The Matador Issue 8 April 10, 2018 by The Matador

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VOL. 63 ISSUE 8

THE MATADOR 801 S. RAMONA STREET, SAN GABRIEL, CA 91776

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018

AUSD hosts second annual Robotics Challenge BY CARLOS CARRILLO

The second annual Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD) Robotics Challenge hosted 12 teams from Alhambra High School, Mark Keppel High School, and San Gabriel High School on April 7. The students, organized in groups from two to six, were judged in three categories: design (how the robot was built), academic value (how mathematical and scientific concepts were applied in building the robot), and performance (how the robot fared in the competition). This y e a r ’ s c h a l l e n g e, o n w h i c h performance was judged, simulated robot ambulances rescuing people from a fire. Two teams competed at a time, starting their robots from opposite corners and then maneuvering them around wooden obstacles (trees) and an autonomous robot that served as a “fire wizard,” all while trying to rescue half-empty Gatorade bottles (people) by grabbing them with their robot and returning them to their hospitals in the corners parallel to their starting point. In order to fully save a patient, however, each team had to correctly answer a math question when a bottle was placed in the hospital. Points were also deducted if the robots collided

PHOTO COURTESY OF NICOLAS NGUYEN

The field where the robots performed is shown, with the fire robot in the middle and Gatorade bottles and wooden blocks acting as people in need of rescue and trees. with a tree or the fire wizard. Each round was meant to have two distinct sections: a two-minute autonomous portion in which the robots ran only on prewritten code and not human controls, and a five-minute manual portion in which competitors used remotes to control their robots. However, only one autonomous run occured in the competition as most teams, including junior Delia Arias’, opted not to take part

in that segment. “Our team actually did have an autonomous code made by one of the girls, but last minute she decided it would be best to not use it since it could have caused us to hit obstacles and lose points,” Arias said. “After seeing the Mark Keppel team really hurt themselves by getting stuck from the autonomous code, we were glad that our team member made that call.”

Larsen retires after 18 years at SGHS

PHOTO BY KATHERINE HUANG

Valerie Larsen poses in her classroom on her last day with the work and projects of her past students behind her. BY KEVIN CONTRERAS

After 37 years in the classroom, English teacher Valerie Larsen’s last day was on May 6 due to the extreme back pain she had been experiencing throughout the year. Teary-eyed and sad, Larsen said good bye to her students and colleagues before starting a new stage in her life. “I am going to put all my poetry together in a book, learn guitar, get more active in my church, and I am going to be able to see my daughter more,” Larsen said. “I have joined a book club. I am going to travel, work out at the gym and walk more.” Though Larsen had always loved reading, it was not until she was 24 that she realized that she wanted to become a teacher. “I got really turned on to English in college,” Larsen said. “I had some great professors and that’s when I realized how fun English could be.” After community college, Larsen transferred to the University of Arkansas. She took the required courses to become a teacher and began

OPINIONS pg. 4 5

teaching at a country school in Arkansas. After a year, she moved to California to teach at the all-boys Catholic high school, St. Francis, in La Cañada. It was not until 2000 that she became an English teacher for SGHS. “It was really wonderful to have girls in the classroom,” Larsen said. “Boys act differently when there are girls around.” Throughout her many years here, Larsen has become a special person in the lives of many students. Senior Kailah Situ has become fond of her this past year. “My friends and I are pretty close with her, so we always have good laughs with her,” Situ said. “She was one of the teachers that I was actually close too; she is really nice and friendly with us.” Larsen’s early exit made many of her students sad, many of whom expected to be able to finish the year with her. Larsen’s back pain made it difficult to work. She will be on disability leave, with an upcoming surgery, and officially retire on June 30. “Everyday was very painful for me, and I just pushed through as hard as I could to each day,” Larsen said. “It got to where the end of each day I was crying by the time I got to my car. I really wanted to come the week after spring break to see my sophomores’ Hamlet videos because I knew they worked hard on them. That’s why I came this last week.” On her last day, Larsen received a lot of appreciation, making her final day full of bittersweet moments. “My colleagues have been very supportive of me and I would like to thank them,” Larsen said. “A lot of students gave me gifts and cards today and I’ll treasure them forever. All the hugs that I got were so nice—it was such a beautiful way to end my career. I want my students to know that I tried really hard to make it to the end of the year, but I just couldn’t do it.” Larsen’s students are sad to see their teacher leave, but happy that she will not be in pain anymore. She greatly impacted most of her students. Senior Brandon Li Nguyen knows her lessons will stay with him for a long time. “In my whole high school experience, she is one of the teachers that I am going to remember,” Nguyen said. “She is someone I can go to if I ever need help with school or life.”

FOCUS pg. 6-7

LIFE & ART pg. 8-9

Despite the lack of autonomous competition, many teams, including junior Huy Nguyen’s, invested time to perfect their robot’s design. “We first followed the original build instructions for the robot; then we had to follow the competition rule and remove a the claw and design our own mechanism to gather water bottles,” Nguyen said. “Unlike the other robots, we put four motors instead of two, which made it go fast but it also meant double the work for coding. We used sample programs given by the coding program we used, RobotC, and we tweaked it [until] it worked with our robot.” In the overall competition, team Technobiotics from Mark Keppel placed first, team Andy MIA from San Gabriel, consisting of juniors Kevin Huang, Andy Ly, Huy Nguyen and sophomore Andrew Liu, placed second, and team Carl’s Jr from San Gabriel, consisting of junior Adolfo Martinez and freshmen Carlos Campa and Freddy Perez, placed third. Carl’s Jr was assisted by juniors Delia Arias, Jessica Razo, Xareny Rodriguez, and freshman Alina Soliz. AUSD plans to continue hosting and expanding its annual Robotics Challenge as it enters its third year next school year.

Matador Band travels to Yosemite

PHOTO BY ALICE LI

The Matador Band gathers in front of Yosemite’s forests and mountains. BY ALICE LI

Fully packed with daily necessities waiting for their trip to officially start, Marching Band joyfully stepped into the red coach bus to begin a four-day trip to Yo s e m i t e Na t i o n a l Pa r k f r o m March 27 to March 30. At the first stop of the band tour, band members got to experience a tour of Dewar’s Candy Store that has been in business for over 100 years in Bakersfield, California. They received peanut butter flavored Taffy Chews and a scoop of ice cream with the flavor of their choice. Although many enjoyed the taffy that was given sophomore Andy Lam said otherwise.

SPORTS pg. 10-11

“The ice cream shop was disgusting, Lam said. “I don’t know why I ate [the taffy]. [The taffy] was so sweet and had peanut butter— the two things I hate the most. I don’t have a sweet tooth.” After the candy store, band members toured the campus of University of California, Merced. At around 6 p.m., they arrived at the Half Dome Village at Yosemite National Park. Band members quickly unpacked their luggage in their designated tent cabins to get ready for dinner. As night fell, many students snuggled into their sleeping bags with freezing temperatures during midnight. Lam reminisced about the time at Yosemite despite the conditions.

continued on pg. 3

FEATURE S pg. 12

news

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018

HOSA members compete at YAWP competes at annual State Leadership Conference T r i - C i t y p o e t r y s l a m BY DONNA HERNANDEZ

PHOTO BY SHAWN HO

President senior Mellony Li holds her second place medal prominently with her as she stands on stage. Li displays her achievement in the Medical Math event. BY SHAWN HO

Strolling into their competition events at the State Leadership Conference (SLC), in Anaheim, wearing matching navy blue suits (Hosa Blues), Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) members performed their best in hopes of earning a spot to compete at the International Leadership Conference (ILC). Competitive events took place from April 5 through 8. Out of the 33 HOSA members in attendance, 13 made it to Round 2, including seniors Darlene Doan, Lilian Ngo, Cindy Tan, Guomin Tang, and Johanna Ung; junior Stephanie Tan; sophomores Wendy Chau, Tina Chuong, Scott Ho, Tanvi Mai, Lily Ta, Leyna Tran, and Stephanie Tran. Additionally, out of the 33 attendees, four placed as the finalists for their event, including Emily Huang, Mellony Li, Lilian Ngo, and Johanna Ung. “Not placing made me a bit sad, considering all [of] the time and effort I put into my events,” sophomore Tina Chuong said. “But [it] also motivated me to do better next year and hopefully place.” President senior Mellony Li has competed in Medical Math for the past three years. Through

persistent work, she advanced in ranks each year. Her first year, she received ninth place; the second year she received fifth place, and then this year, she received second place and a spot to compete at ILC. “I was mentally preparing myself to be fifth again when I was called up as an finalist,” Li said. “So when I wasn’t announced as fifth or fourth, I was extremely surprised at myself.” Aside from competitive events, members could also receive recognition for their time committed to volunteering at medical-related facilities and events. The Barbara James Service Award includes three levels: Bronze (100 plus hours), Silver (175 plus hours), Gold (250 plus hours). Barbara James Service Awardees include Bronze Level recipients Mellony Li and Guomin Tang; Silver Level recipients Celine Fung and Jenny Lam; Gold Level recipient Kristina Kwok “I feel like its no big deal for being recognized because anyone can volunteer within the community,” Lam said. “I volunteer because I want to get involved, explore, and help my community” ILC will take place at the Dallas Convention Center in Texas from June 27 to 30. California HOSA finalists will compete against other states in hopes of winning a national title.

Six seniors gain acceptance to Ivy League, prestigious universities BY KENNY LAM

“I also felt that [the acceptance] confirmed my beliefs about myself,” Rivera said. With the school year coming to a close, “Empowering, yet I knew I had to continue seniors have been receiving acceptances from working harder than ever before.” Along with the top-tier education and their future colleges and universities. This year, six seniors have stood out among the rest due to diverse social environment provided by the their acceptances to various prestigious and Ivy universities, the acceptees also look forward to League universities: Carlos Carrillo, Catherine their out-of-state experience on the East Coast. “I’m glad to have options to attend school Huang, Jason Lu, Edward Rivera, Kevin Tang, outside of California,” Ting said. “I’ve never and Britney Ting. Carrillo was accepted into been outside of California, so this is an exciting Yale University, Huang was accepted into the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), opportunity, but I’m kind of scared of how cold it’ll be on the East Coast.” and Lu, Rivera, Tang, Ting also encouraged and Ting were accepted future seniors to try into the Massachusetts to apply to prestigious “When I saw that I Institute of Technology universities, even despite (MIT); members from the got accepted, I was the low chances of getting group were also admitted to so surprised that I accepted. Brown, Cornell, University “Don’t be afraid to of California, Berkeley, and had to reread the apply to reach schools,” UCLA. text a couple of times Ting said. “I personally “I’m very proud of myself wish I applied to more because I thought I because I had worked so and started on my hard for four years, and had misread.” [applications] earlier. It’s it eventually led to this,” always good to try even Tang said. if you don’t think you’ll The six were surprised make it.” when they received their acceptances since all In addition, Huang advised future seniors of these universities are extremely competitive to look into and apply for college exploration and have acceptance rates below 10 percent. programs. She believes that her attendance of “MIT is considered to be a reach school for anyone that applies,” Tang said. “When I saw UPenn’s Penn Early Exploration Program was that I got accepted, I was so surprised that I had a factor in her acceptance. “I highly recommend seniors to take to reread the text a couple of times because I advantage of any fly-in programs that thought I had misread.” Rivera said he felt “relief” upon learning universities offer,” Huang said. “They are about his acceptance, knowing that all of his usually in the beginning of the school year, but keep an eye out early.” hard work had come to fruition.

The Young Aspiring Writers with Power (YAWP) competed at the annual Tri-City poetry slam competition on March 21. This year, the competition was hosted by Alhambra High School and took place in their auditorium. The poets kicked off National Poetry Day by going up against Alhambra and Mark Keppel High School. YAWP went in to defend their trophy but were left astounded by the end result. They finished in second place, with Mark Keppel placing first. “I know we could’ve done much better and won this year if we were better prepared, but I think that it wasn’t about winning,” senior Tabatha Perez said. This year, the team ran a bit behind schedule due to miscalculations of time. Rather than put a focus on winning, their main concern was to slam through each of their poems to the best of their ability. “I’m proud of the result because we pulled it together three days before, and the way we performed is something I can put pride in,” Perez said. Performing a clean and strong set is not a one person job. As a team, the students came together to help each other whether it involves editing or performing.

“Working with my team helped me really make [my] poem better,” senior Patricia Lipana said. “They helped me cut off parts I didn’t need and I feel that I really own it.” Some didn’t come for the competition, but instead to listen to poetry. “It was pretty cool hearing other people’s stories and thoughts,” senior Bruce Hernandez said. “I really love how people express themselves in ways that others are afraid of.” Others, like senior Alina Hurtado, came out despite not making it on the team originally. They even took it a step further as far as showing support. “I made posters for all of my friends that performed and I made them all different so it wasn’t the same sign for everybody,” Hurtado said. “I even drew little images that kind of reminded me of [them].” Although several San Gabriel students came to rally in their enthusiasm, the same could not be said for the rest of the audience. “I think it was different from any performance/competition we’ve done,” Perez said. “The atmosphere was a lot closer and intimate and the audience wasn’t as responsive.” Overall, the students are accepting of the final result, but do not see it as the end. The YAWP team is working hard to surpass SemiFinals in the Get Lit Classic Slam on April 29.

Publications team places at SCJEA

PHOTO COURTESY OF SABINA MILLER

The Matador and El Camino Real pose with their awards after the state competition. BY VIVIAN ZHENG

Placing second in the Yearbook Sweepstakes and third in the California AllStars for print editions, the El Camino Real yearbook and The Matador newspaper staffs brought back awards from the 2018 Southern California Journalism Education Association (SCJEA) State Write-Offs held at Rancho Dominguez Prep High School on March 17. With over 300 participants in the competition, both publications competed against different high schools, including Beverly Hills, Irvine, and Walnut. The Matador Newspaper competed in Critical Review, Editorial Writing, Editorial Cartoon, Feature, News, News Layout, Novice News, Photography, Quiz Bowl, and Sports Feature, while El Camino Real Yearbook competed in Yearbook Copy and Design, Theme Development, and Photography. “[My] event was Theme Development, so I got to write an opening copy and explain how the hypothetical given school would organize their yearbook,” senior Sydney Tran, co-editor-in-chief of the yearbook, said. “Writing the opening copy for [the] yearbook is always an enjoyable thing to do since it’s so descriptive, dramatic, and quirky.” From The Matador Newspaper, junior Lucas Jorgensen placed 13th in Critical Review; senior Carlos Carrillo placed third, junior Eileen Ong, fifth, and junior Echo Dieu, sixth in Editorial Writing; juniors Angela Lu placed fifth and junior Kelly Lac placed 11th in Editorial Cartoon; junior Kenny Lam placed 14th in News; junior Brianna Huynh-Tong received a superior rating and junior Clara Quach received

an excellent rating in Novice News; senior Karina Matias placed 14th in Newspaper Layout. “I was really pleased with SCJEA this year, especially winning a California All-Star rating, ” Carrillo, co-editor-in-chief of the newspaper, said. “We had a lot of people who placed, and it was helpful to compete against the best schools in Southern California and see where we stand and in what we can improve.” From the El Camino Real Yearbook, seniors Patricia Lipana and Rou Wen placed third in Yearbook Copy; seniors Jacob Rodriguez and Sydney Tran placed third in Yearbook Theme. Their combined scores were high enough to win second place in Yearbook Sweepstakes. “I felt the same sense of passion and excitement for sharing people’s stories as I did when I first came into Yearbook, and that’s why I was so happy to receive an award,” Lipana said. “I write because I’m passionate about it, and in those moments, I was so immersed in all of the possible story angles I could’ve taken that I completely forgot that it was even a competition.” For current senior participants, the competition was bittersweet with this being their last high school journalism competition. “For SCJEA, I had a realer, stronger sense of urgency to win,” Tran said. “For SCJEA, it really was do or die since I’m a senior. If I didn’t place at SCJEA this year, I’d never place there.” Overall, the annual event gave both publications an opportunity to explore their strengths and weaknesses while bonding as a team.

NEWS continued from pg. 1

Matador Band travels to Yosemite “Yosemite was beautiful,” Lam said. “I’ve never Terrace, a senior residence center. been to a national park; the closest thing I’ve “To play for the old folks, that’s just a highlight ever been to something that big [was] Almansor for them,” Cognetta said. “I mean, they’ll be [Park]. I was really hoping there would be more talking about that for weeks. You get to share time staying at Yosemite. Two days just does not something like that with older people [and that] feel like enough.” is exciting.” The following day, band members enjoyed Returning back to the hotel, band members their breakfast at Pavillion. The whole day, they dressed themselves in semi-formal attire to attend explored Yosemite and had a picnic before their a musical called “Mamma Mia” at Roger Rocka’s next stop at Fresno Hotel. Dinner Theater. They enjoyed a full line buffet “I think one of the highlights was just having and socialized with people at their table. everybody sitting out Senior Richard Ha t h e r e i n Yo s e m i t e explained that this was having picnic lunch the most memorable “The food was great and there under those beautiful day out of the trip to trees and sitting out [in him. was a certain point [where] the] meadows and just “I pretty much got everyone in the bus started looking at everybody to meet new people just laughing, [and] singing [after the musical], which and become closer with smiling,” band director them,” Ha said. “It was was sincere.” Tammy Cognetta said. my first time going to a At dusk, the coach musical. The food was bus arrived at the great and there was a Fashion Fair Mall so the students could have certain point [where] everyone in the bus started dinner on their own and returned to Piccadilly Inn singing [after the musical], which was sincere.” Shaw Hotel in the city of Fresno to rest for the day. On the last day of the band tour, Marching The next day, Marching Band experienced a Band was able to enjoy their last continental band clinic with Dr. Gary Gilroy at Fresno State breakfast at the Piccadilly Hotel and headed University to strengthen and improve the band’s toward the Sun Maid Market at Kingsburg, CA. sight reading skills and music theory. Afterwards, Unfortunately, the attraction was closed. Some they arrived at Classic Billiards to challenge each were disappointed that the Sun Maid Market was other to games of pool. not open for tourists, but the chaperones decided Senior Will Hoh explains how not many to detour to a small town in Kingsburg. youngsters nowaday are playing pool that can At the end of the day, they finished their last be beneficial for one’s social life. performance at Six Flags Magic Mountain, which “It was fun to have an experience like playing completed the tour. billiards,” Hoh said. “Not many youths know how “There were no complaints really,” Cognetta to play and by us going it opened our minds in said. “If there were any, they were minor. I mean this new hobby.” this was probably the happiest tour we’ve ever After billiards, band played music at Rose View had.”

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018

Whitman resolves complaint with district BY JENNIFER CHEUNG

Environmental science teacher David Whitman has reached an agreement with the Alhambra Unified School District over the complaint he filed with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) in December of last year. The complaint stated how he was a victim of gender discrimination, harassment, and a hostile work environment when his employer did not proceed with the correct and appropriate procedures after he complained of harassment from the vandalism that blanketed campus on May 26, 2017.

“On Tuesday over spring break, the district and I met downtown at the DFEH,” Whitman said. “We spent many hours discussing many topics. We mutually agreed to a set of conditions that satisfied me and satisfied the district.” As part of the agreement, a compensatory financial settlement for Whitman was negotiated. Details of the settlement cannot be revealed due to the nondisclosure agreement Whitman and the district signed. “I’m happy it’s over,” Whitman said. “We’ll move on and I’ll continue to be the happy, fun, and hopefully, great teacher that you guys all know me to be.”

OPINIONS

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018

”Li”sten to me

Alice Li Your lie in April All the negativities and wickedness I see everyday upset me greatly. I can list them all, from the gun policies in America to the fake masks on people at school, and it doesn’t stop there. People see me as an optimistic soul—which I am, but there’s always a shadow hiding behind the light that shines upon others. I don’t have much of a legitimate story to tell my audience, but I would like to express what I feel about philosophical things: life, the world, and humans in general. As much as I can remember about myself when I was a kid, I would always possess a strong sense of justice. When people cut in long lunch lines or when a teacher wanted a volunteer to read a passage, I would feel obligated to be involved—standing up for the sake of righteousness. However, as time ticks away, I find myself weak compared to the courage I once had. At times, I would sob painfully in my bed with my face buried in my teardrenched pillow thinking about how much I’ve changed—how weak I became. It hurts me just to think or even just to be alive. I’ve always been different, weird, and even strange, but that’s the part I truly like about myself. I was blunt about my emotions, feeling accomplished when I make my classmates laugh, and lived every day to the fullest. However, I tried to cover my sadness with optimism and I overthought. I wonder why am I so lonely in this world—why people curse every other word, act so kind to you before the election and change faces after knowing the results, why compassionate human beings ignore the homeless. Why have we become so cold, inconsiderate, and despicable when we are supposed to be brothers and sisters? Why are we like this now? Is it because of money? Society? Education? Is it because when society catches onto trends, you feel obligated to do the same? People say they embrace people who are different, but their actions and words say otherwise. You don’t know their stories or the scars and bruises that formed over time, so why assume that they’re fine with a small insult? Assumptions, words, and actions hurt. Thus, I isolated myself more this year because I’m tired of giving my all only to receive hatred back. Continuing the questions: why is it that the overload of work can delete a person’s ability to do simple greetings and why people don’t get enough sleep because of the pressure set on their shoulders? I care about things like this. I can’t stand it when students cry over a math test because I feel their pain. I can’t bear thinking how people suffer and I don’t. I care about people around me, but most of the time, it goes to waste. That’s what hurts me—almost haunts me to not care anymore since no one appreciates it—but I won’t. What haunts me more is if I stop caring. I would take someone else’s pain so they can have a better day. But it hurts too much sometimes. I don’t have a solution to my problems and questions yet, but I would like to say that we should all look into the good of this world and in others. Sometimes people can bring so much negativity that all the good news are overpowered. I don’t expect people to change around me after reading this, but if you read up till here, I would like to thank you with all my heart for just listening to what I have to say. I rest my case.

Editorial

Teachers unjustly impose views on students

A teacher’s words have the tremendous power to influence students’ beliefs. When discussions about politics, race, sexual orientation, religion, class, or any other controversial issue come up in the classroom, it is critical for teachers to tread the fine line between merely sharing their personal views and forcing them onto their students. As educators, they must remain objective in their teachings to ensure a safe learning environment for students. High school students are at an age where they start to form opinions apart from those of their parents, oftentimes drawing ideas from their peers and adult figures. A significant portion of their time is spent with their teachers, and during this time, a lot of what teachers say can shape how they think. If teachers impose their beliefs, intentionally or not, they are taking advantage of their position of authority because students trust them. Students may be easily persuaded to believe that their teacher’s particular view is the only valid view. When teachers impose their personal views, it can create an uncomfortable

situation for students with differing opinions. The student may feel afraid to express their thoughts because they feel that their teacher will dislike them for going against their beliefs. This can lead to resentment toward the teacher for making them feel belittled, fostering a strained relation between the two. The student may lose respect for the teacher and become disengaged in the classroom, which can result in a decline in academic performance and participation. There are those who will argue that teachers cannot ignore the issues of today’s society and should address them. Yes, it is necessary for these discussions to happen, as it is the school’s responsibility to prepare students to engage with what is going on in the real world, but this does not justify a teacher’s efforts to preach their opinions. The teacher can approach the topic with a neutral stance and choose not to enforce their personal views about it. If the teacher chooses to share what they think, it is possible for them to do so without crossing the line of bias by presenting all perspectives of the

issue with adequate factual information. According to the Alhambra Unified School District Board Policy 6144, “without promoting any partisan point of view, the teacher should help students separate fact from opinion and warn them against drawing conclusions from insufficient data.” They must provide students the tools and opportunities to disagree and voice their thoughts. This way students are not disillusioned to believe one side and are given resources to formulate their own opinion. It is the teacher’s job to teach students how to critically think and evaluate different views. Respecting others’ opinions is an essential life skill—one that students can learn given an all-inclusive classroom space. They see the reality that they will encounter other people in life who have vastly different views than their own. By teaching students how to partake in a civil conversation when that happens, they learn how to defend their stance without offending anyone. For that reason, teachers should be careful to not impart their views on their students.

Schools should recognize mental health days BY EILEEN ONG

They need a break, and a mental health day provides exactly that. It gives the student a day to de-stress and re-energize. In doing so, the student is able to return to school rejuvenated and ready to work. A well-rested student

Your body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. There are no signs of coughing, sneezing, or a stuffy nose. Everything seems normal, but you know you do not feel well. The weight of all the exhaustion and stress has piled on, pulling you down into a state of unmotivated despair. It is 6 a.m. and you dread the thought of having to drag yourself through another day at school. It is scenarios like these that call for schools to consider allowing students to take mental health days. When today’s students are constantly bogged down by massive amounts of homework and extracurricular obligations, among other things, the pressure to succeed inevitably takes a mental toll on them. Students often neglect their mental health in favor for tasks they deem more important, but it eventually catches up to them when they experience burnout. ILLUSTRATION BY ECHO DIEU They become overwhelmed with their workload and struggle to concentrate on their work. At this point, means increased productivity, leading forcing them to attend school just makes to better academic performance and them feel worse; it is more beneficial for behavior. It creates a win-win situation them to stay home and recover. for everyone where the teacher can teach

BY VINCENT MARESCA

and the student can actively engage. However, mental health issues cannot be solved with just one day off from school. It is essential that the student make the most out of their mental health day. Sleeping and playing games all day may seem tempting, but the student should allocate some time to reflect on the underlying sources of their mental health issues. From there, they can figure out how to prevent mental exhaustion from happening again. The day can also be used to catch up on assignments or even get ahead, thus reducing any future stress. By recognizing that mental health is a legitimate reason to miss class, the school sends a message to its students saying that mental health should be a priority. According to the Archives of General Psychiatry, 20 percent of adolescents have a diagnosable mental health disorder. This staggering number indicates how schools should take significant steps in addressing this problem. While mental health days may not be the ultimate solution toward mental well-being, it is important for students to recognize when their brains need a breather and for schools to provide options for them to do so.

OPINIONS

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018

ASB efforts go unnoticed, underappreciated BY DONNA HERNANDEZ

Associated Student Body (ASB) members are responsible for much of the spirit related activities that go on around the school. Whether it be blowing up balloons at 5 a.m. for Academic Pep Rally, holding Inter-Club Council meetings, or directing the Freshman Summit, this leadership organization is constantly in preparation for the next event. Decorations, posters, and flyers are all made behind the scenes, in midst of other assignments and responsiblities to uphold. Once the event has been approved and prepared for, ASB gets ready to showcase their work. Yet, whether it be on the school walls, during rallies, or at the quad, most of it goes unnoticed. Instead, students just skim past the fruit of their work as if it were just another brick wall. Students should appreciate the effort ASB goes through to help create a more united school. Foremost, ASB does more than just planning pep rallies and spirit weeks. They are usually the ones who go over club applications, fundraisers, and events

happening all throughout the school year. It can be quite hectic trying to organize all these events. They must operate efficiently

ILLUSTRATION BY HENRY CHOW

and make sure to communicate with administrators and their peers in order

to ensure everything runs smoothly. ASB members have the pressure to make things as convenient as possible for all, while still adhering to a budget and possibly sacrificing their own time. They must be able to manage those responsibilities along with their academics and other extracurricular activities. It goes to show how dedicated and passionate the students are towards making the school year as bright and fun as possible. Oftentimes, people complain about the seeming “surplus” of fundraisers, but they are usually the same people who judge the decorations and possible bland appearance of the dances and pep rallies. This frustrates the members to no end and feel put down by the lack of appreciation for their efforts, which are really for the rest of the student body’s benefit. Although most people believe that ASB is all about popularity and that they do not do much, ASB is much more than that. Without them, school would be a lot more boring and even more dead than it already is.

Environmental care needs to be emphasized BY HENRY CHOW

Environmental degradation is becoming more of an issue to the world as the years go by. Some individuals see the danger and do their best to recycle, properly throw away trash and, all in all, make the world a cleaner place. However, in most cases, others choose to ignore the matter at hand and continue bad habits of harming the environment. Here, the campus is like any other high school: gum under the tables, filthy restrooms, litter, and unrecycled cans and bottles. Knowing this, it becomes pretty clear to us that there should be a greater emphasis on caring for the environment. Generally speaking, without proper care of the environment, plastics and litter are left unchecked, flying aimlessly into the sky with no bounds. When this happens, trash bits gather and landfills end up in oceans, plaguing the aquatic wildlife which consume the plastic and litter. This then affects our seafood which, contaminated by plastics, ends up in our digestive system.

Through unchecked plastics and litter we poison our foods without even giving it much thought. Schools all around the world should be actively encouraging environmental awareness by making

ILLUSTRATION BY ANGELA LU

an effort to avoid problems like this. By reducing the amount waste that fills our area, we help make our schools look a lot nicer and take a step toward keeping our

MATADOR Carlos Carrillo Jennifer Cheung Kevin Contreras Selina Han Kenny Lam Opinions Editors Donna Hernandez Eileen Ong Focus Editors Alice Li Karina Matias Life and Art Editors Angela Lu Elsie Wang Sports Editors Nian Capili Chelsea Li Features Editors Henry Chow Vivian Zheng Copy Editors Lucas Jorgensen Kim Ta Andy Yung Photo Editors Katherine Huang Ahyoung Nguyen Artist Vincent Maresca Business Managers Shawn Ho Anny Li Wu Website Editors Echo Dieu Emily Tan Multimedia Editors Brianna Huynh-Tong Lu June Lin Blogs Manager Kayla Tang Community Editors Clara Quach Virginia Situ Special Projects Manager Bastian Mendez Humans of SG Editor Kim Ta Adviser Jennifer Kim

The Matador Bullring

Editors-in-Chief

Managing Editor News Editors

Reporters: Kabrina Bennett, Kelly Lac, Sunhi Nguyen, Ada Zhao The Matador is published monthly by the journalism class of San Gabriel High School. 1,600 copies per issue are published at CA WEB PRINT Inc. The Matador is a public forum for student expression and highly encourages responses in reaction to issues discussed in the paper. The opinions expressed are those of the writers, not the faculty or administration. Articles without bylines are the opinion of the staff. Submit comments as a letter to the editor, signed (anonymity is guaranteed if requested), to H-2, or Ms. Kim’s mailbox.

Earth clean. To greater emphasize these concerns, students should be more exposed to the effects of environmental degradation. One reason why some students do not show care for the environment is because they do not know how devastating the effects are. Although environmental science classes are present at campus, not everyone takes this course, so they are not fully exposed to the dangers. Students may find that making an attempt to take care of the environment is “too much of a hassle,” but in fact that small five minute walk to the recycling bin can prevent disaster. When people finish eating their food and are left with a plastic wrapper or container they think to themselves, “It’s just a small bit.” Some people are lazy, but most simply just do not have any consideration for trying to help the environment. If those small groups of students put in the effort to make change, then we could take a step toward a cleaner, better future.

Do you feel your teachers impose their beliefs onto you?

“ “ “

They just tell us what’s going on and what they heard in the news, but they don’t tell us if they support it or not.” -Hilary Montoya, 9th grade

They’re not like ‘Oh it’s bad, you have to believe it’s bad because I believe it’s bad.’ It’s more like ‘I believe it’s bad, what do you believe?’” -Rodrigo Sigala, 10th grade

“

They sometimes state their own beliefs, but they don’t force us to believe what they believe.” -Andrew Lau, 11th grade

It kind of makes everyone want to agree with the teacher because they want a good grade in the class and they don’t want to cause drama.” -Christina Yuan, 12th grade PHOTOS BY AHYOUNG NGUYEN

“Clar”ify my life

Clara Quach Disillusioned conscience Growing up, I never really realized how often I kept to myself. I now realize that my emotions are something I do not express often, especially about how I feel unqualified for many different things. There are many things that I want to do for clubs and more, but I never think I am qualified for these positions. When I do get certain positions, I always wonder how I was able to get the position instead of someone else who ran against me. Now, I am slowly starting to stray away from these thoughts, but I have not completely discarded these stressful thoughts. Despite how pessimistic I am of myself, every task that is placed upon me, I always give my all so that I would not disappoint those who have given me the task to begin with. Even though I do not believe in myself, I fear disappointing others more. These disappointments push me to work harder, but also hold me back by making me conceal my emotions. By concealing my emotions, I always, and still to this day, put others before myself, which I do not see a problem with. I realized that I doubt and look down on myself a lot, but I always work hard not to disappoint others around me. I get scared of disappointing my friends and family, which is why I tend to work hard for others instead of myself. I also never tell people what I really think, which is why I hope writing this column would make me more open to those who are close to me. I have always lived in fear of disappointing people when there are expectations already set. When I do disappoint people, I try to work even harder the next time. I used to get discouraged when people were disappointed in me, but now I try to take disappointments to build myself into a better person. Most of the time, I try to stray away from disappointing people overall. I could disappoint people in so many different ways, which is why I keep to myself most of the time. Slowly but surely, I hope to become more open to others because I know how being open to others could help me grow as a person. I am becoming more open to expressing my emotions, but I have not fully opened up. I am aware that it is a slow process, especially because I grew up doubting myself, but it is something I am working toward. A goal of mine is to overcome the doubts that I have about myself. These doubts have helped me become more determined to do well, mainly because I do not want to disappoint people and for others to judge me; however, I believe it would be nice to take away these doubts because these doubts lead me to stressing more than I prefer. Writing this column is one of the scariest things because I did not know what to write about and did not think I was interesting enough to write one. I also thought this was a moment where I would have to share something about me, which frightened me more because, as mentioned earlier, I am not a very vulnerable person to start off with. In the end, I have hopes to become more vulnerable than I am now to help me become more adventurous to what is waiting out there for me; I just need to let go of what is holding me back.

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THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018

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THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018

SAN GABRIEL HIGH SCHOOL PROM

“AND THE WINNER IS...”

PROM POLL OF STUDENTS AT SAN GABRIEL HIGH 100 people surveyed

Are you going to Prom? YES 62% NO 33% MAYBE 5%

How are you getting to Prom?

Arriving in Style:: How to Get To Prom

PARENTS 23% FRIEND(S) WITH CARS 28% RENTED TRANSPORTATION 18% PERSONAL VEHICLE 12% OTHER TRANSPORATION 19%

BY KELLY LAC AND BASTIAN MENDEZ

Do you like the date where Prom falls? YES 69% NO 31%

Do you think it is necessary to have a GPA requirement to attend?

GOING TO PROM... on a budget BY VIRGINIA SITU

Around the month of April, a formal dance catches all high schoolers’ attention—prom. High school students and their families spend as much as $400 for dresses or tuxedos and tickets for a dance that sometimes top up to $100 at venues like Sheraton Universal and The Annex Hollywood. They consult with staff at formal wear shops to find the perfect dress or tuxedo, but also create social media groups to make sure fewer people twin with each other. “Promposals” (the term for asking someone to prom) take time and money as well. Senior Garry Ngo spent around $100 for the promposal part of prom alone. He wanted to create a romantic and memorable moment for his date. “I was planning it for one to two weeks and spent [around] $20-$30 for the picnic, $66 for the flowers and $2 for the balloons,” Ngo said. “I really tried to make it [look] good.” A money-saving solution may just be to sew a dress. Some people

Poll graphics by Angela Lu Background graphics by Kelly Lac Photos courtesy of Junior Class Council

are highly talented in fixing up older clothes with new elements to create a completely different outfit. From Hayward High School, senior Shami Oshun made her own prom dress for only $15. This is an option if one wants to create a unique one -of-akind dress for such an incredible event. Some students may wonder if they are overspending on the dance, but according to Yahoo Style’s 2017 Prom Across America survey, teens are spending an average of more than $600 on prom for hair and makeup, dresses and tuxedos, tickets and transportation. Prom has always been known as an expensive event, but there are alternative ways to make prom extravagant yet affordable. Junior Tiffany Le plans to save money on things she does not feel like a must have at the dance. “I am saving [money] by buying drugstore makeup and thrifting for dresses,” Le said. “Definitely no limousine.”

YES 46% NO 44% OTHER ANSWERS 10%

Location:

ANNEX HOLLYWOOD 6801 HOLLYWOOD BLVD. FL 5 LOS ANGELES, CA 90028 UNITED STATES

TIME & DATE: April 20 7 - 11 p.m.

“AND THE WINNER ISN’T YOU” BY NIAN CAPILI

Prom season—that time of the year where high school students create plans to be prepared for a memorable night. Teens deal with the stress of finding what to wear, saving up for their ticket, handling transportation, and of course, finding a date. Students are usually finding ways to make a cute and extravagant prom proposal, or promposal, for their significant other or even a good friend. Of course, it is easy to say yes, but how would you politely reject a promposal? It is difficult to simply reject such an overwhelming proposal where you are expected to say yes. You are put on spot, feeling pressured into giving an unconfident answer. There are multiple options on how to respectfully reject a promposal without looking like a jerk. The first step of course is to be completely

honest with your response. You are not going to lie and give an ignorant answer, such as “I would go with you, but I’m going to be sick on that day.” Honesty is the best policy; you can say that you do not want to go to the dance, you are already interested in asking someone else, you just want to go with your friends, or you simply just do not want to go with that person. These options only vary if they are true. You cannot use these options as a lie because it will make you look bad once someone finds out the truth, creating an ugly reputation for yourself. Prom should be an unforgettable moment, and the whole process of it should not be as stressful as it seems. If you do not want to go to prom with someone who asks you out, be respectful the same way you would want to be respected, and stay truthful to your response.

Junior Class Council models: Alanna Chan, Cathy Do, David Gomez, Selina Han, Vanessa Hoang, Jason Hong, Sonam Huang, Kyle Lam, Paula Lay, Tiffany Le, Melissa Nim, and Jordan Phan

The classic prom-goer’s fantasy always includes walking away from a gleaming limousine as others gaze upon its brilliance. However, things do not always go that way. Transportation can get a little rough; when going from San Gabriel to Hollywood on a Friday during rush hour, one needs to take into account several factors including time and budget. Luckily, there are other alternatives that are cost-effective and just as enjoyable. The limousine is the jaw dropping, but expensive, mode of transit at the center of the classic prom experience. Limo rentals can vary depending on the number of passengers, the type of limo, and included goodies. These cars usually come with amenities like refreshments, DVD players, and mood lighting. For reference, Synergy Limousine charges an estimated $395 with tip included to ferry six people to prom, while V.I.P. Transportation Service charges $90 an hour for a minimum of five hours and a minimum of ten people. Senior William Kwoon decided to take a limousine with his friends to experience luxury while cruising down the streets of Los Angeles. “Since it’s for prom—a special once, in a lifetime occasion—it will be worth it,” Kwoon said. A common type of transportation to prom is by car. Although a car ride is technically free, it roughly costs $4-5 (based on current average gas

prices). With the addition of parking fees at the Annex ($15 maximum), it can potentially cost you up to $20. Senior Tabatha Perez decided to go by car with her date senior Bruce Hernandez. “It’s a bit expensive to get limos and we were both kind of overwhelmed with senior costs,” Perez said. “I actually think it’s better to just drive yourself because it’s more intimate.” A car from a ridesharing company—like Lyft or Uber—from San Gabriel to Hollywood costs roughly $21-26 depending on surge pricing algorithms, a system that charges more during peak traffic hours. For those looking to use public transit, a bus ride from San Gabriel will cost $1 per bus with a valid student ID. The trip will take approximately two hours and will likely require at least one bus transfer. After exiting the bus, The Annex will be a couple blocks away. The travel time to The Annex varies from 45 minutes to one hour and 25 minutes depending on traffic conditions and mode of transport. Since prom starts at 7 p.m., it is best to leave at around 5 p.m. It can be tough choosing a mode of transport. Some are cheap, some are fancy, but it truly just boils down to what best suits the prom goer’s needs.

FOCUS

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018

2 K 1 8

FOCUS

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018

SAN GABRIEL HIGH SCHOOL PROM

“AND THE WINNER IS...”

PROM POLL OF STUDENTS AT SAN GABRIEL HIGH 100 people surveyed

Are you going to Prom? YES 62% NO 33% MAYBE 5%

How are you getting to Prom?

Arriving in Style:: How to Get To Prom

PARENTS 23% FRIEND(S) WITH CARS 28% RENTED TRANSPORTATION 18% PERSONAL VEHICLE 12% OTHER TRANSPORATION 19%

BY KELLY LAC AND BASTIAN MENDEZ

Do you like the date where Prom falls? YES 69% NO 31%

Do you think it is necessary to have a GPA requirement to attend?

GOING TO PROM... on a budget BY VIRGINIA SITU

Poll graphics by Angela Lu Background graphics by Kelly Lac Photos courtesy of Junior Class Council

YES 46% NO 44% OTHER ANSWERS 10%

Location:

ANNEX HOLLYWOOD 6801 HOLLYWOOD BLVD. FL 5 LOS ANGELES, CA 90028 UNITED STATES

TIME & DATE: April 20 7 - 11 p.m.

“AND THE WINNER ISN’T YOU” BY NIAN CAPILI

Junior Class Council models: Alanna Chan, Cathy Do, David Gomez, Selina Han, Vanessa Hoang, Jason Hong, Sonam Huang, Kyle Lam, Paula Lay, Tiffany Le, Melissa Nim, and Jordan Phan

life & art

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018

Art Gallery brings spring colors in biannual event

Araujo gets chopping: cooks up creative culinary storms

PHOTO BY AHYOUNG NGUYEN

Sophomore Keven Araujo scribbles down ingredients and ideas in his notebook to plan for his next unique one-of-a-kind culinary concoction.

PHOTO BY KATHERINE HUANG

Juniors Sam Gingrich (left) and Johathan Sycip (right) stopped by the Spring Gallery to admire students’ artwork during lunch. The gallery attracted m a ny s t u d e n t s t o p a rt i c i p at e i n vo t i n g fo r t h e i r t h re e favo ri t e p i e c e s . BY BASTIAN MENDEZ

Art Club hosted the Spring Gallery on April 5 and 6. It was the second gallery of the school year and included a competition that allowed attendees to vote on three of their favorite pieces. First place went to sophomore Jenny Lee with “Vulnerability.” Second place was a tie between senior Dustin Ta’s “Waves” and sophomore Valeria Ramirez’ “Untitled.” A tie for third place went to “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life” by junior Angela Lu and “Untitled” by senior Tiffany Thai. The gallery was organized by Art Club students with occasional help from adviser Karen Keller. “I guide them in terms of supplies and techniques but they do most of the work,” Keller said. Though the exhibition was relatively small compared to others, the organizers managed to get pieces from a variety of students across the campus. “We have a really talented student body and not all of them attend Art Club,” Keller said. “Some of the works were just from the general student body, some were by Art Club students, and then others that had some

similarities [to each other] were projects from art classes.” Among the various pieces displayed were works by alumnus and former art club member Serena Tieu, who is currently studying Design at University of California, Davis. “I knew that previous alumni had submitted work,” Tieu said. “I wanted to promote my name as an artist and designer. Additionally, I wanted to leave a mark at SGHS.” The works Tieu submitted were all assignments from her freshman year design classes. Keller displayed them in part hoping that students would admire what she has created in design school. “It gives students who are looking into an art program an idea of the type of work they would be doing,” Keller said. “Her works were projects that you would see from beginning level classes in college.” The Spring Art Gallery was the last one of the school year; it was hosted in the auditorium foyer during lunch and after school. To see photos of the art that were on display and the competition winners, visit <<https://goo.gl/CJkDCM>>.

BY AHYOUNG NGUYEN AND SUNHI NGUYEN

With fresh tomato sauce and boiling spaghetti on the stove top, sophomore Keven Araujo was inspired by his mother and grandmother to cook. At the age of 9, he had a moment in the kitchen when he was cooking his first dish, grilled cheese. He burned the bread, but that did not stop him from pursuing his dreams to become a chef. “I don’t mind being a chef,” Araujo said. “I have dedication [and] commitment. I know that I will work [hard].” For his history class, Araujo treated them to a creamy pasta dish he made. “Keven’s pasta was amazing,” classmate and sophomore Johnathan Kyin said. “It had a lot of flavor and it took a long time to cook.” Araujo explained that he is basically a head chef— the main cook in the family— and usually cooks for his family very often or he helps around in the kitchen. “I do it about three times a week to help out my mom or I just cook an entire meal for myself,” Araujo said. Beside cooking, he also likes to bake basic desserts such as cakes, cookies, and cupcakes. If he has a choice to choose

baking or cooking, he would choose cooking. “It’s my honest choice to choose cooking because I have passion for it,” Araujo said. His grandmother insisted that women should not be the only ones in the kitchen. By listening to her words, Araujo wanted to follow in his grandmother’s footsteps and learn to cook for himself. “My grandma taught me [how] to cook because she always told me that I [will] never need a woman to cook for me,” Araujo said. “She wants me to be independent and my mom agrees with her.” Araujo disagrees with the idea that “a woman’s place is in the kitchen.” He wants to stop the stereotype that only women should be the ones cooking. “Personally, I believe that guys should be in the kitchen as well because we are capable of cooking, right?” Araujo said. “We all capable of breathing, then why can’t we be capable of doing the same thing?” Araujo wants to encourage those wanting to become chefs to not be afraid of making mistakes and to keep on cooking and practicing. “Once you burn your food, it doesn’t mean burn your passion for it,” Araujo said.

Isle of Dogs shows ‘inu’ side of Wes Anderson

PHOTO BY PAUL HUDSON CC/BY

The mayor issues a decree sending all dogs to Trash Island, a dingy locale that contrasts heavily with their clean and colorful homes in the city of Megasaki. BY BASTIAN MENDEZ

One would not typically expect much from an animated movie about talking dogs, but when it is directed by Oscar nominee Wes Anderson, Isle of Dogs is enough to make one’s ears perk up.

The story begins with the cat loving Mayor Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura) banning all canines from the city of Megasaki. His nephew and ward, Atari Kobayashi (Koyu Rankin), flies to Trash Island to rescue his dog, Spots (Liev Schreiber), and ends up meeting a ragtag group of English speaking pups who agree to help him on his journey, clashing with the beliefs of a former stray named Chief (Bryan Cranston), who rejects the idea of friendship with humans. Meanwhile, American exchange student and school newspaper editor Tracy Walker (Greta Gerwig), investigates Atari’s story and leads a pro-dog movement in Megasaki. The story moves very quickly and uses a lot of expositional monologues. Most of the human characters speak only Japanese and the way in which it is translated seems to change every second, from an on-screen interpreter (Frances McDormand), to subtitles, to narration by Courtney B. Vance. Still, it is not a tough movie to follow. The soundtrack, including classic Kurosawa film scores and trademark Wes Anderson acoustics, helps the viewers gather their thoughts during the occasional calm, wholesome moments on Trash Island. Visually, the movie is stunning. Every scene could no doubt be placed in a gallery as a diorama. The stop-motion animation is clean and every shot brings in a new set of visual details for the audience to lap up. Unfortunately, the movie’s focus on aesthetic is a bit of a pitfall. It has received flack for using Japan as nothing more than a backdrop for its English speaking characters. While it does seem that Anderson took precautions to avoid this, such as writing the script with help from Kunichi Nomura and adding Japanese cultural references into the film’s imagery, there is a noticeable lack of humanization of its Japanese characters. With so many artists currently using Japan as nothing more than an aesthetic, perhaps it would have been wise to give more depth to the Japanese characters and emphasize Japanese culture as the heart of the movie. While not without its flaws, Isle of Dogs fits in perfectly with Wes Anderson’s catalogue. The futura font, the head on camera angles, the story about growing up are all there; just presented with an animated panache. Like a child reunited with their dog, the movie is visibly packed with love, warmth, and emotion. It is an excellent film, not only for dog lovers, but for anybody who wants to be astounded by the amount of on-screen energy it has.

life & art

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018

Bringing new style of fried chicken to San Gabriel Valley

PHOTO BY SHAWN HO

The warming Bulgogi Fried Rice (left) spreads its strong pleasant aroma waiting to be eaten. The soy garlic fried chicken wings (right) fills the consumer with temptation. BY SHAWN HO

Growing up in San Gabriel Valley, the only types of fried chicken I knew of were Popeyes Louisiana Fried Chicken, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Walking down Las Tunas Boulevard, I noticed a large black and red sign announcing that Bonchon was going to open a location in San Gabriel. Curious about how this new fried chicken would taste, I decided to go. Bonchon, according to their website, translates to “my hometown,” and is a Korean fried chicken food chain which originated from Busan, South Korea in 2002. I arrived at Bonchon around 1 p.m. and expected a half-filled restaurant because I went during their softopening. Contrary to my belief, the place was packed with a wait time between 20 and 40 minutes. Once seated, I noticed that the restaurant was a bit small. Korean pop music resounded off the walls which were adorned aesthetically with the names of cities Bonchon has a location in. Briefly after being seated, I was given two menus: the regular and lunch special ones. I was surprised by the simplicity of the menu and its modest amount of items. Although the establishment’s main focus is Korean fried chicken, the menu additionally included starters

from American, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cuisine. The price of the starters ranged between $6 and $12 while the entrees were priced between $8 and $34, depending on the amount of chicken. Being that they were known for their fried chicken, which was double-fried with one of their two secret sauces, I decided to order an eight-piece of their signature fried chicken soy garlic wings. Within 20 minutes, my order came. I was also given a convenient metal bucket for the bones of the fried chicken wings . The skin of the chicken wing was extremely crispy and s a v o r y. T h e m e a t inside was very moist and tender, but sadly bland. However, the flavor of the skin greatly compensates for the insides as the taste is significantly overpowering. I could not stop eating; the soy garlic flavor had me hooked. Bonchon lived up to its third-place rank in the “16 Addictive Chicken Wing Spots in LA, 2018 Edition,” by Eater Los Angeles. Bonchon is a fantastic eatery for Korean fried chicken as it has extremely crispy skin and strong savory flavors. Their location on Las Tunas Boulevard makes it very convenient for an afterschool snack or meal for San Gabriel students. Although the price may seem intimidating, it is definitely worth your money and time.

“Bonchon lived up to its third-place rank in the ‘16 Addictive Chicken Wing Spots in LA, 2018 Edition,’ by Eater Los Angeles.”

Artwork by Victoria Huynh, 12

sports

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018

2017 18 SPRING Sports Scoreboard BOYS BASEBALL VARSITY

8-3 11-1 15-1 17-1

W L L L

13-8 W

GIRLS SOFTBALL

BOYS TENNIS

VARSITY

3/17 vs St. Paul

JV 3/21 @ Azusa

CO-ED SWIM VARSITY N/A

JV N/A

15-0 L 16-0 L 15-1 L JV 13-7 W

14-4 13-5 14-4 75-74

L L W W

11-7 15-3

W W

VARSITY

TRACK AND FIELD

CO-ED BADMINTON

VARSITY

VARSITY (B) 104.5-22.5 L

(B) N/A (G) N/A (B) N/A (G) N/A

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

(G) 85-42

(B) 84-39

(G) 92-29

3-1 3-1 3-1

W W W

2-0

11-10 W 14-7 L

FROSH/SOPH

7-4

SPRING SPORTS UNDER THE RADAR Twist and turn: ‘throwing’ appreciation for track and field BY KIM TA

Track and field is a sport with a lot of athletes, but one aspect of the sport is not looked upon often: throwing (throws). Throws consists of four different competitions: shot put, discus, javelin, and hammer throw. However, shot put and discus are the only events participated in at the Matadors’ meets. Both use a range of techniques—regular power, throw, half turn, step turn, and full spin. For shot put specifically, there is a glide whose purpose is to achieve one goal: to throw the greatest distance. The moment track and field is brought up, running is what mostly comes to mind, but throws is rather significant because compared to running and jumping, throwing practices balance. “The spin technique is the hardest technique, mainly because it’s so precise,” throws captain senior Eric Avina said. “The technique that is taught to all beginners is the power technique. It’s not that complicated ” For the power technique, throwers stand aligned with their left toe and right heel, then put weight all onto their right knee. Quickly after, their hips are twisted fast and

weight must be shifted to the left knee while the discus is being released. Despite its complexity and entertaining nature, “a lot of people don’t know about throws, so it gets undermined,” freshman Kevin Almontes said. “A lot of people don’t know how fun throws can be, so they never really try it out.” With the football stadium scattered with people, a small but noticeable area is filled with objects being smoothly thrown. Senior Jocelyn Phuong, who has taken part in throws since her sophomore year, saw an opportunity, took it, and uses it to improve more and more. “I found out about it when I went to track practice after cross season was over,” Phuong said. “I was gonna do running, until I saw people throwing. It looked really fun, people were spinning. Even though I get dizzy really easily, I think I’ve gotten better.” Whether there is a stampede of athletes on the track or one athlete on the field, throws is a simplistic yet challenging event in the spring sports season.

After starting with a power stance, freshman Kevin Almontes turns with his left arm straight out.

Coaches’s views on leadership in sports How do you see yourself playing an active leadership role? “I make sure everybody plays together as hard as they can and are in the right position to succeed.” - Byron Pagdilao, boys varsity volleyball coach

Shifting his weight from his right knee to his left knee, Almontes turns slightly while keeping balance.

“I see myself at the helm of our intrumental music program and half of the illustrious coaching staff of our incredible swim teams.” - Tammy Cognetta, swim coach

“I’m here to guide the team because many girls come with no dance experience, so I tried to train them to the best of my ability and I’m here to motivate them. I go by this motto of ‘no excuses.” You always have to try.” - Rosalee Cabral, Choreo coach

PHOTOS BY BASTIAN MENDEZ

Almontes releases discus from hand after fully twisting his body, which launches it through the air.

SPORTS

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018

‘Serve’ up some respect, show some ‘love’ for BY SELINA HAN

Tennis requires endurance, agility, and hand-eye coordination. The varsity boys team knows this well as they train everyday after school with the goal of winning their league and advancing to CIF. “I see tennis as more of a calm sport with less pressure since you’re playing with at most [three other] people and there isn’t a big crowd watching you from the sidelines,” sophomore Kenny Luo said. “I have played tennis for about a year and three months. Tennis is a sport in which most people tend to not learn or play while growing up, unlike basketball or soccer. Because of that, I had to learn how to play the sport from the basics.” Tennis involves many techniques including different swing, shapes, and grips. Players work to perfect their forehand, backhand, and serves. Some common tennis grips include the continental, the eastern forehand, and the western forehand grip. The players use different grips based on their

boys tennis

preference and the type of shot they want to hit. “Learning the forehand and the serve was the hardest for me because the form consumed a lot of time for me to understand it,” Luo said. “Learning the backhand and volleying wasn’t so hard as I got better at it day by day. I had put lots of work and experience into the sport, but I am still not perfect at it. Even until today, I am still learning how to get better and better every time I practice.” When working with a doubles’ partner, communication, teamwork, and synergy are especially important. Luo’s current partner, senior James Choy, is also one of the captains of boys’ tennis with senior Anson Lai. “The thing I love most about tennis is just playing it,” Choy said. “When I’m playing tennis I feel like I’m having some good fun and when I win, it feels so great. Captains need [to have] leadership skills, to be very social, and to love the team.” As captains, Choy and Lai want to train the team to finish strong this season. Both captains will be graduating at the end of this school year, but hope to see the team winning their league this season.

PHOTO BY KATHERINE HUANG

Senior captain James Choy demonstrates a western grip, commonly used while playing.

Choy prepares to serve using the continental grip by holding his racket like an axe..

P’inning’ down differences between BY KABRINA BENNETT AND KARINA MATIAS

If you think softball is easy, then you may have been watching too much baseball. Maybe it is difficult because of the different size of the ball or the different fields, but in fact, they both are played the same way; they are just slightly different. The game consists of nine players in different positions. The different positions are: pitcher, catcher, first basemen, second basemen, third basemen, shortstop, right field, center field, and left field. All players on the field are important, but without a pitcher, the game cannot commence. There are usually about six innings in a game, and a game can take two hours to play or even more. For each inning, the defensive team must get three outs on the offensive team in order to go up to bat. You can get stuck in an inning for however long it takes until those three outs happen.

baseball, softball

In baseball, they use an overhand pitch, while softball uses underhand. Baseball also plays on a bigger field, while softball plays on a slightly smaller field. When pitching in softball, it is actually closer to the batter when compared to baseball. Softball is a significant sport because the equipment that is used is quite different as well. In softball the players have a bigger ball, but in baseball, the ball is harder to hit. A thinner bat and bigger gloves are used. An important factor in all sports or games is to always be fair and equal. The rules in softball and baseball are not so different. A main difference is that in baseball, the players can leave the base;in softball, it is only possible once the ball is pitched. Softball rules do not allow the player to leave the base early. If you do so, you will get called out. While softball is more closely associated with women and baseball with men, they are still equally challenging and require a lot of dedication to the sport.

PHOTO BY AHYOUNG NGUYEN

Senior Karla Moran stands shoulder width apart at home base and prepares to swing.

Moran rotates hips, extends arms, and pivots foot then rolls her wrist.

‘Birdies’ fly their way to success through badminton BY VIVIAN ZHENG

Precision. Speed. Stamina. The components that the badminton team strive for as they aim to qualify for CIF. With a new coach, they plan to maintain the same principles and values that have been upholding the team. “I think that it’s kind of special in a way because the team members joined since we all have the same feelings toward badminton,” captain sophomore Michelle Kung said. “It’s not about the representation, it’s about the dedication, the amount of effort we put in, and the love for[it].” In the US, badminton is perceived as a “backyard” sport and may not be taken as seriously compared to Asia; however, there are sides to the sport that usually go unseen. “It takes a lot of practice, [and] it may look easy to hit the [birdie], but it takes more than what you think to get the bird over the net,” captain senior Randy Liu said. Playing badminton requires sufficient communication for both singles and doubles players, and knowledge of the different grips, serves, and hits, including the forehand and

backhand serve and lift and clear shots. “What I like about [it] is the sportsmanship you and your opponents show and the amount of support you get from your coach and your team while you are playing,” doubles player sophomore Wesley Szeto said. “During practice and our games, [my partner and I] adapt to each other’s play style and we communicate greatly to win games.” Sportsmanship and patience are essentials in upholding a strong stamina in badminton. “You learn great sportsmanship and how to work together,” Kung said. “Patience is another thing you’ll be able to learn because we can’t get frustrated with one another. It’ll only bring us down.” Not only does the sport enable players to learn about the importance of teamwork, it also may teach them different life skills. “Badminton is an amazing sport and you’ll be able to open up even more when you join,” Kung said. “A life skill [that you learn] is working with someone and getting to the same goal even if you might not like each other outside of badminton,” Liu said.

PHOTO BY KATHERINE HUANG

Junior Leo Wong shows a forehand clear.

Wong gives an example of a forehand serve.

Wong does a lift shot by raising a birdie when it falls near the floor.

features

THE MATADOR WeDNESDAY, APril 11, 2018

a Glimpse in the day of Teachers Parra (right) spends her morning conversing with her students. One of her interests is getting to know her students more. PHOTO BY VINCENT MARESCA

WU'S

AFTERNOON

Wu (left) stands by one of her best friends, Huong Tran. Outside of school, Wu and Tran eat brunch together with their friends.

PARRA'S BY BASTIAN MENDEZ

English and Pursuing Our Dreams through Education and Responsibility (PODER) teacher Virginia Parra enjoys her early morning moments. “I’m a morning person,” Parra said. “I like coming to work at about 6:30 a.m. or 6:45 a.m., [and] like to have my breakfast and coffee before school starts. I can get everything I need done and set up my whiteboards.” Parra enjoys conversations with small groups of freshmen and seniors who like to drop by her class before school starts. “Usually I eavesdrop [on] their conversations and give them—probably unwanted—advice,” Parra said. “I think it’s fun because I get to learn more about my students outside of the classroom. School problems, stomach issues, relationship problems and college meltdowns; we’ve been through it all.”

PHOTO BY KATHERINE HUANG

BY ELSIE WANG

The bell rings promptly at 2:58 p.m. Students shuffle hastily out of the classrooms to catch the next bus or go to their extracurricular activities. Meanwhile, math teacher Emily Wu stays behind, working with and helping students. On a typical weekday afternoon, Wu stays after school for an hour or two to plan future lessons and grade papers. On Tuesdays and Thursdays however, she provides tutoring that allows students to work on homework in an interactive and friendly environment. “[During tutoring], students work in small groups and share notes, but I have them work individually before sharing,” Wu said. “To be able to know other people’s

studying strategies can be beneficial to them. It is important to know how other people learn as well.” Once in awhile, teacher work drags over to the weekends where Wu finds herself buried in front of a heap of student papers ready to be graded. Besides work, on her free weekends, she pursues interests in hiking, watching movies, going to concerts, tasting new cuisines, and cooking. “I [cook] different things, and friends and family become my guinea pigs,” Wu said. “I [also] have two friends that run with me. From time to time, about once a year, we like to go to random concerts.” When going out, Wu tries to explore new areas, foods, and experiences outside of the San Gabriel Valley.

JOHNSON’S AFTERNOON Johnson demonstrates the yoga technique: Cat Pose (Marjaryasana). He often enjoys spending time with meditation to de-stress. PHOTO BY CHELSEA LI

BY CHELSEA LI

For the past decade, biology teacher Robert Johnson has enjoyed spending his afternoons with his son, now 23, and friends. His outdoor enthusiasm has lead him on hikes around the San Gabriel Mountains, Verdugo Mountains, and Mount Baldy, creating a special bond between him and nature. “I like to have my door open and be in contact with nature,” Johnson said. “I go up to Central Coast [of] California and take pictures.” Johnson was interested in photography, so he taught himself the medium. Besides taking pictures and hiking, he also spends his time reading biographies and spiritual GRAPHICS BY ANGELA LU

materials and meditating. Meditation has helped him nurture his soul and became a part of his prayer regime. “I used to have a lot of stress, but through meditation and prayer, I’ve managed my stress pretty well,” Johnson, who also practices yoga, said. On his work days, Johnson enjoys lunch with teachers from the E-building. “I usually have lunch with a couple of teachers. I have had [lunch with them] for 10 years: [English teacher Scott] Myers, [physical education teacher Jon] Keller, and [physics teacher Alan] Tran, [chemistry teacher Ryan] Wong, and now, [chemistry teacher Kenneth] Ma has joined us too,” Johnson said. After work, he hits the gym and then cooks dinner with his son.`

MORNING After the “calm before the storm,” Parra prepares for a hectic first period working with seniors in the PODER program. “PODER is our college prep program,” Parra said. “We recruit students who are first generation or want to know more about college and we guide them through the process. My seniors have been working on college applications, financial aid, and reading their award letters.” Parra enjoys having her only senior class in the morning but occasionally wonders if her students feel the same. “I enjoy it, but that’s because I’m a morning person,” Parra said. “I don’t know if at the beginning of the year it was too stressful for the students, working on college applications and financial aid in the morning.” When the first-period bell rings and the freshmen file into her class, she’s ready to advance to the rest of her day.