Grizzly Graduates

With the 2014 - 2015 school year coming to a close Golden Valley seniors are readily awaiting their last day; May 22. In light of this I went around campus and spoke with many seniors to get a glimpse of their feelings as they are soon to venture into the great beyond, whether it be college or joining the working world.

One of the first seniors I spoke with, Emily Carpenter, will be attending Marymount Manhattan College in New York and majoring in theater arts. Life throws many challenges at us and some that Emily said she's expecting as she progresses in life are "maintaining friendships that I've made in high school and advancing in my major." Despite these challenges Carpenter still has high hopes saying "I want to love what I'm doing & be on Broadway."

Seniors have had four years to participate in a wide range of activities. Austin Cole, attending Grand Canyon University and majoring in digital arts, said "If I could do it over again I would do more theater classes and participate in spring and fall plays. And probably take an art class." Abby Talavera, attending Masters College and majoring in biology, commented with "I'd participate in theater production more."

Four years is a lot of time for someone to change. As we grow older things happen to create us into our adult forms that we grace the world with. Christina Chartier, still deciding on a college and planning to major in nursing, mentioned that "I've changed because I'm more mature and responsible and I'm capable of making decisions and learning from my mistakes." Kris Contreras, attending Pierce College and majoring in veterinary sciences, said "I've learned to set goals for myself and I've accomplished a lot academically."

High school gives us a lot of memories and things to look back on. Joe Barilla, attending community college and then FIDM, majoring in graphic design and fashion merchandising, said he will look back on high school and remember many things with a fondness. "I will always remember show choir because it was a major part of my high school year since freshman year. I'll also remember senior ditch day, first homecoming (freshman year), and show choir comps." Austin Cole will remember "... marching band. It was was a lot of fun and competitions and making friends were the best part."

With these seniors getting ready to leave there comes a whole new era of seniors. I caught up with these "soon to be" seniors and asked them if they had any words to say to the leaving seniors. Alex Herrera said "Good luck with everything you do." Star Austria gave a tad of advice saying "Enjoy life put out of high school but stay focused." Sebastian Sotello encouraged them with "Thanks for the memories and I hope you achieve whatever it is you hope to achieve." And Ronaldo Arista finished it off with "I'll see you all in ten years."

These four years have truly been a journey for seniors. Many changes are to come in their lives and you can only hope that we, those venturing out, are emotionally and mentally prepared for the challenges to come our way. I wish the best for all my fellow seniors and let's go out with a bang. Remember, class of 2015: "We'll make history!"

By Charisse B. Atherley (Class of 2015)

Shrek: The Musical

This year, Golden Valley is going full out and for their spring play are presenting “Shrek: The Musical” directed by theater teacher and chair, Janie Prucha. Shrek is a movie many of us young people (and young at heart) know very well. It’s an unconventional love story between an ogre named Shrek and Princess Fiona.

Starring as the leading roles are Matthew Farrand as Shrek, Samantha Gebers as beautiful Princess Fiona, Ryan Watson as Lord Farquaad, and Eriel Brown as the well known and beloved “noble steed”, Donkey.

Each of these actors brings something special to their characters. When asked what they thought it was, Brown mentioned that she’s “outgoing and that helps with being Donkey.” Daniel Sotelo, playing Grumpy the Dwarf, said “I bring my wide range of voices and I’m a bit eccentric just like my character.”

Opening night was April 29. I spoke with many of the actors beforehand and got a feel for their anticipation for the play. Jaidah Sizer, starring as the Wicked Witch, summed up her feelings with “It’s going to be Shrektastic!” Sebastian Sotelo, playing the Big Bad Wolf, commented on opening night with “We’re gonna kick butt. I’m confident in our cast. We’re going to have fun. It’s about entertaining the masses.” Ms. Prucha exclaimed that she is “Excited for opening night. All you need is an audience.”, and boy did they get one.

The night began with the doors opening at 6:30 p.m. and the seats quickly filling, the hum of anticipation filling as proud parents and fellow students filed in, reading their programs, commenting on things such as the lead roles and the vast musical numbers.

The play began promptly at 7 p.m. starting with opening number “Big, Bright, Beautiful World”. Right off the bat the actors stunned with their vocal prowess. As the play progressed laughter could be heard throughout the crowd, a sure sign of them being entertained.

The crowd seemed to especially enjoy the musical number “What’s Up, Duloc?” as laughter filled the auditorium in response to Lord Farquaad’s dance moves. Watson brought to life his character with great skill and just the right amount of humor.

Being one of the main characters, I caught up with Lord Farquaad and asked him how he felt his character added to the play. He responded with “My character adds the whole conflict. The story wouldn’t be the story without my character,” which is very true.

When the cast was asked how they felt about getting the opportunity to do Shrek, Jaidah said “Shrek is a good choice because it’s filled with different stories fun crazy thing and everyone gets to let their personality shine through.” Farrand commented that “It’s a good idea to do Shrek because teens, kids, and even adults are interested in it and it will draw a good crowd.”

Casting is obviously one of the biggest parts of getting any play together. I asked other cast members how they felt about the casting choices. Daniel Sotelo commented with “The main characters have sublime genetic makeup for their roles. They fit perfectly.” Josh Aran, starring as Papa Bear, gave a word of advice. “Never precast in your head. Prucha knows what she’s doing.”

Janie Prucha is very proud of the kids and the work they’ve put in. “We’ve been working since January. Over 50 kids are participating in this spring musical.” Their hard work definitely paid off.

I talked with the four leads and asked how they felt about getting lead roles; especially since two of the leads, Fiona (Gebers) and Donkey (Brown) are seniors. Samantha felt “blessed to have one of the leads. It’s a huge privilege.” Ryan said “I love being a main character although it’s a lot of work remembering lines.” Matthew felt “privileged to be lead. It’s nice to feel like your hard work was worth it and you earned it.” For Eriel she felt it was “a pleasure to bring him (Donkey) to life in our musical.”

A wonderful theater program is just one of the many things that Golden Valley offers. With all the multi-talented students Ms. Prucha has in the theater department it’s no surprise Shrek was a huge success. As the program moves forward I firmly believe that no matter their next project is it will be as Shrektastic as this one!

– Charisse B. Atherley

Show Choir is Here

Spring time has arrived at Golden Valley High School and the show choir program is in its 9th year. Kerry Riccio, the program director, is pumped for this year’s competition season. Something new this year is that there are two different show choirs: novice and intermediate. Intermediate show choir has been preparing long and hard for competition season and with it arriving, the pressure is on.

Senior Samie Gebers is in her third year of the program and is also part of the intermediate show choir. With it being her last year, she’s definitely feeling excited yet nostalgic. When asked what was one fundamental thing she learned from being in the program, she couldn’t choose one thing. “I’ve learned to communicate. You learn to accept people for who they are. Everyone is just one big family,” she said.

Many students, including senior Joe Barilla and freshman Haley Prucha, said that they gained confidence from being in show choir. “Show choir helps you build confidence, especially if you’ve come from a sheltered place before high school,” said Barilla.

The program has served as a creative outlet and safe haven for students from all different walks of life. Mrs. Riccio is a strong believer in having the students treat each other with respect and caring at all times. “The family atmosphere grows and strengthens each year. I always tell the kids they don’t have to like each other every moment, but they must love each other and have each other’s backs,” said Riccio.

One would assume that with their being two show choirs the tensions would be high, but like Mrs. Riccio said, her choirs are all one big family. The intermediate show choir supports the lower level fully. “You can learn the basics in novice and then move into advanced, and bring what you’ve learned and help others, if necessary,” said junior Ryan Watson.
When asked what novice performers could work on, sophomore Faith Jeffries offered up that they could “… learn how to blend a little more, voices and personalities. Everyone is different but we’re a family all the same.”

This year, the Show Choir has accomplished some amazing things. Those accomplishments includes placing first at the Cyprus competition and third at the Los Alamitos. Jeffries and Eriel Brown won Best Performer at perspective competitions. Jeffries at Cyprus and Brown at Los Alamitos. Winning these titles made each girl proud and honored, but they brought it around and said that although they placed as best performer they’re still more proud of the show choir as a whole.

When asked what some things are that helped them achieve their accomplishments Brown stated, “It was tough love from their leaders and just hard work put in by the choir as a whole.”

On their agenda for the remainder of the school year is a huge trip to Carnegie Hall in New York for Golden Valley’s Women’s Choir. While in New York, they will be preforming as well as sight-seeing.

It’ll be exciting watching what the two show choirs as well as the other choirs end up accomplishing this year and the coming year.


- Charisse B. Atherley and Daniel Patino

Red Tide

Being a student-athlete is a big challenge at my school, but being that athlete at one of the most prestigious colleges in the world is a task most can’t handle. For Golden Valley graduate and Harvard volleyball junior/economics major Alec Schlossman it’s no different. 

Alec is starting at Libero for The Harvard Volleyball team, a Libero is a defensive specialist. The amount of hard work Alec has put into volleyball is immense and balancing hard classes is difficult. Most days for a college student involve attending class and maybe doing some studying.  That’s not the case for Alec and his volleyball teammates.  “It’s definitely difficult to balance school and volleyball. My schedule, depending on the day, is get up early for lift, eat breakfast, go to a few hours of class in the late morning/early afternoon, eat lunch, then we have practice for about three hours in the afternoon, eat dinner, and then study before I go to bed. That doesn’t include stuff like getting treatment for injuries or going to office hours for extra help in a class. The most difficult thing is getting enough sleep to make sure I’m both physically and mentally rested,” said Schlossman.

For Alec, the academic load doesn’t change just because he’s a student athlete.  All student athletes at Harvard are responsible for maintaining their grades even on road trips.   “When we travel to away games it definitely gets difficult trying to get homework done,” said Schlossman.   Trying to stay confident and prepared for games isn’t  an easy task no matter what college someone attends, but at Harvard it can be a big struggle.  Schlossman said, “I try to get work done during the bus rides, but in my experience with missing class due to away games my teachers  and all teachers are pretty flexible with allowing the athletes to make up missed work.  Sometimes we have to submit papers and assignments while we’re on the road” 

Making the transition to college ball wasn’t easy for Alec, but it definitely wasn’t impossible. Playing club was a huge difference maker for Alec “Club helped  prepare me because of the overall talent. Playing with and against the best players in the country on a regular basis made the transition to college ball much easier.” said Schlossman.

In his junior year Schlossman has seen a lot of very good volleyball and has learned that the level of talent from high school to college is a huge difference.  “The college game is much faster, the players are also bigger, stronger and overall more talented.”  The schedule is a grueling one for the Crimson as they are fresh off a win against George Mason and have a tough road ahead of them with only six conference matches left with first place Penn State and second place Princeton. Harvard is currently 10-8 on the season and 4-2 in conference.

With only one year left to play the sport he loves Schlossman is relishing every moment he has left with his teammates.  When the athletic career of many college athletes concludes they move on to the unknown.  Graduating from Harvard will allow Alec to not worry about that.  A Harvard degree will almost guarantee Schlossman a great future, but for now that future consists of finishing the season strong and hopefully making the NCAA Tournament.

By: AJ Sabedra

Above:  Alec celebrates a point with his team.

Bottom:  Alec, bottom row, far left.

Going Green

In recent years the Santa Clarita Valley has been a hotbed of softball talent with girls heading to top notch colleges like Oregon, Stanford, Tennessee, Oklahoma.  One school in particular has been void in sending kids to some of these colleges, however that’s changing.  Golden Valley High School junior Tatyanah Castillo has verbally committed to Dartmouth University in New Hampshire.  Dartmouth is consistently ranked as one of the top academic institutions in the nation and Castillo feels fortunate to be attending there. “My plan has always been to get a college education from a top Liberal Arts College and the Ivy League was at the top of my list.  I did have my doubts because their acceptance rate is only 10%,” said Tatyanah.  After getting invited to a camp and impressing the coaching staff Taty said, “I realized who I am, where I come from and who I want to be.  Dartmouth changed my outlook on life.  I loved the campus, coaches, players, town, and weather.  Dartmouth is where I want to be.” said the Golden Valley junior.

With a 4.3 GPA, being named a team captain, and of course being the daughter of the head coach there comes a great amount of responsibility and Tatyanah is ready to take that upon herself.   “ Being a captain as a junior is a great honor at GVHS. This is a growing program and I plan to play a significant role in it’s development”, said Castillo.  Even though she was named as a team captain she understands there are those ahead of her who have experience as well.  “I plan to learn as much as possible this season from the examples of our senior captains, Miranda Escalera and Racqual Espinoza,” continued Tatyanah.  Taking the experience from seniors can only help Castillo as she continues to try and earn her school and program respect among the valleys other teams. 

Being a captain is a difficult role but Castillo is a leader both on and off the field.  Off the field and in the classroom she’s a shining example of what a student athlete needs to be.  With a 4.3 GPA and tremendous talents on the field  her father states, “Tatyanah is a strong offensive player, who works hard on her hitting skills, she believes in hitting off a tee and performs the alone work every night.” Working alone can get kind of boring and monotonous but she loves doing it because it’s going to improve her game.  Playing for her father can also present a problem not only for the player but for the coach as well.  Tatyanah likes playing for her dad because, “We meet at an intellectual level, on and off the field.  He’s very direct and knows when to say, NO.  He loves his players and treats us all the same.” 

Coach Castillo also understands the dynamics of the relationship, “We have established rules and we both do a good job of following these rules.  For example, we never leave the field upset with one another.  We discuss things until we we hug each other.  My wife does not allow softball arguments at home.”  Tatyanah also agrees with that but sometimes that leaves a few extra minutes after practice.  “When we get off the field we can no longer discuss my individual softball performance.  Unfortunately this means some long discussions before we get off the field and into the car.  Even with the ups and downs of the father/daughter/coach/player relationship it’s great for both parties.  “The best part for me is the satisfaction of making him proud,” said Tatyanah.  Hugo also thinks there are many positives with coaching his own, This is probably every father’s dream come true.  The opportunity to coach my daughter has created a very strong bond between us.  We are very direct, honest and supportive of each other.  She is my best friend!

In his fifth year at Golden Valley Coach Castillo has tried to change the culture while also giving girls other than his own a chance to further their softball playing careers at the college level.  “Yes my daughter is going to Dartmouth but we’re focused on helping all the girls in our program continue their careers at the next level,” said Coach Castillo.  That statement is supported by the fact that other than Taty there are three girls on the team right now who will achieve that goal. Senior captain Miranda Escalera is committed to Sterling College in Kansas, senior captain Racqual Espinoza is committed to Cal Lutheran, and senior Gabby Thomas is committed to George Fox University in Oregon.

                Every player has goals they want to accomplish and Tatyanah is no different.  “As a team I would like to qualify for CIF playoffs. As an individual, I hope to be viewed as a good role model for future GVHS softball players.”

As the league season approaches the Lady Grizzlies are looking to people like Taty and their senior captains to help make a difference in how other teams view them.  They’re hoping to earn the respect of the Foothill League by doing things the right way.  With the drive, determination, attitude, togetherness, chemistry and desire this group has it wouldn’t shock anyone to find the Lady Grizzlies at or near the top of the Foothill League a month from now.  

Written by, 

Dominic Fernandez.

Above, Taty gives her verbal commitment to Dartmouth University.

Below: Tatyanah getting ready for a game.

GV Students Get First Hand Experience

Tony Moskal, Teacher, Analyst Fox Sports Prep Zone:

As a teacher I’ve always felt it was my job to expose my students to things they were interested in and give them the chance to learn about those things.  As a broadcaster and a teacher I have the best of both worlds.  I get to work with young people in a field I have a passion for and work with kids who share that same passion.  On March 6^th and 7^th I took five of my students with me to the CIF Basketball Championship games at Azusa Pacific University where they had the chance to see how the entire production works.  From my own preparation to my announcing partner, to the guys in the van running cable, setting up monitors, cameras, head sets and whatever else needed to get done, these kids had a first-hand account of the entire production.  During the games they were assisting the crew by either pulling cable for the camera guys, helping in the van by running graphics, helping me with stats, or observing what producer, replay person were doing and learning.  Here are their first-hand accounts from the weekend.

Nash Soliman

My dream has always been to find myself a career in the sports media field. On March 6th 2015, I got the opportunity to get a notion for what it could be like. I took a trip down to Azusa Pacific for the CIF championship boys basketball games, from there I shadowed Fox Sports Prepzone and got a chance to listen and learn from Play-by-play announcers and Color analysts. I also got to walk through the production van. I got the full experience of what it’s like to broadcast a game. It was an amazing experience. I got the chance to help out with stats for the play-by-play announcer. He at some points relied on me for those stats during his broadcast, hearing him use my information on air made me that much more excited to pursue this career. I learned what it takes to produce and broadcast a game as Fox Sports Prepzone was on air.  

Nick Herrera

On Saturday March 6th  I had the opportunity to go with Mr. Moskal and experience what it is like to see how a whole sports broadcasting production is set up and ran. Mr. Moskal is our sports broadcasting teacher and he broadcasts games for Fox Sports Prep Zone.  From the broadcasters preparing before the game, to the camera crew filming, and to the production crew in the van I got to see first-hand how everything comes together. I also had the opportunity to help around with the crew in various areas.  Even though it wasn’t the most glamorous job someone had to pull the cable for the camera guys and wind it up.  It was cool sitting in the van and being asked to run some of the graphics for the event.   Nik the producer asked me to update the score after each basket as well as start and stop the game clock when the referee signaled.   I also saw how the producer calls which cameras to choose. Overall I had a great experience and if I ever had another opportunity to do it again I would.  

AJ Sabedra

Friday March, 6th at Azusa Pacific College I had the pleasure of getting a first person look at what it takes to work in the Fox Sports industry. My day consisted of watching guys in the truck get ready hours before the game to make sure the graphics, stats and camera angles are all in place. For the broadcasters it was a week long process for preparation. The Broadcasters are responsible for contacting the coaches for each team and asking them for their stats, record, key players and any other interesting information that some people might not know and find interesting. According to Fox Sports Analyst and our broadcasting teacher Tony Moskal that can be one of the easiest as well as most difficult tasks,  “Some coaches are great and get back to you with whatever you need as soon as possible.  Then there are those who think you’re trying to steal their deepest darkest secrets and won’t give you anything which then makes it difficult to give out correct or any information regarding their player.”

This first person experience is definitely important to a person like me who wants to get in the sports broadcasting industry.  It opened my eyes on what it takes to properly get prepared for a game, what it looks like first hand, and how everyone involved in the preparation of a game does their job.

Brian Bedell

On March 6th I was lucky enough to go with my teacher Tony Moskal to get an inside look at Fox Sports Prep Zone.  While there I was able to see what happens on and off the camera and how many people it takes to run one game. I spent most of my time in the truck running graphics and watching how much hard work is put into one game. It was a great learning opportunity for me because I want to go into that industry and spend my time in a truck running graphics and controlling what is on the TV. I learned how difficult it is and how much hard work it takes to be successful in this field. I liked spending my time there and I learned a lot about the industry and what I have to do to get into it.

Basheer Qatan

            Although I never thought I would want to be in the sports broadcast industry, this experience opened my eyes to something new.   While at the games I felt like I was presented with the chance to feel like was part of the crew.  The guys  in the truck made it a very special time by showing us what everyone did, what each person was responsible for, how they communicate with each other from the camera guys to the announcers.  They showed us how to run the graphics, how to switch cameras, how to do replays.  I never knew there was so much involved in putting on a telecast or webcast but this opened my eyes. After watching how everyone did their job and being a big sports fan I think it may eventually be an environment I wouldn’t mind being around for long periods of time.

AJ helping run cable.

Nick and Basheer running graphics

Brian, Nash and AJ outside the Prep Zone van

Nick and Basheer outside the Prep Zone van

Harris "PUTS" in Her Best Effort

In track and field some of the field events are not glamorized as much as the track events like the 100 meter dash but for senior Nikaela Harris and the Golden Valley track team shot put is just as important as any other event. Harris is definitely one of the best, if not the best shot putter to not only come through Golden Valley High School but the entire Santa Clarita Valley.  Just recently she added to her list of accomplishments by winning the the Fresno State Indoor Championship in shot put this year with a mark of 41’2”.  This past weekend she took home another first place medal but tossing the metal ball 41’3” at the Nike Invitational held at Redondo Union High School. Last season as a junior she won the Foothill league  and looks to repeat that performance again this year.

Like any other athlete that excels in a specific sport or sporting event Nikaela’s ambition to become great shot put started at a young age.

When Nikaela was nine years old she did youth track, but  only running events.  One day she  decided to wander over to shot put. “I started when my brother was doing it. In youth track he was practicing and I went over to where he was and tried it. The coach was shocked and said I need to stop doing the running and start throwing.”  Nikaela never realized that she could be good at shot-put always thinking it was her brother Diontre’s sport.  Diontre who graduated from Golden Valley in 2013 and still holds the school record for shot put at 55 feet would always give Nikaela advice and help her get better. From working out in the weight room to helping her out with her form. Diontre was big help in Nikaela’s success.

John Quam who coached Nikaela for three years saw her potential when she first came to Golden Valley. They would go to throw clinics at Shafter High School in Bakersfield where even Nikaela impressed the Arizona State throws coach. "She was always somewhat scared of the weight room, because she thought she was going to turn into a muscle bound person", says Coach Quam. Nikaela was always the younger thrower and has grown into her throws now. "She has learned that hard work is essential to becoming a great thrower. She also possess an attitude of hating to lose" says Coach Quam. Nikaela says coach Quam has helped so much and been very motivational.

 

Every track meet there is pressure for Nikaela to win so her team can earn points. Even though the event is worth just a few points it has the possibility of making a difference in the always tough Foothill League between the track team winning or losing. There are seven throwers in the group and Nikaela is the leader. Nikaela gives help to the other girls like her brother did with her. This Gives her  a big sister type role which she takes seriously.  “Being an example for the other girls is important because someone was there for me and I think I need to be there for them,” said the senior.  It’s wise for the younger throwers to listen to her because she is a defending league champion and advanced to the Masters Meet during her junior year making her the first junior from Golden Valley to make it that far.  

With a long list of accomplishments and a host of medals hanging around her neck Harris has one more goal that she fell short of last year and that’s the State Championship Meet. “I fell just short of advancing last year so I’m bound and determined to make it this year.  I don’t want anything to get in my way.”  With an air of confidence and experience from last year to build on watch for Harris to not only make it to the State Meet but to hang another medal around her neck before the day is over.

                                                                           Nikaela after winning the Fresno State Indoor Championship