Can you guess who your teachers are?

Zainub Tremasi

Since 1991, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Falcon, Mrs. Roybal, and Mr.Weisenburger have been staff members at DHS and were chosen to be part of the faculty quiz. “WOW! Is that Mrs. Roybal, said Sindy Roa, 12, she looks so different!”

Rodas Hailu, Co-Editor-in-Chief
January 30, 2013

Twenty teachers and staff members have been included in a quiz that shows their pictures from the 1991 yearbook to boost the moral of the faculty.

What originally started as pure enjoyment, Mr. Houts and Mrs. Lucke found these pictures and they quickly became the premise of a quiz. The object of this quiz was for teachers to guess who the people were in the photos. The person who was first to get them all correct won a prize, which was lunch provided by Mr. Houts.

This quiz includes teachers Mr. Glasser, Mr. Swancoat, Mr. Warhurst, as well former students Andrea Sims, Mark Rand, and Jack Williams. English teacher Ms. Davies reflects on her picture from twenty-two years ago.

“I like my hair straightened now, so I would probably tell myself to buy a good flat iron!” Davies said.

Although the quiz was done purely for fun, Davies looks back and wonders what she would tell her former self.

“Although I’ve done this, I would remind myself to enjoy every moment of every day, every experience, and every person that enters your life,” Davies said.

For students, the teachers’ changes have blown them away. For Yaritza Figueroa, the difference between Mrs. Roybal’s picture as a blonde in 1991 and her appearance now as a brunette astonished her.

“It looks nothing like her,” Figueroa said. “She completely changed.”

Mrs. Roybal herself cringes when she looks back to her picture with her bleached-out hair.

“I wished I had quit dying my hair blonde years before this picture was taken,” Roybal said. “I dyed it a very light blonde from the age of 15 to 30. This picture was taken a few months before I went back to my natural color, a darker brown.”

Psychology teacher Ms. Neria, who was one of the twenty teachers included in the quiz, got the most answers correct, and won the prize. Although the pictures of the staff were taken over twenty years ago, the photos in the quiz have brought back memories and a few chuckles.

About the Contributors

Rodas Hailu, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Rodas Hailu, Co-Editor-in-Chief of The Downey Legend, leads the 2013-2014 staff into a busy and exciting year, introducing them to the journalistic world and all its wonders. The writer and photographer first entered the online newspaper as a junior, landing the position of Student Life Editor and turned heads when her stories revealed a seemingly natural instinct for investigative journalism. One year in newspaper left Hailu craving more: a position of leadership where she could let her ideas flourish and create a more successful website. As this year’s editor, she hopes to lead her team into greatness and provide a comfortable workspace. According to the senior, there is no room for mediocrity in the online newspaper. “I don’t want the writers and photographers to be apathetic at all,” Hailu said. “If they are in The Downey Legend, they are in The Downey Legend.” Full force and with great efforts, the talented student hopes to heighten the newspaper’s popularity and implement new ideas, hopefully capturing a new, wider audience.

The senior, who is often described as an old soul, admires classical music and is moved by each powerful note in pieces composed by Prokofiev, Shostakovich, and Khatchaturian. A violinist of 7 years, her appreciation for works of art extends to cinema, and claims to be an avid movie watcher. “I really love to watch movies with a good script, amazing characters, and wonderful cinematography,” Hailu said. With a sixth sense for different forms of human creativity, she hopes to become a student in a liberal arts college and experience the intimacy of a less populated university. The future awaits Hailu, a force to be reckoned with in the arts field, and she predicts she will be living on her own because of her “innate independence.” Living day by day and constantly telling herself, “whatever happens, happens,” she tunnels her focus on The Downey Legend and its future success. A true leader with a mind coiled with layers of depth, Hailu reveals bits and pieces of her vision through her various works or art, photographs and stories.

Zainub Tremasi, Photographer

In order to get more involved in school and with her love towards photography, Zainub Tremasi joined The Downey Legend as a photographer. Photography is not the only thing that Tremasi enjoys; she also likes spending time with her family, social networking and staying healthy by working out. She also enjoys doing math, which she is planning on majoring in when she attends Cerritos, and later transferring to a Cal State.

In the future she also hopes to be a photographer for nature or weddings. “I like romance,” Tremasi said, explaining her draw to wedding photography. With all these plans for the years to come Tremasi admits that she regrets not being in The Downey Legend before, since she is a senior in her last year atDowney. She hopes to have a great year as a photographer for The Downey Legend learning all there is to know about candid photography in preparation for a dream career.