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C U L T U R ELoma Linda Academy Newzine | Established 1940s | Volume 83 | Issue 1 | Aug.-Oct. 2015

The MIRROR Culture Edition

L O M A L I N D A A C A D E M Y ’ S

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CONTACTLOMA LINDA ACADEMY

10656 Anderson StreetLoma Linda, CA 92354

mirror@lla.orgEditors In Chief

Victoria IcoAdanna OkwanduReportersLauren Ankrum

Aimee BlairKaylee Chinchay

PhotojournalistsJulia Gomez

Emily HeMichaela Lott

DesignersDaniela MejiaBlake Walker

VideographersBhavisha DesaiElijah Hickman

Elly LeePublishers

Robert SkoretzSponsors

Danielle Taylor Johnston

Find us on the Webwww.llamirror.org

04 School Diversity06 One Life07 New Teachers08 Cultural Appropriation10 Hey! Read This!11 Hey Listen to This!12 Taste the World13 Whats Trending?14 Study Habit Tips16 Kenya18 Italy20 It’s About Time...To Publish22 Leadership Intros26 Briefs

4

S C H O O L

One of the many blessings

that Loma Linda Academy (LLA)

has is its diversity. The students

at LLA have backgrounds from

all over the world, and some do

things differently than others

would. This makes LLA’s heritage

rich and distinguishes LLA

from other schools. Some of

students come from Asia, Central

America, and Europe, but we

all share a love for God and are

blessed enough to be able to

attend Loma Linda Academy.

Gisele Njoh-Njoh’s (12)

mom was born on the island

of Martinique and grew up in

Trinidad and Tobago. Her dad

is from Cameroon, a country in

central Africa. She is one of the

many students we have here that

come from diverse backgrounds.

Even though her parents were born

in a place very different from the

United States, Njoh-Njoh was

not. “Well, like most people in

our school, I was born in Loma

Linda,” said Njoh-Njoh. She is not

the only one who has been born

closeby. Sarah Davari’s (11) mom

is Spanish and Bolivian yet was

born in Mexico, but Davari herself

was born nearby in Riverside.

Our faculty also add to the

diversity of our school. Elba Vega,

the Spanish 2 and 3 teacher,

was born in Lima, Peru.

There are also special foods

and festivities that hint at the

various cultures among our student

body. For the Njoh-Njoh family, a

festival called Carnival in Trinidad

and Tobago is a big deal. During

this festival, there are people in

all sorts of interesting costumes

and stilt-walkers. There is also

an abundance of calypso music

and many people play the steel

drum. “I’ve gone to Trinidad and

Tobago before, but unfortunately

I haven’t been there for Carnival.

It’s one of my life goals to go,”

Njoh-Njoh said. Food is a major

part of cultures and also a very

big part in everyone’s lives.

Delaina Mangunsong (9) is from

Indonesia. A typical dish she enjoys

is Ikantri which is little spicy

anchovies mixed with fried tofu.

Some cultural dishes are

very different from each other

while others share similarities.

As Josh Rivera (10) explained,

rice is a major staple food

in Filipino culture and is

5

D I V E R S I T Y

“Traditional celebrations & holidays are special no matter where you come from.”

By:Aimee Blair

used a lot during meals.

For Shantel Guzman (10),

who is from the Dominican

Republic, rice can also be eaten

with empanadas, a popular

food in Latin America.

Traditional celebrations &

holidays are special no matter

where you come from. There are so

many diverse festivities out there

that are different from what we

have here in the United States. In

Indonesia, Adats is a celebration

when someone buys a house, has

their first child, or gets married.

Independence Day’s are also

big for countries. Indonesian

Independence Day is August 17th

and Dominican Independence

Day is September 27th. Christmas

is also a big time for anyone,

anywhere. Some celebrate

Christmas early like Rivera, “In

the Philippines they start to

prepare for Christmas as early

as September,” Rivera said.

Others such as Tommie

Cristales (9) celebrate

Christmas with fireworks.

Some people share some common

bonds on Christmas celebrations

though, for example Davari and

Guzman both celebrate Christmas

on Christmas Eve. “We don’t

celebrate actually on Christmas,

we celebrate the night before,

that’s when we have our huge

celebration” Shantel Guzman said.

Our cultures bring many

aspects that make us different,

whether it be how we celebrate

Christmas or the foods we eat.

Diversity is a great thing in and

out of school. No one would want

to go to a school where everyone

is the same because there would

be nothing between us that makes

us special. In the end, we are all

more similar than we think we are.

6

OnE LIfE

Before the school year resumes once again,w teenagers from several different

Adventist churches came together for a weekend to rekindle their walk with

God at camp called One Life. This camp was created by a group of pastors

and teachers who wanted to create a spiritual environment for teenagers,

so in 2011 they hosted the first annual One Life at Camp Cedar Falls.

“I wanted to go to One Life because it would benefit my spiritual life

and walk with God.” says Sean Farris grade 12, who has gone twice in the

last two years. They held sessions every day which included a music service

and a sermon. After that was over, the teens would separate in discussion

groups to discuss the sermon. This brought people to meet others from

different churches and create friendships. “I think my favorite was meeting

the girls from glendale.” says Amalia Goulborne grade 12. “There is a long

free period and they started playing numbers.” Several activities were held

such as hiking, playing on the field, or just hanging out in the cabins.

One thing Win Pasaribu, grade 11, she said, “I wanted to experience the

spiritual high.” This spiritual high was common amongst people who were

Pastor Dante Marruffo, the youth pastor at Azure Hills church, said,

“We can name it however,” says Marruffo, “but I should know it’s the spirit

of the Lord working. If you know how the Holy Spirit manifested at the

early SDA church during worship, and this is nothing less than that.”

This explanation soon made sense. People at the One Life were longing

to get closer to God and deepen their relationship with him. One event

that stood out to Farris the most was in 2014, during the Afterglow, which

when the La Sierra University bands gets together on Saturday night to

play music for the teens. The act of worship itself is already such a huge

impact on people, but when you’re worshiping with you friends and solely

focusing on God, you can sense a presence in the room. “The atmosphere

is different” says Farris,” and different from bible camp. Bible camp is

more social, but at One Life, everyone is there for the same reason.”

Overall, One Life is the event of the summer you wouldn’t want

to miss. “You get to meet new people and get closer to God.” says

Samuel Chinchay, grade 9. It’s a great way to get away from the world

and have your heart and mind solely focused on God. “How many

times do you get to escape life?” adds Rachel Barlow, grade 12.

“Just go.” says Pasaribu.

By: Kaylee Chinchay

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nEw TEaCHERS

By:Emily He

Three teachers became

new members at Loma Linda

Academy (LLA) this year, bringing

with them new music and new

experiments: John Carter, band

teacher, Monte Fleming chemistry

teacher, and Hans Figueroa

freshmen science teacher.

Carter decided that he wanted

to be a music director when he

was seven years old. When he

was a student at LLA, he had the

opportunity to play in the band.

He had a positive experience and

decided to go into music. In his

junior year of high school, he

conducted a big school musical

production. He

later attended

the University

of California,

Los Angeles. He

graduated and

finished his masters and doctorate

in conducting in 2006. “I have been

conducting professionally for nine

years,” he said. For him, “Teaching

is really a calling.” Conducting

is teaching to him. Helping

students and musicians

realize their potential is

something he finds

rewarding.

Teaching

at LLA

gives him a chance to give

back to the program that got

him started and he loves it.

Fleming has a “Bachelor of

Arts from La Sierra University in

music, a Master of Arts from the

University of California, Riverside in

music composition, and a Master of

Science from Loma Linda University

in geology.” He said he is “currently

working on [his] Doctor of

Philosophy in earth science at Loma

Linda University.” This is not only

his first year of teaching at LLA, but

also his first year teaching chemistry.

He has taught in different fields,

like geology and physics for about

12 years. Teaching for him is an

opportunity to reach a lot of people,

make people’s lives better and share

God’s words. He enjoys teaching

at LLA and expects “everyone to

understand everything.”

Figueroa has a

“Bachelor

of

Science in biology and a minor

in chemistry from Andrews

University.” He said, “I received my

teaching credentials from La Sierra

University and I’m working on my

masters from La Sierra University.”

Figueroa has been a science teacher

for 14 years. “I like science,” he

said. He likes to help the students

understand something that they

thought was difficult. His positive

experiences with his chemistry

teacher as a student gave Figueroa

the determination to give his

students the opportunity to be good

at science, even if they do not like it

that much. As a teacher he believes

that “the biggest thing

is to respect.” He

expects his students to

respect each other and

to respect the teacher.

Getting to know

more about the teachers can give

students insights of who they are and

the many talents they bring to LLA.

8

Cultural appropriation to Loma

Linda Academy (LLA) is important

because LLA is a school full of diversity.

Cultural appropriation seems to be

happening at school as well as outside of

school. Cultural appropriation, according

to Oxford dictionary, is a sociological

concept in which a member or members

of a different culture adopt, use, or

steal elements of one’s culture; this is

seen as a largely negative connotation.

Stereotyping fits with cultural

appropriation because this shows how

many of perceive cultural appropriation

as a negative concept. For example,

stereotyping can be bothersome to some

but inconsequential to others. Elijah

Velasquez (11) said, “I play soccer, and

because I am Hispanic, that to others

obviously means that I’m good at it.” He

also said, “They also think because I’m

Asian I eat rice with every meal.” Did

it bother him? “No, because it’s true.”

The act of stereotyping can affect

some people more than others. From

observation, stereotyping usually occurs

in groups of friends that are talking

in joking tones. However, there can

be cases when it is not taken lightly,

and people can be offended and hurt.

People do not generally like being

categorized and simplified because of

their physical features/characteristics.

Cultural appropriation, just like

stereotyping, is harmful. “Cultural

appropriation feeds stereotypes,

CuLTuRaL appROpRIaTIOndisrespects

minorities, and

gives majorities

a sense of

entitlement,”

said Krischin L.

(10) from Citrus

Valley High

School, who was

interviewed to

get a broader

view on this

subject. This is

important to

everyone at LLA

because cultural

appropriation

is also a way

of bullying,

especially

stereotyping.

Racial remarks,

sexual remarks,

and gender

remarks are

the biggest

stereotypes.

A culture for one is not a trend,

a culture is full of traditions meant

for those of the culture. Cultural

appropriation is disrespectful if not

used with the intended reasons.

There is always a special significance

to any object or clothing created.

To Josh Rivera (10), “It’s harmful

because it gives the false impression

to those of the appropriated culture

that their own fashions and behaviors

is not pleasing when the actual owner

does it. Yet, it’s okay when someone

foreign to the culture steals it.” The

damage cultural appropriation can

bring can also come from wearing

an item or citing a statement from a

culture, failing to mention that it is

not your own culture. An example

9

By: Bhavisha Desai

Cultural appropriation is a sociological concept in which a member or members of a different culture

adopt, use, or steal elements of one’s culture; this is seen as a largely negative connotation. Basically,

the culture being borrowed is simultaneously being demoralized by the one(s) doing it.

could be someone not of Indian

culture wearing a bindi to be “hip.”

Jessica Williams, Bible teacher, lived

in Hawaii for high school. When she

went to college at Southern Adventist

University, she was asked where she

was from and she replied “Hawaii”.

She then was labelled as Hawaiian, and

corrected them by saying she was not

actually Hawaiian. She was originally

born from West Virginia, then moved

to Hawaii when she was 12. Williams

said, “Embracing is one thing, but

deceiving people into thinking that

you are from that culture is another.”

Though appropriation is hurtful it

does not mean people can not enojoy

another’s culture. Appreciation is the

recognition and the enjoyment of the

good qualities of someone or something

as well as showing gratitude for it.

Adrienne Z. (11), from Citrus Valley

High school, said, “If someone really

wants to appreciate and participate in a

culture that they’re fond of, they should

look into that culture and into the history

of what they want to take part in.”

It is always nice to see others

embracing a culture that is not their

own. According to Megan Napod

(10), someone’s culture is something

of their own, and what describes them.

Students can appreciate that LLA is

blessed with the amount of diversity

it holds. According to The United

Nations Educational, Scientific and

Cultural Organization (UNESCO),

“Understanding others makes possible

a better knowledge of oneself: any

form of identity is complex, for

individuals are defined in relation

to other people,both individually

and collectively—and the various

groups to which they owe allegiance,

in a constantly shifting pattern.”

All this lasts throughout history,

this affects the school life as well as the

outside society. Students are making

history. Student can change the way

everything is seen. Students can make a

difference by being doing what we can to

be respectful and courteous to those of

other cultures, inside and outside of LLA.

:

assisteD By: Michaela lott

10

Written by Mexico native Ali Alsaid, Let’s Get Lost isn’t your traditional

multiculturalistic book. Set in the south eastern part of the United States,

the book takes you on a roadtrip following Leila, a mysterious young

girl who might be hiding more than she says, as she travels the U.S. on

her way to see the Northern Lights. On her way she meets four young

individuals- Hudson, a young mechanic who would stop anything for

love, Bree, a runaway teen desperate to escape the world she came from,

Elliot, an aspiring director who is just looking for his happy ending, and

Sonia, a young teen just longing to love again. Let’s Get Lost is a coming

of age story that not only may have you connect with its witty and likeable

characters, but also may have you find a few lost answers of your own.

HEY! REaD THIS!

Night by Eli Wiesel takes a turn for the dark parts of literature.

Eli Wiesel, a now aged Romanian Jew, recounts his horrific

journey through World War 2. Getting shipped to a ghetto with

his family to being separated from his mother upon being sent

to Auschwitz to losing his father and himself, Wiesel tellshis

story of self struggle and humiliation in one of the most horrible

death camps during the Holocaust. Awarded the Nobel peace

prize, Eli Wiesel’s story is one you would not want to miss.

The Joy Luck written by Amy Tan is the story of four Chinese families living

and struggling with the realities of being immigrants in 1940 United States. Told

by eight different women, this book tells of the internal problems of the traditional

culture of mothers and the daughters fight to change who they want to be. The

heartbreaking truth of the immigrant life in the mid 20th century may inspire you to

think differently about the importance of your own family culture and traditions.

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale, written by John Steptoe, is the

unique African take on the traditional Cinderella story. The story is set in a rural

city in Zimbabwe ruled by a king looking for the most beautiful bride for the prince.

Mufaro must choose between his two daughters, Manyara, a selfish and spoiled

child, and Nyasha, a kind and selfless girl, to see who will marry him. Mufaro’s

Beautiful Daughters is a great book to learn about the history and culture of the

nation of Zimbabwe, full of bright pictures, perfect for any fairytale fantic.

BY: Daniela

Mejia

11

HEY! LISTEn TO THIS!

On campus, many students

listen to multicultural music.

From K-pop from Korea to

Samba music from South America

and everywhere in between,

multicultural music influences

them in their lives musically,

intellectually, socially and spiritually.

Many students listen to it because

it connects them to their roots. “It

reminds me of my childhood and it’s

really catchy,” Yzza Fernando (11)

said, who wasn’t born in the US but

was actually born in the Philippines.

As well as living in the Philippines,

she has also lived in other countries

such as Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Other students also listen to

multicultural music even though

it may not be from their country.

“Language and accents are always

really intriguing to me. Plus every

culture has a different way of utilizing

their voices and instruments to make

different sounds and atmospheres,”

Rachel Specht (11) said, who really

loves listening to multicultural

music not because of her roots but

because it is one of her interests.

BY: Blake Walker

Favorite Multicultural Band?

“U-Kiss”- Golden Se

“CNBlue”-Isaac Gonzaga

How often do you listen to multicultural music?

“Everyday and always” -Jackie Queja

12

z We all know that food is a vital

part of our lives. The majority of

students or teenagers you will talk

to will say that they love to eat and

try new foods. What some people

do not know is that there is more to

food and eating than just intaking

calories and carbs. With quite a few

different families, there are stories

and memories that come from their

families heritage and culture that are

attached to specific recipes, which

makes it that much more special

other than just a good tasting food.

Aimee Oliverio (11) gave

us insight to the story behind her

grandmother’s “Magdalenas.” “When

my grandma first came from El

Salvador to California for the first

time, she brought us a bunch of

them (magdalenas). We have a lot

of family that lives there, and in

some way knowing that they had

made all of these things for them

made a good connection to them

and my grandparents and a piece of

El Salvador to remember and think

of.” Everytime Oliverio and her

family eat these small Spanish cakes,

it reminds them of their home and

the family that lives there and her

cultural background and makes this

simple little dessert that more special.

Another student, Andrea

Lau (10), told us about one of her

mother’s favorite recipes. Lau said

that this is one of recipes her mother

learned from a friend when she

first moved to Miami from………

. Everytime Lau has her mother’s

“Pasta Napolitan,” it reminds them

of her mother’s move into her

new life in the United States.

Andrea’s Pasta Napolitan

Ingredients:

-Cooked spaghetti al dente

-2 garlic heads; finely chopped

-2-3 bunches Parsley; chopped

-Parmesan cheese

-Olive Oil

-Salt

Saute the chopped garlic with 2 Tbs.

Olive Oil until slightly golden

Add chopped parsley

Saute all together, add salt to taste

Add the pasta and mix together

Add more salt to taste and oil if needed

Serve hot with Parmesan Cheese on top

ByLauren Ankrum

TaSTE THE wORLD

13

iphone

Aimee Oliverio’s Magdalenas

Ingredients:

-4 eggs

-1 cup Granulated Sugar

-4 ounces Butter

-1 ⅔ cups White Flour

-1 tablespoon Baking Powder

-1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

-1 tablespoon Milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Measure ¼ cup sugar into small bowl and set aside

Beat eggs with ¾ cup sugar until the mixture is light

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter on the stovetop

Mix the egg mixture slowly into the melted butter. Be sure to mix thoroughly.

Stir in vanilla and milk

Measure out the flour into a separate bowl. Add the baking powder to flour and mix thoroughly.

While stirring the egg mixture, add in the flour mixture. Continue to stir

until all ingredients are mixed well. (Batter will be very thick)

Place paper liners in cupcake pan. Use a large serving spoon to spoon batter, fill each one half full

Batter will more than double in size when baked, use a teaspoon to sprinkle each magdlaena with a bit of the sugar.

Place pans on middle shelf of oven for 18-20 minutes or until they have turned a golden

color. Allow to cool 5 minutes before taking out of the pan to cool further.

wHaTS TREnDIng?

“MBA 2k15, ‘Hit the Quan’, Donald Trump”-Dylan Lafontant

“snapchat effects, the Pope ”-Jordan Valdez

“Birkenstocks”-Hannah McKee

“Tevas”-Marcha Manullang “Leather jeans, Iphone 6s, apple

pencil”Elijah Chokka

“Visors/Curved Hats”-Nadeen McFarlane

“Hydroflask”-Kyle Bugayong

“ When ____ statements ”-Madison Oliver

“Man buns”-Emily Martinez

“Wear backpack everywhere”-Mrs. Ellsmann

ByJulia Gomez

14

STuDY HabIT TIpSmore

time-

consuming

homework

like physics

before working on the

easier work like art. “It’s

nice to [have] classes that you

have a hobby for,” says Zezima.

2: Make a schedule. Schedules and

priorities go hand-in-hand. Once you know

where your priorities lie, making a schedule to

meet those demands should be a breeze. Making a

schedule is like running a marathon. You allot certain

amounts of time and energy to certain areas of the route so that

you can finish the entire course within a suitable amount of time.

It is a lesson in time management. That means that everything essential

to the success of your academic career must come first, and all else

must be put aside momentarily. For some people that may mean

that they can not hang out with their friends for as long as

they usually do, or maybe saving that new movie for

later. Junior class senator Trinity Tanner (11) has

found the use of schedules to be very helpful,

and that sticking to it does help her deal

with the stress of office and regular

school work. “I love chilling

with my friends, but studies

must be considered,”

said Tanner.

3: Stay

healthy.

It is

Good

study habits are

not something that

one can just pick up like

an old coat, but rather, like

a new pair of shoes, they need

to be broken in by frequent use.

Unfortunately, not a lot of

instruction is given to students on developing

these study habits, and it is hard to excel at

something that is very unclear. So, here are a few

tips that will help get you on the right path to success.

1: Set your priorities. You need to know what is most

important to you at this point in your academic career in order to

know how to use your time wisely. Try making a list of all your upcoming

homework assignments, tests, and quizzes. Then, put them in order

of what needs to be done first. For most people, homework

ends up being at the very top of that list and studying

comes second or third. However, different people have

different ways of doing things, so your list may

differ from that of someone else’s. The ultimate

goal is to have a general knowledge of

how to schedule your study time.

You may even organize your

homework by your most

stressful classes. For

example, Melissa

Zezima (12)

prefers to

do her

15

difficult

to

function

efficiently

when your body is

not properly taken care

of. “Sleep and exercise are

essential,” says Heidi Elssmann,

LLA senior physics and freshmen

Algebra I teacher. She sees the effort

students put into their work on a daily basis,

and knows how taxing it can be on the body. Still,

she insists that time be taken to exercise and stay in

shape so that the body can remain healthy as well. “When

you get stuck on a problem, get up, run a lap around the block,

and come back to it. I promise you it helps,” Elssmann said.

It is not just exercise that is necessary, but sleep as well. No

matter how busy you are, it is important that you get a good

amount of sleep every night. According to information

gathered by the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in

Columbus, Ohio, about 9.5 hours of sleep are

recommended for adolescents. Scheduling how

you spend your time helps ensure that you

get those 9.5+ hours of sleep instead of

doing homework all throughout

the night. Not only will

the proper amount

of sleep help you

function better

throughout

the day,

but

it

will

also

improve

your overall

attitude so that

you will not feel so

overwhelmed if things do not

work out the way you planned.

4: Do your absolute best. Be

determined to succeed in all things that

you do, and it will pay off. You may not see

the results of this immediately, but you will when

the time comes. In the words of Mrs. Elssmann, “You

have to be able to be uncomfortable and keep pressing

forward. If you never allow yourself to be uncomfortable, you

will never become more proficient.” Accomplishing great things in

academics has absolutely nothing to do with what gender, race, or

ethnicity you are. You may be pressured by stereotypes about such

things, but remember that they are exactly that: stereotypes.

They do not dictate how you are going to score on that

upcoming history test or how well you are going to

do on that English mid-term. You ultimately

control your own actions, thus you control

your own results. If you want to excel

at school, then you have to put

forth the effort to do so.

ByAdanna Okwandu

16

17

KEnYaSeveral Loma

Linda Academy

students prepared for a

much anticipated trip from

June 14th to the 26th. However,

even before leaving, those going

on the Kenya Mission Trip faced

problems. First of all, the Ebola

epidemic had broken out before

the trip. Although Ebola was not

affecting the area of the mission trip,

it gave everyone a big scare. In

addition, just two months

before, there had been

word of Christians

being killed

in Nairobi,

the city of the

participant’s arrival.

Many of them going backed

out, which reduced the amount

of participants to fifteen, which

was nearly half. However, this did

not affect the work which was to

be done with the Maasai, which

are the people of Maasai Mara.

The mission was to build

two classrooms for the local

Adventist school, which

involved construction

work. Most of

those going

on the trip had

no experience in

this field, but quickly

picked it up. First, “We

carried bricks from a big pile in the

‘swamp’ to a load truck. Then we

unloaded them at the construction

site,” Judy Chu (10) said. It was a

swamp because our summer season

is the winter season for Africa, or

more specifically, the rainy season.

Chloe Elias (11) mentioned

that the weather was “cooler than

expected and the ground was very

muddy. There was even mud in my

hair!” But even so, students had fun.

Chad Basical (11) recalls the

singing that went along with the

hard work. Laying brick after

brick and carrying pails of cement

was truly taxing. That is why

others enjoyed the clinic more.

In the clinic, they did dentistry

work and reflex checks on Kenyan

babies. Chu’s highlight was that

she “got to pull out three teeth.”

The beauty though was

interacting with all the people

and children from the Maasai

Mara. Nikki Santos (12) said

that “their culture is RAW; It

captures nature’s essence.”

Before Loma Linda Academy

began any construction work, the

school children welcomed everyone

with stupendous dancing and

singing that thanked and praised

God. The children also introduced

themselves in each classroom and

demonstrated what they had learned

and were learning. They loved to

play games and take selfies with

LLA student’s phones. There was

something about seeing themselves

on a screen that mesmerized them.

There were many new

experiences such as Elias mentioned.

The “animals were very close to you,

we would awaken to animals around

the huts. There were giraffes and

zebras around campsites. We saw

many animals in the safari along

with many excotic birds,” Elias

said. Excitement also included the

success of constructing two new

classrooms at the school. However,

the true blessings and experience

came from what was learned from

the Maasai culture--gratefulness.

The Kenyan’s, lacked some

physical needs, yet they were

complete in spirit and joy. The

Maasai taught those that went on the

trip gratefulness and full reliance on

God or “Hakuna Matata,” which is

a precisely translates from Swahili,

the Kenyan language, “no worries.”

ByJulia GomezPhotos byJasmine Alfaro, Jason Calvert, Judy Chu, Chloe Elias, Lyle Golbourne, Etienne Hein, Kate Lewis, and Austin Oliver

18

ITaLYFor most of the Loma Linda Academy

(LLA) students, the school year ended on the

last day of school on campus. However for the

Wind Symphony students, the end of their

2014-2015 school year culminated with the long

awaited June band tour. Destination: Italy.

As the anticipation welled up for this

international trip, it also held another significance

as it would be the last band tour under the

direction of the beloved Giovanni Santos. In

fact, Lauren Caballero (11) wanted to ignore

the impending feeling of the end. “This is the

end of the Santos era,” she states, admitting that

this was “hard to swallow.” Santos had been

the high school and junior high band director

for seven years and has skillfully directed the

LLA bands through adjudications, national

and international tours, and even a once-in-

a-lifetime performance at the Disney Concert

Hall last summer. He has now moved on to

direct the band at La Sierra University.

Impending sadness aside, the students

were awaiting the trip to Italy with open arms.

For Preston Kim (12), it would be his first

time in Europe. Among the things he was

excited to do was “to try new food and see the

famous, beautiful cathedrals and landmarks.”

He recalls losing sleep the night before

because the anticipation was too much.

The tour was destined for Rome, Venice,

Milano, Agrate Brianza, Verona, San Marino,

and Florence. Each of these cities impressed a

memory in each of the students. Shelly Rauser (10)

particularly remembers Venice as it was raining the

entire stay. This took her and all the other students

by surprise as none of them were prepared. Rauser

explained that they did walking tours in Venice and

no one had an umbrella, so during any opportunity

some would try to find cover or others would

purchase a new umbrella. Caballero adds that,

while unfortunate, it was a spontaneous event that

occurred, which “made it more memorable.”

The Italian food also planted memories

for the band members. While the students were

given many opportunities to explore the Italian

palate on their own, many of the hotels provided

them meals. However, Italy is not necessarily a

vegetarian friendly place. Caballero remembers

a hotel’s attempt to serve fried tofu. Caballero

described it as an unseasoned block of tofu that

was just fried. Brave as she was to actually eat

it, afterward she could only say “they tried.”

Kim was more happy about the food

they were able to consume on their own

time, most notably the gelato. “Let’s just

say we ate it too many times,” he said.

However, the gelato could only taste so

sweet, because each nightly performance in

Italy brought the band students another step

closer to the last one under Santos’ baton.

Class of 2015 graduate Annie Golay described

the scene of the last night. She states:

“After the last note rang out in the [Roman]

cathedral, I think everyone lost it. For my section,

we were all in tears by the end. And as I looked

around, I could see that most everyone felt the

same way. It wasn’t just that we were leaving,

but that Mr. Santos, our fearless leader, band

director, and friend was going to be moving

on as well. For the vast majority of the band,

Mr. Santos had been there for their entire band

career. Knowing that this was the end of an

era, of his time as band conductor for Loma

Linda Academy, was incredibly saddening.”

Everyone felt a mix of emotions

at that moment. As the setlist

progressed, the students

began to tear up and

section by section they

began to cry. Santos was

no exception. Rauser said that

he began to cry when the saxophones

played Clair De Lune, which was the second

to last song. Kim mentions that the audience

that night gave them a standing ovation, but the

students were stuck to their seats because they

were so emotional. Nevertheless, they appreciated

the Italian audience for listening to their music,

even though that last night might have seemed

confusing to the uninformed audience.

Music tours are the greatest

opportunity for the members to

form one big music family

and Italy provided

that community

sense and more for the

LLA Wind Symphony. Golay

said that a large part of that came

from the students themselves. She says that

“Band is not just a class, it’s like a community,

a family,” and because of this mindset,

“everyone got so close throughout the trip.”

During the June 11th to 19th trip, the

Wind Symphony grew as a family, explored a

new country, and created some of the best, most

emotional, and most memorable memories in

their lives. The four people interviewed

for this article speak for themselves

and the entire band as they

say that they “would do

it all again in a heartbeat.”ByVictoria IcoPhotos byPreston Kim, Brandon Shin, and Nathan Pittenger

19

20

Writing takes a lot

of time and effort and requires a lot of

determination and patience. There are many steps in the writing

process, interviewing would be the first one. If you do not have anyone to interview

you do not have a story. If people are not involved in the story they most likely will not be interested in

what the article has to say.These are a few of the many things that you must keep in mind in order to write a great article.

...TO pubLISH

IT’S abOuT TImE

21

Your

article is very

much dependent on the

photo, captions and headlines that go

along with your story. If your article and photos do

not match up, it could confuse the reader and may cause them

to not want to read further. This is also why having captions with your photos

are important to include. Not having intriguing captions attached to your pictures can

draw the reader in and either have them want to read your article or continue onto the next, the same

goes for headlines and titles. If the title of an article does not capture the reader’s attention, it might cause them to not

read the article itself. Captions and headlines are a very big part of the article and should capture the overall feel of the paper.

Interviews are a very basic yet vital part of writing. When interviewing someone you must always be confident. Writing out

your questions beforehand and being prepared is super important. If your interviewee is not comfortable with you or

the subject they may be less inclined to open up to you. Make sure you have their undivided attention and

give feedback when they are answering questions so they know you are engaged and care about

what you are saying. PUC Publication Workshop Leader Brittnie Sigamoney believes

that the most important part of interviewing is to be sincerely curious. At the

end of the interview, always thank the person you interviewed for

taking time out of their schedule to speak with you.

This spread was

originally created by the

LLA Mirror Staff for a competition

at the annual PUC Publication Workshop.

They were given three hours for pictures,

writing, designing and editing. This

is an edit of the final print.

22

SCHOOL LEaDERS

Ministry Directors: (from left to right) Marci Amurao, Yasmine Siagiaan, Madison Oliver, Nathan Pittenger, Ashley Leeper, Rachel Lee, Preston Kim, Adanna Okwandu, Jessica Mendoza, Nathan Ortiz, Moriah Perkins, Stephanie Trinidad, Jake Tsai, Arianna Gutierrez, Cheryl Wang, Julia Gomez, Brent Huggins, Brianna Cruz, Nikki Santos, Nick Alt, Dakota Hall, Alyssa Cosejo, Dylan Lane, Sarah Pan, Jason Calvert

Student Association Officers: (left to right) Maci Chen, CeCe Ewing, Daniel Hill, Kenny Dockham, Karyn Clayton, Savannah Hodgkin, Elissa Giang, Corinne Atiga, Cassie Peterson, Nikki Santos, Celne Saade

23

unDERCLaSSmEn

Freshman Officers: (from left to right) Dylan Lafontant, Tiana Campbell, Harrison Mace, JustinMcGrath, Kristen Whitley, Jordan Alnimri, Ashley Oh, Katie Kin, Chloe Roda, Sophie Rigsby, Jasmine Bilbao, Kelsey Moreno, Sarah Seo, Brandon Rhee, Vivianna Williams (not pictured)

Sophmore Officers: (from left to right) Robinson Massey, Andy Suh, Lyle Goulbourne, Erin Ly, Lauren Wilson, Salomon Galo, Ken Cautivar, Chris Leon, Krizelle Baraero, Nathalie Batres, Nicole Evangelista, Ashley Joseph, Ivanna Vargas

24

uppERCLaSSmEn

Junior Oficers: (from left to right) Alison Melgar, Lauren Caballero, Matai Mayne, Kyra Church, Hunter Lazar, Kevin Bartalome, Isabel Serrano, Elijah Velasquez, , Joeseph Hector, Rachel Nyirady, Win Pasaribu, Joshua Mangunsong, Valeria Juarez, Trinity Tanner, Rachel Spect

Senior Officers: (from left to right) Brent Hugins, Preston Kim, Nicholas Ault, Nathan Pittenger, Brandon Shin, Corbin Edlebach, Alex Arnott, Benjamin Ballou, Brandon Larsen, Joni Bellonio, Chery Wang, Sarah Pan, Yasmine Siagian, Sarah Farris, Carina Handysides, Ashley Leeper

25

pubLICaTIOn TEamS

Lomasphere Staff: (from left to right) Diane Bradley, Jessica Valenzuela, Victoria Pacheco, Vanessa Cisneros, Lanna Victoria, Christer Jorgensen

Mirror Staff: (from left to right) Blake Walker, Elijah Hickman, Danny Mejia, Aimee Blair, Adanna Okwandu, Eli Lee, Lauren Ankrum, Bhavisha Desai, Julia Gomez, Emily He, Victoria Ico, Kaylee Chinchay, Michaela Lott, Taylor Johnston

26

bRIEfS

COmICS

Tired a

nd much

tanner

Senior

s of th

e Clas

s of

2016

retur

ned fro

m their

four

day Se

nior tri

p to L

ake

Havasu,

Arizon

a on Se

ptember

16, 2

015.

The S

eniors

formed

many bon

ds and c

razy m

emori

es and K

ayla

Redfield

was eve

n bapti

zed on

Mon

day, S

eptem

ber 14

.

August

20, 2

015 w

as the

first t

ime i

n

LLA histo

ry tha

t ever

y clas

s had

an offi

cial

class s

hirt fo

r the a

nnua

l SA ha

ndsha

ke!

On the 13th of October, history was made

when the Chicago Cubs finally won a spot in

the National League Championship Series.

Students all across the world joined together

at their own flagpoles on Wednesday, September

23rd for the annual prayer at the pole!MIRROR sweaps four awards

at the 2015

Publication Workshop

1.Best Newspaper

2. Excellence in Writing

3. Excellence in Photography

4. Excellence in Layout and Design

CLASS POINTS as of Oct. 18, 2015

1st Seniors- 2002nd Soph- 140

3rd Juniors- 1104th Fresh- 50

Yazm

in De L

eon W

illiam

s pass

ed aw

ay in

her s

leep

on Se

ptember

28, 2

015.

She i

s survi

ved by

her c

hildre

n

Vivian

na (9

), Aria

nna,

and A

lex an

d husb

and P

aul

Willi

ams. W

illiam

s grad

uated

from LLA in

‘96 a

nd

was ed

itor o

f The M

irror.

LLA mou

rns he

r loss.

Drawn by Marlea Asprec

August

20, 2

015 w

as the

first t

ime i

n

LLA histo

ry tha

t ever

y clas

s had

an offi

cial

class s

hirt fo

r the a

nnua

l SA ha

ndsha

ke!

MIRROR sweaps four awards

at the 2015

Publication Workshop

1.Best Newspaper

2. Excellence in Writing

3. Excellence in Photography

4. Excellence in Layout and Design Out

er: Se

nior C

omin

g O

ut, S

epte

mb

er 8, 2

015

Inne

r: Se

nior H

ava

su T

rip, S

epte

mb

er 13-

16, 2

015

Havasu photos by Chris Bayag

Coming Out phtots by Diane Bradley

28

L O M A L I N D A A C A D E M Y ’ S

R RT H E M I R R O R