Making it impossible to say no

Sara Cabrera, Writer/ Copy Editor

October 24, 2012

To ask Marlyn Leon, 12, to Homecoming, Alejandro Jaramillo, 12, waits with his friend, Eric Lopez, 11 ,on Thursday, October 18, 2012 at the quad. “I thought it was really funny because we used to call him Tarzan because he had long hair, it was kind of an inside joke,” Leon said, “I couldn’t believe he actually climbed a tree.”

Students have come up with a variety of ways to ask their crushes, boyfriends, or girlfriends to Homecoming, which will be held on Oct.27 at the Rio Hondo Country Club. Since the beginning of October, there has been a mass amount of balloons and flowers with crowds of people gathering around posters and signs looking to see what all the excitement is about and who is being asked. There have even been shirtless members of sports teams with the letters painted on their chests spelling out homecoming.

“I think this year people are getting more creative and [more] unique than ever in asking people to Homecoming,” Arianna Rodriguez, 11, said.

One specific moment that stood out to Rodriguez is when she saw Alejandro Jaramillo, 12, sitting in a tree next to someone in a big gorilla suit, holding a poster, asking Marlyn Rodriguez, 12, to Homecoming. She said that she found that to be very amusing and quite different.

“I thought it was really funny, because we call him Tarzan as a joke, since he use to have really long hair in the 8^th grade,” Rodriguez, 12, said. “It was like an insider. I couldn’t stop laughing and couldn’t believe he actually did that.”

Another way of asking, which was less extreme but just as heartfelt, was when senior Roberto Salazar decided to ask his girlfriend, senior cheerleader Melissa Garcia, to Homecoming after the Gahr vs. Downey game. They have been dating for almost four years, and while they were still on the field, Salazar had the entire football team call out Garcia’s name and hold up a poster that said “Melissa, Homecoming? – Robert, I love you” written on it.

“She had to have something nice, so I wanted to do it in front of everyone,” Roberto Salazar said. “I was so nervous and anxious thinking ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe that I am doing this in front of everyone’.”

Knowing how much his girlfriend Daisy Serrano loves pink and Hello Kitty, Seth Gonzalez made sure to decorate a poster asking Serrano to homecoming with plenty of her favorite colors and a girl Hello Kitty representing her and a male one representing him.

“I was really nervous and shaking afterwards,” Gonzalez said, “I had no idea whether she was going to say yes or no.”

This year, more girls are also starting to take control and ask their boyfriends or crushes to Homecoming, verses waiting for the boy to make the first move. Andrea Garcia, 12, asked her boyfriend Jorge Reyna, 10, after the football game vs. Gahr. Garcia had a last minute plan, but she needed to ask both her and Reyna’s coaches for permission to execute it. Once she got the okay from the coaches she had ASB make her signs and her friend pick up balloons. Towards the end of the game, Garcia went to see if Reyna’s mom would allow her to take his little sisters with her to ask him to Homecoming. At the end of the game, as he was coming towards the band to do the Alma Mater, she asked him in front of the crowd.

“To be honest, I was thinking, ‘This boy better say yes’,” Garcia said. “He already said that he did not want to go, so I am going to do it in front of a lot of people so that he can’t say no.”

Mollie Beemer, 11, is another cheerleader who decided to ask her boyfriend Royce Bullard to the dance. Beemer said it took her a week to figure out how she was going to ask him, but she finally came up with the idea of asking him at the Gahr game. She purchased five balloons with a letter on each one that spelled out his name.

She hid the balloons and the poster underneath a chair while he was watching the game and she was cheering. Between the first and second quarter she had five of her fellow cheerleaders each hold a balloon as she prepared to ask Royce the big question, but when she looked in the bleachers he was gone. Beemer had someone call his phone and found out that he was out buying nachos. Bullard was asked to come back right away because Mollie needed him, and when he did, he saw the balloons and heard all five cheerleaders yell out in unison, “Royce will you go to Homecoming with Mollie?” while Beemer held up her poster.

“I was pretty excited and happy,” Bullard said. “I was so surprised and not expecting that at all, especially, because I thought she was waiting for me to ask her, which I was planning to.”

With all the time, effort, and creativity that was put into asking their crushes, boyfriends, or girlfriends, October 27 will surely be a night to remember. Students continue to show that with a little bit of hard work, and some heart, they are able to make homecoming one of high school’s most memorable events.

About the Contributors

Sara Cabrera, Writer/ Copy Editor

Sara Cabrera, a current senior, is an optimistic writer for The Downey Legend. For Cabrera, journalism is not just a hobby or a class; it’s a passion and a future career. According to Cabrera, she started her sophomore year, yet to discover her writing talent. It was Mrs. Stratford, her sophomore English teacher, who recommended her to join The Downey Legend. “I was a bit intimidated about the whole thing at first,” Cabrera said. After some time to think and a few pushes from Mrs. Stratford, Cabrera made the decision to join. “It was the greatest choice I ever made,” Cabrera said. Cabrera not only dedicates most of her time to writing for the online newspaper, she also enjoys dancing at a very popular dance studio: Santa Fe Springs Performing Arts Center. Her dancing skills helped her make the Downey High School Dance team for the 2013-2014 school year. With motivation to major in journalism and minor in dance, her dream is to travel around the world for six months after she graduates from a college somewhere in the east coast. She also plans to get a part time job as an interpreter, because she is fluent in sign language. Cabrera’s goal this year as a writer is to make The Downey Legend more popular and known to the students at Downey High.

Monique Munoz, Co-Photo Editor

Soon to graduate from Downey High School, 17-year-old senior Monique Munoz is a photographer and the Co-Photo Editor for The Downey Legend. Although this is her first year shooting for The Legend, she has had a passion for photography since her sophomore year. “I always have a camera with me whether it is my Canon Rebel or my little carry around camera,” Munoz said. “I take pictures all of the time in random places, looking to capture unforgettable moments.” Her goal is to be the best photographer on The Downey Legend staff. Munoz is also a photographer for Downey’s High’s yearbook. Aside from taking pictures, she enjoys cooking, dancing, and watching basketball and football. One of her dreams for high school is to participate in the powder puff game. Munoz wants to obtain a minor in photography attending Cal State Long Beach, and she plans to finish her schooling at UCLA. Because of her love for children, her main desire is to major in the medical field and become a pediatrician. She decided this as her dream career because of how well she is with children due to constantly having to take care of her younger siblings. “I wouldn’t mind working as a photographer on my breaks and vacations from my career, because photographing is more of a passion then a job to me,” Munoz said. She also mentioned she wishes to travel the world to photograph portraits, candid and landscape photos. “No matter what it takes, I am determined to achieve all my goals and believe I am capable of accomplishing anything I want to,” Munoz said.

Amanda Lira, Photographer/Photo Editor

Among the returning members of The Downey Legend is Amanda Lira, who had personal motives to join the online newspaper. Lira who currently holds the position of Photo Editor was in junior high when she began to take an interest in photography and decided her dream was to work for a magazine. However, as time passed her gears began to shift toward medicine; but in spite of that, she never lost her passion for photography. “I joined ROP for sports medicine; my goal is to be in Skills USA this year,” Lira said. “I also decided to return to newspaper to meet new people and to feel like a part of something; we are like a little family.” Lira’s current dream is to attend San Francisco State and major in physical therapy. Aside from photography and medicine, Lira enjoys going to the beach with her cousin Lupe and watching Johnny Depp and Bradley Cooper movies. Lira’s aspirations have guided her decisions, from choosing to apply for newspaper, and taking ROP sports medicine. “I think it’s a big achievement¾becoming Photo Editor, and this year I plan on giving it everything,” Lira said. “It’s my senior year and the first step to getting where I want to be.”

Alexandra Menendez, Photographer

Returner Alexandra Menendez took up photography for The Downey Legend her junior year. Since the purchase of her first camera as a mere 6^th grader, photography has been a point of interest for the 17 year old; the school newspaper is just one on a long list of creative outlets she uses to express her photography skills. “I like having the ability to capture a memory before it’s gone forever.” Menendez says. Outside of campus, she refines her skills through photo-shoots with her friends and sister along the railroad tracks and otherwise simple backdrops. She plans on enrolling at San Francisco State and studying to be a professional photographer, but if all else fails, she aspires to at least be a qualified teacher. Currently, she is attending the ROP class Principles in Education to guide her into being the ideal photography instructor she aims to be. The soft-spoken Menendez lives her life to the fullest of its potential each and every day. She is a proud film enthusiast, lover of Asian cuisine, and self-proclaimed introvert – though she claims to enjoy wasting away the weekends with her friends. Nonetheless, rather than having a traditional quinceñera with the spotlight on her, Menendez chose to travel Europe alone. “I’ve always wanted to go, just to see new places I’d never seen before.” Menendez says. “I wanted something new. She still longs to travel the rest of the world – all the while, documenting her trips through a camera lens. A small girl, Menendez has big dreams ahead of herself.