Accidental fame

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In room S-6 on Feb. 25, Mr. Witkin, displays the lacrosse shirt he wore as an extra in the movie American Pie. “[Being] able to look and see a TV show and movies that I know I was in, and to play a part in that in history, is pretty cool,” Mr. Witkin said.

Mehak Khan, Staff Writer
March 11, 2015

Downey High School’s English teacher, and former lacrosse coach, Scott Witkin, starred as a lacrosse player in the movie, American Pie, in 1999.

Mr. Witkin talks about how his experience with working in the film industry was a great time but happened on accident.

“I was playing lacrosse for the Guinness Lacrosse Club,” Witkin said, “and one of the players asked me if I wanted to be in a movie, so of course I said yes.”

In the movie Mr. Witkin acts as a lacrosse player for a team. It was a low budget movie compared to the other Hollywood movies, so when they needed players he was happy to do it. While shooting the movie he met Seann William Scott and Eugene Levy. Other times he has also had small encounters with Robin Williams, Morgan Freeman, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Audree Banuelos, 11, a former student of Mr. Witkin, explains why she thinks it is interesting to have a teacher who was in a movie.

“I think it’s really cool, because it shows me that you can do anything you set your mind to,” Banuelos said. “I would also want to watch the movie because it would be interesting to see my teacher doing something else besides teaching.”

Andrew Secaida, 11, another former student of Mr. Witkin, says he enjoys the stories his teacher tells the class about his experience in the movie.

“I like hearing stories about how he got the job and the people he met while shooting the movie,” Secaida says. “When I first walked into his class I did not know he was in American Pie so it was a bit shocking.”

Witkin has taken other small roles but the most significant one would be his role in American Pie, he never set out to become an actor but it was a fun chapter in his life.

Mr. Witkin currently teaches freshmen and junior students. He states that becoming a teacher allowed him to do what he loves the most, working with students on the field and in the classroom.

About the Contributors

Mehak Khan, Staff Writer

Joining The Downey Legend for the first time, 17-year-old writer, Mehak Khan feels that Newspaper has helped her improve her writing and allowed her to be more involved in school. She enjoys writing and hopes to bring in interesting stories to write about throughout the school year. Khan joined Newspaper during second semester to pursue her dreams of becoming a writer. “It felt welcoming as soon as I joined because the staff was so friendly and cooperative,” Khan said. “They helped me out and taught me everything I needed to know about writing stories.”

During her spare time, Khan likes to read, write, and help out in the community. She is also involved in a club on campus, KIWIN’S, which is purely devoted to community service. She also loves listening to music; her favorite band is Vampire Weekend and her favorite solo artist is Ed Sheeran. Although she is unsure about what she would like to major in, after high school she plans to attend UC Davis and travel the world. Once she narrows in on a certain goal, she will do whatever it takes to accomplish it.

Matthew Palencia, Photographer

Matthew Palencia, a Downey Legend photographer who is 18 years old joined Downey’s newspaper to experience a class that’s also an activity, get more into photographing, and to overcome his shyness. Palencia is fascinated how taking a picture captures emotions in that moment. “ Really did I take that? No I didn’t take that? That’s not going to happen again.” Is what he says when he takes an amazing picture. Palenica met a Columbian man who was in love with capturing pictures. The man inspired him and showed him many things about capturing beautiful and meaning pictures.

During his free time, Palencia likes to play soccer with his family and friends. He does not take the game seriously; he just plays for fun and to bond with his family. His favorite foods are chicken and cheeseburgers. Palencia loves dogs; he has a poodle that’s 2 years old. When Matthew graduates this year, his goals are to go to a community college then into a university to major in photography. Palencia hopes to accomplish his goals on being a photographer.