The Matador Issue 6 Feb. 14, 2018

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VOL. 63 ISSUE 6

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

SAN GABRIEL HIGH SCHOOL

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018

BY SELINA HAN

Fully dressed in business attire, San Gabriel High School’s (SGHS) Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) celebrated as they took home first place for Chapter Sweepstakes at the Gold Coast sectional competition on Feb. 3.

This year, the annual sectional competition was hosted at Westlake High School where over 600 students from different schools competed in over 30 events, including Economics, Computer Applications, and Accounting.

“I was the only one left standing; I was just very shocked.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROXANNE FONG

Of over 75 students who competed representing SGHS, 32 qualified for the state competition, including seniors Carlos Carrillo-Gallegos, Manyi Chen, Roxanne Fong, Kaijie Han, Lisa Hong, William Kwoon, Randy Lee, Kelly Luu, Justin Nguyen, Justin Phan, Lexie Tang, Sydney Ton, Yvonne Van, Wendy Yan, Leo Yue, and

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTINE RAMSAY

Michael Ramsay’s wife Christine plants a memorial tree in the BTA garden.

BY NIAN CAPILI

A Celebration of Life memorial service was held for retired history teacher Michael Ramsay on Jan. 31 at the Business and Technology Academy (BTA) garden.

The ceremony consisted of multiple people with teachers, staff, former students, and Ramsay’s family participating. During the event, everyone had an opportunity to share a few words about Ramsay before planting a tree in his memory. History teacher Nicole Manalang then requested former students of Ramsay to help plant the tree which will grow seven to eight feet in height.

Ramsay’s wife, Christine Ramsay, noted that she will come in a few weeks to visit his

OPINIONS pg. 4

Following the awards ceremony, FBLA competitors proudly pose with their awards from the day. They hope to display the same performance at the state competition.

Lilian Zhang; juniors Adeline Cheng, Jamie Fong, Susan Geng, Selina Han, Sonam Huang, Yin Fang Huang, Kyle Lam, Jacwa Lei, Irene Lu, Cynthia Ly, and Chau Phong; sophomores

tree and spread some of his ashes around it since San Gabriel High School (SGHS) meant so much to him.

“Everyone at SGHS was his family and I received so much love and strength from everyone,” Christine said. “So a part of Mr. Ramsay will live on there forever. On behalf of my husband, I want to say thank you SGHS for giving my husband 30 of the best years of his life.”

After the ceremony, everyone was welcomed inside the Family Center, where pictures of Ramsay through the years were displayed. Snacks and drinks were provided to those who came to visit inside. People were also able to write messages on a card for Ramsay and place it inside his guitar.

Senior Yamile Monroy remembered being close, cracking jokes and roasting with Ramsay, which made Monroy feel very emotional about his passing. She also wrote a message to Ramsay that she put inside his guitar.

“Hearing about his passing made me cry and made me think about him and our past memories,” Monroy said. “He would always call me tamale because he didn’t know how to say my name. I put that all our memories were great, I really miss him, rest easy of course, and signed it tamale.”

History teacher Eric Hendrickson worked next door to Ramsay for 20 years and also coached golf with him for five years.

“He was always ready to make a joke and make people laugh,” Hendrickson said. “I am very saddened. Because he had more health problems than anyone I knew, I was always worried for him. Rest in peace, Michael.”

Christine treasures the legacy her husband left at SGHS. “I am so proud to be his wife.”

FOCUS pg. 6-7

Darlene Lien, Catherine Tran, and Leyna Tran; and freshmen Megan Tieu and Brandon Tran.

“I wasn’t sure if I had prepared enough,” freshman Brandon Tran, who placed in In-

WWW.THEMATADORSGHS.US

troduction to Information Technology and Spreadsheet Applications said. “When I took the test, some of the questions were actually pretty easy. When I actually won, I was really excited; I was exhilarated. Everyone was cheering and it was a really good experience and I definitely learned a lot.”

The sweepstakes award is based on a school’s collective amount of points, which is affected by the amount of competitors from each school who place in events and how high they placed.

The award was presented at the end of the ceremony as representatives from each school stood in front of the crowd of competitors.

“I honestly expected [Arcadia] to get [first place],” senior President Roxanne Fong said.

“But when they called Arcadia for second and I was the only one left standing; I was just very shocked. I was in FBLA from sophomore to this year. It’s been a very exciting experience just going to competition every year. I’ve been going [to] state competition for the past three years too.”

The 2018 State Leadership Conference will take place at the Ontario Convention Center in April. The three-day event will feature students who qualified for the state competition from other chapters across California.

The student restrooms are usually clean and stocked with supplies.

(998 responses)

Overall, I like attending SGHS. (998 responses)

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF SGHS

BY KEVIN CONTRERAS

Both students and staff members of San Gabriel High School (SGHS) were able to provide feedback to the school last year through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) survey, which allowed the school community to express their concerns on a variety of subjects.

A critical issue brought to attention in the survey was school sanitation. Only 58.6 percent of the 998 students surveyed believed that the restrooms were well kept. Two custodians, who asked to remain anonymous, said that they have few supplies. They believe that the resources the SGHS maintenance team have to use are becoming scarce.

“If I ask for something I need, it takes a while for me to get it,” one custodian

LIFE & ART pg. 8

SPORTS pg. 10

said. “We don’t have enough; we used to have three gardeners and now we are down to two. We do a lot more with less.”

The custodians offered several solutions on how the problems could be solved. In addition to more resources, more personnel would help alleviate the workload as well as increase efficiency.

“If they hired more people for the day positions, that would help,” the custodians said. “We used to have a sweeper that would take care of the leaves and trash around campus. We used to have a pressure washer that worked; with that, we could take care of spots around campus.

Some teachers allow students to eat in the classroom. If they didn’t, that would fix the wrapper problem, some rat and ant problems, and even some coyote problems.”

Continued on pg. 3

FEATURES pg. 12

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news

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018

S G H S e x p l a i n s e m e r g e n c y SGHS updates ID picture bells through short student film p r o c e s s f o r s t u d e n t s

BY ELSIE WANG

PHOTO BY BASTIAN MENDEZ

Film class’s upcoming short movie wants to educate students on emergency procedures.

BY LUCAS JORGENSEN

San Gabriel High School’s (SGHS) film class has been asked to make a short movie about how to handle an emergency situation; more specifically, what to do when the bells ring signifying an emergency. Assistant Principal of Student and Employee Welfare Amy Wu was concerned that students did not know how to respond to a threat on campus and believes this short movie will be very effective in changing that.

“The idea to create an emergency bell film came to our office at the School Site Council meeting as part of an addition to our School Safety Plan,” Wu said. “The intention of this video is to clarify the different bells on our campus to all.”

Wu consulted film teacher Patrick Posada about whether this project would be everyone working together, or just a select few students making the video Concerned about how best to have the entire class work together on the short two to four minute film, Posada decided to give main control of the project to two junior film students Matthew Perez and Brandon Tran,

knowing that they could make this a great movie.

Perez is thrilled to be given such a prominent role in the production of the movie.

He and Tran plan to storyboard each scene carefully to ensure the film accurately details SGHS’s emergency protocols.

“As someone who takes film very seriously, I’m actually very honored to have someone like Brandon to work with,” Perez said. “We believe this PSA [Public Service Announcement] will give us more experience in the directing world and in the filming environment.”

Perez recalled not knowing what the bells meant when he was a freshman and looks forward to the opportunity to change that for others.

“It’s very confusing to understand the bells,” Perez said. “Especially if you’re a freshman or someone without experience in a school with bells.”

He hopes this film will aid in ensuring that SGHS students will know how to react to any dangerous situation that may occur on campus.

The deadline for the film is March 19, and it is expected to be uploaded on the school’s website for all to view.

Speech and Debate team bonds over c o m p e ti t i on at S pr in g Va risity tourna ment

BY ANGELA LU

“I was very happy he competed,” Lew said.

“He didn’t make it, but he did well. He had fun and that’s all that matters.”

San Gabriel High School (SGHS)’s Speech Fr e s h m a n a n d D r a m a t i c I n t e r p r e t a t i o n and Debate team competed in Spring Varsity, (DI) novice Tiffany Nguyen shared Pandur’s hosted by Arcadia High nervousness, but she was School, on Feb. 3. The also able to overcome it.

Ma t a d o r Sp e e c h a n d “It was pretty daunting Debate team made a “[One of my favorite because I knew that lot comeback for their first moments was] watching of people that are more varsity tournament in experienced was going to 2018. the performances. be there, but I’m really After countless hours They were all so emotional glad I went,” Nguyen said. of practice, freshman “ I l e a r n e d a l o t a n d it and beautiful.” and HI novice Joseph motivated me a bit to try Pandur went into harder to get a better score.” the tournament with Many speech and debate confidence. “ T h e o t h e r c o m p e t i t o r s l o o k e d v e r y tournaments allow guests to spectate during intimidating, but I didn’t let that distract me rounds. This gives competitors opportunities to and I told myself that I could do it,” Pandur observe and learn from other people. “[One of my favorite moments was]” watching said. the performances,” Nguyen said. “They were all For varsity tournaments, everyone competes so emotional and really beautiful.” under the same category in their respective SGHS Speech and Debate’s next tournament, events. Despite novices having a lack of experience, they compete with varsity members. Spring Novice, will take place on Feb. 24 at S e n i o r a n d c a p t a i n o f H u m o r o u s Garfield High School.

Interpretation (HI), Ricky Le’s favorite experience was being able “to socialize with the team and get to know the underclassmen more.”

“I [was] ecstatic that my novice decided to compete with confidence at a varsity tournament because normally novices do not like the idea of facing varsity members,” Le said. “The fact that [Pandur] tried his best makes me happy.”

Although the team did not score a victory, junior and co-captain of HI Derek Lew believes that Pandur’s participation at the varsity tournament is more important.

Current freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will be able to receive a new photo for their identification (ID) cards for next year while registering for classes. At the beginning of the school year, some students were upset upon learning that this year’s ID cards would have pictures from the previous year due to issues in scheduling.

To avoid these problems, the administration has decided to arrange taking ID pictures when students register for next year’s classes.

“We can probably have [the ID cards] all done over summer, at least for the sophomores through seniors next year,” Matthew Dultz, Assistant Principal of Business and Activities, said. “And all we’ll have to do is worry about the freshmen at the beginning of the school year.”

The schedule for freshman ID

photos is currently unknown. In prior years, ID photos were taken over the summer while picking up schedules. Some students are in support for this change and see it as an upgrade.

“It’s a really good improvement from what happened this year considering we’re able to actually see the difference between our old photos,” sophomore Phu Truong said. “It’s probably the only times really available.”

Dultz hopes that taking care of ID photos before the next school year will help minimize the workload and make ID card distribution quicker and more efficient, especially for students who need it to get lunch or do other activities.

“We’ve got 2200 students here— to process that many new IDs within that one week is very difficult, and we have to make sure we have everything in place,” Dultz said. “The sooner that everybody has their IDs, the better.”

D i s t r i c t C a re e r F a i r p re v i e w

BY CHELSEA LI

The College and Career Center (CCC) announced that this year’s District Career Fair will be on Feb. 22 from 2-5 p.m. at Mark Keppel High School (MKHS).

Head coordinator Elizabeth An, a Career Technical Education (CTE) adviser since 2016, collaborated with CTE adviser Suzanna Kim f r o m M K H S t o o r ga n i z e t h e event. The District Career Fair was funded by the CCC as well as donations by local businesses.

Transportation will be included to and from the event by bus.

“I would encourage students to participate because this is a great opportunity for students to

meet professionals in a variety of fields,” An said.

Students will be exposed to different types of jobs, workshops, and internships. Representatives from various fields will present more information about their occupation to those interested.

They could answer questions regarding what their normal day consists of or their salary.

“Confirmed presenters this year include engineers, nurses, chefs, business owners, Federal Bureau of Investigation technicians, and many more,” An said.

Students interested in the District Career Fair may go to the CCC to sign up or receive more information.

NEWS

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018

continued from pg. 1

WASC survey feedback from students, teachers, staff Other noticeable results: 87 S p e c i a l E d u c a t i o n t e a c h e r percent of students believe that Andrew Bitterolf says that the their work is challenging, 66 reason might be the timing of percent of students have never the survey. attended after school tutoring, “I heard that the reason 92 percent believe their teachers the staff turnout was so low care about their success, and 45 was because that survey wasn’t percent are not familiar with the offered until the last day or Schoolwide Learning Outcomes. second to last day of school,” A majority of students, 87 percent, Bitterolf said. “Teachers were said they like attending SGHS. wrapping up their business and Sophomore Steven Dueñas then out to summer break, so I likes the people don’t think the he has met and staff was given feels generally an ample “I like this school; secure at this opportunity to there are lots of school. complete that “I like this survey.” great people, I feel school; there Recently, safe, and I don’t feel staff members are lots of great people, I like I’m going to get w e r e a s k e d feel safe, and I to take the attacked.” don’t feel like survey online I’m going to again but get attacked,” for the 2017Dueñas said.

1 8 y e a r. A t S e n i o r Er i k a H e r n a n d e z f i r s t , s o m e t e a c h e r s w e r e has also met great people and unwilling to answer due to has positive feelings about her fear that it would bring about teachers. negative consequences from “I like the friends that I have administrators. They were then made and I have had some pretty given the opportunity to answer good teachers,” Hernandez said. on paper; some staff members In contrast to the positive then decided to respond. Bitterolf thoughts about SGHS, some thinks that the two surveys could students have had some negative have an interesting contrast. experiences, primarily with “It’ll be interesting to see teachers. what, if any, difference there is “ M o s t l y y e s , [ I l i k e t h i s between the survey we [the staff] school], but some of the teachers took last week and the one that don’t really teach everything was offered a year ago,” Bitterolf thoroughly,” junior Anna Liu said. said.

The staff survey asked questions Senior Alex Huang is satisfied regarding the responsiveness of w i t h t h e e d u c a t i o n h e h a s SGHS site leadership to staff received but also acknowledges members; whether the culture that some of the teachers he has of the school is characterized had were not great. by trust, professionalism, and “There’s nothing I can say I h i g h e x p e c t a t i o n s ; w h e t h e r hate or love about this school; attendance and discipline policies you just come here to get your are efficiently and consistently education,” Huang said. “Some e n f o r c e d ; a n d w h e t h e r t h e teachers are not the best, but for g u i d a n c e d e p a r t m e n t h a s the most part, the education is sufficient time to meet with and up to par.” counsel students.

The staff also were given a Students can access the 2017chance to take the WASC survey, 2018 WASC survey at tinyurl.com/ but only 28 people responded. sghsstudentsurvey.

San Gabriel Council votes to end ICE MOU

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTOPHER YEE, PASADENA STARS NEWS

Protestors gather outside a San Gabriel City Council meeting, picketing against the deportation of undocumented individuals. They hoped to influence the councilmembers’ views on the issue.

BY CARLOS CARRILLO

The San Gabriel City Council narrowly voted down the San Gabriel Police Department (SGPD)’s controversial agreement with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) task force on Feb. 6 at a crowded town hall meeting. The council was split 3-2, with Councilmembers Chin Ho Liao, Denise Menchaca, and Jason Pu opting for termination while Mayor Juli Costanzo and Vice-Mayor John Harrington dissented.

The ruling voids the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) the SGPD had established with immigration enforcement. The MOU enabled the SGPD to use federal funding to address crime, but did not allow it to violate California Senate Bill 54, which instituted “Sanctuary State” provisions that limit how local law enforcement can interact with federal immigration services.

The agreement was signed in Dec. 2017 without the knowledge of the city council, an action that concerned Councilmember Menchaca, who objected to signing the agreement secretly.

“It is the responsibility of the Chief [of police] to inform the public and the council,” Menchaca said.

“The MOU is not ordinary; ICE is unpredictable and dangerous. This MOU should have been vetted with the people and Council before entering into any kind of partnership with ICE.” Vice-Mayor Harrington, however, felt that it was within SGPD Chief Harris’ administrative rights to sign the MOU. “San Gabriel, like most cities, places the power to run the city in its City Manager; they have the power to enter into contracts and administrative agreements on behalf of the city,” Harrington said. “There is no requirement to consult with the Council. The Council [incorrectly] made the decision to micromanage a Chief when they have no criminal training or experience.”

Regardless of how the agreement was put into place, Vice-Mayor Harrington was also apprehensive about the city’s ability to counteract certain crimes without the MOU. “Law enforcement professionals will tell you the

SAVE to attend USC, learn about civic engagement

PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC HENDRICKSON

Arsalyn Chief of Staff senior Sydney Tran (third from left) stands as speakers are introduced at a USC town hall in October.

BY VIVIAN ZHENG

Student Advocates for Voters’ Empowerment (SAVE)—a non-partisan political group on campus that promotes student participation in both domestic and global matters— will be attending the “Citizens, Not Spectators—USC February Conference” this upcoming Saturday from 10:35 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the University of Southern California (USC).

In the upcoming conference, students will be able to engage with professionals like political candidates,

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professors, and journalists to examine civic engagement and law making process, “We’ll be discussing how to effectively use social media and news to voice your ideas,” SAVE president senior Sydney Ton said. “Not being able to vote doesn’t mean we cannot help facilitate the process.”

Like the past USC town forums, the event is open to the public and admission is free. However, sign-ups to go with the SAVE club closed on Feb. 2. “[Students] will be able to hear others’ perspectives and understand how local policies affect them as students, which will hopefully make everyone more understanding of the world around them,” Ton said.

SAVE is affiliated with Arsalyn Program, which encourages adolescent involvement in civic and political affairs and works with SAVE to provide opportunities for students to voice their opinions, with the upcoming USC town forum being one of those opportunities.

“With SAVE, politics does not mean shouting at each other on news channels or insisting on proving our correctness,” Ton said. “It means having a willingness to learn from our own experiences and possessing the respect for the differences and viewpoints of others.”

For more information on future events and opportunities, visit SAVE official Facebook group at “SGHS SAVE” or attend meetings held at SAVE adviser Eric Hendrickson’s room (A209) every other Wednesday during lunch.

MOU is a great benefit to immigrants because it protects them from criminals that the SGPD doesn’t have the recourse to investigate and follow up [with],” Harrington said. “The City Council just put a target on San Gabriel and a welcome sign for criminals that want to prey on immigrants.”

According to Councilmember Pu, “terminating the MOU is not in any way mutually exclusive with enforcing the law.”

“The MOU could have had potential benefits, but we are looking at ways to address these issues without the MOU, and we [already] do with San Gabriel Valley Task Force AB109 and LA Impact,” Pu said. “The benefits were outweighed by the risks of being misled by ICE, which could have been extremely disruptive to our local communities.”

The intense debate spurred disagreement within the council. Vice Mayor Harrington alleged that “there were many outside agitators and political organizations brought by two councilmembers,” while Councilmember Menchaca characterized Harrington’s video presentation as “pathetic and laughable.” However, Councilmember Pu was confident that the city can continue to function efficiently.

“It’s rare that there is controversy like this in the council,” Pu said. “We are united on the vast majority of issues, and there is no division with respect to the major issues. We’ll be able to move on and continue our regular mission to maintain the city.”

Council members on both sides of the vote made it clear that the SGPD is meant to serve all members of the San Gabriel community regardless of immigration status.

“SGPD does not report undocumented people that they arrest,” Harrington said.

“Victims should feel safe reaching out to SGPD,” Pu said. “They never intended to be involved in any form of deportation or immigration enforcement. We welcome and embrace all groups and protect immigrants and nonimmigrants alike.”

Following the decision, Chief Harris sent a letter to ICE activating a 30-day release clause on the MOU.

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OPINIONS

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, february 14, 2018

“Chow”ing on negativity

Henry Chow Profound happiness Some kids grow up happy, others aren’t quite as lucky and have a bad start to their childhood. I was one of the bad starters. Growing up to love and care was something completely nonexistent to me as a kid. I never really found an incentive to connect, let alone talk with anyone. My mom and dad had always encouraged me to go and make friends; they even taught me how to be polite to people, but I was never really able to grasp a concept like that. What everyone gave to me were heartfelt greetings, encouraging notes, and smiles of warmth. What I gave in return were hateful glares, closed doors, and no feelings for anything at all.

I was always unsure as to why I felt this way. Was it because I was born this way? Was this a natural thing? I never quite figured it out until one year this spiteful, introverted kid found happiness in fourth grade. That was when I met someone who changed my life forever.

Even though I knew I was young and had many years ahead of me, I didn’t think that I’d meet someone worth remembering in school. Everyone had always been a lost memory to me, but this particular person gave me a reason to look up in life. It was the first time that I actually learned to care and feel for someone, the first time I wanted to make a genuine friend. We had the best of times, and I smiled every moment I saw them. It was a blessing to my small, sheltered childhood. What was so special about this person?

I thought that we would be friends for a long time, but we both went to different middle schools and I was ruined. Where else would I find someone like them? I didn’t know anyone in most of my classes, and with more than 300 new faces at school, I knew that finding friends would be difficult. But in fact, it wasn’t. I had slowly come to the realization that people do in fact have good hearts, and my childhood friend had helped me realize that.

Thinking of them gave me hope in the world and filled my sad, lonely heart with positivity. I began to make more friends in middle school and continued greeting even more in high school.

This wasn’t so bad after all; in fact, it gave me even more incentive to change who I was for the better. I knew that I made terrible decisions with ruining my childhood. That wouldn’t change no matter how much I wanted it to. But that didn’t stop me from reforming my habits and becoming someone different.

I adopted a more positive outlook on life, and began to not only be more passionate about things but to meet and smile to more people. I had a stronger desire to be respectful and overall a friendlier person. As of now, I’ve made so many new friends and gained many happy memories to look back on. Even now I mess up a little and some friendships get ruined but nobody, not even myself, can revert me into the hateless shell that I once was.

To me, being optimistic and cheerful is the way to go. No matter what happens to me, I have to always remember to smile for those who have brought me joy in life and give me the best of times. Life has so much to offer for me, and I threw that all away 10 years ago. To repay the world, I find it my task to bring happiness to others so that, hopefully, they have a reason to smile as well.

Editorial

AUSD must resolve disparities in enrollment The Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD)’s mission includes, among other things, ensuring the educational success of all its students. Unfortunately, within its schools, there is a sizable rift between students who do take honors classes and students who do not.

This phenomenon is likely the result of years of separation, starting in elementary school with the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) programs. The binary nature of GATE teaches students from an early age that there is a distinction between the “smart kids,” those who are in the program, and the “regular kids,” those who are not. AUSD has eliminated GATE within its jurisdiction, but the divide still forms in other school districts’ programs and in middle school with honors classes.

Certain students, likely those who would have been GATE candidates, are recommended for advanced classes while others are deterred from them. The gap widens as non-honors students fall behind their peers; if a student does decide to take on the extra workload of an honors or Advanced Placement (AP) class, they

often find themselves struggling to catch up on concepts that were taught in the previous courses. This culture of separation creates a divide that quickly grows too large to bridge, unfairly putting non-honors students at an academic disadvantage—in this way, schools hastily and irresponsibly predetermine who gets the best chance to succeed.

Students with regular course loads make up about half of all students on campus, yet the noticeable favoring of students who have already taken many honors or AP courses creates feelings of inferiority. AP students are revered by the school for being proactive in their education so much so that the district recently implemented paid tutoring for certain AP classes, but not regular ones. Regardless of their intentions, actions like these often make the non-honors students feel second class to AP students, diminishing their potential motivation to challenge themselves. Furthermore, AP and honors classes have a painfully noticeable racial divide, where Asians outnumber Hispanics; this also sends a troubling message of

a second class status.

For these reasons, as well as their long time separation from AP students, nonhonors students who push themselves may feel that they do not belong in AP classes and may drop them or stop taking advanced classes altogether. Again, this favoritism only enhances the disparity among students and discourages some from realizing their maximum potential.

Credit does need to be given to educators who do encourage students to challenge themselves, but the fact remains that very little is being done to alleviate this problem. Despite the AUSD’s open enrollment system, the majority of students not already in the honors and AP system do not move up or do so for very few classes. More resources need to be allocated toward non-honors or non-AP students to ensure that they are learning the material necessary should they want to try advanced classes. If AUSD intends on educating all of its students to the best of its ability, it must move toward an educational environment with less disparity and more opportunity.

Excessive fundraisers show two sides of a coin PRO

BY EILEEN ONG

CON

BY ALICE LI

The fun in fundraisers is apparent on the miserable faces of There is no end to the fundraisers at San Gabriel High School students who go around begging people to buy their merchandise.

(SGHS). It is a disappointment that schools are using different Nonetheless, fundraising is a crucial component of any organimethods to raise money out of students’ wallets. Pressuring students zation; the clubs at San Gabriel High School are no exceptions. to go to funds to receive extra credit or persuading students to run There is no denying the importance of money and the endless outside in the hot sun for jogathon money is certainly not the least list of opportunities it presents. Because the school does not allocate of it. Excessive fundraising should be stopped immediately and we funding for most clubs, most clubs depend on fundraising as their should reflect on the consequences we might encounter with the main source of income. They need money to operate and provide overload of funds. services for their members; it is how they can offer field trips, As a Title I school, we receive certain funding mainly competitions, banquets, and other events. Inadequate fundraising due to the high number of low-income families at SGHS. efforts can result in a diminishing quality of the club experience.

On the other hand, clubs create fundraisers for students Fundraisers are valuable learning experiences that can teach to participate in so they can be financially stable, but the students life skills. Because they are typically initiated and run types of fundraisers are getting too redundant. Considby the students themselves, those in charge develop strong ering Country Meats and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts are team management and coordinating abilities. And it is being fundraised every year, they provide little variety not just the leadership who gain from the when fundraising season arrives. Instead of experience. When students have to sell holding the same fundraisers, we should do products like popcorn or discount cards, differents fundraisers with businesses that through trial and error, they master are around our school. how to effectively deliver their pitch to At some point, emotions can be spread potential customers. This skill will benefit around during fundraising, and guilt-tripping them in the long run because they essencan occur. For instance, consumers may purtially learn how to approach others and chase a certain product because they are presconfidently present themselves, which is sured to better their prom if they buy this or a skill essential for future jobs. that. It can cause uneasiness within students.

Often times, clubs collaborate with local Ocasionally, teachers provide extra credit businesses to do fundraisers. In doing so, opportunities to students if they participate students support surrounding businesses in fundraisers. That is poor accommodation. and vice versa. Fundraisers help attract Sometimes students do not have the cash to more customers for the businesses, while buy certain foods or drinks. Students’ mindsets the clubs reap a predetermined percentage are being manipulated to see how they can use of the revenue. It is a mutually beneficial money to buy their grade or some extra credit. working relationship. Ultimately, this creates If a student’s family is financially unstable, are a tighter community. parents responsible for not earning enough Although it may be counterintuitive to money for their kids to purchase a few points of host so many fundraisers at a school filled their grade? That is unacceptable and unfair to with students from low-income families, there low-income families. A student’s grade is earned are ways that can make the customers’ money by his or her hard work and dedication to a subject, more worthwhile. Instead of having endless not by how many dollars they have in their pocket. fundraisers selling donuts or gear, groups For that reason, participation in fundraisers should should opt for bigger, more profitable fundnot tie in to academics and these actions should raisers, such as dinners, talent shows, carnivals, be reconsidered. or other interactive events. Clubs can prevent The only motive for students to attend school fundraising fatigue and focus more of their efis to learn. It is understandable that students are forts on a couple major fundraisers. These types devoted to their beloved club or sport they are in of events demand more collaborative work between to fundraise, but money problems should be in the the students. They learn how to communicate ideas, ILLUSTRATION BY KELLY LAC hands of adults, not on the backs of students that are compromise, and resolve conflicts together; it allows receiving education. Yes, gaining communication them to understand the importance of teamwork outside of a skills or business knowledge through fundraising could be a valid classroom environment. justification, but when comparing fundraisers and education side Asking for money is neither fun nor easy, but we cannot do by side, fundraising money seems like a distraction from a proper away with all fundraisers. A good variety of events can break the education. Therefore, fundraiser policies should change for the betmonotonous, excessive chain of money-making campaigns, as ter to make students focus more on learning rather than counting well as provide benefits beyond its monetary value. the amount of profit earned.

OPINIONS

BY KAYLA TANG

Junior year, the year that tends to be filled with SAT tests, Advanced Placement tests, college applications, job applications, and usually, Driver’s Ed. Currently, Driver’s Ed is a course students must take on their own time outside of school, since it is no longer offered in Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD) high schools. If students had access to Driver’s Ed on campus, more new drivers would be equipped with a vaster knowledge of road safety due to the hands-on teaching methods they would receive. Another benefit students could gain from high schools implementing Driver’s Ed would be the availability and easy-access.

Nowadays, the process of learning how to drive begins with registering to take an online Driver’s Ed course; then, once completed, a Certificate of Completion is given to the student to present at the Department of Motor Vehicles in order to then take a permit test. Once he or she has a permit, the student can begin practicing hands on with a driving instructor. The process of learning

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUary 14, 2018

to drive would feel more inclusive if Driver’s Ed were to be taken in person, and sitting in a classroom filled with others who have the same objective can aid the student’s focus and drive him or her to get more involved

ILLUSTRATION BY KATHERINE HUANG

ILLUSTRATION BY KATHERINE HUANG

in learning the proper procedures a skillful driver must execute while on the road.

As time has shown, teenagers are highly more likely to get into car accidents due

to reckless driving behavior, according to an AAA NewsRoom report. If taught by a certified professional, new drivers would be able to develop better skills, which would prepare them for any situation they may encounter on the road. Taking Driver’s Ed online makes it tempting for students to simply press the skip button or cheat on the short quizzes given after each lesson they read. However, it is less likely for students to cheat if Driver’s Ed is taught in an environment associated with actual learning, instead of sole completion.

Though students would still have to miss a few classes out of the day to take their driver’s test, the process of learning how to drive would be more convenient and hands on, ensuring the possibility of better young drivers and a greater number of students who would be able to begin driving, since not all students have access to expensive online courses, as opposed to free Driver’s Ed from school. If Driver’s Ed was a provided class, the process of learning how to become a skillful driver would become not only more convenient for students, but more encouraging.

Acellus inhibits students from reaching full potential

BY CARLOS CARRILLO

When the education system is such that it encapsulates dozens of students, all at different stages in the learning process, in a room with a single teacher, it is inevitable that some will fall behind. The dilemma for schools, then, is how best to ensure that these students who fall through the cracks still have a gateway to success. School districts are armed with many different tools with which to work; for the Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD), Acellus, an online credit-recovery system, is one of the primary mechanisms in place. It is, however, rather useless academically, merely serving as a tool to boost graduation rates and little else.

Acellus’ main goal is, supposedly, to help students who do not grasp material in class learn effectively in a different environment. While the program is certainly distinct from a traditional classroom, it is by no means better. For one, the material is oversimplified, covering only the bare basics and nothing more--the curriculum is stripped down to the extent that the adolescents do not learn what they would in a normal class. For example, a history teacher may outline a concept and

explain its real-world applications with current events- a video cannot accomplish this.

While some students may appreciate the lighter workload, it is incredibly irresponsible on the school’s part to essentially give up on its students who do not succeed initially. The

ILLUSTRATION BY ECHO DIEU

school should be the institution to encourage learning in spite of academic barriers, not the one to give students a simplified, useless way out.

The reduced material is not the only

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 J. E. J 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.

reason why Acellus is ineffective. The online courses provided through the program can be completed either at the student’s home or at school in sessions with a proctoring teacher. To believe that a student who cannot learn in an active environment will learn better through passive learning with impersonal, generalized videos is simply ridiculous. The main issue with classrooms is that some students cannot learn effectively in large groups; all Acellus does is exacerbate that problem with its onevideo-serves-all curriculum.

Proponents of Acellus and other online credit-recovery systems will argue that although the learning experience may be more disconnected for the student, these programs ultimately result in higher graduation rates.This may very well be true, but that kind of attitude toward education makes schools out to be less institutions of learning and more meaningless degree-mills.

It is the responsibility of the school to ensure that its students who struggle are put on another path to success--either through implementing smaller classes or identifying struggling students and offering personalized help.

Graduation rates are indeed important, but should not take priority over actual learning.

How do you feel about Valentine’s Day?

“ “ “

Nothing much, really. It’s a day to celebrate love; that’s it.”

-Emma Thi, 9th grade

It’s just a day for couples to give gifts but if you really love the person, then every day is Valentine’s Day.” -Victor Ton, 10th grade

“

Some people don’t feel so good about it unless they have their own partner, but it’s a pretty cool holiday.”

-Summer Macias, 11th grade

I feel like Valentine’s Day is a special day for all the couples [who] have been in a relationship for a pretty long time.”

-Andrew Canizal, 12th grade PHOTOS BY AHYOUNG NGUYEN

Kelly Lac

My artwork is displayed on the wall for everyone to see. Some neglect it, some glance, while I stare. I stare for a good amount of time, not because I am proud of what I made, but because I want to find my mistakes.

I am my own worst critic; I always want the work I produce to be up to par with my standards, sometimes even more, but it usually does not work in my favor. Because of this, I usually rate them three out of five—not bad, but not good enough.

Of all the hobbies I have, my most consistent one would be drawing, something I have had a passion for since a young age; I do not think I will ever focus more time and genuine commitment toward anything else compared to drawing. Usually, if I want to improve my drawing skills, I focus on certain things I struggle with.

But no matter how many attempts I make, it does not look like much has changed, which frustrates me. I know that progress will not show instantly, but at the same time, as someone who wants to prove that my art can help get me somewhere in life, it is hard not to think this way; it is hard not to think that drawing could be just “a job on the side.”

Thus, my constant struggle for improvement has slowly eroded my confidence and instead caused me to become unmotivated. I developed an unhealthy habit of envying my peers, as well as several other young artists online, who I believe are more creative and skillful than I am. Nowadays, when I do muster up the energy to draw, I end up not liking it anyway because I would think it looks bad. Even if I am given lots of compliments and praise about my art, it is not enough to help me feel like I am good enough; sure, it is flattering to hear and it makes me smile, but it is not going to change my personal opinion.

However, I think this feeling has also taken a toll on my life; I started to stare at my face more in the mirror, much like how I do so with my art. Like a painted canvas, I started to see the abnormal strokes that people do not normally see: uneven eyelids, lopsided ears, crooked teeth. The same goes with how I view my body: legs are too short, upper arms are too bulky, uneven tan.

It came to a point where I was not happy with my imperfections, and there was just one echoing thought in my head: “I need to improve.” My constant drive for improvement has caused me to not only become unhappy with my art but also unhappy about myself, to the point where I end up thinking like this almost every day. I am not sure how or why this keeps happening, but this is what I could comprehend so far.

As people, we are not really born with a purpose, we just happen to set up a purpose as a society: to work. However, our life begins with a blank canvas; it is up to us on how we want to paint ourselves.

Over time, the paint will slowly fade away as new paint coats over the old to make the canvas more vibrant and unique. This does not go without having the need to refine ourselves, which is probably why change is normal.

For me, I think my progress motivates me to do better, despite how problematic it can be to my mental state. Looking back through the years, I can see that my art has improved and changed so much.

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6

focus

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, February 14, 2018

Environmental Awareness

focus

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, february 14, 2018

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY TODAY!

Comic by Vincent Maresca

Aww

I can’t wait to go hiking!

Nature is absolutely beautiful.

Well Miss, that island was beautiful until it was opened to tourists.

What are you saying?

Sea turtles are dying because they get caught in plastic waste tourists leave behind.

The vehicles they drive destroy vegetation and cause soil erosion. the island’s ecosystems are going to be in trouble because of tourism!

Well good day to you, sir. I’m just here to enjoy myself on vacation.

And anyway, there probably isn’t much to worry about if this wildlife refuge is still open to tourists. We’re obviously doing more good for it by spending money to get there.

Yay s! panda

!

ute So c

Bluefin tuna is also known as Toro.

Donate today to the conservation of this vulnerable species! Let us continue to preserve and protect the adorable Giant Panda!

is a sushi and sashimi delicacy in Asian cuisine. Due to the high demands and overfishing, they are an endangered species.

Atlantic bluefin tuna, Pacific bluefin tuna, and Southern bluefin tuna have all declined drastically in the past decades. 80 percent of the world’s catch are consumed by Japan. In 2013, a 489 pound bluefin tuna was sold for over $1.7 million at Tokyo’s Tsukiji market. High prices and demands will only encourage fishermen to continue illegal fishing and overfishing.

...

because bluefin tuna is a predator in the marine food chain, its extinction will result in an imbalance in the ocean ecosystem.

Donate and help protect this endangered species! Sharks keep our oceanic ecosystems strong and healthy!

They are vital in maintaining populations of species below them in the food chain and help ensure species diversity.

Comic by Katherine Huang If we don’t go back in time to prevent this from happening, at this rate, humanity is going to perish!

Everyone, prepare for time travel!

OH NO! THIS IS BAD...

NO, DISASTROUS! THE FAUCETS HAVE RUN DRY! As consumers, keep in mind what industry you are supporting with your money. Eating a bluefin tuna is equivalent to eating a Giant Panda.

They are both endangered species that should be valued and protected. Place the Earth’s well-being at a higher priority than your own satisfaction.

Comic by Echo Dieu

Comic by Angela Lu

Team Nature Go!

And so, team nature helps fight for water conservation.

Back at home base... we’ve been able to preserve our water for at least a few more years!

Comic by Katherine Huang Colored by Angela Lu

7

Comic by Kelly Lac

6

focus

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, February 14, 2018

Environmental Awareness

focus

THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, february 14, 2018

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY TODAY!

Comic by Vincent Maresca

Aww

I can’t wait to go hiking!

Nature is absolutely beautiful.

Well Miss, that island was beautiful until it was opened to tourists.

What are you saying?

Sea turtles are dying because they get caught in plastic waste tourists leave behind.

The vehicles they drive destroy vegetation and cause soil erosion. the island’s ecosystems are going to be in trouble because of tourism!

Well good day to you, sir. I’m just here to enjoy myself on vacation.

And anyway, there probably isn’t much to worry about if this wildlife refuge is still open to tourists. We’re obviously doing more good for it by spending money to get there.

Yay s! panda

!

ute So c

Bluefin tuna is also known as Toro.

Donate today to the conservation of this vulnerable species! Let us continue to preserve and protect the adorable Giant Panda!

is a sushi and sashimi delicacy in Asian cuisine. Due to the high demands and overfishing, they are an endangered species.

Atlantic bluefin tuna, Pacific bluefin tuna, and Southern bluefin tuna have all declined drastically in the past decades. 80 percent of the world’s catch are consumed by Japan. In 2013, a 489 pound bluefin tuna was sold for over $1.7 million at Tokyo’s Tsukiji market. High prices and demands will only encourage fishermen to continue illegal fishing and overfishing.

...

because bluefin tuna is a predator in the marine food chain, its extinction will result in an imbalance in the ocean ecosystem.

Donate and help protect this endangered species! Sharks keep our oceanic ecosystems strong and healthy!

They are vital in maintaining populations of species below them in the food chain and help ensure species diversity.

Comic by Katherine Huang If we don’t go back in time to prevent this from happening, at this rate, humanity is going to perish!

Everyone, prepare for time travel!

OH NO! THIS IS BAD...

NO, DISASTROUS! THE FAUCETS HAVE RUN DRY! As consumers, keep in mind what industry you are supporting with your money. Eating a bluefin tuna is equivalent to eating a Giant Panda.

They are both endangered species that should be valued and protected. Place the Earth’s well-being at a higher priority than your own satisfaction.

Comic by Echo Dieu

Comic by Angela Lu

Team Nature Go!

And so, team nature helps fight for water conservation.

Back at home base... we’ve been able to preserve our water for at least a few more years!

Comic by Katherine Huang Colored by Angela Lu

7

Comic by Kelly Lac

8

life & art

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018

Shi yearns for perfection, kicking his way to the highest belt

BY SHAWN HO

Eyes stare intensely at the two opponents as they vigorously spar. Fast-paced and unpredictable, fists and limbs are thrown at one another. Attacks, dodges, or blocks need to be determined within a split-second. The pressure is on.

Beginning his journey in the fifth grade, freshman Shoujun Shi enrolled in Taekwondo courses at Chun Lee Taekwondo on Rosemead Boulevard. These courses provided Shi an opportunity to not only hang out with friends but also maintain fitness through martial arts. “[In the beginning, the moves were] pretty easy,” Shi said. “Everything was basic [and] pretty straight forward.”

Although many of Shi’s friends have left due to financial issues and school work, he stayed and continued on to take the black belt examination.

“The test was composed of [martial art] forms, testing kicks, breaking wooden boards, and sparring,” Shi said. “The wooden boards aren’t that hard to break as the practice boards are surprisingly harder.”

Passing the examination on his first

attempt two years ago and receiving his black belt at the age of 13, Shi is now one step closer to his end goal of perfection. Although his Taekwondo skills are great, he still has a lot to learn before he is ready to use it in unexpected situations.

“Now, since I am already a black belt, I just have to hone my skills,” Shi said.

“As my master says, ‘black belt is more like a starting point.’ Where you should really end up, to be successful in martial arts, should be around the third dan [stripe] of the black belt.”

Sparring is probably the hardest part of the test as it requires the martial artist to apply the skills in an actual fight compared to staged forms. When sparring, the individual’s only focus should be their opponent, their vulnerabilities, and all the ways you can attack them.

“Like all things, you have to practice a lot,” Shi said. “Although you may find starting off to be very easy, you will soon realize its difficulty and complexity. Reaching perfection will seem like a never-ending quest. You will get frustrated. But if you get through it, you will be proud of yourself. ”

PHOTO BY KATHERINE HUANG

Shi demonstrates a powerful sidekick, a fundamentally harder move compared to his favorite, the roundhouse. The sidekick requires more balance as it requires the individual to arch their back while extending one leg high up in the air.

Choreo team’s secret weapon: Pham breaks gender norms

PHOTO BY AHYOUNG NGUYEN PHOTO COURTESY OF AZUCENA SALAS

Pacheco, along with her friend, practices figure skating at the Pasadena Ice Skating Rink.

BY SHAWN HO

It was Olympic season and dozens of figure skaters were displayed on the television.

Gleaming eyes glued to the screen and an astonished look stuck on her face, Pacheco’s interest peaked.

Flash forward 10 months later.

Cool air fills the room while clusters of the public skate their way around the ring.

Driven by her deep interest in figure skating, freshman Esperanza Pacheco takes a step up from the casual circling and performs tricks on the near frictionless ice.

“I like [to] pick up hobbies because I find them interesting,” Pacheco said. “[Figure skating] was very relaxing for me and would help me relieve stress. I thought it was really fun and I like challenging myself.”

Pacheco practices at the Pasadena Ice Skating Rink during public sessions. Not being able to afford a private coach and topnotch figure skates, her equipment is not the best and she is mostly self-taught by observing fellow skaters and YouTube videos.

“There have been a lot of times [when] I think about quitting,” Pacheco said. “Usually when I start learning a new jump, I tend to get really frustrated and [start to] think [that] I cannot do it. Plus, I do not have the best equipment because my figure skates are kind of cheap and are not really fit for big jumps.”

The hardest and biggest move Pacheco ever learned was the one-foot spin, which has the individual revolve about the origin on one foot. Only practicing around twice a week, the one-foot spin took her between roughly one and two months to learn and master. Although it is one of the more basic moves, the one-foot spin is part of the fundamentals that could lead to more difficult and complex tricks.

“It was really difficult for me, but I kept pushing through because I knew that I would be able to accomplish this goal soon,” Pacheco said. “I would practice with a two-foot spin first and then use the wall to help me get used to only using one foot.

I would also try to strengthen my calves and my core [to make mastering the move] easier.”

Before enrolling in SGHS, Pacheco practiced strenuously up to three times a week. However, now being a part of drill and having a heavier workload, she practices a maximum of two times a week to as little as none.

“I plan to continue skating into my adult years [even] if I [am] taking a break now,” Pacheco said. “I’m really passionate about [figure skating] and it is just an amazing experience. I hope when I’m an adult and have learned new skills, I can compete.”

Pham executes a front split, a move commonly seen in Choreo’s dance routines.

BY AHYOUNG NGUYEN

Sophomore Hanson Pham faces the mirror and dances, the mirror reflecting each movement as he counts the steps in his head, memorizing the moves he just missed during practice.

This is a different lifestyle compared to his first year of high school.

When he was a freshman, the impactful impression of a dance performance by Choreo during a pep rally led to him finding his passion for dancing. This eventually inspired him to try out for Choreo.

“I was watching a senior that was on Choreo dance team last year,” Pham said. “That inspired me to try out for the team.”

Pham was initially hesitant about joining the team. However, he had soon enough filled himself with confidence.

“My first reaction was kind of nervous because I was the only boy there and nobody knew me that well,” Pham said. “I thought that [the team members] were judging me. Being around them did not really change me, but they treated me like a family.”

Pham’s first performance—the fall pep rally of this year—surprised the audience because he was the only male in Choreo.

“I felt my first performance was

weak because it was not as strong as I thought,” Pham said.

The homecoming pep rally with pom-poms was his favorite performance. “It showed how strong and sharp my moves were,” he said.

Even though he enjoys dancing, Pham says that he does not see dancing as a future profession.

“I really like dancing,” Pham said.

“I thought it over [and] I don’t think I could make it as a career, but it is really more [of a] hobby”.

Although Pham has faced various amounts of negative criticism from other students for being the only male participating in a female-dominated dance team, he does not mind the comments anymore. He wants to encourage others to work hard and prove to others that they can be whatever they want and not have society dictate their actions.

“Well, I do feel offended when [other students] talk [about] me like that,” Pham said. “The way to deal with it is to work harder and try to show them I don’t really mind.”

He wants to prove others wrong and continue doing what he loves doing, knocking down one negative comment at a time.

“I’m sorry if you don’t like me, [but]

life & art

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018

Nintendo thinks outside the box with Nintendo Labo innovation

Secret menu items provide unique take on classic dishes

BY ADA ZHAO

PHOTO COURTESY OF UK NINTENDO

N i n t e n d o ’ s fi rs t d i s p l ay o f t h e N i n t e n d o L ab o D I Y Toy - C o n s e t s o ffe rs va r i o u s fo r m s o f c r a f t s i n c l u d i n g p i a n o s a n d m o t o r cyc l e h a n d l e s .

BY VINCENT MARESCA

Break out the boxes because Nintendo has come up with a very unexpected new way to play, the Nintendo Labo, which is a series of papercraft-esque toys that involve the Nintendo Switch console and joycons.

The crafts can range from pianos, backpacks, houses, fishing rods, and even motorcycle handles. The new DIY setups are known as Toy-Cons.

All the Toy-Cons are built from cardboard DIY cutouts and are designed to play specific new games launching with the new toys. What sets these apart from regular cardboard boxes is the intense magnetic tape and plastic wiring inside these models, specifically made for the

Joy-Cons and Gamepad. It can be inserted and played in a unique way. The kits themselves contain linear instructions on how to build whatever is advertised on the box and what game is included with said package.

Of course, the Toy-Cons are designed for kids, and have a special separate designer kit to customize and color for themselves.

Stencils, stickers, and custom tape are advertised in the package.

Nintendo Labo, the Toy-Con kits, and new series of games, are currently selling for the price of $69.99 for the Variety Package, filled with multiple smaller Toy-Cons, and $79.99 for the Robot Suit Package, which includes a robot suit Toy-Con fit for the back. They are set to release in April 2018.

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is in the not-so-secret secret menu.

Having trouble deciding whether you McDonald’s is known for its Big want onion rings or french fries? Ask Mac, The Habit is known for its for half and half and get both the onion Charburgers, and Starbucks is known rings and french fries. for its Green Tea Frappuccino. If you When you are at McDonald’s and are sick of ordering the same foods but are craving warm fresh french fries, do not know what else to order, you ask for unsalted french fries. The will be in for a treat when you find out french fries from McDonald’s are about some hacks and secret menus. premade and already salted, so if you The Pumpkin Spice Latte and the ordered the previously mentioned, the Green Tea Frappuccino workers will make a from Starbucks is new, fresh batch just a familiar flavor for for you. If you would many people. If you like to add salt into w o u l d l i k e t o t r y “You will be in for your just-made fries, something different, a treat when you ask for salt and add it such as a cotton candy onto your fries. find out about frappuccino, you can From McDonald’s, download the Starbucks some hacks and The Habit, or secret menu app on Starbucks for foods secret menus.” the iOS or Play Store. or drinks, you now Pick the drink of your have the option to try liking, and tell the a wider selection of barista your order and foods. the ingredients. Depending on the app, There are a myriad of options it will either tell you “How to Order” a v a i l a b l e a t d i f f e r e n t d i n i n g or directly give you the ingredients establishments across the world. You needed. The secret menu app offers should search online for other secret drink such as cotton candy and Samoas menus that restaurants offer. Chances cookie. are, if there is a menu, there is a secret If you have been to The Habit but menu. Do not be afraid to venture from have tried all their burgers already, your comfort zone and experience try a salad. But if you feel like eating a new, unconventional menu items; the hamburger that you have never tried, rewards are spectacular and worth order the Santa Barbara Char, which the risks.

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sports

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018

2017 18 WINTER Sports Scoreboard BOYS SOCCER

BOYS BASKETBALL

GIRLS BASKETBALL

VARSITY 1/30 @ Alhambra 2/2 @ Mark Keppel 2/6 vs Schurr 2/9 vs Bell Gardens

55-44 44-34 48-47 57-49

L L W W

VARSITY 1/30 @ Alhambra 2/2 @ Mark Keppel 2/6 vs Schurr 2/9 vs Bell Gardens

39-37 64-36 56-47 30-29

JV 1/30 2/2 2/6 2/9

52-38 52-14 82-66 54-37

L W L L

JV 2/6 2/9

36-35 W 58-38 L

@ Alhambra @ Mark Keppel vs Schurr vs Bell Gardens

vs Schurr vs Bell Gardens

L L W W

GIRLS SOCCER

VARSITY 1/30 @ Schurr 2/1 vs Bell Gardens 2/6 @ Mark Keppel 2/8 vs Montebello

6-1 16-0 0-0 10-0

L L T L

VARSITY 1/30 vs Schurr 2/1 @ Bell Gardens 2/6 vs Mark Keppel 2/8 @ Montebello

5-0 2-0 5-1 5-0

L L L L

JV 2/6 2/8

4-3 4-0

W L

JV 2/6 2/8

1-1 5-0

T L

@Mark Keppel vs Montebello

vs Mark Keppel @ Montebello

Varsity girls, boys basketball qualify for CIF at senior night GIRLS

BY JENNIFER CHEUNG AND CHELSEA LI

San Gabriel High School’s (SGHS) girls varsity basketball team won by a mere point, 30-29, against Bell Gardens High School’s (BGHS) Lancers. The slim victory was enough for them to advance to CIF, finishing second place in the Almont League.

The bleacher-filled game was a combination of their senior night and the last Almont League game of the year.

Given that the results of their game would determine whether the Matadors would finish in second or third, the players were the most nervous. During warm up, parents gathered under the family section in the bleachers as they waited for the ceremony. Senior night occurred before the game with junior Jordan Phan as the night’s announcer. The list of names went smoothly with Phan’s witty remarks and cheers from the crowd.

“I had a few minutes to make up the names for each of the players, trying to spice up the process that we usually go through and give some more honor to the players that have played their heart out,” Phan said.

After announcing their names, girls varsity coach Jordan Franey congratulated and gave a warm and meaningful hug to each of them. As the audience settled down, the players huddled in a circle, preparing to give their best and work hard. The cheerful night celebrated the hard work, dedication, and achievements of the seniors who had been in the program.

Shortly after the whistle blew, San Gabriel was met with a challenge when their shooting guard, senior Patricia Lipana, injured her knee after a player from BGHS shoved her. The Matador Arena went silent as the crowd watched in disbelief. Unable to delay the game any further, Lipana was carried out to the side and the crowd unanimously brightened up the serious atmosphere with shouts of support for her. She had injured her knee during a game one year ago, tearing her anterior cruciate ligament. She finished recovering earlier this year and played a few games this season.

“When I fell down, I heard a crunch,”

PHOTO BY BRIANNA HUYNH-TONG

Senior Sarah Cao (15) penetrates through Bell Garden’s defense and attempts to make a shot to widen the small gap in scores.

Lipana said. “It didn’t hurt too much, but I was traumatized because of what happened before.”

Luckily, she injured her other knee—not the same knee which left her unable to play.

Losing one of the starters, the Matadors were off to a rough start trailing behind Bell Gardens. By the second quarter, however, their defense strengthened and miscommunications from the Lancers helped San Gabriel catch up.

At the end of the second quarter, the score was 13-7 with the Matadors ahead of the Lancers. During halftime, All Male and Choreo collaborated, wearing color-coordinated black and white clothing to perform for the audience. Songs like “All I Do Is Win” by DJ Khaled and “Goodies” by Ciara blasted

throughout the stadium, intensifying the cheers and screams from the audience. The SGHS mascots—two students dressed up as a bright red bull and matador—also put on a show, dancing and making spectators laugh.

Once halftime was over, the crowd returned from the brief moment of amusement to its serious atmosphere as they watched the game in suspense. BGHS closed the gap and caught up to the Matadors as time went on.

In response, point guard senior Christine Nguyen banked her shots, landing two three-pointers and regaining the lead that the Matadors had. Guard senior Kaylee Situ also made a three-pointer, adding on to the lead. Power forward senior Sarah Cao made two of her free throws despite supporters from Bell Gardens attempting to distract

BOYS The ceremony celebrating the seniors of the varsity boys basketball team commenced after the varsity girls secured their place to compete in the CIF tournament.

More friends and family members poured in the stadium to honor the seniors. The crowd showed their support by waving blue and white balloon sticks and handmade posters of the players’ names.

“It was good having a lot of support,” guard senior Matthew Luu said. “It really meant a lot. It was a good game. I had fun.”

The game began after the ceremony. During the first quarter, the Matadors were up by more than 10 points. However, BGHS surged in confidence when they finally shot a three-pointer after constant scoring from

her from making the shots. The two teams dashed back and forth from the two sides of the court vigorously, defending and making points against each other. Nguyen stared down the ball whenever the Lancers had it in hand, which gave her an opportunity to snatch it and score. The game was so intense that SGHS and BGHS were sprawling onto the floor, not letting go of the basketball.

Cheers from the audience developed louder and louder in support of their team.

The game was dragged out to the last minute, with the Matadors leading 30-29. BGHS fouled many times in attempt to gain the basketball, but failed. The buzzer rang, declaring victory to the Matadors. Their first away CIF game will be tomorrow, against Pasadena High School.

San Gabriel. “[Bell Gardens] adapted well after the first quarter—after our big lead—and I thought they were able to catch us off guard with their offense and their shooting,” point guard junior Jason Hong said.

The rest of the game was intense; viewers sat on the edge of their seats as the Lancers and the Matadors switched leads.

At the last quarter, San Gabriel reclaimed their lead and won the game with a score of 57-49, following the varsity girls basketball team by claiming a spot in CIF. The arena roared with loud cheers of accomplishment and happiness.

“I want to win at least two or three games in CIF,” Hong said.

“I just want to make sure these seniors go off on a good note.”

The night commemorated the victories and achievements of the boys and girls basketball teams throughout the year, leaving both teams excited to tread even further in their accomplishments by competing at CIF. Their first CIF game will be away tonight against Tescal Canyon High School.

FEATURES

THE MATADOR

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018

Burkhart breaks social norms as single mom raising son San Gabriel PICK-UP LINES “If you were a fruit, you’d be a

PHOTO COURTESY OF CADY BURKHART

Cady Burkhart spends bonding time with her four-year-old son Nico.

BY ECHO DIEU AND ANGELA LU

As a single mother leading a modern family, English teacher Cady Burkhart challenges many of society’s conventional standards together with her biological son, Nico. She currently lives with her twin sister, Dottie, and her sister’s foster daughter, Aly.

“We’re two single moms raising our children together in the same home,” Cady said. “We share chores and bills and time with the kids.”

In spite of the way Cady’s household is structured in contrast to traditional families, she has made sure that Nico did not feel that a piece was missing from his life.

“So far he has figured out that other people have dads,” Cady said. “He has a donor and he knows what that is, so he doesn’t seem to miss not having a dad.”

One of Cady’s concerns is that Nico will be exposed to social norms at school that may hurt his acceptance of diversity.

“After he turned three, he started listening to the kids at school and came home saying: boys don’t wear dresses and Anna is for girls,” Cady said. “It broke my heart to see what happens when we give our kids over to society.”

Cady takes on challenges first by encouraging Nico to become more conscious of differences in the nooks-and-crannies of society. She hopes he can become more empathetic, compassionate, and embracing of human dignity.

“So far, the only peer pressure has been about gender norms, and this happens to all kids regardless of the relationship status or sexual orientation of their parents,” Cady said. “I try not to play into gender stereotypes while raising him.”

One of the only differences between the Burkhart household and a traditional family is having no fathers living at home. As a result, Nico has been familiarized with different types of marriages at a young age.

“He knows that some people are married and that if mama were to get married it would be to a girl,” Cady said. “He’s completely fine with that. He also knows that when or if he wants to get married it might be to a boy or a girl, and he thinks that’s fine too.”

The experiences Cady has had with raising her son have helped her change and broaden her horizons. “[Having] my son was that hardest, scariest, best thing I have ever done,” Cady said. “I’m also a different teacher. I see each of my students now as somebody’s baby.”

Rodriguez celebrates Valentine’s Day with family, friends

BY DONNA HERNANDEZ

Valentine’s Day, a holiday implemented by mythology yet fueled by the capitalist industry. With all of the flowers, chocolate, and cards, it seems as though love truly is in the air on Feb. 14. Some students, such as junior Xareny Rodriguez, have taken advantage of the occasion to spread love with people other than a romantic partner.

“My parents do their own stuff, and my little sister and I celebrate together,” Rodriguez said. “We see it more as family love than of course, romantic.”

Though still adhering to traditional gift exchanging , they celebrate it in their own unique way.

“We make each other little cards and things like that,” Rodriguez said. “Last year, I made her a flower crown and got her a little baggy with a little teddy bear and some candies and she, in return, gave me a painting that she drew.”

For the most part, they do not focus on the materialistic side of the holiday, which means that they make do with what they can.

“I remember we were little and the best we could do was give each other a hug,” Rodriguez said.

On this holiday, people and the media make it practically obligatory to make it a romantic occasion.

“I don’t resent the holiday, just how the people abuse it,” Rodriguez said. “Like how [there are] commercials

[that advertise] ‘Get something for your loved one!’ [which implies] that everyone has to have somebody but not everyone needs a somebody to be happy.”

It is because of this that she feels the need to stray away from purchasing a gift. On one hand, it makes it more personal, and on the other, she would rather not contribute to those type of businesses.

“A lot of the commercials are like, ‘Get something for them, so they know that you love them!’ [but] really they don’t need a superficial gift to know that you love them,” Rodriguez said.

However, her sister has had her realize the value in exchanging gifts regardless of this and it has resulted in a stronger bond between the two of them.

“She would be like, ‘Doesn’t everyone want to know that they’re loved? And if people aren’t showing it, [shouldn’t] someone should step up and show them?”

Rodriguez said.

She does not want to stop at spreading the love with just her immediate family, but extend it toward others as well. “[I realize] not everyone has the great family that I do [or at least] the relationships I have between me and my little sister and my parents,” Rodriguez said. “Not everyone has someone, so [I want to] let them know someone in the world is willing to listen and care for them.”

PHOTO BY AHYOUNG NGUYEN

Xareny Rodriguez displays a photo of her immediate family, with whom she has a strong relationship specifically her sister Yadanica shown in the center and her father at the right.

Best friends Alvarez, Ramirez defy gender stereotypes, form lasting bond

BY ALICE LI AND KARINA MATIAS

PHOTO BY AHYOUNG NGUYEN

Bryan Alvarez (left) and Audrey Ramirez (right) stand by each other’s side, showing their strong bond. The two friends have formed a meaningful connection since their freshman year.

There have always been different beliefs when it comes to boys and girls becoming friends. Some think that it is impossible for people of opposite sex to become friends, that there will eventually be mixed emotions, but not in this case. Seniors Bryan Alvarez and Audrey Ramirez went from common acquaintances to best friends in the past years of their high school career.

According to Alvarez, it was during freshman year that a coincidence brought Ramirez and him to become more than just acquaintances.

“We were in math class and she [Ramirez] sat behind me and she started messing with me because we were partners on something,” Alvarez said. “I don’t remember, but it was my freshman year. And after that, we started like talking and we became cool with each other.”

On the other hand, Ramirez described it as something that sparked during that instance of their freshman year encounter.

“The first time I met Bryan, I could already tell he was the kind of guy I wanted to be friends with but I never thought we would become best friends,” Ramirez said.

However, the fear of being put in the friend zone is something that will always resonate with two opposite gender friends. According to Alvarez and Ramirez, there has never been a romantic interest with each other; it has always been about maintaining a strong friendship.

“I don’t really consider [friend zone] a term,” Alvarez said. “We never really friend-zoned each other. More like

continued to be best friends and it never really got in the way.”

Through time, their friendship has grown, from support of each other through many hardships and obstacles. “[Ramirez] helped me a lot through my relationship and a bunch of hard times that I had throughout my life, and I [did] the same for her,” Alvarez said. “I consider [Ramirez] something more than just a best friend, but probably like a sister to me now.”

Although arguments are commonly seen between best friends, misunderstandings will soon disintegrate when a strong friendship exists.

“I can’t think of a time where me and her bumped heads,” Alvarez said. “We’ve never argued about anything, [but if] we were to argue, we would consider it playing around [because at] the end, we would just be like ‘Ah I’m just kidding.’”

“We are always on the same page,” Ramirez said. “I’m very comfortable with him; he is like a brother to me.”

On certain days, Alvarez and Ramirez go on double dates just to strengthen their friendship and bonds with their partners.

“I try to bring my girlfriend and she’ll bring her boyfriend,” Alvarez said. “And then we go and hang out and stuff and we’ll just go to have fun and do some cool stuff.”

Alvarez and Ramirez have grown to love each other while maintaining a healthy friendship. Although there may be arguments and confusion, at the end of the road, there will no longer be a “friend zoned” relationship, but instead, a family.

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features

THE MATADOR

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018

ARS MUSIC TO MY E y d as they prepared to pla

M ARTICLE BY KENNY LA

enturous confident and she is adv Ban or tad Ma the too [with] Bright lights shined onto bleachers, the crowd and the halftime show. On the ing new things like I do, ing try dur e gam ng ll usi tba foc foo n a tha for her rat ha t uta Bu Ab sic. y,” mu first sound of we kinda fit that wa laid silent, waiting for the utaha and junior Ab a gel An ior sen m, nt of the said. on the sheet music in fro h other. nds, Abure instead focused on eac we Despite support from frie hts ug tho ’s ong ong Lu Lu and ha Tam uta Ab h couple, bot d, gay a l friend in ban l noted how, as Meeting through a mutua tball games to taha stil foo at g people ttin be cha to m ing Fro lly easily.” ere’s always go felt as if they “clicked rea s began to develop a “th less, nd the frie ver the Ne .” g, tin you tex on ht n -nig , one looking dow ing gh lau spending hours in bed late and at g, tin ked tex loo , o er months of talking there were still some wh ANGE LA AND TAM close, personal bond. Aft n. stio que s. big rou nd the wo ask as to d e bon rag MERAAL ’s cou ple the cou nd the fou PHOTO COURTESY OF all of a sudof them finally [while texting] and then couple of people who a her A had e ing TAH e’v ent “W ABU plim com d red “I starte said. “Maybe I sca utiful couple,” Abutaha for 20 minutes,” Abutaha y were like ‘you guys are and saw said we’re a bea up den she left me on read ke wo I en Th ep. sle Popeyes one time and the to eat go to na nt gon we t e jus “W d.

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JOHNSON g in Nov. of 2014 The couple plan saw him, he wa ,” Johnson said. s to spend this ye s really cute and “When I first son’s favorite fo ar’s Valentine’s shy.”

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“Our very first e to change it t get boring.” date was when For Johnson, sh I took Alonie to Chavarria said. “T e likes to make the movies,” hen I took her ou them. Making gi her gifts instead t for ice cream, an I confessed I lik fts can be a mon of buying d that is when ed her.” ey saver, especia fo r flowers and ch Relationships ov lly since prices ocolate can get erall often go th very expensive. rough tough sta “I like to write le roads, which is ges and bumpy tters for Sef inste what makes the ad of buying them said. “It seems m duration of thei ferent from othe r relationship di ore genuine an ,” Johnson rs. f- of my hear d plus it comes “Something that t.” from the bottom keeps our relatio Although that da a lot of time toge nship strong is th y in particular is ther, such as go at we spend ot ing out to eat at to be spent with he r, people choose Johnson said. a significant different places to spend it with ,” friends as well.

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ARTICLE BY KA BRINA BENNET T

LOVE CONQU ERS ALL

CALE B AND MADDIE PHOTO BY AHYOUN

G NGUYEN

ARTICLE BY SUH NI

NGUYEN

FOUND FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS Before thei

r relationship became official, soph omores Maddie Chi* and Caleb Gomez* were just good friends who looked out for each other. It all started whe n they first met during their Physical Education class last year . After that, their relationship kicked off and Chi and Gomez officially began dating about three months ago.

Chi explained that before they deci ded to start dating, they watched movies together online and spent some quality time with each other as friends. Thi s continued until one night, Gomez said: “We need to talk.”

After recognizing the tense atmosphere, Chi felt concerned beca use she did not know what was going through his mind.

Gomez then asked, “[Do] you wan t to be more than friends?”

Chi, on the other hand, was surp rised at the sudden confession.

What she did not know was that Gomez was feeling nervous about her response as well. Eventu ally, she replied with “Yes.” Soon enough, their first date was going to the movies at the Santa Anita mall.

Chi said what she likes most is Gomez’s personality and what he is like when they are both alone.

“I like how he is caring,” Chi said . “If I am sad, he will bother me about it until I tell him.”

Similarly, Gomez appreciates Chi ’s warm-hearted personality.

“I love how she is always there for me and never leaves,” Gomez said.

Chi said that whenever they see each other, they give each other compliments, in which they both either agree or disagree about their comments about each other.

“Basically, it’s like everyday,” Chi said. “ When he is going out, I am like, “Wow, my man look s hot.’ When I go out somewhere, he [would] be like, ‘My girl looks so fine.’”

While Chi is Chinese and Gomez is Filipino-Mexican--which may be surprising to some-- that is not how the couple feels about their differences in ethnicity . “[Our] race is where we come from , so it doesn’t define where we’re going,” Gomez said.

In the end, Chi and Gomez are both happy for each other and block away the negative com ments from the other people.

“It doesn’t matter about race,” Chi said. “As long you’re happy then that’s all matters.” *Names changed upon request

GRAPHICS BY ANGELA LU