*Will begin these journals in January 2021*
January to May 2018 below
May: May was such a special month but yet it went by in the blink of an eye. It all began with the May issue of the Montebello Reporter coming out May 1. If you would like to read this issue or any other issue, go to https://www.montebelloreporter.com/.
On May 2, one of my best friends, Nicole, asked me to the Sadies Hawkin Dance. I had given her the poster because I didn’t need it anymore but I didn’t actually think she would ask me. So May 4, the day of Sadies, came around. I remember waking up early just to pack my makeup and my dress. We went to her house after school to get ready. We played music, ate pizza, and talked. Once we got to the dance, we caught up with all our friends and ate a little before hitting the dance floor. Once the DJ started playing some good music, we danced all night. We got home with our legs tired and voices gone.
May 11- Shout out to Nicole… Happy Birthday!
The Spartan Legion’s annual Jazzy Bingo was May 12. My colorguard team sold fruit to fundraise. The jazz band played a variety of jazzy tunes. It was my first time attending the Jazzy Bingo. It was fun to hear the jazz band play some familiar tunes.
The Simon Norton Museum was a new adventure that I was able to experience on May 13. I, originally, went because my brother had an assignment for his art class. I didn’t know what to expect so I had an open mind when I finally went. I was excited to go out and experience something new, especially for Mother’s Day. It was nice to get dressed up to go somewhere refined.
****JOURNAL IN PROGRESS.. NOT COMPLETE!****
March: Hi everyone! March was filled with so many memories that will last a lifetime. It started with the journalism write-off on March 3. Since I am new to journalism, I was in novice news. We started the day with donuts and soon made our way into the auditorium to hear two speakers state their opinion on a situation. Then all the categories, such as sports, new, features, etc., went to different rooms to begin the competition part of the day. My category moved to a classroom to write our news stories. Overall, I enjoyed being in a place where everyone has a passion for writing.
First competition of the month at Arcadia was March 10. We started the day bright and early. Everyone wakes up early to get hair and makeup ready. Rocxel (one of the colorguard captains) came over to my house, along with Mya and Jocelyn, to get ready and eat breakfast. We usually eat breakfast, then get everyone’s hair and makeup done while we watch movies. Rocxel brought over the CD with our final performances of our CIVIL field show. We were all excited to watch our show and some other schools.
Then we went over to Starbucks to grab some drinks before officially getting to school to start the competition day. We arrive at school and begin loading equipment in the trucks. Soon we head to Arcadia High School. The day ended with our team getting 4th place.
March 14 was the day that I had been looking forward to for a long time. That day would shape my career as a writer. March 14, 2017, was the day of my interview with a local newspaper titled, The Montebello Reporter. I was so excited to meet Gilbert Espino and Sarkis Sandukhtyan. Read about them and the newspaper in the following link, https://www.montebelloreporter.com/ I met them at the Daily Brew in Montebello. The more they mentioned what I would be doing, the more excited I became. UPDATE: 4/6/18- The April issue of the newspaper came out and it has the first article I have written for the Montebello Reporter!
The monthly Montebello Artwalk was on March 14. I was excited to see the art walk. It is a fun and creative environment for all types of artists. There were illustrators, writer, painter, creators and more. It was fun to chat with the artists that had booths and hear how they became so successful or how they learned to create their art. I learned a lot from these experienced artists that have struggled but they are where they are because they worked hard for what they love.
My sister, Mia, received an award for getting perfect attendance for the first 100 days of the school year. It is the first year that the Montebello Unified School District gives out this award.
We had a winter guard competition on the 30th of March. We performed later in the evening so we had to adjust to the time and lighting outside. We used small lights to light up our practice spot but after the sky had gotten dark, it got too hard to practice weapon. We just did what we could and perform a show that we were actually proud of. It still has its small things here and there that we need to fix but overall it was a show that we were satisfied with.
Click below to watch our performance!
February: Hey there everyone! Before I start with this month’s journal, I would like to send my prayers to the families in Florida. It broke my heart to hear the news about the school shooting. My first thoughts were,” WHAT WOULD MAKE SOMEONE WANT TO DO THIS TO INNOCENT STUDENTS?!?!?” These students and faculty were innocent, amazing people that had a huge life ahead of them. I guess, the hardest part about hearing about this, was the fact that the students were in my age group. They were teenagers! That could have been me, or anyone of my friends or family! It’s sad that we live in a world where this can happen. Shouldn’t students at least feel safe at school? Shouldn’t we be able to learn at school without being petrified? I want to be able to wake up knowing that I am going to a place that will fill me with knowledge instead of terror.
When reading about the victims, it broke my heart, even more, to hear about the fellow colorguard and band member that lost their lives. Once I heard about this, I fell down in tears. Yes, it hurt me so much to hear about all these victims but reading about this colorguard and band member, left me speechless. I feel, as a colorguard member, connected to them. Marching band brings us together, even if we never met.
Recently, my school had some threats. Eventually, we figured out that these shooting threats were not towards our school, but many of us were very worried about coming to school. It’s sad to know that we live in such a world. This threat scared many of my classmates. The following day, some students did not show up because they were more filled with terror than with readiness to learn. Isn’t this a sad world we live in where we’re scared to go to school because we’re scared we won’t come back.
To a lighter topic, Feb. 8 was night rally. I love night rallies! Usually, our school is decorated with lights and the band plays. We play games and watch performances by the drill team, dance team, and cheer team. This night rally was not mandatory so not many of my colorguard team showed up. I still had fun because I sat with the band. I love when they play pep tunes because it reminds me of field season due to all the noise and laughter in the air. Overall, the night rally was amazing! From the cheering on our friends in the games to singing ’til our throats hurt, night rally was unforgettable.
Valentine’s Day on the 14th was fun with my guard/band family.
(Shout out to LIZETH!! Her birthday was Feb. 15!!!!!!)
February 17 was our first winter guard competition of 2018. We started the day getting hair and makeup done. Once 11:30am came around, we were on a bus on our way to compete at Mayfair High School. Personally, I was really nervous because this is my first season doing sabre, so I was just afraid of dropping. I usually don’t get nervous until the last seconds before we perform. We were setting up our show and that’s when it hit me- I’m in a competition. We didn’t have a full show, so we were penalized for that. We knew that we could do better but we also know what we have to improve on.
After performing we changed out of our costumes and into regular clothes. Then we finally make our way to the parents. I am so thankful to have my mom, sister and brother that can come to these competitions. I am so grateful to have them. Once we find them, we go on a mission to find and buy food. Soon, we remember that there are still shows that we can watch before awards begin. We find our seats and watch some amazing shows that were jaw-dropping. The independent colorguards are unbelievable! We could only dream to become anywhere as skilled as them.
The next day, Feb. 18, was the winter showcase where we perform our show for our family and friends. We had fun meeting another colorguard from another school. We saw them perform and helped them fold their floor. It’s interesting to see how another guard works together to fold their floor. It was fun talking to them and hearing how they work together.
That’s all for this month. See you in March!
-Stoophie
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!
January: Hi everyone. To start off 2018, I will be starting monthly journals where I can write out my life within the month for everyone to read. The year has started off full of laughter. New Year’s day, we celebrated midnight in the employee parking lot at Disneyland. We waited for my brother to get off work. We were able to watch the fireworks. I missed having my Disneyland pass.
Many have asked me how I don’t get bored of Disney or why I like Disney. Well, I grew up with it. I only ever watched the Disney Channel, Disney XD, or sometimes even Disney Jr. When my family first got our Disney annual passes, we constantly went to Disneyland because it was the only time of the week that we would go somewhere besides school and home. My day would consist of going to school and coming home to do homework. Then I would go to sleep and repeat the same day over and over again. Disneyland was the only time I broke out from that predictable schedule. We would walk through the Disneyland gates and instantly forget every responsibility we had at home. We did not have to worry about bills, work, school, etc. We became kids again for a couple hours.
For the first time, I watched the Pasadena Rose Parade live. My band’s drum major was in the Rose Parade for Pasadena City College’s Honor Band. It was an experience to remember. I was able to watch bands and colorguards up close. I did get a little irritated and upset when the people next to me would constantly yell phrases like, ” Yeah Drill!,” even though it was obviously colorguard. Like, come on people, educate yourself! After they said that, I immediately yelled “Yeah Colorguard!!!” They would also say things such as, “Yeah! Twirl those flags!” NO NO NO!! Colorguard does not twirl flags! We SPIN our flags. We do not throw, we toss!
On Jan. 14, we had a party to welcome the new year and so everyone can have a great time together before we head back to school. Everyone was stressed out about finals, grades, practices, bills, etc. I just wanted some way for everyone to just have fun and relax. I invited a couple people from band and colorguard. We played Just Dance most of the time. We took a little break to talk, say riddles, play music. Then we went back to playing Just Dance and eating. My brother made homemade tacos and everyone brought a dish. We had our chocolate fountain, popcorn machine, and nachos ready for guests to enjoy. I’m glad everyone had fun being together. Some people came later in the day but, as long as everyone had a great time and didn’t leave on an empty stomach, it was great. Anyone that came to the party, if you are reading this right now, remember you are always welcomed into my house, doesn’t matter whether you are just bored or if you’re just hungry. Whenever you are in my house, it becomes your house as well.
That’s all for now everyone. See you in February!
~Stoophie
Stoophie.com 