November Issue 2013

VITAL SIGNS Friday, November 8, 2013

BRAVO MEDICAL MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL | LOS ANGELES, CA | VOL. XVII, ISSUE iv| WWW.BRAVOWEB.LAUSD.K12.CA.US

Students Plagued by Common App Crisis

by Rimon Hossain

Photo Credit:shuttershock

Undoubtedly, the most crucial part of senior year is the college application process that for students decides where they will go for the next four years of not only their education but their lives as well. With such a dependency, college application portals are looked to and often taken for granted. But what would happen if the Common App system stopped working? Well, the most famous and relied upon college application portal (that allows prospective college freshmen and transfer students apply to over 512 colleges nationwide) has been found to be riddled with glitches.

Just like the millions of prospective applicants worldwide, Bravo seniors also face the same problems when it comes to their college application. Such problems include the inability of teachers to access recommendation e-mails

or the recommendation links. Carlos Jimenez, AP US History and MexicanAmerican studies teacher, says “I thought the Obamacare website was having problems…the Common App website was ridiculously impossible!”

Teachers and other recommenders even had to go to such lengths as to make new and even multiple Common App and e-mail accounts in order to put in a good word for the students that have worked so hard.

Thanh Tran (‘14) planned to apply Early Decision to Johns Hopkins University, but when it came to filling in his application, he had to fill the same sections out over and over again. He says, “I don’t think I’ve ever faced a bigger troll.” Problems that students often face include the deletion of descriptions in the Activities section, missing green check marks that indicate the completion of a section and print preview

errors, inability to change family status and Privacy Act rights, in addition to many more problems that occur each day.

The Common Application has recently resolved ten major problems and is still working on fourteen more such as the major recommendation form and e-mail issues. With the Early Decision deadline in November 8th followed by the Regular Decision deadlines (depending on the college), Common Application will have to sort it all out soon or the prospective college applicants nationwide will have to fasten themselves for a bumpy college application season. For further help on the Common Application, experts advise students to either go on the Common Application “Knowledgebase” or make a new account altogether.

Bravo Folklorico Talks Dia De Los Muertos

by Priscilla Romero & Pamela Ruiz The Day of the Dead, starting midnight, October 31st to November 2nd, has become one of the most widely celebrated holidays in Mexico and is spread in areas of the United States, mostly by large Mexican and Chicano populations.

Traditions of this holiday include building private altars called ofrendas, honoring their loved ones who have passed away by offering sugar skulls, marigolds, and their favorite foods and beverages.

“It is important to my culture. I have been celebrating this event since I was a little girl. My grandpa and I make ‘pan de muerto’ this day to honor the dead.” -Cynthia Doval (‘14)

“It’s important because it helps me connect with my culture and I feel close to my loved ones who have passed away.”

-Tania Cortez (‘14) Photo Credit: Priscilla Romero

Culture Corner

BRAVO NEWS • 2 Scholarship for life, anyone?

“Happy Thanksgiving!”

Irish <<Shona Thanksgiving!

“We cannot break bread with you.” - (Addams Family Values 1993) Czech<<Nemůžeme lámání chleba s vámi

SCIENCE • 3 Lightsabers may not only exist in a galaxy far, far away...

“Gravy is a beverage.”

Galician << A salsa é unha bebida.

THANKSGIVING • 4 So much to be thankful about, so little time.

“A wishbone is the perfect letter.”

Romanian<< Un brațe este litera perfectă.

Student Safety Guidelines

by Genesis Angulo

It is an unfortunate reality that most people in today’s society don’t think too much of their safety or are too preoccupied to pay attention to their surroundings. This carefree attitude towards life can prove to be painfully dangerous. One Bravo parent learned this the hard way as she was assaulted and robbed while feeding a parking meter near Bravo High School.

The perpetrator is reportedly an older African-American male. This incident occurred at 2:50 PM on Wednesday, October 30 ,2013 . The victim, though disoriented from the blow, immediately informed Bravo personnel.

Upon hearing the situation, Officer Renteria, Bravo’s assigned police officer, offered a set of tips for Bravo students to abide by to ensure their safety.

1. Do not walk by yourself. Try your best to remain constantly surrounded by others.

2.

If you rely on your parents for transportation to and from school, always

remain on campus. Have your parents park in the designated loading zone near the campus, or, if they choose to park in the less crowded streets farther from Bravo, ask them to walk to campus to escort you back to the car.

3.

Do not go through the park. This cannot be stressed enough. As one Bravo teacher says, it’s called Hazard Park for a reason. Avoid going through the park alone.

4. Decrease the chance of further safety violations by reporting suspicious activity to school police or administration.

5.

Be aware of your surroundings. Understand that Bravo’s location is not the safest area around and there are many who would love to get their hands on the flashy phones and Apple products students brazenly display while waiting for a parent or bus. It is to your advantage to be afraid of the world, because the world is not afraid of you.

November Calendar

compiled by Oziel Palma What When

Where

Veteran’s Day

Mon., Nov. 11

No School

Leadership Freshmen Elections

Wed., Nov. 13

Outside Basketball Courts

Hoop-it-Up

Mon., Nov. 18 Nutrition & Lunch

Outside Basketball Courts

Think First Assembly (11th & 12th Graders)

Thurs., Nov. 21

Hernandez Hall

Thanksgiving Break

Mon., Nov. 25Fri., Nov. 29

No School

VITAL SIGNS

VOL. XVI, ISSUE iv

Friday, November 8, 2013 - P2

BRAVO NEWS

Full-Ride Scholarships, Anyone?

by Rimon Hossain If anyone remembers, in the first senior assembly of the year, Mr. Maletz specifically mentioned one scholarship: The Gates-Millennium Scholarship. In addition to sounding so overwhelmingly intimidating, this scholarship is perhaps one of the most prestigious and generous scholarships up for grabs.

The Gates - Millennium Scholarship is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation whose goals are all “driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family” (gatesfoundation. org). The scholarship in particular, selects 1,000 talented students nationally each year to receive a good, thorough graduation scholarship to use at any college or university of

their choice. This means that expenses from trips back home to tuition or even pocket money will all be given when needed.

If chosen, the scholars can even have their graduate school expenses covered if they major in one of seven designated majors: computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, and public health.

Photo Credit: eventbrite.com

Past GMS Scholars and their Input: Daniella Cannata Bravo HS Class of ‘11 University of California, Irvine Class, of ‘15 “The GM scholarship is a Eligibility requirements: blessing that has changed Minimum GPA of 3.3. my life. It has given me , U.S. Citizen, U.S. Perleadership development manent Resident / Foreign opportunities and complete National funding for college.”

Photo Credit: gatesfoundation.org Ethnicities Open to: African American, American Indian Ruqayyah Malik, - Alaska Native, Asian Bravo HS Class of ‘11, Pacific Islander American, University of Pennsylvania, Hispanic American.

“Being a GMS scholar is more than just receiving Pros: Full coverage of money every semester every conceivable expense. (which is awesome, Flexibility to apply to different of course), it’s being colleges and programs part of a family of likeCons: The longest college Photo Credit: gatesfoundation.org minded scholars who are invested in your success.” application consists of an additional eight essays and supplemental information.

Process: Submit online application by January 15.

Receive Notification by early April or late March.

A Look Inside 3 of the Newest Clubs to Hit Bravo!

by Genesis Angulo & Melanie Sobri

These three clubs are some of the newest to arrive at Bravo and are right for you if you are interested in helping the homeless, discussing the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, or are a lover of anime or Japanese culture. If you are interested in joining, read on…

(From left to right) President Anika Ahsan (’15) of the Help the Homeless Club, President Ernesto Ortega (‘14) of the Middle Earth Club, and Co-President, Armando Lopez (‘14) of the Otaku Club: How can members benefit from this club?

Photo Credit: Genesis Angulo

“Members can get [community service hours] and most of the members that join want to outreach so they get the opportunity to go out to nearby homeless shelters and help out.”

Photo Credit: Genesis Angulo

Photo Credit: Genesis Angulo

“They’ll be able to gather, share, and have fun. We can also grow as a club and discuss anything concerning the Lord of the Rings books or movies. We may also do projects like role playing, trivia, games, all [the] things that fans would do.”

“They can benefit by just coming and watching all the shows we’re going to show, they can learn a different type of culture, or maybe learn [a few things].”

Hype at Parent Conference

by Tatev Sarkissyan

On October 17, 2013, Bravo Medical Magnet had its first Parent Conference Night of the year. As students were eager to attend and collect their ten-week grades, parents were waiting to speak with their child’s teachers.

Parents began showing up at Bravo around 5:30 p.m., mostly wanting to retrieve their grades of their children.

They stood in line, by the gym, waiting for the doors to open. Each class/grade from leadership, yearbook students, and MESA students all set up tables in the second floor lobby to try to get support for their clubs and

for the school. As expected, sales went great considering the amount of parents and students that bought food from these stands.

After obtaining the report cards, and maybe even some sort of refreshment, parents went and signed in with a teacher whom they wished to speak with. Teachers had a line of parents, ranging from three or more parents waiting in the hallways.

Massive amounts of parents showed up interested in their children’s life at Bravo Medical Magnet.

The difference between a first time parent coming to

Bravo, and the parents who have visited before, was obvious. Parents who were first timers constantly asked for directions and wondered which floor they were on, whereas, the parents who had visited before knew where to go and how to get there. All parents received a form to hand to the teachers so they could fill out comments based on that student. Each parent waited to hear what the teacher had to say in order to find out if they should berate their child or reward their child.

Photo Credit: Jesus Javier Serrano

Photo Credit: Jesus Javier Serrano

Food Sells

by Jesus Javier Serrano & Rimon Hossain From 6-8 p.m., parents of almost all Bravo Knights came onto school campus in order to meet and greet teachers to see the progress of their children. However, the process had parents waiting anywhere from five minutes to an hour. Luckily, the lobby was filled with food posts and food trucks out in the lunch patio for those wanting a snack.

A plethora of ice-cold soda and water were sold by senior leadership while junior leadership had a refreshment stand of their own with a big blue sign that advertised jamaica, horchata, hot chocolate and chips, all for a dollar or less. Math Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) members Angel Martinez (`14), Aldrich Carles (`15) and Jaime (‘15) were screaming “Churros for a dollar!” to the crowd in order to fund the club with their churro and Capri Sun Juice pouch sales.

From the mouth-watering scent of the food trucks on Cornwell Street to the warm welcomes of the door-holding Calfornia Scholarship Federation (CSF) members and other volunteers, this Parent Conference was once again a success with a little help from the wide variety of food available for all.

VITAL SIGNS

VOL. XVI, ISSUE iv

Friday, November 8, 2013 - P3

SCIENCE

MIT and Harvard Combine Forces to Create a Lightsaber

by Sharon Kim & Meri Mak Recently, Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology combined forces (pun intended) and developed a new technology that could possibly create a lightsaber.

Researchers from both schools discovered a way to merge photons, preventing particles from passing through each other. Instead, like the lightsabers depicted in the epic Star Wars saga, the photons have become hardened molecules that have the ability to bounce off each other. Before now, these atoms were believed to be incapable of interacting with one another.

Because of the photons’ qualities, comparing it to lightsabers is a suitable analogy.

According to Harvard professor of

Star Wars vs. Student Smarts

physics, Mikhail Lukin, “… the photons interact with each other; they’re pushing against and deflecting each other. The physics of what’s happening in these molecules is similar to what we see in the movies.”

It has been the dream of many scientists Photo Credit: blogspot.com to have light beam photons be able to sustain contact with one another. This new breakthrough has opened the doors for further research into quantum computing.

As of now, there are many possibilities to explore and uses to discover for this new state of matter. The researchers will continue to investigate the molecules discovered and their Photo Credit: Boston Magazine possibly useful properties.

Nobel Lareautes of 2013

Over the last month, some of the world’s most astute individuals were awarded the highly anticipated Nobel Prize.

The Nobel Prize Association was established after the death of Alfred Nobel, whom left the interest of his estate, postmortem, to be awarded to those who have contributed the “greatest benefit [to] mankind” (Nobelprize.org). With a generous amount of $1.1 million in the U.S. (worth approximately 8 million SEK and €1.16 million) per award, a total of thirteen laureates were chosen out of a pool of approximately 259 organization candidates competing in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, peace, as well as for the Sveriges Riksbank prize in economic sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel.

The pool of awardees was diverse. In Nobel Prizes,

Photo Credit: whichcountry.com

Photo Credit: nytimes.com

by Hannah Contreras

François Englert and Peter W. Higgs in physics “for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, and which recently was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle, by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider”; Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt, Arieh Warshel were awarded in Chemistry “for the development of multiscale models for complex chemical systems”; James E. Rothman, Randy W. Schekman, and Thomas C. Südhof were awarded in Physiology or Medicine “for their discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, a major transport system in our cells”; Alice Munro was awarded in Literature “master of the

contemporary short story”; and Eugene F. Fama, Lars Peter Hansen, and Robert J. Shiller were awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prizein Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel “for their empirical analysis of asset prices”.

“Today’s Nobel Prize announcement is a great example of how the study of Physics, Chemistry and Biology are crossing traditional boundaries to help tackle tough problems ranging from designing new materials for renewable energy to pharmaceutical drug design,” the American Institute of Physics commented upon the release of prize laureates.

These words truly capture the essence of the purpose behind acknowledging the advancements established for the good of society as well as the contributions of the remaining prizes.

Photo Credit: blogspot.com

EHA Research

by Cristina Aguilera

The Engineering for Health Academy (EHA) is very important at Bravo because it allows students to extend their interest to their passion of science and math through the different labs that are available for the students to participate in. EHA is a program which begins sophomore year and it extends on to junior year, but from junior year going on to senior year, the students must interview for labs. Below are current members of EHA. Brenda Yanez, 12th grade “I work with Dr. Geneve Dunton and Keito Kawabata. My lab is called ‘REACH’ because of a grant we received.

The purpose of the lab is to basically use current mobile technology to study the behavioral patterns in adolescence to figure out the relationship between physical activity and obesity which can lead to other chronic diseases.

The technology used is Ecological Momentary

Data assessment.

We survey different age groups, from children to parents, depending on the experiment.

I chose this lab because I started volunteering in March and I liked what I did and how I was able to contribute to the lab. I’m currently helping the P.I (principal investigator) with her paper, so I will be co-author.”

Wendy Ramirez, 12th grade “I work with Dr. Lorman Lue under the Doheny Eye Institute of Opthalmology.

I work alongside Homer and Carolina. My lab has a lot of different projects but right now we are measuring pressure the instruments, which are used for eye surgery, and the reaction time to it. The eye surgery can not take too long therefore it must be done quickly and we are seeing which hand can do this quicker, the dominant hand or the non-dominant hand. I chose this lab because I learned about the eye in physiology and Dr. Lue made it sound more interesting.”

Meme Central compiled by Hannah Contreras

VITAL SIGNS

VOL. XVI, ISSUE iv

Friday, November 8, 2013 - P4

THANKSGIVING What Are Bravo Students Thankful For?

by Carissa Salazar Amidst the piles of homework and the sleepless nights many Bravo students face, it’s easy to overlook the things in life to be grateful for.

In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, reporters of the Journalism class asked a few students to share what they are thankful for. Photo Credit: wordpress.com

“What I’m thankful for?

Having friends and family who support me. Thankful for the opportunities given out [to me].”

-Alejandro Martinez (’14)

“Just having an academically competitive school to go to where you can have fun and make friends.”

-Aleck Sun (‘15)

“I am thankful for an accepting school like Bravo where students acknowledge each other, [there is] not much bullying here and everyone is pretty much nice.”

-Darren Ung (‘17)

Giving Thanks Without The Extra Baggage

by Mohini Lavin Do you tend to gain weight around Thanksgiving week?

Did you ever consider weight loss shakes or pills? Well, they don’t work. In fact, once you stop using them you gain more weight than you actually lose.

Diets are unhealthy for you and may damage your intestines. That does not mean that it is impossible to lose weight.

There are many healthy ways of loosing weight such as eating smaller portions of food and exercising more. Half an hour before you eat drink a glass of water. Have a glass of fresh juice from a juicer with breakfast and or dinner. Exercise while you are studying for a class. Drink hot beverages after eating to keep your metabolism working. Eat smaller portions of food and drink more liquids with every meal. Finally, drink carbonated water with dinner to fool your brain that you are full.

Photo Credit: nationalpublicradio.org

The Immigration Battlefield: Overview of the S.744 and Politics

by Jesus Javier Serrano

Now, with the vast majority of immigrants living in the United States, politicians face the problem of either legalizing these “aliens” or letting them hide in the shadows to avoid deportation. On April 16, 2013 the “gang of eight”, which are eight senators made up of four republicans and four democrats, introduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act to Congress in order to deal with this immigration problem once and for all. In June 27, 2013, the bill was passed

by Senate- with democrat majority.

However, on July 10th, the bill was rejected by the

House of Representatives with republican majority.

Since then, activists have been pressuring Congress to pass the bill with rallies such as the October 9th rally where “[t]wo hundred demonstrators were arrested” (National Public Radio).

Pressure built up inside the Capitol building’s walls once the police detained “Georgia Rep. John Lewis and other members of Congress, after they sat down in the street in front of the U.S. Capitol building.” (NPR).

But the floods of reform began to crack the levies of the policymaking-system, thus, the republican majority of the House created a government shutdown on September 25th thanks to

the gridlock created prior to Obamacare. After a period of no federal funding and empty national parks, Congress passed a bill to temporarily stop the shutdown and restart the government until February, on October 17th.

With the government back on track and cleaning up the financial mess that was caused by the shutdown, new provisions are now being set by Barrack Obama to end this Immigration burden once and for all. He “called on Congress to pass a comprehensive budget, immigration reform and a farm bill by year’s end.”(NPR) At the end of all of this, we can all agree with Obama that so far “… there are no winners here” (NPR).

Photo Credit: Mohini Lavin

Vital

Guilt-Free Carrot Cake: People say cakes are unhealthy and bad for you, but I would disagree. If you add healthy ingredients and eat small portions then it is not bad, every now and then. One prime example of a nutritious, tasty and of-the-essence cake is the famed carrot cake.

Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1 ¼ cups flour ¼ cup cinnamon applesauce 1 tsp vanilla ½ cup unsalted butter or ½ cup vegetable oil 1 tsp salt 1 cup pancake mix 2 tsp grounded cinnamon ½ shredded carrot 2 cups water 3 oz raisins 3 tsp grounded flax seeds

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until the batter is creamy and smooth.

Then, place in a baking pan and bake in oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cake cool and add vanilla frosting and serve.

Signs

Hannah Contreras Editor-In-Chief

Siboney Arias & Atrianne Dolom Co-Editors-In-Chief

Martin Gomez Managing Editor

Genesis Angulo Editor

Rimon Hossain Editor

Sharon Kim Editor

Editorial Matter Opinions expressed in Vital Signs belong to the writer.

They do not reflect the opinions of the Journalism staff or those of Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School.

Letters to the Editors Letters to the editors concerning any topic relevant to Vital Signs are welcomed. Please refrain from using vulgar or disrespectful language. Letters should be brief and may be edited to maximize space and heighten clarity. Letters may be anonymous or signed by the author. Please send letters to:

bhsvitalsigns2014@gmail.com or Drop them off in Mr. R. Rodriguez’s mailbox/ at Rm. 312

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