Divas and diamonds
Written by Hanna Suarez · May 16, 2012
Indie Artist, Marina and The Diamonds sasses up her listeners with the latest single “Primadonna.” The song is off of her 2012 album Electra Heart, which features many other fun and fearless tracks including “Teen Idle” and “Lies.” Marina’s style continues to have unique and quirky... (more...)
Executing all the right plans
Written by Hanna Suarez · May 11, 2012
Students in Jeannette Hernandez’ Entrepreneur class packed their products and rolled up their arrangements for a Business Plan Competition on Wed., May 2, at Santte High School Los Angeles, California. Amongst Hernandez’ students who were ranked highest in a group of 600 other competitors... (more...)
Elementary students are far from elementary skaters
Written by Hanna Suarez · May 11, 2012
Local kids gather at the skate section at Independence Park, in Downey, to practice their tricks and skills on their boards every afternoon. However, these are not your ordinary skater boys; lately, the park has been populated with children as young as seven. These youngsters use their swift,... (more...)
The Lucky One Movie Review
Written by Hanna Suarez · April 25, 2012
Enthusiastic viewers filed into their local movie theaters on Friday, Apr. 20 to watch the premiere of The Lucky One, starring Zac Efron. The film is based off the novel by Nicolas Sparks and remains consistent with the book’s themes of fate and destiny. The luck—which is hinted at in... (more...)
Strumming chords for success
Written by Hanna Suarez · April 6, 2012
Local bands gathered at the Downey High School gym on Fri., March 30 to share their music with an audience of eager teenagers. The concert, hosted by ASB, was originally designed to be a Battle of the Bands but after a shortage of contestants turned out to be a fundraiser to promote the TLC... (more...)
Boys varsity volleyball’s defeated by the Bears
Written by Hanna Suarez · April 3, 2012
The varsity boys volleyball team faced a defeat at Warren on Thurs., March 22, with their second loss against the Bears 0-3 for the second time. The crowd was left on the edge of their seats only to be disappointed by the consistency of Downey’s plays. The team seemed to be pumped for the... (more...)
Small talk and loud music
Written by Hanna Suarez · April 2, 2012
Receiving much attention for their upbeat folk song “Little Talks” is the indie band Of Monsters and Men from Reykjavic, Iceland. The band won the national battle of the bands competition in their country and became famous worldwide after releasing their debut album My Head is an Animal... (more...)
Taking steps forward
Written by Hanna Suarez · March 21, 2012
The students at Club Entourage were struck with surprise when Lowes in North Downe offered a $10, 000 grand in store credit. The club set out to expand by applying for the grand early first semester and were emailed to confirm their prize months after. Now the club has been making plans to... (more...)
Changing up the schedule
Written by Hanna Suarez · March 21, 2012
The sophomore students at Downey High School were given a new testing schedule to follow for California High School Exit Exam week of March 12-15. The new itinerary not only switched Thursday’s block day to Tuesday but gave the freshmen, juniors, and seniors a late start for Tuesday and Wednesday... (more...)
Soothing listeners to sleep
Written by Hanna Suarez · March 20, 2012
Straight from Australia, singer Sia covers the uplifting and heartfelt song “I Go To Sleep.” Sia brings a more caring and melodious tone to the original Kinks’ piece, with the light sound of the piano and accompanying strings. The tune also has a blues feel to it as she softly sings of... (more...)
Scoring the final shot
Written by Hanna Suarez · February 29, 2012
The varsity boys basketball team came up short 67-73 against the Rancho Cucamonga Cougars during the first round of CIF on Friday, Feb. 17, in the Downey gym. The Vikings struggled in the first half, but attempted to come back in the third and fourth quarter, dragging the Cougars into overtime... (more...)
Keeping the excitement flowing
Written by Hanna Suarez · February 10, 2012
While students face frustration and finals stress, ASB attempts to bring some liveliness and spirit to them with its annual Black Light Spirit Week from Jan. 22 to 28. The week gave the kids at Downey High School opportunities to dress trendy while being reminded of the activities and games... (more...)
Listening to both hearts
Written by Hanna Suarez · February 10, 2012
Following the success of his underground single “Eyes Wide Open,” Gotye released his soft and melancholic song “Somebody That I used to Know,” featuring Kimbra, in July 2011. The melody has been receiving much attention due to its high rank on the New Zealand and Belgium singles charts.... (more...)
Hungry for action
Written by Hanna Suarez · January 22, 2012
With The Twilight Saga coming to an end, The Twilight Book Club shifted their attention and name to the action packed novel The Hunger Games to discuss at their first meeting Jan. 10 in room C106. The turn out at the meaning was made up of the usual club members and some new comers that hope... (more...)
Changing the channel on life
Written by Hanna Suarez · January 22, 2012
As winter break came to an end so did the high amount of lethargy for many students who spentcountless hours of their break catching up on their favorite TV series. With the wide variety ofshows being aired and the numerous ways to watch them, students are always finding time in their busy... (more...)
Big beats and heartaches
Written by Hanna Suarez · January 20, 2012
Award winning duet The Black Keys are keeping fans fueled with their raw, alternative hits “Tighten Up” and “Lonely Boy”. The band has been receiving much radio coverage for these two songs, both from recent albums Brothers and El Camino. The band is heavily influenced by American... (more...)
Stayin’ fresh
Written by Hanna Suarez · December 16, 2011
Keeping the hip-hop scene fresh at Downey High School, juniors Andrew Navarro and Andrew Ayala release their original clothing line Blast to maintain their individual interests and style. The line was first introduced in Whittier and Huntington Park and soon spread to Downey when the founders... (more...)
Bells ring for success
Written by Hanna Suarez · November 21, 2011
It was a successful night on Nov. 10 after the varsity football team dominated the Lynwood Knights 20-6 at their last league game played at the Allen Layne Stadium. Both sides started strong and refused to let either team touch the end zone. That was until senior running back Alex Martinez... (more...)
Not another brick in the wall
Written by Hanna Suarez · November 21, 2011
Setting aside society’s standards and opinions, senior Rosie Sanchez channels her personal feelings and beliefs through her dry medium art. She works best with pencil and charcoal and tries to go outside the boundaries. Sanchez has always loved drawing but it was not until one of her middle... (more...)
Delicious and nutritious
Written by Hanna Suarez · November 2, 2011
Local farmers and shoppers gathered on Third Street in Downey to score deals on fresh goods at the weekly Farmers Market on Saturday, Oct. 15. Along with fresh fruit and vegetable vendors, there is a variety of food products including roasted peanuts, caramel apples, fish tacos, Mediterranean... (more...)
“Idol” winner seeks country recognition
Written by Hanna Suarez · November 2, 2011
Fresh out of his recent American Idol win, singer Scotty McCreery released his debut album Clear as Day, a classic country cornucopia. The album features his first single “I Love You This Big”, which he also performed for the American Idol finale. The song has an ambiguous meaning.... (more...)
Moving past the bittersweet memories
Written by Hanna Suarez · October 12, 2011
After many months of “Rolling in the Deep” fever, British singer-song writer Adele has released the more subtle, melancholic song “Someone Like You.” This tear-jerking ballad tells the story of forgotten love from the perspective of a woman who has discovered that her former beloved... (more...)
Varsity football fights back against Schurr
Written by Hanna Suarez · October 12, 2011
A disappointed crowd emptied the Allen Lane Stadium on Friday, Sep. 3 after the varsity football team came up short, 28-37, against the Mayfair Monsoons. Mayfair scored their first touchdown at seven minutes and fifty-eight seconds into the first quarter and soon after scored their second touchdown... (more...)