News
2
Tiger - Thursday, November 7, 2013
Weak in body, not in spirit
News
Around Campus
“Our SPUSD leaders have determined that a daily commitment to the Pledge of Allegiance in all of our South Pasadena schools is an important unifying activity. At the beginning of first and second periods, you will hear an announcement to please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. At that time, please place your hand over your heart and recite the pledge while facing the flag. If you choose not to recite the Pledge, you are still to stand quietly at attention.” /Principal Janet Anderson
Nine seniors announced as QuestBridge finalists
SPHS alumnus Hajime Miyasaka living with ALS By Joey Shapiro Staff Writer South Pasadena High School student Hajime Miyasaka lost all feeling in his arm in 2010. Hajime, who was 17 years old at the time, was soon diagnosed with ALS, a degenerative disease of the nervous system that kills the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control muscle movement. The disease is very rare, especially in someone as young as Hajime, and there is no known cure. Hajime’s muscles weakened and eventually stopped functioning altogether, leaving him trapped in a paralyzed body with an otherwise fully functional brain. After his diagnosis, Tiger Newspaper collected donations and published brief messages from students showing their support for Hajime and his family. Three years later, Hajime is now resting at home with his family. His brother Ryo is a sophomore at SPHS and his sister Yuki is a fourth grade student at Marengo Elementary School. Hozue, his mother and Hiro, his father, have been trained to care for him when nurses are not present. Hajime communicates by making subtle eye movements that
his parents are able to interpret, since he lost the ability to speak, eat, and breathe without assistance. Lately, communication has become increasingly difficult as Hajime continues to lose the ability to move his eyes. Hajime was recently hospitalized after a medical procedure went wrong, leading to pneumonia among other complications. He spent a month recuperating in the hospital, but he is once again in stable condition and has returned home. Visiting Hajime is still the best way to show support. His former classmates have visited him regularly since his diagnosis, and he greatly enjoys the company of others. For those who can’t visit, written messages are equally appreciated by Hajime and his family. There will be a table outside of the career center November 12 - 15, where students can place written messages of support. The messages will be delivered to Hajime’s family at the end of the week, and each note will be read to him by his parents.
Messages for Hajime 11/12-11/15 outside the CC or email directly to
hmiyasaka@mac.com
Red Cross Club collects cans for local charity on Halloween By Andrew Shults Assoc. Sports Editor While “trick-or-treating” for candy is the traditional Halloween activity, members from the Red Cross Club went doorto-door from 6-9 PM on October 31 to collect canned food for the upcoming Pasadena Jaycees Thanksgiving event. The annual fundraiser helps the Jaycees, a charitable organization made up of young men and women, provide food for underprivileged families. The club divided its members into groups, each designated to one of the most popular neighborhoods for trick-or-treating in South Pasadena. Participants distributed flyers prior to the event in the hope of maximizing the potential can donations. After the collection, the club stored the cans in various club members’ houses. They will deliver the cans to the Pasadena Jaycees for the Operation Gobbler event, which provides food for those in need on Thanksgiving. “I have participated in this [Halloween] event for two years,” junior Meghana Girish said. “I like this event because we get to help out the local community and have fun at the same time.”
The Red Cross Club will participate in many other charitable activities this year including Operation Santa, an event that donates gifts to underserved children, and Red Hand Week, which promotes awareness of child soldiers in foreign countries. “With the canned foods the Red Cross will donate, the families benefitted by Operation Gobbler will be fed more and will have a Happy Thanksgiving,” junior Victoria Gao said. “I am proud to help out others in need and give them the opportunity to celebrate and enjoy the Thanksgiving that more privileged families get to experience.”
Stephanie Kim
Sophomore Stephanie Tom collects cans on Halloween night.
Stephanie Kim
2013 QuestBridge Scholarship finalists: front row L to R: Patricia San Pedro, Michelle Huang, Eunice Na, Andrea Rogando, and Ji Hyun Lee. Back row L to R: Yoon Lee, David Yang, Ted Kim, and Paul Song. By Emily Markese Business Manager Twelve South Pasadena High School seniors have been selected as finalists for the QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship. Seniors Michelle Huang, Ted Kim, Yoon Lee, Ji Hyun Lee, Eunice Na, Andrea Rogando, Patricia San Pedro, Paul Song, and David Yang received notification of their status on October 22. QuestBridge is a non-profit program that gives low-income students with strong academic records educational and scholarship opportunities. Those eligible to apply are high achieving seniors who
come from households earning less than $60,000 annually. The application process required students to complete an online application, send three letters of recommendation, and write several essays by September 27. “I read the letter and could not believe it. I rechecked my name and was like, ‘Maybe it’s another Andrea?’ I just started jumping and rejoicing around the house,” Rogando said. “Then the next thing I did was call my mom and the other people who have supported me along the way to thank them and share the good news.” When submitting their applications, students declared the
ranking of the partner colleges in order of their interest. Students could apply to eight of QuestBridge’s 35 partner colleges including Brown University, Columbia University, Princeton University, University of Southern California, and Yale University. Finalists will be notified on December 2 if they have been matched with one of their partner college choices. If matched, the QuestBridge finalists will receive financial aid packages that cover 100% of their tuition for all four years of college.
Academic Decathlon hosts scrimmage FBLA supports underprivileged teens through Operation Walking Shield
By Jordan Xiao Staff Writer Fifty backpacks containing clothes and supplies were shipped by South Pasadena High School’s Future Business Leaders of America on October 31 to help underprivileged Native American teenagers. The group concluded its third donation campaign for Operation Walking Shield last week. Participants selected a teenager, using clothing sizes, color preferences, and other personal information on the profiles to assist them in collecting needed items for their sponsored children. Donors then brought shopping bags and backpacks full of shirts, shoes, and miscellaneous school supplies to FBLA club advisor Mrs. Cathy Mason by Tuesday, October 29. “Walking Shield counts as one of our community service projects, and for the last few years we’ve made good use of this chance to do good,” FBLA president sophomore Jacob Benowitz said. SPHS FBLA became involved with the program two years ago when the Humanitarian Aid
Program requested help with meeting its quota. Clothes collected by SPHS will be sent to the Turtle Mountain Reservation in Rolette County, North Dakota, due to arrive just in time for Christmas. “In South Pasadena, we’re lucky to have roofs over our heads and enough money to be well fed,” Benowitz said. “But some people on the reservation don’t have solid shelter or food. Not only are they cold in the winter, they’re starving as well. Walking Shield is a great opportunity to help.” Walking Shield Incorporated was founded in 1986 by Mr. Phil Stevens, of Lakota heritage, with the purpose of improving the quality of life for Native Americans around the country. In addition to providing shelter, healthcare, and community development support, the organization supplies more than one thousand pounds of clothing to impoverished reservations every year. According to Mrs. Mason, Operation Walking Shield will remain an important part of FBLA’s activities in years to come.
By Shine Cho News Editor The South Pasadena High School Academic Decathlon team competed against Beverly Hills High School in a planned scrimmage held on campus on October 26 to prepare for its year of competitions. Beverly Hills is the 2013 Number One Division I team in Los Angeles County. The SPHS team took second place at the event, with a score of 26,440 points. Beverly Hills anchored 26,808 points. Juniors Elise Matsusaka and John Dullaghan, and senior Daniel Gonzales individually swept first place in their respective level of Honors, Scholastic, and Varsity. “We’re off to a great start,” Dullaghan said. “Our group works uniquely together even though at the end of the day, you’re on your own taking the tests.” According to faculty advisor Mr. Oliver Valcorza, the group meets after school every Monday and Wednesday and some weekends to review material. “The team is working incredibly hard,” Valcorza said. “They understand that hard work is what’s going to get results.”