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Table of Contents

VOL. XVIII, ISSUE i

2014’s Grand Finale

by Kimberly Parada and Siboney Arias

On June 6, the class of 2014 gathered together at the Pasadena Civic Cen-ter to commemorate their journey to college, to life outside of high school. The excitement on each former Bravo student’s face made them glow. They all lit up the room without much need for the lights. It was an emotional night for many, but one that none could ever forget.

The students all filed out off the stage to sit and hear speeches from their principal, the vice-princi-pal, valedictorian, salutato-rian, class speakers, and the singers. Steadily walking towards their diploma, the graduating seniors marked the celebration on the stage with selfie moments, shout outs, and dance routines. The principal, Mrs. Torres Flores, gave encouraging words to the class of 2014. Mrs. White-Holloman bid farewell to the class that marked the beginning of her journey as vice-prin-

cipal at Bravo. The podi-um was then occupied by Thahn Tran, valedictorian, and Philbert Mach, the sa-lutatorian, commencing their bitter sweet speeches, reminiscing the good old days Bravo offered them. Soon enough, the crowd was amazed as Anasazi Cor-onel and Lauren Lam sang an acoustic version of the class song, “Best Day of My Life,” by American Authors. It brought cheers from the crowd and the final good-bye for everyone. The night was a success for

every student obtaining their diploma after years of hard work and dedication. Each student smiled at their friends and families know-ing that they were one step closer to their future.

Senior Remindersby Jennifer Escobar

Welcome to the final year of high school: senior year. This new academic year brings new experiences and new opportunities. Senior Bra-vo Knights have the opportu-nity to make memories in ac-tivitites such as senior picnic, pron, grad night, etc. This year is viewed as the paramount to the high school experience with all the acitvities and ex-citement as the years of high shool are coming to an end. Senior year is a very eventful year, although, seniors have great responsibilities this year. Senior dues fund ex-clusive material such as the senior shirt, cap and gown, senior panorama, etc. Senior dues will be collected the sec-ond week of the academic year at the student store. These dues must be paid in cash or mon-ey orders; no checks or credit cards accepted. Those students who paid junior dues will re-ceive a $5 discount. Those who do not pay these dues on

time will not receive the senior shirt until the due is paid. The students who do not pay the dues at all will not participate in graduation. Students must also pay library dues and pay for other unreturned material. Make sure to return all text-books back to the textbook room or pay for misplaced textbooks. Failure to pay will also take away student par-ticipation in senior activities. Academics and attendance are very important this year. Se-niors may only have seven un-excused absences for the entire year, ten tardies per semester, and six truancies (unexcused absences) for the entire year. One unexcused absence is equivalent to six truancies, therefore, only one unexcused absence is acceptable. Students must initially have completed 170 credits to be considered a senior in the beginning of the academic year. At the end of first semester, seniors must have at least 185 credits to be

able to participate in second semester activities. In order to graduate, seniors must have at least 230 credits. Try to make up failed grades in order to complete more credits. Seniors must have also completed the service learning project and forty or more community ser-vice hours before winter break. This year is an excit-ing farewell to high school as seniors move on to adult life. College applications are right around the corner and are due in the fall. Therefore, start re-search on colleges and their ap-plication deadlines, along with deadlines for scholarship ap-plications. Remember seniors, this is an academic year of new experiences and many activi-ties. However, these activities are limited to those who keep track of these responsibilities. So seniors, make sure to stay on course in order to take ad-vantage of the full senior year experience.

Seniors, Are You Ready?By: Arleen Garcia Alarm clocks ring at the crack of dawn, excite-ment fills the air, and surely enough it is once again the first day of school. The long three years of waiting for our senior year is officially over. Seniors, now it is your time to lead and take control. Af-ter all, this is your last year to shine and show off your skills so, make it worth it. However, senior year is cer-tainly not the time to sit back and relax, so get ready to charge all the way to the fi-nale.

• Begin by maintaining a positive composure to strive throughout the year and along the way your confi-dence will boost up. A posi-tive mind leads to a positive attitude. • Try your best throughout the school year; push your-

self for A’s and B’s. You nev-er know what you are capa-ble of until you try.

• Remind yourself that this is your last year. Why not excel in every class? • Do not believe the so called “Senioritis.” “Senioritis” will surely decrease your levels of encouragement to their lowest. • Relax. Do not cramp your-self with all the activities going on, you will be done before you realize it. • If you have not taken the SAT or ACT make sure to take a visit to the college center and request some in-formation, if so take it once more and see how your re-sults can be improved. It is advised to take the test once

more on the months of Oc-tober and November. Do not forget to study!

• Do not get too caught up on school work that you forget to fill in college applications and their deadlines as well as asking your teachers for let-ters of recommendation.

• Procrastination can be ma-lignant! Do not wait to the last minute. By not procrasti-nating, your stress level will reduce immensely and pre-vent tough all-nighters. Seniors, now you are ready to start the year! Do not let anything stop you from reaching your high-est potential. As the saying goes, “The best is yet to be” (Robert Browning). Bravo are you ready? Because here come the seniors of 2015!

Helping the new students adapt to school.

A car that requires no work from the driver.

One of the biggest games of the world.

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August 15, 2014 PAGE 2 VOL. XVIII, ISSUE i

BRAVOWhere were Bravo Knights this Summer?by Jasmine Murillo

High school is a unique experience for everyone. There are those that eagerly await this new experience and those who don’t. Either way, moving on from junior high to high school is actually a bigger change than it seems and the time it takes to adjust is different for everyone. To help with the transition, here are a few tips to get you started as a high school freshman:

This experience only happens once. It has its ups and downs. The best high school experience comes from remembering the ups and reflecting on the downs. With these tips to help you get started, make the most out of high school.

Freshmen Tipsby Patricia Cabuso

As another summer vacation comes to an end, students can find themselves one year closer to their senior year. The graduating class of 2015 is gradually inching their way into adulthood, while the juniors await for their turn in the spotlight, however, juniors cannot be so rash to believe that this year will be another mundane ten months. Junior year is considerably the most crucial year in high school and is filled with stress, but there are many helpful tips still available for the class of 2016. Students should always make sure to keep in contact with his or her college counselor. College counselors recommend students to sign up to take the SAT during their junior year. This mandatory nationwide test allows students to test their academic skills for college. Counselors recommend to sign up early so that students may have as many opportunities as possible to improve their score before submitting them to their preferred colleges. Juniors should also begin looking and applying for various scholarships. It’s a well-known fact that education does not come cheap, and therefore,

students hoping to apply for college need as much financial aid as possible. There are an assortment of scholarships that students can begin to apply for during their junior year. Students can begin to browse these various financial aid plans in their school’s college center. Last but not least, students should try to become more involved and join extracurricular activities. One’s involvement in copious activities also plays a vital role in his or her college admission.This is a good time for juniors to begin their community service hours or take it upon themselves to join a sports team or even some sort of club. Colleges adore well-rounded students from various backgrounds and ethnicities. Their main goal is to accept those who will help them establish a diversity of students. The more activities a student is able to list, the better the student looks on paper, and therefore, has a higher acceptance rate. These are all but a few helpful tips that juniors (or any underclassmen) can take into consideration. With these reminders, eleventh graders should be able to undergo a stress-free junior year as well as be able to properly plan for their future.

How to Avoid the “Junior Year Tear”by Samantha Ruiz

As the last day of school approached, the excitement and joy was felt throughout the Bravo campus. Summer was just around the corner and a great majority of students were excited to begin relaxing and going out to have fun. With more time to spare, due to the lack of homework, assignments, and projects, Bravo Knights were sure to enjoy their summer by going out and exploring different places under the summer sun. Over break, a couple of Knights were contacted and interviewed regarding what their summer was like and what places they visited.

Emma Muradyan (‘15): “Thrilled and ready for the theaters, my buddies and I were exhilarated to view the #1 movie 22 Jump Street, but unfortunately we didn’t have our ID’s... Instead we decided to watch Maleficent. Damn,... Angelina Jolie’s cheekbones are fine! Maleficent is magnificent. See what I did there? I also visited Venice Beach with the fam bam! It’s crowded with strolling hipsters, wide-eyed tourists and craftspeople hawking their wares. Also not so long ago a few friends and I decided to journey on a hike to the Hollywood sign at Griffith Park. There were many

trails, some too steep, some too narrow, but it was all worth it for the spectacular views we experienced! We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, but we were lucky enough to get out of there without any injuries! On the way back we visited the Griffith Park Observatory, had a bite of the moon because it’s made out of green cheese (duh) and took selfies with Albert Einstein. “

Diego Zapata (‘15) : “I did a lot during the summer before senior year, ...I felt like it was one of the last moments of absolute freedom before the onset of independence, so I felt as if I should prepare for the year. I volunteered at several places, including the Audubon Center at Debs Park, where I got to work with children, as well as with the Alliance for Climate Education, where I got accepted into a fellowship In terms of sightseeing; I had to serve as a make-do tour guide as some relatives came

to visit L.A. from Mexico and wanted to experience the city. Although we did go see the generic sights of L.A. (Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Downtown L.A., Disneyland, etc.), I strived to show them the culturally-rich little gems of L.A. that truly personify our varied culture: Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Koreatown, Leimert Park Village, and more. I also wanted to expose them to our natural landmarks, so we took off to the San Gabriel Mountains to enjoy an afternoon hike amongst the trees, to Malibu Beach to enjoy the SoCal sun, and to Big Bear to see the lake.”

With these two personal accounts, it is precise to say that this summer was full of activities, indoors and outdoors, both fun and educational. Although only two individuals were interviewed, it is evident that this summer was full of interesting activities ranging from going to the movies with a couple of friends to volunteering and getting an internship for an association that works to sustain a better environment. Overall, knights seem to know how to enjoy summer, which was in deed a well-deserved break after so many finals, exams, and end of the year projects.

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1. Don’t be afraid to explore. There are plenty of activities here at Bravo, catering to a variety of interests you might have. You see something that looks interesting to you, but you don’t have a friend to join with you. Well, join anyway. If it interests you, it will most likely be worth it. Plus, you’ll probably make friends there and if you don’t, you can always just leave. The point is you have choices and you don’t want to make the choice that will lead you to miss out on something great for you.

4. Be organized. You know how it feels to be overwhelmed with multiple assignments from multiple classes. Well, the workload isn’t going to decrease. So, how are you going to keep track of all your assignments? A planner might be a good idea. Write down your daily assignments for each subject. Your chance of forgetting to do an assignment will decrease. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to invest in a binder with dividers for each subject so assignments will be easier to find. Take it a step further and get a small binder for each subject with dividers for homework, classwork, and other handouts your teachers give you. Less mess is a bonus.

3. Always ask questions.It’s okay to not know everything right away. No one is expecting you to. High school is confusing and sort of scary, even for upperclassmen. The only way to know more about your surroundings is to ask questions. It doesn’t even matter who or what; just ask questions. While it might seem bothersome to some, there are always people seeking to help.

5. Don’t Procrastinate. This is the piece of advice everyone’s tired of hearing because no one actually follows it. You hear it from your parents, teachers, and even yourself, but you still don’t follow it. Why? Well, that’s up to you. But, high school should be the time you take this piece of advice seriously. You might have pulled all-nighters before, but if you don’t get rid of this habit, things aren’t going to look so good for you. Take this piece of advice now before you start hating yourself as you’re writing a thematic essay on a novel at three in the morning because it’s due first period.

2. Seek challengesEveryone seems to agree that Bravo is a competitive school. This pushes most students to challenge themselves more than they ever did before. Freshman year doesn’t offer as many challenges as the years ahead, but always seize the opportunity when granted one. Challenging oneself helps to keep focus and improve oneself.

August 15, 2014 PAGE 3 VOL. XVIII, ISSUE i

SCIENCEConsciousness Turned On and Off by an Electrodeby Sinthia Rahman

Recent research in Washington D.C. led to the accidental discov-ery that there actually is an "on/off switch" for human consciousness. Mohamad Koubeissi and his colleagues at George Washington Uni-versity accidentally discov-ered how to do so by electri-cally stimulating a part of the brain, specifically the claus-trum. The claustrum is basi-cally a thin sheet of neurons that is found in the center of the brain, and is often over-looked due to its small size. Researchers were studying a woman who has epilepsy (a neurological disorder), when they came across this discovery. They had been using brain electrodes (a conductor through which electricity enters or leaves) to record signals from sev-eral parts of her brain to de-termine where the seizures were originating from. An electrode was placed next to the claustrum, because it had been declared as a possible "control center" for consciousness. When Koubeissi and his team stimulated the area with the electrical impulses from the brain electrode, the woman

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stopped moving and stared blankly into space. She did not respond to any form of communication, whether it was auditory or visual, and her breathing slowed as well. The woman had lost consciousness and when the researchers turned off the electrode, she instantly re-gained consciousness, and had no recollection of blank-ing out. Over the course of two days, this procedure was repeated and each time, the same results were pro-duced. However, it is im-portant to take into account the fact the woman in the study had had a portion of her hippocampus (thought to be the center of emotion, memory, and the autonomic nervous system) removed earlier in an attempt to treat her epilepsy, so she did not necessarily have a "normal brain.” Thus, one will note, additional research is need-ed to confirm the effect of an electrode on human con-sciousness. Regardless, all will agree that this is an in-credible breakthrough that could determine how living creatures are aware of the world around them, and of themselves.

Photo Credit: Theguardian.com

As you step up the grade hierarchy from year to year, new goals are set – specifically, most teenagers aim to obtain their drivers licenses as soon as possible to experience the exhilarat-ing feel of being an operator of the road. The make and model of cars are discussed, plans are made for the first vehicles people will drive, and dream cars are being dreamt of. A Toyota, a Hon-da, a BMW? – How about a Google Driverless Car? Google– known for its widely used search en-gine, its contributions to the field of computer en-gineering, and its plethora of cell phone products– has recently developed the Google Driverless Car; the name suggests exactly what it does – it’s a self-operated

vehicle, absent of a steering wheel, a gas and brake ped-al. The vehicle features a 360 degree sensor that scans its surroundings cat-egorizing anything from pedestrians, cyclists, other vehicles, and anything that isn’t the road it’s driving on. The sensor is built on state of the art hardware with precise lasers – the software is intricately crafted as well, by the diligent and patient programmers at Google. Google swears by its prod-uct to ensure that it is much safer than any human driver, hypothetically resulting in lower casualty rates among vehicle collisions. The car is limited to twenty five MPH – while that would enrage most of the drivers behind it and exclude it from certain

roads, such as highways, it seems most definitely safer than the average angry L.A. traffic fighter. Google will most likely partner up with a po-tential automobile compa-ny, implementing its sophis-ticated technology in their cars, most likely resulting in a cheaper “human taxi” alternative. The Google car has undergone a strenuous amount of testing – Google will need to perfect this ro-bot vehicle before it hits the road in large numbers. After all, the aver-age teenager wouldn’t real-ly want one of these – they take away the fun in driv-ing. The technology imple-mented in the car is nothing but impressive, underlining and potentially foreshadow-ing the future of technology.

by John Huynh

As of this month, scientists from Washington University School of Medi-cine in St. Louis have found an explanation as to why men, rather than women, are more of-ten diagnosed with brain tumors. There is a specific protein, more active in fe-males, which helps to prevent tumors from forming in the brain. The protein is called retinoblastoma protein (RB) which is, “the first time any-one [has] ever identified a sex-linked difference that affects tumor risk and is in-trinsic to cells,” (www.lag-

gano.com). That means there might be a sex-linked differ-ence between cancers that can be found and identified.

As previously known, male brain tumors are at least two times more likely to be diagnosed than in women. RB cells are less likely to be activated in the male brain because of the

higher risks of mutations in genes that trigger the tu-mors. During the tests con-ducted by the university, RB

was disabled in the female brain. This led to the cells becoming susceptible to tumors. This new informa-tion is great in helping to reduce the number of people who die because of brain tumors or other forms of cancer. Many

people die each yeah because of tumors and cancer. This newly conducted research allows our future generations to have a better chance of combating these deadly dis-eases.

by Siboney Arias

Brain Tumors More Often in Men

Photo Credit: scitechdaily.com

The Google Driverless Car: A Technological Breakthrough?

Photo Credits: www.mashable.com

Letters to the EditorsLetters to the editors concerning any topic relevant to Vital Signs are

welcomed. Please refrain from using vulgar or disrespectful language. Letters should be brief and may be edited to maximize space and

heighten clarity. Letters may be anonymous or signed by the author. Please send letters to:

bhsvitalsigns2015@gmail.comor

Drop them off in Mr. R. Rodriguez’s mailbox or in Room 312

Editorial Matter Opinions expressed in Vital

Signs belong to the writer. They do not reflect the opinions of

the Journalism staff or those of Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet

High School.

VitalSigns

August 15, 2014 PAGE 4 VOL. XVIII, ISSUE i

ENTERTAINMENT

This summer Brazil played host to the world’s most popular sporting event, The World Cup. Over the span of a month, thirty-two different teams competed in different cities to be crowned world champion. The five time world champion Brazil was chosen to be the host of the 2014 World Cup in 2003, but many wondered if a country that is ravaged by poverty and inequality could host the event successfully. After a series of massive protests that occurred the summer before the competition, due to the billions of dollars spent created much doubt, however, these fears were put to rest once the competition began. The 2014 World Cup is now considered by many to be the best World Cup in the modern era, having it all: massive upsets, controversial calls, comeback wins, and player drama. The tournament is divided into a group stage where groups of four teams play three matches each for two spots in the next round. Groups consist of A-G with teams drawn at random to be placed in a group. Once all group games have been

completed, teams enter a knockout stage, which is to win or go home. The games began on June 12 with host nation Brazil taking on Croatia in the city of São Paulo. After twenty-four games, sixteen teams were eliminated and the knockout rounds began with the round of sixteen first. Brazil, led by golden boy Neymar, nervously advanced onto penalties after a 1-1 tie with Chile. Colombia beat Uruguay 2-0 with the goal of the tournament by their twenty-two year old superstar James Rodriguez. France beat Nigeria comfortably 2-0 while Germany squeezed past Algeria 2-1 after extra time. Controversy arose when the Netherlands beat Mexico 2-1 with a penalty in the closing minutes, which many believed was a flop by Netherlands forward Arjen Robben. The United States fought bravely, but was ultimately defeated by a talented Belgium. In the following round, the Quarter Finals, host, Brazil, took on Colombia and advanced to the Semi-Finals. The other Semi-Fina consisted of Netherlands who beat Costa

Rica and Argentina who beat Belgium. In the Semi-Final between Brazil-Germany, the world was shocked. Brazil was nationally humiliated with many fans leaving in tears after Germany thrashed them by the incredible score of 7-1. The nation mourned as Argentina took on the Netherlands and advanced on penalties after a 0-0 tie. The final was set, Germany, three time world champs, would take on two time champs, Argentina. Brazil and the Dutch would battle it out for third place. Brazil’s misery continued as they had another abysmal performance, losing 3-0. The Germany-Argentina game was full of passion and tension which ended a 1-0 in favor of Germany with twenty-two year old Mario Gotze scoring the winning in the 113 minute of extra time. Argentinean hearts were broken as Germany was crowned world champion for the fourth time. The World Cup ended as one of the greatest ever and now the four year long wait begins for the next World Cup which will be held in Russia.

Our “Salad Days” are Blessed It is a cool Friday evening on July 11, 2014 as a plethora of followers (mostly youth) form a concert-leading line to gain entrance into the aged Fonda Theater located on Hollywood Boulevard in California. These music enthusiasts hold ticket stubs to witness one of today’s up-and-coming artists that fashions rock with folk-style melodies to create what has come to be known as “slacker rock” or “blue wave” music. This young Canadian goes by the name of Mac DeMarco. With two full length albums and one convincing EP, this artist whom signed to the Captured Tracks record label, shines as he graces the stage and performs over fifteen songs, both old and new but all are fan favorites. His latest album entitled ‘Salad Days’ offers the fans of the Canadian rocker songs consisting of soothing, hypnotic riffs incorporated with catchy yet semi-meaningful lyrics which is only expected from this performer. Many artists similar to that of Mac DeMarco’s demeanor towards music fame strive to make the people of today activists or supporters of the new talent that is delivering the music of this generation to this generation.

Countless artists are forgotten as the music world constantly changes in the way that test new artists durability; many are forced to deteriorate after failed attempts to impress the record companies, however, some acts push to thrive in the business via their music that somehow catches on with the youth. What seems

to flee the minds of music listeners is the fact that times have changed. Acts of the past revolutionized music as it is known today, therefore the sounds that are made by new artists are not newly established tunes and/or harmonies that have not been heard. Thus, many artists of this generation are not fully embraced and cannot distribute their full capability of making music since it will more often than not be compared to music of the latter years. How new artists manage to get themselves out there is truly incredible: Sky Ferreira is determined to rule pop from the underground territories, Future Islands put on effortless performances that grasp audiences, and the late Death Grips experimented to give the people a taste of something new. Within all the bad comes the good, delivering what the world needs when it is needed. These so-called saviors demanded attention and since then have received it due to the fact that they want to prosper in the colorful world of music. The world spins in the same direction; records spin in the same direction. This parallel universe deserves to escape the black and white crypt using the beacons of new music.

by Jacob Alvarez

Photo Credit: Angel Cortez

Sky Ferreira

Future IslandsBoth Photo Credit: Google.com

by Diego JimenezFIFA World Cup

Have a great school year!

-Journalism Class

2014 Summer Movie Reviewsby Brenda Sanchez

21 Jump Street certainly made a rather brilliantly huge impact on audiences all around the world in 2012. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s take on the dramatic series from the 1980’s opened a new door for modern laughter, introducing Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill as undercover cops who interestingly somehow screw everything up in the process of their given investigation. Therefore, a sequel was surely anticipated. 22 Jump Street brought tears of joy to fans all over. Tatum and Hill did no wrong in this film; it was undoubtedly a summer hit.

Prior to the most highly anticipated film of the summer making it to the big screen, John Green, the author of The Fault in Our Stars, received scores of accolades that pronounced this novel one of the most popular in the young adult vicinity. So, did Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort capture the true essence of the great love between Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters? The pair sure did. With plenty of tear-stained tissues flailing to and fro, and sniffles being heard all around the theater, Woodley and Elgort perfectly executed the unrefined love story originally told by Green.

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