The Hoofprint 2013 May

THE

hoofprint VOLUME 45, ISSUE 6

WALNUT HIGH SCHOOL www.whshoofprint.com

“Through my years in jazz band, I have learned to be more confident in myself, since soloing in front of a crowd can be a harrowing experience. This confidence has also carried over into other aspects of my life as well. For me, performing is a way to both express myself and show off what I am capable of doing.”

- Grant Hoh, 12 PHOTO BY MARY ZHANG

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the hoofprint

table of contents

news opinion

feature

EDITORIAL Two sides to every story We click to post our next argument, we tweet our next retort. We fill in the blanks without knowing the full story.

It’s an instinctive, impulsive action, and we don’t recognize the harm this can do as often as we should.

An impulse is a short-lived, emotional sense of purpose. An action is a concrete, long-lasting impression. Emotions will die, but their consequences will not. There is no taking back an action once the impulse to carry it out dies away. There are only thoughts of regret, when there should have been thoughts of prevention.

Every curse, threat, or backhanded remark warrants trouble. Every witty comeback or long rant adds fuel to the fire. Someone has invaded your personal bubble, or offended a belief of yours. The point is that there are countless situations in which we are prone to act on impulse rather than reason. We often undervalue logic and misplace reason in situations that need it most. We need reason, not emotion, to guide our actions.

Rhyme and reason come by way of thinking a situation through, but this means more than running that blazing argument through your head before voicing it. This means admitting an important factor: that we don’t always,

if ever, know everything. We don’t always know the whole truth, but by forgetting that we don’t have all the details to this event or that gossip, we can easily start a fight or elevate an existing one.

A punch line, or your memories placed in the yearbook to look back on? The “Senior Quotes” issue ignited a debate, a result of misunderstanding.

Another debate was sparked by the new bell schedule for next year, which introduced the tutorial period and early-out Mondays. The assumption was that change would bring poor results. We are not condemning the student voice; we are, as a matter of fact, promoting it. The complications that come with jumping to conclusions can easily be avoided, if only we use our voices the right way.

Our knowledge is flawed, and inaccurate more often than we’d like to admit. This is a fact, but this fact shouldn’t stop us from discussion or deliberation. We must simply differentiate between what we know and what we assume. We cannot fill in the blanks ourselves; we have to ask as much as we try to tell.

Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should - posting, tweeting, gossiping. Think about it, think again, then, do it.

MISSION STATEMENT

in-depth

We, the Hoofprint staff, strive to inform the student body in an accurate, timely and objective manner. While we take responsibility for the legitimacy of our reporting, we also recognize the freedom of the press and speech given to us under California Education Code 48907. We seek to reflect the diversity of the school and to be a public student forum that encourages student expression and discussion. Through our coverage, we hope to represent the distinct character of the Walnut High School community.

arts

sports scene

May 29, 2013

STAFF Staff Writers: Michael Aie, Andraes Arteaga, Jezebel Cardenas, Chantel Chan, Alison Chang, Crystal Chang, Michelle Chang, Cloris Chou, Anita Chuen, Jackson Deng, Avika Dua, Diane Fann, Samantha Gomes, Raytene Han, Kent Hsieh, Daniela Kim, Michelle Kim, Joyce Lam, Chase Lau, Jessica Lee, Doris Li, Rebecca Liaw, Jasmine Lin, Serena Lin, Susan Lin, Sarah Liu, Gabrielle Manuit, Ashlyn Montoya, Brandon Ng, Eunice Pang, Leonie Phoa, Caroline Shih, Agnes Shin, Angelina Tang, Varisa Tantiwasadakran, Lynze Tom, Deanna Trang, Terrence Tsou, Morgan Valdez, Derek Wan, Alexa Wong, Bryan Wong, Kevin Wu, Megan Wu, Kevin Yin, Aaron Yong, Yolanda Yu, Laura Zhang, Mary Zhang, Maxwell Zhu Editors-in-Chief: Jessica Kwok, Felix Lee, Elliot Park Managing Editor: Leonie Phoa Copy Editor: Karen Ou News Editors: Nathan Au-Yeung, Ashley Xu Opinion Editors: Jessica Wang, Ted Zhu Feature Editors: Jefferey Huang, Amy Lee, Belle Sun Arts Editors: Janzen Alejo, Tiffany Diep

CONTACT

Business Information For all ad and business inquiries, please email whshoofprint.business@gmail.com.

Scene Editor: Candee Yuan Sports Editors: Michael Hyun, Spencer Wu Business Manager: Leon Ho Photo Editor: Frank Lin Tech Team Leader: Alvin Wan Tech Team Editors: Leon Ho, Jackie Sotoodeh, Jessica You Adviser: Rebecca Chai

Walnut High School 400 N. Pierre Rd. Walnut, CA 91789 (909) 594-1333 Extension 34251

the hoofprint

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May 29, 2013

news 3

Math club organizes first tournament Class of 2013 gathers For the first time, Math Club held the Math Tournament in hopes of ending the year with a fun event and making the tournament an annual tradition. for its final farewells Senior Breakfast incorporated elements from “Toy Story” to allow seniors to bond before graduation.

Leon Ho Business manager

PHOTOS BY ALISON CHANG

IT ALL ADDS UP (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT): Junior Alicia Wei looks over the tests and quickly grades them to help determine the winners of each category. // Sophomore John Zhu takes the Math Analysis segment.

Angelina Tang Staff writer Math Club hosted the Math Tournament on May 17. The event was open to all Walnut High School students and featured individual and group rounds consisting of Geometry, Algebra 2, and Math Analysis questions. Each category contained 20 problems and the participants all had 20 minutes to take each test.

The club awarded the top three winners from the individual round with trophies and the three highest scoring teams with medals. The highest scoring participant in each

category also received a certificate.

“I think that the event is a great opportunity for students to get involved in math competitions. It kind of gives them a taste of competing and doing challenging problems,” treasurer sophomore Jeffrey Zhang said. “Hopefully the event will get more people to participate next year, and we can encourage people to join Math Club. It’s up to us to direct the competition to run smoothly, and I know we have the ability to make that happen.”

The officers created a schoolwide math tournament in an effort to plan an event that would make the

end of the year more fun and exciting.

Although the competition was a firsttime event for Math Club, the team hopes that this will become an annual tradition.

“There were many issues that came up by just starting a new project, which is why I feel like we’ve accomplished a lot more,” junior President Jessie Chan said. “At one point, I was scared because I felt like we were about to abandon the tournament, but we pulled through it and resolved the issues. I’m pretty proud of the event because of how much we’ve gone through and struggled to host it.” Ω

[for our] entire childhood so we tried to incorporate bits of ‘Toy Story’ and childhood memories into the Senior Breakfast, which allowed center piece, like Etch-A-Sketches the graduating class to interact with displaying the schedule and building one another collectively over a big blocks spelling out class of 2013 event, took place on Friday, May related phrases, with army men and 24. This year’s theme, “Toy Story”, Toy Story characters around it,” helped parallel the life of the students cabinet member senior Karen Tseng with Andy’s because the seniors are said. “We wanted to bring out the inner moving on and child [of the seniors] leaving things and, hopefully, the “I believe [the theme] decorations and the behind, just as Andy is also comes from Andy going childhood Disney going away and off to college, since feel caused them to leaving his toys. reminisce about their it reflects part of our high school life.” “‘Toy Story’ growing out of childhood made [the most] Besides the sense since it is breakfast itself, to adulthood.” meaningful with seniors also enjoyed the correlation forms of -Michael Duarte, 12 other of Andy and the entertainment, which students going off included a hypnotist, to college,” 2013 class adviser a video for the seniors, and the chance Norlyn Nicolas said. “We showcased to spend time with friends. the main characters and took details “I believe [the theme] comes from the movie, like making the gym from Andy going off to college, since look like Andy’s room.” it reflects part of our growing out Going along with the theme, of childhood to adulthood,” senior many of the decorations corresponded Michael Duarte said. “This senior with the movie, such as the wallpaper breakfast symbolizes the unity of our that transformed the gym into a class because it brings all the seniors bedroom. to one place to have breakfast and “‘Toy Story’ has been with us spend time together.” Ω

Solar boat team competes in annual Solar Cup

After months of preparation, team members participated in various events that were part of the Solar Cup at Lake Skinner.

Alison Chang Staff writer Solar Boat placed 11th overall out of 40 schools in the Solar Cup held at Lake Skinner on May 16-19.

The competition consisted of a qualifying event, two endurance runs, and a sprint run.

“I felt a little nervous at first, but with everyone encouraging me, I felt more prepared. It was actually pretty exciting because I got to steer the boat,” freshman Anton Yeung said.

“There was a little pressure because some schools had faster boats than I thought.”

The team placed first in the Foothill region for the endurance race.

“It was way better than two years ago. The data was better; we had higher voltage, amperes, and distance numbers to work with,” co-captain senior Daniel Lee said. “I was really proud of the boat and the team.”

As a requirement of the Solar Cup, members also had to write a total of three reports for water energy nexus, the mechanics and drive train of the boat, and electrical schematics.

Freshman Justin Tjoa, sophomore Angie Chang, and seniors Mira Chiu

and Daniel Lee made a public service announcement (PSA) on water conservation.

“Getting enough clips for the video and procrastination were some of the issues we had. We should have watched our time better, procrastinated [less], done more research, and added more detail,” Chang said.

In the future, team members hope to have lighter solar panels and an increased coverage of the boat to improve its speed.

“We wanted lighter solar panels to make our boat go faster during the endurance race and covering for the whole back of the boat so the water doesn’t come spilling in,” Chang said. “We’re just going to come back stronger next year to try to win.”

Overall, Solar Boat members grew closer during the months spent building the boat.

“I saw the team bond and the freshmen get more responsible. It was a pleasure to see everyone grow and work alongside them in my last year,” Lee said. “Regardless of the place we got, it was a great way to end senior year. In my opinion, it’s all about the experience you get, not the place or awards. ” Ω

PHOTOS BY KEVIN YIN AND DANIEL LEE

ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP): Freshman Nicholas Wong carefully brings in the boat from Lake Skinner after a portion of the competition was completed. // Adviser Mike Yamashiro tests out the solar boat at Lake Puddingstone in Bonelli Park. // Members built the Solar Powered Aquatic Machine (SPAM) in Mr. Yamashiro’s garage over the course of four months.

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May 29, 2013

the hoofprint

4 news

Spoken Word fundraises for a cause The poetry team showcased student talent and its own original poems to help support Relay for Life, an organization dedicated to fighting cancer.

Anita Chuen Staff writer Spoken Word held its first talent showcase, “This is Color,” on Friday, May 24, at the Senior Center, from 4-6 p.m. to help raise money for Relay for Life. “[The showcase] was a great way to express whatever experience we’ve gathered in the entire year and band together. This was a way to donate to a charity [and] showcase our talent,” junior Jin Zhang said.

Performers included Spoken Word members, singer senior Eileen Lek and percussionist senior Andrew Chuen.

“We wanted different acts to give variety to our showcase because the school has talented people

who don’t have the opportunity to perform. We wanted to give them an equal opportunity to showcase their abilities,” junior Jonathan Kim said.

The Spoken Word team decided to fundraise for Relay for Life by charging $7 for each ticket.

“If you think about cancer, you see it in everyday life -- it’s crazy. We know people in Walnut who have it, so it hits close to us,” junior Deborah Tan said. “It’s important to not only celebrate the people, but also make sure we fight this.”

Past performances at Open Mic Night focused on Writers’ Guild.

Since this showcase was planned

by Spoken Word, the spotlight was put on the team members, who also performed their own original poems.

“Our previous performances were

like a test run of what our Spoken Word team could do. Now we can improve upon some of the pitfalls and weaknesses we experienced,” Kim said. “[The audience] can now experience a bunch of different acts from art, spoken word poetry, [and] acting. Hopefully we can change some lives with our words.”

Through this event, the members hope to gain more experience while reaching out to others through poetry.

“It’s easier to perform other people’s poems; [when] performing your own, you’ve written it and it’s so personal,” Tan said. “I hope people will get a different view of poetry from our performance other than the poems we do in the classroom . It’s personal and we put it out there.” Ω

PHOTO BY GABRIELLE MANUIT

ROSES ARE RED, VIOLETS ARE BLUE: Spoken Word member junior Deborah Tan recites the love poem, “Postcards,” by Sarah Kay.

UNICEF brings awareness to conservation issues The newly formed club advocates its mission of aiding the community by hosting a showing of “WALL-E” for its members.

Michelle Chang Staff writer UNICEF held an end-of-theyear movie social for its members by showing “WALL-E” and holding discussions about it on Friday, May 24.

“Because we just started this club, we want to get people to recognize us before the end of the year, hit it off and leave an impression for people,”

cabinet member junior Kevin Lee said.

The event’s purpose was to provide an interactive atmosphere for members to discuss environmental issues, like the conservation of resources, that are present in “WALL-E.” “I think it’s really important that we help our members get more educated on these issues now, while we still have the time and resources

to do so,” cabinet member junior Kristopher Dwyer said. “As high school students, after the next two or three years, we will be the ones making the decisions to change the world. UNICEF is all about bettering our community and we need to make sure we keep this in mind.”

To ensure that the members participating in the event stayed entertained, UNICEF chose to show “WALL-E.”

“We wanted a popular movie that would draw the audience into coming to the event. We didn’t want to make it a learning event by showing a documentary because students already spend enough time learning in school and after school.

‘WALL-E’ allows the members to have a more enjoyable time,” cabinet member junior Andrew Tu said.

In addition to discussions, the members also had the opportunity to

socialize, eat food, and participate in icebreakers, such as “Baby, I Love You.” “We all want to better the world, but UNICEF is still a club and best run when everyone is working well with one another. It’s also a wonderful way to be proactive and meet new people, while helping a cause. It’s like killing two birds with one stone,” cabinet member sophomore Alejandra Madrigal-Avina said. Ω

Incoming freshmen get aEighthtaste of Walnut High graders watched performances from organizations and went on a tour led by ASB. Chantel Chan Staff writer

PHOTOS BY JEZEBEL CARDENAS AND ANDRAES ARTEGA

SHOW YOUR SPIRIT (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): 2013-2014 ASB President junior Jacob Lepp gives a welcoming speech to the eighth graders. // Sophomores Edith Law and Christine Malicdem perform a Color Guard routine. // Using one of their cheer routines, freshmen Winnie Chen and Jordan Vizcarra, sophomore Jasmine Zaki and junior Jenna Martinez get the crowd of eighth graders more pumped up at the assembly.

The organizations on campus, including ASB, Dance Team, Band, Drama, Choir, Orchestra, Color Guard, Cheer, and WHAM, all came together to give the incoming freshmen a preview of high school during the freshman orientation on Friday, May 10.

“Getting to perform at the orientation was exciting and just felt like an honor. I really enjoyed being able to sing in front of eighth graders,” Men’s Ensemble member senior Jay Tesoro said.

The first part of the freshman orientation was the assembly, which showcased the performances of all the organizations.

“Even though some of the stunts didn’t hit as well as they could have, we still did really well,” varsity cheer member junior Danielle Urista said. “I’m sad that it was our last

performance of the school year, but I felt that we gave it a hundred percent and that’s all that matters.”

After the assembly, the incoming freshmen were split into groups and given a tour of the school led by the ASB members.

“I’ve gained new social skills from having to entertain them and making sure they didn’t get bored,” ASB member junior Justin Cho said.

“It also brings back old memories of when I was a freshman and had also attended the orientation.”

The orientation allowed the incoming freshman to familiarize themselves with the campus and to also get a feel of the organizations.

“All we wanted to do was show the eighth graders the different things they can look forward to joining in high school,” Tesoro said. “In the end, I feel we really did give them some sort of inspiration to follow their passion and prove just how talented the students at this school are.” Ω

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the hoofprint

May 29, 2013

news 5

Debate competes Girls’ League hosts Mother-Daughter Tea create a memorable experience for graduating senior girls and their in Novice Champs Tomothers, Girls’ League organized an “Alice in Wonderland” themed event.

First-year debaters advanced to the varsity-level debate after participating in an annual competition.

Derek Wan Staff writer

Parliamentary debater freshman Brian Ko said. “I didn’t think we’d actually get [to the final round], and Novice debaters competed it’s a big surprise because I didn’t in Novice Championships, their think we were that prepared. It blew last competition of the year, at my mind.”

California High School Friday, May Those who participated in 17. Opponents included Arcadia, Novice Championships will also Diamond Bar and West Covina High be promoted to the varsity-level of Schools. debate next year.

“Novice Champs is a big step “I’m excited to be up with the and a big experience in our debating other varsity members because it’s careers,” novice more competitive.

Parliamentary I used this year as debater freshman “It’s a big step and a practice for next George Wang topics,” big experience in our year’s said. “Even if novice Public debating careers. Even if Forum you lose, you debater you lose, you learn a lot sophomore Rachel learn a lot from your mistakes and Wang said. “[My from your mistakes.” become a better partner and I] have person.

Your practicing for -George Wang, 9 been writing and logic this competition improves, and by preparing you bond with your partner though contentions for pros and cons for all the preparation and competition.” each topic we’re presented with.”

Out of the nine teams from This competition was also the Walnut that participated in the last competition in debate adviser competition, five duos made it to Jeffrey Silva’s career at Walnut; he is the fourth and final round. Freshman leaving for Ambassador High School Maxwell Zhu and junior Susan after six years at Walnut.

Lin also placed fourth overall in “Every year has meaning to it, Parliamentary Debate. but this year I really appreciate how “I was really nervous during the students have taken ownership the first round. I didn’t know what of Speech and Debate so it can to expect. But it actually wasn’t as survive something like a teacher stressful as I thought it would be. leaving. I’m impressed in the sense Our opponents were courteous and that they’re serious about ideas and professional and polite, as opposed critical thinking and challenging to the usual rudeness we get,” novice themselves,” Silva said. Ω

PHOTOS BY MICHELLE CHANG

IT’S TEA TIME: Girls League member sophomore Allison Lee serves iced tea to a mother. // Senior Celina Guerrero and her mother converse with others seated at their table as they enjoy their refreshments.

Serena Lin Staff writer Girls’ League held its annual Mother Daughter Tea on Saturday, May 11 at the Senior Center. This year’s theme was based on the whimsical adventures of “Alice in Wonderland.”

“We usually use a modern theme, but this year, we wanted a twist on the theme, so we came up with ‘Alice in Wonderland’,” cabinet member junior Danielle Urista said. “The environment was more playful, and when it came down to interacting, the games were a lot smoother.”

Over a period of three months, Girls’ League members planned the details of the tea, ranging from the kind of delicatessen served to the shades of colors used for the decorations.

During the tea, there were numerous

performances, activities, and food.

In addition, the seniors were asked to write letters beforehand and read them to their mothers at the event.

“I actually really enjoyed it because I got to hang out with my best friends and the moms. We reflected on things because I’m going off to college, and it was the perfect way to start all that sentiment. It was a really bonding moment for all of us,” senior Megan Belmonte said. “We got to reminisce our lives and not just my high school years and we just got really mushy.”

The tea provided a setting for the senior girls to connect and have a moment with their mothers before graduating.

“Girls’ League is a club about giving back to the community.

Holding the tea emphasizes the desire to do something special for the senior

girls on campus, which was a great way for the club to give back to the school,” Girls’ League co-adviser Mrs. Tan said. “This event has been around since the founding of the club.

They wanted to make a special event that was elegant and memorable [for the graduating girls], so from the beginning of Girls’ League until now, we have been carrying on the tradition.”

Although the tea was a success, Girls’ League looks forward to making improvements for next year’s tea.

“The entertainment was a little lacking since there was only one singer and dancer. It would be better if we could even out the tasks. I hope that next year, there could be more members helping and that we could expand the club,” sophomore officer Kaitlyn Tang said. Ω

Idea2Impact inspires students A student-run organization invited various guest speakers to offer their own knowledge and educate students on how to succeed in high school.

Yolanda Yu Staff wrtier

WHAT “NO BODY” TOLD YOU (FROM TOP): In his workshop, titled “Body Language: What ‘No Body’ Told You,” Walnut High School alumnus Brian Yu speaks to a group of students about psychology in the business world. // Junior Barbara Gasgonia listens to the speaker to become educated about communication skills in real-life circumstances.

PHOTOS BY ANTHONY ZHANG

Wocials held its Idea2Impact spring convention on Saturday, May 18 at Suzanne Middle School. The convention provided an opportunity for several community leaders to share their knowledge with students.

“I feel the convention is a good way to publicize Wocials and its purpose of helping students,” junior Allison Do said. “For the students who went, they learned that Wocials can become a new resource for them to study with and a resource that can help them succeed during their school career.”

Created by junior Alvin Wan, Wocials is both an online network and an organization built to help students both socially and academically.

“Wocials is important because it was created by students for students,”

Do said. “As students, we know what our peers struggle with in their academic careers and we can cater to their needs. We can create material that will help them succeed.”

The convention featured speakers including National Gulen Youth Congressional winner Brian Yu, Super Inflated co-founder Ricky Wu, and the adviser for National Gold Crown and NSPA pacemaker Publications Rebecca Chai.

“The speakers talked about their experiences, and I think it’s a real blessing and honor for them to offer their time and experience,” junior Calvin Lee said. “It was very helpful to have them share their knowledge, and I am very grateful for them.”

Because of low student attendance, only one workshop was held hourly to give students an insight to topics unrelated to school, such as business experience and integrity.

“I think the workshop was really good. The speakers went through a lot, they did a lot, and they had a lot of wisdom,” Lee said. “Everyone was comfortable, and it seemed most people were familiar with each other. It was just nice to learn, talk to friends, and listen to the speakers in such a comfortable atmosphere.”

In addition to Walnut High School students, the convention also allowed students from other high schools and middle schools to gain an impacting experience.

“The whole convention was just a great opportunity to learn new things,” sophomore Sarah Le said. “It not only helped advertise Wocials to other schools besides Walnut, but it also gave anyone who was interested an opportunity to come and listen to people who have been through high school and know how to get through it successfully.” Ω

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the hoofprint

6 opinion

May 29, 2013

Not-so-great California Shake Out The majority of citizens in Southern California have taken little to no precautions to prepare for a disastrous earthquake.

Spencer Wu Sports editor

EDITORIAL CARTOON BY CRYSTAL CHANG

Technical difficulties

In an increasingly technology-centered society, schools should focus more on computer literacy programs to match the demands of the community.

Brandon Ng Staff writer

It’s always there, right in front of us.

There’s social media, online games, and countless bits of information, all available at our fingertips. What was once deemed impossible is now in the works, like the Samsung Galaxy S4 being the first smartphone to use an 8-core processor. Today, with more openings in the technology industry, especially in programming, we should be gearing ourselves up for the future by incorporating more computer science classes into our school requirements.

We should place heavier emphasis on raising our computer literacy by incorporating more computer science classes into our curriculum. Majoring in computer science opens up opportunities for a variety of jobs, including specializing in networking, system administration, web design, 3-D game programming, and database design. Incorporating more computer science classes like Adobe Photoshop and web design provides the basis for just that. Sure, these courses fulfill the

Visual Performing Arts graduation requirements. But for the seniors graduating with a 32% general unemployment rate hanging above their heads, a computer science major can lead to a lucrative career.

But aside from the monetary aspect, it’s the right to have free reign over your ideas. You can be as artsy as you want, and no one will put your idea down. Got a radical new

“We should place heavier emphasis on raising our computer literacy by incorporating more computer science classes.” design? Make it happen. Still think that computer science may not be for you? Programming and web design all take time to work out the kinks. I’m taking Digital Video Productions as my second elective, and I can attest to the fact that it takes a lot of patience, perseverance, and leadership to be able to lead a project and work out any rough edges, no matter how many problems there are. While producing short films and videos, I get to use

my full imagination, and I’m always actively thinking of the mood, how to make the scene more realistic, how to create a more realistic setting. You don’t even have to work in a cubicle and no one can stop you from coming up with and implementing a brand new idea.

With top colleges like MIT, Stanford, Carnegie-Mellon, UC Berkeley, and Cornell University already offering top-notch computer science programs, along with more intricate computer systems in our world today, it’s not hard to see that we’re moving toward a more computerized world.

50 years ago, there was no such thing as a personal computer; the only computers that existed were one story tall and weighed several tons.

20 years ago, there was no such thing as the world wide web. 15 years ago, 512 MB of RAM was considered topof-the-line. Today, we have pocket calculators with enough processing power to rival the controller used to put the first man on the moon. Today, with more openings in the technology industry, especially in programming,, and all the benefits of technology, we should be gearing ourselves up for the future by incorporating more computer science courses into our school’s graduation requirements. Ω

We all know what we’re supposed to have.

An emergency kit containing the necessary supplies for survival, extra water and food rations, and much, much more. Unfortunately, just because we are aware that we need these materials doesn’t necessarily mean we have them at our disposal.

According to the California Earthquake Preparedness Survey (CEPS), fewer than 20% of households have been structurally reinforced in wake of an earthquake.

We are living on the San Andreas Fault. We are expecting an 8+ magnitude earthquake, which will have devastating effects within a 75 mile radius. Remember the quake that caused the tsunami in Japan back in 2011? That registered at an alarming 9.0. The predicted magnitude of the earthquake in Southern California isn’t as bad, but the effects would be in the general neighborhood. In Californian history, there has been a 7.8 earthquake in 1906 and a 7.9 shaker

Q&A

in 1857. Going with this trend, we’re long overdue for the “Big One” to hit.

We ought to stress the importance of earthquake procedure, safety, and evacuation more effectively.

Sure we have “The Great California ShakeOut” at school, but how effective is sheltering ourselves under tiny desks and walking onto the field?

We should implement new techniques of providing our vulnerable students a means of protection and safety, such as increased awareness and improved evacuation techniques. For example, we could practice evacuations specific to the potential threat of the quake.

We could implement more effective and systematic procedures to ensure the safety of the students and faculty.

Although the impending earthquake is serious, we seem to push the concern to the back of our minds.

However, this is the wrong attitude since we have to urge everyone in our community to have supplies ready for when the next tremble hits.

We should all make it a priority to be prepared, because one day, the quake will hit, and before the Big One comes, we need to anticipate it, gather our survival materials, and get ready for a bumpy ride. Ω

Do you think Walnut High School should place more emphasis on computer literacy classes?

COMPILED BY ANITA CHUEN

“I’ve taken them in other places and they’re pretty useful. Since technology is becoming more and more predominant in this society today, it’s good if students learn how to properly use it.”

- Freya Zhu, 9 “It’s a necessity. We’re moving to a digital age, and we need computers. You need to have computer knowledge almost like you need to know how to read or write.”

- Quincy Jackson, 10

“A lot of other people are. I believe we should emphasize computer literacy classes at school because that’s the career people want to go into. It’ll help them in their future with their career.”

- Melissa Coranado, 11

“I feel like wherever you are and whatever you do, everything revolves around the use of computers. Students should not only know about a program and some basics, but also really learn how to utilize them.”

- Brandon Yee, 12

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the hoofprint

May 29, 2013

opinion 7

Move the books PARK’S PLACE Films in class are chances to learn and analyze and are excellent opportunities to expand beyond purely book-based curriculums in English.

Thinking back, it’s helpful to remember the choices that got you where you are and realize the importance of not over-analyzing things.

Elliot Park Editor-inChief Dear Freshman Me,

EDITORIAL CARTOON BY MARY ZHANG

Maxwell Zhu Staff writer The Great Gatsby. Romeo and Juliet. Lord of the Flies.

We’ve all read at least one of these sometime in some class for some teacher. We’ve probably read through them on Sparknotes, analyzed them during block, and written about them with Jane Schaffer. But wait! When we’re finished with it, there’s still the movie version...during which you’re often inclined to start studying or sleeping.

English classes on campus focus solely on educating students about plays, novels, and poetry, but neglect another world of arts: film. Students spend hours absorbing this novel and that author, display what they’ve learned in a climatic essay, then watch the cinematic version as denouement.

Why is it that film is the one medium ostracized for its supposed “lack of value” among its artistic peers? What is often overlooked is that cinema can be made an integral part of our English curriculum.

Not just any movie, of course, is worth our time and effort as students. Rather, films that are either adaptations of great literature or considered classic and epic within the cinematic world are the only ones we should consider studying.

The fact that the course title is “English” implies that we analyze, critique, and discuss English works in class. Just because the film industry emerged in the world of arts later than literature did does not make film any less qualified to be studied in the classroom. Just as English students look for similes and repetition in text, film studies students look for symbolism and extended metaphors on screen. The critical thinking and comprehension skills we gain

“We should place heavier emphasis on raising our computer literacy by incorporating more computer science classes.” from poring over words can also be obtained through cinema, since film directors employ rhetorical devices and scenes or characters in their films also worthy of analysis.

Perhaps more important than the additional education we receive from films, though, is the increased interest films bring to the classroom.

The social norm for entertainment has changed over the last couple of decades; the allure of the screen has replaced the power of the paper and pen. In this world of revolutionized

communication, being able to hear and see something is far more interesting than reading globs of never-ending text. Students are more apt to pay attention learning through a medium they enjoy and are more familiar with, and as a result, they try harder in class, are more awake, and can relate to the material more often. Student motivation leads to a more educational and purposed learning environment, and this additional interest in learning is what an education is all about.

Finally, films are an increasingly growing part of today’s society.

Films are nearly books’ equal in terms of usage in the modern world, and students need to be able to effectively work with both mediums.

By being able to do so, we are able to better understand the messages being conveyed through these mediums, and as a result increase our knowledge. In the end, by increasing students’ exposure to film, they are able to analyze, interpret, and comprehend the meanings behind these works, allowing for a more holistic and complete understanding of what we are viewing.

Am I saying replace all our books with movies and substitute film studies for English? No, that would be absurd. What I’m proposing is that we increase the variety of our English classes by adding film to the English curriculum. After all, what’s not to love about a nice movie? Ω

When you were just about ready to leave middle school, you made the decision to apply for Publications. You weren’t very good at writing, you really didn’t like to read anything, and you’d been a band kid for four years.

So what the hell were you thinking? How in the world did you end up wanting to apply for Publications, where most of the job involves writing, reading and not playing jazz on the clarinet?

More importantly, what made you think you had a chance of getting in?

And yet, even though on paper you lacked any of the Publications kid, you applied anyway. You just plunged you thought was pretty cool.

You didn’t get worked up not really meant for this, am I? Maybe it’s better if I stick to what I’m good at.” You just did.

You made a nonsensical decision based on nothing other than curiosity, and also because you hated the idea of marching band summer practice. It was probably the best nonsensical decision you’ve ever made.

I got to meet artists, quarterbacks, people I

never would’ve never had the audacity to talk to without a steno and a pen in hand. I got to take photos and to design pages and feel creative despite being artistically challenged. I got to go to conventions and competitions and be inspired by a colorful community of journalists and storytellers, even when my only passions were vegetating and playing video games.

Dear Freshman Me, I need some advice. I’m shipping off to college in a couple months. I have no idea what I’m doing right now.

So how’d you do it? How’d something like Publications?

I’m asking myself the questions you didn’t ask not really meant for this, am I? Maybe it’s better if I stick to what I’m good at.”

I could learn a thing or two from you. As completely irrational, overly emotional and incredibly stupid as you were, you did all right.

I’ll always keep writing, I promised that I would. It’s what I do. And I’m writing this article today because you decided to be a little more irrational, a little bolder than you should’ve been.

You weren’t afraid of what might happen or what you might regret or what all the consequences might be. You just... did. Yeah, I could learn a thing or two from you.

Thanks,

HOW TO GET YOUR OPINIONS PUBLISHED: 1.

2.

Type a full-length reply to a particular article or situation on campus and email to whshoofprint@gmail. com, or draw a sample comic or political cartoon in black ink and turn it into Ms. Chai in D-1.

Include your name, grade, first period class, and phone number. (Anonymous letters will not be published.)

Ω

the hoofprint

8 opinion

May 29, 2013

The birds, the bees, and babies

Comprehensive sex ed. should be more available now that abstinence-only education is becoming increasingly irrelevant.

“It made me more aware. It was more like relearning and refreshing my memory. Overall, it was pretty informative and I learned in his class.”

-Jonathan Wong, 12 Rebecca Liaw Staff writer “Don’t have sex, because you will get pregnant and die! Don’t have sex in the missionary position, don’t have sex standing up, just don’t do it, OK, promise? OK, now everybody take some rubbers.” And that’s how the film “Mean Girls” gave us a (slightly skewed) rundown of the American sex education curriculum in all of five seconds. What exactly entails “proper sex education” in schools has always been a touchy subject—contraceptives, sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s), and teen pregnancies aren’t easy topics to discuss with teenagers in school settings. Many school districts across the country actually make do with just basic sex education lessons in abstinence and choose to exclude education in contraceptives and even the decisions that lead to and the consequences of sex.

At Walnut, sex education is taught as a part of the State Required Curriculum (SRC) that all students must take before they graduate.

Here, our sex ed is at a happy medium ground. SRC teachers like

Mr. Khouzam teach lessons about different types of contraceptives, the psychological and physical facets of sex, and the colorful range of STD’s.

But gasp, won’t teaching kids about contraceptives like condoms and birth control pills promote promiscuity?

In a nutshell, no. Statistically, areas with a focus on abstinence-only sex education actually have higher rates of teen pregnancy and STD spread. Of course, one needs to look

“The big misconception about comprehensive sex education is that it promotes, even encourages teenagers to have sex.” at the other factors of those areas too, but the correlation between people who don’t know diddly squat about sex and people who still have sex while knowing nearly nothing and then must face massive consequences is more than a bit alarming. Abstinence is one option, a good one, but not the only option, and ignorance of every other choice

Q: Do you think that sex education should be the responsibility of parents or the school?

A: Both. That’s just like if a kid doesn’t do his homework, is it just the teacher’s fault or the parents’ fault? It’s a community action. The more they hear it, the more effective it is. The less they hear it, the more likely they are to make poor choices.

COMPILED BY REBECCA LIAW

and their outcomes is dangerous.

The big misconception about comprehensive sex education is that it promotes, even encourages teenagers to have sex. Just like how fire extinguishers promote fires, right?

For the same reason life jackets, bike helmets, and seatbelts exist, condoms, birth control pills, and contraceptives exist to protect, not to promote. One can say that the responsibility of educating young people about sex rests solely in the family home. The thing is, young people are not going to be young forever—it should be the responsibility of everyone in the previous generation to teach children things that will make the world a better place, and if that means sucking it up and sitting a kid down for the Talk, whether in a school or at home, then so be it.

Teenagers are not stupid.

At school, we learn whole new languages, we memorize entire plays, and we solve math equations that would spin the heads of many. If we’re presented with the right information, we are smart enough to make the right decisions. Sex education lessons in movies and television shows are funny tongue-in-cheek material, but the world would be a whole lot shinier if people didn’t have to learn about safe sex from 16 and Pregnant. Ω

BABY ON BOARD

States like Mississippi with emphasis on abstinence-only education often have more teen pregnancies than states like New Hampshire with more comprehensive sex education.

SOURCE: CDC.GOV

60

55

39.3

40 34.2

20

31.5

15.7

Mississippi

There are standards that they are required to meet. They teach you about STDs and STIs but its not as relevant to students because kids dont really care about that.”

-Sirena Chu, 11

Q: Do you think the way that SRC is taught now is more effective than previous years?

A: I’ve been teaching it for this way for 13 years from what I learned from the person I was trained under and my professors. After all, statistically the more educated kids are, the better their choices are going to be.

Kansas

“Yes, they go in depth and showcase why we should avoid early sex. I think it shows us all the negatives and the consequences you receive after you have sex.”

-Raymond Sia, 10

New Hampshire

“I think Mr. Khouzam informs us about real world situations and he doesn’t try to hide the truth or play it safe for us. I also learned that being a parent is hard.”

-Jessica Lai, 9

Q: How do you teach the sex ed. unit of SRC? A: We start off with basic biology (male-female anatomy, the role puberty plays in it all, general development from childhood to adolescence to adulthood). We also talk about how many students have had “the talk” with their parents.

California

COMPILED BY ANITA CHUEN

Q&A with Mr. Khouzam

U.S. Average

Do you feel like that SRC does a good enough job teaching sex ed. to students?

Births (per 1000)

Q&A

State *Statistics compiled in 2010

Ω

the hoofprint

May 29, 2013

HoofPrint Colophon EIC

Elliot Park: “That. Just. Happened.” “It’s too early for this.” “Are you having FUN? because when you’re working you don’t have FUN.” Mindblown. Blue. “Get outta here.” “I’LL TAKE IT.” “Sounds good.” “What just happened? -blinks and laughs- DANIELLIOT “My mind just exploded into pieces.” what the...!

Jessica Kwok: STAHP. “Hey Jess I have a question.”

“I don’t have answers.” Always there to comfort people and give hugs. Amazing voice that serenades the soul.

Jack of all instruments (well, many).

Felix Lee: Never stands completely still.

“Hollaaaaaa.” Secretly wild on the inside. Small dance bursts. Edits articles in Collins. Lives inside Google Drive. “It’s always ice cream weather.” R&B Aficionado. Basketball is almost a religion for him.

PHOTO

Frank Lin: asked Mary to prom. Quiet, until it comes to cameras. knows so much about cameras. Greatest smile. awesome lens mug.

feature

9

NEWS

Ashley Xu: Will be reincarnated as a yo-on-the-go. Never picks up her phone.

Nashley. Wears a “it’s winter” sweater in the summer. steals other people’s sweaters to wear. Forgets that she is talking to people on fb. “I LOVE FOOD.” Sleepwalker. “Did I ask?”

Nathan Au-Yeung: Says “I love you too mom” in a whisper so people can’t hear him. Third year with the title of Human Vacuum. “sup -nods-”. Plays 2k13 during deadline and lies to Ashley saying he’s “editing” on his phone. “I hate wheat thins, just for the record.”

Secretly listens to Glee.

SCENE COPY

Karen Ou: “oh okay” Turns red when laughing really hard. copy editing queen. is actually everywhere, but no one realizes it. On Musical Costume Crew.

OPINION

Jessica Wang: “What is life?” Has insane art.

SITS IN THE BOX. Carries on Patrick’s legacy by sticking tape on people’s backs. “When D-1 is empty, my soul is empty.” “I have no friends.” Sharpies. “The opinion is strong with this one.” can’t tell if she’s serious sometimes. password=number of friends Ted Zhu: Spedefferey. Sleeve flapping. Like Nathan, makes weird noises under pressure.

Yoona. always says “NUAAGHHUAH” before putting his head down on the table for a few seconds. Techelle Zim “All the Troy boys want me” MUMBLES. You guys are going to judge me.” “I love science!”

TECH Alvin Wan: -smiles- Girl look at that body. Does not sleep. Knows everything and anything about computer programming. Hotty lamotty with a swimmers body.

Extremely kind and caring and always willing to help the best he can.

Jessica You: has a water bottle that makes dolphin sounds. makes other strange, otherworldly sounds. Amazing combo with leon. Tiffany is her pet bunny hobbit. “oh ok....”

Jackie Sotoodeh: Has the newest gadgets iPhone 5 gang son. New hairstyle.

Had a lot of animals at home. Knows a lot about dogs. Tennis beast.

Janzen Alejo: “Kpop is a virus. There’s a cure but the virus is always inside of you, dormant.”Anime.

HE SINGS. AND PLAYS GUITAR. Beautiful curly hair that everyone likes except for him. Hair flips. Destined for the stage. Too much emotion for 1st period. going to live in a box with the best co in the world :)“I’M NOT A DRAMA QUEEN” Tiffany Diep: “Janzen, I’m not your deer.” “ewww”. Makes the weirdest noises before falling or hitting something. Coldplay provider. Small, adorable voice, sometimes squeaky. “I’m so huggable.” going to live in a box with the best co in the world :) Is the cutest bunny hobbit everr.

ARTS

FEATURE

Michael Hyun: “Sexuality? CHINESE.” I mean I GUESS.. #YOLO. “What is life?” Goes off on long, philosophical rants when stressed. #causei’mabout thathashtagginglyfe. The struggle is real (see Belle Sun). takes a BILLION selfies.

Spencer Wu: Spedefferey. “I guess...” Swagcer.

“Do you know her? I think she’s cute.” “I’ll add you on facebook!” “What ingenious status can I post today for a bunch of likes?” Uses SAT vocabulary in the wrong contexts. I guess. wanna hear a joke?”

SPORTS

Belle Sun: Needs to marry a Beau and have a child named Mignon. Secretly a Who from Whoville. Woodpecker. SMEAGOL. “These pants don’t fit me... But I’m wearing them anyways.” The struggle is real (see Michael Hyun). Bellesaur.

Jefferey Huang: Spedefferey. Curvacious to say theleast, body roll is better than Spencer’s. Miranda Kerr.

Has fangirls (many more than you will ever have). King of puns. “OH MY GOSH, WE’RE GONNA BE LATE.” Hermes. Stud of studs.

Amy Lee: Hardcore Disneyland fan. THE CUTEST THING AND MOST AWESOMEST FRIEND. has a squishy waterbottle. revolutionized In-Depth. Dominates in editorial cartooning. Drawings look like internet quality.

Candee Yuan: Baby Ruth. “I hate my name on Halloween.” -criesWhy must Harry be so cute. One Directioner. “That’s weyuuuurdddd.” Spontaneously starts “encouragement circles”... Gets crazy when she laughs. “*loud whisper* The Music Man. rawr, go get that trombone salesman.

BUSINESS Leon Ho: brings in the “dough.” Raised enough money for color issues. “I dream of how I actually do my homework, then wake up feeling sad it was a dream”. “Take it ez.” Admaster. “Hey, it’s okay. It’ll be alright.” tech team. “IB? -laughs-”

10 in-depth

VOLUME 45, ISSUE 6

Relax and just go with the flow

Ω

the hoofprint

How often do you take a break from your work?

People develop a variety of ways to help them de-stress from a hard day’s work. Follow this chart to find out if you share common relaxation techniques with someone else. (Disclaimer: This chart represents only a narrow sample of the vast range of relaxation methods!)

Do you enjoy listening to music? yes

Do you like to play sports? yes no Do you prefer to play in teams? no

Do you meditate? no

20% take a break about

take a break about

21%

half an hour

take a break about

yes

Do you prefer to exercise by yourself? yes

yes

on in my mind and

down and letting

Mohammad

watch TV and lay on mood where no one

a better ability to think in my world, on my

being in my own little world.

For a

like Maroon 5.

young and they a good comfort.

where people go to relax and not party.”

Indulge Eat that chocolate bar you’ve been craving. Dark chocolate is especially rich in trytophan, an amino acid that stimulates the creation of serotonin, a chemical that relaxes the brain.

Scared about the sugar crash? Trytophan also occurs in sunflower seeds, milk, and red meat.

“Calm”omile Ever wonder why people drink chamomile tea? They’re rejuvenating their senses!

Chamomile contains magnesium which helps muscles and blood vessels relax.

Other herbs to add to your garden: Lemon balm and basil also pack a punch in magnesium. thedailymind.com

Elliot Park Editor-In-Chief Target’s got this mystical quality.

To me, it’s my escape, my retreat plopped in the middle of suburbia.

I’ve spent too many hours going through the five-dollar DVDs, staring at plain, gray t-shirts, and reading books that’ve never even been touched.

For even a couple minutes, I’m gone, not a single thought about school or anything Just another escapist wasting his time, right?

Well, not exactly.

According to Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Ed.

11%

of students favor of students other favor methods reading

7%

graphs by charts.hohli.com

How often do you feel overwhelmed by your workload?

Taking a break from the usual tedium isn’t something to be afraid of. While it may seem we are getting ourselves off track of our goals by straying out of cycle once in a while, it’s actually doing the opposite. In fact, breaking from routine can bring health benefits as well as promote healthy brain activity.

me relax. For a

Don’t let stress eat away at you. Beat the anxiety with these snacks.

Eating nuts boosts levels of selenium, which helps lower levels of anxiety and depression. Brazil nuts are especially high in selenium, so a handful of them is enough to keep you in good spirits. vvv Allergic to nuts? Tuna, cod, salmon and shiitake mushrooms also hold high amounts of selenium.

take a break about

of students favored of students listening to favored music exercise

Patrick

like to

Go nuts!

11%

15%

30%

Take a break from routine

Robert

getting a whole free day.”

all their work in one

What’s your favorite way to relax?

no

try to get off

“Working out and de-

of students favored sleeping

22%

two

Do you like to read? no, I prefer to unwind by exercising the remote

37%

26%

hour

yes

in-depth 11

May 29 2013

D. and her colleagues at the University of Southern California, when your brain’s not engaged in quick, fastmoving, “productive” activity, it’s most likely in its default mode.

Default mode brain systems are active when we’re focused on “psychosocial mental processing.”

In regular English, this means introspection and reflection.

To sit down and dive into deep thought are critical to any kid in any classroom. Mathletes need it to plot out the right moves with the right equations and techniques after seeing a free response question.

English aficionados use it whenever an epic metaphor from a novel reaches out from the page and

hits them in the jaw.

And like practically everything in our body, it can be trained. Studies have shown that the more time the brain spends in its resting state, the more attentive and alert it is during goaldirected cognition.

The better your rest, the better your work.

So while it seems crazy to believe that taking some time off will make us a little smarter, a little brighter, science begs to differ.

Taking a break might not be so bad.

Our gut reaction to a flopped grade is to study more, work harder, sleep less.

But maybe some time away from the books, for even a moment, might be all we need to beat the books. Ω

31%

8%

every day

never

2%

45%

twice a school year

a few times a week

15%

a few times a month

Statistics based on a recent survey of 288 students.

six

ways to keep your spirits up

1. go out for a walk, get your exe

2. drink green tea 3. take a 4. eat .

the trick.)

5. Take a nap!

6.

certain . science.howstuffworks.com

12 feature

Ω

May 28, 2013

the hoofprint

Time to “pool” in the cash - Vegas style Senior Jonathan Dougherty continuously practices and competes in various competitions for cash prizes of over ten thousand dollars.

Jessica You Tech team Number one: concentrate. Number two: breathe.

Number three: hand on the table to steady your shot. And last but not least, keep your eyes on the prize. Senior Jonathan

PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN DOUGHERTY

Dougherty has been playing pool for seven years now, and for the past 4 years, has been playing competitively in Las Vegas. In his competitions, he has won over ten thousand dollars total in cash prizes.

A typical weekend for Dougherty would be to drive out to his grandparents house Friday night where he stays the weekend.

Then he goes to the tournament on Saturday, where a typical tournament can last from 2-6 hours depending on how many people and whether or not it is team play.

Finally, on Sunday, he goes back home.

“When I first started practicing with my dad I was very eager to learn the game and I spent about one hour a day every school night and two hours on the nonschool nights. I had a love for the game since the start and always wanted to get better at it,” Dougherty said. “As I got more accustomed I did get a little bored at points, (how could you not after hundreds and hundreds of hours

of practice) but I still loved the game.”

Participating in these tournaments has taught Dougherty many lessons in life. “[Playing pool] has changed me. Who knows what kind of things I would be doing if not playing the game,” Dougherty said. “It [also] has taught me not to giveup and it also gave me a lesson in humility. When I first started in tournament play I was bad, really bad. I was beaten easily and quickly and I got demoralized.

But I kept practicing and now I can beat the people who used to easily defeat me.”

Playing the game is not an easy task. It requires a lot of skill and patience to master, and each round can last from two to six hours. Even so, Dougherty works hard to excel in the game each day.

“It has to be the challenge.

Pool is all about finesse, not strength. I was never really good at sports because of my build, but in pool that doesn't matter,” Dougherty said. “I have put thousands of hours into practicing on my own table and I can still get better.” Ω

Q&A: Teachers who left behind a legacy These teachers have contributed a lot to the growth of our school as the years have gone by and have decided to retire this school year. Let’s take some time to appreciate and thank them for their efforts to make our school a better place as they remember various things they enjoyed about Walnut.

COMPILED BY AMY LEE, FRANK LIN, ELLIOT PARK

Mrs. Paulette Feeney Mr. Larry Holmes Q: What will you be doing after you retire?

A: “I’ll be returning to Tanzania sometime in the near future to work with our ophan center and to teach in Alasiti village in Arush, Tanzania.”

Q: How do you feel about leaving?

A: ”I have mixed emotions about retiring now.

I still love teaching but the timing seemed really right for what’s going on with family. My husband is really ill.”

Q: Favorite moment as a teacher?

graduation, a herd of sheep came over the hills behind the school where there are houses now and then a dog that was herding them, and then a man on horseback stopped and watched our graduation. For a minute I thought I was in Oklahoma. “

Mr. Jeff Silva

Q: What will you miss most about Walnut?

A: “I’ll miss being around students who I know care, students who respect and support even in spite of me sometimes. And I’ll just miss being in an environment where you know you’re loved and supported.”

Q: Do you have any final words?

Q: What was your favorite memory at Walnut High School?

A: “I’ve enjoyed coming here everyday to work, never come in regretting that I was coming here.

I have no regrets being here. I’d do it all over again.”

A: “To be part of something from the beginning, to love what you do, to have fun doing it, and to know that its really important to the kids. That makes it a fond memory.”

feature 13 Ω Taking the spotlight with her fashion blog the hoofprint

May 29, 2013

Freshman Michelle Ho takes fashion and blogging from just a normal hobby to being professional with multiple sponsors.

Chantel Chan Staff writer She runs a hand through her hair, posing for the camera. On this particular day she chooses to wear her black ankle boots and printed leggings. She goes in to change, and comes out completely different in her oxfords and romper. Again, the cameras flash. Is she a model?

Close. She’s a fashion blogger.

Originally, freshman Michelle Ho started her blog last September to share her passion for photography.

Inspired by other fashion bloggers, however, she was motivated to also post about fashion.

This decision has even caught the attention of sponsors from various fashion companies.

“The blog has really changed me. I didn’t feel I was very fashionable at first, but my style has evolved and I’m more confident with it now,” Ho said.

Ho’s fashion blog on blogspot. com, where her posts range from her outfit of the day to photos of her daily life, is called “bemyself.”

“The reason I named it that was because when I first started the blog, I kind of disliked how people constantly seemed to be trying to copy others,” Ho said. “I’ve always just been myself, so I thought that was a pretty cool name.”

Ho continues to gain more followers every day in addition to the 500 she already has by publicizing her blog on various social networking accounts like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr. “ I’m really happy to be able to have so many followers. They give me so much positive feedback,” Ho said. “I honestly never thought people would actually start following me and reading my blog. It’s pretty amazing.”

In addition to the amount of followers she has, the sponsors Ho receives is further proof of her success as a fashion blogger. Among the many sponors she has, some of her sponsors include sugarlips.com, oasap.com, msdressy.com, firmoo. com, and phrenzy.com.

“I’m really happy to be able to have so many followers. They give me so much positive feedback,” - Michelle Ho, 9

“I’m not even sure how they found my blog, so I was surprised when they first contacted me,” Ho said. “You have to be very popular in order to get sponsors, and I felt I wasn’t very well-known back then, so I was overjoyed.”

For Ho, blogging is not only a hobby, but something she sees herself also continuing to do in the future.

“I’ve always wanted to be involved in the fashion industry, so I will definitely continue my blog,” Ho said. “It’s my passion and basically a part of my life now.” Ω

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHELLE HO

IN THE SPOTLIGHT (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, CLOCKWISE): Freshman Michelle Ho poses camera to upload photos on her

Taking the term ‘computer savvy’ to a new level

Sophomore Steve Kim designs and programs various hacks and codes and can also program games in his free time.

Jackie Sotoodeh Tech team A computer screen lights up. An ominous blank white screen pops up.

computer language like C++, html, css, java, etc.

“I suggest a beginner to start with

the result is worth it.”

Kim is also able to create bots, “Creating bots is good practice

compared to other languages and all the computer languages I know

said.

Kim said. “C++ is a general purpose producing codes and hacks that

Kim hopes to have mastered C++ enough to create his own

the blank white space. The program

(MMORPG).

Sophomore Steve Kim is a programmer, and he has let his talent

and video games.”

Kim uses his programming He plans to take his

because with it, I can create apps, game,” Kim said. writing an instruction. In order to do

designer, work in Samsung, or work at the National Intelligence Service

Ω

14 arts

the hoofprint

May 29, 2013

Drama holds May Show For the last drama production, Suzanne Middle School Drama members were invited to participate.

PHOTO BY ASHLEY XU

PHOTOS BY MARY ZHANG

ALL THAT JAZZ (LEFT TO RIGHT): Sophomores Amber Lee and Kevin Chen play violin in the songs by Henry Mancini. // Senior Renzo Tawata plays his bass saxophone in many of the songs, one being “It happened in Monterey.”

Orchestra hosts Spring Pops For the Spring Pops concert, Orchestra decided to change up its style by inviting Frank Sinatra impressionist, Luca Ellis to come and perform alongside them.

Lynze Tom Staff writer Orchestra hosted its Spring Pops concert in the Performing Arts Center on Wed. May 8. Seventh period members and Jazz Band also participated in this concert.

“I personally think it’s a cool concert with a nice, jazzy feel. It’s new, fun, and interesting,” sophomore Taha Hasan said. “This is the first time the strings in the orchestra get to play jazzy songs; it’s usually not like that.”

Another change the concert brought was having a professional guest singer like Luca Ellis perform alongside the musicians. A Frank Sinatra impressionist, Ellis used his unique voice to enhance the

instrumentals.

“We had an awesome guest artist performing, so I hoped the audience enjoyed it,” freshman Angel Wong.

“I really would’ve liked to get an autograph from Luca Ellis, but other than that, I’m really happy with how this turned out.”

Orchestra played an array of music featuring Frank Sinatra songs like “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Left My Heart in San Francisco,” and “Foggy Day.” “I feel the songs we’re performing this time are a different arrangement from the original ones, but still very good,” sophomore Ricci Lam said. “Some of the songs were written in band key, so for Orchestra, it was a little bit harder. Some didn’t have the string parts, so [Dr.

Clements] basically wrote it for the songs.”

The Orchestra members not only faced the challenge of playing the songs, but also had to master the task of coordination that came with the performance.

“I just hoped for an overall great concert. The difficulty is not in the music; it’s in the coordination with the conductor, the artist, and other musicians,” Wong said.

Another difficulty the Orchestra members faced was lack of practice time.

“It was really weird. We only really practiced at the dress rehearsal, but we improved so much,” freshman Thomas Pak said. “It was definitely a success. I was pretty amazed by how everyone sounded.” Ω

MAY SHOW: Junior Crystal Wong as Lucetta tries to convince Emma Aragon as Julia that Julia loves Proteus in the short skit “Two Gentlemen of Verona.”

Jackson Deng Staff writer Drama held its May Show with guest performances from Suzanne Middle School Drama, basing the scenes on separate, more individual acts and improvisation rather than on big productions on May 16.

“Everyone practiced on their own; there was a lot of individual work. With shows like ‘The Music Man’, you need everyone, but with this, everyone’s doing their own scenes,” junior Andrew Acosta said.

“We do stuff like this in class all the time, and with [May Show], it’s just a chance for us to do what we want to do on stage with no restrictions.”

This year also featured a more simple and personal showing, as opposed to previous shows’ more flashy themes, with a lot of sets and costumes being stripped down in favor of just scenes and monologues.

“If you usually see our shows, we have crazy sets This one, we are really just showcasing stuff we did in class– stuff people outside of class

don’t get to see,” junior Deborah Tan said. “For people who may not have gotten a big role in the musical, friends and family get to see them in action. ” The participation of the middle schoolers also helped high schoolers get acquainted with next year’s new drama students.

“Having worked with [the eighth-graders] in the May Show, [I see that] they’re a good crop of kids,” senior Paulina Tinana said.

“They kind of have that pure drive to pursue drama. It’s really nice to see their passion in a pure form for theater.”

Working together with the middle school students gave Drama a chance to act as coaches.

“We had to be role models, but it was a good experience because we realized we used to be there,” Acosta said. “Everything went really well and we had a good turnout.” Ω

BAND DIRECTORS SPOTLIGHT SP OTLI GHT IN THE

COMPILED BY YOLANDA YU

Corey Wicks

Q: What inspires you to teach the students?

A: What inspires me to teach students is the transformations I see as they grow in their musicianship and maturity throughout their four years here. There is a great deal of satisfaction in seeing beginning musicians become intermediate and advanced players, and advanced players sharpening their skills, some of them to a professional level. Young people are capable of a lot, and our students here prove that. I also get to see them growing up, as they start to become adults and learn what it is like to start navigating life on their own.

Q: What do you gain from being in this position?

A: I gain a lot of personal satisfaction from this job.

When you spend this much time with other people, you are bound to learn something from them, and students are the some of the best teachers. Their energy is compelling, and they help me understand things in different ways.

Buddy Clements

Buddy Clements

Q: How do you feel about being a director and being able to work with the students?

A: I feel very fortunate because of one, the students, who are the number one thing and the caliber of the individual and the caliber of musicianship. It’s a pretty high level and as an artist myself, there is a lot of depth to the performance; it is very rewarding.

Q: What inspires you to teach the students?

A: I like to watch the students grow and mature as people. We also get support from the administration and community, which is outstanding and rare. It is rewarding to see the students mature and to help build a good, solid American citizen. We use music to help to be a part of the maturing process and that’s rewarding to me.

Q: What do you gain yourself from being a director?

A: I see the lifelong joy and love and appreciation through our program and music, passion they develop, and it is rewarding to be a part of that. The students will always be performers or consumers of music.

PHOTOS BY ASHLEY XU

Ω

the hoofprint

May 29, 2013

SpringOverview IN PHOTOS PHOTOS BY MARY ZHANG AND USED WITH PERMISSION OF THE DRAMA DEPARTMENT

CIRCLE TIME (CLOCKWISE): Junior Ashley Winters cheers alongside her stunt team during the freshman orientation. // Sophomore Louisa Lee plays an alto saxophone during the Orchestra Spring Pops Concert. // Chamber singer men serenade Women’s Ensemble member, junior Mimi Dao in “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” by The Righteous Brothers. // Freshman Phillip Sobretodo and Kimsley Quezada and several other members of Color Guard perform in the Spring Colorguard Showcase. Junior Samantha June and seniors Paulina Tinana and Bailey Herms perform in “The Music Man” as the Pick-a-little ladies. // Seniors Jasmine Lin, Sienna Serrano, Kelsey Young and Denise Pai perform alongside WHAM in a collaborative dance during the Spring pep rally.

“Artistry Uncensored” Dance Team held its final production of the year from May 2-3 with dances that allowed members the freedom to express different styles.

Jefferey Huang Feature editor Dance Team, Dance I, Dance II, and Advanced Dance hosted the spring dance production, “Artistry Uncensored”, on May 2-3 at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center.

The title, “Artistry Uncensored”, stood for being free to display the art of dance, but carried different meanings from dancer to dancer.

“As dancers, we want to put out our emotions on stage. Being on stage is an opportunity to show what we’re feeling through [our] body movements,” Dance Team senior Kelsey Young said. “We want to show the audience all the dancers and all our emotions.”

Some dancers utilized the title as a chance to change up their dancing style and prove their versatility.

“People know me as someone who strictly does hip-hop. I wanted to show that I can do other genres like indie, too,” Advanced Dance sophomore Brandon Wang said. “I joined a Bollywood group to prepare.

I tried to show I was having fun.”

Compared to previous dance productions, “Artistry Uncensored” featured a larger variety of dancing styles. This allowed all the

performers-especially those not on Dance Team-to showcase different talents and efforts.

“Mostly, people come to the show for Dance Team, but I think it’s a good way to show the little groups that have been working during class and to really showcase what Ms. Tomlin has been working on throughout this year [aside from Dance Team],” Dance I freshman Catherine Yong said.

For the audience, the production revealed a different aspect of the dancers.

“Dance is their secret language that tells their story. For example, the senior dance where all the seniors had a routine together brought the audience into each dancer’s journey,” audience member sophomore Alec Lau said. “I learned that the dancers put their spirit into the dance. It’s not just for physical activity, but a way to release their feelings. It’s an art form in which I found out how members of the dance team are so dedicated not only to perfect their routines, but also to grab the audience into feeling the same powerful message.”

“Artistry Uncensored” not only showed the progression of the dancers over the year, but also allowed the dancers to reflect on the friendships

they have made.

“I got really close to a lot of girls that I’m probably going to miss a lot next year,” Young said. “The dance production really gave me a taste of how it’s like to be with the hectic-like backstage, changes, and just overall, being with girls that are always there to support you.”

With all the seniors leaving this year, the performers felt more emotional experiencing their last dance production together.

“With so many memories we had this school year, we have gotten really close--especially with those I’ve known for more than a year,” Dance Team junior Jarita Lee said.

“It’s a sad feeling realizing that the seniors are going to graduate soon.”

As a farewell to the seven Dance Team seniors, “Artistry Uncensored “ included a “Senior Farewell” medley in which the seniors danced together as their own voiceovers played in the background. After, they danced to three different songs. “[I enjoyed] dancing with the seniors because this past year, we’ve been through so much,” Young said.

“It’s bittersweet because I’m happy to go to college, but I’m leaving Walnut.

I want to leave all my emotions for the audience.” Ω

arts 15

May 29, 2013 Ω A hop, a skip, and a jump past Lemon Creek Park 16 scene

the hoofprint

If you’re looking for something interesting to do this weekend, why not take a hike on one of these trails?

COMPILED BY MICHELLE CHANG AND MEGAN WU, STAFF WRITERS

Hiking Trail

Eaton Canyon Park

1750 N Altadena Dr Pasadena, CA 91107

Located just half an hour from Walnut, Eaton Canyon Park features several moderately easy and kidfriendly trails to choose from, providing an interesting alterntive to your usual weekend outing.

The Falls Trail, famous for its 50foot waterfall located 1.5 miles from the entrance, averages to just under an hour of walking one way.

It covers both a dry dirt path with surrounding mountains and a rocky portion which runs along a nearby stream. Despite having to cross the

Hiking Trail

water a few times and enduring a few challenging rock climbs, the hike requires little energy and offers a relaxing scenery. While the large amount of people ensures that away from the isolated, natural feel that might be found at other trails. Ω NEED A MAP? SCAN ME!

A different view of Walnut

Intersection of Grand Ave. and Hillside Dr.

Although the narrow, unmarked, and unnamed trail seemed to be a dangerous way to start off my Saturday morning, I was pleasantly surprised by how safely and easily I was able to walk the trail. Because there were some steep inclines, it took me about 45 minutes to go up the hill and another 30 minutes to come down.

The hike itself was actually pretty uneventful; there were bushes, dried grass, and trees on each side of the trail, but nothing too interesting or did reach the top of the hill, I got

a pretty good view of Walnut and some of West Covina, and I found myself getting excited about being able to see Walnut landmarks like the Mt. SAC hill. Even though the actual hike was not entertaining, and the time I spent with my family throughout the hike made it a worthwhile trip. Ω NEED A MAP? SCAN ME!

I Sea food at the Vegas Seafood Buffet Vegas Seafood Buffet features elegant decor and a variety of cuisines, all for a reasonable price.

Restaurant

110 S Brand Blvd Glendale, CA 91204

Alison Chang Staff writer When the words “Vegas” and “buffet” come to mind, I automatically picture elegant decor, a large variety of food from many cultures, and expensive prices. Vegas Seafood Buffet, located in a cute plaza in Glendale, definitely fits the image of an ideal buffet in Vegas without the hefty price. It’s classy, the food is exquisite, and as an added bonus, the price is reasonable for the excellent quality of food served there.

The first thing that came to my attention was the amount of people there; it was incredibly busy.

Luckily for me, my family was seated promptly by a courteous server and I immediately went to explore the buffet line. I was thoroughly impressed by the wide variety of dishes offered, which ranged from Korean barbeque

to American roast beef. After peering around for several minutes, I chose a nicely grilled salmon, California rolls, and a hot and sour soup for my “main course.” To sum up my eating experience, the food was beyond my expectations - the salmon was tender and juicy, the sushi had just the right amount of flavor, and the hot and sour soup was tangy with a spicy twist.

However, despite my excellent main course dishes, I’d have to say that dessert was the best. One of my favorite parts of my dining experience was a large chocolate fountain that I could dip fruits or marshmallows in, something that I thought only existed in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

There was a plentiful assortment of pastries, like the mocha mochi cake, tiramisu, and crème brûlée, as well as a little frozen yogurt station that offered vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and pistachio flavored yogurt. As

expected, the desserts were delicious and they definitely filled me up. The balance of flavor was just right, and the pastries were neither too sweet nor too bland in taste.

As for the customer service, my server was polite and was always ready with assistance. The atmosphere was also relaxing and perfect for a family lunch or dinner. The only complaint I would make about Vegas Seafood Buffet is its busyness. If you plan to dine here, I suggest making a reservation since it will be crowded especially at lunch or dinner. Other than that minor issue, I would fullheartedly recommend Vegas Seafood Buffet to anyone looking for an elegant yet inexpensive place to eat.

You won’t be disappointed! Ω NEED A MAP? SCAN ME!

VEGAS, QUALITY, AND ALL YOU CAN EAT (TOP TO BOTTOM): Hot and sour soup, Edamame peas, and red bean sesame pastries are just a few delectable dishes from the wide selection at the Vegas Seafood Buffet. // Also available are various desserts such as cheesecake, crème brûlée, and frozen yogurt, elegantly and tastefully presented.

PHOTOS BY ALISON CHANG

Ω

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the hoofprint

May 29, 2013 Movie

“The Great Gatsby” to the big screen again With a visual take on this classic novel, “The Great Gatsby” impresses with class and passion in modern film. period. The cars, fashions and settings

Mary Zhang Staff writer Flashy sports cars. Swishing feathers of showgirls hanging from the chandeliers. Confetti, glitter, a never-ending stream of champagne

is no mistaking the wealth of the remained t h e time

of a man trying to prove his worth to year it is, which makes this feel timeless.

delved a little deeper in molding the

or rather, castles. Sprawling rooms complete their own personality, each actresses make this movie what it is. scene scene,

is taken to a whole new level in Baz

(Leonardo

DiCaprio),

and

to

his

ditz married to the womanizer, Tom

have one word of advice. There is no

she portrays her foolishness as a helpless wife fallen victim to the loose morals of the time, Carey also

more of a showcase for its storyline,

every aspect - from the acting to the

was looking forward to Leonardo

generation.

with

personal

attendants

call. The set design was PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION OF AP IMAGES

Album

past and dark present. He made a very convincing performance

Ω

Book

Modern Vampires of the City Successfully experimenting with a greater variety of music, Vampire Weekend pleases with its third album.

Feature editor

Kwok’s Korner:

“Tales of the Jazz Age”

A compilation of short stories, “Tales of the Jazz age” stays true to its time.

Editor In-Chief

Honda commercial. There was an

meeting ordinary people in depressing, like “The Great it is one of the songs that really stands

Now, three years later, Vampire On the other side of the tracks. tales, is written as a one-act play.

provoking, some offering a glimpse at the

and the mindset of the people. my favorite

some simply

reading (or

deadpan tone. How he does that,

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION OF AP IMAGES

certainly not a hard read nor a waste of time.

PHOTO BY JANZEN JANZENALEJO ALEJO

Ω

18 sports

the hoofprint

Senior Nicholas Medaris coaches soccer Freedom Soccer Club, a local youth club, recently hired senior Nicholas Medaris.

Anita Chuen Staff writer Out on the soccer field, a team of aspiring twelve-year-old boys huddle together on their first day of soccer practice. Nervous and excited, they wait for their coach; where’s that middle-aged man, distinct among the crowd of preteens? The only other person they see is a teenage boy walking towards them. The teenager walks up to them and introduces himself. “Hi, I’m Nick and I’m your coach.”

Yes, a teenage coach. Surprised?

For senior Nicholas Medaris, this surprised reaction is all too familiar as he spends his time coaching soccer for twelve-year-old boys at the American Youth Soccer Organization.

“When I first decided that I wanted to [coach], I just did it because I thought it would be an easy way to get some volunteer hours, but then it’s something that I really started to enjoy -- the fact that I was teaching them new things,” Medaris said.

Medaris coached his first season at AYSO at the age of 13 and has been coaching there ever since. At AYSO, he is responsible for preparing his practices and equipment, and he uses his experience as a player to teach the

May 29, 2013

Boys golf at CIF Individuals Improving from last year’s season, three Mustang boys golf athletes qualified for the first round.

Maxwell Zhu Staff writer

PHOTO COURTESY OF NICHOLAS MEDARIS

COACH MEDARIS: Senior Nicholas Medaris (far right) poses for a team photo with the boys under-12 youth soccer team he once coached with. team.

“I thought coaching would be hard, but it was pretty easy for me.

After the first season, I knew it was something I wanted to do again,” Medaris said. “I think the greatest responsibility is [that] I have to be a good example and a positive role model [for] these kids.”

After coaching his sixth season at AYSO this year, Medaris accepted an offer for a coaching position from Freedom Soccer Club, a local club in the Coast Soccer League. “[After receiving Freedom’s offer] right away I wanted to do it. I didn’t even think about it; right away

Q&A

What’s it like for a Mustang athlete to return to Walnut to coach?

COMPILED BY SARAH LIU AND MORGAN VALDEZ

I was just like, ‘Yeah, that’s what I want to do’. Then the other offer came in, and I had to think about it for a while and [made] my decision,” Medaris said.

Although Medaris doesn’t know how long he’ll stay at Club Freedom, he does know that he wants to continue to carry on his calling as a soccer coach.

“I think I’ve made the right decision,” Medaris said. “Coaching is something that I really love, and it’s [become] a part of me now since I’ve been doing it for so long now. The fact that I could be able to [coach] and get paid to do that, is just awesome.” Ω

Boys varsity golf athletes seniors Ricki Lotz and Dylan Harcourt and freshman Rami Abdou qualified for California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Individuals on May 13 at the Victoria Countryt Club in Riverside. “[Having three people qualify for CIF] is really representative of how hard we work and of our work ethic,” Abdou said.

“It’s important because we’ve put so much time into this, but I’m trying to not get too caught up in the moment; there’s still the next round.”

Abdou advanced to the second round of CIF Individuals with a score of 77, making the cutoff score by one point. He will compete in the second round at La Purisma on May 20.

“I started off really bad,” Abdou said, “but then I told myself you can

either fall down or you can get back up. It’s easy to get off track [on the course], which is why you need to have a strong mental ability [to stay focused].”

The Boys Varsity Golf team played at CIF team competition at Sierra La Verne in La Verne on May 6, but their score of 428 was not enough to advance them to State as a team.

“We did pretty well under the circumstances; it was raining really hard that day. We probably would have made it to state if it hadn’t rained. However, we still got further this year than I thought we would,” senior Ricki Lotz said.

Last year, none of the varsity boys golf member qualified for CIF Individuals, and the team as a whole failed to win league. This year, in addition to having three member compete in CIF Individuals, the team was crowned league co-champions with Diamond Bar. Ω

“I started off really bad, but then I told myself you can either fall down or you can get back up.”

- Rami Abdou, 9

Tennis falls in second round of CIF

Boys tennis advanced past the first round of CIF, taking down Flintridge Preparatory Academy before losing to San Marino in the next round.

Lynze Tom Staff writer

“You just get more experience as the years go. Talking to the kids and coaching them up, you get more The more you work at it, the more better groove with [it].”

-Mike O’Shields, Football

I love being able to translate my here at Walnut. I’m hoping my passion will allow them to absorb the same passion and desire to win.”

-Paul Acosta, Baseball

nervous. I was a young coach [and]

boy. But over time, everyone got used to [me] and we started improving.”

-Lani Ruh, Water Polo

Boys varsity tennis team played against Flintridge Prep on May 7 and San Marino on May 8 in the team CIF rounds. The team had a good season which allowed them to advance to CIF. “The season was pretty good.

We only lost like three games. We all played pretty well. I’m proud of my team. No one has had a bad day that cost us a game and we’re all playing pretty steady.” junior Steven Sun said.

Boys tennis started its CIF rounds with victory. They defeated Flintridge Prep in a close game with a score of 11-7 at home.

“It was like a wild card game, so we didn’t really know what to expect. I guess we were glad it was nothing crazy. It didn’t matter if we won round one, because we were going to play San Marino in round two so we just got destroyed,” sophomore Bob Feng said.

They lost against San Marino, the number one school in Division II with score of 0-18. Originally, San Marino was in Division I, but they dropped to Division II after losing some key players.

“We got crushed by San Marino.

There was nothing we could have

PHOTO BY YOLANDA YU

RIGHT BACK AT YOU: Junior Arthur Tang steps over to return a backhand en route to leading his team to victory past Flintridge Prep. done, they’re just a better team. We need more practice. If you’re at practice and you mess around then during the match you’re going to play senselessly,” Sun said.

The boys hope to improve their skills next year with harder practice sessions.

“I think that their players were

just a little better than all of us.

There’s so much we could learn. The way they played, you could feel they practice,” junior Arthur Tang said.

“Since summers coming, there will be no school, so we’ll be able to practice more. We got past [first round] pretty easily, but that shows we still have a lot to work on.” Ω

Ω

sports 19

the hoofprint

May 29, 2013

Swimmers take to the pool at CIF Boys placed eighth overall and several swimmers placed in their events.

BEYOND THE GAME: COLLEGE RECRUITING

Take a look at some Mustangs who received offers to play a sport at the collegiate level.

COMPILED BY MEGAN WU AND TED ZHU

Andres Shen Sport: Track and Field Accepted to: University of California Santa Barbara, Mt. San Antonio College and more Choice: Mt. San Antonio College “I want to get exposed to what it’s like competing at a collegiate level. Becoming a decathlete is one of my strong passions.”

PHOTO BY MICHAEL HYUN

MUSTANG IN THE WATER: Junior Nicole Phan dives into the water during the 4x100 yard freestyle relay.

Leon Ho Business Manager Nineteen Walnut swimmers competed in various individual and team events at the California Interscholastic Federation competition on Saturday, May 11 at Riverside Community College.

Although Walnut did not place among the top schools overall, several Mustang swimmers placed in the top eight in various individual and team events, ranging from the 500 meter freestyle to the 200 meter team medley.

“I think the team has done well because everyone works super hard at practice,” captain senior Susan Feng

said. “They did great, and it’s my last high school meet, so even though I didn’t swim, I had so much fun.”

Notable performances included: sophomore Theresa Lo’s third place finish in the 500 freestyle (4:56.39), Walnut boys fourth place finish in the 200 medley relay (1:37.77), and captain junior Derek Kao’s fourth place finish in the 100 breaststroke (56.78) and fifth place finish in the 200 individual medley (1:53.96).

Freshman Derek Wan placed seventh in the 100 backstroke (53.49).

“I worked hard at practice with long distance and pacing workout, and I just wanted to drop time so I was really surprised to get third. I did not expect it, but I felt really happy

to place,” sophomore Lo said. “I’ll just keep working hard, because I am aiming to get first [next year].”

Some swimmers looked to gain experience from this championship meet and to set goals that they could strive to achieve next year. For the younger swimmers, the meet was a stepping stone to their goals of placing in among the top swimmers.

“It’s my first time at CIF, but I think I handled the situation very well.

I expected to do well and [my results] were okay since I got into the top 8,” freshman Jerry Chen said. “However, my goals were not accomplished, so I am hoping to do better next time and aim to make top 8 for individuals and to be in top 3.” Ω

Mia Rycraw Sport: Water Polo Accepted to: Arizona State, CS Choice: Undecided “It’s a big honor to be chosen.

Others say it’s impossible to be recruited after being on varsity for only two years, but anything’s possible.”

Michael Sill Sport: Wrestling Accepted to: Cal Poly, Drexel University Choice: Declined all “Some schools were interested in me, [but] I chose not to continue wrestling because I didn’t want my whole life to revolve around wrestling.”

COMPILED BY MEGAN WU

Track and Field goes to CIF Track and field athletes represented Walnut at the CIF individuals competition.

Yolanda Yu Staff writer Track and field athletes competed in the CIF individual rounds on Saturday, May 11 at Trabuco Hills High School in Mission Viejo.

“It was amazing to be there just to begin with. You get to see the top athletes in Southern California, and you get to see how they compete,” sophomore Jonathan Mau said. “In the beginning, it was intimidating because in CIF, it’s all about yourself.

Everyone is there to improve themselves and get better.”

Senior Ty’Jalayah Robertson broke her personal record and moved on to finals after placing second in the triple jumps with a score of 37 feet 8.5 inches.

“At first I was disappointed because I didn’t do so well in my first event. But, I used it to motivate myself for my second event and I did very well,” Robertson said. “I’m really happy because this is my first year going to CIF finals and this is also my last year in high school, and I am very proud of myself. I really want

to end it with something spectacular by doing my best.”

Even though only one member represented Walnut in the finals, the track and field team has improved from previous years by focusing on improving dedicated athletes.

“The team definitely improved a lot. Coach Thompson cut a lot of people this year who weren’t as focused, so we have a lot of dedicated people who work their butts off,” senior Andres Shen said. “There aren’t any distractions and the whole team motivates me. When someone does good, I want to do even better.”

Later at CIF finals on Saturday, May 18, Walnut placed 31st overall.

With increased training, members have been more successful in league meets and look forward to improving next year in both league and CIF. “We improved with more training and harder workouts. I think one thing that really improved was distance and our endurance grew,” freshman Jessica Gallardo said. “I think we just started working harder now that the season is ending. At league meets, we totally dominate.” Ω

Mustang girls compete in a football game Junior and senior girls participated in the annual Powderpuff football game.

Rebecca Liaw Staff writer Junior and senior girls participated in the annual Powderpuff football game on May 23 at 6 p.m., ending in a 0-0 tie at Ken Gunn Stadium.

“It was a good game. We ended up tying with the seniors but we fought hard since the seniors had more experience,” junior Emily Huang said.

Practices were held from Monday to Thursday after school, with the senior girls practicing at 3 p.m. and the juniors at 5:30 p.m.

“Scheduling your time around practices is difficult,” said senior Patricia Ann Camacho. “And when you actually practice you realize how hard it is and how it’s physically demanding. You feel it right after.”

The two teams are split by junior and senior year with junior and senior varsity football players as coaches. Senior football captain Xavier Magallenez ran the practices and oversaw the preparation between the teams leading up to the game.

“I chose to be a coach because Powderpuff’s always a really fun and

PHOTO BY FRANK LIN

STIFF ARMED: Junior Alexis Pollerana (right) tries to race past the onrushing defender, senior Betty Villantay (left) on a wide run play. intense game,” said senior Ephraim Pena. “It’s been great; all the girls are really progressing and working as a team.”

The Powderpuff Game is an annual tradition that allows senior and junior girls to play the usually boys-only sport of football.

“I would tell the girls in the

future looking to play in the game, definitely do it if you just want to have some fun towards the end of the year,” said senior Paulina Tinana.

“It’s near the last day of senior year, and if you want to do something, or you’ve never played a sport, they teach, it’s something you can do to pass the time and fun.” Ω

Ω

20 sports

the hoofprint

Baseball falls in last game Varsity baseball narrowly loses in extra innings against Diamond Ranch 4-3.

Kent Hsieh Staff writer Varsity baseball ended its season with a 4-3 loss against Diamond Ranch on Friday, May 10.

It ultimately ended the season on a 12-17 record with a 3-9 record in the Hacienda League.

Despite the loss, the Mustangs scored first in the first inning with senior Kyle Parisi bringing in the run off of senior Adrian Esparza’s hit.

“Everytime you go on bat, you always try to produce runs if someone’s on base,” Esparza said.

“If someone’s already on base, I’m looking to get them to home plate like the first score, for example; but when I find myself without anyone on base, I focus on my pitch and try to get to a base.”

The Mustangs only had one double beyond the singles and no home runs or triples. Nonetheless, in the 7th inning, down 3-1, Walnut was able to tie the game after senior Austin Wasielewski got a hit to send the runners on base to home plate.

“I knew it was late in the game with the pressure on and that we needed to score. Our coaches were telling us that we need to take control of what we can control and come through clutch under pressure and

May 29, 2013 VARSITY SPRING SPORTS SCOREBOARD BASEBALL

4/10- vs. West Covina 5-0 W 4/12-@ West Covina 2-3 L 4/13-@ Chino 0-3 L 4/17-vs. Rowland 5-1 W 4/19-@ Rowland 1-5 L 4/20-vs. Cathedral City 3-4 L 4/24- @ Diamond Bar 2-0 W 4/26-vs. Diamond Bar 0-2 L 5/1- @ Bonita 1-2 L 5/3- vs. Bonita 1-12 L 5/8-vs. Diamond Ranch 0-3 L

BOYS GOLF 4/9- vs Diamond Bar 215-256 W 4/11-vs. Arcadia 198-276 W 4/15-vs. Orange Lutheran 220-215 L 4/16-vs. Diamond Ranch 215-256 W 4/17-vs. Arcadia 210-201 L 4/18-vs. Diamond Ranch 198-276 W

PHOTO BY KENT HSIEH

SOFTBALL

4/5 vs. Madera 1-9 L 4/5 vs. Ayala 0-2 L 4/6 vs. Wilson 13-3 W 4/6 vs. Clovis West 3-9 L 4/10 vs. West Covina 3-19 L 4/12 @ West Covina 7-10 L 4/17 vs. Rowland 9-5 W 4/19 @ Rowland 22-9 W 4/24 @ Diamond Bar 3-8 L 4/26 vs. Diamond Bar 2-9 L 5/1 @ Bonita 1-11 L 5/3 vs. Bonita 7-11 L 5/8 vs. Diamond Ranch 0-12 L 5/10 @ Diamond Ranch 13-2 W

BOYS TENNIS 1/4- vs. Los Altos 1-0 W 1/8- @ West Covina 0-2 L 1/10- @ Rowland 1-0 W 1/14- @ Diamond Ranch 1-0 W 1/15- vs. Diamond Bar 1-0 W 1/17- vs. Bonita 2-1 W 1/24- @ Los Altos 0-2 L 1/29- vs. West Covina 0-3 L 1/31- vs. Rowland 6-1 W 2/4- @ Diamond Bar 3-2 W 2/5- @ Bonita 3-1 W 2/7- vs. Diamond Ranch 3-0 W

HEY BATTER BATTER: Senior Austin Wasliewski whips the ball forward on a pitch in an attempt to pull Walnut through with the win. that’s what happened at that moment,” Wasielewski said. “[After the hit,] I knew it gave the team life again. As a team, we wanted that game so bad. It wasn’t just me, the whole team was in on that play.”

After Walnut tied the game, the game went into overtime on the eighth inning. Diamond Ranch scored during overtime off of a dropped ball

by Walnut, ending the game 4-3.

“Next season, I’d like to be able to handle the pressure better. We’re going to have to work on hitting because that alone will help push more wins for us,” Coach Paul Acosta said, “[After the game], I was feeling very bittersweet. [I was] bittersweet for the fact that the seniors, who worked so hard this year, [had] this type of ending. I’m really just going to miss those guys [who are] leaving.” Ω

TRACK 4/22 Mt. Sac Relays Boys Discus- 1st (Andres Shen) Boys High Jump- 3rd (Kyle King) Girls High Jump- 3rd (Ty’ Jalayah Robertson) Girls Pole Vault- 5th (Carolyn Nguyen)

SWIM 5/11 CIF at Riverside Community College Boys 200 Medley Relay- 1:37 Boys 400 Freestyle Relay- 3:14 Girls 200 Freestyle Relay- 1:42 Girls 400 Freestyle Relay- 3:42