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Aloha Week, one of Bishop’s peppiest traditions, whips up school spirit and starts the year off with a bang.Island TimeWritten by Anna Leoncio and Lourdes Lidzbarski. Photographed by Alexander Arucan and Danielle Julifs.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2014 • XLVII • ISSUE 1

Bishop Montgomery High School

Knightlife

Aloha, Bishop! Welcome to the 2014-2015 school year. Coming back to school, it was hard to let go of those summer vibes (especially with the linger-ing summer heat). Nevertheless, we em-barked on a new year and with so many exciting things having already passed, we can not help but be eager for the rest of the year. The schoolwide welcome, Aloha Week, took place on September 15-19, when the Bishop community was re-minded of the meaning of “Ohana.” After a refreshing minimum day on Monday, Tuesday’s Club Awareness Day spear-headed Aloha Week. With colorful and fun booths to peruse, students were able to glimpse the large variety of clubs avail-able on campus, including several new clubs, such as the American Red Cross Club, and Film Club. With music playing and flyers being passed out, students fathered information about open club meetings. Wednesday brought the Wel-come Mass, the first school-wide cel-ebration of the year, which was presided over by our school’s new chaplain, Fa-ther Allen. Music Ministry’s stunning per-formance, the lively and creative style of reading by the lectors, along with Father Allen’s wit, created a harmonious atmo-sphere perfect for celebrating the new school year with prayer. During lunch break, the Improv Team and spirit groups interactively sparked enthusiasm for the year. The Improv Team, led by seniors Ephram West and Will Reed, connected to their audience by eliciting laughter and groans through a series of improvisa-tional games and bad puns. Meanwhile, on the Lower Field, the marching band,

song teams, and color guard wowed the student body with their expert musical stylings and dancing. Thursday was every senior girl’s long awaited Big Sis Lil Sis Lunch, a long-standing tradition at Bishop Montgomery. Laden with balloons, posters, and gifts, freshman girls received a warm welcome from their senior sisters, who used a questionnaire completed by the fresh-men to help them prepare for the big day. The older girls treated their little sisters to a picnic lunch on the Upper Field, where the oldest and youngest girls on campus bonded over common interests and lis-tened to music during an extended lunch period. Aloha Week came to an exhila-rating end with the Freshman Barbeque and the first dance of the school year, the Big Kahuna Luau. The barbeque was a unifying experience for both the students and parents, with the Freshman Class even convening for a spontaneous and massive group photo. Afterwards, the crowd of freshmen flocked back down to join the remainder of the student body for the luau. The photo booth, shaved ice, kettle corn, drink booth, and an improv show in TMH offered a variety of different forms of entertainment during the night. But the dancing still proved to be the main event of the evening, as a majority of the students stayed on the dance floor the entire night. The music was so infec-tious that Miss Gilker, Mrs. Walle, and even Mr. Flores joined the students in a dance circle. All in all, the dance proved to be the perfect end to an exciting week and only built anticipation for the upcom-ing Spirit Week at the end of October.

Never underestimate the size of anything, especially microscopic or-ganisms that have the potential to kill thousands of humans within months. Discovered in the 1970s, Ebola is a viral hemorrhagic (rapid blood loss) fever fatal to humans and nonhuman primates. The source of the virus remains unknown, al-though researchers speculate that Ebola is an animal-based virus originating in fruit bats. The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the largest in history, with the World Health Organization predict-ing that up to 20,000 West Africans may be infected with Ebola. The death rate remains at about 50%, but the current strain of Ebola can have a death rate up to 90%. Lack of healthcare infrastructure and supplies, fear of doctors, unsafe burial practices, limited education on the nature of the virus, and many other fac-tors complicate the fight to prevent the

spread of the virus. Ebola has infected three American aid workers, with two of them recovering here in the United States due to the experimental drug ZMap. Despite all of the international at-tention placed on the epidemic in West Africa and fears of a global pandemic, the virus does not pose a major threat to the United States. Currently there are no confirmed reportings of Ebola in the country and the US government placed tough restrictions on imported animals from Africa to reduce the chances of an Ebola outbreak in America. In addition to tougher restrictions, the National Insti-tutes of Health (NIH) will begin testing for a cure and the US Department of Health and Human Services granted funds to two organizations to develop an Ebola vaccine. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the fatal virus is

spread solely through direct contact with broken skin, mucous membrane, blood, and other bodily fluids, such as saliva, urine, feces, or even vomit. The virus is not airborne or spread through water or food. Healthcare workers who care for those with Ebola have the highest risk of infection. But not only are healthcare workers at risk, family and friends of those who have the virus also run the risk of infection. After initial exposure, Ebola has a two to twenty-one day in-cubation period where the virus may not show signs of infection, but an infected person only becomes contagious when symptoms appear. The signs of Ebola infection include a high fever of 101.5 de-grees fahrenheit or more, severe head-ache, muscle ache, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pains, and unexpected bleeding or bruising. Those who exhibit such signs should seek medical care immediately.

While there is no cure for Ebola, preven-tion is possible though limiting contact with infected patients, avoiding bats and other nonhuman primates, and frequent handwashing. Even though the possibility of an outbreak in the United States remains small, the Ebola outbreak is a serious global matter that currently affects thou-sands of homes and families. In addition, Unicef and the World Health Organiza-tion continue to voice concerns that Eb-ola is outpacing humanitarian efforts to contain the virus and treat the infected. To help the fight against the spread of the virus, consider donating to aid organiza-tions, such as the Red Cross and Doc-tors Without Borders, that have set up clinics in affected countries.

Killer Disease: ebolaWritten by Emily Blair and Carolyn Egekeze.

Ebola spreads quickly throughout West Af-rica, and the push for a vaccine grows.

above top: Kira Iwai ‘15 takes part in the Welcome Mass, along with sev-eral other students who, in a planned sequence, stood up in the crowd and read parts of the Mass.above bottom: Rose Park ‘15 (left) and Jordan Bevan ‘15 (right) enjoy the Big Sis Lil Sis lunch with their little sister Josie Debellis ‘18 (middle) and their punny poster.

Knightlife pg.2

Sports / Clubs: Spotlight on Students

Fall Athletes

Bishop Montgomery students are all held to a high standard when it comes to academics. But besides success in the classroom, a complete Bishop edu-cation also emphasizes rounding out the whole person, a goal achieved through strength in faith, leadership, character, and service. The National Honor Society is one of the many outlets through which students can live up to the lofty expecta-

tions set by their school. It is an honor to be a member of NHS, as it signifies that one is recognized as a gifted student and person inside and outside the classroom. However, some members go above and beyond the required 50 hours to serve their school community and greater area as well. This past semester, both David Kim ‘15 and Caleb Kim ‘15 stepped up

Written by Nathan Quast and Alexander Arucan.

and participated in over 400 hours of ser-vice. They were able to fit their service into their, undoubtedly, busy schedules. “I did not serve greatly,” Caleb said. “I just went to volunteer every Saturday with no special motivation, thinking it as just another Saturday. But, there have been some Saturdays that I have learned and been blessed from serving others.” For many, finding time to give back is diffi-cult. While schedules often overflow with academics, sports, and other respon-sibilities, service remains an important part of living the model of a well-rounded person. “I believe,” Caleb said, “serving one another is not about what you do, but it is about God giving us chance to help others, and also a chance to learn. Of course sometimes it feels not worth it to do it, but doing what you don’t want to do itself gives you another lesson.” Da-vid and Caleb show that it’s not difficult to find ways to serve others, and they prove that with the right mindset, one can find enjoyment in giving. The impressive semester of ser-vice that these two exemplary NHS mem-bers put in will no doubt be an asset to them in the future, but they remain mod-est about their achievement. “Although,” David says, “the number may sound im-pressive to some people, when you vol-unteer regularly and regard the volunteer work as just part of your regular sched-ule, the community service just becomes

the part of your life.” Both young men are models of selfless giving and live up to the high standards set by their school and the National Honor Society. Caleb and David, along with their service efforts, encourage others to get involved in service opportunities as well. “I regard service as giving back to the community what I have been privileged of having. We often tend to forget about trivial things that our communities have provided for us. I think service gives me opportunities for me to express my grati-tude,” David said. There are many out-lets around Los Angeles and the South Bay to get involved and give back to the community; the closest opportunities are here at Bishop with NHS’s service proj-ects. This month, NHS will hold a sock drive, which is one of the many service projects that the club has planned for the year. The drive is a great way to start small and get involved in giving back to the community. “For those who partici-pate in volunteer work,” Caleb said, “I would say that giving thanks for the fact that you can help others will open your eyes and perspectives even wider.”

NHS Members of the Month

above: Caleb Kim ‘15 (left) and David Kim ‘15 (right) demonstrate their volunteer work with youth.

Knightlife interviews four outstanding senior athletes.

After an incredible four years of football at Bishop, senior Carter London is proud to have his teammates call him captain. “It makes me feel trusted by my fellow players,” Carter explains. Carter says, “It’s cliche, but I love everything about this sport: the Friday night hype, the lights, working out with my friends at practice, all of it.” What’s different about football is the physicality of the sport. There aren’t many sports where you can run full-speed and crash into another person like you can in football. “Playing football has taught me lessons of trust, hard work, failure and success. You don’t find lessons like this just anywhere.” Because football is an incredibly team-oriented sport, the boys work together constantly to improve themselves. “I want to be remembered as a team play-er,” Carter remarks, “I play football with a philosophy that was inspired by Mu-hammad Ali: ‘The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.’ This is something I apply both to sports and my life. I don’t play football for the glory or attention; I play it because I love the game. I believe that success in this world, whether it is football or anything else, is all in preparation.” Carter’s ideals are truly an inspiration, and hopefully the team will continue to nourish the football players of the future.

Carter London: Football Kelly Hugo: Tennis Austin Garbe: Football Zeina Awad: Tennis Senior Kelly Hugo first started playing tennis when she was just 4 years old. Now at Bishop, she plays at least 2 hours a day, 6 days a week. To keep up her hectic schedule, Kelly plans ahead to make her days easier, and to stay in shape she eats healthily and condi-tions. “I’m really aware of my strengths and weaknesses, and I spend extra time working to improve. I struggle with focusing on my strengths, though, and I get frustrated with myself! All I can do is concentrate on the next point instead of the last.” Tennis is an interesting sport because it’s both a team and an indi-vidual sport. Kelly and Kaya Fiamengo, aka K², make an excellent team. The girls are well known as a doubles team - this year they won both sets against St. Jo-seph’s 6-1 and 6-0, and also won both sets against Ramona Convent 6-1 and 6-0. Not only does Kelly excell in ten-nis, but she’s also been a scholar-athlete since freshman year. Her dedication to tennis and to schoolwork has earned her the Coach’s Award (twice), and she has made First-Team All-League and Second-Team All-League. “My proud-est achievement was making Varsity as a freshman,” Kelly says. With dedica-tion and love for the sport, Kelly hopes to continue playing tennis throughout her life. Following her own advice, she says, “I want to be remembered as someone who never gave up.”

For as long as he can remember, football has always been a big part of se-nior Austin Garbe’s life. He started learn-ing the game when he was five years old, playing it in the backyard with his brother and father. Currently, Austin plays on the varsity football team, practicing ev-ery Monday through Thursday until into the evening. Austin’s dedication to his academics has paid off; he has been a scholar-athlete throughout his football career. Austin hopes to have a success-ful season this year and possibly win a CIF Championship. “The football team has worked hard all year and I know we will do great this year,” he says. His ad-vice for future players? “Give it your all and never give up on your dream.” Along with both his teammates and friends, the surreal feeling Austin gets everytime he plays under the lights on Friday night inspires him every game to try his hard-est. “Wanting to be the best that I can be inspires me to push myself,” he says. “Whenever we win, I feel proud and ac-complished because all of our hard work and dedication is shown.” His dedication truly has been shown; whether it be out on the field or in the classroom, Austin constantly strives to improve and faces each new challenge with a smile on his face. He says he wants to be remem-bered, “as not only a great athlete, but also a great teammate.” So far, he’s been doing an amazing job at both.

It all started off with a friendly middle school match of tennis against a cousin to get senior Zeina Awad inter-ested in her favorite sport: tennis. After entering high school, Zeina decided to try out for the tennis team to improve her skill and play with other people who en-joy tennis just as much as she does. Al-though it can be difficult at times in terms of time management, Zeina has been able to balance both schoolwork and ten-nis, making her a scholar-athlete during her time on the team. When she plays tennis, she just “forgets about everything else” and focuses on enjoying the sport as a whole. “I feel the most accomplished after winning a hard match and being given the opportunity to witness all the girls supporting and cheering one anoth-er on,” Zeina says. “I am proud to be on such a great team filled with the kindest teammates who are always cheering one another on and supporting one another. It’s like we’re one big happy tennis fam-ily!” When asked about what she would tell any prospective players, Zeina says, “I would tell beginners to never give up and to just enjoy the matches. You don’t have to win every match to have fun and just trying out in the first place is an ac-complishment in itself. As team co-cap-tain this year, Zeina truly represents what our school’s motto means when it states to serve with justice, truth and honor.

Written by Rose Park and Ariana Rupp.

pg.3 Knightlife

Thank You For Your Support

Knightlife pg.4

Entertainment / Opinion

#IceIceBaby: The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Unless you spent the sum-mer living under a rock, you’ve definitely heard of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, or rather, seen it through an innumerable amount of videos on Facebook and Insta-gram. Although most people are now merely aware of what their friends look like soaked in freez-ing cold water, few people actually understand the origin of the chal-lenge. ALS, or Amyotrophic Later-al Sclerosis, is a disease in which the motor neurons in one’s brain and spinal cord begin to deterio-rate dramatically, causing patients to have trouble performing simple actions that we take for granted, such as speaking or breathing, and often cause the patient to be-come totally paralyzed as the dis-ease worsens. By accepting the Ice Bucket Challenge, a person has twenty-four hours to either do-nate to the ALS Association or to film themselves having a bucket of ice water dumped onto them, and challenging three friends to do the same. Although both op-tions benefit those affected by ALS, whether it be financially or

Written by Aimee Myers.simply through spreading aware-ness, some argue that the chal-lenge is simply a waste of water, especially in lieu of California’s brutal drought, and that drenching oneself in ice water does nothing to actually help those affected by the disease. When asked about the challenge, Lilly Dougalas ’15 states: “I do think it’s important to be aware that California is in a drought and be water conscious, but also this challenge has expo-nentially increased the amount of money donated to the ALS Asso-ciation. There have been claims that dumping a bucket of ice wa-ter over your head doesn’t really do anything for those affected by this disease, but it’s brought about awareness to a fatal condition. Overall, I think that the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is a good thing, when done in the right context.” So whether you’re grabbing your wallet or grabbing a bucket, it’s important to keep in mind the true focus of the trend: to help those in need.Above: Our very own Ms. Behen proves that she’s up to the ALS

Ice Bucket Challenge this summer.

Miscommunication by Nathan Quast

pg.5 Knightlife

Entertainment/opinion As summer quickly becomes a warm blur in our memories, it is often the music we listened to and the films we watched that our minds retains most vividly because these pieces have the power to recall feelings associated with specific memories, whether these memories include lazy days at home, or fun nights out with friends. Here, Knight-life highlights a few popular hits that stood out during summer 2014. First, “Fancy,” a bright and poppy song featuring a booming bass line, earned its performers Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX Billboard’s “Song of the Summer” title. One would usually come across this song at least three times a day on the ra-dio. Next, the scandalous yet catchy single “Anaconda” by Nicki Minaj, released in early August, caused a stir among teenagers who support Minaj’s message for self-confidence. The “Anaconda” music video broke VEVO’s 24-hour streaming record by racking up 19.6 million views on the first day of its release. Also encouraging fearlessness among its listeners, Taylor Swift’s new song “Shake It Off” firmly established Swift’s break away from her country-style origins and into pure pop-style music. Sophomore Aaron Glover praises the song’s “danceability,” and states that with “Shake It Off,” “I can dance and shake off my haters!” In contrast, fellow sophomore Bronte Brewer deemed the more indie-rock “Cool Kids” by Echosmith her song of the summer; she explained, “it in-spires me to become one of the cool kids, to stand out more.” Lastly, new star Meghan Trainor’s hit “All About That Bass” reached significant popu-larity for its urge to promote healthier self-esteem in today’s young gen-eration. Lauryn Crudele ‘17 enjoyed listening to the song this summer because “ it acknowledges that not everyone has the same skinny body type, and no matter what body type you are, you’re still beautiful!” To sum it up, Summer 2014’s big

hits were packed with empowering themes. Summer 2014 also gave way to many music festivals in Califor-nia most notably the ones that took place in the Los Angeles area at the end of August. The FYF Festival, held at Exposition Park, featured headliners the Strokes (who had not played a show in LA for three years

despite releasing a new album in 2013!) and French alternative rock band Phoenix. In addition, during the final weekend of August, LA Grand Park hosted the Made In America music festival, which included big artists like Imagine Dragons, Afrojack, Kanye West, and John Mayer. Senior Kaya Fiamengo, who attended the MiA festival, excitedly

reveals that her favorite performers were John Mayer and Kanye West because she and friend Tess McEl-roy ‘15 “were both pretty close [to the stage] for both of their concerts, so that hyped it up even more.” John Mayer’s slick guitar skills undoubted-ly can hype up anyone, and Kanye West is especially known for dra-matic live shows. Fiamengo adds, “we were even two feet away from Beyonce and Jay Z!” Fellow seniors Jenna Hou and Daniel Sepulveda also spent the weekend celebrat-ing their favorite music at Made In America. Music was not the only medium that dominated summer entertainment; several anticipated movies came out in theaters to expectant viewers. The Giver, a dystopian adventure based on Lois Lowry’s novel, received enthusiastic praise from freshman Erin Hall (pic-tured). Another student favorite was Guardians of the Galaxy, a movie sophomore Lauryn Crudele enjoyed because of its comedic moments but also because of its sad ending. She could not even bring herself to talk about it. This year’s summer movies seemed to spark a signifi-cant amount of emotional response from students, particularly the John Green-based movie The Fault In Our Stars. Emi Doyle ‘18 put it as simply “brilliant,” commenting on ac-tors Shailene Woodley’s and Ansel Elgort’s perfect representations of their respective characters, Hazel Grace and Gus Waters. Doyle can-didly admits, “I honestly was sobbing by the end of the movie.” Theaters showing The Fault In Our Stars must have been littered with teary tissues discarded by heartbroken viewers. Although with schoolwork now taking up the majority of stu-dents’ free time previously spent on entertainment, we nevertheless look forward to upcoming music and movie releases!

WRITTEN BY ISABELLA BACOKA AND MATTHEW CUSOLITO This past August, the VMA’s brought together the big-gest stars for a night of music and entertainment. The show started with three of the biggest hits in music; Ariana Grande kicked off the event with her song Break Free, which was followed by Nicki Minaj in her personal jungle with “Anaconda.” After, Jessie J performed for the first time their hit anthem Bang Bang. Next, was Taylor Swift, with her new song Shake it Off. Without her usual acoustic guitar or piano, she ditched her country image to perform in a very pop but very fun performance. Kim Kardashian introduced the next performer, Sam Smith, who sang his song Stay with Me. Alluding to Adele’s 2011 performance of Someone Like You, Smith’s dynamic voice and cool demeanor left the room speechless with not a single eye dry. Iggy Azalea, along with Rita Ora, gave a very theatrical but high energy performance of their song Black Widow, along with an entire orchestra and ballet danc-ers. Wrapping up the night was Beyonce, with a fifteen minute long vanguard performance fit for a true diva. A medley of her entire self-titled album, she belted, danced, and performed her heart out to end the night with a bang. The VMA’s is an event everyone wants to experience

and the award show everyone looks forward too. It’s so unpre-dictable from its performances to its surprise guest appearances to the nominations and awards won. This year, everyone nomi-nated for an award deserved it, so it was a teeth-chattering, drum-role environment for each award presented. Nominations seemed to make history with Beyonce pulling together eight different nominations and others following with lower numbers. But the categories were where the performers had their moment to shine and gain the well deserved recognition. The biggest category this year was definitely Video of the Year with nominations includ-ing Beyoncé ft. Jay Z, “Drunk In Love,” Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX, “Fancy,” Miley Cyrus, “Wreck-ing Ball,” Pharrell Williams, “Happy,” and Sia, “Chandelier.” Our leading lady Miley took the award home that night. Many other big stars brought home the moon man that night including Ed Sheeran for Best Male, Katy Perry for Best Female, Lorde for Best Rock, Fifth Harmony for Art-ists to Watch, and Queen B and Jay-Z for Best Collaboration. But what else did we expect? These artists brought many hits that we all had our share of jamming to in our cars.

THAT’S MY JAM!THIS SUMMER’S HOTTEST MUSIC AND MOVIES

WRITTEN BY: NATALIE PISTOLE; PHOTOGRAPHED BY LILY FRAGA AND DANIELLE JULIFS

Above: Freshmen Jackie Pistole, Erin Hall, and Emi Doyle are excited about the novel and movie, The Giver.

BELOW: SENIORS LILY FRAGA, TESS MCELROY, DANIEL SEPULVEDA, AND JENNA HOU TAKE A SELFIE AT THE BUDWEISER MADE IN AMERICA FESTIVAL.

Knightlife pg.6

campus life

Q:What brought you to Bishop?A: I pursued the career of Counseling because I have a strong passion for education. Every decision I have made in my career has been based on grow-ing and improving to be a better edu-cator/counselor. I have searched for a place like Bishop where there is a strong academic, spiritual community and I am very happy and grateful to be here now.

Q: How do you feel so far about the school?A: I am very grateful to have the op-portunity to be part of such a wonderful community here at Bishop.The entire community at Bishop, from staff, stu-dents and parents have been very welcoming and have provided so much support.

Q: What are your goals for the year?A: Since I will be working specifically with the 9th and 10th grade students, one of my many goals for this year will be to provide support and guidance to students so that they will have a suc-cessful year academically and person-ally.

Q: Anything else? Any fun facts?A: I would like to encourage all 9th and 10th grade students to come by the Guidance Center if they have any ques-tions or concerns. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to share a little bit about myself…I grew up in South-ern California in the city of Inglewood. From a very young age I was involved in religious activities at my local church and currently I am a Catechist for the re-ligious education program at my church. In addition, I attended UC Berkeley and the University of San Diego from which I received a B.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies and Spanish Language and Literature and an M.A. in Counseling. I have worked in education for the past few years in a variety of roles, such as, counselor, advisor, mentor, instructional aide and tutor. What I enjoy the most about being a counselor is that I am able to support and guide students through-out their high school experience and as-sist in post-secondary planning. During my free time I enjoy spending time with my family, going to Disneyland, baking, knitting and walking. I am very excited to be part of the Bishop community!

Q: What brought you to Bishop?A: Bishop Montgomery High School is an amazing school with both incredible students and faculty. I came to increase the overall usage and saturation of tech-nology on campus, and I feel so fortu-nate to be part of a campus and organi-zation that is as enthusiastic as I am. Q: How do you feel so far about the school?A: It’s a wonderful campus with amazing people of all ages. I enjoy seeing my former students on campus progressing through their academic careers, and I’ve been astonished by the openness, help-fulness, and friendliness of the faculty, staff, and students here at BMHS. Plus, I love being part of a school with legiti-mate sports teams, Go Knights! Q: What are your goals for the year?A: My goal is to increase student digital literacy. My goal is to prepare students to be fluent in a variety of applications, capable of being collaborators on global teams, and ready for occupations that are still emerging. Q: Anything else? Any fun facts?A: I love computers, strategy games, and science fiction! Combine any of the three, and I’m a happy person. I grew up in Yuba City, California (up north). When I was in high school, I worked with California Wildlife Association teaching conservation and environmentalism, and Young Life a Christian ministry outdoor school/camp.

Q: What brought you to Bishop? A: I had just completed getting my Mas-ter’s Degree at the Concordia University Irvine, and saw this as an opportunity to make a change for the better. I grew up in the area and remember loving it, and most of my family still lives in the area, so this helped me decide to look in the area. As soon as I set foot on Bishop Montgomery HS, I knew this was the place for me.

Q: How do you feel so far about the school? A: I love the school’s positive atmo-sphere. Everyone is treated like family here. It is a very welcoming environ-ment. The staff and students are all very cordial and respectful of one another.Q: What are your goals for this year? A: My goals are to continue to grow as an educator and increase student learn-ing. I want to always be expanding my horizons and live up to my full potential. This is my 13th year teaching, and I already know it will be the best year of my professional career yet. Q:Anything else? Fun facts? A: Some fun facts and abilities: I have been entering sweepstakes since I was 18, and have won numerous prizes. Just this year I won a $3,000 grand prize trip to NYC from Albertsons. I also am quite the couponer. It’s not rare for me to pay pennies for $200+ worth of items. If there is savings to be had, I will find it.

Cultural Fusions of a

Lifetime Bishop Students and Faculty

Experience Different Cultures over the Summer

Written by: Ariana Rupp and Kassandra Madrigal

Mr. Adams - Technology Specialist

Mr. Sheckler - English Teacher

Ms. Diaz - Guidance Counselor

Mr. Wood - Athletics Director

Ms. Mariscal - Math Teacher

Ms. Harada - Math Teacher

Q: What brought you to Bishop?A: I had heard through a previous col-league about the opening at Bishop. I had always heard great things about this school so I thought this would be a great place to teach.

Q: How do you feel so far about the school?A: I have really enjoyed my time here so far. The faculty has been very supportive and helpful so that has really made ad-justing to a new school been a lot easier. The students are also very intelligent and a pleasure to work with.

Q: What are your goals for the year?A: My goal for this year is to teach the students the content for each the course. I also want the students to be able to think in different ways. I want the students to be able to solve difficult problems and be able to explain how they solved a problem.

Q: Anything else? Any fun facts? A: I play taiko, which is a form of Japa-nese drumming.

Q: What brought you to Bishop?A: The chance to lead a very competi-tive athletic program

Q: How do you feel so far about the school?A: I am very happy here so far. Every-one has been very friendly.

Q: What are your goals for the year?A: Still working on goals for the year.

Q: What brought you to Bishop?A: I was working as a substitute teacher all over the south bay when I spoke to Father Richard at Saint Lawrence and he suggested that I apply for a substitute position at Bishop. After working here for a year as a sub, I loved the school and was blessed to be offered a position for this year.Q: How is the school so far?A: I love the Bishop community and how supportive everyone on the staff has been of me since day one. I can really feel the love and care that each person on the staff has for the students and each students’ true desire to learn and better themselves each day.Q: What are your goals for the year?A: This year I hope to focus on keeping my students and myself organized and working to better themselves each day. I want to help students find their voice to not only speak in class but also become more vocal and comfortable speaking in public.Q: Anything else? Any fun facts? A: I am the Head JV Coach at South High. I am a huge Dodger fan. I love Disney and try to visit Disneyland when-ever possible. I am quite the Marvel Comics geek, especially the movies, and long before students were calling me Mr. Thor I actually dressed up as Thor for Halloween with the hammer, cape and all.

Meet the New Staff in Town Interviews by Kira Coyne, Jackie Nksanah; Photography by Sabrina Supapkooha

Summer is a time of relax-ation and carefree fun that every student (and teacher) longs for each year. The majority of peo-ple spend this free time within the borders of the United States, but sometimes individuals are lucky enough to be able to set foot out-side of the nation and experience a new cultural awakening. During this past summer of 2014, Natsuki Hishinuma ‘17 visited her family in the capital of Japan: Tokyo. She stayed in the world’s most populous metropoli-tan for eleven days, and was able to explore Tokyo’s Disney Sea, a Disney theme park inspired by the legends of the sea. The park featured a replica of Disney’s famous little mermaid’s home, otherwise known as Ariel’s Cas-tle, and a variety of water rides. Tokyo also has its very own Disneyland park; when asked if she visited it, Natsuki replied, “Each park is too big, so I was only able to visit Disney Sea this summer. Next time I visit Japan, I will definitely visit Disneyland To-kyo.” Although she spent over a week in Japan, Natsuki claimed, “I wish I could have stayed lon-ger so I could have visited more places and gone sightseeing.” She insisted that, “Japan is totally a great place to visit on vacation,” and who could even disagree? Iana Cayme ‘16 also traveled internationally this sum-mer. She visited the Philippines to relax and spend time with her family. Her vacation was anything but quiet and peaceful consider-ing all of the fun activities she experienced! Iana spent a day at Boracay Beach, which is a... CONTINUED ON PAGE 8.

Above: Natsuki Hishinuma’17 (right) and her friend at Disneyland in Tokyo this past summer vacation.

pg.7 Knightlife

Campus Life

For many Bishop students, summer vacation was a period of well-deserved relaxation, free from homework and all things academic. However, for some of BMHS’ student leaders, their summer was all about improving their already sharp leader-ship skills through summer leader-ship seminars, programs, and/or workshops. Starting at the end of May, juniors Emily Blair, Lourdes Lidzbar-ski, Anna Leoncio, Christine Pe-tersen, James Serrano, and Tommy Rocca attended the Hugh O’Brian Youth (HOBY) Leadership seminar at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles while fellow junior Eunice Gonzalez attended another HOBY Seminar at California Lu-theran University in Thousand Oaks. Previous HOBY alumni and current co-presidents of the BMHS HOBY Committee, seniors Jazmine Franco, Kira Iwai, and Alex Rodriguez, ac-companied Gonzalez at the Thou-sand Oaks seminar as Junior Staff (JStaff) members, volunteering as assistant managers and organizers for the program. The juniors stayed at their respective universities for three days and two nights, listening to several guest speakers and panel-ists and participating in large group activities alongside over 160 sopho-mores at each seminar from all over Los Angeles and Central California. Furthermore, the ambassadors per-formed service projects for non-profit organizations, such as creating para-cord bracelets for deployed soldiers with Operation Gratitude and making blankets for ill children with Project Linus. The students were placed in small groups of 10-12 juniors, which eventually became like small families as they bonded over their shared experiences and were pushed out-side of their comfort zone to realize their true potential as leaders. James Serrano ’16 says that the program was “Definitely life changing because instead of just telling us that we were responsible for making the future a better place, HOBY gave us the tools we needed to do so.” Jazmine Franco’15 reflects on her experience as a JStaff member that “This year was a completely different experi-ence because I was able to work the seminar from behind the scenes and see all the hard work that goes into putting together a successful one. The best part of my experience as a JStaff was the connections I was able to make with my group and the rest of the ambassadors.” Overall, for ambassadors and JStaff alike, HOBY was an OUTSTANDING ex-perience. Right after the school year finished, LMU hosted the Youth Leadership Institute (YLI), endorsed by the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF). Nominated by Mrs. Orozco, seniors Alex Rodriguez and Joshua Villalta applied to the seminar and were handpicked from over 400 applicants and attended the semi-nar with over 100 Latino student leaders from the region. After being grouped into their familias, groups of five to six student-led mentors, the first day of the program focused on sharpening leadership skills, getting to know oneself better, and creat-ing networking skills to employ in professional environments. Addition-ally, attendees met with “Hispanic Heroes” - successful Latino entrepre-neurs and/or scholars from all fields, such as film, television, accounting, and business, including the CEO of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. The next day, the YLI attendees were guided through the college admis-sions process, learning about special

scholarships and grants, different types of colleges, and life skills such as formulating a resume. The stu-dent-leaders also listened to several guest speakers, who spoke about their own personal experiences as minorities and how they overcame their own obstacles, inspiring all of the students. Villalta states “HSF taught me how to trust myself. The mentors and family heads were inspiring and welcoming; I felt ‘at home’ from the beginning. I learned about the importance of punctuality, integrity, and confidence in myself. It was encouraging and inspiring to hear about the adversity and strug-gles they overcame to be where they are today. We met actors, producers, CEOs, bank representatives and had a little to learn from every last one of them. What amazed me was to come to find out that they were all of Hispanic background!” Carter London ’15 and Samuel Thompson ’15 attended the American Legion’s Boys’ State program at Sacramento State Uni-versity, while Danielle Ireland ’15 attended the American Legion Aux-iliary’s Girls’ State program at Clare-

mont McKenna University. Selected from a top-notch group of nominees, the Bishop students spent a week at their respective universities learn-ing how the American government functions, both locally and nationally, and of their multiple duties and privi-leges as American citizens, all while practicing leadership skills, such as public speaking and networking. At each program, students were placed into groups which would operate as mini, self-sufficient governments that had to agree on legislations for their hypothetical city. At Boys’ State, these groups were known as cit-ies: five cities would form a county, and five counties formed a state, all of which had to work together to govern well. Thompson states: “I gained valuable insights that will help me better fulfill my duties as a citizen. The experience was defi-nitely memorable due to the fact that 1000 boys from across the state all came together and bonded so quickly over the concepts that our nation was founded on.” Meanwhile, Ireland reminisces that “Girls state is this utopian society where super-involved and strong-willed females

Changing the World, One Seminar at a TimeBMHS is home to many student leaders, many of whom sharpened their leadership skills this past summer at leadership seminars across the state and countryWritten by Alex Rodriguez of HOBY & YLI and Briana Tucker of CLI

come together to work toward a simulation of government. We build up a government from scratch, so I was really able to experience a lot of the intricate parts of government, such as building a party platform in order to make laws.” She adds, “I enjoyed all the diversity of ideas and beliefs of all the girls when we debated certain laws and how we came together to build Girls State as a family.” Several Bishop students, including Zachary Hayes ‘15, Lauren Tolin ‘15, Vanessa Cicchini ‘15, Briana Tucker ‘15, Kelly Huben ‘16, and Camila Risueno ‘16, were given the oppor-tunity to attend a week-long Leader-ship Camp at the Christian Lead-ership Institute in Santa Barbara, which educates young teens on how to be great Christian leaders. When asked about her experience, Lauren Tolin ‘15 says: “I met so many differ-ent people from numerous different cities across California and made tons of new friends and forged new bonds with people I would have never expected to meet. I learned how to be a better leader and how to implement my Christian values into CONTINUED ON PAGE 8.

Above (left to right): Juniors Lourdes Lidzbarski James Serrano, Anna Leoncio, and Christine Petersen, all with HOBY Lanyards on display, demonstrate how outstand-ing they feel after the HOBY Closing Ceremonies at Loyola Marymount University.

Above: Seniors Alex Rodriguez and Joshua Villalta smile proudly after com-pleting the Hispanic Scholarship Fund’s Youth Leadership Institute at Loyola Marymount University.

Above: Camila Resueno’16, Vanessa Cicchini’15, Zach Hayes’15, Kelly Huben’16, Briana Tucker’15, and Lauren Tolin’15 at CLI, held at St. Mary’s seminary in Santa Barbara.

Above: Carter London’15, with the knowledge and skills he learned at Boys’ State, answers an important, govern-ment phone call.

Knightlife pg.8

KNIGHTLIFE STAFFThe Knightlife newspaper is published by the Knightlife Club of Bishop Montgomery High School, 5430 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503.

Opinions expressed in this paper are not a reflection of those of Bishop Montgomery High School.

Knightlife 2014 - 2015 Board Editors-in-Chief: Alexander Rodriguez & Samantha Nishimura

Vice Presidents: Lourdes Lidzbarski & Anna LeoncioPhotography Executives: Milanne Izawa & Danielle Julifs

Secretary: Aimee MyersArt Executives: Kira Coyne & Jackie Nkansah

Treasurer: Manaka SatoMedia Manager: Sam Thompson

Graphic Designer Executive: David Kim

This issue: Graphic Designers: David Kim, Jesus Vazquez, Yidan Yuan

Peer Editors: David Macareg, Carolyn Egekeze, Aimee Myers

Staff Writers: Aimee Myers, Alexander Arucan, Alexander Ray, Anna Leoncio, Ariana Rupp, Briana Tucker, Caitlyn Kester, Caroline Cusolito, Carolyn Egekeze, Emily Blair, Erika Akyeah, Erin Hall, Hallie Coyne, Isabella Bacoka, Jackie Nkansah, Jackie Pistole, Jasmine Shin, Joshua Villalta, Kathryn Graz, Kayla Ables, Kira Coyne, Libby Hadnett, Lourdes Lidzbarski, Manaka Sato, Matthew Alcado, Matthew Cusolito, Milanne Izawa, Natalie Pistole, Nathan Quast, Rose Park, Sara Awad, Sebastian Atashi, Shelby Richardson, Stephanie Trelease, Theresa Sitter, Yidan Yuan

Staff Artists: Anna Leoncio, Erin Hall, Hallie Coyne, Jackie Nkansah, Jasmine Shin, Kira Coyne, Michael Romero, Nathan Quast, Samantha Peralta, Yidan Yuan,

Staff Photographers: Alexander Arucan, Danielle Julifs, Emily Blair, Erika Akyeah, Isabella Bacoka, Joshua Villalta, Kassandra Madrigal, Kathryn Graz, Libby Hadnett, Lourdes Lidz-barski, Matthew Alcado, Milanne Izawa, Sabrina Supapkooha, Sara Awad, Sebastian Atashi, Sebastian Contreras, Shelby Richardson, Simon Tran, Stephanie Nwaiwu

Staff Redactors: Aimee Myers, Alexander Arucan, Anna Leoncio, Ariana Rupp, Briana Tucker, Caroline Cusolito, Carolyn Egekeze, David Macaraeg, Jordan Bell, Lourdes Lidzbar-ski, Manaka Sato, Matthew Alcado, Natalie Pistole, Nathan Quast, Sara Awad, Stephanie Trelease, Theresa Sitter

Staff Graphic Designers: Anna Leoncio, Caitlyn Kester, David Kim, Eric Lopez, Hallie Coyne, Jesus Vazquez, Jordan Bell, Lourdes Lidzbarski, Sebastian Contreras, Yidan Yuan

Staff Interviewers: Alexander Arucan, Caitlyn Kester, Caroline Cusolito, Erika Akyeah, Isabella Bacoka, Jackie Nkansah, Jordan Bell, Joshua Villalta, Kassandra Madrigal, Kathryn Graz, Kayla Ables, Kira Coyne, Libby Hadnett, Matthew Alcado, Milanne Izawa, Sara Awad, Sebastian Atashi, Shelby Richardson

Staff Advertisers: Caroline Cusolito, Jordan Bell, Kayla Ables, Manaka SatoMatthew Cusolito, Sara Awad

Advisor: Mr. HongProofreaders: Mr. Marafino, Ms. Vigon-MorffiPublisher: Ms. Libbon

beautiful beach with white sand. She also went island hopping, jetskiing, and went on a banana boat ride. It sounds like she spent most of her time in the water! Who wouldn’t want to spend their summer like that? When asked to describe the most memorable part of her trip, Iana responded, “Definitely riding an ATV for the first time. It rained a few minutes before we rode them, so the roads were really muddy which made it even more fun.” She plans to return to the Philippines in a few years in hopes of having another great vacation with her family.Students weren’t the only ones to explore the rest of the world this summer! Our very own Mr. Fitz and Mr. Lee, with a group of thirty teachers from around the Los An-geles and San Fernando region were selected by hundreds of ap-plicants of the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles to tour Israel for ten days through The Holy Land Democracy Project, a venture be-tween the Jewish Federation and local Los Angeles schools to pro-mote Israel. “I felt awestruck to be in a place like Jerusalem that has existed for thousands of years,” said Mr. Lee. The group visited all of the Christian sites in the coun-try, such as the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, the Holy Sepulchre, as well as Jewish sites like the

different leadership events. What-ever I participate in in the future, whether it be extracurricular activi-ties or school events, I will use my knowledge gained from CLI to lead effectively.” Senior Lauren White was also given the opportunity to partici-pate in a career-oriented program (NYLF - National Youth Leadership Forum) this summer. She states: “The program I participated in was called Law and CSI where we focused on criminal law, the pro-cedures that lawyers go through to prosecute criminals, and what lawyers are responsible to do with the evidence they find. I participated in mock trials and I was able to listen to different types of lawyers and forensic specialists speak. All of the people I met were from differ-ent parts of the country and different parts of the world. Due to our differ-ent backgrounds, we were all able to bring different life experiences to the camp, making the experience one that I will never forget.” Austin Cole ‘15 was selected to participate in the Southern Cali-fornia Youth Citizenship Seminar at

Pepperdine University, which is de-signed to provide a creative oppor-tunity for outstanding high school ju-niors to interact with today’s leaders, explore current national and world topics, discuss constructive solutions to critical issues, and share memo-rable interactions with your peers. Cole says of his experience: “YCS was one of the greatest weeks of my life! I met so many wonderful people from all over the U.S. and I am still in touch with many of them today. The acronym v.i.c.e.s., which stands for vision, integrity, charity, educa-tion, and service, really helped guide me to make good decisions in my life. There were so many wonderful, inspirational speakers whose stories were very relatable to. The overall message was to ‘dream the impos-sible dream,’ and then figure out how you can make that dream a reality. The experience was unforgettable and I hope to put what I learned into my actions every day.” From HOBY to YLI to CLI to YCS, Bishop is truly blessed with so many wonderful student leaders!

Western Wall, Yad Vashem, and the Holocaust Memorial. Other than visiting the various historical sites, Mr. Fitz explained, “We also met with Israeli High School stu-dents, teachers, entrepreneurs, Palestinians, and even Bedou-ins.” The purpose of their trip was to learn more about Israel to be able to make it come to life for their students. Mr Fitz further elaborated, “I’ve been going to Israel since 2004 as part of “The Holy Land Democracy Project.” The idea of it all is to take school teachers to Israel, who then re-turn to teach about it in the class-room. I am currently the Educa-tional Consultant; I helped design the lessons, and train the teach-ers before they go. So this year, I was ‘working’... If you call a trip to Israel working.” Both Mr. Lee and Mr. Fitz agreed that one of their favorite moments during the trip was spent together! They were eating pizza late one night in the middle of Jerusalem, discuss-ing philosophy and theology, “in the shadow of what would have been the walls of David’s palace,” said Mr. Lee. The teachers are looking forward to another suc-cessful trip in the future, possibly with a couple of currently enrolled BMHS students.

In Loving Memory...

Giovanni Rubalcava’13,who passed away earlier this month.

Knightlife gives its condolences to the family of Giovanni; he is in our

prayers.

Changing the World, One Seminar at a Time - CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

Above: Lauren White’15 (center) alongside two other future lawyers at a courthouse as part of NYLF. Above: Mr. Fitzsimons and Mr. Lee visit holy sites in Israel.

Above: Austin Cole’15 and two other attendees of YCS at Pepperdine Univer-sity.

Cultural Fusions of a Lifetime -Continued from page 6.