The School Newspaper of Downey High School

The Downey Legend
The School Newspaper of Downey High School

The Downey Legend
The School Newspaper of Downey High School

The Downey Legend
Clarissa Arceo

Clarissa Arceo, Photographer

New student from St. Pius, Clarissa Arceo, 12, is starting her first year as a photographer in Downey High School’s newspaper, The Downey Legend. Arceo has a passion for photojournalism and wants to pursue her dream as a photojournalist. Arceo has taken summer courses at her dream universities, USC and Stanford, to flourish her writing and picture taking skills. 

 

Arceo loves to help people in anyway she can, whether it’s doing favors, tutoring, or helping people obtain and achieve their goal. “I like helping people individually,” Aceo said. “Which is why I have also considered psychology and teaching.” Being in The Downey Legend makes her more available to the community to communicate and help people.

 

All content by Clarissa Arceo
04/23/2020: "I currently attend the Theater of Arts, a 2-year acting conservatory; I graduate this December. As far as music goes, I've been playing ever since I was little, [since] both sides of my family play have musicians. I play guitar, drums, and a little bit of piano. I've been in several bands in Downey and have been doing stand-up comedy since November. I usually perform at the comedy store in Hollywood, but I recently lost my job, [and] now all my classes are now online. I had to file for unemployment and sign up for food stamps to survive. I was supposed to move out into a brand new apartment in Hollywood but, because I lost my job, I couldn't afford it anymore and had to give it up. I think people need to stay positive: read, watch, and listen to positive material! Be with family, or FaceTime them if you aren't with them physically. Stay active, be informed, and stay home! At least that's what's helping me."

Struggling Artist Remains Positive Amidst The Coronavirus

Clarissa Arceo, Photographer
May 13, 2020
Instead of sleeping in or going out to work, Blanca Pacheco, Downey’s Mayor, volunteers her Saturday morning to be dunked in freezing cold water. “It’s so exciting but also so scary when you’re sitting up there because you never know when the ball will hit,” Mayor Pacheco said. “I’d gladly volunteer to come again next year and be dunked again, I think it’s amazing what these kids are doing- events like these are important to help spread awareness.”

Are You Up For The Challenge?

Andre Lucas and Clarissa Arceo
March 9, 2020
Helping the Girls’ Varsity Wrestling team place 1st in CIF captain, Stephanie Carrillo, 12, shares her experience throughout her final season on the team. “I’m proud of myself for having made it this far, I’m proud of how far our team has come,” Carrillo stated. “Most importantly, I’m proud of what our future wrestlers will be able to look up to.”

Girls Can Do It, Too

Clarissa Arceo, Photographer
March 5, 2020
The Make a Wish Club’s president and social media manager, and former marching band leader, Violet Becerra, 11, prepares to take on and learn more about a new form of music. “It’s a part of my culture that I am interested in learning more about,” Becerra said. “There’s more than one way to play music and I think it’s important for everyone to be exposed to that.”

Her first year at Downey High School, Samantha Magallon, 10, brims with excitement about the newest club at DHS, the Mariachi Club. “I’ve been playing the guitar for about three years already,” Magallon said. “I love playing it and joining the Mariachi club means that I get to be around people who share the same passion.”

[Photo] Downey High School’s New Mariachis Club

February 4, 2020
Band director and music teacher, Mr. Guerrero, takes on the responsibility of directing and creating Downey High’s newest addition to the music program, the Mariachi club. “Mr. Houts recently gave me the money to start buying instruments for the club,” Mr. Guerrero said. “ I’m really excited to take on this new role because not only I will benefit from the new journey but our students will be exposed to a new culture and form of music.”

Her first year at Downey High School, Samantha Magallon, 10, brims with excitement about the newest club at DHS, the Mariachi Club. “I’ve been playing the guitar for about three years already,” Magallon said. “I love playing it and joining the Mariachi club means that I get to be around people who share the same passion.”

Downey High School’s New Mariachis Club

Lukas Luna and Clarissa Arceo
February 4, 2020
In love with the art of poetry, senior, Nelson Mencos joins Mrs. Bean’s poetry class after taking Digital Art and Design last semester. “I had Mrs. Bean as my Sophomore English teacher and she helped me find my love for poetry,” Mencos said. “Think of poetry like music, you can like a song for its beauty or the way it was made, but the central emotions and overall meaning makes it all the much more enjoyable.”

As the semester comes to an end, senior, Helen Rosario says goodbye to her Sociology class and hello to her new spot in Musical Theatre. “I’ve always been into theatre and art,” Rosario stated. “It’s my senior year so I figured I should have some fun and take a class I genuinely would enjoy.”

[Photo] New Semester, New Elective

January 22, 2020
With a score of 17-10, Downey High wins the first ever Downey Unified Special Olympics Basketball Game versus Warren High on November 07, 2019. Downey High’s champions of the day celebrate their victory, taking group pictures to savor the moment and congratulating the Bears for their effort.

Downey Vs. Warren Special Olympics Basketball Game

Clarissa Arceo, Photographer
December 3, 2019

New Clubs On Campus

Clarissa Arceo and Brisa Rodriguez
December 1, 2019
The Ping Pong Club meets every Wednesday after school between the Girls’ and Boys’ locker rooms and invites every student at Downey High to join in on the fun. “We are hoping to get our own room, too,” Briseno stated. “We want to be able to open the club room during lunch so people can hang out and have fun, especially since it’s hard to stay after school sometimes.”

Hoping to start a tradition, Sophomores Nicolas Briseno and Sam Sarofeem, club founders, start the Ping Pong Club as a safe place for students of all grades to hang out, meet new people, and compete in friendly matches. “We’ve been friends for as long as I can remember,” Sarofeem said. “We hang out and play ping pong all the time so we figured it’d be really cool to befriend and compete with others at school.”

Inspired by the winning basketball game for the Special Olympics, Senior, Tobazje Lackey Kemp, also known as BJ Kemp by his friends, shares his experience winning against Warren with his team. “It was really fun, we practiced the day before the game for two hours,” Kemp said. “I realized that no matter what obstacles you face in your life, there’s nothing that should ever stop you from having fun.”

Host of the Special Olympics home game, Junior, Rachel Delpino, explains how excited she was to bring the winning game altogether. “It was an amazing experience, I’d definitely want to do it again,” Delpino said. “I was especially excited when I was able to get some of the girls who didn’t want to play basketball cheer with the cheerleaders!”

Downey High’s Cheer team joins together in rooting for the basketball team as they play their first Special Olympics game in Downey. Senior, Sierra Sepulveda, shares her experience working with other girls from the SPED program and how she was affected by it. “The whole team was so thrilled to be working with the girls in the event, it was the cutest thing ever,” Sepulveda stated. “It was a little hard to teach everyone at first but seeing the smiles on their faces after learning the cheers really warmed my heart.”

Host of the Special Olympics home game, Junior, Rachel Delpino, explains how excited she was to bring the winning game altogether. “It was an amazing experience, I’d definitely want to do it again,” Delpino said. “I was especially excited when I was able to get some of the girls who didn’t want to play basketball cheer with the cheerleaders!”

On his final march, conductor of Downey High’s marching band, Matthew Chavez, 12, euphorically leads the band to a night of high spirited clamor. “When I get up on the stand in front of everyone I feel myself disappear,” Chavez stated. “I live in the music and I never fail to receive an electrifying experience, each stronger than the one before.”

Seniors For the Win at Downey V. Warren

Clarissa Arceo, Leanna Bobadilla, and Vanessa Carrillo
November 15, 2019
Her first and final year as Downey High’s Commissioner of Viking Nation and Spirit, Senior Viany Campos, hypes up the crowd during Friday’s pep rally before the big game. “It’s honestly a bittersweet feeling,” Campos said. “I’m sad that it was my last time, but it was also the best game I’ve ever experienced; the energy was insane and everyone was so pumped!”

Performing her last cheers for Downey High, Jazmine Marabilla, 12, pumps up the crowd in a flower crown. “I’m really sad that it’s over,” Marabilla said. “But I’m also really proud of myself for doing this all four years of my high school and for being able to create so many memories with my girls.”

Preparing to be subbed into the game, Senior Jaden Allen is motivated by his coach to dominate the Bears’ defense. “My coach was telling me what to expect from the defense before sending me out,” Allen said. “I couldn’t wait to get back onto the field, I felt like nothing could stop me.”

Senior Varsity football player, Elijah Flores, pushes himself like never before, although being injured during his last high school football game versus Warren High. “I remember looking at the scoreboard; time is running out,” Flores said. “It’s going to suck now that it’s over, but I’m happy that I got to experience this on the field.”

Havana Nights

Clarissa Arceo, Photographer
November 6, 2019
Random citizen of Downey captured posing for the camera while dancing to the music performed by La Charanga Cubana with his wife.

Native Los Angeles Artist, Michelle Taylor, also known as Pinchi Michi, poses with her art pieces awaiting the guests of Havana Nights to pay a visit to her booth.

MonteroP2

Second and New Street’s rooftop celebration, Havana Nights, honors Cuban culture for the fifth year in a row on October 10, 2019. Located near the Studio Movie Grill theatre, Havana Nights brings people from all over Los Angeles together to join in celebrating the beloved culture through art, music, food, and dancing.

Essentially watching their daughter perform live with her dance group, Jasmine and Giovanni Gonzalez join in on the celebration for their first time. “We only came to watch our daughter perform with her group,” Giovanni said. “But the event took us by surprise; it has called people to get together and join in celebrating this culture where we all get to be ourselves no matter who we are.”

Facebook invite brings Dysis Holness, lover of Cuban music, to experience a slice of Cuban culture with friends that night. “It wasn’t what I expected it to be like at all,” Holness said. “The energy is high and welcoming enough to not feel like an outsider, and I think that it’s great that all these people can come and get along with one another and appreciate this beautiful culture.”

Dancing the night away, Annette Montero, third-year attendee, looks forward to this event every year in light of celebrating her culture with her family. “I love Havana Nights and I hope they continue celebrating Cuban culture for many years to come,” Montero said. “They do a perfect job at creating the best environment for everyone, Cuban or not.”

Staff Takes on Earthquake and Lockdown Drills

Jahzelle Ford and Clarissa Arceo
October 31, 2019
Guiding DHS students in bright orange vests during the earthquake drill, Senior Sports Medicine students, Alyssa Fetter, Jason Gov, and Carla Chafloque, aid in assessing the drills and emphasize the importance of preparing for similar situations. “Students need to be taking these drills seriously because they’re scary,” Chafloque said. “If there were to be an actual earthquake, people would most likely panic which is why we need to be prepared.”

In preparation for ‘the big one’, Downey High’s students join over 10.8 million participants all across the state in practicing safety habits and precautions during The Great California Shakeout Earthquake Drill on Thursday, October 17, 2019. Having prepared for this drill since their Junior year, the Senior Sports Medicine Team was charged with the responsibility to organize and lead student participation.

Taking part in the drill as injured students, freshmen Cassandra Beltran and Hector Roslaes, sit on the sidelines and observe the intense practice. “The drills are very intense and teachers were being strict on rules and making sure everyone was safe,” Beltran said. “We were originally supposed to be helping out, but by observing we were able to see how serious these drills should be taken.”

His last year at Downey High, Andrew Kim, 12, talks about Downey’s annual drills and how they have further prepared him for potential real-life situations. “It’s especially helpful that we had students in bright orange vests [during the earthquake drill] telling us what to do and where to go,” Kim said. “They give us clear instructions and I think it’s important to listen so that you know what to do in these types of situations.”

Formerly known as the LGBTQ+ Club, the Rainbow Alliance kicked off the school year on Club Day, with their booth, spreading the awareness of the alliance and what they hope to accomplish. “This isn’t just a club for LGBTQ+ people,” Jezzebel Rodriguez, 11, the club’s President, explains, “We are called an alliance because we want to include other people. History states that we didn’t get here by ourselves, it took help from friends, too.”

LGBTQ+ Club New Leaders

Jahzelle Ford, Brisa Rodriguez, and Clarissa Arceo
October 7, 2019
The Thirst Project Club is a student-oriented organization that not only fundraises money to provide water to those in need but educates those who do not know anything about situations like these happening all around the world. “Our purpose is to fill the jerry cans for these women and children so that they don’t have to,” Diana Balisco, 12, a member of the club (left), says, “There are pregnant women who lose their offspring just for the family they have at home, there are children- seven to eight years old who are harming themselves just to carry a big jug of water 6 kilometers home.”

Thirst Project

Clarissa Arceo, Photographer
September 25, 2019
Wendy Galvan, the club’s Educational Committee Leader, and team plan on giving presentations and educating the students of Downey High on their matter throughout the year- their plan is to gather some sponsors, representatives, and anyone else interested in order to get the word out there about the Thirst Project’s big fundraiser in March; the 3.75 mile Walk for Water. Galvan primarily works on educating people about water and its importance in everyone’s lives. “While carrying a Jerry Can, or a gallon or two of water on your back or head,” Galvan explains, “You get to experience the 3.75 miles women and children in countries all over the world walk every day of their lives.”

Last year, the Kiwin’s Club hosted their very own Walk for Water which was funded and supported by the Thirst Project; a national organization that serves to provide water for impoverished countries around the world. Members of Kiwin’s were so moved to learn about the women and children in these countries who travel with 45 gallons on their backs everyday that they decided to invest themselves in creating a club dedicated to this project and their motives.

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Clarissa Arceo