THE AZTECVOLUME LXXVIII NUMBER I ALHAMBRA, CA 91801 September 17, 2015

9/24 10th and 11th Grade Parent Meeting 6-7 pm in Auditoroim9/30 Collaboration Schedule9/30 MKHS Alliance Meeting 7-9pm in Cafeteria10/14 End of first quarter10/14 Collaboration Schedule10/15 District College Fair 6-8 pm at SGHS10/16 Minimum Day Schedule10/21 MKHS PTSA Meeting 7-9 pm in Cafeteria10/28 Collaboration Schedule10/28 MKHS Alliance Meet-ing 7-9 pm in Cafeteria

Mark Your calendar

BRANDON CHUNGHistorian, Co-Copy Editor

IN THIS ISSUE:NEWS:

Campus construction •

New Teachers • Wi-Fi • Link Crew • Fall Play • News

Briefs

VIEWPOINT:Bridge from A to C • Senior Priority • Gender Wage Gap

FOCUS: Making High

School Worth It

FEATURES:Locker Opinions •

Good Apps • Powerschool App

• Voices

SPORTS:Boys' Water Polo • Football • Girls'

Tennis •Girls' Volleyball • Cross

Country

Campus construction brings new aesthetic to Keppel

This school year, Keppel has added eight new teachers and two new assistant principals to the staff. They are Activate Ar-royo, Dorothy Burkhart, Diane Chase, Pat Hill, Michael Lee, Anna Toxqui, Marisa Meyka, and Alex Perez. Some students may recognize Arroyo as the director for Dance Company and All-Male; how-ever, this year is his first official year as a full-time teacher at Kep-pel. Arroyo is currently teaching Dance Fitness, Beginning Dance,

and Aerobics to all grade levels, in addition to the dance teams. Burkhart has taught for a to-tal of 17 years, with two years teaching music in middle school and 15 years teaching English at the high school level. This year, Burkhart is teaching World Lit-erature to seniors and AP English Language and Composition to juniors. Chase has taught for eight years as an English teacher. She taught at El Monte High School, Gardenia High School, and three other schools in San Diego. This year, Chase is teaching English ½ and English ½ Honors.

Hill has taught Physical Edu-cation to all grade levels for the past 36 years. She taught at all the schools in Alhambra District, ex-cept for Fremont Elementary and Alhambra High School. Within these years, Hill was also the Athletic Director for nine years at San Gabriel High School. Lee is a special education teacher who teachers all grade levels. He has been working as a teacher’s assistant for the past six years at elementary schools in Los Angeles, making this year his first official year as a teacher. Toxqui is currently teaching ninth to eleventh graders Inte-grated Math 1 and 2. This year marks her second year as a teach-er after having taught at Sirius Elementary School for a year. Meyka is Keppel's new As-sistant Principal of the Office of Instruction, and this is her elev-enth year working in Alhambra Unified School District. Perez is Keppel's new Assistant Principal of Student and Employ-ee Welfare. Before Keppel, Perez taught Spanish at Alhambra High School for 20 years. To read the full article, visit theaztecnews.com.

This year, Keppel is undergo-ing a major revamp to replace old landmarks and add new ones. The construction is a part of a massive bond money project, the same project that funded the con-struction of the B and C Build-ings, as well as the Aztec Arena. A large portion of the upgrades are taking place on the soccer, baseball, and softball fields, which are currently undergoing a leveling process to eliminate the ruts in the ground. The dugouts where the teams sit during games are also being redone. Principal Cisneros said,“[The fields] will be at the right grade, so when we compete, we’ll have a quality field.” Also, the entire wire-mesh fence along Hellman Avenue is being replaced with a wrought-iron gate, identical to the one that composes the East Gate and sur-rounds much of the entrance to the girls’ locker room. Other up-grades include the asphalt walk-way next to the tennis courts that have been redone as a concrete path, and the tennis courts that have been resurfaced, leaving no cracks in the freshly painted ground. Additionally, the custo-dians' storage area, which was

previously housed in an old shack by the parking lot behind the C Building, has been torn down and moved into the D Building, into a much more spacious and much less dirty room. Another upgrade is the addi-tion of a discus-throwing field for the Track & Field team. Pre-viously, Keppel sported a small area for this event; however, it was located in a dangerous area, as a concrete platform next to the groundskeeper’s shed. It was torn down over the summer. Accord-ing to Mrs. Cisneros, this new field will be included as a part of the track and field and will pro-

vide a space for the track athletes to perform their discus-throwing event. Senior Joshua Chang, a Varsity track member and the captain of the Varsity Throws Team, said, “The fact that they're providing us a new throwing ring is great. It's not what I expected to receive an upgrade but it's well appreci-ated. The new ring would give us a better incentive for gathering new members and conducting practices.” The discus-throwing field will also be available for use to the P.E classes. The construction began at the end of last school year, during the

first week of June. It was origi-nally meant to be completed over the summer, but numerous de-lays, such as visits from inspec-tors, a side project to fix the bath-rooms for the football field, and a ruptured water pipe delayed the process, pushing back the dead-line. The construction is tenta-tively scheduled to finish around September 30. Other projects paid for by the same bond money project have yet to start. One of these projects is updating the boys’ and girls’ locker room; the construction dates have yet to be set.

VIVIAN TOEditor-in-Chief/Focus Editor

Keppel welcomes new teachers, administrators to campus

Teachers Ms. Burkhart, Ms. Chase, Mr. Lee, Mrs. Hill, and Mr. Arroyo pose for a picture. THE AZTEC/RODOLFO ARIAS

Construction workers install a new fence along East Hellman. THE AZTEC/VICTORIA RAMIREZ

News in Brief

Clubs rush to gain new membersKeppel students saw 61 of the 70+ campus clubs during the annual club rush held at Palm Court during lunch from August 31 to September 11.

New classes offered for 2015-2016 school yearThere are four new classes be-ing offered for the 2015-16 school year, which are Ex-pository Reading and Writing, Foods, Tennis, and an addition-al Leadership class. In addition, athletes with free sixth periods can take updated theory classes for their sports, which now fea-ture strength and conditioning components.

SBAC score results returned Last year's junior class had 78% of students reach the ELA achievement standard and 67% of students reach the math achievement standards for the SBAC testing, with a total of 510 students tested for the ELA summative, and 524 students tested for the math summative.

The Aztec 2015-2016

Bonnie WongEditor-in-Chief/Asst. A&E/Features Editor

Vivian ToEditor-in-Chief/Focus Editor

Darwin Tse Asst. Editor-in-Chief/Web Editor

Sarah McCormick News Editor

Alexander Beau-montA&E/Features Editor

Brian Yeo Viewpoint Editor

Eric LamSports Editor

Karli ChengBusiness Manager

Victoria RamirezChief Photographer

Kristin Ching-buranakitAsst. Photographer

Rodolfo AriasAsst. Photographer

Brandon Chung Historian/ Co-Copy Editor

Yang Lu Co-Copy Editor

Edlyn Wong Head Cartoonist

Celeste ArambulaStaff Writer

Calvin ChanStaff Writer

Angela ChenStaff Writer

Dianne DoStaff Writer

Noelle FrasherStaff Writer

Arodi GarciaStaff Writer

Cristina GonzalezStaff Writer

Anthony JianStaff Writer

Cole KimStaff Writer

Kenneth LiuStaff Writer

Jonathan LouStaff Writer

Eric TamStaff Writer

Shanae ToStaff Writer

Babyruth TorresStaff Writer

Sophie WongStaff Writer

Aurora ZengStaff Writer

Wesley ZengStaff Writer

The aztec is published monthly by the journalism class of mark keppel high school and is printed By Garde-nia Valley News. opinions expressed are those of the writers, not of the faculty or administration. Articles without bylines are staff editorials, and re-flect the opinion of the staff. Letters to the editor are welcome and are subject to editing. Letters can be given to Ms. Bradley in room a225 or sent to THEaztecstaff@gmail.com. All letters must be signed, but on request, names will be withheld. we do not acknowledge unsigned let-ters. All internet graphics on the aztec newspaper are the properties of their respective owners.

ANGELA CHENStaff Writer

Leading Ladies leads the return of Keppel fall play

The Mark Keppel Theatre Company will be putting on this year’s fall play, Lead-ing Ladies, on October 8, 9, and 10 at 7:30 P.M in the auditorium. Leading Ladies is a comedy centered around two broke Shakespearean actors, Leo and Jack. In an effort to be included in an elderly woman named Florence’s multi-million dollar inheritance, they find them-selves in a risky situation when they pose as Florence’s long-lost nieces. Drama Director and Visual and Perform-ing Arts instructor Ms. Phillips stated, “I always felt that the spirit of the fall - doing a comedy - there’s an energy to it that I find interesting and fun.” This will be Mark Keppel’s first main-stage play in four years; previous produc-tions were musicals such as Peter Pan and Beauty and the Beast. Additionally, this will be the first time since 2009 that Mark Keppel will be having a fall performance, rather than a single spring production. “We weren’t allowed to do a fall show for the last six years because of budget cuts. This year the district gave us the money back,” said Ms. Phillips. “[The production] might give you an opportunity

to connect to a little bit of history because the play takes place in 1952. I encourage the entire student body to come and see the show because it really is a funny piece.” Sophomore Celeste Nguyen, who will be starring in the role of Aunt Florence in the production, expressed her motivation for auditioning for the play and her deci-

sion to involve herself in the theater pro-gram. “At first I didn’t really want to audition because I was busy with school and stuff, but it seemed like a good opportunity. I play Aunt Florence… She’s like the grand-ma. [Florence] is permanently cranky, and she’s not in a lot of the scenes, but she’s

the reason why everybody’s there,” Nguy-en said. Senior Joseph Caldera, who will be playing the role of Butch in the production stated, “I’ve been in the past three main-stage productions at this school, and it’s really exciting to finally be doing a straight play rather than a musical.”

ANTHONY JIANStaff Writer

Link Crew guides freshmen

This year Mark Keppel introduced the MKHS Link Crew as an organization where students help freshmen transition from middle school life to high school life. According to co-advisor Ms. Lee, MKHS Link Crew is a group where ju-niors and seniors connect with freshmen to help them succeed. All freshman are part of the club, and a total of 125 mem-bers make up the MKHS Link Crew. All ASB members are also part of the MKS Link Crew. Every two junior and senior members form a group with eight to twelve fresh-men. Ms. Lee said, “We look for people who have willingness and positivity.” Leader positions were offered last April and were selected at the May Play Day. Senior Poching Lao, an MKHS Link Crew leader said, “As a Link Crew leader I help the freshmen when they come up to me in the hallways and we have events that will help the freshmen open up to the school and their new surroundings.”

Ms. Lee said, “The accomplishments that I’ll expect [from] the MKHS Link Crew is [to] help freshmen transition to high school life in a positive way.” Ms. Lee also added that every activity that MKHS Link Crew has its own inten-tion, has its own purpose and learning op-portunity for students. Link crew leader Tian Tian Cui, junior, say that trainings took place for two days, four hours each, during the summer. These training meetings were held in preparation for Keppel 101 where lead-ers held team building activities and led campus tours. Throughout the year, the club has so-cial activities, academic follow up, and more leader meetings planned. The next event that MKHS Link Crew will host is a movie night, “Netflix and Thrill,” in the cafeteria on October 23. It is free for all freshmen and Link Crew leaders, and it is open for the rest of the students and staff for $1 per ticket. “Almost all the members of the Link Crew...got close to a freshman. And I have a group of freshmen that I know, that I see them sometimes in school and I say hi to them,” Lao said.

School Wi-Fi returns to Keppel; students struggle to connect

This school year sees the return of the school’s Wi-Fi system for mobile devices. This year, the school Wi-Fi is operating through three main networks: “AUSD-BYOD,”“AUSD-WIRELESS,”and “AUSD-APPLE.” For students, the appropriate network to connect to is the “AUSD-BYOD.” The “BYOD” is an acronym for “Bring Your Own Device.” Students can log in using their student ID numbers as the network username and their birthdays (MM/DD/YYYY) as the password. All of the school Wi-Fi networks are monitored and man-aged according to applicable policies. However, many students may find themselves unable to connect to the school Wi-Fi. If a device was connected to the school’s Wi-Fi last year and did not sign out at the end of the year, then it will have trouble signing in because it will try to connect to a non-existing network. In order to connect properly, this device must forget the old network and connect to the new one.

New network technician Oniek Flow said, “You just gotta keep trying. If you have any trouble signing in you just have to keep trying.” The second network is “AUSD-WIRE-LESS.” This network is reserved for all district approved PCs, which will connect automatically. The last network is the “AUSD-AP-PLE,” and it is used for all district ap-proved Apple devices. Both of these net-work connections are for administrative use only. The only people on campus who know the passwords to these networks are the computer technicians. The wireless connection was changed this summer is due to past issues of slow Internet connection. These extra network connections are the district’s solution to a major problem for both the school and the students. “A lot of the students last year were taking a lot of the bandwidth and slowing down the school’s Internet,” said Flow, “But hopefully with the addition of these new networks, things will run a lot more smoothly.”

RODOLFO ARIAS Asst. Photographer

Tech theater students work on constructing the set for Leading Ladies. THE AZTEC/VICTORIA RAMIREZ

Crowded hallways, packed staircases, walking in and out of buildings, rushing to your class-room just in time to hear the bell ring. Is there really no easier way to get from A building to C building? With all the people squeezing past each other in the hallways, there’s no wonder why many students are already sweating when coming into their class-room. Isn’t it about time to build a bridge connecting A building to C building? This bridge would make trav-eling from class to class much easier. Jason Xian, junior, most certainly agrees with this idea. “Endeavoring from the A to C building can be a hassle at Kep-pel. Traveling from the first floor of the A building to the first floor

of the C building is manageable. However, when people have to travel from the second floor of the A building to the third floor of the C building, it becomes al-most impossible. If a new bridge were to be built from the second floor of the A building to the third floor of the C building, it would greatly relieve the suf-fering of those who trek as I do while alleviating the congestion between those two buildings,” he responded. For Xian, a bridge would defi-nitely be a huge benefit. “It would reduce the time traveled between the two locations, reduce con-gestion in those two buildings, and even save my back,” he said. But some disagree with this idea. “The bridge is not neces-sary. We can just transfer by walking. Besides, there are eight minutes [during passing period] and the two buildings are not that

far apart,” Freshman Alice Khin stated. Khin believes that walking may be more beneficial to ev-eryone. “50 minutes of class is a lengthy time sitting,” she said, “so exercise plays an important role.” Austin Chen, a sophomore,

has a different judgment of why the bridge isn’t necessary. He be-lieves that the money would be better spent on remodeling the A building, getting a better track, or upgrading the auditorium. Most students support having a bridge from A to C building. In a poll of 170 Keppel students, 84%

said they wanted a bridge com-pared to 16% who said no. After hearing these thoughts on the bridge, it’s not quite clear whether or not the bridge is a fa-vorable concept, but there is no doubt that the performance of this bridge would mitigate the traffic in the A building.

The case for a bridge from A to C building

The myths and realities of the gender wage gap in America

What happened to senior priority?

In recent years, a perceived difference be-tween female and male earnings has been near the forefront of political discussion. Many prominent figures, from Patricia Ar-quette in her Oscar-winning speech to the president during his State of the Union ad-dress, have spoken about fixing the gender wage gap. Even the White House, on their website, claims that women only make 77% of what men make every year. The issue has become well-known among the general public and even pervaded into high school. Mark Keppel seniors were recently asked whether they agreed with the statement, “In the U.S., women, as a whole, earn less money than men for doing the same jobs with the same experience and qualifications.” Those who agreed (the majority) were subsequently asked how many cents they believed a woman earned for every dollar a man earned. The average response was around 73 cents. Though the majority of people do agree there is a wage gap in America, there is disagreement on the specifics. Do women actually earn only 77% of what men earn? What is the true cause of wage inequality? Theoretically, there should be no dif-ference between male and female wages in the U.S. In 1963, Congress passed the Equal Pay Act, which was signed into law by then-president John F. Kennedy. The law, in essence, makes gender-based wage discrimination illegal. If an employer is paying a women less than a male co-work-er, she can report it. Then what accounts for the 23% gap between women’s and men’s earnings? The actual wage gap in America is widely agreed upon. The 77% figure and the Bu-reau of Labor Statistics’ 81-82% estimate, are both comparing median earnings: the average earnings of all women in all pro-fessional fields and careers against those of all men in all professional fields and careers, not men and women in the same profession. Therefore, such data can be misleading when determining whether there is a pay gap. Moreover, men and women tend to choose different career paths. For instance, according to payscale.com, men make up about 90% of software developers, con-struction workers/project managers, and computer systems administrators. Com-

paratively, women make up about 90% of nurses, elementary school teachers, and human resources administrators. The median annual pay for the first three pro-fessions is about $89,000 as of 2015 com-pared to $55,000 for the latter three. These are just three examples, but compared to women, men have been found be more likely to choose higher-risk, higher-pay-ing, and more specialized jobs. Men are also overrepresented in STEM-related pro-fessions, especially engineering and com-puter sciences, which tend to have higher annual salaries. Finally, men tend to work more hours on average than women do, 8.75 hours per day compared to women’s 8.01, a 9% difference. When comparing women’s and men’s earnings and accounting for controllable variables such as job type, position, total hours worked, and more, the Department of Labor found in a 2009 study that the ac-tual pay gap between women and men is between 4.8% and 7.1%. This is a much smaller figure than the 23% gap purported by most mainstream outlets, but it does suggest possible discrimination causing the still-existent gap. A 2010 study also found that women aged 22 to 30 also have a higher average salary than men of the same age by 8% but then earn progressively less than same-aged men as they grow older, which also plays into the existing wage gap. Some economists attribute this to women being more hesitant to ask for higher wages or promotions, while others cite a tendency to promote male workers over females. Ad-ditionally, women tend to have less turn-over rates than men do, meaning they do not seek as many new job opportunities, which companies often exploit by paying these workers less. The gender wage gap in America does exist, but not in the way most people think. The difference in male earnings and female earnings, when all variables are accounted for, is miniscule but existent. However, the fix for this is not as clear-cut as calling for equal pay nor can any currently-proposed legislation provide a magical solution. The median wage gap may narrow progressive-ly as more women enter male-dominated professions and vice-versa. Achieving true gender pay equality, however, will require a more widespread change in the way peo-ple see this issue and act accordingly.Read the full story at theaztecnews.com

SOPHIE WONGStaff Writer

BRIAN YEOViewpoint Editor

Many seniors during their final year of high school expect to receive the classes that they originally signed up for. Be-cause this would be their last chance to take certain courses, it seems logical for seniors to have priority over students in lower grades, who can try registering for these classes in another year. However, has senior priority actually helped seniors receive their requested classes? Personally, since my first day of high school, I have been told by teachers, counselors, and upperclassmen that when I finally become a senior, I would receive priority in registering for advanced class-es. This was senior priority. Unfortunate-ly, in my experience as a senior this year, I have not enjoyed this benefit. But I am not the only one affected. Several seniors have experienced issues with their classes this school year. Se-niors were leveled out of classes in which they were already placed. Leveling oc-curs when there are too many students in a class and students are transferred to another period or even a completely dif-ferent class. Another issue was that some seniors were put into AP classes that they didn’t want. This meant that other seniors who requested these filled classes were not able to receive a seat. Senior Timothy Tran said that senior priority only happens at priority process-ing during the summer. “For example, se-niors are able to get a certain class first. I do not think that I have any classes that are meant for seniors first because in

[most of] my classes, I have juniors in them.” said Tran. Along with Tran, many other seniors did not get all the classes they requested. Psychology has been filled with an over-whelming majority of juniors, and most of the leftover seniors were put into AP Psychology. Not everyone in the grade was affected, but seniors did not get their desired classes, which leads students to question the existence of senior priority. According to Assistant Principal Dr. Prentice, an automated system is respon-sible for placing students in classes when they are first requested, in the spring of the previous year. This system also places seniors at a higher priority for classes. Prentice said, “The [computer] system puts seniors in classes first, then juniors.” Prentice claimed that it has been chal-lenging this year to move and level class-es while making sure that all students are content with their schedules. She said, “Even with all the difficulties, it was a really challenging time for every-body and I really appreciate the students being the cooperative and understanding and adaptable people that they are.” The request for classes is the most im-portant, which occurs during spring when we make our very first choices. The more accurate those choices were, the less problems you would have during priority processing and during the beginning of the school year. In the end, the system is responsible for the scheduling of senior classes. How-ever, even computers are not always per-fect. In the process of trying to accom-modate all the students, not everyone will be happy.

KARLI CHENGBusiness Manager

CARTOON BY EDLYN WONG

Juniors Chritina Tran and Rachel Wang talk with Mr. Gualcherani as they cross the bridge from A to C building. THE AZTEC/DARWIN TSE

Make High School Worth It

DIANNE DOStaff Writer

AURORA ZENGStaff Writer

BONNIE WONG & MIKALA ENCISCOEditor-in-Chief /Asst. Features Editor & Staff Writer

Going to a Dance

Getting a Job/InternshipBeing Part of a Club Board With the start of a new school year comes a busy and successful Club Rush. It is safe to say that being active in clubs is an important aspect of enjoying high school, whether as a general or board member. Of course, not every student may have a chance to be a club president. However, it doesn’t hurt to put this wish on your high school bucket list. Leadership positions in clubs may require more time and effort, but the habits gained from the ex-perience may be used for a lifetime. Senior Jes-senia Barberena, who is the president of Ahssa Teoki Korean Culture Club, said, “This is a good opportunity to develop my leadership skills and learn how to take responsibility.” Barberena also has positive expectations about her role in the club. She said, “I know I’m [going to] really like it, and [the extra work] is [going to be] worth it.” In addition, several clubs have memorable camps and activities offered to the President and

Vice President roles, some of which include get-aways to meet and connect with offi cers of the same club from other schools. Senior Joelle Dh-ing, who is the president of Interact Club, shares her experience at the RYLA (Rotary Youth Lead-ership Awards). “It’s a three-day leadership camp that basically changed my life,” Dhing explained. She talked about her multiple connections with Interactors in the California area, which she de-scribes as “[her] family” and “meaning more to [her] than they’ll ever know”. Dhing also said that joining Interact Club is the “best decision [she has] made throughout high school.” Joining clubs is one great opportunity to make new friends and put responsibility and organiza-tion to use, especially for students who are board members. Because these opportunities are exclu-sive only to high schools, it defi nitely should be on everyone’s high school bucket list, as chances like these may rarely ever come up again.

A goal that some students may have is to obtain a job or internship during their high school years. Although some people may obtain jobs in order to support their families, many Keppel students begin working so that they can add to their college applications with qualifi cations listed under work ex-perience as well as earning some extra money. Senior Sydnee Law said, “I got a job because I wanted to prepare myself to be more independent and have more work experience while I’m young so I can eventually fi nd a better job in the fu-ture.” In addition, an internship can pave the way to a future career and allow stu-dents to gain work experience. According to a high school career study by www.millenialbranding.com, “70% of

Some Hollywood movies give the im-pression that high school dances are epic and life changing. Movies, such as Mean Girls and 10 Things I Hate About You, talk about how the prom queen shares her crown with her “frenemies,” where being a “mathlete” is totally cool, where the bad boy gets the quiet girl and the audience fi nally learns the truth about her party-girl past. The fi lm industry has done a spec-tacular job of putting a glamorous veil on high school dances. Attending these events could even be considered a rite-of-passage. The question is, are dances a must go or a must skip? And do they really affect the overall high school experience? According to junior Fanny Tu, her favor-ite part of dances is taking pictures. When asked how she gets ready for the big pho-to op, Tu said that she usually takes one to two hours to look “picture perfect.” As for going to a dance, Tu feels that dances make high school more worth it because

“you only have four years to go”. There are some people who haven’t gone to a dance before, but they do plan on going in the future. For sophomore Dylan Ta, he said that he “never got the chance to.” On the nights of dances, Ta likes to stay home. Although he’s never been to any dances, Ta is considering at-tending this year’s homecoming. His idea of a dream dance date would be “just hav-ing fun with my date.” When asked how he would start and end the night, he answered, “go pick her up and then go to the dance and then go to dinner, some place romantic.” Ta said that he is nervous for his fi rst dance but is defi -nitely excited to ask his future homecom-ing date with posters and a cheesy line. High school is a time to experience new things and have fun. You only go through high school once, so make the memories worth it.

200 students from all grade levels were polled.

Travel with Friends: 25 %Drive: 22%

Get a Job/Internship: 16.5%Dance/Prom: 15.5%

Be on C lub Board: 5.5%Other: 15.5%

CARTOON BY EDLYN WONG

Bookshelf and magnet are courtesy of Google

Poll: What is one thing on your high school bucket list that you must do before you

graduate?

Make High School Worth It Learning How to DriveCRISTINA GONZALESStaff Writer

BONNIE WONG & MIKALA ENCISCOEditor-in-Chief /Asst. Features Editor & Staff Writer

KENNETH LIUStaff Writer

Traveling with Friends

Getting a Job/Internship A goal that some students may have is to obtain a job or internship during their high school years. Although some people may obtain jobs in order to support their families, many Keppel students begin working so that they can add to their college applications with qualifi cations listed under work ex-perience as well as earning some extra money. Senior Sydnee Law said, “I got a job because I wanted to prepare myself to be more independent and have more work experience while I’m young so I can eventually fi nd a better job in the fu-ture.” In addition, an internship can pave the way to a future career and allow stu-dents to gain work experience. According to a high school career study by www.millenialbranding.com, “70% of

companies say that high school students who complete their programs are either very or completely likely to eventual-ly land a college internship with their company and 45% say that high school internships will very likely or complete-ly likely turn into a full time job at their company.” For many students, balancing work with academics, sports, and extracurric-ulars can prove to be a tricky task, but as long as students continue to work hard and set their priorities straight, they will be able to get through it. Senior Hec-tor Ruiz said that he uses the money he earns to help with his family’s bills and is “handling it perfectly well, with a 3.0 GPA and wrestling as an extracurricular activity”.

Everyone has a bucket list of some sort, whether it is to get straight A’s or learn how to drive. With Thanksgiving and winter break coming around the corner, it may be a good idea to start planning for a vacation with your friends. Junior Nathan Huynh is currently planning a camping trip to Santa Barbara with a group of friends during winter break. Huynh said, “Vacations are amazing; they give you the possi-bility of getting away from the stress at home.” When he was planning for the trip, Huynh anticipated that he may encoun-ter problems such as cost and traffi c. However, he believes

that if he puts in the effort for preparation, the vacation will be a blast.

Some people may think that traveling with friends can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. Instead of trav-

eling around the world or to a far location, traveling to a local area with friends can be just as fun.

Junior Erika Lam recently went camp-ing with junior Terena Pham and a group

of friends. Through this trip, they were able to create stronger bonds than before and lasting memories together without having to spend a lot of money. Lam said, “Labor Day Camp this year with Tere-na was like no other. We made many memories.” Although Lam went through some struggles throughout her camping expe-rience, such as dealing with in-

sects everywhere and hearing her friends’ snoring in the neigh-boring tents, she felt that it was really fun and unforgettable. Sophomore Nataly Mendiola said that even though going on a trip may cost quite a bit of money, she would still travel with her friends because she can “go sight-seeing with my friends and spend time with them”. Nonetheless, traveling anywhere will end up costing some money; it all depends on how long and far the trip will be. Traveling with friends is not just about how much money is spent or where the destination is held at, it’s about the quality time that is spent with friends and the memories created from it.

A driver’s license may have a major impact on the life of a teenager.

According to the DMV (Depart-ment of Motor Vehicles), students who

are older than 15½ may apply for a pro-visional permit, which means that students can get their licenses at a young age. Depending on the student’s lifestyle, a drivers license may leave a bigger impact

than for others. Not having the abil-ity to drive has made the high school experience “suck” for ju-nior Bryce Nakamura. He believes

that “driving is a make-or-break for the high school e x p e r i -

ence because it

gives a person independence.” In contrast, Spanish teacher, Mrs. Ortega, who got her license at 16, thinks that getting her license had very little ef-fect on her life. Ortega said, “In reality, it didn’t affect me because I didn’t have my own car. If I would have had my own car, it would have been more fun.” For her, having a driver’s license didn’t change much, but whenever she was allowed to take advantage of a driving opportunity, Ortega loved the experience. Not everybody may be able to get their license when in high school, but hav-ing a driv-er’s license can defi nite-ly help.

THE AZTEC/ VICTORIA RAMIREZPhoto of Senior Kimberly Medina

by

CARTOON BY EDLYN WONG

WHAT MAKES A GOOD APP?

POWER APPS

CELESTE ARAMBULAStaff Writer Many students and staff at Mark Kep-pel have recently discovered a new app called “PowerSchool.” The app is a up-dated version of the PowerSchool website that is used to check grades, attendance, and other things along those lines. PowerSchool can be downloaded on both Apple and Android platforms. This app is a popular topic right now on social media and at school. Some people have not heard about this app. Mrs. Koutsky, an American Literature teacher, wasn’t aware of this app but said it sounds useful because it helps the students. Students indicated mixed responses re-garding the app. Junior Bianca Trevizo stated that “it is somewhat useful, but [I] would prefer the website because it is easier to access and simpler to use.” Another junior, Sidney Cheung, said that this application sounds easy for check-ing his grades and would check his grades more often on the app than on the PowerSchool website.

What is your biggest pet peeve in high school?

Constant tapping, small LED-lit screens, and notifications galore. Those’re what make up today’s most frequent activities: the usage of smartphones and the apps that they contain. We live in a world where every-one uses technology, specifically touch-screen smartphones. We use these phones everyday: more than just calls and texts, we have apps. But not all apps are well made. In fact, almost none of them have

five-star reviews. Most apps are clogged with advertisements, filled with bugs and glitches, and sometimes difficult to use. What, exactly, makes a good app? Not all apps can be perfect, of course.What bad experiences have you had with apps?Raymond Ma: “I’ve had many apps that had low resolution or bad graphics. They were hard to look at and use.Jimmy Nguyen: Constant crashing.Timmy Tran: Lots of lag, most apps that Idownloaded were too slow to use. It sounds like these would be charac-teristics of bad apps. What would some characteristics of a good app be?Raymond Ma: As long as there’s no ad-vertisements that pop up all the time, the app is good in my eyes.Jimmy Nguyen: A good app should catch your attention every time, and doesn’t get boring or obsolete very quickly.Timmy Tran: No ads and device support so that the app runs smoothly. It seems that this criteria would match many apps. If you were to make your own app, regardless of the time needed to learn and make it, what fea-tures would you add to make a good app?Raymond Ma: No ads. I would make an app for people to use, not show them ads for things they probably wouldn’t get any-ways.Jimmy Nguyen: Cross platform support is important in any good app, so that your

target audience could be anyone and ev-eryone to use with all devices. Especially for gaming and entertainment. Would you make an app without advertisements even though ads are a main source of profit?Jimmy Nguyen: Ads barely generate any income, and besides, they get in the way of the app’s functions.Timmy Tran: I would make an app for en-joyment, not to make money. What are your top 3 apps?Raymond Ma: Youtube, Skype, and Face-book. They allow me to connect with friends and they serve their purpose well.Timmy Tran: Google, Youtube, and Skype work just like their computer-based coun-terparts, and that’s what i look for in an app like Google. Is there anything else you would like to add?Raymond Ma: I think that almost all apps worldwide are pretty useless, and aren’t good apps. Most apps today are made for money and not for the sake of making something good. As you can see, not many apps can fit the qualities of what people think of as “good apps.” Are people’s expectations too high, or are apps really just not made adequately? In any case, it seems that the best apps can be found on the computer as well as their respective phone versions. Let’s hope to see more apps on the market that serve a better purpose.

loCKER loCKoUT

Someday, some of us may experience flashbacks (if not nightmares) of when we were once students and recall some of the classes we took, teachers we had or even textbooks we read. Others may re-call more fondly the time spent in sports and social activities. However, one thing stands out that remains a ubiquitous part of the American High School experience - the hallway locker! Every high school student is assigned one – condition and location not of one’s choosing. Most students are able to plan their day around the locations of their lockers, but not necessarily without complaint. One of the bigger complaints comes from students who, on a given semester, just happen to have their lockers situ-ated the furthest apart from their class-es. Locker locations are permanently assigned to incoming freshmen with no regard to the student’s class schedule. Whether or not your locker is on the way to your next class is purely a matter of luck. Navigating the hallways of Mark Kep-pel can also be extraordinarily excruci-ating. The hallways in the A Building flood to maximum capacity between class periods, forcing students to shove their way to the doors leading outside. The overcrowding seems comparable to an international airport terminal. For Junior Amber Mak, getting to her locker is a real struggle. “I feel like I’m fight-ing through a hurricane just to get to my locker.” She also attributes the problem

to inexperienced freshmen who use rolling-wheel backpacks. “[I] walk straight and wait for people to get out of my way, or I just weave through people,” said Ian Chow, sharing his strategy. Some issues are admittedly rather un-usual. “Well, [during] my freshman year, I had someone else’s locker,” recalled Ian Chow, “But, [my friend] Matthew Tong has a more bizarre experience. His lock-er doesn’t work.” Luckily, these people are able to appeal to the student welfare office to have a new locker assigned. Not everyone is dissatisfied with their lockers. Junior Michael Santosa com-mented, “I’m pretty fine with my lock-er”. A locker's purpose is mainly to hold textbooks and, in that sense, the school's lockers to their job.

ERIC TAMStaff Writer

COLE KIMStaff Writer

Apps are here to serve many purposes.THE AZTEC/ VICTORIA RAMIREZ

TUTORING IN YOUR HOMEAlgebra 1 and 2, Geometry,Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus,

AP Chemistry, SATUC Berkeley Graduate

Roy Wu(626) 818-2657

PowerSchool is helping students be more alert of their grades.THE AZTEC/ VICTORIA RAMIREZ

Lockers can either be a blessing or a curse. THE AZTEC/ VICTORIA RAMIREZ

“How the hallways are always packed.”

-Jacob Sanchez, freshman

“Slow walkers.”-Jade Tran, sophomore

“I can’t stand [it] when people bump into me in the hallways.”

-Jazzy Flores, junior

“People asking, ‘There’s a badminton team?’”

-Lawrence Chen, senior

THE AZTEC/ VIVIAN TO

THE AZTEC/ VIVIAN TO

THE AZTEC/ VIVIAN TO

THE AZTEC/ VIVIAN TO

ERIC LAMSports Editor

On Friday, September 11th, the Mark Keppel Aztecs played the Sierra Vista Dons at home and suffered a defeat of 28-52, putting them at a re-cord of 0-3 for the off season. Although the Aztecs were defeated, they showed much improvement in their play. The game started with a touchdown and successful run for the Dons within the first minute of the game, put-ting the Aztecs down 0-8. The Aztecs countered with a 30 yard run on their very first down, but a series of incom-plete passes from the Aztecs and strong offense from the Dons caused the Dons to get their second touch down in the middle of the first quarter, putting the score to 0-16. As the first quarter came to a close, the Aztecs managed to make a touchdown and get a successful run, putting the score at 8-16. The Dons quickly counter with their

own touchdown, putting the score at 8-22 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter of the game proved to be better for the Aztecs, starting with strong offensive plays and high morale despite the score difference. The Aztecs con-tinued to push, not allowing the Dons to score at all. At the end of the quarter, the Az-tecs manage to make a touch-down and manage to even get a steal in the last 7 seconds of the quarter, ending the quar-ter at a close 16-22. The third quarter starts with an impressive 45 yard run for the Aztecs, putting them at the 20 yard line and then sub-sequently at the 5 yard line. Although the Aztecs made a failed pass and get pushed back to the 11 yard line, a flag on the play pushes the Aztecs right back up to the 5 yard line and primes them for a touchdown on the fourth down, tying the score at 22-22 within the first two min-utes of the quarter. After this

initial explosion of momen-tum, the Aztecs fail to hold off against the Dons leading to two consecutive touch-downs and a score of 22-38 by the end of the third quar-ter. The final quarter started with a bad snap by the Aztecs causing the Dons to gain pos-session at the 5 yard line and leading to a quick touchdown, widening the lead even more at 22-45. The Dons man-age to keep their momentum against the Aztecs and do not let up despite the Aztecs best efforts and an impressive 30 yard touchdown pass, putting the final score at 28-52. Although the team did not win this game, they have been working and practic-ing hard. Senior Jonathan Cobos said, “We have a lot more team practices now. We watch films to help improve our plays and to learn from them.” Cobos’s hopes for the team to go far this year, and hope to make it to CIF.

Girls Tennis defeat Diamond Bar for their first preseason win

On September 10, Mark Keppel High School’s Girls Varsity Tennis team played their first home game against Diamond Bar’s team. After three sets, each set of six matches, and six courts being played alto-gether, the exhausting heat-filled game ended with the Mark Keppel Girls Varsity Tennis team winning their first game of the preseason. As the first set passed, the scores were at an even 3-3. Afterwards, the second set ended with Mark Keppel in the lead with 8-4. The final score was 11-7, leav-ing the team with their first win out of four games. Junior Ariana Acuff, one of the two returning varsity players, had won all three sets, with Emily Castelazo as a substitute playing the last set. After playing the game, senior Mika Miyagi, one of the captains of the girls tennis team, said “I feel proud and very encouraged by our team. The first Varsity win of pre-season was very exciting to experi-

ence”. Even after the team’s win, the final standing for their preseason score is 1-3, after losing to Rosemead High School 6-12, Arroyo High School 3-15, and El Monte High School 6-12. “I think we could still have prac-ticed more to be better prepared..” said Mika after being asked, “What are some things the team could’ve done better prepare for the season.” The team had to struggle with prac-ticing less due to the resurfacing of the tennis courts that finished late during the summer. Mike Ten, the head coach of the boys and girls tennis team, had said that one of their flaws would be, “All new girls, they’re all new”, explaining how most of the team were in junior varsity level last year. “Varsity level is a whole new league,” and had said how it would be challenging but fun to see how they do this year. The girls tennis varsity team has about two more weeks and four more games before preseason ends and the competitive season begins.

Varsity Football shows improvement, holds own against Sierra Vista Dons

WESLEY ZENGStaff Writer

The Aztecs defend against the Don’s offense. THE AZTEC/VICTORIA RAMIREZ

Junior Vicky Chan during her match against Diamond Bar THE AZTEC/VICTORIA RAMIREZ

Under new head coach Jus-tiniano Gerson, the Mark Keppel cross country team attended the Rosemead High Invitational race this past Friday at the Marinelli Stadium. The race was divided by gender and grade level, adding up to eight parts total, with the fresh-men girls starting and the senior boys finishing. The course was three miles long and consisted of running on grass, artificial track, and cement. When questioned about this year’s team, cross country Cap-tain Janelle Zamora said with confidence, “They’re tough. They survive.” The first year Keppel coach, Gerson Justiniano agreed, saying, “They have a lot of heart.” The Aztecs run at least five miles a day during practice. However, he said that their goodwill may work against them, adding that they were “too nice” during races. He stated that they would work on getting faster and beating previous records, which most of the runners did. The winning runner of the freshman girls race came from Mayfield High and the freshmen boys race victory went to Los Al-tos High. The sophomore girls

race champion attended Flin-tridge Prep and the sophomore boys race was won by a runner from Gabrielino High School. The junior girls victor came from Flintridge Prep and the winner of the junior boys race came from Los Altos High. There were no senior girls from Keppel who participated in cross country this year; Valley Chris-tian won the race. The final race was between senior boys, which began at 9:00PM. The winning runner came from Flintridge Prep. Although Keppel didn’t place first in the races, the team seemed cheery after the event. Co-captain Alina Shahin, who won a medal in the sophomore girls race by placing 23rd, said her team could advance by “in-dividually focusing on our own times and focus on ourselves.” Junior varsity runner Aaron Lockett, who had hoped to im-prove his personal record, agreed, stating that the entire team need-ed to “work on getting faster”. As the Keppel cross country team keeps up with academics and in-dividual training, they strive to-wards improving themselves.

Athlete’s Profile:Amanda Chiu

Carefree, independent, and an idealist are words that senior and varsity volleyball player Amanda Chiu would use to de-scribe herself. Chiu has been playing for the volleyball team for four years now, this being her fourth year. The normal practice sched-ule is from August to Novem-ber for three hours, as well as conditioning that has been done during summer training. Aman-da has participated in club vol-leyball for one year; now she occasionally plays at volleyball open gyms. Chiu’s teammates play a vi-tal part in her high school vol-leyball career. They help her

stay motivated to play at the level that is needed on a varsity team. “If I’m not able to keep up with them on the court, then I can’t be able to play alongside them,” said Chiu. Members in the volleyball program are also considered to be strong sup-porters for Amanda- all of them helping her improve and suc-ceed. On game days Amanda has her own way of keeping herself in focus, even if, at times, it doesn’t come easily. She keeps a close watch on her technique, quickly adjusting her move-ment whenever the balls misses its target spot. “I try my best in practice to adjust to the ball and stay focused because my tech-nique isn’t the greatest,” Chiu stated. Since volleyball is very technical, it’s important to be able to adapt to different move-ments. Outside of school and vol-leyball Chiu seeks to further improve her skills in music and also indulge on her favor-ite foods. After high school she plans to further her education and, when there’s enough time, to play volleyball recreation-ally. But for now, she would like to accomplish her goals of winning matches and working hard.

VICTORIA RAMIREZChief Photographer

Girls volleyball prepares for Almont League

The Mark Keppel girls vol-leyball team lost its preseason match against Temple City by a score of 0-3 on Thursday, Sep-tember 10th. The Aztecs lost the three sets 26-28, 14-25, and 25-27. The match was originally planned to be at Temple City High School but was moved to Keppel. The first set stayed close from start to end, with the teams exchanging points. The Aztecs were able to build a 21-18 lead by scoring 5 straight from a 12-18 deficit. After a long rally and spike by junior Sarah Kim, the Aztecs held a 25-24 lead but needed one more score to win the set. Unfortunately for the Aztecs, they were unable to maintain this lead, eventually losing the set, 26-28. The second set was not as close as the first. Though the Aztecs were able to pull within a point at 14-15, Temple City scored 10 points in a row to close the

set, 14-25. The Aztecs were able to rebound in the third set, jumping out to an early lead behind multiple good hits by senior Elaine Ha. However, the lead quickly dis-appeared and the Aztecs trailed for most of the set. After a long rally that resulted in a Keppel point, the Aztecs were able to regain the lead, 24-23. Temple City did not give up, however, and battled back to take the set, 25-27, and the match. The loss for Keppel also re-sulted in a couple of injuries to their players. Junior Kristyn Lee slammed her chin on the floor diving for a ball and was forced to leave the game to receive stitches. On the very last play of the game, Ha sustained a very painful cramp from which she has made a full recovery. Following the game, senior and captain ShanShan Zhuo said, “We did well at talking and com-municating with each other and playing with a lot of energy.” Se-nior Jasmine Banh also compli-mented the team’s focus and en-ergy but said, “We need to work

on getting our passing down and hesitate less.” The Aztecs will have a chance to work on these changes during their next pre-season game against Sierra Vista on September 17. The volleyball team will start Almont League play on Octo-ber 1st against Alhambra but have been preparing since sum-mer. Their practices consist of running a mile, then practicing serve-receive. Coach Francis Chu said, “We spend a lot of time drilling fun-damentals. We focus on serve-receive because if that is ex-ecuted at a high percentage, we are usually winning or close to winning.” The team is planning on im-proving their 0-10 record from last year, but it is not their fore-most goal. “Our goal is to be the best that we can be,” Zhuo said. Chu echoed her sentiments, saying, “My hope is to be proud of their effort and focus at the end of every game...we plan on being competitive in league.”

BRIAN YEOViewpoint Editor

Cross Country competes in Rosemead InvitationalNOELLE FRASHERStaff Writer

Boys Water Polo hopes to make CIF once again

DARWIN TSEWeb Editor/Asst. Editor-in-Chief With Almont League matches looming just around the corner, the Mark Keppel boys water polo team is working intensely to per-fect their play. After missing CIF qualifications by only two points last year, the Aztecs have every intention to not let that happen again. “Our main goal is to make CIF,” said Mark Wang, captain of the varsity boys water polo team. The Aztecs hope to achieve that goal, as they did in 2013. This year’s team has five re-turning varsity members: seniors Mark Wang, Stanley Yu, Sheldon Dong, Matthew Chan, and junior Justin Young. Juniors

Bryan Guan, Emanuel Acosta, Christopher Hunt, and senior Kyndall Ting were brought up from the junior varsity team; se-niors Thomas Ho and Lance Oh are first year varsity members. Along with a new team compo-sition, the boys water polo team has a new coach, Wendy Cen-teno. The new team is currently preparing for the Almont League through preseason matches against schools such as Sierra Vista and South Pasadena. How-ever, after their 12-1 loss against Arcadia on Monday, September 14, the Aztecs’ main focus shifted to their defense. The Aztecs start-ed with a rough first quarter, 0-5, but stepped up their defense as the game continued. “They only scored twice during

the second, third, and fourth quarter because we stepped it [our defense] up,” said senior Stanley Yu. “If we stepped it up the entire game, they wouldn’t have scored as many points.” Un-der the leadership of Coach Cen-teno, the Aztecs are working hard during practice, which consists of practicing passing the ball, scrimmaging, and conditioning. “We also set up some competi-tive ways to practice against each other, and we do some trust exer-cises so the boys can communi-cate better and trust each other,” said Centeno. “I know we’re go-ing to have a great season, these boys have been working really hard.”

THE AZTEC/VICTORIA RAMIREZ

Sophomore Sally Smith Jumps to hit the ball as seniors Elaine Ha (16) and ShanShan Zhou (2) prepare for the return. THE AZTEC/RODOLFO ARIAS

The Aztecs work together to block a shot. Pictured (from left to right): Senior Kyndall Ting (17), Senior Mark Wang (5), THE AZTEC/DARWIN TSEJunior Justin Young (12), Junior Emanuel Acosta (14), Senior Matthew Chan (3), and Senior Stanley Yu (1).