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Loma Linda Academy NewzineEstablished 1940s

Volume 83 | Issue 5March-April 2016

The MIRROR Art Edition

A RT IS TR Y

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Jr./Sr. Banquet announcementMarch 14, 2016

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CONTACTLOMA LINDA ACADEMY

10656 Anderson StreetLoma Linda, CA 92354

mirror@lla.orgEditor In Chief

Victoria IcoReporters

Aimee BlairEvan Lopez

PhotojournalistsEmily He

Megan NapodDesigners

Daniela MejiaBlake Walker

VideographersBhavisha DesaiElijah Hickman

Elly LeeArchivist

Corey Bom (project lead)Alex ArnottAdviser

Danelle Taylor JohnstonPublisherRobert Skoretz

Find us on the Webwww.llamirror.org Instagram

@lla_mirror

04 Delayed but Not Gone05 More than Just a Sound

06 Aspiring Music Artists

08 Fashion Shoot

12 Gallery

14 Traditional Medium16 Week of Prayer

18 Capture the Moment

19 Photographic Art

20 Robo-Runners to S.F.21 Brain Week

22 Lost Classes

24 Reality Check

25 In Remembrance26 Briefs

Front cover by Madison Field. Back cover by Michael Lowe

17 Lovement Over Judgement

13 Renaissance Ad

Table of Contents

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March 30 to April 2 marked the

long awaited date of the annual junior

senior Bible camp. However, this date

is a bit unusual as it is significantly later

in the year than previous years. Adding

to that, the location of Bible camp had

been moved as well to Camp Cedar Falls

instead of Pine Springs Ranch (PSR).

So what happened? Why were so many

things about Bible camp changed?

It all began on June 20, 2015 as

Pastor Mark Holm received a call from

the Southeastern California Conference

saying that the 2016 Bible Camp had

been cancelled. The reason being that the

Just Claim It Youth Conference would

be taking place in the conference around

the usual Bible Camp dates, so the

conference assumed that everyone would

just attend that. However, having had 35

years of experience with this camp, Holm

knew that it would be a huge blow to all

the students who were so excited to go.

He and the rest of the twelve leaders

of Bible Camp knew that by some

miracle, Bible Camp had to happen.

They first went to the conference to

express their feelings and intentions

to have Bible Camp and, after much

discussion and listening, the conference

gave them full support for it.

The next roadblock was to find

lodging. Normally Bible Camp has been

hosted at PSR. However this year, PSR

was hosting another large event during

the new dates the leaders requested,

according to Alyssa Cosejo (12). She

recalls Pastor Jason Calvert turning to

Camp Cedar Falls, where the event ended

up, and hearing him compromise with

another church group that were to occupy

the campgrounds as well that weekend.

In the midst of this chaos, one of

the leaders, Pastor Craig Hadley, decided

to start his own non-denominational

church called Paradox. Because starting

a new church takes so much time and

planning, Hadley had to step down from

his music leadership position. Searching

for a replacement was not hard for Holm

and the rest of the leaders. They quickly

called Jo Cordero, alumni of Loma Linda

Academy Class of 2012. Cosejo said

that her cousin was more than happy to

return to the Bible Camp atmosphere

and even more excited to be a leader.

As the leaders scrambled to put

together the bits and pieces of Bible

Camp, it was clear that a wonderful

experience was to come to fruition.

Holm knew there was “no way God

would let this [event] not happen.” As

an experienced leader and participant

of this yearly event, Holm knows

how much impact this Camp has

on the spiritual growth of a student.

The adults work hard to provide the

students with an opportunity to meet

God. Over the years, he hears how

Bible Camp had been a highlighted

moment of alumni’s junior or senior year.

According to the stories he has heard,

it is an experience they never forget.

Every leader that was involved in

Bible Camp 2016, student or adult,

knows that this event was a true miracle.

God had worked His hand to bring

this experience to the classes of 2017

and 2016. It was truly fitting that this

year’s theme, proposed by Bible Camp’s

first female speaker Somer Knight,

was Unfailing. Neither God nor the

leaders failed to create and experience

of a lifetime. If there was any fear of a

repeat situation, Cosejo has words of

reassurance. “Satan is always going to try

hard to make something

like this happen again

but we just need to keep

firm and know that

God is on our side.”

DelayeD But not

Gone

Written by: Victoria Ico

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“Music is more than just a

pleasing sound,” as Kaitlyn Mamora

(9) said. The art form of music has a

purpose and it takes hard work and

passion, Mamora, Brandon Shin (12),

Dara Salamante (11) and Douglas

Lau (10) share those same attributes.

Shin said that the purpose of

music depends on the individual,

many people may need an

“escape,” and some just enjoy

playing; both applies to him.

Salamante explained that the

purpose of music for her is to “convey

what you feel into sound, expressing

the emotions you feel.” She said that

music relates to people depending on

who you are and it can bring peace

of mind. It is very “therapeutic.”

Lau said, music is all about

“having fun and enjoying the music

whether it be with yourself or with

others and share it with God.”

And Kaitlyn Mamora (9)

says that the form of music

can tell a story, and, “It can be

a form of praise to God and

sharing his message to others.”

The artform of music is a

lifelong learning experience with

many challenges in between. Shin

explained, ”It didn’t really come

super naturally. I’ve taken lessons

my whole life. I honestly think it

is pretty necessary. There is always

more that I can learn.” Shin added,

“Up until about four years ago, I

hated playing cello with a passion.

It was a fight with my parents

to practice, or even go near it.

So that wall was a huge struggle

in my musical development.”

Mamora started violin lessons

when she was three years old and

she started to learn piano at four.

“I have struggled with many things

while learning music, but the very

first struggle that I can remember is

having stage fright, but I overcame

that quickly.” She also struggled

with expectations. “I felt like I

was being compared to my older

brother, Jonathan, who was a great

musician, but it really doesn’t bother

me as much. I really enjoy it now.”

Although there are struggles,

everything will resolve in the end.

Shin said, ”If you, in your heart really

love what you’re doing and would

continue doing it, you’re successful.”

Shin continued, “If you’re confident

and happy with what you’re doing

and accomplishing with the music

you produce, that is success.”

Lau said that being successful can

simply mean to be good in your own

eyes, possibly while making money.

Mamora expressed nearly the

same thing. “It can simply mean to

enjoy what you are doing,” she said.

Music takes years and years

to develop and finally perfect.

Although it may be difficult at times,

it all depends on motivation.

Shin said,“I think that if you

really want to, anybody can do music,

whether it’s playing an instrument,

or even just singing in the shower.

It’s up to the individual to motivate

themselves and just have fun with it.”

Salamante simply stated,“if

they really love music, they will

put time and effort into being

successful and doing their best.”

Lau expressed nearly the same

words, “anyone can play music

it just depends on whether they

want to put the time and effort

into their process of success.”

Mamora applies a quote that her

dad has always told her and that is,“If

there is a will, there is a way.” She

goes on to explain that, “Learning

music takes passion and dedication.”

Music is more than just a sound,

and that cannot be better explained

than by Mamora in this quote:

“Music is a form of expression. It

can express different feelings through

notes and lyrics. It can show a form

of communication that humans

long for, but cannot show. The right

music that suits you, can put your

mind at ease. It can make you feel

different emotions, and can put you

in a whole different perspective.”

more than JuSt a SounD

Written by: Megan Napod

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Many people here at school are very passionate about music, and are also very talented in regards to music. It is a blessing here to have such talent and gifts. Here we willl look at a few musicians who enjoy making music.

“I really enjoy music because I think it’s a very expressive and creative art form,” says Elijah Mopera (11). Music is indeed a very expressive form, and is a positive example of displacement. Music can be a way to release or escape from the negative things going on in your life, whether it’d be listening, or creating. Mopera enjoys Hip Hop/ Rap and works in that specific genre in his down time.

“My process usually goes something like: I find an instrumental, then I write, then record, then finally I mix & master the track.” Here we see that there is clearly a process in creating music.

About a month ago, LLAs very own Kaylee Chinchay (12) flew out to Dallas to record an album out of a music studio.

“It’s really a long process,”

says Chinchay. “I strictly only went to Dallas just for that, like three days I recorded. So what happens is you record it multiple times and then certain parts that you think you can fix, you can go back and fix that part and re-sing that line.” Chinchay is a singer/ songwriter and writes Christian music. It is a passion that she has and wants to use it to minister to others. Isaac Gonzaga (9) has a similar purpose for his music.

“In my own opinion I would mostly wanna make like religious type songs,” says Gonzaga. He adds, “If I’m gonna make a song about God, I wanna do a rap about the bible.” It is evident that there is much time and effort involved in this. This begs the question: What obstacles are there in this music process?

David Rho (10) talks about difficulties

saying, “Facing writer’s block and being scared of how people will think of my music is tough.” This is something that is not uncommon in any musician or artist.

In an interview with Vogue Magazine, singing recording artist Beyoncé Knowles said, “I think it’s healthy for a person to be nervous. It means you care…” It is amazing to think that somebody of such huge success still can get nervous about public opinion, just as we see with Rho.

Another aspect of difficulties is the issue of having time to do it.

“What keeps me from making music usually depends on how busy I am with school and such,” says Mopera. With the exception of literature, in which Mopera makes rap songs for as

aSPirinG muSic artiStS

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projects, it is definitely an obstacle for him make time for his music.

When asked what obstacles he faces, Gonzaga says, “I would say just mostly life and school. It kind of puts up a really big block. And I don’t have a lot of time for it currently.” Having not enough time is common among high school students, making it especially hard for such a time consuming hobby, such as music.

“It takes a lot of time, it costs a lot of money, that’s for sure,” says Chinchay. “And also the fact that I am also growing up so like I’m going to college so right now I have to kind of lead this on my own and do it myself.”

We can see the present life of all these musicians. However, what are their future aspirations or ultimate goals, if any, in music?

When asked this question, Mopera says, “I wouldn’t say that I have a career in music. Talking about music as a hobby; well, then I’ve just barely scratched the surface. But hobbies do turn into careers so I suppose I’ll have to wait and see what happens in the future.” Music benefits many people whether they use it their future or not.

On the flip side Chinchay says, “Hopefully I wanna start my own ministry with that ‘cause I’m thinking of becoming a theology major student. [Music] can help with my ministry.” Here we can see how music benefits people long-term throughout a career.

These interests must come from

somewhere however. Chinchay’s inspiration was

described like this, “It’d probably be whatever I’m going through in my life or whatever things that are happening around me. That’s like the only way I can write a song. Like if I’m feeling a really strong emotion about something, then I will most likely write about that.” Here we can see music providing an “escape” so to speak for things going on in a person’s life.

Gonzaga says in regards to music, “I wouldn’t say that I got inspired by like all these celebrities, I kind of got inspired by my brother Nick Gonzaga.” This is very special because Gonzaga’s inspiration was very personal to him.

These artists have an obvious passion for music and that is very apparent. Their love for this specific art is something very special and valuable.

“if i’m feelinG a really StronG emotion aBout

SomethinG, then i will moSt likely write aBout

that.” -kaylee chinchay

Written by: Even Lopez

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Gallery

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Live the revival.May 7, 2016

Doors open 5:30 PMBegins 6:00 PMCrosswalk Main

Sanctuary

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As kids, lots of people

love to draw and paint. Trinity

Tanner (11), Ciara Rader (10),

Ariel Rocha (12) and Rachel

Specht (11) have continued

this passion to this day.

Trinity Tanner (11) still has

a drawing that she did in 2005

at age 7 hanging on the fridge

in her garage. She even recalls

getting an easel that same year

and being so proud of a tree

she drew. Tanner said that she

always wanted to be an artist.

However, she never knew what

kind of artist to be so she just

tried everything she could.

Ciara Rader (10) states that

she’s been drawing ever since she

could remember. Her dad and

his parents are

very artistic so she

was around art a

lot of her life.

As a kid, Ariel Rocha (12)

had always been entertained with

the arts. She even remembers

creating countless paintings

and drawings for her family.

Rachel Specht (11) has

always loved arts and crafts

growing up. She began to take

art seriously in Jr. high and

came across a few art sites such

as deviantART. Specht states “I

saw the amazing creations people

could make with digital canvases

and decided to give it a try.”

People learn in all different

ways, some can learn a lot from

figuring it out by themselves,

but some other people learn

more when they are guided

and instructed by someone.

Tanner has learned a lot

from tutorial blogs, but said she

never really got the hang of it

until she took Mrs. Gillespie’s

class. She stated that “She

really taught me the basics and

helped me discover my style

and learn new techniques that

helped me in the long run.

While tutorials were endlessly

helpful, you can’t discount a

good teacher to literally be next

to you and [help] you learn.”

Rader learned a lot from her

grandparents and from other

artist’s work that was mostly

on Instagram. Other than that,

and a few things she learned

from drawing and painting class

this year, she stated that she

was pretty much on her own.

Specht is mostly self-taught

also and sometimes watches

speedpaints online or studies how

a person accomplishes a certain

style or look. Specht however

takes private lessons as well as

being in the advanced art but

her lessons are mostly casual

with no assignments given like

art class. She is given motivation

and pointers along the way, she

says it’s just a lot of practice,

hard work and dedication.

Drawing and painting

are both incredibly enjoyable

but some people prefer one

more than the other, this is

what the artists had to say

about the “conflict” between

drawing and painting.

t r a D i t i o n a l

m e D i u m

ariel rocha

rachel SPecht

14 15

For Rocha she truly does not have

a preference. It all depends on how

she is feeling at the time. “As of right

now, I’ve been on a painting craze!

So much inspiration!” Rocha said.

Tanner prefers painting

because she loves the texture and

how the colors mix together on

the canvas. Another thing she

enjoys about painting is sticking

her hands in extra paint to add a

little flair of sorts to the painting.

Spect enjoys drawing over

painting because she is more used

to it and because of the convenience

and accessibility. For her, she can

sketch anywhere as long as she has

paper and a pencil or pen. In her

experience painting takes more time

than drawing, and requires many

more specific settings. . Although

she enjoys both very much it is just

more convenient for her to draw.

Artists almost always have

a favorite subject or something

that they love to paint or draw.

Specht enjoys drawing the most,

she typically focuses on drawing

women because she finds the

female form elegant and beautiful

with its natural flow and curves.

Rader said “I’ll usually draw

anything that interests me, which

varies a lot.” Sometimes she will pull

ideas from other artist’s subjects,

yet she does have a soft spot when

it comes to drawing superheroes.

Tanner prefers not to draw

people. She loves nature and

is really good at backgrounds.

Typically she does landscapes,

but lately she has been drawing a

lot of flowers, trees and such.

There are tons of materials out

there for artists to use, these following

are a couple of the artist’s favorite

types. Tanner prefers acrylic paint

because of the thickness. Something

she likes to do after finishing an

especially textured painting is to just

feel it, for her it’s really an experience.

For Rocha, “You can set me

down with a good brush, one

color of paint, and some water and

I’ll be set!” Her favorite painting

medium is watercolor, although

she does also enjoy oil painting.

Rader says that plain mechanical

pencils work fine for her when she is

sketching, but she also uses sharpies,

Micron pens, colored pencils, and

sometimes protractors and rulers.

Specht typically uses plain

white paper and a mechanical

pencil. She doesn’t use traditional

mediums as much as digital. For

digital mediums she said she uses a

Wacom Intuos5 small drawing tablet

with the program PaintTool SAI

as well as the program Mischief.

Not only do artists need

materials to paint or draw,

they need inspiration to start

or continue an art project.

For Tanner, sometimes she

gathers inspiration from a beautiful

picture online or a random photo

blog. Also her environment and her

classmates inspire her to be a better

artist and to paint what she feels.

Rocha said that, as an artist you

are always going to run into a dry

spell. She believes your environment

really has an affect on your mood.

She said “Me as a person, I don’t get

inspired when I’m upset. So having

a happy and positive environment

is what’s important for me!”

trinity tanner

ciara raDer

Written by: Aimee Blair

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ShotS of “your roaD”

Photos by Rubydeb Ramirez

Apr

il 11

-15

week of Prayer

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It started as a class project for

Danelle Taylor Johnston’s College

English class; “How can you apply

Martin Luther King’s message

to today’s society?” Together the

class came up with an idea for an

organization that would portray

the same concept: to fight current

injustices in the same way MLK

fought against past injustices: with

love. It would try and organize people

via social media in an effort to care

for one another in this most-

definitely messed up world.

Of course, this was originally

just an idea for assignment,

but it was the beginning

of something bigger.

The idea panned out.

The class made a plan

and committed to it.

Coming up with a

name was a lot harder than

it might seem. We came

up with at least 10 names

before we started narrowing

them down, and for a while,

the plan was: “What sounds good?”

which turned out a lot more positive

results than you would expect. Our

thoughts were jumbled in the process,

so we switched our methodology.

We stopped thinking about what

message we wanted to communicate,

and started thinking of messages

that we didn’t: Judgement, hatred,

animosity. Then we thought of

the opposites, which is where

Lovement appeared. It rhymes with

Judgement, which is a big plus.

More importantly, it said what

we needed it to say. Lovement is

a movement out of love, one that

encompasses anyone and everyone,

regardless of their cultural affiliations,

personal history, or anything that

leads to someone being judged or

persecuted. We decided we wanted

to create a movement that taught

others to love instead of judge.

Lovement Over Judgement was

born. A movement supporting the

idea of loving others whether or

not their viewpoints or lifestyles

lined up with one’s own. It was

created with the idea that people

are intimately interconnected.

With poems, visuals, quotes, and

our own life stories, we show that

each of us is fighting through his

or her own struggles, experiencing

unique things, and ultimately, trying

to survive in the same crazy world

that you and I see every single day.

So, what about you? We don’t

know where you stand on certain

issues, whether they be political

or personal. We are not here to

judge or condemn, but to love.

Loving and accepting others is

not easy, but it is a decision that each

of us needs to make, every single day.

Join us on Facebook or Instagram

at “Lovement over Judgement” in

showing how to love in the midst of

the suffering of this world, because in

the end, we are all in this together.

*Visit Lovement

Over Judgement on

Facebook and Instagram: @

LovementOverJudgement

If you have any

questions, contact us at

LovementOverJudgement@

gmail.com

&

Written by: Brandon Shin & Amalia Goulbourne

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Look around you, there is the

beautiful sky, the woody trees, and the

sun shining over LLA, but those things

do not stay for long. Luckily, in this

world today we have amazing people

who do the artforms we call photography

and film, the art or practice of taking

and processing the world around us.

Brandon Larsen (12) said

that the purpose of photography is

communication. Photography is a

way of expressing yourself and telling

stories through an image. He said that

people enjoy photography because it

helps you clear your mind and allows

people to have “creative expression.”

Chloe Elias (11) explained that

the purpose of photography is, “To

convey a message of some sort, or to

evoke a particular feeling or emotion in

whoever sees the picture.” She believes

people like photography because it is

art. She enjoys contrasting colors and

it is something she is interested in.

Shantel Guzman (10) mentioned

that for her, “the purpose is to show

people a [...] different perspective and

vision, and hold memories.” She likes

to create and sees photography as an

opportunity to do that, and says that

people may like photography because it

is “cool,” or trendy and also that people

like to use photography to tell stories.

Kallan Kunihira (10) said the

purpose of photography is to express

ourselves. “Sometimes what we take

pictures of often portrays our mood

and how we feel,” he said. He said

that it gives us the “capability of being

able to capture the beauty that’s in the

world and being able to look back at

it.” He continued, “I personally enjoy

photography because I focus on what

I’m trying to take a picture of instead of

all the chaos that’s in my life.” He also

does it for the enjoyment of others.

Jadyn Antonio Valdez (9) believes

that the purpose for photography

is to share and capture a scene,

sometimes from a new point of view.

He thinks people enjoy photography

because it either allows them to

preserve the sights they love, or to

view it from a new perspective.

Videographer Ruby Ramirez (12)

liked the fact that she could record more

in a video than she could record in a

picture and that is why she continues to

do it today and mentions that, “Videos

are there to inform and entertain. To tell

a story in a more personal way, a way in

which it is easier for the viewer to relate.”

She continued, “There are different

reasons why people love films, but for me

it’s because I love the magic and beauty

behind the scenes of making a film.”

When asked about success

in photography, Larsen said that,

“Photography takes patience. The

perfect photo takes time.” He

also said that people need to be

willing to accept critiques.

Elias said that a successful

photographer should be “creative and

open to new ideas,” and of course,

have the necessary equipment.

Guzman explained that,

“Photographers should be friendly,

adventurous, curious and detail-

orientated because that is how you’ll

make a good composition and you won’t

miss anything that could be important.”

Kunihira said that photographers

should be, “Willing to do anything

for the shot. You have to be creative

and find different angles.”

Valdez mentioned, “to be a successful

photographer, one must tolerate their

inevitable errors, be open to new points

of view, and have an active imagination.”

Ramirez gave a different perspective

on success and said that, “As long as you

are passionate, and as long you do your

best, you are bound to be successful.” She

summarizes her passion for videography

and photography in these words: “I truly

enjoy it and it’s my form of art. Videos

can change someone’s life and I want

to be able to change someone’s life in a

positive way. I love God and if this is a

way for me to share his love and wonders

of the world, that is exactly what I’ll do.”

So go outside and use your iPhone

and take a photo, you might just start

only using your phone for photos.

caPture the moment

Written by: Megan Napod

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PhotoGraPhic art

Orion N

ebula By

Alex Arnott

Zion

By Michaela Lott

Waves

By Rachel Barlow

Lost

By Isaac Gonzaga

Laguna Sunset

By Jadyn Antonio-Valdez

Traveling

By Ivanna Vargas

20 21

Seventy two teams and over 150

volunteers got together in Oakland, California

for three days to attend the annual FIRST

Tech Challenge (FTC West) Super-Regional

Championship. FTC teams are challenged to

design, build, program, and operate robots

to play a floor game in an alliance format.

With the help of mentors and coaches,

junior high and high school students develop

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering,

and Math) and practice the value of hard

work, innovation, and sharing ideas while

becoming a team. Teams are required to raise

money for parts, travel, and other things

needed. They must also branch out to the

community, for which they can win awards

for. Participants in FTC have access to

tens of thousands of dollars of scholarships

to many colleges and institutes.

On March 23, Loma Linda Academy’s

Robotics team (RoboRunners) took time

off of spring break to drive about 8 hours

up to Oakland and volunteer for FTC.

The RoboRunners got the opportunity

to see what it was like at Super-Regionals,

to get ideas for designs for their robot, and

experience the

amount of work it

takes to organize

and host a robotics competition.

On March 24, the team went down to

the conference center where the competition

was being held and went straight to work.

Some work options were photography, which

was to assist with team pictures, pit runner,

which was to get teams to their designated

location as to where they were to compete,

and field reset, which is to reset the field for

the next match to come in and compete.

That same night there was an FTC

social party on the USS Hornet, an aircraft

carrier from WWII & Apollo 11 recovery

mission now turned into a museum in

Alameda, California. There were tours set

up to look around the ship, and hands-on-

activities for many of those with interest.

Music and activities were also held on the

ship, making it a great opportunity for

participating teams and volunteers to get

to one another and make new friends.

On March 25, the actual competition

took place. Over 50 matches were scheduled

to take place that day from 8am

to 6:30pm. In between breaks

the RoboRunners went out

and explored Oakland, that was walking

distance from the convention center.

On March 26, instead of attending the

finals of the competition the RoboRunners

decided to drive over the San Francisco Bay

Bridge into San Francisco and spend the

day relaxing and touring the city. Worship

was held at the San Francisco Botanical

Garden, and after worship the RoboRunners

explored the different types of gardens.

From there they went to the tulip gardens,

to the beach, to walking the Golden Gate

Bridge, to riding cable cars, and ending the

day with ice cream sundaes at Ghirardelli.

roBo-runnerS to S.f.

Written by: Bhavisha Desai

20 21

Brain weekDuring the week of

March 7-11, Loma

Linda Academy high

school joined the Dana

Foundation in celebration

of international Brain

Awareness Week, a global

recognition of the progress of

brain research. The event was planned

by English teacher, Sarah Henderson,

along with a team of teachers and

students. The week’s focus was on

developing positive habits for long-

term brain health, specifically sleep,

nutrition, and exercise, under the

tagline: Healthy Brains for Life.

Each day, school began

one hour later than normal to

encourage additional sleep. While

some students were getting extra

sleep, others came for the morning

activities such as yoga, badminton,

running and basketball. On two

mornings, the teachers served a

healthy breakfast for the students.

Halfway through the morning classes,

Home and School parents prepared

and gave out healthy snacks to go

along with mid-morning activities

such as yoga or strength workouts.

There were three assemblies

during

Brain

Awareness Week. As a kick-off event

the Friday before, Dr. Ernie Medina

from the Loma Linda University

School of Public Health spoke

to students in chapel about the

impact of exercise on brain health.

On Tuesday was the Brain Bowl

where the students came together

for a friendly competition between

grades. It was a competition, not

only of knowledge, but also of

the fastest to buzz in. The final

assembly ended the week with a

special presentation by Dr. Bryan

Tsao, a neurologist from Loma

Linda University Medical Center.

Lunchtime brought a different

sport activity each day which all

students were invited to participate

in. These included games such as

ultimate frisbee, basketball, and

badminton. The prayer room was

also open every lunch period. In

this special room, students could

find a safe space to come

in, go through each

station, or just pray

for special requests

on the prayer wall.

The evenings were for

families to spend time together

in optional activities. There was

a faculty verses students basketball

game one night. Another night there

was a family cooking class led by

LLA culinary arts instructor, Lori

Holm. Wednesday night was set

aside as family dinner night; a night

for families to eat together with recipe

suggestions from the LLA culinary

arts students. Thursday evening,

Sarah Henderson gave a brain

development lecture for parents.

All week long, the students were

encouraged to sleep more, exercise

more, and eat healthier. Changing

your daily routine, even in small

ways, can impact your brain in a

great way. Anybody can do it, so

get out there and help your brain!

Written by: Rubydeb Ramirez

22 23

loSt claSSeSAt Loma Linda Academy

(LLA), we have many class options for students to take. Music and Athletics are just some of our many programs that excel at Loma Linda but what about Art? In the rest of the departments there are Honors and AP Courses for those who are passionate about the chosen subject.. In the past LLA, also offered classes such as sewing, graphic arts, british literature, 20th Century literature, French I & II, ceramics and drama. However, classes such as computer programming, and web design, have never been offered here.

Hannah Sitanggang (10), is about to start her driver’s education, which is an activity that all teenagers are required to go through to eventually get a driving license. The state of California requires thirty hours to complete for a permit and six additional hours of driving to get a license. In the surcey taken by 285 students, 34.8 percent would definitely like to take a part of the class here.

Kaitlyn Etzweiler (11), is a dedicated member in our school ministry, Reality Check, a drama group that performs during chapel. She would like LLA to have a drama class. Drama is one

of her many interests she would love to practice and perform in hit plays such as West Side Story and MacBeth. “It would give students an opportunity to be leaders and to show that they have confidence. Also it would add activities to a college application for those who are not into sports and other things,” Etzweiler said. She also added the idea of how a literary discussion class would help her and interest her more in English. The surveyed showed that there were seventy-two people who were interested in taking a drama class here.

Tyler Corrales (12), is a committed believer of the STEM Program. (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.) Tyler is currently applying to many schools around the country and one of the few regrets he has in high school is that he has not taken a class based on computer programming. Many jobs in the job market are now much more computer based than they were fifteen years ago. There are machines that take over jobs in the food industry, warehousing, auto industry and even the medical industry. Knowing how to program computers is showing more and more on job applications

and college applications that has a deep concentration in computer science jobs, and certainly gives applicants an edge for the position. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in these type of fields usually make around $80,000 a year. Unfortunately, a computer programming class is not enough to keep up with our public rivals who has the state funding to keep up with the trends. For those who know how to code, scholarships and grants are offered as well to those who have been able to take STEM classes and do well in them.

In a recent interview with Robert Skoretz, principal, about how classes get offered and how students can impact it, he said class sizes, school-wide budget, teacher interest, and conference requirements are just some of the reasons why we have the options we have. On campus, we have a team that works on curriculum that considers new ideas about curriculum and talks with the North American Division about changes they way to implement. Freshmen earth science class, taught by Hans Figueroa, started by wanting to strengthen the science program and to make sure this is no gap between

22 23

eighth grade physical science and sophomore biology class.

There are some classes are simply being rotated around departments of each subject such as english, and religion, and science. Multicultural literature was offered to us this year because the English department wanted to bring it back for students. The next step in getting a class offered after the curriculum committee, is trying to find interest within the student body. Classes that receive support from the student body will get more of a thorough look at within the committee members. After the administration tries to find a period where the class can be taught where students can take it. Honors and AP classes are offered as strategic classes during the day so it does not conflict with other interests.

A survey was given to the high school science classes of LLA. In this survey it was shown to be that 43.8% percent were interested in a psychology class as an elective. Other classes that received high interest were graphic design, video game design, and a mock trial class, each having about 108 to 112 of the 285 surveyed.

Even though these classes may not be added next year, these classes could hopefully be added to the high school curriculum soon.

Written by: Blake Walker

24 25

the hiStory ofWhen people typically think

about a drama club, their minds

fill with images of dramatic kids,

strenuous rehearsals, and even High

School Musical. On the Loma

Linda Academy (LLA) campus, the

drama is not considered a club, but

rather is one of the many ministries

the high school has to offer. Its

beginnings involve a new pastor, eager

students, and new way to worship.

Pastor Jason Calvert came to LLA

in 2006 and was placed in charge of

the drama class. At that point in time,

the drama class would put on a few,

cliche skits and learned the reasonings

of having a drama ministry in a

church. Calvert was then approached

by a few of the kids in the class who

had a vision to revamp drama and

turn it into an exciting ministry.

He then sat down with the entire

drama class and they conjured up a

vision of a drama team that would

tackle the common problems the

students face. “We actually began

by sitting down and talking about

our lives,” Calvert said, “and we

let out all our fears, problems, joys

and anything we were comfortable

with sharing, myself included.”

As the students threw around the

topics they would like to cover in a

drama, a phrase kept coming forward.

Reality check. This notion of taking

a step back and re-evaluating what

one’s reality is to them was the vision

that the students wanted to put forth.

The phrase eventually became the

name of the new drama ministry.

Because it was still a class period,

Calvert had four days out of the

week to help the students produce

and refine skits to perform. They

wrote and produced everything they

performed. Not only would they

perform at school, but they would

go out to the local church and

other schools and perform there as

well. Calvert said that the majority

of their work was all done by the

students themselves. “They were

very hardworking and passionate

about it, which was why every

production was great,” Calvert said.

What completely revamped the

drama was the style of their skits.

Because they wanted the messages to

connect with the students emotions,

they had an edgier tone to their

plays. Calvert recalls doing a bunch

of powerful pantomimes to the

music of Skillet and Evanescence.

The new style grabbed people’s

attention and soon everyone

was always excited and looking

forward to Reality Check skits.

Aside from normal chapel

skits and pantomimes, in early

2000 Reality Check did a few large

productions. One was a five part

series about how the devil and

his minions interacted with the

human world. The actors would

take current events of that week

and incorporate them into the

skit. Another production was a

pantomime to the entire sound track

of the film Passion of the Christ.

They acted out every major part of

the movie corresponding with the

music, but without any lines at all.

The only line said was when Jesus

was hanging at the cross and the

play ended with “It is finished.”

The biggest production of

Reality Check was the 2009 play

called Mark. It was the entire book

of Mark acted out and every line

was taken from the scriptures. They

ended up selling out three shows.

Since the early 2000s, Reality

Check has become more localized to

the LLA campus, but has not lost its

drive to minister to the students. Its

members strive to be great storytellers.

This year, their motto is to tell stories

just like the Master Storyteller, in

hope to reach out to someone. Their

purpose has not changed and the

current students bring a fresh feel to

the ministry. With a student driven

background, who knows where future

LLA students will take it next.

Written by: Victoria Ico

24 25PFen “Shirley” Pan passed away on March 28, 2016, in a

car accident along Deer Park Rd. She and her six other

friends were heading towards the Pacific Union College

campus when they struck a boulder on the road. Pan

was ejected from the car and died from injuries. The

remaining passengers were taken to local hospitals to

be treated and later on released. A memorial service

was held on March 31 at PUC, with her father, Mr.

Pan, and her host family from Redlands, CA present.

It was also live-streamed to her mother and 14 year

old brother in Beijing. On behalf of Loma Linda

Academy, the Mirror expresses our deepest condolences

to her family in Beijing as well as her host family here

in America. We will miss our beloved 2014 graduate.

fen “Shirley” Pan

Information and photo courtesy of Pacific Union College.

26 27

BriefS Daniel Lara and Joshua Holtz,

creators of the recently popular “Dang Daniel”

meme donated their lifetime supply of Vans

shoes to the children at the Loma Linda

University Children’s Hospital. The supply

was given to them by Ellen DeGeneres after

inviting them on her talk show and Vans

supplies 100 more pairs after learning about

the generous visit planned by Lara and Holtz.

At school, on March 29, 2016,

the class of 2016 celebrated 2,016 hours of

high school left, adjusting the schedule to

accommodate to the events that occurred

during lunch, with food stands, games, and

fun carnival like activities for the seniors.

The Photography Club took

9 students on a trip to Zion National

Park in Springdale, Utah on March

4-6 2016 for the yearly weekend trip.

On March 30 and 31 Various Juniors

and Seniors went up to expierence God

at SECC Bible Camp Conference 2016

at Camp Cedar Falls in Angelus Oaks,

California. They had fun experience their

family groups, general sessions, praise

music and the drama and tech teams.

The gym gala on Sunday April 20, 2016, kicked

off funding for the new gym locker rooms and

installation of air conditioning, a project of $---.

The gala included a silent auction, food made

by Lori Holm and her culinary arts students,

and a hall of fame recognizing Coach Sue,

Coach Hall, former Coach --- and honoring

coach David Burishkin. The event raised $----.

26 27

SPRING

BREAK‘16

28 PB

L O M A L I N D A A C A D E M Y ’ S

R RT H E M I R R O R