. As an incentive, the club offered service hours as

prizes for winning.

“I wanted to host the snack tasting event because [our members can] learn what type of Asian snacks [they] enjoy,” Huang says. “The event worked towards our club’s goal because it showed and taught the diverse culinary delicacies from different Asian cultures.”

Huang did not start this club alone. He had many friends and teachers that were supportive of this club’s concept and goal. ACA’s goal is to create a safe space for students from all backgrounds to learn about Asian culture, so the club’s advisor would have to be someone that aligned with this.

“After talking to some teachers and going over the club with them, I felt the teacher to be the most supportive of the club would be Mrs. Tran,” Huang says. “She seemed considerate and understanding of all her students regardless of background or identity.”

As for the future of the club, Huang would hope that ACA could network with other Asian cultural clubs to work towards the same goal.

“The goal for ACA as of now is to focus on spreading awareness in our community first and foremost but to also slowly network with any and all Asian cultural clubs in our area to begin working together,” Huang says.

In an effort to do so, ACA collaborated with the Dreyfoos School of the Art’s Asian Cultural Society back in late December of 2022 to host a movie night. As a community, they watched the movie Everything Everywhere All at Once, which features many Asian actors and actresses.

“We chose to watch Everything Everywhere All at Once because we felt that members could learn the emotional neglect and difficulties that most first gen Asian American children experience with their immigrant parents, “ Huang says.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BENJAMIN HUANG

PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC TRAN

Eric Tran (right) poses next to popular VALORANT streamer Aceu (left). The two met at Finalcon during a press event.

KYLIE CHUNG FEATURES EDITOR

A locker room full of love

BY GISELLE CARDENAS SPORTS EDITOR

ho’s this girl and why is she sitting at our table?”

Senior Amber Mash jumped feet first into friendships and possibilities with a kiss that set foot for a new beginning. Mash first met fellow senior Christi Nguyen through mutual friends, as her friend group grew during their junior year. Amber’s first impression of Nguyen was, “She’s clearly fruity.” They were both attempting to grow and not ready for a relationship. However, one of their early interactions — the one that sparked their feelings for each other — occurred by chance in the locker room.

“I would say our first date was memorable. After that we got very close since it was technically before we were dating,” Nguyen said.

The night before their first date Mash had barely slept but still managed to wake up early to go support Nguyen, a star basketball player; this was Mash’s first ever basketball game. After the game, the duo went to one of the hotspots of the San Gabriel Valley — The Santa Anita Mall — where they watched Spider-Man Homecoming. Once the movie ended, they went to Dave & Busters to play some arcade games. To end their day, the two got ice cream and talked until they had to leave.

“I told her I was ready and then she finally said she was ready,” Mash said. “ I initiated it.”

“WThe two were back-and-forth on who initiated the relationshipit; however, in the end it didn’t matter who started it, just that it had started. Officially, the two got together by April 13 of last year as their junior year began to come to an end. They simply talked it out as they both had very apparent feelings for each other.

“We usually hang out on the weekends [and we] dedicat[e] Fridays and Saturdays to each other,” Nguyen said.

To maintain a healthy and great relationship Mash and Nguyen will move everything out of the way and spend time together. Mash is in many different clubs and once was on the soccer team, as for Nguyen she was always so caught up with basketball making the weekends their only time with one another. Now once the winter season has ended it has opened up more time for the two to spend time together. However, spending time with one another is not the only way they maintain a happy healthy relationship.

“I’m used to putting up walls. So the communication will stop on one end.”

Mash said.

There are many strengths andweaknesses in a relationship; for Amber and Christi communication just so happens to be both. The two communicate very often and always advocate for their feelings and emotions no matter what. However, sometimes it

appears both of them put up walls, such as when they have disagreements. The two do not like to argue or disagree and when they do the two back away and giveeach other a bit of space because often in the heat of the moment you say things you don’t actually mean.

“We don’t yell. We give each other space and later on we talk it through.”

Nguyen said.

Their compatibility is apparent, and the two maintain a relationship everyone can admire. A relationship like this, however, does not come easily. The two needed to do a lot of self-growth, and their relationship has helped with this. Although, a relationship like this is not just handed to you. The both had to do lots of self growth, and together the two helped each other grow as well. There are moments where they needed to seek to understand each other, where they needed to change and develop and as christi said “not only for me, for her, for us.”

Christi and Amber are inseparable, and to celebrated their love for Valentines the two spent it together. Nguyen gave girlfriend Amber many different gifts she was to enjoy. As for Amber she went on to set up a romantic night for the two to spend time watching movies and being in togethers presence. they spent Valentine’s

“I told her I was ready and then she finally said she was ready,” Mash said.

Like two peas in a pod, Christi and Amber are inseparable, and spent Valentine’s Day together to celebrate their love.

PHOTO BY GISELLE CARDENAS

“I would say our first date was memorable. After that we got very close since it was technically before we were dating,” Nguyen said.

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF CARLA HAU

PHOTO BY GISELLE CARDENAS

PHOTO BY GISELLE CARDENAS