The Voice

!e Home of Lion Pride

Sochi OlympicsHow Did Team USA Do?

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College UpdatesWho Got Into Where?

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Search for a new Teacher!e Saga Continues

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Inside this issue...

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”- Buddha

Leadership AcademyL o s A n g e l e s

Newspaper serving the Lincoln Heights community since 2008Volume 6 Edition 3 February/March 2014

On Tuesday, February 12, 2014 at 3:40pm, a parent meeting was held in Ms. Ham’s classroom. Executive Director Dr. Mickie Tubbs, Princi-pal Richard Thomas, Deans Wendy Chavez and Craig Zimmerman, Math Coordinator Gina Chavez, Pre-Cal-culus/Pre-Calculus Support/Calculus teacher Sherri Ham, and students and parents were in attendance. The purpose of the meeting was to dis-cuss the parent and student concerns on Blended Learning. The meeting was arranged by Senior Lyric Colon. The meeting began with a slideshow on the expectations of blended learn-ing. In the presentation Mr. Thomas explained the use of blended learning, “We are not going to build our student to succeed by crunching numbers, we have to build a bridge for math and beyond.” After the presentation parents and students were able to ask questions and express their opinions. Lyric expressed one of her frustra-tions, “I have learned more from Ev-elyn than I have from blended learn-ing.” Gina and Wendy Chavez both responded by saying, “Girl that’s what college is all about...group work.” Other comments caused the meeting to become tense. When Dr. Tubbs arrived, she

moved the meeting to another loca-tion. A compromise was reached after approximately three hours of discussion. Students would be taught DV�DQ�HQWLUH�FODVV�¿UVW�WR�HQVXUH�WKDW�everyone understood the subject. The students will then disperse into the dif-ferent groups and stations. Some students who attended the PHHWLQJ�ZHUH�ODWHU�LQWHUYLHZHG�WR�¿QG�out their sentiments on the meet-ing. When asked if blended learning helped her think critically, 11th grade student Karen Gomez responded, “No, how are we suppose to think critically when we don’t even understand what we have been taught.” When asked if she felt progress had been made at the parent meeting, Karen stated,

“There’s no progress if the students kept getting cut off… I don’t think it’s gonna change but they are going to “tweak”it.” When Lyric was asked if she felt any progress was made, she expressed, “Yes, some progress was made. But, they’re going to continue doing how it is.” When asked how she felt about the meeting, Gina Chavez said, “It’s always good to have a conversation.” Ms. Ham declined to comment.

Black History Month

By: Jac and Aimee Rusell Staff Writers

On February 11, 2014, Juniors Brian Cabrera, Destinie Segura, Liza Bautista, Karina Martinez, Juan Espinoza, Michelle Torres, Diana Martinez, Melissa Tavico, Oscar Isem, Amorette Colon, Roger Santizo, Jar-ron Saucedo, Yesenia Navarro, Martin Rubio, Esteban Cordova, Arlene Gar-cia, Anayansy Vargas, Irani Mendez, Jac Russell, Selena Agustin, Kevin Ferman, Katherine Umana, Karen Gomez, and Ashley Lelong were awarded the Elite Scholarship. The Elite Scholarship is worth

$2,500. It is an SAT Prep class that LALA gets for free. There is, how-ever, an application process, students must complete. Every Junior accepted KDG�WR�¿UVW�VHQG�LQ�DQ�DSSOLFDWLRQ�DQG�

resume. Once past the initial stages, they had to pass an interview with their soon-to-be teacher Ethan Sawyer. All Juniors who applied where ac-cepted into the program.

The Elite 24By: Oscar IsemEditor-in-Chief

Irani Mendez being interviewed by Elite teacher Ethan Sawyer

Black history month originated from Chicago in the summer of 1915. Carter G. Woodson and others created a black history display. A thousand Af-ULFDQ�$PHULFDQV�DWWHQGHG�WR�UHÀHFW�RQ�the progress African Americans have made since the destruction of slavery. Woodsen created a week where people could celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans every year. He planned it around the traditional days of commemorating the black past. The month of February was selected be-cause many infuential leaders for Afri-can Americans were born this month. For example, Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass. During their life times these men, as well as many others, changed the worlds views on African American people

In 1908, Allen Allensworth founded Allensworth, California. This was WKH�¿UVW�WRZQ�IRXQGHG��¿QDQFHG��DQG�governed by African Americans. It was a place for free slaves to settle down and not have to worry about racial discrimination. He had many accomplishments throughout his life. Allensworth was born into slavery, but escaped and joined the army. He became a union soldier, and twenty years later he was promoted to Lieu-tenant Colonel after retirement. No African American had ever earned WKLV�SRVLWLRQ��$OOHQVZRUWK�ZDV�WKH�¿UVW�African American from Kentucky sent to represent others. He died a leader at the age of seventy-two.

Spotlight: Allen Allensworth

Blended TensionBy: Eric Platero and David Rivera Staff Writers

Students on the math grind

Allen Allensworth

2 !e Voice News

www.laleadership.org

March 2014

The VoiceSTAFF

Editor-In-Chief:Oscar Isem

Managing Editor:Sandra Sanchez

Copy Editor:Carlos Castaneda

News Editor:Vanessa Sanchez

Op-Ed Editor:Juan Espinoza

Photo Editor:Kevin Ferman

Sta! Writers:Jonathan Arreola

Edwin Coro

Jose Guerrero

6RÀD�+XDQJ

Rosario Michel

Eric Platero

David Rivera

Maria Rivera

Jac Russell

Aimee Russell

$ODQMRQ�<SDUUDJXLUUH

Faculty Advisor:

Ms. Uchemefuna

Printer:

Gardena Valley News

Publication PoliciesThe Voice is a student newspaper produced by students at L.A. Leader-ship Academy. This paper is published to inform, educate and entertain the student body, faculty and members of the commu-QLW\�RI�/LQFROQ�+HLJKWV��

Students, faculty and com-munity members with VWURQJ� RSLQLRQV� DUH� KLJK-O\� HQFRXUDJHG� WR� ZULWH� D�JXHVW� FRPPHQWDU\� RU� D�letter to the editor, which may be published.

Send letters to the editor:

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Attn: The Voice234 East Avenue 33

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JJKKKKKHThe Battle For GoldKKKKKKJJFebruary Challenge

Olympics and Black History Month

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Computing A New FunctionBy: Maria RiveraStaff Writer

Students taking benchmarks via inter-net could be the new form of benchmark test taking. Last semester, one ELA 9 class and Phyllis’s History classes took the benchmark online. When Principal Richard Thomas was asked about the results of taking the benchmarks online he said “Phylis’ U.S History scores did improve. The students felt like they had

Students taking Benchmarks online

Seniors applied to college in October and now excite-ment grows in anticipation for college acceptances. Seniors are required to apply to college, and many are accepted to a variety of col-leges. Erin Kim, the college counselor, works very hard to guide the seniors and keep them on track. Erin gave her thoughts on the senior’s progress. She expressed her feelings by saying, “I feel happy with the seniors, it is fantastic that seniors are being accepted to

Senior AcceptanceBy: Kevin Ferman Photo Editor

college, and I am so proud.” Her goals for the seniors are for at least 80% of the seniors to get accepted to a 4-year college, even though she wants every senior to go to college. Currently, 36 of the 63 seniors have gotten accepted to a college, which is 57% of the seniors. At this moment, the most common colleges seniors are get-ting into are our local Cal States including Cal State LA, Northridge, Dominguez Hills, Channel Islands, and Humboldt University.

Cal State Northridge and Humbolt State University: Both have accepted LALA students into their ranks

When asked if she offered any support to students after they graduate, she replied by saying that she does. She helps them with FAFSA or when students are faced with any issues. She stated, “once a lion, always a lion.” She also tries to stay in contact with students on Facebook. Erin really enjoys when former students come to visit. How-ever, many LALA Alumni do not visi often enough. Most of those who attend school in other states are doing well, and are very happy, so they

do not visit often. Some advice that Erin gives seniors after they JUDGXDWH�LV�WR�¿QG�WXWRULQJ�DQG�an adult that will help guide them during college. She said, “having an advisor, a professor, or counselor can help you stay in college.” As time continues more seniors will be accepted to college. Congratulations class od 2014!

more ownership with the test.Teachers have shown interest in online test taking. We are getting the students comfortable with the idea of taking tests online.” From the student’s perspective, the test experience was intriguing. The test had no need for scantrons. There was also assurance of completion since the test FODUL¿HG�ZKLFK�TXHVWLRQV�ZHUH�LQFRP-

plete. Lastly, there was no need for eras-ing wrong answers because with the click of the mouse, the students could change their answers. Students should begin to feel comfort-able with online assessments since Com-mon Core, will not offer a written test in the next few years

3!e VoiceMarch 2014

!e Home of Lion Pride

News & Features

“December 7th, 1941 a date that lives in infamy.” said President Roos-evelt the day after naval and air forces of the Japanese empire struck an American naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Approximately 2,400 Ameri-cans died during the attack, and the United States responded by declaring war on the Empire of Japan. Throughout the following years the United States military won many bat-WOHV�DFURVV�WKH�LVODQGV�RI�WKH�3DFL¿F��pushing back the Japanese to Japan. In �����WKH�8QLWHG�6WDWHV�0DULQHV�¿QDOO\�reached Japan’s doorstep, half way between the Marianas and Japan; a small island about 2 ½ miles wide and over 5 miles long that stood as a step-ping stone for the advancing American military. This island would come to be known as Iwo Jima. The invasion was set for February 19, 1945 with the purpose of capturing D�ODUJH�DLU¿HOG�RQ�WKH�LVODQG�WKDW�FRXOG�allow U.S. bomber planes to take off at short range to bomb Japan. Before the invasion, American bomber planes

On Wednesday, January 22, 2014 Mark Campbell took his top 10 AP OLWHUDWXUH�VWXGHQWV�RQ�D�¿HOG�WULS�WR�the Beverly Hills literary society at the Beverly Hills hotel to meet author Anne-Marie O’Conner. Anne-Marie O’Conner is a writer who covers a wide range of artists, from post-soviet Cuba to American artists. Anne-Marie wrote the book The Lady In Gold, which talks about World War II and the fact that many Jewish people had to hid their valu-ables and paintings from the Nazis.

Gustav Klimt created the master-piece of The Lady in Gold, which is a portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer.

Flags of Our FathersBy:Alanjon YparraguirreStaff Writer

Flag raisng on Mt. Suribachi

bombarded the island for 74 days non-stop, then on February 22, U.S. Marines stormed the beachhead and XQGHU�LQWHQVH�¿UH�WKH\�EHJDQ�PRYLQJ�inland. Over 20,000 Japanese soldiers held the island against 110,000 Ma-rines; the gruesome battle was fought through vast tunnel systems, bunkers and hidden artillery. Four days later on February 26th at 10 A.M. six marines by the name of: Michael Strank, Rene Gagon, Ira Hayes, Franklin Sousley, John Bradely, and Harlon Block rose the $PHULFDQ�ÀDJ�RQ�WKH�PRXQWDLQ�RI�Suribachi at the tip of the island. This was one of America’s greatest mo-ments in history as sign of hope to the American people. By March 26,1945 WKH�¿HUFH�EORRG\�EDWWOH�ZDV�RYHU��DIWHU�losing over 6,821 men the Marine’s KDG�¿QDOO\�FDSWXUHG�WKH�LVODQG�RI�,ZR�Jima. This month let us remember and honor the fallen of those who fought DQG�VDFUL¿FHG�WKHPVHOYHV�LQ�WKH�QDPH�of freedom; we must remember their service they gave in the last Great War.

It Doesn’t Glitter, But It’s Gold

By: Rosario MichelStaff Writer

Students meet the author of Lady in Gold, Anne Marie O’Connor

Lyric Colon said, “I learned to appreciate art much more because it holds history, it made me appreciate the freedom of expression we have today.” ���'XULQJ�WKLV�¿HOG�WULS�VWXGHQWV�VDW�LQ�D�room with the author and talked about her book. The author also shared inter-esting life stories and lessons with the students. After, they had lunch with the her and other members of the club. After lunch Anne-Marie gave a pre-sentation on the history of the book. ³7KH�¿HOG�WULS�ZDV�DQ�DPD]LQJ�H[SHUL-HQFH��LW�ZDV�WKH�YHU\�¿UVW�WLPH�,�PHW�DQ�author and was able to ask questions,” said Senior Oscar Peña.

LALA Juniors had an opportunity to visit the prestigious Jonathan Club on Tuesday, January 28th. The Jona-than Club is the second oldest social club in Los Angeles. Marty Frank (LALA Board Member), Judy Jenkins (Docent-Jonathan Club), and invited Juniors Selena Agustin, Kevin Fer-man, Arlene Garcia, Karen Gomez, Oscar Isem, Diana Martinez, Irani Mendez, Martin Rubio, and Katherine Umaña. Principle Richard Thomas and College Counselor Erin Kim accom-panied the Juniors on the trip. Once at the club, a breakfast that included a choice of eggs, bacon or sausage patties, and a choice of vari-ous fruits was followed by a powerful speech by Dr. David W. Burcham on the costs of tuition and the true value of education. The speech opened the eyes of various Juniors attending. The juniors were all impressed by the speech. Irani Mendez said, “It was a marvelous experience that opened my

The Finer Things in LifeBy: Oscar IsemEditor-in-Chief

Juniors visit the Jonathan Club

eyes to the importance of volunteer-ing.” Selena Cruz said that “I was inspired by his words. Not only did he share a side of his story, but he made one think of their future. Although I did not get most of his jokes, it was still a great life experience.” After the speech, the Juniors were given a tour of the place. Situated

in downtown just outside Pershing Square, the building was little out of place compared to all of the skyscrap-ers around it. However, on the inside it was as modern as any in the world. A state of the art work out equipment included a motorized rock-climbing wall, and an outstanding locker room for males included showers and a

spa. The Jonathan Club had the only double squash court in Southern California. Throughout the entire building, various paintings were to be found. The estimated worth of all of these paintings was in the millions of dollars. Each new marvel of the seem-ingly sleepy building was a pleasant surprise to those involved.

www.laleadership.org

4 !e Voice March 2014News and Features

BeardifulBy: Eric Platero and Jonathan ArreolaStaff Writers

In the 21st century, beards are seen as a relatively fashionable. The men of Los Angeles Leadership Academy were asked about their beards. When Mr. Barrera was asked what LQÀXHQFHG�KLP�WR�JURZ�D�EHDUG�KH�said, “I’ve had facial hair since sixth grade.” He keeps his beard because he feels that since he is young, it gives him a mature look, and a presence in the classroom. His beard also repre-sents a part of his identity. Mr. Thomas says that he grew his beard because of the weather required for the sport he enjoys. “I ski a lot, and I’m in the mountains where it’s like twenty degrees where you need a beard.” He wanted facial hair in high school, but he was only allowed

to have only a mustache because of school rules. It was not until he stud-ied in Germany that he grew a beard because it snowed and was below 20 degrees. He said, “I would use any-thing that could keep me warm.” We believe that beards make men seem mature, as is the case for Mr. Barrera. If maintained properly, they can sometimes give the man wearing it a wiser look. We also like beards because they look manly. No man with a good beard has ever been made fun of because of the fur on their face, and we embrace that and so does Chuck Norris. Plus shaving it is kind of annoying and depletes the faces moisture.

By: Eric Platero, Jonathan Arreola, Edwin Corro, and David RiveraStaff Writers

LALA welcomes new dean Craig Zimmerman

In preparation of Wendy’s upcom-ing absence, LALA received a new dean, Craig Zimmerman, or Mr. Z for short. Mr. Z was asked what he did be-fore moving to Los Angeles, he said that he was a dean at George Wash-ington High, in New York. He moved to Los Angeles because of a girl he loved, and is now married to. When asked what inspired him to work with youth he said, “I was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.” During his childhood he learned a lot about black history and culture while living in New York, so much so that he wanted to give back to the com-munity.

Middle and High School students bonding by playing basketball

Spectators watching the games.

Middle and High school students play musical chairs

Lion Cubs Visit High School

Welcome Mr. Z

NEWS

From Le" to Right: Second Place Yareli Jimenez, First place Steven Munez, and !ird Place Diana Toj

Spelling Bee

YPI NewsASB News

Steven Munoz somehow managed to spell CHIAROSCURIST to nab a victory at LALA’s First Annual Spell-

ing Bee competition, outspelling eight other contestants in the process.

“I think LALA is a good place to receive an education, and that it offers a lot of opportunities for students to succeed.” This year Mr.Z is looking forward to getting to know the Latino culture, because in New York he was not able to work with a lot of Latino students.

Mr. B shows o# his beard

Everything has either been cancelled or is in its creative stages

SoccerBoys: 1-1 (Scorer Aldo Diaz)Girls: 1-0 (Scorer Eby Rosa)

Cooking ClassBack for Fridays

FarwellLALA wishes you good luck in the future Elizabeth “Lizzy” Chaivez!!!

!e Home of Lion Pride

5!e VoiceMarch 2014 News & Features

Los Angeles City Council passed the ban of plastic bags in June 2013. Throughout the city supermarkets are ordered to stop giving plastic bags to their customers in an effort to help the environment. Markets have started selling both reusable and paper bags. Customers need to pay 10 cents for the paper bags. Some customers are begining to carry their groceries in re-usable bags they brought themselves. The smaller grocery stores still use plastic bags unlike larger markets. Los Angele,s became the largest city in the nation to ban plastic bags. Lowering the use of plastic bags can slowly help the environment we live

The Convenience is GoneBy: Sophia HuangStaff Writer

in. Now, Chicago and New York are looking at similar policies for their communities. One of Los Angeles Leadership Academy teachers gave her thoughts on the plastic bag ban. “I am glad that they stopped using plastic bags, but I forget to bring a reusable bag. I do think it will improve the environment, especially the ocean,” said Marissa, a Chemestry and Anat-omy teacher, “I think it is important for people to think about where their waste goes.”

Plastic Bags: A sign of the past.

No Substitution for RobBy: Alanjon YparraguirreStaff Writer

At the beginning of second semes-ter LALA lost one of its staff mem-bers. Rob Swart began teaching at LALA in August of 2013. He was an 11th and 12th grade English teacher. Rob Swart left LALA for a better job opportunity at Cerritos College and CSU Dominguez Hills. Some of his students were left in tears and dis-belief, after reading the farewell letter Rob left behind. Currently Rob is doing well in OLIH�DQG�LV�WHDFKLQJ�¿YH�FODVVHV�DW�Dominguez Hills University, and two classes at Cerritos College. In a recent interview he was asked why he left.

He replied by saying, “It was an un-expected offer, and an excellent career opportunity that worked very well for ERWK�P\�¿DQFpH�DQG�,�´� He was offered a raise to teach fewer days in a classroom as well as WKH�EHQH¿W�RI�UHGXFLQJ�WKH�FRVW�RI�KLV�¿DQFpH¶V�FROOHJH�WXLWLRQ��ZKLFK�PDGH�it an opportunity to good to pass up.” The following days Rob was sub-stituted by a man named Jason, Jason was an actor in The Writers Guild and preformed in many plays including a reenactment of Shakespeare’s play “Othello.” The kids enjoyed Jason and the way he was teaching, however it

was not until recently that Jason was soon substituted by another sub! David as both his colleagues and students knows him by will be teach-ing Rob’s class all throughout March. He was recently called in January to sub in for another teacher here at /$/$+�EXW�LV�FXUUHQWO\�¿OOLQJ�LQ�IRU�Jason. David has been teaching since 2003 and obtained a BA in English from Cal State L.A. which allows him to teach for 30 days, he enjoys his work very much and has gotten to know the staff here at LALAH very well. He feels as though the staff here have been very supportive and help-

Rob Swart

Past Events:

*LALA gives back- an event the whole school participated by bringing food to donate to Los Angeles food shelter. *Reading Plus Program- it’s like Revolution Prep, but for English. A program to help students improve their reading level.

*School Choice pep rally, spirit week, and advisory chant to represent per-sonality

*First Career Day on March 19- where students go to a classroom and lis-

LALA Lion CubsBy: Eric Platero Staff Writer

Fourth Annual Track Meet

WHQ�WR�D�VSHDNHU�LQ�D�VSHFL¿F�FDUHHU�they’re interested in.

*3rd Annual Black History teach in: participants will learn about discrimi-nation awareness of all races.

Up Comming Events:

*PI Day- Pie week activities and stu-dents will eat pie on an assigned day.

*New class animal health for kids who want to be vets or learn about how to care for animals.

Who’s Next?DavidJason

ful since his time here teaching and deeply appreciates them. In a recent interview he stated. “My teaching skills are being chal-lenged and I’m up for that challenge because I want to improve them.” So now the question is where do we go from here? Who will be our next sub? How long will it be until we obtain another teacher for Rob’s English class? Only time will tell and reveal what the future will bring.

6 March 2014News & Features

!e Voice

www.laleadership.org

Every Year College Counselor Erin Kim holds a meeting with people from a study abroad organization. These meetings are held for sophomores and freshmen, but mostly centered towards Sophomores. Many show up, but only a few follow through. Some students from Los Angles Leadership Academy KDYH�PDGH�LW�WR�WKH�VHPL�¿QDOV�WR�JR�study abroad with NSLI-Y. Congratu-lations to Hicell Lopez, Anel Torres, and Vanessa Sanchez. Students Evelyn Robles and Anna Hernandez are two current Juniors who attended the meeting to study abroad when they were Sophomores. They applied and they were accepted. They left in 2013 and are still overseas living the study abroad life. Evelyn is in Russia, and Anna is in China. Here are a few experiences, which have added insight and different perspec-tive on their way of life, and emotions.

“Well everyday is al-ways an experience. Some are harder than others of course, but it’s interest-ing to see the differences between America and Russia. Everyday at home is always a fun experi-ence. ESPECIALLY if you have a cat like mine. 0\�FDW�LV�WKH�GH¿QLWLRQ�RI�a gang-banger I call him a cat-banger. He sneaks into my room, crouches down, and out of nowhere...BAM! He runs at me and

“My best week here in China was the week in which ASF took all the ASF-ers on our cultural trip. They took us to Yun-nan say this was probably my best, most memorable, most exciting and happy week here not because I got to meet all the other foreigners in china but EHFDXVH�,�¿QDOO\�JRW�WR�VHH�some real china. Being in Yunnan was pretty excit-ing for I have a genuine passion for traveling/see-ing new things/meeting new people Now there, in

Yunnan, were truly some fascinating new cultures to learn from. In these trips, you don’t just learn from China’s culture, but from just about every and any country as well. I got to meet Germans, Italians, and Puerto Ricans. Etc. Even though America is a country of diversity, you never get to know where someone is really from, and with me being here I’ve learned lot of Asia, China and just Europe as a whole.”

A Whole New WorldBy: AnonymousGuest Writer

Evelyn and her new Russian companions

At Los Angeles Leadership Academy charitable events are not something unheard of. They are quite common and frequent. The civics committees from ASB council is in charge of organizing and executing these events. One of the past events was Adopt-A-Family. The purpose of that event was to collect presents for a family in need during Christmas. LALA stu-dents and staff donated more than 75 presents, which gave the family a very good Christmas.

Another event that occured at LALA is Pennies for Patients. The event is focused on collecting/fund-raising pennies and change to donate for the organization that researches for a cure to leukemia and lymphoma. The fundraiser lasted three weeks and it raised around three hundred dollars. Overall, here at LALA fundraising for good causes is something of the norm. With the direction of the civics committee and the student-body coop-eration charitable events are success-ful here at LALA.

LALA Has A Heart

By: Sandra SanchezManaging Editor

LALA’s adopt a family

NASCAR. For-ty-three cars roaring down a track. Thou-sands cheering them on. Over the last few year’s NAS-&$5¶V�LQÀXHQFH�KDV�waned. The glory days, of the late

1990’s through the middle 2000’s are no more. The Recession hit hard, and NASCAR was no exception. How-ever, there is now reason for hope. NASCAR’s biggest race is also its ¿UVW��.QRZQ�IDU�DQG�ZLGH�WR�DQ\�UDF-ing fan as the “Crown Jewel in all of Motorsports,” the Daytona 500 kicks off ten months of racing. And what better way to start a season than by EUHDNLQJ�D�¿IW\�VHYHQ�UDFH��D�VHDVRQ�and a half) winless streak? Even bet-ter, what if he driver is NASCAR’s most popular driver? Well, look no farther. Dale Earnhardt Jr., son of the legendary seven-time NASCAR Win-ston Cup (Now Sprint Cup) champion Dale Earnhardt, aka The Intimidator, is back in business. After a promising 2013, NASCAR was delighted to have Dale provide the populaarity boost it needed. You see, Dale’s father The Intimi-dator died on the very track that hosts

Drive Towards Success?By: Oscar IsemEditor-In-Chief

Anna embracing Chinese culture

Dale Jr. celebrates his second Daytona 500 victory

the Daytona 500, Daytona Interna-tional Speedway, during the 2001 edition of the 500. Daytona is a very emotional place. It will carry on the memories of both Dales forever. The number 3, the number that the elder Dale had made iconic, was not used since. Until, that is, this year. Rookie Austin Dillon, already a cham-pion in NASCAR’s lower divisions, gained a promotion into NASCAR’s elite level, the Sprint Cup Series. And LQ�KLV�¿UVW�UDFH"�7KH�URRNLH�FRPSOHWHG�D�&LQGHUHOOD�VWRU\�E\�TXDOLI\LQJ�¿UVW�LQ�WKH�¿UVW�UDFH�IRU�WKH�QXPEHU���LQ�thirteen years. NASCAR has had a tough few \HDUV��%XW�QRZ��IRU�WKH�¿UVW�WLPH�LQ�a long time, there is a break in the clouds. The sport’s most popular GULYHU�LV�¿QDOO\�FRPSHWLWLYH�DJDLQ��The rookie class shows promise. And the number three, a sacred number, is once more circling the track.

Anna’s Memories Evelyn’s Memories

smacks me and then runs away! I close the door but he pushes it open. Then I close it, he pushes it open and peaks in. Then I lock the door and all you see is this brown paw going un-der the door to see what’s holding the door. This cat always makes my day. He’s so funny!”

These are just too little words to de-scribe their experience so far. Living the study abroad life is a challenge, which both Anna and Evelyn have tackled head on. Soon they will be re-turning back to Los Angeles, and once again attend Los Angeles Leadership Academy.

7!e VoiceMarch 2014Opinion And Editorial

!e Home of Lion Pride

“1st Semester Academic Program Evaluation and exploration or apex IRU�VKRUW�ZDV�¿OOHG�ZLWK�WURXEOHV�DQG�complaints” said 12th grade student Aisli Valencia. Students complained about the fact that they had to com-plete study guides unlike in previ-ous years where students only had to complete the graded assessments and quizzes. Towards the end of the semester many students were able to adapt to the process of Apex and complete their course. Now that the new semester has started, students are expected to complete their Apex with PRUH�HDVH�WKDQ�¿UVW�VHPHVWHU�� Also when asked Apex facilita-tor, Monica, stated that because most VWXGHQWV�DUH�IURP�¿UVW�VHPHVWHU��WKH\�know the expectations and standards that Apex requires. Monica also stated that last semester Apex had a rough start to due to the rough transitions

APEX-tations For Second SemesterBy: David RiveraStaff Writer

students had with the new Apex style. (YHQ�WKRXJK�PDQ\�VWXGHQWV�¿QLVKHG�their Apex class on time, many needed WR�FRPH�RYHU�WKH�EUHDN�DQG�¿QLVK�WKHLU�class. When 12th grade student Hugo Lopez was asked if he had learned anything from apex he replied by say-ing “I didn’t learn anything on Apex, and that it was a waste of my time”. Although when 11th grade student

Adrian Lopez was asked the same question he responded with “actually learned from Apex, and I don’t think I wasted my time doing it.” Monica on the other hand had stated that “stu-dents learn from Apex, and should be able to take what Apex teaches them and apply it to a class with an actual subject teacher.” She also said “that if a student is struggling form the transi-tion from an apex class to a class with

Students working on independent learning

That time has come again for athletes around the world to compete for medals and bring pride to their country. The Winter Olympics.were held in Sochi, Russia. The Opening Ceremony began on February 7. The visual effects in the stadium made a great impression, with various colors EHLQJ�UHÀHFWHG�DOO�DURXQG��� To open off, the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin welcomed everyone who came to participate in and watch the Olympics. After his brief statement a video presenting the Russian alphabet mixed in with a lot of ideas from Russian culture was shown. It featured a little girl walking through the sky, which represented Russia as dreamers. After the video, a great musical was shown with huge set pieces that moved across the stadium. They were to show the his-tory and culture of Russia, including World War II and when Russia was known as the Soviet Union. They also had many dancing segments showing the Industrial Age and the time after

World War II ended. The point of the presentations was to show how even though Russia had some dark history, it would not effect the future’s peace. Everything was going well until it came time for the rings to form. Only four rings formed with one offending VQRZÀDNH�OHIW�DV�SURRI�WKDW�VRPHWKLQJ�was wrong. After the malfunction, Pu-tin announced it was time to hear the Russian anthem. During the anthem, 5XVVLDQ�GDQFHUV�ZLWK�JORZLQJ�RXW¿WV�came out and formed the shape of the 5XVVLDQ�ÀDJ��,W�ZDV�UHDOO\�QLFH�WR�VHH�because the way they moved looked H[DFWO\�WKH�ZD\�D�ÀDJ�ZRXOG�PRYH�LQ�the wind. �����)LQDOO\��WKH�WLPH�KDG�¿QDOO\�FRPH�to see the athletes. This was one of the best visual effects in the stadium. The ÀRRU�RI�WKH�VWDGLXP�VXGGHQO\�WXUQHG�into a map showing the whole world. The map would then go to the country that was supposed to come out. They were to come out in Russian alphabet-LFDO�RUGHU��7KH�¿UVW�FRXQWU\�WR�FRPH�out was Greece. The United States

was the 66th country to come out, but was the second largest group with 230 athletes. This was also a very special moment for American athletes because WKLV�ZDV�WKH�¿UVW�WLPH�$PHULFDQ�DWK-letes were to set foot on Russian soil during the Olympics. They boycotted the last Olympics back in 1980 when it was hosted in Moscow, Russia. The last country to come out was Russia, with 232 athletes. After the athletes FDPH�LQ�3XWLQ�RI¿FLDOO\�DQQRXQFHG�WKH�start of the Olympics. Former Russian Olympic athletes brought the Olympic ÀDPH�DQG�OLJKWHG�WKH�WRUFK��)ROORZLQJ�the lighting of the torch, was a huge FRORUIXO�¿UHZRUN�VKRZ�� There were various problems that surrounded The Olymics. This year’s Olympics were claimed to have been one of the most expensive and cor-rupted Olympics of all. It cost Rus-sia $51 billion dollars to host the Olympics. In addition to that, before the Olympics evan began there was a growing fear that there was going to be a terrorist attack. Enforced security

measures were taken to prevent any attack.The U.S. even told the athletes to not wear their uniform out in the open to not attract attention to Ameri-cans. For the opening ceremony Team USA wore a patriotic sweater from Ralph-Lauren with the design of the 8�6��ÀDJ�DOO�RYHU�WKH�VZHDWHU��0DQ\�claim that they were ugly but appar-ently for online buyers they were not. The Team USA uniform was sold to people after the ceremony online for $500 for the sweater and $75-150 for the hat/beanie. A very expensive purchase, but a very popular one. The Olympics ended on Sunday, February 23 and the U.S ended up in 2nd Place ZLWK����PHGDOV��7KH�¿UVW�SODFH�ZHQW�WR�Russia, the host country with 33 med-als and Norway in third place with 26 medals. Overall, the U.S did very well in the Olympics and even broke many records.

U.S.A. Isn’t Always Number 1

One ring of the 5 rings making the Olympic logo did not open up fully Olympic Village of SochiU.S Athlete introducing Team USA

By: Kevin FermanPhoto Editor

actual subject teacher, then it is the QHZ�WHDFKHU¶V�UHVSRQVLELOLW\�WR�¿OO�WKH�student in on any gaps in their knowl-edge of the subject.” So the expectations for apex this VHPHVWHU�DUH�KLJKHU�WKDQ�¿UVW�VHPHV-ter. This is due to the fact that many student that are in Apex this semester ZHUH�LQ�DSH[�¿UVW�VHPHVWHU��DQG�DO-ready know the expectations and rules apex has.

8

www.laleadership.org

!e Voice March 2014Entertainment

On February 27, 2014, hit-tele-vision show Scandal will be coming back. Kerry Washington plays as Olivia Pope, a lawyer that gets rid of people’s problems. She is the mistress of U.S. President Fitz Grant. No matter how hard they try to keep away from each other it never works. Their relation-ship is extremely complicated because he is married with three kids.

Personally, I love this show. The suspense, romance, and drama in-trigues me tremendously. I’m always at the edge of my seat when watching. If you don’t watch all the episodes, LW�ZLOO�EH�GLI¿FXOW�WR�XQGHUVWDQG�WKH�show because a lot of drama happens. Who doesn’t want a romance like Fitz and Olivia? I think that she should just start a life with him even though this means that he could lose his presi-

dency. Fitz even tried to divorce his wife, but she did not want him to. I thought it was so cute how he bought a house for them to start their family in. Why can’t reality be like this? I ZRXOG�JLYH�WKLV�VKRZ�D�¿YH�VWDU�UDWLQJ��Each episode carries so much detail and suspense that you absolutely have to watch the next one. It is amazing.

By: Aimee Russell Staff Writer

Scandalous Entertainment

Watch Olivia Hope !ursday nights at ten on ABC

Do you not have any friends or stuff to do? Try Flappy Bird. This simple, yet frustratingly addicting game has swept the nation. Be warned Flappy Bird is not a game you can easily walk away from. This game will consume you, tempt-ing you to compete against what is left of your friends. This game has a very VLPSOH�JRDO��À\�EHWZHHQ�WKH�pipes without hitting them (Sounds easy right, well it’s not.) You have to tap the screen every time you

want your bird to go up; give one extra tap and boom you lose. When you lose at a game it simply makes you want to keep playing until you master it, that is why this game has such an addictive hold. For those who never downloaded this addict-ing game, sorry but you never will. Flappy Bird has been taken down from the market, so Flappy Bird will live on in those poor souls that were able to download this game

Flap-Tastic Way to Lose Friends

By: David Rivera and Edwin CoroStaff Writers

High Score: What’s yours?

Courage the cowardly dog was a well-known cartoon in the 90’s. It was known for its graphic and gothic style. Courage lived with his owners, Muriel and Eustace Bagge. The plot of this show is seen as the scaredy-dog going outside his comfort zone to save his new home. The show is completely based off of Courage’s point of view. Everyday dogs are always trying to protect

their owner even though there is no reason to protect them. Every “monster” that Courage comes in contact with may have been just a guest that the Bagge’s invited over because in every episode they weren’t as worried as Courage was. But Courage, and dogs in general, see many innocent things as dangerous to their owner’s saftey.

Only a nineties kid remembers Courage

Trouble Always Finds Him

By: Jac RussellStaff Writer

Ever wanted to be a pirate? Then you should play Assassin’s Creed IV: Back Flag. In Ubisoft’s newest addi-tion to their Assassin’s Creed series, you play as Edward Kenway, a greedy pirate turned assassin. During this adventure you meet many of history’s infamous pirates such as Blackbeard, Stede Bonnet, Mary Read, and Bar-tholomew Roberts. You also get to sail the Caribbean in your very own ship, which you use to sink and plunder RWKHU�VKLSV�DV�\RX�IXOO¿OO�\RXU�GHVWLQ\�to go back home to your wife. Gameplay wise, this installment LV�DV�ÀXLG�DQG�HDV\�WR�XVH�DV�SUHYLRXV�titles. The storyline in this game is not only adventure heavy, it also tugs at the heart strings. The only con with this title is the over use of stealth mis-sions. While this is an assassin game, you are playing a pirate, which should PHDQ�PRUH�RSHQ�FRQÀLFW��+RZHYHU��the developers have chosen to opt for more stealth oriented game. Overall this game is a 4 out of 5 and should be considered as your next purchase.

I’ll Sea You at Port

By: Edwin CoroStaff Writer

A couple of days before winter break, beloved English teacher Al Schleicher, notorious for his intensely powerful immune system, happened WR�FDWFK�WKH�VWRPDFK�ÀX��7KH�GHGL-cated English teacher still showed up to work, but his colleagues sent him home. His ironman-like streak of perfect attendance was shattered after 3 years. Al returned fully recovered, unphased, and prepared to teach the hell out of his kids and intent on creat-ing a new streak. Al was reached for comment about his illness and said that he came to school because being sick doesn’t mean you should quit. The dedication to his students is very apparent. When asked about his seemingly instant recovery Al said he was still pale the next day, “I know I’m white, but not that white.” The English teacher also stated that he did not go to the doctor that day he just went home.

Al ScheicherBy: Carlos Castaneda and Juan EspinozaCopy Editor and Op-Ed Editor

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag