Volume 101, Issue 2 Modesto High School December 2013

2 THE PANTHER PRESS

GERM WARS Story on page 6

CARTO

ON

BY TAYLOR ZH

OU

Table of ContentsNews

Anti-Bullying Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Band: Marching On

Challenge Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Talent Show

Features

School Hygiene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Cleaning Up Social Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

School Lunch Nutrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Music: Buying and Downloading . . . . . . . 9

Break Up Violence

Cultures and Customs of MHS . . . . . . . . . 10

Mack’s Tips - Winter Break. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Anti-Bullying Month Contest Winners

Winning Essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Winning Poster

Winning Poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Sports

Football, Boys Soccer, Volleyball . . . . . . . 14

Water Polo, Cross Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Girls Tennis, Girls Golf

The Panther Press18 H StreetModesto, CA 95351

Editor-in-Chief:Samuel Lee

Contributing Editors:Mackenzie Anderson, Megan Anderson, Jason Li

Panther Press Staff:Samantha Baca, Gloria Hernandez, Laura Lee, Nicholas Lim, Isabel Martinez, Joshua Muni-ain, Nicole Parhizgari, Lokeisha Sisco, Lucy Wenstrup, Yileng Xiong, Abraham Youhana

Photographers:Austin Mendes and Kelsey Lewis

Cover Art by:Sebian Martinez Escobar and Lauren Ng

Adviser:Kerrie Glennglenn.k@monet.k12.ca.us

Credits:Cover banner and picture by Scott Mitchell.

The Panther Press is created for and by students of Modesto High School. The goal is to bring news to MHS and acknowledge ideas, events, and individuals on campus in an unbiased and professional manner. The opinions expressed in this publica-tion are those of the journalism staff and not of Modesto High School or Modesto City Schools. This publication may also be accessed at mohipantherpress.com. Letters may be mailed to MHS or submitted to Ker-rie Glenn’s mailbox in the main office.

December 2013 3

Letter From the Editor

Samuel Lee

First and foremost, I would like to thank all our readers for the positive feedback regarding our last issue. The staff and I will continue to work diligently to create informative and creative issues for you, our readers.

I would like to remind our readers to continue to visit our website, mohipantherpess.com. We have recently purchased a new sports addition, which will allow us to post regular sports’ score updates and records. I

encourage all our readers to actively visit our website for the latest sports updates, news recaps, and feature stories.

If there is a pressing issue on campus that is not being covered by the Panther Press or have questions, I encour-age you to send an email to mohipantherpress@gmail.com. I will do my best to respond promptly.

Thank you for your contin-ued support.

How Will You Spend Winter Break?SeniorsMax Rojas - Winter Break is nothing but a cold spring break. Catherina Tan - I’m going to New York with my family to spend Christmas with my sister.

JuniorsAllie Munson- I might make a short film about fandoms.Jon Souza - Life. I’m also helping Allie with her film.

SophomoresAmanda Davis - My friends and I are having a Christmas party. We’re going to wear ugly sweaters and make gingerbread houses.Jennifer Joseph - My cousins from Florida are coming over and we’re going to Vegas.

FreshmenEllen Davis - My family and I are taking a vacation and going to Puerto Rico for Christmas.Angel Tamayo - I plan on spending time with my friends and family during Winter Break.

On November 14, MHS staff and students organized an anti-bullying assembly in the auditorium. The as-sembly featured a student-made video demonstrating the potential effects of bullying and live testimonials from students regarding personal experiences with bullying. MHS principal Jason Manning gave a sur-prise testimonial as well.

The assembly proved a success as many students expressed their appreciation afterwards.

“It gave me a sense of empowerment and I had the sudden urge to go help those victims that can’t stand up for themselves,” said sophomore Alex Yaum.

“When I heard that a first grader got plastic surgery just to avoid getting bullied, my heart broke,” Junior Premjot Saroya said.

Ng continued, “It really reminds us to think before we speak because we never know how it might affect someone.”

The testimonials were the “cherry-on-top” to the as-sembly, and displayed the emotional experiences of

bullying victims. “It was so brave of them, I could never talk about something like that,” said senior Tasha Go.

It was hard to imagine that even our principal was bullied at one point, but Mr. Manning’s testimonial brought the reality that anyone can be bullied.

“During his story, I wondered why no one helped him,” said senior Milly Rodriguez.

“Overall I thought the anti-bullying month had a good effect on people. I think people sharing their testimonies and hearing that our principal had a bul-lying issue when he was younger was good for the students to hear because a lot of the students would not think that the principal was bullied. I really think it opened the eyes of the students,” said senior Kelsi Brink.

ANTI-BULLYINGASSEMBLY

Nicole Parhizgari

The MHS student body often times does not recognize the tal-ent that is present at their school. The MHS marching band has had a level of achievement that has often times gone unrecognized.

The MHS marching band is the only class 1A band in Modesto. Both Beyer and Enochs are only AA marching bands. In addition to the marching band’s high rank, it also has a rich history. “Our band… played for President Taft in 1912. We were banned from a national champ- ionship for being too good in the late 1920s. One of our recordings was put on a historical list in

the Library of Congress,” said band member senior Brandon Tang.

The MHS marching band has and always kept up a high level of achievement. The band puts in so much work to keep up its record of excellence that many of its members feel that it should be considered a sport.

The band not only has regular conditioning like other sports, but also hosts regular practices three days a week from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

“The time dedicated and the physical activity merits the [marching band] status as a sport,” said senior Reza Talieh.

The student body only really sees the band in action at football games and during rallies. In that

context, the time commitment that the band puts into practicing may seem a bit extreme. The fact is that creating the right ambiance at foot-ball games and rallies isn’t their first priority. They practice to participate in competitions, and they still aren’t recognized when they win.

“I think that any more coverage [the band] can get for any activity would be great,” said drum major senior Hayden Jackson.

In the end, it’s the small things that matter most to the band.

“Just last year, the morning intercom actually mentioned our band during morning announce-ments one Tuesday. It seems like a small thing to be announced on the intercom, and it really is, but it’s definitely a step up from years ago,” said Tang.

KEEP MARCHING ON Joshua Munian

4 THE PANTHER PRESS

This past November 6th, MHS held its 13th annual talent show featuring multiple acts all from MHS stu-dents. Even after 13 years, the talent show is still the largest and most popular MHS theatre production. Carefully chosen performers dominated the stage with rhythmic dances and spine chilling voices, fill-ing the auditorium with thunderous applause from ecstatic crowds.

Many students gave stellar reviews of the show. “Put my Records On’” was my favorite was my

favorite. It’s such a catchy song, and she sang it so well!” said senior Jeanah Kim.

“The first act, the classical piano piece, was amazing! It was a shame that she didn’t get a trophy. I think she was the best act of the night. It took a lot of skill to play something at that level,” said senior Gabby Brow.

“Some of the singers were absolutely phenomenal. Neve and her paino playing so, so, so good! It was a shame that she didn’t get any awards. I think she was the best one in the show,” said soph-omore Lucy Wenstrup.

Some students complained that there wasn’t

TALENT SHOW

enough variety to the show. The talent show fea-tured strictly musical acts with seven vocal acts and six dance performances.

“The show this year was really heavy on vocals. I just wish that there was more variety in the show other than musical songs. I loved Ally Munson’s “Skyfall” though,” said senior Cesar Arreola.

“I hope that next year there will be something like stand up comedy,” said sophomore Nicole Parhizgari.

Samantha Baca

MHS hosted its second annual Challenge Day on November 15th. Chal-lenge Day is a student run event that is aimed towards providing safety and support for students.

Program leaders Lazlyn Marcos and Xiadani Avila described the day as “a day where our fellow peers can be themselves without any fear or judgment.” Challenge Day is a moment when students can simply be themselves without any shame.

More than 70 students showed up to the event. Some had mixed feel-ings knowing that by the end of the program others would know their vulnerabilities.

Freshman Elese Donovan said, “Although I was giving my own per-sonal stories in front of people I didn’t know, I felt nothing but love and compassion. That right there made my four hours spent at Challenge Day worth it.”

Students partook in many activities such as “If You Really Knew Me.” In “If You Really Knew Me” students gathered in a circle and told the truth about themselves that others would otherwise no know. Students also participated in “Cross the Line” in which students are given questions pertaining to their everyday lives. If the question was similar to some-thing a student had experienced, he or she would cross a line to signify their experience. Other students were not allowed to talk as their silence signified a universal sign of love.

Every student left feeling uplifted having shared and interacted with others in such a positive way.

CHALLENGEDAYNicholas Lim

December 2013 5

Flu season creeps around the corner as the days become shorter and the weather becomes colder. It is absolutely imperative that Panthers on-campus do their best to stay healthy to avoid excessive absences. The best method of eluding illnesses would be to get plenty of rest every night and to maintain proper hygiene. However, like most high school students, Panthers may have a bit of trouble in the department of hygiene.

It’s commonly known that the restrooms at Modesto High rarely stay clean for long. Senior Nicole Lewis said, “The restrooms are extremely dirty by the end of the day. I don’t really want to touch anything in there.”The custodians on duty are not at fault in this situa-tion, but rather the students who fail to preserve the cleanliness of the restrooms. Students who arrive at school early know that the restrooms are spotless in the mornings. However, by the afternoon after use by hundreds of students, it’s no wonder why the restrooms end up so filthy.

Restrooms also tend to have some fundamen- tal problems. Senior Reilly Blickenstaff pointed out that, “The bathrooms always run out of soap making it hard to stay hygienic at school.” The problems with the restrooms on campus are coupled with the lack of hand sanitizer and tissues in some classrooms. This can be detri- mental to the health of MHS students during the cold sea- son.

Junior Krupa Modi said, “A lot of teachers just

leave empty hand sanitizer bottles on their desks.”Many students also notice that teachers lick their

fingers before passing out papers. Though this is usually brushed off quite easily, there are some who fear the spreading of germs and disapprove of the contamination of papers.

“I hate it when teachers lick my papers before giv-ing them to me. I always give the first paper to the person behind me,” said senior Jacob Landeros.

Not all of the germ spreading happens inside the classrooms. It may even be safe to say most of it hap-pens outside and around the halls. “Too many kids spit on the ground and in the hall-way. It really grosses me out,” said sophomore Natalie Schlenker.

Unaware of the consequences, students will inten-tionally spit anywhere, cough or sneeze without cov-ering up, or share personal items such as chapstick or water bottles.

MHS also has a few “germaphobes” such as senior Brad Maher who always carries a pocket-sized bottle of hand sanitizer and keeps a toothbrush and tooth-paste in the glove compartment of his car. For many of these health-conscious people, staying hygienic is not a problem. They deal with what the school lacks by bringing their own supplies to school.

Though it is nearly impossible to stay completely germ-free, it’s necessary to try to stay hygienic. By maintaining one’s own health, he or she is prevent-ing others from getting sick. This season avoid the flu and zap away the sick-days!

GERM WARSJason Li

6 THE PANTHER PRESS

Everyone has classmates that post nonstop whether it’s a stream of tweets about how much they want Taco Bell, or photo after photo on Facebook of them and their signifi-cant other. Usually these posts are harmless, at worst a bit annoying. While they should feel free to express themselves, there are some things students might want to rethink be-fore hitting “post.”

The thought of potential colleges or employers viewing social media as a character reference isn’t pleasant for most students. Nevertheless, it hap-pens and the risk must be addressed. According to a Kaplan Test Prep survey of 350 admissions officers, over 25% said they had looked up ap-plicants on Facebook or Google, and over 80% use social media to recruit and connect with possible students. Employers and admission officers alike search those applying for schol-arships, internships, jobs, and more.

Some adjust privacy settings rather than delete questionable photos and posts. However, profile pictures are usually still visible. Lewd gestures or potential drug or alcohol use in profile pictures may be a turn off for admission officers or potential em-ployers. Admissions officers claim

that negative representations on-line is not grounds enough to deny a student. However, do not give them a chance.

Take some time to do some deep cleaning of your profile. There are obvious things to check such as photos and recent updates. Also see that there are no tags, wall posts, or even comments from friends litter-ing a profile. Even if a “buddy” was just “joking around,” lewd comments reflect both ways.

How can one put his or her best cyber-foot forward to really make a good impression? Like pages on Facebook, retweet notable people on Twitter, and show that the ap-plication is a true reflection of self. Some officers may double check a “passion” for helping animals. This doesn’t mean a reinvention of an on-line profile but rather a gentle push towards a little extra discretion.

First impressions are often key. More and more teenagers are mak-ing impressions online without even meeting the person they’re trying to win over. Though admissions officers and employers are aware that no-body is perfect, an online profile can damage what may seem on paper to be a pristine image.

Polish Up Your Profile

Megan Anderson

December 2013 7

8 THE PANTHER PRESS

Methyl-cyclopropene, aspartame, astax-anthin, benzoic acid, emulsifiers, monosodium glu-tamate--doesn’t that just make your mouth water? These unnecessarily long words are a mouthful in more ways than one. These terms most likely won’t find their way into high school biology textbooks, but chances are they will be in nutrition labels on school lunches.

Chemicals such as hormones and potentially toxic pesticides harmfully collide with other antibiotics and growth hormones injected into daily meals. Stud-ies have shown ingestion of chemicals to increase one’s risk of cancer. It’s distressing that most places of learning have yet to smarten up about school lunch-es—Modesto High included.

In the 2011-2012 school year, 2776 California school cafete-rias did not have a single health inspection (even though they are required to have two) leaving stu-dents wondering whether what

they’re being served is up to par. On the national level, Ameri-

can schools under the National School Lunch Act of 1946 are to be provided “nutritionally bal-anced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day,” ac-cording to fns.usda.gov. Lunch nutrition would then be based on Dietary Guidelines for Americans. School food authorities on a local level are to decide which foods should be served and in what way the food is to be prepared. Unfortunately, school provided meals cannot be expected to fit the needs of the wide variety of students.

Troublingly, the USDA has stated that typical school lunches greatly exceed the recommend-ed 500 milligrams of sodium- some more than doubling that amount—and over two thirds of American schools exceed the

recommended standard for fat content according to parents.com.

With such disheartening statis-tics, many students are opting to pack their own lunches rather than eat school provided ones. Senior Samantha Archer packs her own lunch. “It’s disgusting,” explained Archer. “I only ate [school lunch] freshman year, but even then I didn’t want to.”

The installment of the new vending machine across the hall from the attendance office offers a glimmer of hope. With more nu-tritional options available such as on-the-go packets of applesauce, Popchips, almonds, and granola bars, perhaps MHS is turning over a new leaf—preferably a lettuce leaf. However, there is always room for improvement; one can’t help but question the presence of chocolate chip cookies amongst the trail mix and sports drinks.

Mackenzie Anderson

As Friedrich Nietzche said in Twilight of the Idols, “Without music, life would be a mistake.” Although what Nietzche considered music is vastly different from modern day music, many teenagers agree with him. With music such an integral part of life, why do teens increasingly opt out of buying music?

“The last time I bought music was in 2008” said Ar-man Rojas. However, Rojas uses online music steam-ing services such as Pandora and doesn’t download illegally.

Music has become increasing available online through sites such as Spotify, Pandora, SoundClound, Youtube and other websites. These websites are based around the idea of circumventing copyright laws that protects music from being illegally obtained. But, with the rise in price in music sparked by iTunes’ decision in 2009 to raise hit songs to $1.29 a pop, more people are choosing to download music off the Internet for free.

“We all know everyone does it,” said Brandon Yai. Yai claims, “It’s not illegal if you don’t sell it.”

Yai quotes a common excuse to justify illegal music downloads loosely based around US Copyright Law as the law states that copies can be made of music if they are personal copies for personal use.

Yai rarely buys music and is pushed to download songs from Youtube or RealPlayer be-cause of the great cost. With advances in technol-ogy that makes it easier to download copyrighted content online, also known as “pirating,” many more students from an increasing technologically aware generation are choosing to pirate content.

Colin Brannigan and Matthew Ng are prime rep-resentations of an increasing tech savvy generation. Both sophomores only buy music on occasion and more often than not, choose to download music illegally.

“What if you spend $1.50 on a new Jay-Z song and it sucks?” Brannigan said.

Although a single song may cost little more than pocket change, the total cost adds up when con-structing a library of music.

Even students that make it a point to purchase all their music, such as Reese Ingraham, are baffled by the cost.

Websites such as Spotify, SoundCloud, and Pan-dora allow users to listen to music free of charge as long as an Internet connection is maintained. The high cost of music does not have to inhibit your abil-ity to legally enjoy your favorite songs. Lucy Wenstrup

Saving Moolah on Music

Relationships are meant to be healthy, expressive, and free. How-ever, as many students engage in their first relationships during high school, they may not see the signs or may be in denial that they are in a controlling or abusive relation-ship.

The first sign of a controlling relationship is losing contact with family, friends, and activities. A controlling partner needs to know every move, sets rules for his or her partner, and considers him or herself as self-righteous in every situation. This may develop into abuse.

When they have the need to know every move, never take blame, and have different rules for their partner than for him orher-self, these are all warning signs of

budding abuse. Abuse is not only physical; it can also be verbal and/or emotional. Nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner each year. One in ten high school students have been hit, slapped, or physically hurt by a girlfriend or boyfriend.

Violent relationships in adoles-cents can have big consequences. Some of those include substance abuse, eating disorders, risky sexual behavior, and further domestic violence. Only 33 % of teens who have been in a violent relationships ever tell anyone about the abuse that was occurring. 81% of parents believe that teen dating violence is not an issue or admit they don’t know it is an issue. Nearly 80% of girls who have been abused during

an intimate relationship continue to date their abuser. Often times the abused are either too scared to leave or feel they are reliant on the abuser.

It is important to always be aware of the signs of a controlling relationship. If the signs are there, it is important to get out of the relationship immediately before it has a chance to turn abusive. A lot of the time it seems impos-sible for the abused to leave the abuser for many reasons, but it is always important to remember there are safe houses, people to talk to, and hotlines to turn to. Help is always available. Don’t expect your abusive partner to change. Gloria Hernandez

Break Up the Brutality

December 2013 9

New Years –Fresno the Hmong international New Year is celebrated for a week and 2 days and is full of singing and dancing competitions. The new year for the Hmong people is when people wear their traditional clothes that they have sewn by hand and go out to seek their loved ones or just have fun.

Weddings & Funerals - During outdoor weddings or funerals, the family provides fine mats to the fortu nate or unfortunate family. These mats are handmade and generally cost around $1,000. However, many of those who make these mats are dying, and the youth aren’t learning to follow in their footsteps. As a result, they are becoming is more valued and are basi-cally being cycled between the different branch-es of family. In the Samoan language, the fine mats are called “ie faitagas”.

New Year - Cambodian New Year takes place on April 14-18. At the beginning of the ceremony, people give food as gifts to the monks. The New Year is celebrated with danc-ing, shows, gambling and food. Some of the dishes include beef sticks, stuffed chicken wings, sticky rice, meat balls and papaya salad.

4th of July – Independence Day, “Diwali”, takes place around Halloween. During the night, they head to church and enjoy lots of fireworks and sweets. This holiday occurs all over India and gifts are shared such as clothes.

Holi is a holiday where Hindu and Sikhism come together and bond by praying together and panting one another. They have temples called “Gurdwara” and everyone is welcome. Everything revolves around one god and the belief that the mistreating of cows is a crime. Additionally, they aren’t allowed to eat meat on Sundays. A special candle called “Diya” is often lit during “Diwali”. The sister would tie a bracelet onto the other brother which symbolizes long life. These bracelets are worn to protect them from evil spirits.

Laura Lee and Yileng Xiong

10 THE PANTHER PRESS

Winter hibernation isn’t just for bears—Panther’s can do it too! Take this time to catch up on some serious sleep. Comfort foods are a key part of the season. Indulge a bit or try out some recipes (new or old) for yourself.Replace your history class documentaries with movies of your choice. Set up your Netflix In-stant queue and spend a day on your couch for a movie marathon.If you’ve got the money for a spa treatment, now’s the time to cash it in. Don’t underestimate the beauty of homemade spa treatments either! Google homemade face masks and bath salts and get ready to pamper yourself.

RECUPERATE THE WEATHER’S GLOOMY, BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE

Even if you’re not one to celebrate, embrace the holi-day cheer of the season. Join in on the festive fun even if it’s not normally your scene. Spend some time with others. Family time may not be as thrilling or heartwarming as it seems on TV, but it’s never a bad idea to spread some love. Don’t let the cold trap you indoors—get out of the house, even if it does require putting on a few extra layers. Find an ice skating rink, take a walk, or meet up with friends at the movies. Make a to-do list of fun activities to check off over the break. Check out Christmas Tree Lane in Ceres or try the new Starbucks holiday drinks your friends keep posting pictures of on Instagram.

BE RESPONSIBLEBe prepared for college deadlines and send things in early (hundreds of thousands of other students will be trying to send their common apps in last minute too, which could lead to some application meltdowns).Write down some New Year’s Resolutions to end the school year on a good note and be your happiest in 2014.Make yourself read through class notes at least once over the break so you don’t forget everything from the first semester.Do your winter homework. Just do it.

MAKE IT MEMORABLE

Take a daytrip to somewhere special. To embrace the winter weather, take a snow day or hike through Yosemite. Starting a winter tradition will ensure you’ll never forget this break. Call up your friends for a polar plunge or throw a party. Drive around town with a cheesy (but fun!) game of Christmas bingo with hot chocolate and carols.Keep those without a home for the holidays in mind. Knit scarves, help out a soup kitchen, or donate; it is the season of giving, folks.Let loose. There are no dress codes or strict sched-ules to adhere to for the next two and a half weeks. Make the most of it, Panthers!

December 2013 11

12 THE PANTHER PRESS

All too often we hear about the negative impacts of bullying- its influence in society, its possible physical damage, and the long-lasting psychologi-cal consequences on the victim. But what about its aftermath on the relationships between people? It is easy to assume that the friendship between the bul-ly and the victim is destroyed beyond repair. How-ever, given time and forgiveness, this may not always be the case.

As a 6th grader, I was bullied. I was teased for my appearance and for my love of learning. I often went home and cried to my mother, too scared to defend myself and heartbroken about what my classmates said about me. I was so cer-tain that the solution to my problems was to switch schools, make new friends, and es-cape the ridicule I faced every day. However, each time I sobbed to my mother, she always said to me, “Give it time. Things will change.”

I wasn’t sure what my mother meant by “change” and I did not know when this “change” would hap-pen. I struggled with the bullies throughout the rest of that year, thankful for a new start as junior high approached. When 7th grade ar-rived, I was fortunate enough to find a new group of friends who appreciated my company. As a re-sult, the girls that bullied me just a year ago seemed distant. Although they still went to school with me, and despite the fact that I had classes with many of them, they were no longer a part of my life.

Throughout junior high, I thrived. I grew as a per-son and developed my hobbies and interests. I be am today. As I grew, I noticed that the girls that used to bully me grew up too. No longer did it matter what I wore of how hard I studied for a test. Instead, people began to pay attention to my character, my morals, and my values. My old bullies began to see me for

who I really was, not for my external im-age. Just as my moth-er predicted, things really did change.

As I reached high school, I contin-ued to grow. I began to feel confident in myself and my abili-ties. Those around me continued to develop as well. My 6th grade bullies began to em-brace the diverse personalities of those around them, and the material differences between us were not significant anymore. Today, the girls that bullied and teased me are now some of my best friends. Frequently, victims of bullying assume that conditions will never improve and that their relation-ships are destroyed forever. However,

my experiences with bullying prove that this is not always true. There is hope- hope for change and hope for new beginnings. Just as my mother al-ways told me: “Give it time. Things will change.”

You wake up crying, an empty feeling withinTired of trying, can’t seem to fit in Just like the rest, you want to feel coolBut there’s weight on your chest, and the problems at school

A word that was said transformed into a rumorWhich then quickly spread around class like a tumor

They called you names, they laughed at your hairTheir words burned like flames, you were left in despair You fell to the floor, they spit in your faceYou felt in your core, “I don’t belong in this place”

You scream, “Why me, this world is unfairCan anyone see, does anyone care?”

Life is full of bullies who try to deceive So don’t grasp the lies they want you to believe

In a world so cruel, it’s hard to stay pureBut your mouth is a tool, and love is the cure

WINNING ANTI-BULLYING POEM BY ORLIN REYES

THE RUNNERS-UP FOR THE ESSAY,POEM, AND ART CONTESTS CAN BE VIEWED AT mohipantherpress.com

December 2013 13

14 THE PANTHER PRESS

MHS Football’s “Cinderella” sto-ry came to an end with the loss to Pleasant Grove on Nov. 15. The Pan-thers, although devestated, kept their heads held high knowing that they made enormous strides from previ-ous years.

Seniors Taey “Tiki” Tonga, Na-than King, and TJ Wolfe helped pro-

pel MHS to a league record of 5-1. Thanks to a shutdown defense

and a dominant offense, the Pan-thers earned the Co-MMC Cham-pionship title alongside of Downey. Other than their upset loss to Grego-ri, the Panthers succeeded in mow-ing down the rest of the conference, including a blowout victory against Downey 46-19

The MHS boys soccer team ended the season with a 8-2-2 re-cord. The boys kicked off their their season against Downey with a 5-1 win. They stumbled a bit during the season but were able to carry a five game willing streak in the second half of the season. The boys ended the season with two tied games

The boys got passed the first

round of playoffs against Wood-creek with a 3-1 victory. The boys were finally defeated in the second round by the Jesuits in a 4-1 loss.

Senior Adrian Gonzales said “I will always remember how we came back from losing and beat Downey with Julios three goals in the last 15 minutes of the game.”The boys were proud of the way they played this year and hope to continue their success next year.

MHS Girls’ Varsity Volley-ball team ended after a final game against Johansen on Nov. 5 leaving this season with a 3-8 record.

Highlights this season included the Varsity’s intense game against Gregori. The MHS football team cheered during the game demon-strating MHS’s incredible school

spirit.Seniors Kelsi Brink, Tryn Brown,

and Myah Flores will be leaving. Brown said, “This season was

the best last season I could ask for because our team bonded so much. We were like a family, and we just laughed during every practice.”

Coach Boore is also leaving. ”I am going to miss the players

the most. The dedication was abso-lutely amazing!” said Boore.

Football

Soccer

Volleyball

Junior Artemio Contreras lines up a pass to his teammate

Junior Cassie Sexson prepares for an overhead serve.

The MHS football team walks away from their last game.

December 2013 15

The Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity Wa-ter Polo teams ended the season with a 6-6 and 10-2 record, respectively.

The boys worked hard throughout the season to finish strong. The boys went 2-4 to start off the season but ended with a 4-2 record.

“The season was rough in the be-ginning but we turned it around and

won our last four games,” said senior Parker Steward.

Many memories were made along the way.

Senior Holland Chance recalled, “My favorite part of the season was going to Rocklin and spending the entire weekend with the team! Eat-ing French-dip until two in the morn-ing was a team bonding experience.”

Water Polo

Junior Mark Abid whips the ball around looking for an open player

The MHS Varsity Girls and Boys cross-country both placed second in MMC. The MMC was a close race and the MHS girls and boys varsity teams fell just short of Gregori.

As the season ended for many, elite runners from the girls and boys team were able to continue their sea-son to sections to compete with the largest 30 schools in the Sacramen-

to – San Joaquin Area. The varsity boys’ team was able to place sixth at sections.

Senior Veronica Tadeo said, “Cross country taught me that I could push myself more than what I thought I was capable of. I’m going to miss the nerve-racking feeling be-fore a race and all of the work outs”.

X-Country

Senior Matthew Ip struggles as he nears the end of a race

The team’s hard work paid off as it ended with a record of 9-4. Senior Jeanah Kim and her younger sopho-more sister Yunah Kim advanced as a doubles team to the San Joaquin sections.

Jeanah Kim placed first team all league. Yunah Kim went second team all league. Awards were given

out to all the players. Notable, ju-nior Venice Nomof received “Most Imporved” and freshman Amy Jung received “Top Newcomer.” Senior Taylor Zhou received the coach’s award.

“I learned a lot not only from Coach but from other team members as well,” Sammy Guan said.

“It wasn’t easy but I don’t regret a thing,” said senior Yiwen Gu.

Tennis

Junior Venice Nomof prepares to recieve a serve at practice

The MHS Girls’ Golf team ended the season with a 4-8 record. The girls were happy with the way that their season went. They made im-provements throughout the season and have forged a stronger team through the season.

“This season was way better than last year. We improved a lot more, though we still weren’t the best; we

were still better than we have been. I would say overall it was a good sea-son, we mostly played to our full ex-tent and fairly, unlike other schools,” said senior Kelsey Lewis.

Although the team recognizes that they didn’t finish first in league, they are proud of their performance.

Golf

Senior Samantha Chan performs a solid drive off the tee

TURNING CAREER DREAMS INTO dream careers

Classes offered at 6 Bay Area locations | Daly City | Fremont | San Jose | Oakland | San Francisco

Now’s an exciting time for you, and at DeVry University we are committed to your success. By offering degree programs inprograms in business, information systems, healthcare technology and more, DeVry can help you find satisfying, in-demand careers.

Your dream career starts with DeVry University

Program availability varies by location. ©2013 DeVry Educational Development Corp. All rights reserved.

DeVry.edu/BayArea | 510.574.1200