December 2006 - Los Angeles Unified School District
Transcription
December 2006 - Los Angeles Unified School District
A W OODROW W ILSON H IGH S CHOOL P UBLICATION HITCHING POST Volume 59, Issue 2 Wednesday,November December 26, 13, 2006 2006 G ET W ELL S OON M R . K WAN B Y : L IDIA R IVAS Mr. Wilson Kwan has proven for many years to be an incredible teacher and mentor. His commitment towards his students and love for teaching chemistry has earned him the label of one of the best teachers here at Woodrow Wilson High School. He Mr. Kwan receiving the 2006 Outstanding even received Chemistry Teacher Award. the 2006 Outstanding High School Chemistry Teacher Award from the Southern California Section of the American Chemical Society (SCALACS). For more than eight years, Mr. Kwan has contributed greatly to this school and his sudden absence has truly influenced his students. He was recently was diag- S NOBALL : T AKING I T B ACK B Y : J ENNIFER M ARTINEZ Photo Courtesy of Yearbook: Students having a good time at the 2006 Snoball as they dance the night away! As we all know Wilson has been around for many years. Some of us have Wilson alumni within our family like siblings, cousins, uncles, aunts, and for some of us even our parents and grandparents. Even within the Wilson faculty and staff are Wilson Alumni, like our very own Assistant Principal Mario Cantu. He has been here at Wilson since 1965 when Wilson was known as Wilson Jr High School. Mr. Cantu started high school in 1971, and graduated in 1975. A couple years later, he started working at Wilson. For 30 years, Mr. Cantu has been motivating and helping out students at Wilson. Each year when he sees students excited Check It Out! nosed with cancer and is currently on leave for treatment. G OODBYE J OSE O CHOA On Monday, November 13, Mr. Kwan announced his leave of absence to his students. A former student, Junior Rebekah Mendoza, says: “I feel very sad that he is taking a few months off, but I know he will get better.” Like Mendoza, students are saddened by his prompt leave. To show their appreciation, many students wrote him notes wishing him the best of luck and a fast recovery. Mr. Kwan’s presence has inspired many Woodrow Wilson students. It is clear that his dedication to helping others has gained him the respect of many faculty members and students. Mendoza expresses, “Mr. Kwan is a dedicated teacher who would stay after school and help students with their work. He has inspired me to want to take the time and help others too.” Like Mendoza, Junior David Grande’s life has been greatly influenced by Mr. Kwan. Grande says, “Mr. Kwan made Chemistry exciting and energetic for me. Students actually want to learn in his class. I remember on the first day of school he scared many students and told us that if we don’t do our work he will fail us. This made me serious about school and it improved my study habits. It’s because of teachers like Mr. Kwan, I’m a better student.” As students like Grande and Mendoza strive to be better individuals, it’s clear that Mr. Kwan has greatly impacted the lives of many students here at Wilson. (Continued on page 6) about Snoball, he remembers when he went as a student. Yes, Snoball is nothing new. It’s been a part of the Wilson tradition for many years. Mr. Cantu recalls, “We even had live music with a live band ‘Cold Duck’, which was probably the last time that Wilson had live bands at any dances. Despite the fact that their dances were held in the MPR the students still managed to enjoy their dances. All these years later some things have changed, but others have not. Snoball is no longer held in the MPR. We don’t have live bands. Yet its popularity and prestige still exists at Wilson today! This year, Snoball was held on Friday, November 17 at Almansor Court in Alhambra. Snoball is the first formal dance of the year and many students love to get dressed up in their fancy dresses and the tuxedos. Even though the girls obsess over getting their hair and make-up done, the boys are just as consumed with what color tux they should wear. It is definitely a night to remember. After all the fuss about what to wear, students had a lot of fun and (Continued on page 6) S ENIOR S TEPHANIE M ADERO COMMENTS , “T HIS WAS THE BEST S NOBALL EVER ”. W EB R ESO URCES FOR B Y : A L MA A GUILAR Every student at Wilson High School has a life, along with goals that they want to achieve. Unfortunately, all of this ambition ended for one student on Saturday, November 4, 2006. This day marked the sudden death for sophomore Jose Ochoa. Mrs. Kristen Jorden, Photo Courtesy of Jose Ochoa’s Family Jose’s History teacher recalls, “He was a great kid, he had potential”. In speaking with Ms. Jorden, it was clear that Jose will be missed by the people he shared his life with: his family, friends, and teachers. On the following Monday after his death, many teachers like Mrs. Jorden had to break the news to their students. In addition, there were on-site grief counselors to help students with their emotions. While some students went to find comfort in speaking with counselors, many students found closure through talking and even crying with one another. Teachers also helped students with their grieving processes. Mrs. Jorden, helped her students find comfort by having them to write letters to Jose. In these letters, Jose’s classmates wrote to say goodbye and express anything they would have wanted him to know. From this, many students not only remembered a friend and classmate, but they also got a chance to say good-bye. It’s clear that as a community, many Wilson students feel like there is a void here. Now when we go to school many feel as though something is missing—what’s missing is a friend and student who used to walk the halls, sit in that seat, and even the student friends used to say “hi” to. Sophomore Denise Fernandez recalls, “Everyday in third period I would talk to him. If I had any problems, he always gave me good advice. Jose was a really good listener. I’m really going to miss him and his smile”. No matter how you remember Jose, all we know that he will be greatly missed. In remembering Jose, some of us need to remember that he is important, he was cared about, and he definitely influenced the lives around him. To all friends and family members of Jose Ochoa, the Wilson community offers our condolences. S TUDENTS P A GE 5 S TUDENT T R UA NCIES C AUSE L EGAL A CTIO N P A GE 3 W A S A DMIR AL B R EW ER A N A DMIR ABL E C HOICE ? P A GE 3 P AR ENT C ONFER ENCES C A HSEE : Y O U C A N D O IT! C O MMUNITY H ISTO RY : C ITY T ERRA CE D R . V IDEO G A ME R EV IEW : G UITAR H ERO 2 D IA D E L O S M UER TO S P A GE 4 T O P G IFTS F OR T HE H OL IDAY S P A GE 9 A CADEMIC D ECA THOLO N T EA M P A GE 4 SLC’ S I N N EW Y O RK P A GE 4 W IL SON ’ S H ONO R R OLL S TUDENTS W IL SON ’ S N EW G Y M P A GE 10 P A GE 11 S TAFF @ THE C AF P A GE 3 P A GE P A GE P A GE P A GE 6 6 7 8 School Events P AGE 2 • 4500 Multnomah Street Los Angeles, California 90032 PHONE: (323) 223-1131 CONTACT MS. TRAN, ADVISER: cxt9993@lausd.k12.ca.us www.mstran.com STAFF M EMBERS Esperanza Arrizon Rosemary Reveles Lauren Padron Lidia Rivas Jennifer Martinez Kevin Vega Elijah Villena Edward Gonzalez Catarina Martinez D ECEMBER ... Staff Writers Date YOU KNOW THAT FAX:(323) 223-7936 M ARK Y OUR C ALENDARS ! D ID • B EGINS WITH THE SAME DAY OF THE WEEK AS S EPTEMBER ? C OMES FROM THE L ATIN W ORD DECEM , WHICH MEANS TEN . D ECEMBER USED TO BE THE TENTH MONTH ON THE R OMAN C ALENDAR . W OODROW W ILSON H IGH S CHOOL Event December 13, 2006 ASVAB Testing December 14, 2006 Winter Show (P. 2 to 5) December 15, 2006 Minimum Day Dismissal @ 12:22 pm December 18, 2006- January 05, 2007 Winter Break January 15, 2007 Martin Luther King Jr. Day/No School January 27, 2007 SAT Testing January 31, 2007 - February 02, 2007 Minimum Day Dismissal @ 12:22/ Finals February 05, 2007 Pupil Free Day/No School February 10, 2007 ACT Testing W ORD OF THE M ONTH : loquacious (adj.): wordy, effusive; rambling. Example: The speaker gave a loquacious speech . D ECEMBER IS … • W ORLD A IDS • H UMAN R IGHTS Gregory Mijares M ONTH Chelsea Ricard A NNOUNCEMENTS Alma Aguilar Layout Editor Bertha Hernandez Adviser Ms. Christine Tran Policy & Disclaimer The Hitching Post editors and staff believe in responsible reporting. Additionally, the Hitching Post is an open forum of expression and does not necessarily reflect the views of the student body, school board, administration, faculty, or advertisers of Los Angeles Unified School District’s Woodrow Wilson High School. All the bylined articles and artwork reflect the opinions of the writer and artist. Letters, opinions, article, and creative submissions are welcome. All letters must be signed. The editorial board reserves the right to edit letters for poor taste, layout space, libel, and grammar. Please send all correspondences to the above provided contact information. We’re on the Web! See us at: www.lausd.k12.c a.us/Wilson_HS/ ⇒ V OLUME 59, I SSUE 2 W EDNESDAY , D ECEMBER 13, 2006 Wilson Tutoring Center P OEMS OF THE M ONTH E VERY YEAR AT JUST THIS TIME , I N COLD AND DARK D ECEMBER , F AMILIES AROUND THE WORLD A LL GATHER TO REMEMBER , W ITH PRESENTS AND WITH PARTIES , W ITH FEASTING AND WITH FUN , C USTOMS AND TRADITIONS FOR PEOPLE OLD AND YOUNG . Want space to do your work? Need help with your homework? —H ELEN H. M OORE When: 3:30-4:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays Where: School Library ⇒ Wilson Career Center What’s Available in the Career Center? The following is a list of information/services that are available in the Career Center, which is located between the Library and the Seymour Zone. Mrs. Smith is the Career Advisor, and some of her responsibilities include: • Assisting students with finding part-time employment. • Issuing students work permits. • Assisting students with volunteer programs. • Referring student to the East Los Angeles Skills Center and the East Los Angeles Occupational Center in order to earn credits, or take a vocational class. • Overseeing the Senior Portfolio, and collection of all documents. Planning and hosting Career Day. She should have used her Wilson planner! * * * * A H, DISTINCTLY I REMEMBER IT WAS IN THE BLEAK D ECEMBER ; A ND EACH SEPARATE DYING EMBER WROUGHT ITS GHOST UPON THE FLOOR . E AGERLY I WISHED THE MORROW ; — VAINLY I HAD SOUGHT TO BORROW F ROM MY BOOKS SURCEASE OF SORROW — SORROW FOR THE LOST L ENORE — F OR THE RARE AND RAIDIANT MAIDEN WHOM THE ANGELS NAME L ENORE — N AMELESS HERE FOR EVERMORE . —E DGAR A LLAN P OE , 1809-1849, T HE R AVEN I’m so cute! I’m the best looking butterfly at Wilson! Wasn’t Halloween two months ago? Be cool! Use your Wilson Planner! V OLUME 59, I SSUE 2 W EDNESDAY , D ECEMBER 13, 2006 Editorial P AGE 3 S TUDENT T RUANCIES C AUSE L EGAL A CTION B Y : L AUREN P ADR ON Improving student attendance this year is top priority at Wilson High School as well as ensuring that all children succeed by City Attorney Gordon Turner receiving a speaking to parents and students great educain the MPR. tion. Excessive absences not only deprive a child of becoming educated, but children who lack education can go down unlawful paths in life. To improve student attendance, Wilson High School informed the District Attorney’s office of students who have excessive absences and/or truancies from school. In October 2006, a letter was sent home informing parents of this action. It also informed them of a mandatory meeting S TAFF @ T HE C AF B Y : A LMA A GUILAR that they must be present for, or legal actions would be taken. The meeting was held on November 2, 2006 at 6:00 PM in the MPR. The following people were present: Principal Roberto Martinez, Erica Salcido (Pupil Services and Attendance Counselor), Leonor Ulteras (Assistant Principal of Attendance), and Deputy City Attorney Gordon Turner. The meeting informed parents of the legal consequences that would take place if their child did not attend school and classes daily. Some of the consequences are fines that could reach up to $10,000. If a parent can not pay their fines, then they would serve time in jail and their child would be sent to juvenile hall. The many students and parents that were in attendance had mixed feelings. One parent anonymously states, “The school and District Attorney may come into the picture but there won’t be a thorough follow up. When my child was in middle school, I went to the Dis- trict Attorney’s office and nothing was done”. Numerous parents carried the same sentiments believing that it was another false warning. On the other hand, some parents did take it seriously and told their children that they better straighten up in life and start coming to school. medical problems and notes from my doctor”. Mr. Turner commented that major illnesses should be set apart from fabricated medical excuses. For students like Vasquez, although her absences were excused, she had to be present to be informed of the school’s truancy policy. Across the board, most parents feel helpless because their words are not getting through to their children. These parents are turning to the school, but still are struggling to find the answer to: “How do I get my child to attend school, when they are not listening to me?” Mr. Turner advised parents that they can do the following: call the school to get their children personally escorted to school, put their children on daily reports, and even call the school often to check if their child is in class. Although some parents and students felt the meeting was not a significant one, Mr. Turner made his point very clear as he stressed, “If students do not attend school, we will find and prosecute the parents.” Whether it is legal, social, or familial persuasion, it’s clear that we need to do something of school-wide attendance. There is no reason for students to miss school. Students who are not attending school regularly should realize that there are people who care about their education and future. The school’s administration and faculty are concerned with each student’s life choices. Whether it is getting the law involved or having someone escort a student to school, they are doing this because they care. Many students feel that absences should be better distinguished. Senior Priscilla Vasquez says, “The meeting was pointless and ridiculous because it was only for students who ditch school. I had W AS A DMIRAL B REWER AN A DMIRABLE C HO ICE ? B Y : E DWARD G ONZALEZ & E LIJAH V ILLENA There have been a lot of issues around Wilson’s cafeteria that many students and teachers are unaware of. Everyday during nutrition and lunch, students swarm to the cafeteria for their food, but many are unaware of who is actually serving them. There are workers and volunteers who work in the cafeteria everyday. They work hard daily to prepare the food, serve the students, and record how many students received meals. Cafeteria Manager, Jessica Lopez, comments, “There are students who say bad words to us, and sometimes even steal.” You might wonder why or even how students might steal from the cafeteria. Wilson’s cafeteria personnel know for a fact that students walk in baggy-style pants and slip food items into their pockets. What might sound even more ridiculous is the fact that the theft occurs after students have been served food already. When staff members confront the students responsible, the students respond by Admiral David Brewer cussing at the lunch workers. What are the workers to do? All they can really do is call campus aides to help them prevent any of these thefts. Still For those of you who do not know it’s pretty silly that students are stealing from their own cafeteria. It’s rude, LAUSD now has a new superintendent, Admiral irresponsible, and just plain mean. David Brewer. So what does this new superinBesides student theft, another issue cafeteria workers face is a tendent have in store for the second-largest pubshortage in staff. Workers here feel that they need help, but according to the lic school system in the nation? What are his main headquarters in downtown, they have the “correct” amount staff workqualifications? How will he impact our educaers. A cafeteria volunteer anonymously stated, “Although they say we have tion? Let’s find out... enough workers, it seems we always need help.” The cafeteria will always be Brewer has no prior teaching experiin need of assistance, but they are managing with the resources that they ence and no teaching credentials. Mr. Shanley currently have. It’s not easy, but they are doing their job and are working comments, “I am concerned that Brewer has no hard to serve hundreds of students a background in education. I know he had lots of day. administrative duties in the Navy but I am not I hope that by reading this, sure it will translate into an effective manager to you will all be a little more informed the school district or a good advancement for the about the issues staff members at WilW HEN STAFF students.” As Wilson High School students we son face. Remember, the next time MEMBERS CONFRONT wanted to find out more about how this new you have lunch or pass by the cafeteria THE STUDENTS superintendent will impact our education. With be respectful and appreciative. There RESPONSIBLE , THE this in mind we had conversations with teachers are people who work hard every single like Mr. Shanley. We even read articles in major STUDENTS RESPOND day to provide students with meal sernewspapers about Admiral Brewer and his role as BY CUSSING AT THE vices. On behalf of many students the new superintendent. While all of this inforLUNCH WORKERS . here at Wilson, I want to thank not mation really gave us some perspective, one W HAT ARE THE only the cafeteria workers, but every thing in particular really caught our attention: a WORKERS TO DO ? staff member on-campus. Without United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) flyer. This you, students would not have a clean flyer was circulated among teachers titled: The school to come to or a hot meal during Admiral vs. The Teachers. When we saw some of our school breaks. You all make its statistical facts, it really shocked us. The folschool feel like a second home. lowing article is based on information we found on the flyer including our opinion about the whole controversy surrounding LAUSD and our new superintendent. Admiral Brewer has received special treatment since accepting the role as the new LAUSD superintendent. Brewer has a starting salary of $250,000 where a non-credential teacher would start at $37,538. Brewer also had an additional 20% raise which brought his salary to $300,000 where a regular teacher would have no guarantee increase in salary from the years 2006-2007. Brewer has also been given a $3,000 monthly housing allowance where regular teachers get no housing allowance. This is a big deal considering the average rent in Los Angeles is $1,545. Brewer has also been given a $45,000 expense account where he can buy what he needs professionally. Teachers of course don’t have that luxury. Most teachers’ expense account comes from their own earnings as they buy classroom materials This is an unfair action which is common in the LAUSD bureaucracy. LAUSD needs to take the money that the Admiral is making and put it to better use. A better use of the money would go to teachers’ health and human services. Also it would go to better use if the teachers would get a housing allowance because of the high cost of rent. An average price of a home is $585,730. Teachers’ ability to pay such high housing costs has gotten worse because their salary rate has dropped to 44th place out of 47 neighboring districts. It seems that LAUSD takes claim that they do not have enough money to spend on teachers, yet they are so quick to spend so much money to give Brewer a contract. All conveniently, before Mayor Villaraigosa is to take over LAUSD. To many, even to students like ourselves, it seems that LAUSD has their priorities mixed up. They need to realize this soon because the changes that have been put into effect neglect the real educational issues at hand: over-crowded classrooms, the need to recruit credentialed teachers, lack of textbooks, school safety, and more career-based electives. With this said, where does education fit in the LAUSD bureaucratic master plan? News P AGE 4 SLC S TO N EW Y ORK AND V OLUME 59, I SSUE 2 W EDNESDAY , D ECEMBER 13, 2006 B ACK : W ILSON F ACULTY T RAVELS TO THE B IG A PPLE B Y : A L MA A GUILAR Left to right: Ms. Tong-Lee, Mr. Shock, Ms. Calhoun, Ms. Ultreras Essentially, Wilson is transitioning from one big community to autonomous or smaller school communities. This small learning environment is intended to give students more perspective in their education. While in New York, Wilson representatives observed various public high schools. Mr. Shock states, “[The schools we looked at] have had success with transitioning from a conventional school design format to the SLC or the autonomous school within a school design”. This experience showed many of our own Wilson educators how other schools have adapted to this new schooling format. More specifically, they were able to see how teachers interacted with the students within the SLC model. As many of you may be aware, Wilson High School is transitioning towards the SLC format. The trip to New York enabled our very own teachers to gain new techniques and perspectives towards teaching. Ms. Calhoun states, “This trip provided concrete examples for some of the issues that the Wilson faculty and administrators were talking about. In other words, instead of planning and talking about what we wanted to do for Wilson, we actually saw how small schools successfully functioned.” On Friday, September 15, a few Wilson faculty went on a trip to New York City! The trip was sponsored by Stanford University’s School Redesign Network. The purpose of this is to provide schooling perspective to various schools nation-wide. Teachers at Wilson had the opportunity to look at how other schools functioned as Small Learning Communities (SLCs). Included in this trip were: Wilson teachers visited the Julia Richman EducaMr. Shock, Ms. Ultreras, Ms. Calhoun, Ms. Tong-Lee, tion Complex located in the east-side of Manhattan. BeMs. Shimeha, and Mr. Bryant. D IA D E L OS M UERTO S : W ILSON C ELEBRATES D AY OF THE fore transitioning to small schools, they were overcrowded and many students were failing students. Then several years ago, the school was shut down due to their lack of progress. Eventually, 6 small schools emerged. Some of these schools include visual arts, international school, and it even has an elementary school that collaborates with a high school in a mentorship program. By actively and personally observing the successful results of the SLCs in New York, Wilson faculty and administrators now have a better idea of what to plan towards. From student to teacher to administrator, this SLC transition is and will everyone at Wilson. This trip allowed teachers to have an idea of what our school will be going through. Ultimately, the teachers who went to New York came back with new perspectives and more eagerness for teaching. Mr. Shock says, “I gained a greater enthusiasm for SLCs and for teaching in general.” Mr. Shock also shared his experiences with his students, many of which have never been to New York. He let them know that this trip was for the benefit of all his students as well as the entire school. Like Mr. Shock and Ms. Calhoun, the faculty and administration all hope that it will generate a core of focus within the Wilson community and ultimately in the students themselves. D EAD B Y : C ATARINA M ARTINEZ The Day of the Dead (Día De Los Muertos) is an ancient celebration in memory of the deceased. It is not a morbid day, but a day of celebration. In fact, there are two days of festivities. Observed on November 1 is “All Saint’s Day” and on November 2 is “All Soul’s Day”. According to Mr. Dueñas, a Social Studies Teacher, “The day of the dead is a celeAn alter created by participants of the Day of the Dead celebration. bration that has existed for hundreds of years, if not thousands of years, by the native people of Meso-America (Latin America). The Aztecs (Mexican) used to celebrate it for the entire month of August, but the Spaniards changed it to November 1st and the 2nd.” Not only is this celebration historical, but it is a part of many people’s family tradition here at Wilson. On November 2nd, Wilson High School celebrated this very special day with cultural pride and school spirit. As students entered the assembly in the MPR, they were greeted with wonderful things that their peers made. The MPR was decorated by stu- dents from different campus groups like Latinas Unidas, W.I.S.E., MEChA, Diverse Roots, Mr. Sandoval’s AP Spanish class, Ms. Aguilar and Ms. Dabiri’s art classes, and many other dedicated volunteers. Together they created colorful alters with flowers, bread (pan dulce), candy, drinks, pictures of the departed loved ones, candles, personal belongings like clothing and diplomas. Alters are made to remind the living of the departed, celebrate their life, as well as attract the souls of the dead to return. Not only was this a time for celebration, but it was a learning experience for many. During the assembly, students role-played as great Chicano heroes. Senior Maricela Padilla Martinez comments, “I learned about different things like the lives of Cesar Chavez, Frida Kahlo, and Emilio Zapata.” Students also performed beautiful folklorico dances. “The dances made the event interesting!” exclaims Junior Daisy Ramirez. This is an important day for many students who celebrate Día de Los Muertos. But for those who are unfamiliar with the culture, it educated them about how death can be celebrated as a continuation of life. “I don’t celebrate Día de Los Muertos. Before the assembly, I didn’t really know much about it. Now I know what it is and I really respect it,” comments Sophomore Joshua Hernandez. Junior Dominique Lopez, who painted faces for the event, adds, “I don’t celebrate Day of the Dead, but I felt it was a privilege to take part in my friends’ cultural celebration.” There are many students like Hernandez and Lopez, who aren’t familiar with cultural customs like Día de Los Muertos. Assemblies like these can help the Wilson community be more aware of each others’ backgrounds and traditions. We all look forward for future cultural celebrations. A CADEMIC D ECATHO LO N T EAM I S T AKING W ILSON T O T HE T OP ! B Y : E SPER ANZA A R RIZON tested on ten subjects: art, economics, literature and language, mathematics, music, science, social science, essay, interview, and speech. This year’s topic is "China and Its Influence on the World.” There is much needed exposure for Academic Decathlon. It has been very disappointing to find that not too many students know that Wilson has been participating in the Academic Decathlon during the past years. The Academic Decathlon is a team competition in which students match their smarts with students from other schools. The students are Although Wilson offers a class for Academic Decathlon, not everyone in the class will be on the team. The team consists of nine students; three students who’s GPA is in the “C” average range, three students who’s GPA is in the “B” average range, and three students who’s GPA is in the “A” average range. The Wilson Academic Decathlon team has been preparing ardently. Even though Wilson has not had good results in past competitions, this year’s team is determined to make dramatic improvements not only in the com- petition but also in Wilson’s academic reputation. On November 18, 2006 Wilson hosted “The Scrimmage,” which is a practice competition for all LAUSD schools participating in Academic Decathlon. Since last year, Wilson students doubled their total score! Besides improving Wilson’s academic reputation, Academic Decathlon is a great way for students to prepare for college. Mrs. Jorden, this year’s Academic Decathlon advisor says: “It’s the best class to make [students] well rounded, socially capable, and academically successful.” Junior Annette Serrato says, “Being in Academic Decathlon has motivated me to be more responsible and self-disciplined.” Students who participate in the program spend a great deal managing their time and practicing their study skills, Academic Decathlon students like Serrato will be prepared for life after high school. If the Academic Decathlon team does well in competition this year, the team hopes to leave a positive mark for Wilson students so that they will be more inclined join programs like the Academic Decathlon. It is programs like these that motivate students to pursue goals and ambitions like a higher education. B ESIDES IMP RO VING W ILSON ’ S ACADE MIC REPUT AT ION , A CADE MIC D ECAT HLON IS A GRE AT WAY FOR STUDENTS TO PRE PARE FOR COLLE GE . * * * * J UNIO R A NNETT E S ERRAT O SAYS , “B EING IN A CADE MIC D ECAT HLON HAS MOT IVATED ME TO BE MO RE RESPONS IBLE AND SELF - DIS CIPLINED .” Resources V OLUME 59, I SSUE 2 W EDNESDAY , D ECEMBER 13, 2006 P AGE 5 H OMEWORK H ELP C OLLEGE & C AREER V OLUNTEERING “A genius is just a talented person who does his homework.” “Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter al- “It is a denial of justice not to stretch out a helping hand —Thomas A. Edison (1847-1931) mond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.” to the fallen; that is the common right of humanity.” There is no excuse for not getting your homework done! There is tutoring in the library on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Go to tutoring, ask your teachers for help, or find the information yourself by visiting these links! • Search Engine: www.google.com Need to find something? Are you doing research? Use Google. You can find whatever you need on the web using this search engine. • References: www.reference.com From almanacs to medical terms to a thesaurus, this site has it all. It’s an all-in-one reference search. • Dictionary: www.onelook.com Can’t seem to find your dictionary? This online dictionary gives you all the help you need. Do you want to find more than one source? It does a multiple online dictionary search. • Quote Search: www.quoteland.com Need to find a quote? Go to this website to help you find the quote you are looking for. • Quote Search: www.quotationspage.com • Encyclopedia: www.wikipedia.com It’s fast and easy to use, a completely free, multilingual, and comprehensible online content encyclopedia! • Citation Machine: www.citationmachine.net Need to learn how to cite your references for an essay or for a research paper? That’s what this website is for try it and you’ll be able to cite all your information. • BJ Pinchbeck's Homework: http://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/bjpinchbeck/ If you need help with your homework, click on this link to help you get help. Some of the subjects include: English, Math, Science, Music, Social Studies, and Health. Before you decide to volunteer, it’s important to find out what their goals and services are. Helping others not only helps others, but you are also helping yourself be a better neighbor and community member! High school helps prepare you for the “real world”. Use your time wisely and explore your future, before your high school years are up! • Resume Writing: www.adventuresineducation.org/highschool/ hs_resume.cfm Looking for a job but you’re scared they might ask you for a resume? Worry no longer adventures in education can help you with your resume and you won’t have to worry about writing a resume anymore. • The Princeton Review www.princetonreview.com Not only does the Princeton Review help you sign up for test-prep courses, but it also contains several careerbased tests. This can help you figure out if the career you choose is right for you or you can just explore what you want to do. • Fast Web: www.fastweb.com Find the scholarships that suits you. Fill out a simple profile and Fast Web will notify you about scholarships that fits your profile and interests. When are the SATs? How much is it? Learn what tests you should take for college, prepare for the SAT by receiving daily questions via e-mail, and even prepare yourself for AP tests by looking up past prompts. All this is possible once you visit the College Board. • Career Profiles: www.bls.gov/oco/ Use the Department of Labor website and search for hundreds of different jobs profiles like electrician, teacher, lawyer, nurse, etc. You can find what training and education is needed for a profession you might be interested in. You can look at average earnings, working conditions, as well as what the particular career entails. • College Information: www.aie.org Adventures In Education (AIE) aims to help students plan and complete their education journey. Stay on-track in high school, check out this site. Mentoring: www.mentoring.org Help someone out, be a companion, be a listener, and a positive influence in someone’s life. For more than a decade, MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership has been working to explan the world of quality mentoring. Volunteer Match: www.volunteermatch.org Not sure where you want to volunteer or where you can volunteer? Volunteer Match is the answer, look for a close place to volunteer and find several opportunities to volunteer at animal shelters, schools, or even the Los Angeles Marathon. • • Mountain Restoration Trust: www.mountainstrust.com All of us like going to Santa Monica, specially the pier, but the mountains surrounding Santa Monica need aid, check out this website and see what you can do to help Santa Monica looking beautiful. • College Board: www.collegeboard.com Habitat for Humanity: www.habitat.org Feel that you’re not doing enough to help those without a home? Habitat for Humanity can help you overcome this feeling; help build a home for those who need it the most! • • • Here’s another resource for quotes. A good student needs to know to examine more than one resource. If you can’t find what you are looking for on the other site, maybe you can find it here. —Seneca, (5 B.C.-65 A.D.) —Mark Twain, Pudd’nhead Wilson (1894) Tree People: www.treepeople.org TreePeople’s mission is to inspire the people of Los Angeles to take personal responsibility for the urban forest—educating, training, and supporting them as they plant and care for trees and improve the neighborhoods in which they live, learn, and work and play. • L.A. Works: www.laworks.org On a weekly basis, L.A. Works offers a variety of community service projects. They offer one-time as well as long-term projects. Volunteers can spend a morning painting a school or planning a community garden. Volunteers can help tutor or just even read to children. Features P AGE 6 V OLUME 59, I SSUE 2 W EDNESDAY , D ECEMBER 13, 2006 C AHSEE : Y OU C AN D O I T ! P ARENT C ONFERENCE : H OW ’ S M Y C HILD D OING ? B Y: B Y : R OSEMARY R EVEL ES ELIJAH VILLENA With all the stress that comes along with a new school year, Seniors and Juniors who have not yet passed the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) are once again going to have to take the exam in order to graduate from high school. “I think making the CAHSEE a requirement to graduate from high school is not fair”, says senior Stephanie Nava, senior. “Why should my entire high school career be based on one single exam?” asks senior Mario Colocho. The CAHSEE was created to ensure that every graduating senior in California has learned what they needed to in order to graduate from high school. However, the issues surrounding the CAHSEE are much more complex. There have been debates over whether an average high school student can pass the CAHSEE. Here is a sample question from the CAHSEE referenced from edsource.org; Three-fourths of the 36 members of a club attended a meeting. Ten of those attending the meeting were female. Which one of the following questions can be answered with the information given? A. 1/6 B. 1/2 C. 3/5 D. 5/6 If you can answer this question correctly then you probably have already passed. If not, then you better start studying. On Tuesday, November 14, 2006 students were heading home delighted after having an early dismissal. While students got to go home early, teachers had to prepare their classrooms and counselors gathered the 10week report cards. This was all in preparation for Parent Conference. Though attendance to parent conference has been a problem in the past, this year administrators and teachers were delighted to see an increase in attendance. The more parents participate in their children’s education, the better! While many students were anxious about what teachers would tell their parents, one thing was clear, parents and teachers looked forward to discussing student progress and potential. Many students feel that parent conferences are very important. Junior Evan says, “I really like coming to parent conferences, so my mom can hear good comments about me”. Some students don’t feel the same way, senior Vanessa Otero says, “I am not attending parent conference because my parents know I am doing well”. Whether your parents “know” or not, these evening conferences allow both teachers and parents to discuss and ensure quality education for students. No matter how much students look forward to or dread conferences, they really are a great opportunity for everyone to communicate. Don’t look it as a chance for teachers to “tell on” their students. The more parents are involved, the better students do in school. Mr. Cervantes says, “The turnout was pretty good this year, I saw about 42 parents.” These are 42 more parents who are involved in their child’s education. Hopefully in the years to come, more and more parents attend parent conferences and become more involved in their child’s education. (F ROM P AGE 1: S NOBALL ) really enjoyed the night. “They had good food and the best part was the D.J,” said junior Steven Bautista. Some students just don’t like being there because they feel that teachers use this chance to put them on the spot. As senior Lizette Rodriguez says, “[Teachers] tell on you”. From a teacher’s perspective, it might be harsh for teachers to tell on you, but for many students, they need this added pressure to turn things around. English teacher Ms. Tran says, “It’s not about getting students in trouble, it’s about giving students a reality check. Both parents and teachers want students to know that they matter, so we talk about their education.” Many teachers All the dances here at Wilson are memorable, but Snoball is special. For some it’s their first winter formal, but for Seniors it’s their last. Senior Stephanie Madero comments, “This was the best Snoball ever”. Let’s hope that the memories of Wilson’s 2006 Snoball stay with us long after we graduate. Being able to remember these wonderful high school moments are valuable to not only ourselves, but to our future generations. You never know they might be Mules too! G ETTING TO K NOW ...M S . D ABIRI & M R . R OURA Nevertheless, I do agree that every student should be able to pass the CAHSEE. We all have one chance during sophomore year, two during junior year, and THREE chances during our senior year. In other words, the state has given everyone a sufficient amount of chances to pass the test. In my opinion, the CAHSEE is not a difficult test. If the test is difficult for others, there are many opportunities and resources out there. There are even CAHSEE classes to prepare students for the exam. Which leaves students with no excuses for not passing the exam. Ms. Dabiri teaches Painting, Drawing, and Stage Design. (F ROM P AGE 1: K WAN ) No matter what problems Mr. Kwan is confronting, we know he will overcome them to once again be part of the Wilson family. He deserves all the love and support that his students are giving him. With his dedication to his students over the years and his talent for teaching, the students here at Woodrow Wilson would like to wish him a rapid recovery. Senior Kevin Vega expresses the following towards Mr. Kwan’s recovery: “Get well, we need teachers like you who make us laugh and still manage to educate us with Chemistry.” With this said, the Wilson family wishes Mr. Kwan good luck and to remember that he is appreciated and greatly missed. like Ms. Tran feel it is important to inform parents about how their child is doing in school. Ultimately, they are trying to keep students on the right path. • Education: UCLA, B.A. in Fine Arts; Cal State L.A., Masters in Art Education (in progress!) • Hometown: Glendale, CA • Hobbies: Traveling, going to music and art shows, reading, and watching films. • Favorites: Color: olive green Book: “Too many to name!” Music: mix of indie, folk, and punk rock Film & TV: The Motorcycle Diaries, “right now I like to watch Top Chef” Mr. Kwan would like to express the following to the Wilson Community: • What is a little known fact about you? “I make and design clothes.” I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the students, faculty and administrators of Wilson High for their love, care, and kindness extend toward me. The overwhelming support I received during this difficult time truly makes me feel blessed. Although I am facing a horrible disease, I have no fear. For I know through the Lord's strength I will find inner peace and the power to fight the disease and win it at the end. And to all my students, do not to worry too much about me. I ask of you, please continue to do what you do best at Wilson - that is, to study hard and excel in school...just as I will do my best in enduring my course of cancer treatment in the upcoming months. Let's work endlessly to achieve our dreams and goals. Lastly, I am very optimistic about my recovery. With faith and hope, I must, and I will get well. I look forward seeing all of you very soon. Thank you. Mr. Kwan :) • Why are you a teacher? “I am passionate about art, and even more so about the minds and hearts of students.” • What do you consider to be the worst student habit? “Profanity and excessive use of the word ‘fool’.” • A message from Ms. D to all students: “Take advantage of the final years of your education. This is when you are guaranteed a free education.” Mr. Roura teachesWorld History, Psychology, and Sociology. • Education: East LA Community College (ELAC), A.A. in Liberal Arts; UCLA, B.A. in History and Political Science & Master’s in Education • Hometown(s): South-Central Los Angeles and Montebello • Hobbies: Playing guitar, traveling, debating, and going to plays. • Favorites: Book: I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala (autobiography) Color: crimson red Music: Latin Jazz & World Folk Film & TV: “The Amazing Race, 8pm...Channel 2!” • What is a little known fact about you? “During the walkouts in 1968, my dad was a student organizer and my mother was a student at Wilson. Keeping with the tradition of community involvement...my brother and I are in education and my sister is an El Sereno business owner of Antiqua Culture Coffee Shop.” • Why are you a teacher? “I love teaching high school. Teenagers are smart and have fresh points of views. I rarely end the school day without learning something from my students. Yes, my students actually teach me much more than I could ever teach them.” Features V OLUME 59, I SSUE 2 W EDNESDAY , D ECEMBER 13, 2006 A NOTHER YEAR HAS GONE BY AND “I am thankful for life and everything that has been given to me.” —Freshman Raul Sauceda P AGE 7 I’ M THANKFUL FOR …. “I am thankful for my family, friends, and all the laughs and the crazy moments that I have with each and everyone I love to be around.” —Senior Dulce Angel “I am thankful for having both of my parents with me and my brothers and sisters.” —Senior Beatriz “I am thankful for life, love in a smile that is given to me. I am thankful for my Wilson family.” —Junior Araceli Olivas Espinoza C OMMUNITY H ISTORY : K INDERGARTNERS F ROM THE USC D IGITAL A RCHIVES IN A S CHOOL ON C ITY T ERRACE D R . Communities change, people grow up, families move in, and families move out. As things change, take time to remember what once was. Place: City Terrace, California, U.S.A. Date: unknown Title: Kindergartners working on projects in back of City Terrace Elementary on City Terrace Drive north of Boyle Heights Description: Photograph of kindergartners working on projects in back of a school on City Terrace Drive north of Boyle Heights. Most of the young children are seated at a low rectangular table at left. More children are sitting on wooden boxes in the foreground, while still more are lined up at right. A woman in a long floral print dress is standing at left. The school building is at left, and a large grassy field is at right. An intersection of paved roads can be seen in the background. Several houses line the road, and an early model automobile can be seen parked by a curb. Check out the USC Digital Archives at http://digarc.usc.edu/ cispubseartch Courtesy of University of Southern California, on behalf of the USC Specialized Libraries and Archival Collections P AGE 8 Entertainment V OLUME 59, I SSUE 2 W EDNESDAY , D ECEMBER 13, 2006 G AME R EVIEW : G UITAR H ERO II F AST F ACTS B Y : E DWAR D G ONZAL EZ B Y : L YDIA For all of you who love video games and music, I have a game for you! The name of the game is Guitar Hero II and it’s a sequel to the original Guitar Hero. The original Guitar Hero first came out on November 8, 2005. When it was first launched, people were excited about playing popular songs like White Zombie’s Thunder Kiss ‘65 and David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust with their mini Gibson SG controller. Meeting with great success, almost a year to the date later on November 7, 2006, Guitar Hero II was introduced to the many existing and new fans. Released for Playstation 2, Guitar Hero II is published by RedOctane and designed by Harmonix Music Systems. Like the original, it’s packed with impressive music. Exceeding the original, it has a larger music list with covers from artists like the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Nirvana, Van Halen, Rush, and Guns N' Roses. Guitar Hero II wouldn’t be great if the songs didn't sound or play like the real thing, luckily Courtesy of RedOctane Harmonix nailed it with their ingenious design! Due to their efforts, when you play the game, it feels and sounds like you are performing the songs as you rock out with Wolfmother’s Woman and Nirvana’s Heart-Shaped Box. If you are not familiar with the Guitar Hero phenomenon, this is how it works…When you pick up the mini Gibson SG controller, there are five-colored fret buttons to work with. Although it’s only five, the game makes you feel like you're using an entire fret board. Your fingers dance up and down the neck of the guitar as you play scrolling notes while pressing the strum bar simultaneously. For some extra oomph, you can use the whammy bar to create a cool pitch blend effect. Guitar Hero II comes in four modes of difficulty: Easy, Medium, Hard, and Expert. The difference between each mode is the speed and dexterity as they each get progressively difficult with more notes to hit as well as a speedier scroll. FROM THE RIVAS LA’s name is longer than you think! Did you know that the city of Los Angeles is not the city’s full name? As surprising as it may be our city’s full and real name El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula," which means The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels on the River Porciúncula". Reference: www.wikipedia.com Legend’s best basketball player One of basketball legend’s players, Wilt Chamberlain is known for various reasons. His outstanding athleticism on the court made him one of the greatest athletes of all time. Scoring one hundred points against the warriors in the 1960s is another remarkable recognition. But did you know that Wilt Chamberlain holds 56 NBA records and was never fouled out through his NBA career? Yes, it takes great skills to become a great basketball player like Wilt Chamberlain. Reference: www.amusingfacts.com A year of Mass! What happens to a regular crime sentence? The unusual happens when a judge sentences a teenage boy to a year of mass. A teenage boy from Argentina will have to attend mass everyday for a year and help clean the church. The judge from Argentina decided to rule on this rare sentence after hearing that the teenager stole four empty gas containers from a church and later sold them. This sentence was intended for the teenage boy to overcome his sins as well as do his time. While much of the game's mechanics work the same as they did in the original, there are a few differences. For Guitar Hero II, the new three-button chords are the biggest addition to the game. To pull of these massive parts, you may think you need an extra finger! Another addition to the sequel is the ability for each player to independently choose a difficulty level. The Practice Mode and ability to set individual difficulty levels in multiplayer are one of the best add-ons. Lastly, the Cooperative multiplayer is lots more fun as the three-button chords help take the game's challenge to the next level. Guitar Hero II takes everything that made the original game great and makes it better. This is the nearly-perfect sequel to one of the best games in forever, and it's an absolute must-buy or at least must-try! ‘N ET Reference: www.ananova.com M USIC R EVIEW : C HIODOS ’ A LL ’ S W ELL T HAT E NDS W ELL B Y : E LIJAH V ILL ENA Released: Grade: A+ Chiodos (pronounced as Chee-OH-Dose), formally known as “The Chiodos Bros.” is a posthardcore band from Davison, Michigan. The band consists of six members: Bradley Bell (keyboards and vocals), Derrick Frost (drums), Matt Goddard (bass), Jason Hale (guitar) Pat McManaman (guitar), and Craig Owens (vocals). The band’s sound is a mixture of melodic riffs, electronic beats, punk and metal influences. With the success of their first full length album released back in 2005, Chiodos wanted to add on to their already amazing CD. The reissue of All’s Well That Ends Well is essentially the exact same album which was released in 2005. However, the reissue includes two bonus acoustic tracks. The first bonus track is an acoustic rendition of Baby, You Wouldn’t Last A Minute On The Creek. Though while the original version is heavily driven by their lead guitarist, Jason Hale, and drummer, Derrick Frost, the acoustic version is lead by their keyboardist Bradley Bell. The acoustic version, in my opinion, is a much better than the full band version. The vocals of Craig Owens are much cleaner and the harmony shared with Bradley is excellent. The second bonus track is also an acoustic rendition of a previously recorded Chiodos track. However, the song was not released on All’s Well That Ends Well in 2005. The song Lindsey Quit Lollygagging was released on an earlier EP in 2002 when Chiodos was known as The Chiodos Bros. The new version contains simple riffs on guitar but is very entertaining to listen to for the simple fact that the song is such a step away from what most Chiodos fans are used to. Though the re-issue is essentially the same album I recommend buying the new CD for the two new tracks and the new artwork on the cover of the CD. What is Su Doku? Su Doku is a kind of logic puzzle made popular in recent years in Japan and now exploding in popularity across the globe. Although they look like mathematical puzzles, you don't need any mathematical skill to solve them. In fact you don't even need arithmetic to solve Su Doku puzzles - you can solve them by reasoning alone. I think that is what makes them so interesting and so addictive. A standard Su Doku puzzle is a table of 3 by 3 boxes, each of which contains a 3 by 3 array of cells to make a 9 by 9 grid. At the start of the puzzle, some cells are filled with digits and some are empty. To solve a puzzle you must fill in the empty cells according to these restrictions: every row, every column and every 3 by 3 box must contain one instance of the digits 1-9. Each puzzle has a single solution which can be found by a sequence of logical steps from the starting position. You know when you've solved one because all the digits click satisfyingly into place. From: http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/mark/sudoku/ Entertainment V OLUME 59, I SSUE 2 W EDNESDAY , D ECEMBER 13, 2006 P AGE 9 T HE N EXT G ENERATION OF V IDEO G AMING B Y : G REGOR Y M IJARES These two companies have been bumping heads since the Playstation made its debut, but without a doubt Nintendo has been a world wide famous company long before the Playstation existed. As people flock to buy, the question for most consumers this year is: Which console is better? There are many determining factors, but for many, it’s a money issue. The PS3 is at least twice as expensive to the Nintendo Wii. Why so much? PS3 came out with two different consoles: one priced at $500 and the other $600. The difference is that the $600 system includes Memory Stick, Wi-Fi, and a 60GB hard disk drive (HDD), whereas the $500 system comes with a 20GB HDD. Both consoles have state-of-the art Bluetooth, four USB ports, and other great features like Blu-ray Disc, which is the latest in High Definition movies. The Wii’s market price starts at $250. If money matters, the Wii is the best pick. People couldn’t wait for it and now it’s here. For all you gamers out there, the PS3 and the Nintendo Wii finally arrived after a long wait. Nintendo and Sony are proud to release their new consoles just before the holidays. Since the first original console came out in 1995, the series of the Sony Playstation continues with PS3. Don’t count out Nintendo just yet. It’s been at the top right along with the Playstation. Just a year after the original Playstation came out, Nintendo 64 was introduced in 1996. A decade later, neither Nintendo nor Playstation wasted any time. On November 17, Playstation 3 was released to the public and just two days after, it was Nintendo Wii’s turn for its public appearance. ing. The Wii wireless controller can detect physical movements in three dimensions. On top of this, its consumers can receive game updates and messages via internet using the WiiConnect24 feature. On console design, Wii is again a top pick. With its ingenious wireless controller, interactive gaming has reached a new level. From a first person shooter game to a steering a race car to playing a tennis match, the Wii makes you part of the action. So which one is better? It’s up to you to choose! D ID THE YOU K NOW … J APANESE P LAYSTATION GAMES , THE “OK” AND “C ANCEL ” B UTTONS ARE REVERSED IN THEIR A MERICAN AND E UROPEAN REL EASES . • N INTENDO BEGA N AS A SMALL J APANESE BUSINESS NEAR THE END OF 1889 AS N INTENDO K OPPAI . T HE COMPANY MOST OF THE PRODUCED AND MARKET ED A CARD GAME CALLED H ANAFUDA . O N D ECEMEMBER 3, 1994, THE P LAYSTATION WAS FIRST AVAILABLE IN J APAN . • N INTENDO IS THE MAJORITY OWNER FOR THE S EATTLE M ARINERS . • T HE L AUNCH P RICE FOR THE ORIGINAL P LAYSTATION IN THE US: $299. • I N 1978, N INTENDO CAME OUT WITH ITS • Besides financial reasons, what are consumers impressed with? For PS3, the graphics are definitely more intense and impressive. But the Wii has everyone amazed by the new controller design. At first, it might look like a regular remote control, but it’s the first of its kind in gam- T OP T HING S T O S HOP F OR D U RING IN • VERY FIRST VIDEO GAME CALLED C OMPUTER O THELLO . R IDDLE M E T HIS ... H OLIDAYS B Y : G REGOR Y M IJARES “W HICH CREATURE IN THE Don’t know what to shop for? Need to drop a hint as to what you want? Well here is a list of things to shop for during the holidays. Yet for many students, think of it as a “wish list”. This list was composed through what students have been buzzing about on campus. MORNING GOES ON FOUR FEET , AT NOON ON TWO , AND IN THE EVENING UPON THREE ?” Many of the things on the list are new items that have been recently unveiled to the public. Some of these include the much sought for electronics, video games, music, and DVDs. If you can’t get them for the holidays, check them out at the store. It’s kind of fun to window shop and test out the latest video game consoles. Happy Holidays! E LECTRONICS —F ROM S OPHOCLES ’ O EDIPUS R EX T HE E ND TO A C AREER THAT J UST B EGUN 1. PS3 B Y : C ATARINA M ARTINEZ 2. Nintendo Wii Valentin Elizalde was a famous Mexican singer who passed away on Saturday, November 25, 2006 at 2:45 a.m. He was born on February 1st, 1979. He was from a small town called Etchojoa Jitonhueca Sonora. He started singing banda music in Bencame Nuevo. From there he started a whirlwind international singing career. Through his singing, he got his nickname: “El Gallo De Oro”, which in English means “The Golden Rooster”. Many say he followed in the footsteps of his musician father. 3. iPod 80GB ( Stores Up To 20,000 Songs) 4. New Computer 5. Advance T.V. G AMES : I N S TORES N OW 1. Gears of War (Xbox 360) 2. Guitar Hero 2 (Playstation 2) 3. Scarface: The World Is Yours (Xbox, PSP, PS2) 4. Need For Speed: Carbon (PS2, PSP, Xbox, 360, GameCube) 5. Call of Duty 3 (Xbox360) M USIC : I N S T ORES N OW 1. The Game’s The Doctor’s Advocate 2. Jay-Z’s Kingdom Come His death was both sudden and controversial for fans around the globe. On Saturday November 25, 2006, Valentin was performing in a private presentation at an expo in Reynosa Tamaulipas. After the presentation he was driven by his driver Raymundo Ballesteros. With him was his manager and friend Mario Mendosa. During the drive, an unknown car suddenly blocked Valentin’s car in then started shooting at it. According to the police there were 50 bullet casings. Eight of which fatally hit Valentin. All three victims were found murdered. Unfortunately, the police arrived 45 minutes after the execution-style attack took place. With evidence left from the scene the police were able to determine that the weapon used was an automatic AR-15. Elizalde leaves behind his three children: Jasmine, Carina and Tatiana. Valentin Elizalde will be missed but he will always be remembered in our hearts. Rest in peace Valentin Elizalde! 3. Snoop Dogg’s Tha Blue Carpet Treatment 4. Akon’s Konvicted D ISCOGRAPHY 5. Wisin y Yandel Presentan’s Los Vaqueros • Vencedor (2006) DVD S : • Soy Asi (2005) • Volvere a amar (2004) • Mi Satisfacción. (2003) • Y se parece a ti (2002) • 17 Exitos En Honor A Mi Padre (2001) • Traicion Federal (2000) I N S T ORES N OW 1. Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) 2. 24: Season 5 (2006) 3. Family Guy Vol. 4 (2006) 4. Beerfest (2006) 5. The Da Vinci Code (2006) Honor Roll P AGE 10 C ONGRATULATIONS ! Y OU ’ VE M ADE T HE FOLLOWING A RE ABARCA, HECTOR AGUILAR, CARINA AGUILAR, WALTER U. AGUINAGA, ANGELICA AKRAM, NADIA ALCALA, LESLIE M. ALCAZAR, VICTOR A. ALVAREZ, CYNTHIA ALVAREZ, SELINA ANGEL, DULCE ANGULO, JESUS R. ARAGON, EVER A. ARCOS, NORMA A. AREVALO, JOANNA M. ARIAS, JOSE G. ARIAS, ROCIO ARRIZON, ESPERANZA AVILA, ARTHUR AVILA, NANCY E. AVILES, ESTEPHANIE G. BARAJAS, DAVID JR. BEDOLLA, GRISELDA BRIONES, PAULA J. BRUMFIELD, AMBER L. CAI, JIA H. CALDERON, JUAN C. CANALES, ELIZABETH S. CANO, ANGELICA D. CAO, HAI F. CARAPIA, LARISSA E. CARBALLO, AMELIA CARD, GEORCHA CARRANZA, JANET CARVAJAL, CYNTHIA N. CASAS, MAYRA CASTELLANOS, RAQUEL CENTENO, ANGELICA CEREN, CINDY J. CHAN, TAK C. CHAN, WENDY W. W IL SON THE V OLUME 59, I SSUE 2 W EDNESDAY , D ECEMBER 13, 2006 P RINCIPAL ’ S H ONOR R OLL ! STUDENT S WH O HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ACHIEVED A CHEN, JOHN CHEN, LILLIAN CHEN, LILY CHEN, MICHAEL J. CHEN, ZHAN CHIN, ALICE CHIPIX, JEFFREY S. CHIU, BETTY W. CHU, CARMEN COLLAZO, MICHAEL CORONA, LIDIA CUEVAS, OMAR CUEVAS, SANTIAGO M. CUI, ZHEN DAMAS, STEPHANIE M. DAO, AMY DAVIS, NICHOLE M. DE ANDA, VANIA M. DENIZ, NAYROBY G. DIAZ, DALMA L. DIEP, KEVIN G. EHRHEART, DEVAN M. ELIAS, BRITTANIA ENGERON-ESTRADA, CHARRIS ESQUIVEL, KARLA ESTEVEZ, DENNYS A. ESTRADA, MARGARITA FERNANDEZ, RAUDEL FLORES, CHRISTINA M. FLORES, EDUARDO FUENTES, GILBERT III GALLARDO, MIGUEL A. GARCIA, ABIGAIL S. GARCIA, JASMINE L. GARCIA, NADINE R. GOMEZ, CARMINA R. GOMEZ, CHRISTOPHER GONZALEZ, EDUARDO I. GONZALEZ, INGRID GUAN, FUSEN GUERRERO, ISAMAR GUTIERREZ, ALBERTO GUTIERREZ, GILBERTO GUTIERREZ, JORGE GUZMAN, NESTOR M. HA, CYNTHIA HANG, JASON T. HERNANDEZ, BERTHA G. HERNANDEZ, DAISY A. HERNANDEZ, ELIZABETH HERNANDEZ, MIRIAM HERNANDEZ, SANDRA HERNANDEZ, WENDY HO, MICHELLE Z. HO, VINCENT HOANG, NIKKI P. HUANG, CHUN C. HUANG, JIAHAO HUERTA, LUIS F. HUIZAR, SABRINA F. JARA, DEISY JAUREGUI, RICARD JIANG, HENRY J. JIMENEZ, FELIPE D. KHANG, BERTILDE KHANH, JENNY A. KHANH, LEONALYN KHUU, KAREN LAM, MINDY LARA MEDEL, XIOMARA LAZARO, JOSEFINA LE, BAO H. LEDEZMA, LUCIA LOPEZ, DOMENCIA Y. LOPEZ, JENNIFER P. LUU, ALVIN 3.50 MACO, DANIELLE M. MAK, GLORIA MAK, JULIA MAK, MEI SEONG MALDONADO, JENNIFER C. MANZO, CYNTHIA T. MARQUEZ, JANELLE Y. MARTINEZ, AZLIN MARTINEZ, CARLOS MARTINEZ, CASSANDRA MARTINEZ, DEREK P. MARTINEZ, DYLAN E. MARTINEZ, EDGAR MARTINEZ, JACQUELINE S. MARTINEZ, KEVIN MARTINEZ, LARAMIE M. MCPHERSON, JESSICA B. MILES, GODOFREDO MIRELES, DANIEL MUNOZ, ELIZABETH MURATALLA, GRACE G. MURILLO, MICHELLE NGUYEN, NGOC T. NODA, LAZARO G. NORIEGA, ALAN D. NUNEZ, EDGAR OLAGUEZ, RICARDO OLIVARES, BIVIANA ORTIZ, CHANEL N. PANAMENO, HERBERTH R. PAYAN AGUILERA, VANESSA PEDRO, GERARDO PENATE, EDWARD J. PERALES, MICHAEL PINEDA, MARTY A. PLATERO, FATIMA PUENTES, JESSE D. QIU, DONG R. TO 4.50 GPA. RAMOS, CARLOS A. RANGEL, ROSENDO RIVAS, ALLAN A. RIVERA, ESTEFANIA RIVERA, FLOR M. RODRIGUEZ, ABIGAIL RODRIGUEZ, RAMON JR. RODRIGUEZ, RAUL RODRIGUEZ, VICTORIA E. ROJAS, SHARON E. ROMERO, LEISHA B. ROMERO, MICHAEL A. SALCEDO, CAROLINA B. SANCHEZ, JOSE G. SEDANO, CHRISTIAN L. SERRANO, ADRIAN SIU, JOHNNY SIU, WING-YIN SOLORZANO, CLAUDIA V. SOLORZANO, ELIZABETH SORIANO, ROBERTO TAN, LISA D. TREJO, ALEXANDRA TREJO, NELIDA TRUONG, LENA VACA GARCIA, LILIA K. VALDOVINOS, FRANCISCO J. VANEGAS, NELLY E. VAZQUEZ, LINDA VIDAL, LENZY J. VILLA, DENISE VILLARREAL, JOSE L. WONG, KENT C. XIAO, SHUXIAN SUSAN YU, TONY YUAN, HELEN YUEN, MARGARET ZHANG, ZHAOWEI ZHENG, FANNY C ONGRATULATIONS ! Y OU ’ VE M ADE THE C OUNSELORS ’ H ONOR R OLL ! T HE FOLLOWING A RE AGUILAR, GABRIELA AGUIRRE, SONIA ALONSO, XOCHILT ALVAREZ, JONALYN S. AMADOR, ANA K. ARANDA, BRENDA K. ARANDA, KARLA T. ARANGO, DORIS L. ARCOS, GLORIA S. BAIESC, MARIUS C. BARTOSEK, AARON C. BAUTISTA, BERENICE BENAVIDES, SALVADOR BENITEZ, JULIE S. BERNAL, GEORGINA L. CABADA, ADRIAN CADENAS, LORNA CALDERON, MARTIN A. CAMARENA, ANDRE D. CARDIEL, VALERIE M. CASTANEDA, DAVID CASTELLANOS, CAROLINA CEJA, AARON B. CHAIDEZ, MANUEL D. CHAVEZ, ALEJANDRA Y. CHAVEZ, KEVIN A. CHEN, HARMON D. CLEARY, BRITTANY A. COREA, RODNEY COVARRUBIAS, JENNIFER CRUZ, ALEJANDRO CRUZ, JENNIFER DE LA CRUZ, JORGE L. W IL SON STUDENT S WH O HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ACHIEVED A DELGADO, DIANA DIAZ, JULILAHROSE V. DIAZ, LUIS A. DOMINGUEZ, LAUREN R. DUARTE, VIVIANA DUONG, DANNY H. ESCOBAR, TRINIDAD ESPINOZA, DAVID ESTRADA, PETRA ESTRADA, SOFIA FERNANDEZ, ROCIO M. GALAN, GEORGE GALLEGOS, DANIEL GARCIA, DALIA Y. GARCIA, KYLE GARCIA, ROGER A. GAYTAN, CARISSA J. GOMEZ, JOSHUA S. GOMEZ, OMAR G. GONZALES, DANIEL F. GONZALEZ, ALEXANDRIA GONZALEZ, CARLOS GONZALEZ, DIEGO A. GONZALEZ, MARIA D. GONZALEZ-MORA, EDGAR GUDINO, ELIZABETH T. GUEVARA, ELZA J. GUTIERREZ, DOLORES GUTIERREZ, ELIZABETH GUZMAN, TANYA C. HAN, JOANNE HERAS, GEORGE HERNANDEZ, FABIOLA HERNANDEZ, RUBY HERNANDEZ, SAUL JR. HERNANDEZ, TIFFANY M. HIDALGO, ANGELICA HOLGUIN, PHILLIP M. HUANG, TOMMY W. HUTCHINSON, KENRY A. JAQUEZ, NICHOLAS, R. JULIO-CUEVAS, KIMBERLEY KIM, SAKPHAYANA KIM, SAKPRANETH LARA, JENNIFER LEE, JASON J. LEYVA, CYNTHIA Y. LOPEZ, BARBARA C. LOPEZ, DOMINIQUE L. LOPEZ, LEONIDES LOPEZ, VANESSA LUNA, CHRISTIAN LUNA, CRYSTAL MACIAS, MICHEAL A. MANLEY, PAULINE MARTINEZ, ALEXANDER R. MARTINEZ, JOSEPH P. MARTINEZ, LUCIA MARTINEZ, MARIA E. MARTINEZ, ROCIO MASH, LILIAN K. MAYAGOITIA, ALEXIS A. MC KINNEY, ROBERT E. MEJIA, JENNY MELENDEZ, SAMLY R. MENDOZA CUENCA, SHAILA 3.00 MONROY-TALAMANTES, PATRICIA MORALES, CHRISTOPHER MORALEZ, STEPHANIE M. MORAN, DANIEL A. MUNOZ, CRYSTAL R. MUNOZ, JOSE F. MUNOZ, MIMI A. NAVARRETE GARAY, MICHAEL NAVIA, SUSANA NEVAREZ, LUIS M. NGOV, DANIEL H. OJEDA, ERIC J. OLIVARES, EDWIN R. ONG, ERIK J. ORTEGA, LIDIA M. ORTIZ, KARINA A. PALACIOS, LUZ M. PANAMENO, JENNIFER D. PAZ, FRANKLIN E. PECINA, FRANCISCO J. PENA, JESUS PEREZ, JOSEPH D. PEREZ, YAMILA N. PERLERA, ANA M. PERRY, JAZMIN M. PONCE, JUANITA QUIJADA, GUADALUPE RAMIREZ, CRISTIAN RAMIREZ, JOSE I. RAMIREZ, LIZETTE RECINOS, EMMA M. RECINOS, YANIRA A. RENTERIA, CHRISTIAN A. TO 3.49 GPA. REYNOSO, LUIS E. REYNOSO, ROGELIO JR. ROBLES, DEYSI RODRIGUEZ, JASON RODRIGUEZ, MARIO A. RODRIGUEZ-CASAS, EDUWIGE ROSALES, ANABEL SALAS, REBECCA V. SALAS, ROMAN P. SALGADO, ESMERALDA SANCHEZ, RUTH SANDOVAL, ARACELY SANDOVAL, JOSUE SANTILLAN, NICHOLAS R. SERRANO, NESTOR M. SOLIS, MICHAEL SOLORZANO, ARTURO F. SOTELO, JESSICA TAVARES, SARA M. TEJEDA, PAOLA P. THACH, RAYMOND TORRES, BARBARA G. TORRES, STACEY L. TRINIDAD, JOCELYN S. VALENZUELA, NEYRA L. VALLES, ROSA VEGA, SURY K. VILLANUEVA, LINCOLN E. VOONG, WILMA XIE, EDWARD YANES, ROBIN E. YOUNG, KRYSTAL D. YU, TINA V. ZAMORANO, MERCI V OLUME 59, I SSUE 2 W EDNESDAY , D ECEMBER 13, 2006 W ILSON H AS THE Sports P AGE 11 B ELL O NCE A GAIN ! B Y : K EVIN V EGA A devastating 0-3 start this season, T HE LAST TIME W ILSON everything was RANG THE BELL WAS pointing to a losing DURING THE 1998 SEASON and disappointing AFTER THE M ULES BEAT THE season for the F RANKLIN P ANTHERS . Mules. However, hope once again filled the atmosphere, after the coaching staff and players were reminded and inspired of the team tradition and pride of El Sereno and Wilson High School by Head Coach Eddie Martinez. They were reminded to stay focused and show everyone they were better than their 0-3 start and that the playoffs were not out of reach. While winning their next four games, Wilson’s Varsity football players were put to the test as they had a chance to win back the bell and prove that they are the great athletes they claimed to be. The last time Wilson rang the bell was during the 1998 season after the Mules beat the Franklin Panthers. It has been the team’s mission to bring that past memory back to the present where the Bell K INGS OF THE D IAMO ND B Y : G REGOR Y M IJARES Congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals for a wonderful 2006 as they defeated the Detroit Tigers in 5 games! Even though the Tigers didn’t win, they had an amazing and unbelievable year of their own. Their victory secured the Cardinals with their 10th World Series title in 80 years since their first championship back in 1926. It’s been 24 years since their last World Series title in 1982. With this big win, Cardinal manager Tony La Russa finally got what he came for in St. Louis. In 2004 he fell short by losing to the Boston Red Sox in four games. This win gives La Russa his second World Series ring. He earned the first one back in Oakland during the 1989 season. It also makes La Russa the second manager to win World Series titles in both leagues. The real kudos, however, goes to the field warriors who were full of talent and team chemistry from Pujols, Edmonds, Eckstein, Carpenter to bench players like Spiezio, Taguchi, Wilson. Cardinal slugger Albert Pujols stated, "[And] that's what you play for. It doesn't matter how much money you make or what kind of numbers you put up in the big leagues. If you walk out of this game and you don't have a ring, you haven't accomplished everything." As the Cardinals were just hanging on to first place on the last week of the regular season and clinching their division on the last weekend, their championship was a shocker and was considered a “Cinderella” story to most. The way they were initially playing, many would say it looked as if they were going to be eliminated in the first round to the San Diego Padres. They luckily managed to make big noises with their bats and kept doing just that throughout the rest of the playoffs. Well you know the end of their Cinderella story, they lived happily ever after …until the next season! • W ORLD S ERIES T RIVIA : In World Series history, 50 teams have fallen into 0-2 deficits. 11 of those teams came back to win: the 1921 Giants, 1955 Dodgers, 1956 Yankees, 1958 Yankees, 1965 Dodgers, 1971 Pirates, 1978 Yankees, 1981 Dodgers, 1985 Royals, 1986 Mets and 1996 Yankees. • 42 teams fell into 1-3 deficits, only six of which finally came back to win: the 1903 Red Sox, 1925 Pirates, 1958 Yankees, 1968 Tigers, 1979 Pirates, and 1985 Royals. • Seven teams have won the Series in the last at-bat of the seventh game: the 1912 Red Sox, the 1924 Senators, the 1960 Pirates, the 1975 Reds, the 1991 Twins, the 1997 Marlins, and the 2001 Diamondbacks. • The Chicago Cubs hold the record for the longest World Series drought (still active heading into 2007), with their last title coming in 1908. Other substantial droughts include the Philadelphia Phillies (97 seasons, from their inception in 1883 to 1980); the Chicago White Sox (88 seasons, from 1917 to 2005); the Boston Red Sox (86 seasons, from 1918 to 2004). • The New York Yankees have won two or more championships in seven different decades - the 1920s, '30s, '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s, and finally the 1990s. Reference: www.wikipedia.org came home were it belongs. The game took place on Friday, October 20 at Franklin High School as the Mighty Mules were ready for a show down. Franklin’s first possession was a great one as they ran all over Wilson’s defense and added seven to the score board. Wilson then took action as quarterback Dylan Martinez (#5) found Aaron Bartosek (#2) in the end zone. This added extra points to the board and evened out the score. Wilson’s defense stood up and held their ground to prevent Franklin from scoring. Dylan came out on top as he passed a total of 275 yards while throwing three passes for paydirt. This lead to Mules ultimate victory of a final 20-7. At the game, more than 500 attendees watched and celebrated our triumph. The Bell was Wilson’s once again! Principal Roberto Martinez participated in Wilson’s post-game celebration at Wilson High inspiring words about the football team’s tradition and their great achievements. It was evident that the winning of the Bell gave the school a surge of school spirit. The Mighty Wilson Mules have high hopes as they are determined to hold on to this victorious memory and achievement for years to come. T HE W ILSON H IGH S CHOO L N EW G YM B Y : B ERTHA H ERNA NDEZ Photo Courtesy of Yearbook: Boys Basketball Team watching from their new and improved sidelines. Alley-oop! Watch out Wilson has a refurbished gym! Wilson’s gym has completely new floors and bleachers. “When you enter the gym, all you can say is ‘Wow’! It’s the most beautiful thing I have seen this year. It makes other players want to play because it’s inspiring to be in such a beautiful gym,” says Girls Varsity Basketball’s Senior Neyra Valenzuela (#5). Realistically though, the gym wasn’t revamped for beauty or even for the basketball or volleyball teams. Though it needed to be fixed, the gym was restored because of an unfortunate injury. Principal Martinez says, “Someone actually cut the tip of their finger trying to push the bleachers in.” Due to this, the district ordered the gym to be fixed. It took all summer for the gym to be fixed and now it’s finished. If you are wondering how much the gym cost overall, it was roughly around $200,000. “That is a lot of money, but it had to be done,” says Principal Martinez, “the floors were damaged and the bleachers caused several injuries.” Though we got our new gym due to a terrible incident, now there won’t be any further injuries. From this, not only does the gym have bleachers, but new floors as well. Additionally, the visitors’ section now say “WHS”, the home section says “Wilson”, and in bold blue print the sidelines says, “Once a Mule Always a Mule.” Not only is the new gym safer and looks better, but it has really made students proud of their school. Boys Varsity Basketball’s Senior Tony Yu (#13) says “The gym looks nice! There’s color now, and it’s not just plain because it has blue and gold. Most importantly it has our motto which is the best part of all…making it not just the gym its ‘our’ gym.” Boys Varsity Basketball’s Senior Santiago Cuevas (#25) says, “I think it’s really nice, it was about time they fixed it up because before they fixed it, the gym was horrible! We would slip all over the place and the bleachers didn’t go in. The new gym gives the whole team inspiration.” Many students agree with Cuevas, the gym is really inspirational for many gym athletes and even nonathletes. Whether or not you play a gym sport, many Mighty Mules agree that seeing such a school spirited space gives them much pride in Wilson High School. The new gym is definitely a work of art! B OYS V ARSITY B ASKETBALL ’ S S ENIOR T ONY Y U (#13) SAYS “T HE GYM LOOKS NICE ! T HERE ’ S COLOR NOW , AND IT ’ S NOT JUST PLAIN BECAUSE IT HAS BLUE AND GOLD . M OST IMPORTANTLY IT HAS OUR MOTTO WHICH IS THE BEST PART OF ALL … MAKING IT NOT JUST THE GYM ITS ‘ OUR ’ GYM .” Sports P AGE 12 F AREWELL Scores TO V OLUME 59, I SSUE 2 W EDNESDAY , D ECEMBER 13, 2006 F OOTBALL B Y : B ER THA H ERNANDEZ Wilson entered the 2006 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) High School Football Playoffs with a record of 5-5. Unfortunately Wilson’s Varsity Football team was unable to defeat Eagle Rock on Wednesday, November 22. Wilson was defeated 36-6 and is now out of playoffs. On Friday, December 8, Eagle Rock beat Garfield (21-17). B OYS / G IRL S V A RSITY B ASKETBALL Date Opponent Result 11/22 Oscar de la Hoya B W 60-38 11/27 Bell G W 74-13 B L 39-67 11/29 Bravo G W 76-19 12/01 Garfield G L 52-56 12/09 Garfield G W 72-35 B OYS / G IRL S V A RSITY S OCCER Date 11/22 Opponent Maywood Result G W 7-3 B W 2-0 11/27 Roosevelt G L 0-2 11/29 Bravo B W 3-2 12/01 Garfield G L 3-0 B T 1-1 A THLETE OF THE Although their season is over, Wilson’s Varsity Football team had a good ride. Senior Ricardo Jauregui (#25) says “It was an adrenaline rush; it was all about playing your best getting out there and showing the world you could do it and that you could do your best.” That is exactly what Ricardo did and left the season with 136 tackles. Another player who feels that playoffs were a great experience is senior Rosendo Rangel (#24). Rangel says, “Playoffs were like war, we either win or we lose. Unfortunately we lost, but we left the field with a great season.” Head Coach Eddie Martinez agrees with Rangel, and says, “It felt good to make it to the playoffs. All the hard work and determination paid off!” Playoffs proved to be a great experience for all the players. Although this season is over Wilson’s Varsity Football team has a lot in store. This year the team was able to recover the long lost bell and even make it to the playoffs. Now we look ahead and wonder…what will the team recover next year? Courtesy of Yearbook P LAYOFFS S CORES Date Opponent Result 11/09 Belmont W 28-0 11/16 Hollywood W 34-7 11/22 Eagle Rock L 36-6 B OYS S OCCER : H OPING TO R ING IN 2007 WITH A W IN ! B Y : J ORGE H ERNANDEZ AND A LBERTO R IVADENEYRA Football season is over, now soccer season is here. Coach Sandoval says, “This year will be the championship year for Wilson High.” Wilson’s Boys Soccer has been practicing hard, but since they love the sport so much, they are having fun! Varsity is lead by Coaches Sandoval and Martin along with team captains Juan A. Jimenez and George Galan. JV is lead by Coach Vasquez along with team captains Eduardo Loza and Anthony Frias. So far, Varsity played three practice games against Maywood Academy, Bravo, and Garfield High School. On their first away game in the pre-season, Wilson beat Maywood, 2-0. They continued their winning streak by winning Bravo, 32. Later, they tied with Garfield, 1-1. Although JV didn’t play Maywood or Bravo, they did play Garfield and also tied at 1-1. The Girls Soccer team has been supporting the Boys every kick of the way. Many of the Girls team members show their school spirit at their games. Girls Varsity Soccer player, sophomore Yesenia Sanabria says, “I think they will have a good season this year. They have been winning all of their games and are very dedicated. Every Boys team member shows up to practice daily. The team has successful game strategies and work ethics. Their teamwork and dedication will take them to playoffs this year!” With a very successful pre-season, both Varsity and JV look forward to their season, which starts on Monday, January 8, 2007 as they face Eagle Rock in a home game. You are all invited and encouraged to attend on this date. Wilson’s soccer team would like you to come and show off school spirit. Football season is over, now it’s time for some soccer! So please support our soccer team as you would support our football team. Help them ring in the New Year with a win! C OACH S ANDOVAL SAYS , “T HIS YEAR WILL BE THE CHAMPIONSHIP YEAR FOR W ILSON H IGH .” M ONTH : R ICARDO J AUREGUI B Y : K EVIN V EGA NAME: Ricardo Jauregui, Varsity Football killer defense moves for the Chicago Bears. Now as a linebacker himself, people are checking out his defensive stops. • BIRTHDATE: May 5, 1989 • JERSEY #:25 • POSITION: Linebacker Aside from football Ricky maintains a 4.0 GPA at Wilson High and hopes to attend the well-known University of Southern California (USC) next school year. Although he plans to one day help others by becoming a doctor, he also hopes to play for USC’s legendary football team. • STATS: 11.5 Tackles / Game, 136 Total Tackles • FAVORITES: -Atlanta Falcons, Player-Brian Urlacher • Senior standout Ricky Jauregui has been the driving force behind Wilson’s Varsity football team for 3 years. A starter for two years, Ricky has been Wilson’s top tackler and playmaker since his first start. Ricky leads the Northern League in tackles with a total of 136 and has two fumble recoveries along with two and a half sacks to complement his great statistics. The tackling machine also ranks 10th in the California’s Los Angeles City Section in tackles per game and also 7th in total tackles. Ever since he first saw a football game, he fell in love with the contact sport. At the age of 13, Ricky’s sports career started when he played lineman on a flag football team in Highland Park. He grew up watching his favorite player Brian Urlacher. Ricky intensely watched as Urlacher crushed the opposing teams with Athletically and academically, Ricky’s path seems to be heading to the right direction. His goals and accomplishments are definitely guiding him there. With such great statistics and potential, don’t be surprised to see his name—Dr. Ricky Jauregui—on the map of stardom. After all, he is a mule and we practice like champs and play like legends! E VER SINCE HE FIRST SAW A FOOTBALL GAME , HE FELL IN LOVE WITH THE CONTACT SPORT .