Tag Archives: Ximena Cabrera

Graduation Update: In-Person Ceremony June 2

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By Ximena Cabrera

Save the date! The Norwalk La Mirada School District announced that the seniors at John Glenn High School will get an in-person graduation ceremony on June 2nd at John Glenn High School Stadium at 7:00 PM. Seniors, you might want to start ordering your cap and gown now!

What other details do we know apart from the date, time, and location? In a recent short interview, assistant principal Ms. Choi was kind enough to discuss some of those details with us. We now know that JGHS is planning on only having one ceremony instead of breaking it into a series of different ceremonies the day of graduation. Given that all of the graduating students will be at the same ceremony, each student will only be allowed to bring four guests with them. As far as we know, the graduation ceremony will be a traditional one, as graduates will have the honor of walking up to the stage and receiving their diploma as their names are called.

Will the class of 2021 have any other senior activities such as senior awards, prom, and grad night? With Covid cases decreasing, students are hopeful for additional senior events. Unfortunately, at this time, the school administration along with the district have not yet completely decided if seniors will have any other events other than graduation. We hope to be updated with a decision soon, but for now don’t forget to purchase your cap and gown at www.socalgrad.com.

Class of 2021 Graduation Plans

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By Ximena Cabrera

It has officially been a year since every student in California went into quarantine on March 13, 2020. We were all told it would only take two weeks for everything to return back to normal, but it has been over a year, and we have not returned to school yet.

Multiple school events were completely cancelled, the graduation for the class of 2020 included. Now, seniors in the class of 2021 are starting to wonder if their graduation will be cancelled as well; or if, since schools are slowly opening, they will figure out a way for us to have an in-person ceremony. The school administration has been open to answer any questions the students have about the graduation or any other senior activities through scheduled interviews or via email.

After interviewing Mrs. Choi, one of the Vice Principals of John Glenn High, it was concluded that the school administration has not yet been determined if the class of 2021 will have an in-person graduation ceremony or any other senior activities. During the interview, Mrs. Choi said, “I would like to know what the students would prefer, and based on their votes we would go with that option, if it’s possible. This ceremony is for the seniors and their families, so I would like to hear from students and then go from there, obviously keeping safety in mind.” She is encouraging students to express their ideas with the school administration, since they are considering what the students would prefer, but they are also keeping their safety in mind (Feel free to add your voice here in the comment section).

Mrs. Choi also mentioned that they are planning on honoring the seniors with a Senior Awards Night. “We are planning on honoring the seniors with a Senior Awards Night. In terms of a format, we are not sure, but it probably won’t be anything in person.”

Based on the information Mrs. Choi gave to me, it is still possible for the seniors to have an in-person graduation and some of the senior activities, if they plan everything thoroughly and are allowed to do so. They could have the usual ceremony in the stadium, keeping all the students and staff six feet away from each other, and allowing only one or two family members per student. They could also split the class of 2021 graduation ceremony into two or three different groups so there are fewer people present in the stadium. The school administration could do a live stream during the ceremony so that the family members that were unable to witness the graduation in person could watch at home.

Several schools are opening once again with certain precautions, as well as theme parks such as Disneyland, and our local MLB stadiums. Local grocery stores, such as Stater Bros., have a limit of 195 people in the store, not including all their employees. The number of Covid-19 cases has drastically decreased in the past few months, and the amount of people getting vaccinated keeps increasing more each day. All of these examples are giving the seniors hope.

Ed. Note: The Bugle will update the graduation possibilities as soon as we hear anything new. Stay hopeful!

Homemade Desserts for Valentine’s Day

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By Ximena Cabrera

Valentine’s Day is the time to celebrate love and friendship, and what better way to celebrate it than by making some homemade desserts for your significant other, friends, and loved ones.

Here are four recipes under $25.00 that you can easily make at home.

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Cooking Classy)

Ingredients:

  1. 1 ⅓ cups of all purpose flour
  2. 4 tsp of cocoa powder
  3. ½ tsp of baking soda
  4. ¼ tsp of salt
  5. ½ cup of unsalted butter
  6. ½ cup of granulated sugar
  7. ¼ cup of brown sugar
  8. 1 egg
  9. 1 ½ tsp of gel red food coloring
  10. 1 ½ tsp of vanilla extract
  11. 1 tsp of lemon juice 
  12. 1 cup of white chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until combined by using an electric mixer.
  3. Once you have a cream-like texture, mix in the egg. Add in red food coloring, vanilla and lemon juice.
  4. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Mix in ¾ cup of white chocolate chips.
  5. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for 1 – 2 hours or until the dough is nearly firm. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  6. Scoop dough out and shape into balls about 1 ½ tbsp each. Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches in between each. 
  7. Bake one sheet at a time, until cookies appear set on the edges but slightly underbaked in the center, about 10-11 minutes. 
  8. Remove cookies from the oven and carefully press some of the remaining white chocolate chips into the top.

Cake Pops (from I Heart Naptime)

Ingredients:

  1. 15 ounce box white cake mix, bake it according to the package instructions in a 9×13” pan.
  2. Two 10 ounce packages of white chocolate chips melting wafers.
  3. Oil-based food coloring of your color of choice. 
  4. 1 stick salted butter
  5. 2 ½ cups of powdered sugar 
  6. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
  7. 1 Tablespoon of milk 

Directions:

  1. In a bowl, whip the butter. Add in 1 cup of powdered sugar. Mix until combined. Add the vanilla and additional powdered sugar, a little at a time. Add 1 Tablespoon of milk to make the frosting thick and creamy. 
  2. In a separate bowl, crumble the prepared and cooled cake into fine crumbs. Add 2 spoonfuls of the frosting to the cake. Combine with your hands or a spoon. Keep adding frosting until the cake holds together if squeezed. 
  3. Measure medium size balls of the cake mixture, and roll them until you have created your desired shape. 
  4. In two small microwave safe dishes, melt a few of the white chocolate wafers. Begin by heating for 30 seconds and then stirring. Repeat until all the wafers are melted. 
  5. Add about 2 drops of the food coloring to one of the bowls with the melted chocolate and stir. Keep adding food coloring until you have reached your desired color. 
  6. Dip the end of the cake pop stick into the melted chocolate and then push the stick into the cake pop. Repeat until all cake pops have a stick. Place the plate of cake pops in the freezer for about 20 minutes. 
  7. Right before taking the cake pops out of the freezer, melt more chocolate if needed. Melt enough for the cake pops to be dipped in the bowl. Use a spoon if needed to completely cover them. 
  8. Once coated in chocolate, gently tap the stick on the side of the melting bowl to let the excess drip off. 
  9. Let the chocolate covering harden on the cake pop. Then, using a spoon or fork, drizzle some chocolate on top. 
  10. Push the cake pop stick into a styrofoam block or use a glass filled with rice to hold them upright.  The chocolate will be set in about an hour.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries (from Food Network)

Ingredients:

  1. 6 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips.
  2. 3 ounces of white chocolate chips.
  3. 1 pound of strawberries with stems, washed and dried very well. 

Directions:

  1. Put the semisweet and white chocolate chips into two separate microwave safe bowls. Begin by heating for 30 seconds and then stirring. Repeat until all the chocolate chips are melted. If your chocolate is too thick you can add a bit of vegetable oil to make a smoother. 
  2. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Holding the strawberry by the stem, dip it into the dark chocolate, lift and twist slightly yo let any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. Set the strawberries on the parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining strawberries. Dip a fork into the white chocolate and drizzle the white chocolate over the dipped strawberries.
  3. Set the strawberries aside until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.

Cheesecake (from my family recipe!)

Ingredients:

  1. Premade cheesecake crust 
  2. ½ a bar (8 oz) of cream cheese 
  3. 1 can (14 oz) of sweet condensed milk
  4. 5 oz of evaporated milk 
  5. 3-5 drops of lime

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Blend the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and the drops of lime until they are all combined together. 
  3. Pour the mixture into the premade crust and put it in the oven.
  4. Bake the cheesecake for 20 – 25 minutes or insert a toothpick, and if it comes out clean the cheesecake is ready.

I hope you enjoy these treats for Valentine’s Day, or throughout the month of February. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Ximena Cabrera

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My name is Ximena Cabrera, and I am a senior at John Glenn High School. I have been a member of CSF since ninth grade and I am also currently the president of the club. During my free time, I like to read and binge watch series on Netflix. One of my favorites series at the moment is Grey’s Anatomy, and I am currently watching it for the second time. I am a huge coffee lover, and I like to try new drinks every once in a while. My favorite news sources are CNN and The Los Angeles Times.

Angel Tree and Gold Angels for CSF

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By Ximena Cabrera

Norwalk Social Services will be hosting its annual Angel Tree event on December 12th at City Hall, with the help of different individuals and organizations including CSF. The California Scholarship Federation, better known as CSF, is one of the oldest honor societies that recognizes and encourages academic achievement as well as community service to high school students in California.

According to The Salvation Army, the Angel Tree Program is a project that provides Christmas gifs for children ages 0-12 years old who otherwise would not receive any gifts at Christmas. There had been speculations that the project would be canceled this year due to COVID-19, but Norwalk Social Services recently revealed that the event is still happening–they will just have to do it differently given the circumstances we find ourselves in. To keep everyone safe, they started by announcing that it would be a drive through event and people will not be able to volunteer this year, but they can still help by buying gold or dollar angels. The gold angels are $20, and each angel buys clothing for one child. Meanwhile, the money from the “Dollar Angels” is used to buy toys for children in need.

This year, CSF bought five gold angels, and sold 40 more to the staff of John Glenn High School. The staff of John Glenn High School, along with CSF have been supporting the Angel Tree Program for many years now.

If you would like to support the Angel Tree Program, please contact our CSF advisors, Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Kennedy at: cjonhson@nlmusd.org. and ckennedy@nlmusd.org.

(pictured above: Angel Tree volunteers from Christmas 2019)