The school year of 2022-2023 is coming to an end. Several students might say it was overwhelming, stressful and full of needed aspirations. It was an emotional roller coaster that no one wanted to be on. However, despite the obstacles that were presented, it was definitely one for the books. It was a sentimental and emotional journey, but we learn from these mistakes which makes us better people. As we ready to transition into our adult life, at the end of the day, everything happens for a reason.
Here are the memorable events from the year, presented in no particular order:
Boys volleyball had quite a rough season this year with an overall record of 2-14. They managed to secure their 2 wins by beating Cantwell and Pioneer High School.
Some of the team’s struggles were due to a lack of communication, mental errors, and hitting errors. When asked about how the season was, Coach Reyes stated: “It didn’t go as expected, and they struggled with consistency.” It was a rocky season with several mental challenges, but you can only go up from rock bottom.
Boys volleyball struggled on the court, however they did gain a preferable bond. They formed a family, and newcomers were welcomed with open arms to brotherhood. Since most of the team were seniors,incoming players have big shoes to fill.
Senior night was unfortunately taken away from the players due to a misunderstanding against Artesia High School. Artesia moved the game from Glenn to Artesia, so that they could showcase their newly renovated gym. After the game however, the boys volleyball team was welcomed back at Glenn with open arms from their supporters with posters, gifts, and their coaches’ farewell.
Overall the season was rough and lacking in consistency, but several memories and laughter were shared on the court.
The JGHS American Red Cross donation event collected 150 pints of blood. 70 John Glenn High School Students have saved 450 lives with their donation of those 150 pints of blood. The second blood drive of the school year for the American Red Cross was on April 25, 2023 which took place in the school’s gym.
The blood drive was held at the gym from 7 in the morning to 3:35 in the afternoon. It was organized more efficiently compared to the first semester’s Drive. CSF organized this event and allowed CSF and AVID Club members to volunteer. We have been hosting this event at Glenn for at least 10 years. CSF provided snacks, drinks, meals, and music; and once you donated, you were able to pick a shirt of the ones that were displayed.
12 of the JGHS students who donated gave “Power Red.” A Power Red donor donates double the amount of a regular donor and receives plasma and platelets. Once they donated, the volunteers made sure students rested for at least 30 minutes, with snacks and drinks just to make sure they were good to go.
Overall, I would like to thank Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Kennedy, Robert Torres, who always advertises these events, the 70 donors, the volunteers, and last but not least the nurses who got the job done.
“Optimism is the earth that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”
-Helen Keller
The school year goes based on your success rate, your participation, effort, attention and of course your grades. Once you start gaining confidence and feel secure about completing your goals, your success rate increases, you feel invincible, like the world is at your feet. However, students have a social and personal life that they have to look out for.
Eventually there may be a point here in the fourth quarter where it’ll be too much to handle. You’ll be overwhelmed, anxious, exhausted, and stressed. This will affect you mentally and physically. It’s affecting your grades, your mentality, and you’ll lose hope towards anything that once mattered to you. You may feel that you don’t have the strength to keep going and you’ll give up.
Hope is what matters, hope that you’ll succeed, hope that you’ll overcome any obstacle that comes in your way, and hope that your work will pay off in your future.
Researchers have found that students who are high in hope have greater academic success, stronger friendships, and demonstrate more creativity and better problem solving. Students will have lower levels of anxiety, stress and depression and are less likely to drop out of school. Having hope may actually predict a student’s future academic achievement. Normally, students lose hope from the impact of their family circumstances. Hope is refined, even among students who are on the verge of giving up.
As we near the end of the school year, set clear and attainable goals, develop multiple strategies to research your goals, and stay motivated to tie it all together. Break down your goals by identifying and prioritizing and always keep going no matter the cost.
The annual March 17 celebration known as St. Patrick’s Day started in 1631 when the Catholic Church established a Feast Day honoring St. Patrick. He had been Patron Saint of Ireland who had died around the fifth century, which was 12 centuries before the modern version of the holiday was first viewed.
St. Patrick was born Maewyn Succat, but he changed his name to Patricius, after he became a priest. It was to remind celebrants what the holiday actually stood for the church first associated a botanical item–customary for all saints–with St. Patrick, assigning him the symbol of the lucky shamrock.
It wasn’t until 1798, the year of the Irish Rebellion, that the color green became officially associated with the day. Up until the rebellion, the color associated with St. Patrick was blue, as it was featured both in the royal court and on ancient Irish flags. Since the British wore red, the Irish chose to wear green, and they sang the song “The Wearing of the Green” during the rebellion, cementing the colors’ relevance.
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The seven symbols that correlate to St. Patrick’s Day are shamrocks, the color green, leprechauns, parades, corned beef, cabbage, green beer, and the harp. Some of these symbols tie to St. Patrick directly but most correlate more with celebrating Irish culture and showing Irish pride in general.
We’ve created a collection of romance movies for all those singles, couples and inbetweeners who just want to sit down and watch people fall in love. From the fantastical to the everyday, this list has it all, so we hope you enjoy and have a Happy Valentines Day!
The Princess Bride (1987)
PG | Romance/Adventure
A grandfather tells his grandson about the story of the Princess Bride. Full of action and adventure where once upon a time a man in a mask embarks on a mission to save the young maiden, Buttercup. He faces a variety of foes all while giving one-liner after one-liner and looking good doing it. It’s a RomCom adventure poking fun at the fairy-tale genre. It’s a perfect watch for everyone, even the singles.
Before Sunrise (1995)
R | Romance/Drama
An American, Jesse, meets a woman, Celine, who is returning to her school in Paris on the train. He has a flight to catch in the morning, but he convinces her to get off at his stop in Vienna and they explore the streets, forming a bond all before sunrise. This is a peaceful movie that is actually the beginning of a trilogy. It’s a simple romance of two strangers talking about everything yet nothing that all takes place one summer day.
Me Before You (2016)
PG-13 | Romance/Drama
A classic instance of the right person at the wrong time. Louisa becomes the caregiver of the wealthy Will Traynor, who was paralyzed by an accident two years ago. He’s a pessimist who challenges Louisa’s optimistic outlook on the world, but soon these complete opposites end up forming a friendship as both their lives and hearts change. Warning: tissues are needed, and ugly crying will happen. We are not liable for any heartache you may face after your viewing.
Juliet Naked (2018)
R | Romance/Comedy
Criminally underrated film where a British woman, Annie, is cursed with having a boyfriend, Duncan, obsessed with former rock musician, Tucker Crowe. One day a demo appears in the mail after she breaks up with Duncan, leading her to forming a friendship with her boyfriend’s idol.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)
PG-13 | Horror/Action/Romance
This is the classic tale of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet on the big screen, but with a twist. This enemies-to-lovers story takes place during a zombie apocalypse and Ms. Bennet along with her sisters are trained in martial arts and weaponry. This is an interesting addition to the iconic story of Pride and Prejudice. Something about classic literature and zombies just creates something so delightful.
Warm Bodies (2013)
PG-13 | Romance/Horror
Speaking of classic literature and zombies, this film is an undead take on the classic Romeo and Juliet story. A zombie apocalypse has left the population divided into humans and zombies, but one zombie named R is unlike his other walking dead brethren. His quirks lead him to saving a girl named Julie and they embark on a journey that leads to a chain of events and a love story that can change the world as they have grown to know it.
Stardust (2007)
PG-13 | Fantasy/Romance/Adventure
A fairytale full of adventure and a star studded cast of characters. Tristan is determined to win the heart of the materialistic Victoria. So he decides, like any other normal person, to go on a conquest to bring her a fallen star. Instead of the usual five spiked star we’re all used to, he finds the shining Yvaine. But others are also after the star and he goes through a change of not only courage but love.
I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)
R | Romance/Drama
A surprisingly true story of a family man cop turned gay con man starring Jim Carrey and Obi Wan Kenobi. Steve Russell was always trying to be someone else, but one day he decided enough was enough. His decision to go off and live his gay luxury dream ended up with him behind bars where he met the one and only Philip Morris. They fall in love, but Russell’s identity issues lead to many bumps in the road for this couple.
Pretty Woman (1990)
R | Romance/Comedy
An oldie but a goodie tale that will make you laugh and angry at the same time. Edwards is a businessman, who takes his job seriously and never has time for love. Vivian works as a prostitute, and she enjoys her life as she goes and always gets what she wants. Edward needs an escort for social events, he hires Vivian from the streets and makes her a deal. They both accept, on the condition that they always keep their space between each other only to realize they need more than each other’s company to survive.
Tangled (2010)
PG | Family/Musical
The childhood princess with the golden long hair that every girl wanted to have. Rapunzel spent her life locked away in a tower since she was captured as a baby by the evil Mother Gothel. Her magical golden hair has the power to provide eternal youth that Gothel takes advantage of. Her life changes once a runaway thief, Flynn Rider, stumbles into her life and changes her world. She discovers that she is the long lost princess of the kingdom Corona.
The John Glenn girls’ varsity volleyball team had quite the season, with this team being the first in over a decade to make it to the CIF playoffs.
This year, we came a long way toward qualifying for playoffs for the first time since 2009. With an overall record of 10-8, going 5-5 in the 605 League, it is safe to say that this can be attributed to the hard work, dedication, and energy everyone contributed throughout the season. Through all the doubts from many people here at Glenn, the team worked diligently to prove the doubters wrong and did so.
Being the first team to make it to CIF from the 605 League was a huge accomplishment. Every game we play is like an adrenaline rush; you only care about not letting the ball drop. Everything else, the world, the audience, and the pain, is a blur. When Coach Reyes told us we were going to CIF, everyone became ecstatic. The feeling was indescribable. That was one of the best moments of my life. Sharing it as a team, a program, and a school is even better. Even though we didn’t make it far in the playoffs, being able to say that we went out with pride is an honor because John Glenn High School never goes to CIF.
One of the most memorable games this season was against Whitney High School on Sep 27, 2022, with a victory of 3-2. It was astonishing to see senior outside hitter Kaylani Moncada with a career-high of 40 “kills.”
Last season was a rough patch to cover and recuperate from. This was the year we returned from Covid. This came with plenty of problems: Everyone was out of shape, and no one came to summer practices. It was just a messy season overall. When asked about what makes this season special, Coach Reyes stated: “Based on last year and only winning one game, and seeing how we are still beginners, this being a second year for a lot of people, we’re learning how to compete and win.”
The JGHS CIF Girls’ Volleyball Team
This is what our Captain Kaylani Moncada had to say about the possibility of making the playoffs a few weeks prior to qualifying for CIF: “Definitely. There’s always a chance, even if it’s a wild card. We work so well together, and I know we will earn our spot in CIF. We definitely have the potential for a spot.”
To sum up our season: We were the first team to make it to CIF from the 605 League. We have made a lot of progress, we have created better chemistry as a team, we have had genuine fun, we get bread, and we are the dream team.
We may have had some ugly wins, but it has come to the point where we will take anything we can get.
Laura Gomez is a junior at John Glenn High School. She is on the volleyball team and is the CSF co-president. She is the junior assistant editor of The Shoemaker Bugle. In her free time, Laura enjoys late night walks, going out on adventures, and movie nights with her family. The ideal day for her would be a rainy, cold, and windy day. She stays in and watches her favorite shows, snuggles in with her penguin and a warm cup of coffee. Her favorite hobbies include painting, sports, reading, and shopping. Her favorite news sources are the Los Angeles Times, Instagram, and Apple News.
The Shoemaker Bugle 