MPAF; Reagan’s Fourth Annual Multicultural Festival
Written By Abdullah Al-Bassam
Auditions for Reagan’s fourth annual Multi-Cultural Performing Arts Faire (MPAF) brought a step closer to make this event possible. Dancers, musicians, and singers tried out to have high hopes in performing at this diverse event this year!
The Multi-Cultural Performing Arts Festival or MPAF is a multi-cultural event where the school community and/or public is able to learn about different cultures from all around the world. There were exhibits featuring different countries as well as performances representing nationalities and cuisines that derive from many nations. This year, MPAF took place on March 21st.
Not only were there exhibits showcasing different countries, but also performances that come from Reagan students who were willing to show off their desired cultures. Different kinds of food were served in exhibits, from fried rice to falafel! There were a few interactive games at the event, especially including the notorious tug of war
MPAF was run by Spanish teacher, Jamie Gonzalez,and French teacher, Teri Knight, along with members from Reagan’s International Club. They had completely positive thoughts on how the event turned out this year.
What they both loved about MPAF is seeing all the students, their families, Reagan alumni and committee members coming to attend this event happily. Their biggest goal for this event is for people to learn about different cultures by showcasing them with different kinds of cultural exhibits and performances.
Profe Gonzalez states that she is proud, “of all the students in International Club and other students that helped make this event a huge success”. What she hopes to see next year is more students creating interactive exhibits.
Next year Madame Knight hopes to see more exhibits, more games for children to play and a better variety of food. She also wishes to have more student participation in upcoming years.
Knight states that, “International Club did an amazing job of organizing and producing the whole experience.”
There were student performances representing different cultures. One of the performances was a dance performed by the K-Pop Club. The performers in this piece included Ana Melgoza along with Bao Ngoc Hoang, Alejandra Lopez, Pao Xiong, Catalina Tagliava, Tam Vo, Paulina Rodriguez, Emily Orzoco, Liana Bautista and Sabrina Conchi.
They performed sections of multiple popular K-Pop songs, specifically Black Dress by CLC, Black Suit by Super Junior, Get It by Pristin V and Anpanman by BTS.
The Fashion Show was another big piece that took place in the performance session. There were multiple students that represented their nationalities by the art of fashion. Biak Hlawn was the organizer and leader of this event.
Finally, there was a band performance performed by the Husky Five, a student-run band that consisted of Cian Hyde, Michael Zyniecki, Louie Smith, Elijah Stawicki and Issac Schultz, all freshmen. They performed the song Paranoid by Black Sabbath.
Interviews from Ana Melgoza, a junior and leader of the K-Pop Club and Biak Hlawn, a sophomore? organizer for the fashion show and Issac Schultz, a freshman who’s a member of the Husky Five.
Me: “What made you want to perform this?”
Ana: “I think that everyone should be able to express themselves through what they enjoy and our group really enjoys Kpop and bonding through dance. We have a lot of fun in the whole process.”
Hlawn: “First off, I’ve always been attracted to fashion itself and fashion shows growing up. I believe there’s so much self-expression involved. In one’s cultural fashion, much more can be shown through the clothes to portray their cultural identity. Therefore, I didn’t hesitate to start our own fashion show at Reagan when given the chance since I’ve participated in previous fashion shows when I was around 5th-6th grade.”
Issac: “Our band thought it would be a change for Reagan student to hear rock music, specifically coming from Britain.”
Me: “How long did it take you to rehearse/get it right?”
Ana: “We begin auditioning for new members after Reagan Fest and then once we choose new members as a group we get to know each other and then pick 4 songs, 2 boy groups and 2 girl groups. Then we meet two times a week and it depends on the difficulty of the songs, but I as leader learn them or sometimes other members learn and we as a group teach each other.”
Hlawn: “We try to make it work with the given time...given about two practices.”
Issac: “Cian and I have been playing that song together for more than a year, but Husky Five has been playing it for about four months.”
Me: “How did it feel to be on stage performing?”
Ana: “I personally really enjoy it whether people like it or not, it’s a fun experience everyone should try once.”
Hlawn: “It all feels very magical in a way. Everything is in fast motion and feels so quick regardless of the nervousness and your heart strumming at your chest. The crowd is cheering loud and you feel proud. It ends quickly but is so memorable.”
Issac: “Being on stage was a lot of fun. Preparing for it was a lot of work but paid off. My favorite part about it was being able to see the rest of the band playing and having the same fun I was.”
Along with performances came exhibits that introduced people to new cultures and countries all over the world. Trinity Jackson and Megan Palmisano, both seniors, created an exhibit on traditional customs and fun facts of Poland. They choose Poland in particular for their sole interested. They were inspired to learn about its well known and unique facts.
Aliza Passow Ramirez and Sandra Martinez, both juniors, did an exhibit on Spain. They wanted to learn more about Spanish culture and thought it was a great way to get involved with International Club too.
The Multi-Cultural Performing Arts Festival helped people learn about different cultures and what their specialities are.
The Multi-Cultural Performing Arts Festival or MPAF is a multi-cultural event where the school community and/or public is able to learn about different cultures from all around the world. There were exhibits featuring different countries as well as performances representing nationalities and cuisines that derive from many nations. This year, MPAF took place on March 21st.
Not only were there exhibits showcasing different countries, but also performances that come from Reagan students who were willing to show off their desired cultures. Different kinds of food were served in exhibits, from fried rice to falafel! There were a few interactive games at the event, especially including the notorious tug of war
MPAF was run by Spanish teacher, Jamie Gonzalez,and French teacher, Teri Knight, along with members from Reagan’s International Club. They had completely positive thoughts on how the event turned out this year.
What they both loved about MPAF is seeing all the students, their families, Reagan alumni and committee members coming to attend this event happily. Their biggest goal for this event is for people to learn about different cultures by showcasing them with different kinds of cultural exhibits and performances.
Profe Gonzalez states that she is proud, “of all the students in International Club and other students that helped make this event a huge success”. What she hopes to see next year is more students creating interactive exhibits.
Next year Madame Knight hopes to see more exhibits, more games for children to play and a better variety of food. She also wishes to have more student participation in upcoming years.
Knight states that, “International Club did an amazing job of organizing and producing the whole experience.”
There were student performances representing different cultures. One of the performances was a dance performed by the K-Pop Club. The performers in this piece included Ana Melgoza along with Bao Ngoc Hoang, Alejandra Lopez, Pao Xiong, Catalina Tagliava, Tam Vo, Paulina Rodriguez, Emily Orzoco, Liana Bautista and Sabrina Conchi.
They performed sections of multiple popular K-Pop songs, specifically Black Dress by CLC, Black Suit by Super Junior, Get It by Pristin V and Anpanman by BTS.
The Fashion Show was another big piece that took place in the performance session. There were multiple students that represented their nationalities by the art of fashion. Biak Hlawn was the organizer and leader of this event.
Finally, there was a band performance performed by the Husky Five, a student-run band that consisted of Cian Hyde, Michael Zyniecki, Louie Smith, Elijah Stawicki and Issac Schultz, all freshmen. They performed the song Paranoid by Black Sabbath.
Interviews from Ana Melgoza, a junior and leader of the K-Pop Club and Biak Hlawn, a sophomore? organizer for the fashion show and Issac Schultz, a freshman who’s a member of the Husky Five.
Me: “What made you want to perform this?”
Ana: “I think that everyone should be able to express themselves through what they enjoy and our group really enjoys Kpop and bonding through dance. We have a lot of fun in the whole process.”
Hlawn: “First off, I’ve always been attracted to fashion itself and fashion shows growing up. I believe there’s so much self-expression involved. In one’s cultural fashion, much more can be shown through the clothes to portray their cultural identity. Therefore, I didn’t hesitate to start our own fashion show at Reagan when given the chance since I’ve participated in previous fashion shows when I was around 5th-6th grade.”
Issac: “Our band thought it would be a change for Reagan student to hear rock music, specifically coming from Britain.”
Me: “How long did it take you to rehearse/get it right?”
Ana: “We begin auditioning for new members after Reagan Fest and then once we choose new members as a group we get to know each other and then pick 4 songs, 2 boy groups and 2 girl groups. Then we meet two times a week and it depends on the difficulty of the songs, but I as leader learn them or sometimes other members learn and we as a group teach each other.”
Hlawn: “We try to make it work with the given time...given about two practices.”
Issac: “Cian and I have been playing that song together for more than a year, but Husky Five has been playing it for about four months.”
Me: “How did it feel to be on stage performing?”
Ana: “I personally really enjoy it whether people like it or not, it’s a fun experience everyone should try once.”
Hlawn: “It all feels very magical in a way. Everything is in fast motion and feels so quick regardless of the nervousness and your heart strumming at your chest. The crowd is cheering loud and you feel proud. It ends quickly but is so memorable.”
Issac: “Being on stage was a lot of fun. Preparing for it was a lot of work but paid off. My favorite part about it was being able to see the rest of the band playing and having the same fun I was.”
Along with performances came exhibits that introduced people to new cultures and countries all over the world. Trinity Jackson and Megan Palmisano, both seniors, created an exhibit on traditional customs and fun facts of Poland. They choose Poland in particular for their sole interested. They were inspired to learn about its well known and unique facts.
Aliza Passow Ramirez and Sandra Martinez, both juniors, did an exhibit on Spain. They wanted to learn more about Spanish culture and thought it was a great way to get involved with International Club too.
The Multi-Cultural Performing Arts Festival helped people learn about different cultures and what their specialities are.
Seniors On the Verge of Graduation
High School Seniors From Ronald Reagan College Preparatory High School Are Graduating. How Are They Feeling As of Now?
Written by Jay Chontal
With the end of senior year quickly approaching, and IB testing on the verge of exposition, the seniors have many different feelings about what is to come in the near future. Though the end of the school year can be a stressful time of year, many of the students at Reagan have positive things to say.
Ricardo Guerrero, student athlete, conveys that he could not be more excited for the end of the school year. He stated that, “I can’t wait to not have classes back to back”. One of the largest differences between high school and college is the amount of time that can be utilized from class to class. In high school, students at almost every school around the country are not able to leave or dedicate their time to other priorities in life, and are instead enclosed within the boundaries of a school atmosphere for seven hours a day; more for those students such as Ricardo who try to balance school and extracurricular sports.
Not only is the extra amount of time in college appealing for a busy student, but he is also reflectant about how the change will influence his physical health as well. He says that he can’t wait to “Not have such a broken eating schedule, because we eat so early in the morning for most of our years.” For the first two years of high school, Reagan students have schedules that align with a very odd time frame to eat lunch. As most people in the world eat lunch in the afternoon, freshman and sophomores are required to eat lunch from 10:30 to 11.
Students such as Josue Peralta also feel very happy for graduation. Though good feelings are present with the idea of graduation on the horizon, he states that, “It’s weird graduating, because I’ve been doing this my entire life. People don’t expect me to go to college.” Coming from a first generation student, he feels the pressure that comes along with graduating high school, and that there is a small level of expectation to attend college. Even more so, the entire perception of school will change after the seniors transition from high school to college.
It is understandable for student’s to be having mixed feelings, especially since Ronald Reagan is a high school that thrives on the success of student’s futures; emphasizing those that have an entire career ahead of them through college. With that, there is a lot of high expectations for students to graduate high school and think about the next immediate step as college. For four years of a high school experience, it is ingrained in the minds of students, through high level classes, college preparatory opportunities, and other things amongst the variety of college readiness preparations.
While some students are feeling skeptical about the eventual exit from dick high school course load, others are feeling more than okay with the end in sight. Students such as Leonardo Espinoza are feeling more than ecstatic about leaving Reagan. Leonardo states, “I want to get out. I’m done with school, I want to have less responsibility. I want to go to college.” Understandably, Leonardo is excited about leaving the large responsibility of keeping up with dick expectations that Reagan has set for its students over the span of four years.
In addition to Leonardo, Alex Murnane also has a share of words for his withdrawal from high school by saying, “Good. I’m just done with everything. I’m ready for something new. College would provide an experience unlike high school.” College is a defining moment for many students at Ronald Reagan, and it seems to provide the type of life change necessary for the next steps into adulthood.
Though many students are ready to leave Reagan, they are also aware of the many things that they have learned. Not only is Alex ready for the next transition, but also recognizes that because of his experiences at Reagan, his “Time-management was improved. The amount of work helped, especially with the high expectations of college.” Throughout the years at Reagan, students have countlessly been hammered with assignments and projects from teachers; helping them understand the true commitment students will have to make in order to become successful in college.
Overall, Ronald Reagan seniors are mixed in every way. Confusion plays a big role in students lives as many of them will be parting ways from their families to pursue the next phases of life. Others are beyond ready to experience something new. Whether studying at a college or university will fulfill their wishes for something better is all in the air. Hopefully Reagan has granted the students the best opportunities to become successful.
Ricardo Guerrero, student athlete, conveys that he could not be more excited for the end of the school year. He stated that, “I can’t wait to not have classes back to back”. One of the largest differences between high school and college is the amount of time that can be utilized from class to class. In high school, students at almost every school around the country are not able to leave or dedicate their time to other priorities in life, and are instead enclosed within the boundaries of a school atmosphere for seven hours a day; more for those students such as Ricardo who try to balance school and extracurricular sports.
Not only is the extra amount of time in college appealing for a busy student, but he is also reflectant about how the change will influence his physical health as well. He says that he can’t wait to “Not have such a broken eating schedule, because we eat so early in the morning for most of our years.” For the first two years of high school, Reagan students have schedules that align with a very odd time frame to eat lunch. As most people in the world eat lunch in the afternoon, freshman and sophomores are required to eat lunch from 10:30 to 11.
Students such as Josue Peralta also feel very happy for graduation. Though good feelings are present with the idea of graduation on the horizon, he states that, “It’s weird graduating, because I’ve been doing this my entire life. People don’t expect me to go to college.” Coming from a first generation student, he feels the pressure that comes along with graduating high school, and that there is a small level of expectation to attend college. Even more so, the entire perception of school will change after the seniors transition from high school to college.
It is understandable for student’s to be having mixed feelings, especially since Ronald Reagan is a high school that thrives on the success of student’s futures; emphasizing those that have an entire career ahead of them through college. With that, there is a lot of high expectations for students to graduate high school and think about the next immediate step as college. For four years of a high school experience, it is ingrained in the minds of students, through high level classes, college preparatory opportunities, and other things amongst the variety of college readiness preparations.
While some students are feeling skeptical about the eventual exit from dick high school course load, others are feeling more than okay with the end in sight. Students such as Leonardo Espinoza are feeling more than ecstatic about leaving Reagan. Leonardo states, “I want to get out. I’m done with school, I want to have less responsibility. I want to go to college.” Understandably, Leonardo is excited about leaving the large responsibility of keeping up with dick expectations that Reagan has set for its students over the span of four years.
In addition to Leonardo, Alex Murnane also has a share of words for his withdrawal from high school by saying, “Good. I’m just done with everything. I’m ready for something new. College would provide an experience unlike high school.” College is a defining moment for many students at Ronald Reagan, and it seems to provide the type of life change necessary for the next steps into adulthood.
Though many students are ready to leave Reagan, they are also aware of the many things that they have learned. Not only is Alex ready for the next transition, but also recognizes that because of his experiences at Reagan, his “Time-management was improved. The amount of work helped, especially with the high expectations of college.” Throughout the years at Reagan, students have countlessly been hammered with assignments and projects from teachers; helping them understand the true commitment students will have to make in order to become successful in college.
Overall, Ronald Reagan seniors are mixed in every way. Confusion plays a big role in students lives as many of them will be parting ways from their families to pursue the next phases of life. Others are beyond ready to experience something new. Whether studying at a college or university will fulfill their wishes for something better is all in the air. Hopefully Reagan has granted the students the best opportunities to become successful.