Rocking out for Relay for Life

Norma Flores

In attempts to help bring in more donations for Relay for Life, math teacher Eric Bradfield and his band, DTC, perform during both lunches on Thur March 21, in the gym. The band performed a series of grunge songs including works originally by Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

Rodas Hailu, Co-Editor-in-Chief
March 29, 2013

On Thursday, March 21, math teacher Mr. Bradfield and his band, DTC, performed during both lunches to raise money for Relay for Life.

Formed last August, Bradfield’s band is a group that performs classic grunge songs, such as “Plush,” “Alive,” and “Smells like Teen Spirit,” for the over 500 Vikings that witnessed the performance in the gymnasium. With the band members dressed in typical grunge-like attire, such as long wigs, flannel shirts, and baggy pants, the stage was set.

Senior Candice Potvin was not expecting to see Bradfield, who plays drums, as a different character.

“It was a shock to see him in a wig,” Potvin said. “He looks like a totally different person with long hair.”

Junior Precious Sarei, a student of Bradfield’s Algebra 2 class, enjoyed seeing her own teacher engage in a good cause.

“I really liked the band,” Sarei said. “They were quite a funny looking band. Funny in a good way. They had lots of energy. I was pretty astonished that they [rest of the band members] left work to raise money for cancer research.”

For Bradfield, performing to raise money for cancer research connected with his personal life.

“My mom just finished her last chemo treatment,” Bradfield said, “and she’s cancer free. She took chemo for a year.”

One of the songs the band performed, “Heart Shaped Box” by Nirvana, contained the lyric “I wished I could eat your cancer away,” that DTC was delicate about using because of its reference to the disease that Relay for Life is trying to fight against.

“It was one of those hard-hitting lyrics,” Bradfield said.

Although the performance for some students and faculty members may have brought back memories of a friend or family member with cancer, it was an act that allowed many to partake in the fight against this disease.

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.

Norma Flores, Sports Editor

Norma Flores, 12, is a writer and photographer for The Downey Legend for the second year in a row. She wants to portray Downey High through images that kindle others to want to be involved with their campus. “I’ve always had an interest in writing and photography,” Flores said. “I would like to show others what I’m capable of.” A goal Flores has in mind is to be an FBI agent, criminal profiler, or a part of the Behavioral Analysis Unit because she is interested on how an individual’s mind is persuaded to commit a certain type of crime.

Her main interest is swimming, but she also enjoys reading books and writing whatever comes to her mind. Flores’s hobbies are working out and running because she feels free when doing so. One of her dreams is to become an Olympic swimmer. “I want to make my life worth it and would like to impact on other’s lives too, because the world has a lot to offer to us,” she said. “We shouldn’t conform because we each have some sort of role to play, and we should push ourselves over our own comfort zones and be daring.” Although Flores may have a lot to show to her peers regarding her capabilities, she may also inspire those who do not know her through the dedication expressed by her own skills.