By Steven Doan Independence High School’s ASB (Associated Students Body) is proudly hosting the 2019 BOTC (Battle of the Classes) rally. BOTC is an afterschool rally that consists of all school classes ranging from Freshmen to Seniors that compete to see who claims the winning title for their class. Like most rallies, BOTC is on a spirit week and similar to the HOCO (Homecoming) rally, students wear clothing that is affiliated with their designated class colors for that year. In addition, given that BOTC is the last rally of the year, it proves to have more significance and reason for those to attend with friends and fellow classmates to experience the exciting rivalry between their classes. The rally will take place on Friday, March 29th at 6PM to 9PM. However, with events like these means that many will have expectations and anticipation.
Junior Cindy Dang shares, “Well, compared to last year, people seem less excited about BOTC this year since I haven’t been hearing much about it. It’s nice to see people come together to cheer on their class. Hopefully there will be better music this year too.” As Cindy stated, BOTC seems much more subtle and less thrilling this year. The school’s spirit might not be as strong compared to previous years probably because of the ongoing construction in the middle of the school, which may limit lunchtime activities and separates students into the many corners of campus. This would be a much better quote, but if you are not able fine Freshmen Christine Cung says, “I’m pretty excited for BOTC because when I was in middle school, I’d see a lot of upperclassmen post pictures and videos and it looked really fun. I’m hyped about going.” This is Christine’s first year at IHS, meaning that this will be her first time attending the BOTC rally. She is eager to be at the rally because of the excessive amount of posts she has seen on social media about the school’s rally. This gave her more anticipation than she already had. Also, school rallies are amusing events and can provide newer generations of high school students a worthwhile experience for their first year. Although having the school unite for the year’s last rally is thrilling, competition and friendly rivalry is still prominent. If you are able, try to quote her talking about how she feels instead of telling it outright “Let’s see how well our class does this year.” said Cindy Dang.
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By Enya Bours Senioritis. The “supposed affliction of students in their final year of high school or college characterized by a decline in motivation or performance,” according to Google. A “condition” that almost all seniors get during their last year of high school, especially in the spring months of March and April when college decisions are released.
But does senioritis really exist? Or is it just an excuse to slack off in school? “I think it’s a combination of burnout from all four years of hard work, and when you start to see the end goal, you think you can sort of just crawl by, especially because a lot of stuff piles up,” describes senior Maxine Lui. “Senior year has been one of the busiest, and I haven’t really had time to relax all four years.” “I think it’s just an excuse to be lazy, really. It creates publicity and it’s like a trend that people follow because they have the same mindset that ‘Oh, now that I’m a senior I deserve to be lazy after all my hard work.’ But I really think it doesn’t exist,” explains senior Jacob Choi. Senioritis, real or not, can heavily impact students’ grades, interest in extracurricular activities, and motivation to continue growing and learning in not just school, but in life in general. Solutions? The quickest one is probably also the most difficult: Don’t let yourself get senioritis in the first place. That means being proactive when you feel yourself slacking, rewarding yourself for doing well in school, and finding something in your classes to concentrate and keep yourself going. But of course, that is much easier said than done. Senioritis gets even the best of us. “Yeah, I have a really bad case of senioritis,” admits Lui with a chuckle. “But when things actually do have to be done, I’ll get to doing them. It’s not like it’s inhibiting my life.” That’s not to say we shouldn’t keep trying to stop it, though. Work hard and keep in mind that despite having been accepted into a university, there is still the possibility of that acceptance getting revoked if you’re not continuing doing your best. And if the disappointment from being rejected from your dream schools get to you, don’t let that drag you down. Get involved. Participate in activities that you might not have the chance to participate in after graduation. Join a club you’ve always been curious about but never had the guts to join. Go to football games and cheer on your school team. Keep yourself on your feet. Another routine that some have found helpful is making a checklist and rewarding yourself for the progress you make. Setting daily goals helps you stay on track and keeps you feeling more motivated. So, seniors. Remember that this is the final stretch. Don’t let the past three and a half years of hard work go to waste. You’re almost there!! By Lauren Broker Student drivers of Independence have faced new obstacles in parking, new rules and restrictions set in place by the administration. Many students park in the designated staff lot despite having the student lot open to them. This has caused a discourse about the dynamic of student and teacher parking. Many teachers have felt this to be a bother because students may be taking their available parking spots.
Administration has set in place new rules regarding students who park in the staff lot saying “Students are not to park in the smaller staff lot… Cars that do not have a decal properly displayed are subject to towing at the owner’s expense.” Senior Pauline Ong speaks about the difficulties of moving lots due to the new restrictions, saying, “I think it’s very inconvenient to students like me who play large instruments or have their first and last class closer to the staff lot. They should have us park near the back or place a limit instead of telling us to move completely.” Along with setting new rules about the consequences of parking in the staff lot, administration spoke up on where students should be dropped off and picked up. The bus loading zone, aka the shadows, is the proper place of pickup for parents to drive through. Administration has even began putting cones down in the morning to fix the flow of traffic for teachers trying to park. “I think that the idea of making all students be picked up at the shadows is a good idea in concept but there’s so much traffic now that it doesn’t really make it worth it,” says junior Alyssa V. In addition to parking in specific lots, and using the right drop off and pick up zone, student drivers are also asked to place parking permits within their vehicles. “Honestly I don’t mind the parking permits. I think they’re easy to get and not a big problem. It’s mostly just the parking that’s an issue,” said senior Nina T. By Steven Doan Cypher Cup is one of the largest “Breaking”/Breakdancing events in the Bay Area. It is a dancing event also known as a, “Jam”. This year, it was hosted in the city of San Jose, California on February 23. Due to its large reputation in the “Breaking” community, it provides a motive for people from across the world to attend the event. People who take part in this dance genre (“Breaking”) are called Bboys and Bgirls.
Independence High School’s Hip-Hop club, Cloud 9, is apart of the Breaking community with its veteran members and newcomers. Some of these veterans and newcomers were able to experience Cypher Cup this year and were quite awed by it. Senior Gary Moi shares, “Cypher Cup is one of the biggest Bboy/Bgirl competitions and people from all over the world participate in the battles. Bboys and Bgirls also come to watch the battles and socialize with the community.” Cypher Cup is a large event enjoyed by people of all ages and backgrounds as well as people who are curious about the scene and are willing to participate in the jam to either support their friends, families, or just be there to watch. Events like these are not hosted only for the battles, but they serve as a gathering and convention to unite the community, reminding the people in the scene that they are brought together because of the love for this dance and the sharing of this culture. “It’s honestly a great experience for both newcomers and veterans to the scene,” Gary says. Sophomore Salina Truong adds, “I was extremely excited to see my friends compete and was super lucky to experience it. I liked the atmosphere because it was so hype and how people easily conversed with each other.” As Senior Alex Trinh concludes, “It was an exciting experience with many amazing dancers and intense battles.” By Matthew Valenzuela-Serrano As the presidential election comes around next year, Bernie Sanders, the Independent/Democratic Senator from Vermont, has announced his grassroots campaign to run for the presidential office. The term ‘grassroots’ means a public funded and envisioned campaign. Bernie Sanders was the underdog in the 2016 election, the year when he slowly built a closely knit following around his ideas such as a federal minimum wage of 15 an hour, free medicare, free public college, and higher taxes on the wealthy.
These ideas have been sitting on the minds of the middle class ever since then, and now he announced that he will run again in 2020, which excites not only myself but many people around the country. So far Senator Sanders is the only candidate from 2016 that has decided to run again in 2020, thus giving him an edge in support over candidates like Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren. Polls have shown that Sanders had more popularity with Latinos, Blacks, and other minority voters than Hillary Clinton and Trump combined. People want social and economic reforms and Bernie Sanders promises just that. In the news you’ll hear him be called a socialist, which scares many people in older generations, but really it’s the ideas that he stands for. Our social norms and economic value need to adapt to the times we live in. Of course, being against big pharma, the NRA, and Trump could prove difficult. But the voice of the American people is stronger. |