A:  “Sports are my life; volleyball is my life. Sports have taught me a lot like responsibility, how to win and lose, and how to be a team player.”

Q:  How did you tear your ACL?

A:  “I tore it in a soccer game versus La Serna. I was going one-on-one with the goalie. When she came out to get the ball, I went in to kick the ball. We ran into each other wrong—my leg went back and my body twisted the other way—she fell on top of me.”

Q:  Will this injury be a major setback for you?

A:  “Yes because I will be out for a good 6-8 months, but I’m going to work really hard to get back. It’s more of a mental thing now.”

Q:  How have you adjusted to the temporary detachment of sports in your life?

A:  “I haven’t. It’s really hard for me, and I’m still not used to it. I’m getting emotional just talking about it.”

Q:  Do you feel that after your ACL has healed, you will never be able to play with the same potential as before?

A:  “Yes, definitely! I’m a hard worker, and I will not allow myself to be any less good than I was before.”

“It has been a pleasure to have Cynthia in my A.P. Government class.  Throughout the semester, she remained focused, conscientious, and worked very hard,” Mr. Nevarez said. “Cynthia exemplifies the rewards that come with having a great work ethic and dedication to school.  I can’t imagine anyone more deserving of a full tuition scholarship to Bucknell University.”

Among the 2,400 students nominated nationwide, Moreno was one of the 90 contenders chosen to win the prize.

“I had never been more surprised in my life. I had worked so hard and made my friends and parents so proud by getting so far that I just wanted to win more than anything,” Moreno said. “I had doubted myself throughout the entire process, but my family and friends were the ones who kept me going and kept my hopes alive.”

After learning about the benefits the foundation offers through The Constitutional Rights Foundation, a different program Moreno was a part of in 2010, the future Bucknell University student eagerly asked Nancy Sanchez, the program director, to nominate her. But in order to win this highly anticipated award, the nominees had to go through a series of three phases with the first and the last being group interviews. The Posse Foundation, although it still considers grades and SAT/ACT scores, focuses more on the student’s leadership abilities and communication skills. Moreno was given the challenge to stand out amongst a group of unfamiliar faces who—just like her—yearn to get their hands on the golden trophy.

“Everyone nominated was smart, nice, and intimidating at the same time,” the A.P. student said. “After each interview I came away feeling good about my performance but worried about how many other kids there were to choose from.”

Before the second round of interviews, the applicants were told to research on Posse’s nine partner schools. Ironically, the future Bison was unfamiliar with Bucknell University and had only learned about the school after she was nominated. University of California, Berkeley was the current Viking’s dream school. But after learning about the other campuses, Moreno suddenly found a fondness for the liberal arts school in Pennsylvania.

“I was told to pick my top three from the list, but once I heard Berkeley was there I thought there was no need for the other two choices,” Moreno said. “But in the end, I decided Berkeley was not for me; Bucknell quickly became my dream school.”

Moreno proved to be a guaranteed frontrunner as she received the acceptance call from one of the admission officers only two hours after her last interview. And after receiving the exciting news, she promptly informed her mother and her best friend, a fellow Viking, about her outstanding achievement.

“I always knew she had it in her, and I never doubted her ability to succeed,” senior Laura Paniagua said. “Her family and friends couldn’t be more proud. Cynthia is a strong, dedicated person; I’m sure she’s going to have a wonderful experience at Bucknell.”

With Moreno’s determination to succeed, the possibilities are endless for the high school senior who will be walking into a different world next fall. She has achieved something that once only existed as a dream; and with her every step, it is certain that Moreno will continue to reach for even greater stars and make, not only her family, but the Vikings proud.

On July 8, 2011 in Laguna Beach, math teacher Aaron Whitt married fiancé Kerry Gilfillan—a previous student teacher for health teacher Juliet Santa Cruz.  Santa Cruz was a bridesmaid that day and recalls the beach themed wedding.

“Our dresses were aquatic colors in accordance with the theme,” Santa Cruz said. “The wedding was pure magic.”

As a Hawaiian woman sang while playing a ukulele on a cliff with the sun setting behind the altar, the bride walked down the isle with her dark pink bouquet.

“She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen,” Whitt said.

With the reception that followed, the night continued to flow smoothly. The tables were adorned with glass-blown centerpieces that the bride made herself.

Three months later on Oct. 7 at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, Andrea Sonia Roveri was born to English teacher Mercy Roveri. She was born a week before her due date with a scheduled C-section. After baby Andrea was born and Ms. Roveri had her in her arms, an immense amount of love filled the room. It was a silent moment of connection and a new memory was made

“Adapting to motherhood is challenging at times,” Roveri said, “ however, it is truly a labor of love.”

The hardest part now for Ms. Roveri will be returning to work on Jan. 25, and leaving her baby at home.

The next month, on Nov. 11, drama teacher Lars Hansen married Kelly Matten at The Fire Gardens in San Diego. This wedding had a different theme from Mr. Whitt’s aquatic one.

While the groom wore an off-white suit that he put together himself, the groomsmen wore luchador masks and fire sculptures were lit after sundown under a big tent.

“My favorite memory was when the kazoos, we had given to the guests, played the wedding tune after the ceremony was over,” Mr. Hansen said. “My wife and I really wanted to make sure the guests had a good time.”

Just like the date of their wedding, the night ended sometime around 11:11 at night.

Soon after, born on Dec. 16, 2011 at Kaiser Permanente in Downey, Canon James Bradfield is the newest addition to the Bradfield bunch. When Eric Bradfield found out his wife was pregnant, he was pleased and nervous; however, once baby Canon was born, Bradfield was speechless. When asked what he felt when Canon was born, he sat there recalling the feelings he sensed and stayed in silence. There were no words to describe the emotions of that day.

“I was proud of my wife for being strong and brave,” Mr. Bradfield said. “Canon was beautiful.”

The Bradfield’s first-born daughter, Aria, is excited to have a new baby brother. Courtesy of Canon, everyone in the Bradfield home is exhausted. He sleeps very little and, with Aria being a light sleeper, there are two sleepless young ones in the house. Even then, all are adapting to their new addition.

An excited and anxious father-to-be, history teacher, Bryan Wierzchucki, will be expecting his bundle of joy in Feb. of 2012. When he found out his wife was pregnant he got teary eyed.

“I was going to be responsible for another human being,” Wierzchucki said. “Her name will be Sofia Violet Wierzchucki.”

With a baby on the way, he is beginning to realize that things like sleep and exercise will be scarce. Moreover, his feelings of love and responsibility of being a father seem to fill his mind.

“I just want to hold her and see what she looks like,” Wierzchucki said.

As the date of his baby’s arrival inches closer, he looks forward to new memories to come.

Whether it was a spouse or a child, the various staff members had memorable moments in 2011 that will surely bring forth many more to come in the following years.

Amongst the handful of teachers there was a very fervent Amber Geldien who had quite a bit of input regarding the book and movie.

“It is an excellent adventure all on it’s own,” English teacher Geldien said. “It’s exciting to see how the main character learns about sustaining her family early on.”

The club hopes to expand their membership by taking movie trips. This is one goal, along with bringing in more boys to the club. Although the book club was successful before The Hunger Games was introduced, females largely dominated the fan base.

“It’s exciting to have an adventurous book that is more gender-neutral,” adviser, Ms. Cleek said.

“I want more guys to come to the book club,” Castaldi said, “It’ll help spread the name of the club.”

Along with aiming to attract a larger fan base, the group also wishes to spread the basic hobby of reading. The Hunger Games book club members have not forgotten the pleasures of getting lost in a great book. They believe that while it is entertaining to keep up with an exciting age-friendly read, it also helps develop important comprehension and writing skills.

“We would like to increase participation. Ultimately The Twilight Book Club was created with the goal to encourage students to read,” English teacher Angela Curtis said.

Thus with new goals, the club continues to engage in what they love doing most; reading.  The clubs initial purpose was to build and develop reading and writing skills through entertaining and creative methods.

“I really want to be a published author,” Regalbuto said.  “Knowing that there would be people out there reading my book is amazing.”

Regalbuto’s family has been supportive and has been helping her every step of the way.  They have read her book, and now are editing the final copy.  For the cover art, the young author said that she will be having an audition at her church in order to find the perfect design for her book. Regalbuto is nervous about how the public will respond to her work.

“I’m worried that people won’t want to buy my book, Regalbuto said.  “I’m 50/50 about what the outcome will be, but, if one copy is sold, then this will have been a success.”

Queen’s Rogue is the first in Regalbuto’s Gallroc Trilogy.  After finishing the first book, she started on her second novel, which is already under progress.  Her stories revolve around werewolves and humans fighting each other during the sixteenth century over a course of 900 years.  There is a prophecy among the humans that a human female will end the war and a prophecy among the werewolves that a werewolf male will end the war.  However, there is a problem, as none of these two want to fight each other.

Regalbuto’s inspiration arises from Louis L’more, a very successful writer.  His stories are still being published long after he is gone, and Regalbuto would like to have the same success.

“I made this book to help pay for college,” Regalbuto said. “My dad has always been an amateur writer and wanted to get me published.”

With the completion of her novel, Regalbuto hopes to become a well-known and successful author.

time in their busy schedules to catch their favorite episodes. New sitcoms like New Girl and 2 Broke Girls are attracting young audiences with their quirky humour and original characters while older TV shows including Glee, Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family still remain as all-time favorites on campus.

Star of New Girl, Zooey Deschannel plays the role of Jess Day who moves into an apartment with three young bachelors and soon develops a friendly relationship with them. Jess’ goofy and laid-back attitude first make her roommates uneasy, but they soon let her into their comfort zone once they grew accustomed to her.

“I really like the main character Zooey Deschannel; It’s a funny show,” junior Alejandra Roque said, “It’s something new and refreshing.”

The half-hour sitcom airs on Fox every Tuesday night at 9:00 pm, usually after Glee. Glee is still rolling out showtunes with new episodes of the 3rd season airing Jan. 17. The show features the favorite characters that fans adore while also introducing new faces this season to prepare for the departure of the graduating students at William McKinley High School. The new episodes have seen much tension amongst the Glee Club members while still attacking teenage related themes and kicking controversy aside. Students remain anxious to find out what the rest of the season holds and hope to enjoy more of the addicting music that the singers have prepared.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the characters develop and I’m also excited to watch the awesome musical numbers,” junior Jesus Laurean said.

Another locally aired TV series that has captured the hearts of many at Downey High is Parks and Recreation, starring Amy Poehler. The show revolves around Poehler who plays Leslie Knope, a government official for native American Reserve in Indiana. The down-to-earth comedy displays the park workers while incorporating current political events in the script.

“I really love the humorous characters that each of the actors uniquely portray,” freshman Sophie Prettyman said. “Amy Poehlers slightly extreme antics, the odd situations and all the charming and quirkiness.”

Other channels are also keeping students entertained with series like The Walking Dead,NCIS: Los Angeles and Pan Am. The Walking Dead keeps its audience up in their seats as thetheme focuses on a post-apocalyptic zombie world where the only survivors are stranded andstruggling to survive.

“My favorite part of the show was when the main character found his family,” senior Carlos Portillo said. “In that show you never know what’s going to happen next!”

With such a large selection of series and sitcoms to watch it is no wonder that students choose to spend their time lolling about in front screens. The joy that comes with falling in love with the charming characters on TV clearly overcomes the stressful lives that high schoolers endure.

The reviews for the plan, however, have been heavily mixed. On the one hand, Downey could use the commerce and growth in popularity; on the other, the city tarnishes its history. The debate between the two options is heated and both sides hold their respective points.

The marketplace has caused a deep rift between the city council members and citizens who feel as though the project is a hasty and ill-considered addition. During the city hall meeting held on Jan. 10, citizen Carlos Romero vented about the unfairness of the decision:

“Why were we not told about this sooner?” Romero said. “It feels as though Downey is not taking into consideration the thoughts of its citizens.”

People hold strong sentiments for the historical monuments within Downey, a fact that is highly noticeable in the continued antiquity of the town. Certain residents feel that tearing down the studio would relegate the city into yet another lavish strip mall with houses.

“They can’t tear down the studios, because it’s a part of our history; to destroy it would be to tear down our rich history,” junior John Fernandez said.

Yet, there are equally fervent desires for the creation of a streamlined, modern, and multi-useful commerce section. Residents point to the creation of jobs, added revenue, growth as a city with a palatable business aura, and the greater modernization of the city.

“It would benefit the city far greater than the Downey Studios has,” senior Nicole Gallo said. “It offers more to the city. What was the last thing of importance that it [Downey Studios] created?”

While the range of debate is wide, the plan is final. The Tierra Luna marketplace is a reality that is bound to happen, and the spirited discussions surrounding the Downey Studio’s demolition can be written as a sign of how deep and impactful the history of the town is on the average citizen.

“Enchanted Paradise” was modeled as a tropical, exotic island with waterfalls surrounding a massive volcano at the center. Palm trees, flowers, and other foliage covered the float, which gave the float an extra pop. There is no doubt at all why the craft was awarded the “most beautiful entry built and decorated by volunteers from a sponsoring community or organization” award. The DRFA has, so far, won four awards for their floats. With such an impressive track record, the association can only improve and continue to delight the inhabitants of Downey.

“What’s most important to me isn’t that [Enchanted Paradise] won an award,” Roberts said, “but the joy that is derived from designing it, building it, and showing it off.”

What should be highlighted and emphasized is the latter part of the award’s title: “decorated by volunteers from a sponsoring community or organization.” The float could not have been built without the support and passion from local residents, especially from students.

Various students—ranging from 7th to 12th grade—volunteered their time and energy to making the project come alive. What is astounding is the knowledge that they sacrificed parts of their winter vacation to volunteer.

“I mean, yeah, I came because it gave me something to do,” senior Laura Garcia said. “That isn’t the only reason why, though. I also like volunteering, and this was something fun to do.”

The payoff for spending precious and well deserved resting time on the float proved to be well worth it for senior Sophia Loumiotis.

“Knowing that your time and effort went into making something that won a prize is definitely gratifying,” Loumiotis said. “I don’t regret investing my time here at all. I had fun and encourage more people to come in the future.”

Those words ring out as true, for it has been proven time and time again that when Downey residents put their heart and mind into something, wondrous and magnificent accomplishments are a given.

Along with the new year came new aspirations, new resolutions, and new plans for renovations.

With chipping paint, faded canvases, and rusty steel, the administrative building, along with others, has become far too outdated. Principal Tom Houts’ office is the oldest administration building in the district, and the space in the counselors’ office is tight. Both the B and C buildings are new, yet they stand next to a building that is old-fashioned. Plans were made to begin construction years ago; however, they were put on hold because of budget cuts. Luckily, a thirteen million dollar check, that was owed, was received in order to set these plans back into action.

“I think [the renovation] is good because the B and C buildings need improved ones around them,” senior Joseph Guerrero said. “I am excited but kind of bummed because I’m going to be out of school by the time the construction is done.”

The B and C buildings are each 45,000 square feet, and the new building (which will take approximately two years to complete) will be 60,000 square feet. This massive two-story structure will host all administrators, counselors, attendance office employees, the nurse, and 27 other classrooms including photo and foods. In addition to this, the O and Q buildings will also be knocked down in order to extend the cement further into the school and turn it into a turn-around driveway.

“It is going to be different and weird because of all the student traffic that may occur due to the construction, but I’m sure it is all for the best,” junior Alejandra Guillen said.

After the completion of these plans, the Z bungalows, the garden, and the pond will be removed due to the addition of an Automotive Technology building. At 15,000 square feet big, this building will take the place of the empty lot, and it will only take eighteen months to complete. With the finalizations of this project, a new smaller garden, along with a deeper and smaller pond, will be recreated.

“I feel this is a much needed improvement, and it will go well with the other renovations,” security Barry Baldwin said. “It will be better for security because everything will be in one general area.”

The construction will commence this spring. The faculty in the main office, attendance office, nurse’s office, and those in the L building will be placed in bungalows in the south parking lot. This means less space for everyone to make way for the construction. These renovations will also temporarily hurt some clubs because there will be no swap meets.

“I don’t mind it because in order for there to be change, we have to compromise at times,” student counselor Jayro Roman said.

In life there are things that will make one a bit uncomfortable, yet in the long run it can have benefits. These temporary detours can turn out to be the restorations needed to strive. After 2014, Downey High will never look the same again.