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VOL. XVIIITHURSDAY JANUARY 12, 2012 NO. 4KerronicleT

he

OPINION, PAGE 1, 2012 TROUBLES

NEWS, PAGE 4, ANNUAL RACE REPORT

CENTERSPREAD, PAGE 6, KERR ALUMNI VISIT

FEATURE, PAGE 8, SENIOR SUCCESS

ENTERTAINMENT, PG. 10, FINAL PLAYS IMPRESS

INSIDE THE ISSUE

ETC. PAGE 12, SUPER SPANISH SKITS

ALIEF KERR HIGH SCHOOL 8150 HOWELL-SUGARLAND RD.

LIFESTYLE, PAGE 11, NEW YEAR, NEW YOU

2 OPINION

Kerr High School8150 Howell-Sugar Land Rd. Houston, TX 77083

(281) 983-8484 ext. 267

KERRONICLE

Staff:Editor-in-ChiEf

Joanna AriasStory Editor

Phil Pham

BuSinESS ManagErPhat Pham

Photo EditorAja Bryant

The Kerronicle is published six times a year by the student newspaper staff of Kerr High School and serves as a medium of communication for its readers. It exists to inform its readers about school and community, school policies and their changes, entertainment, and to serve as a forum for student expression.

Advertisers interested in placing an ad in the Kerronicle should contact the staff at (281) 983-8484 ext. 267 or 8150 Howell Sugar Land, Houston, TX 77083.

Letters to the editor are welcomed and encouraged. Letters should be delivered to room 302 or e-mailed to laura.negri@aliefisd.net. All letters must be signed.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011VOL. XVIII NO. 3

Staff rEPortErSAlyssa Andaverde

Kelli ChowJesus EscobarTuong-Phi Le

Tracey LeKrista Lutrick

Hadiqa Memon Durand NguyenJason NguyenKevin Nguyen

Nadia Zulfa

Staff Editorial:

By: Nadia ZulfaStaff RepoRteR

Doomsday December 21, 2012:The world is ending! The world is ending!

The paranoia about the apocalypse on Decem-ber 21, 2012 seems to have resurfaced ever since New Year’s. Suddenly, people are talk-ing about the movie, 2012 (which premiered in 2010), and debating whether or not anything similar will actually happen. People are sudden-ly discussing what they will do in preparation for the “Last Day.”

Talk of the “2012 phenomenon” arose be-cause of the Mayan calendar, which predicted that the end of the world would be on December 21 of this year. There are people who are very passionate on both sides; the ones who believe in it refer to religion and spiritual evidence, while the ones who don’t, refer to 2000, where it was previously believed that the world would end--yet, here we are.

The science fiction movie 2012, over the course of the past two years, has also been an-other popular reference tool for the “2012” be-lievers. However, what they don’t know is that 2012 was based on the hoax--not the other way around. The movie ex-plains that the reason for the “2012 doomsday” was because of of a mutation in neutrinos (electrons with a neutral charge) in solar flares. The solar flares caused a raise in temperature in the earth’s core, and it went downhill from there. But, according to

NASA, this theory is completely unrealistic; even if it does happen, it will probably be thou-sands of years in the future.

The people who are obsessing over the 2012 phenomenon also need to realize that there is no way to be 100% sure that the world will end on December 21. Take the paranoia about the rap-ture that happened a couple months ago in Oc-

tober, for ex-ample. Talk of the rap-ture and the Biblical Day of Judge-ment spread so far, it reached the news, which n a t u r a l l y caused even more para-

noia. People even quit their jobs for God’s sake! But, after October 21st passed, people slowly started to realize that there was a slight miscal-culation. So, you can’t really deny the possibil-ity for having a miscalculation about December

21. I mean, what if the Mayan ran out of stone to write on? What if the stone tablets were read upside down? Even though it sounds completely ridiculous, it’s still a possibility.

Often people ask me, “what side are you on?” Well, I’m on the side that doesn’t really have a strong opinion. I mean, by the time De-cember 21st rolls around, I wouldn’t care about the world ending, I’d just want to finish my PAK! I don’t really think there is a possibility about the 2012 phenomenon, and in my opinion, there are more important things than endlessly debating about something that’s hard to come to a conclusion to, until it actually happens. People should be worrying about going to school and living life instead of all this paranoia.

So, it’s like the famous Shakespearean phrase, “much ado about nothing.” We do have “much ado” about something that’s highly likely not to occur in the first place; I believe that people should just live life like normal, and when it’s finally December 21st, and the world does end, at least they didn’t waste two years of their life worrying about it. And if the world doesn’t, I can assure you that I will be one of the very few people who will laugh.

FAREWELL TO MATHIS

Among all the crazy jobs an assistant prin-cipal has, the one that hits home would be there support for our newspaper. Our dependence on her in our final moments before publishing was always matched by her swift and accurate ap-provals. Despite her busy schedule, she was al-ways be there when we needed her most.

It feels rather strange not having Ms. Mathis around when we need her to approval of Ker-ronicle’s newspaper before it’s published. All those times that we barely made the deadlines or might’ve had a controversial story about

teachers, she always made the compromising fixes that got it to the approved stage.

Not only does she play a critical role in our newpaper, but as well as in the hearts of many students. Her stern expression combined with her constructive advice helped lead many stu-dents to persue higher goals.

Ms. Mathis, leaving to Nevada because of her husband’s job, impacted newspaper greatly. Now that she departed to Nevada, her leni-ency towards newspaper will be missed. Com-ing back from winter break, newspaper staff

and Kerr students alike comes back to a cold, Mathis-less high school, knowing that their ex-perience would not be the same anymore.

Upon her departure, a newspaper staff gave her a “You Matter” wristband as a reminder that she will always matter to newspaper and to our school, whether or not she’s our assistant prin-cipal. Our best wishes to Ms. Mathis, her family and her new life in Nevada. No matter where you are or wherever you will go, Ms. Mathis you’ll always matter to us.

IS IT REAL OR IS IT A HOAX?

“The world is ending! The world is ending!”

3OPINION

Walking in the main hallBy: phil phamStoRy editoR

Getting through the main hallway, the dread-ful and narrow passage, is already a difficult task considering that many students are plowing through it trying to either get to their lockers, classes, or both. Things gets worse when peo-ple decide to clump themselves in groups, publicly display their affection, and negelect to use the other, less crowded hallways.

Kerr’s middle hall-way is like I-10 during rush hour; a blockade of human traffic. Stu-dents are constantly struggling to bypass the crowd, while other students deliberately choose to make the hallways an unpleasant experience.

Notice how groups likes to formulate in the hallways, epsecially during passing periods. It might not matter to them but I’m not risking a tardy that could possibly ruin my chances of exempting my finals. They also have the ten-dency to hang out in front of a single locker, which always seems to be yours. Many times, I

find myself yelling at a group to relocate them-selves from around my locker because asking them nicely doesn’t seem to work.

What bugs me on a personal level is the con-stant PDA that plagues the main hallway. Seri-ously, do it somewhere else because squeezing through the mass of people is already a burden, but things become a serious misfortune when

you accidentally bump into a couple locking their lips and spreading saliva.

What puzzles me the most is how stu-dents seems to be the neglect of the math hallway. For whatever the reason, students are sparse in the math hallway. But we need

to use it more. venly dividing the student popu-lation between the two hallways would greatly reduce the taffic jam--- as long groups don’t loiter there.

Kerr’s hallway has limited moving space but hanging out in groups, using the hallways as a PDA zone, or even ineffieciently utilizing the hallways will always lead to the terrible traffic. If everyone compromises then getting to class would be a breeze. Also, guys---ands girls, a bottle of body spray goes a long way.

On New Year’s Eve, an 18-year-old mother from Oaklahoma shot and killed an intruder to protect her 3-month-old baby, only less than a week after the baby’s father died due to cancer.

However, she was not charged of commit-ing a crime because while holding 2 guns to the door, Sarah McKinley was on the phone and had contacted the police requesting for permis-sion to shoot the two intruders, Dustin Stewart and Justin Martin, in order to protect her family.

She got her permission.Martin was shot dead while a dispatcher was

sent to McKinely’s house. The whole ordeal was caught on tape.

Many are questioning the whole morality of this. When is it OK to kill a human and when is it not?

According to Detective Dan Huff of Blan-card Police, “you’re allowed to shoot an unau-thorised person that is in your home. The law provides you the remedy, and sanctions the use of deadly force.”

Personally, I fully agree with McKinley’s course of action. Hey, there’s a reason the phrase “survival of the fittest” exists. Had she

not shoot the guy, her baby might’ve been found dead and she could have been kidnapped, tortured, murdered, raped, who knows? Would you not have done the same?

Normally, I’m a very peace-loving humani-tarian and pacifist, but this is different. This is about protecting your loved ones no matter what.

In addition, it’s not just protecting your fam-ily and yourself, but it’s your home. There’s no law that says you HAVE to let anyone enter your home. It’s called privacy and going against that is called personal invasion. And even if there was a law saying that, that would be absolutely ridiculous and illogical.

There’s really no point about hesitating to forfeit your compassion for humanity (Though I’d say Martin had none.) because in doing so, you’re really not helping humanity at all.

I mean, take what into consideration of what McKinley said.

“I wouldn’t have done it, but it was my son. It’s not an easy decision to make, but it was ei-ther going to be him or my son. And it wasn’t going to be my son. There’s nothing more dan-gerous than a woman with a child.”

Kerr’s middle hallway, is like I-10 during rush

hour; a blockade of human traffic

Having the right to self protectionBy: Camille NguyeNCoNtRiButoR

Winkler announces candidacy for state house

Longtime Alief ISD Trustee Sarah Winkler has announced her intention to run for the Texas House of Representatives.

In an email interview, Winkler said she was motivated to enter the race by the incumbent’s decision not to see re-election.

“I was on my way home from a meeting in Austin when I received [Representative] Scott Hochberg’s email announcing that he would not seek reelection to his office,” she said. “I immediately started to think about running since I believe that I have knowledge and skills acquires during my years of service as a local trustee and as a director at the regional and state levels that are needed in Austin.”

Winkler is running for District 137. Other candidates in the March primary are Democrats Jamaal Smith, Joseph Madden and Greg Wu; and Republican M.J. Khan.

Winkler is a long time community school volunteer, has a bachelor degree in economics and managerial studies and a master of accounting from Rice University. She has been in the Alief ISD school board since 1997, and has experience as president, as she is the current Vice President of the board and serves the Gulf Coast Area Association of School Board.

“I frequently testify at legislative committee

hearings about education and community issues,” Winkler said. “I first began my volunteer career by serving on the Huntington Village HOA as a treasurer and served for six years in that capacity.”

Although Winkler has run for election five times, she states that if she is elected, she will improve the education system.

“My top priority is to address the shortcomings of the current school finance system, “ Winkler said, “We must have a system that is rational and understandable and meets the legal standard for adequacy. The system also must provide for equity among districts and provide sufficient funding to meet state accountability standards. I also am interested in improving access to and affordability of high education.”

Winkler currently works in the Alief ISD board providing oversight and approval of the district budget, thus she believes she is qualified enough for the position she seesk as her 15 years as a trustee in Alief ISD as well as her degrees and past jobs have left with her with enough experience to undertake the designated job. Winkler’s success in her past jobs have left her recognition upon Alief ISD which she plans to use to be elected and improve the education system as a whole.

“I [would like to] plan to spend a lot of time attending events and going door to door

meeting area residents and listening to their concerns,” she said.

Winkler’s diappointment comes from the the dates of the election process having not been, thus making it hard to raise the funds needed to visit the voters. However, Winkler remains hopeful and determined to go ahead with her campaign promises when the election dates and state maps are published.

This election will be unlike the past ones as the Supreme Court about the temporary stay granted to the state about the court ordered interim maps is Monday and a federal trial to determine if the state maps meet the requirements of the Voting Rights Act begins on January 17. There will be another filing period after decisions are rendered and the maps could change. For these reasons, this election is very peculiar and everyone who is running for an office is having a difficult time raising funds and planning their election plan.

Although these issues affect the selection process, Winkler plans to go ahead with her vision to improve the education system. Winkler’s campaign promise and purpose is to make education equal for everyone despite social and economic implications. However, Winkler claims she will improve the education system and make it superb. The education system’s future depends on this election, but Winkler states that her vision remains strong.

By: Jose RamiRez

ContRiButR

GQeneraluestion

Who would you chose to win the 2012 presidential election elections and why?

“I would choose Rick Santorum be-cause he has a lot of family values.”

-- Hector E., 9

“I would choose Rick Perry because he proposed a realistic reform that

will get our country to where it needs to be and those are key traits of a

president.” -- Christian G., 10

“Obama because I don’t believe the Republicans will stand a chance

against him in the finals.” -- Jesse A., 11

“Obama because of the new law he passed recently which would allow

immigrants to stay in America as long as they have no criminal records.”

-- Sushita A., 12Compiled By: Kelli Chow

Sarah Winkler, courtesy of the Alief Communicator

4 NEWS

Physics race brings car design project to exciting conclusion

It was in round one when Julie Ho went against Yao Liang.

Both cars went down the Kerr-ash ramp and, sadly, Ho lost.

“I expected it to be all serious,” Ho said, “but when I walked into the room, the teachers made it fun and everyone was hyped up. I was nervous at first but I loosened up and had a wonderful time.”

The physics lab was filled with music blaring from the speakers, lights were flashing, and students were hyped up Friday as the bi-annual physics car race took place. Teachers Kathy Kilmer and Eric Dunlap kept the races running smoothly. Kilmer was the referee as well as the announcer and Dunlap prepared the brackets as well as keeping track of the grades.

Each student who built a car for the activity started with a grade of 75; as the races progressed, winners in each round had five points added to their grades.

“I was very nervous about my grade,” Ho said. “I had a 92 in the class and wanted to keep it an A. So I tried my very best to make my car good so it would win many rounds and give me an A on the project.”

As the race progressed to round two, Ho was up against Phat Pham. In this heat she won, her wood and plastic car hurtling down the ramp to reach the center platform before his. As the rounds progressed, Ho was able to pull in a total of four wins in six rounds.

In the first term students completed a research paper and planned out what was needed for their cars. Ho credited that work with her success.

“[My research] helped me know how wide,

long, and how heavy I should make it, for it to be able to reach the top and stay closest to the line after a collision with my opponent’s car,” she said. She decided her car should be more narrow, and weight should be carefully balanced.

The second term was when the students used their knowledge to build their cars using materials that were available.

“The base of my car was made from a wooden block I found in my house and with the help of my dad, I got it cut so it wouldn’t be so wide,” said Ho. “I purchased a toy car and dissembled it so I would be able to get the wheels and attach it to my car. I then asked my dad to help me make a hole on the top of my car so I would be able to add small fishing weights inside (which are known to be heavy for its size). And to hold the weights down inside my car I used tape.”

Other students used wooden craft-store boxes, cardboard, and even a papier-maché egg as car components, often spending from $5 to $20 on materials and one to three hours on construction.

“My car is basically a piece of wood with wheels,” junior Teresa Decker said, estimating she spent $12 on materials and about two hours to build it.

As students enjoyed observing different cars crash, Dunlap donned a mask and joined in with his own vehicle, winning a few rounds.

Ho said the party atmosphere made the final event of the project fun.

“It was wonderful,” she said. “Even though this was just a school project, this gave me a chance to bond with my dad while making my car.

“This was a fun project and I’m glad I was able to experience it. Physics is fun after all!”

By: Hadiqa memon

staff RepoRteR

Captions go here!

Captions go here!

Above, Julie Ho tests her car on the Kerr-ash ramp. At left:1: Eric Dunlap joins the fun with his own car2: Debrah Adenote releases her unique car3:Students watch as thier collide on the Kerr-ash ramp. Photos By: Stephany Martinez and Emily Tran.1 2 3

5NEWS

6 IN FOCUS

Where are they now?Students new and old reflect on college and career

Isaac BancroftAfter his sophomore year, Isaac Bancroft left

Kerr in 2011 for the Texas Academy of Math and Science (TAMS) program at the University of North Texas, a special program where he earns both high school and college credit while living on a college campus. “I’m taking a lot of math, a lot of science, biochem, Cal, then English, geology, political science,” he said. As a college student, he’s learned that “it’s all about learning to manage your time…In college at lot of professors will not be nearly as lenient as far as due dates go…so knowing that is a great way to prepare.” Because he now lives on the UNT campus, he says, “I’m a lot more independent. I do everything that normally, you know, your parents might do as far as like grocery shopping or things like that.”

Bancroft will graduate from TAMS in 2014.

angelo gonzalezAngelo Gonzalez graduated from Kerr in 2000 and

from Houston Baptist University in 2008. Now a pastor at a church and a marketing director for a Sugar Land business, he says that his high school choice prepared him for college and career because of “this idea that you are responsible enough, that you’re old enough to be able to do your own work, that you are old enough to do what you can…They kinda pushed that on us here and it did help a lot.” In college, Gonzalez took classes in business and theology, majoring in Christianity and biblical languages. “My life goal was to be doing ministry so that’s kinda where my heart was,” he said.

Having achieved his life goal, he advises students to exercise responsibility: “They give you so much more freedom but there’s so much more on the line that it’s not worth throwing it all away for you to skip class and everything.”

BIanca seeBianca See graduated from Kerr in

2009 and is now a junior at the University of Texas at Tyler. College, she says, “was kind of a cultural shock…It was just a lot different than the high school experience that I’ve had because we are a lot more diverse here.” See advises students to learn time management but adds that “learning how to not get hit in the hallways” is also a useful skill. Returning to Kerr for career day, she says that her sharpest memories are of “my band and orchestra experience. Lots of family there in band and orchestra.”

See is majoring in journalism, with a minor in international relations. She is also pursuing a teaching certification.

RepoRt Compiled by tuong-phi le and Jenny phanAlumni Stories

IN FOCUS 7IN FOCUS

Hugs and laughter filled Kerr High School’s cafeteria on January 6 —but not from Kerr students.

The counseling department hosted a College Fair with Kerr graduates this past Friday in order for the alumni to inform students about college. The college fair was also an event that gave the alumni the chance to catch up with past teachers and remember their school experiences.

Pamphlets and documents were handed out to the students containing information and statistics on college prices, as well as advice the alumni thought was necessary to help students be prepared for the rest of their high school careers as well as their college experience.

Alumni discussed jobs ranging from teachers to therapists, as well as the hardships

and experiences they had to overcome to get to where they were now.

Class of ‘06 graduate Jacquilyn Carcamo attributed some of her successes in college and graduate school to her experience with Kerr’s non-traditional scheduling.

“The setup really prepared [me] the most,” she said. “It can help you balance work, and it’s pretty much the same since you’re going to procrastinate. The only thing different is that you’re going to be prepared.”

Carcamo now works as an intern therapist at Memorial Herman Southwest. Carcamo believes that Kerr has many virtues that will help students get the education they need and will help them in their near future as a positive example as she praises.

“What really helps is that the cultural relationship between students and teachers in the school is so small so it gives the opportunity for a more one-on-ne experience,” Carcamo

said.But Han Tran, who graduated from Kerr

in 2011 and now attends Babson University, believes that although Kerr’s system does have its strengths, it did not prepare him for all the demands of a typical college class.

“For college we have to speak in every class so you need to know how to communicate. On one hand, Kerr teaches you about hard work and all, but I don’t feel like people are prepared to interact and communicate with others...” He said. “One thing I wish Kerr would have taught me is to talk to everyone and not just your circle.”

Ravi Brahmbhatt, Class of ‘02 alumni and now teacher at Houston Community College, said Kerr’s freedom benefitted him as a student.

“Kerr teaches independence [and socialization] as you can work with your own group. It’s really like the real world in where you have a goal and you have responsibility to

do what you want,” Brahmbhatt said.Brahmbhatt encouraged students to take

advantages of the opportunities Kerr offers as well as the life lessons gained from there. Brahmbatt considers that he learned a lot from Kerr academically as well as socially, but he believes that there is more to come in college.

“One thing Kerr helps in a way in college is you take notes, but we had to learn better on how to do it in college….. Here we took notes by book, but at college there’s more lectures we have to take notes from,” said Brahmbhatt.

What many graduates said they remember most about Kerr is the relationships they formed as students.

“I remember the people, which is good after years as well as my experiences with the teachers,” Brahmbhatt said. “I keep contact with at least 20 percent of the people I knew in high school.”

Vivian Hua contributed to this report.

General

QuestIon

What are your college plans?RepoRt Compiled by Julia nguyen and tRaCey le

Alumni share tips for success

My college plans right now, I’m thinking about dowing something with psychiatry or neuro-scientist. I still don’t know what colleges I am going to do yet. But there’s something about the mind that kinda fascinates me.

alyssa MartInez, 10

I want to go to Rice University and major in bio-medical engineering because I want to find a way to end world hunger.

shundar ahad, 11

I want to go to University of Houston first and then transfer to Rice after two years of basics. I want to major in Statistics and math because I want to be a Statiscian. I really like math and enjoy it because math seems so easy for me.

crIstIan Macedo, 11

My college plans are to go to Rice University masters in medical then go to medical school and then become a heart surgeon like my dad.

raBeet alI, 9

I want to be a lawyer. I’m gonna be probably majoring in psycology because I really feel like I want to get to know peoples behavior, try to understand why people do what they do.

caMeron clark, 12

I would like to stay in Houston so my mom can pay for it. Then major Bio-Engineering and go to University of Houston, then hopefully Rice and maybe apply for HBU because my mom’s entire family went there.

MohIt agarWal, 10

Justin Wong (Class of ‘00) and Angelo Gonzalez (Class of ‘01), both HBU graduates,

take a moment to catch up. Photo by Cindy Lei

by: Jose RamiRezContRibutoR

8 FEATURE Tina Nazerian wins ‘key’ to success

Senior Tina Nazerian has a busy schedule with Orchestra, National Honor Society, and Writing club, but she still managed to win two Gold Keys and a Silver Key Portfolio --the first Kerr student to do so in four years.

T h e S c h o l a s t i c Gold Key is a first place award for writing stories against c o m p e t i n g schools from all around the country. The process of winning this competition involves creative writing and piecing together stories, in case of a portfolio.

It all started with her English II creative writing assignment for The Grapes of Wrath: on the grading slip she recieved back, teacher Ayn Nys recommended her to participate in Scholastic.

“The piece was based on Esfahan, the place I went to over the summer. It motivated me into [doing Scholastic] in upperclassmen years as well.”

Her short stories were based on her experience during her vacation.

“Summer before sophomore year, I went to Iran,” Nazerian said. “I saw a video of a woman being shot by the Iranian military on the streets. Her story and the stories of many other people and Iran’s rich culture and everything that’s going on, inspires

me. People never see the human side of it, people who get killed, who get stamped on for not getting to do what they want.”

N a z e r i a n said that at first she wasn’t really c o n f i d e n t enough in her

writing, and didn’t expect to win the silver key for her writing portfolio. Her category was short story, which had a maximum limit of 24,000 words or 4-8 different works, and the works could range from one to a variety of genres.

“I felt overwhelmed with all the writing and wasn’t 100 percent confident in how it was pieced together,” she said.

Nazerian gets the ideas for her stories from her experiences, and usually lets the plot form in her head.

“Generally when I feel like I have a good idea, it enters my head, just happens, from that point on, I leave it alone for a bit [and] play around with it. I generally like to focus on one thing at a time and getting it done in one sitting.”

Nazerian feels like she has benefited from Scholastic because she learned how to express her creativity and how to express herself.

“I noticed things I would never have noticed...[and] explored worlds I never knew existed.”

It was exhilarating for her to make the portfolio, because writing is Nazerian’s passion and she hopes that it can get her where she wants to be in the future.

“I’m excited where my life will take me...and I’m ready to have this new life,” she said. “ D e f i n i t e l y c o n t i n u i n g w r i t i n g and joining T h r e s h e r club [at Rice U n i v e r s i t y ] , continuing short stories on the side. I got accepted [to Rice] by being myself and doing what I love to do and it showed on

my application.”Scholastic has a lot of value to Nazerian;

it was one thing that truly helped her get her message across to other people.

“ S c h o l a s t i c means progress and it changed me as a student, “ she said. “[It] told me there is a way to get what you want across and you’re not limited; you can be creative.”

Senior Tina Nazerian works on her assignments for AP Biology.

“I noticed things I would never have noticed...[and]explored worlds I never

knew existed.”

“Scholastic means progress and it changed me as a

student, [it] told me there is a way to get what you want

across and you’re not limited; you can be creative.”

By: Julia NguyeNCoNtriButor

Contributions made by Rochelle Pham and Julia Taboh.

Scholastic Art Winners

Senior Nadia Oulahna, gold key.

Junior Hoko Le, silver key.

Senior Valerie Le, silver key.

Senior Jacky Nguyen, silver key.

Scholastic Writing Winners

Senior Erick Flores-Matias, art and photo portfolio winner.

Senior Chelsea Freestone, art and photo portfolio winner.

Senior Tania Villegas, silver key.

Senior Tina Nazerian, silver portfolio key.

Senior Tobi Abubakari, poetry gold key, memoir gold key.

Sophomore Tuong-Phi Le, short story gold key.

Sophomore Nadia Zulfa, short story silver key.

9FEATURE

10 Questions:Jason Pham

1

2

3

4

5

Junior Jason Pham describes himself as funny and “ghetto-er.”

6

78

9

10

Question: If you were stranded on an Island, what 5 items

Answer: Justin Bieber CD, Radio, Obey Snapback, Tumblr, A Book.

Q: If you had a child what would you name him/her?

A: Koolaid-neesha.

Q: What’s your favorite band/artist?A: Justin Bieber.

A: Lip piercing.

Q: If you could have any piercing, which one would you want?

Q: Coke or Pepsi?

A: Coke.

Q: What five words describe your life?

A: I. Am. Beyond. Awesome. Son.

A: “You have a nice nose.”

Q: What’s the weirdest thing someone has ever said to you?

A: Pie!

Q: Think fast: Food!

A: Math center, especially during I.S.P.

Q: What’s your favorite center to sleep in?

A: Buy earrings.

Q: If you had a $10 gift card to Wal-Mart, what would you buy?

Compiled by Josue Gonzales Vazquez & beVerly umeh.

10 Questions:Uyen Tran

Freshman Uyen Tran’s favorite color is blue, she loves to read and travel, and has a tight-knit bond with her family.

Compiled by Krista lutriCK.

1Question: If you could be a fruit, what would you be and why?

2

Answer: If I could be a fruit, I would be an apple because...to me an apple is usually a sign of trouble. I like to make trouble.

Q: If you were turned into any mythical creature, which would you pick and why?A: I would be Medusa because I like her weird-looking hair. I also like how she’s evil.

3 Q: What is your favorite season?

A: Winter because I like dressing up for winter.

4Q: If you were stranded on an island, what would you have with you and who would you be stranded with?

A: I would have a journal and a pencil; I would want my uncle with me.

5Q: Do you call the evening meal dinner or supper? A: Dinner.

6Q: What was your favorite children’s book and why?

7Q: What is the farthest away from home you’ve ever been? Where did go? A: I went to Florida during my summer vacation in 2009.

8Q: How many times a day do you look in a mirror?

A: Twice a day.

Q: What do you expect out of life?

A: Life to be a little easier on me and to be more peaceful. I just want a normal, simple life.

10Q: How well do you trust people?

A: The only people I trust the most are my family members...I often fail to trust everyone because I can’t tell the difference between a truth and a lie.

A: Any books from Dr. Seuss because his books contain lessons that make me who I am now.

9

10 ENTERTAINMENT

Final performance a successBy: Jesus escoBarstaff reporter

Theatre class interprets ‘Go Ask Alice’By: Krista LutricKstaff reporter

All teenagers have problems, be they social, emotional, addiction, or just plain old bad luck.

“Go Ask Alice” is one of the most captivating stories of a teenage girl who ends up falling off the wagon and into the wrong crowd. The play was based on the book, Go Ask Alice, which was written in 1971, and published under the authorship of Anonymous.

The story is actually a diary of a sensitive, unnamed 16-year-old girl who struggles with drugs and has social and emotional problems.

On Friday, January 6, the second period theatre class gave its own production of “Go Ask Alice.” In their depiction of the story, the protagonist, played by Junior Cassandra Vallecilla, was given the name of “Alice,” when originally the girl’s name is unknown. The title Go Ask Alice originated from the lyrics of Jefferson Airplane’s song White Rabbit. The song was said to have had drug references that was undetectable by radio censors. The name “Alice” actually has nothing to do with diarist at all, except for the reference to doing drugs. Usually, such an alteration would take away from the story all together, but in the case of this cast, it seemed to connect the girl to the audience more. By giving her an identity, the girl was able to assume the role of an actual

teenager and potentially relate to the audience she reaches out to.

Senior Dennis Chau and sophomore Jackie Cruz illustrate the concern of Alice’s parents. Photo by Vivian HuaHowever, the play did not give much emphasis on the diary and all of Alice’s problems. Her diary was her way to express what she felt and reflect upon her life’s events since she felt that she could not talk to her parents. The cast did, however, give emphasis to the tension between Alice and her parents,who were portrayed by senior Dennis Chau and sophomore Jackie Cruz. Voices were raised just right for the audience to acknowledge the fact that the relationship between Alice and her mother was rocky.

Unfortunately, their character, Alice, did not have much of a medium in which to vent her anger and anguish. The audience was vaguely aware that Alice still kept her diary after she left home, when her friend Chris asked if she was going to write down how she felt about her parents not seeming to care about her and not treating her the way she should be treated.

There was also a bit of confusion as to when she became addicted to drugs and what drug she was addicted to. In the original story line, the diarist was given a soda laced with LSD. In the play, the audience heard Alice ask a question about the drinks being spiked, but not much else was mentioned about her taking the

drug, nor did they mention that she willingly took more LSD in the days following the party. However, in spite of all this, they did manage to tell of her addiction to sleeping pills, and further constriction on her relationship with her parents.

But aside from this, the play grasped the attention of the audience. Instead of completely making it a tragic saga, the cast added a bit of humor and sentimental moments between Alice and her friends and family. The introduction of her friends Beth (freshman Rosie Tran) and Sammy (freshman Don Le) was quite a laugh, featuring Sammy following Alice around her room and telling her that she is pretty and that he wants to kiss her, followed by her telling him that he is weird.

Her sincere and close relationship with her friend Chris (freshman Nosa Igbowe) was illustrated by how committed she was to going with her when Chris needed to “get away,” and also through her concern for Chris to return home to her family. There was a very touching relationship between Alice and her sister Alexandria (junior Amanda Vo), and her brother Tim ( freshman Calvin Nguyen).

The ending the cast gave was still as sad as the original, but they mastered showing how Alice came to be happy and know that her parents cared for her.

Calming Chat: Senior Dennis Chau and sophomore Jackie Cruz perform on stage in the Black Box.

Expression: Writing in a diary, junior Cassandra Vallecilla performs as Alice, the troubled main character.

The room grows dark as the actors walk onto the stage dressed as beggars, asking the audience for money. After a brief introduction of themselves they reveal a play they are making and the audience watches intently to see what happens next.

“The Beggar’s Opera”, as the play was called, is a sort of play within a play. The plot took place in the 1950s and was centered on

the lies of a man called the Captain and all the women that fell in love with him.

The play starts off with the discovery of a secret marriage between a girl named Polly

and a man known as the Captain. Her parents want him hanged so that their daughter will become a wealthy widow and they will share her wealth. Things are made worse by the fact that the Captain had been cheating on Polly and the other women in his life.

Anxious for more money, the actors decide to change the play for a more pleasing ending. This leads to a comic moment in which the Captain pairs up all of his wives and girlfriends with new husbands, choosing to keep only Polly for himself.

Freshman Danyel Syed performed a credible Captain , a regular Casanova that made most of the women in the play fall in love with him. The part seemed to be made for him as his acting was natural. His two main love interests played by Saira Martinez and Aztrid Canntor also did

a good job of acting as enemies and made very realistic arguments between themselves and did a good job during their fighting scene. All of the actors worked well together and did a good job of bringing both their characters and the play to life.

Overall, the play remained entertaining from beginning to end as a plot unraveled, keeping the audience amused and eager to see what would happen next. The theater students of first period did a great job of pulling together a play that was entertaining and comical.

Secret Affairs: Freshman Danyel Syed (Captain) seduces Victoria Owusu (Jenny).

Trouble in Paradise: Freshmen Frederick Wanju and Humna Qureshi, Mr. and Mrs. Peachum, have a matrimonial quarrel.

Frank Discussion: From left to right, Fredrick Wanju and Chucka Duru, performing as Mr. Peachum and Lockit respectively. The pair gossip about the misdoings of the Captain.

“The Beggar’s Opera” remains

entertaining as the

11LIFESTYLE

By: anh LucontriButor

Lunar New Year:

GQeneral

uestion:

What are your new year resolutions? 22

0 1

Andre Pham, 10

“Get muscles and not look fat because I want them and they look good and it improves my health.”

Tram Tran, 11

“Exercise and eat more healthy food. I didn’t do it last year and I

realize that I should.”

Denny Dang, 9

“Stop procrastinating because, although coming to high school, I’m still reluctant as a kid to accomplish anything. I want to succeed and make a name for

Cherry Chau, 12

“My new year’s resolution is to stop losing my glasses because I lost four pairs already -- in one week too.”

It’s a day full of family and togetherness-- air filled with noises from the firecrackers blasting people’s ears, laughter of children running around chasing each other, dragons and lions dancing down the street. Many Asian families living in America may be far from their ancestral home, but the tradition of celebrating Lunar New Year annually is a reminder of the culture that will keep on living.

“It’s a time for family to come together and give respect to our ancestors,” sophomore Christopher Le said. “And there’s also the tradition of giving money.”

Lunar New Year is the first day of the first month on the Chinese lunisolar calendar. As a result, it is often called Chinese New Year and is the most important holiday out of all Chinese holidays. Tradition follows that families get together for a reunion and celebrate over the course of 15 days, each day bringing in a new activity. The festivities would range from celebrating birthdays of historical figures such as the Jade Emperor of Heaven and the God of Wealth to abstaining from meat and burning incense at ancestors’ graves as part of the prayer ritual. Certain dishes are made for the occasion of the reunion dinner, usually containing fish and chicken as part of the tradition, and other

delicacies such as taro cakes, melon seeds and a Chinese cake called niangao. Families would also then exchange red envelopes, known in Chinese as hungbao, containing money as a form of good luck for the start of the New Year.

“It means more than the money to me; it means good luck,” senior Helen Tang said. “It reminds me of family responsibility, family duties, and the importance of family in general.”

Although the holiday originated from Asia, people from all different ethnicities have gained an understanding as well as a deep respect for the ceremony.

“My family lived in Hawaii for four years, and the whole island celebrates it, so I came out with a great love for Polynesian and Asian cultures,” social studies teacher Karen Evans said. “I would attempt to get everything in the house organize, get it clean…It’s the time to reorganize, get rid of the old year and begin the new year with hopeful aspirations.”

Regardless of how or who, Lunar New Year welcomes everyone who is willing to join in on stepping into the new year, may it be for the merriment or a chance to reunite with relatives and loved ones.

“I look forward to the lion dancing, the noise, getting together with family,” Evans said. “It’s not about being born into it if it speaks to you.”

CULTIVATING AN ANNUAL TRADITION

12 ETC.

Spanish III performed a skit on January 9 and 10 to apply their knowledge of what they learned throughout the course.

“I expect everything to be covered. There is a checklist and I expect everybody to participate, “ Spanish III teacher Maness-Richards said. “When we first started this project the students would do their own thing and so we decided to give them a checklist.”

Groups began to brainstorm for ideas the week before Winter Break.

“I hope we can, if we mess up, keep on going and make it to a funny moment,” junior Rachel Melo said.

Maness-Richards hopes that this year’s skits cover the chapters more in depth. “We had some [groups] that did very well but other groups focused too much on their props and not on their content.” she said.

Story by Aja Bryant, Alyssa Andaverde and Durand Nguyen

Spanish III performs for Final Project

1. Junior Maheen Farooqui is creating her group’s prop for the skit, gluing paper flowers onto blue butcher paper. “We’ve been working on them since Monday.” Farooqui said. “I’m not sure what to expect [about the skit] because I think most of us have stage fright but hopefully we will get through it.”

2. Sophomore Lisa Bui and junior Raniel Castro is looking over their script for the skit. “ I know we are going to do good, hopefully,” Bui said. “[The script] wasn’t easy but it wasn’t hard either. It was ok. “

3. Sophomore Rosa Montero is holding a handmade prop from her group’s skit. “It’s going to be a bouquet for the bride,” Montero said. “I’m nervous [about the skit] mostly because I’m shy around an audience but I think we are going to do good.”

4. Sophomore Michelle Thai (second left) is with her group, learning her part for the skit. “[We’ve been working on this skit since] the week before winter break.” Thai said. “I’m hoping everyone remember their lines.”

5. Sophomore Sara Siboldi and her group are preparing to perform their skit. “[Getting the skit over with] is very relieving.” Siboldi said. “I learned that if you forget your lines, your partner will help you remember them, which is something I didn’t expect.”

6.Sophomore Paola Araiza is performing a scene with senior Hana Nusratullah.“It felt good getting the project over with because I actually thought I was going to forget my lines, ”Paola said. “[This project] actually helped because I’m a natural [Spanish] speaker and I did not know any of the verbs.”

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