When was the last time you were able to wear your full Halloween costume to school? Schools have quite ridiculous restrictions on the costumes that students can wear to school. Many of these limitations seem to encourage costumes to be incredibly different from the original reason for the celebration of Halloween.

Halloween was supposed an opportunity for one to be able to express their creativity through their own unique costume ideas. It is a day to show off your scariest costume and spook your fellow classmates. However, bans on things such as fake weapons and masks completely gut these ideas. An infamous serial killer such as Leatherface goes from a mysterious, cold-blooded killer with a bone-chilling mask and chainsaw to a random idiot wearing an apron, with no mask and no weapon.

Schools have even been banning aspects such as blood and gore, which reduces the fun even more. This makes scary costumes pretty much unviable in school.

All of this dishonors the dark origins of Halloween and the motive of the costume-wearing. This ancient tradition originated with a Celtic festival called Samhain, where people would light bonfires and wear scary costumes specifically to ward off monsters and ghosts.

The people who started this tradition originally intended it to be a fun, thrilling, but terrifying opportunity for people to dress up to scare off ghosts themselves. Regardless of this, the modern costumes are usually more positive and do not capture an eerie aspect like before.

These days, schools are going as far as to even advocating students wear lighter and more cheerful costumes, contrary to the traditional, scarier ones that most people are used to. They are being encouraged to dress up as stupid things such as ‘historical characters’ or food dishes.

This shows the drastic and absolutely ludicrous turnaround that Halloween has went through in many places. It has went from a time to show your creative and scary costume to a time where you can wear your favorite type of cabbage to school.

         It was my 5^th and last swimming lesson. My swimming coach had reminded me that since it was my last day as her student, I had to give it my best. I took a deep breath, and looked around. It was a warm day outside, but the water was freezing cold. After doing numerous drills and exercises, we came to the final part of the session. Today’s goal was to swim from one corner of the swimming pool to all the way to the other corner, and come back without taking a break. It was a huge distance I would have to cover, and I hadn’t done anything like it before. This is impossible, I thought, I’m basically a beginner, what is she thinking?

         Finally, I got ready at the wall of the pool. I took several deep breaths to prepare myself a little, and I thought of all the things she had taught me so far. My mind was a bit jumbled due to the temperature, and I shivered in the cold water, but I managed to shake it off. She started off with a countdown. “Three!” I just need to calm down, I can do this. “Two!” What had she said about how to get a good head start? “One!” Relax. “GO!” I pushed off the wall as hard as I could. I felt relieved, as I had gotten a decent leg kick off the wall, and started swimming free-style as hard as I could.

My swimming was messy at first, but at the half-way mark, I started to ease my muscles so that they wouldn’t be as tense. I developed a simple pattern. Three strokes. Breathe. Three strokes. Breathe. I continued this pattern until I reached the wall. I felt ok, but I had only hit the halfway mark. I immediately kicked off the wall, but I was worried. I had gotten a bad streamline (wall kick to boost speed), and after going barely halfway, I was already tired.

Even though I hit the half-way mark, I couldn’t keep my swimming consistent. I was running out of oxygen, and I needed to breathe more. I had to change my pattern before I messed up completely. Two strokes. Breathe. Two strokes. Breathe. I was starting to get exhausted, and I nearly gave up. Near the last seconds of my breath, I looked up and was surprised to see the wall so close. I mustered up all my strength and pushed one last time, my arms and my legs sore. I touched the wall by the tip of my fingers, and I burst up out of the water, gasping for air. My swimming coach smiled at me and told me good job. I was pretty proud of myself, for I had done it by the skin of my teeth, and I felt like I was about to pass out on the spot. But I was horrified at what she said next. “We still have about 10 minutes. I think you have time to do it two more times.”

These days, there are thousands of celebrities all around the world. Most have millions of fans who love them, and because of sponsors, all of the celebrities are incredibly rich. They have millions and even sometimes billions of dollars. Their wealth is clear, and many of them like to show it off in their outfits, houses, and vehicles. Many of them are incredibly arrogant and act wild, even on camera. One great example is Justin Bieber, who was rather infamous for his many clips of his foolish acts.

Most celebrities have not done something that is amazing or even just worthy of praise. Many have only gotten famous because of a song that suddenly went viral or simply because they were in a famous movie. Some examples of these people are Taylor Swift, who is a popular singer(mostly autotune), or Selena Gomez, who used to be the star of a few kids’ television shows. Furthermore, many other celebrities are cruel to their fans, and often become annoyed with them simply because they wanted an autograph or a picture with them. On the internet, there are countless videos of celebrities showing off their short temper and dirty mouths to their fans due to something minuscule. Some do not put work into what they do, and only do it for the money, not caring about the quality.

Even though there is an uncountable number of celebrities who are cruel to others and only desire money in their life, there is a reasonable amount of celebrities who actually care about the people who support them and put hard work into what they do. Celebrities like these actually deserve the massive amounts of money that they receive, as they try their hardest to impress others and entertain people. Not only that, many celebrities also donate humongous amounts of money to charity and foundations who help the sick and the poor. These celebrities are not simply working just to earn money from other people, and they actually care about others.

These days, thousands and thousands of celebrities exist, and they are prominent on many social media platforms. This gives them a lot of power in society, which makes many arrogant and cruel. Many have millions of people who love and support them, and they are all extremely rich. However, some celebrities do not deserve the money, and they are malicious to their fans and the people who support them. On the other hand, many celebrities do deserve the money, as they donate money to charity and work hard to please their fans and supporters. If more celebrities actually attempted to use their influence to help society, the world could probably be a much better place.

A fictional character I admire is Jin Mo-Ri , who is the main persona of the anime “God of Highschool”. The show covers the journey of an eleven year old boy, Jin Mo-Ri, who is an underdog that desires to become the ‘hokage’ (leader of a village). He has several characteristics that make him a worthy role model for people chasing a dream unimaginable by many others. First of all, he has extraordinary determination, and he will always persist, even in hopeless situations. This had led him to be able to do the “impossible”, and pull through many times. Another important quality he has is being able to chase his dream, no matter how foolish others believe it to be. He followed his goal until the very end and proved everyone that he could become the hokage. Everyone has dreams, but most people drop the journey due to others telling them that it is not possible or that it is too childish. Jin’s undying perseverance inspires many others that their dream is achievable, both inside and outside the show.

Another reason that Jin’s is a great role model is due to his energy and never dying spirit. He is always optimistic and never tells himself that he cannot accomplish a task. If he has an opportunity, he will seize it and do whatever he can to carry it out. Although his attitude is not perfect, it allows him to attain many new skills and he also is willing to change his attitude to make himself a better person. I also admired his mentor, Jiraiya. He played a huge role in Jin’s success, and he always supported him throughout his journey. He never told Jin that he could not execute a task or goal and was the perfect teacher to him. 

In the anime, you can watch his character development from beginning to end. At first, he is a loud-mouthed, boisterous boy who causes trouble and is hated by almost everyone in the town. However, later on, you get to see his change of heart and who he truly is, deeper than the first impression. Mental growth is a strong theme in the show, and this is proved through the many instances where Jin truly outdoes himself, and surprises many people, including himself. Even if he is a bit ignorant at times, he tries his hardest to learn what he is not good at or does not know. He is also very humble and down to earth. He never brags about his strength or power, and his story is truly of one of rags to riches. Nobody respected him and everyone ridiculed him, but in the end, people began to look up to him and admire him.

Test taking is often one of the most stressful areas of school for many students around the globe. Especially in junior high and high schools, more people are pressured by their parents to do ‘perfect’. However, for ten year old me, school was a breeze, and homework and exams could not be going better. While many others were struggling with their work and unable to achieve their dream scores, I was able to easily get 100’s on almost every test. As I was in elementary school at the time, I had no idea what was in store for me in junior high.

I had been nervous for the first days of school, thinking that school would be much more tiresome. However for the first few days, everything was going smoothly. There was absolutely no trouble with any of the homework and the amount of study I had to do was similar to the previous year. This relaxed me, and I smiled to myself, thinking it would be the easiest year of school of my life. The first quiz rolled in, and I was able to breeze right through it for the first 100 of the year. After proudly showing my parents the grade, I skipped back to my room, content with the amount of free time I still had. I thought to myself, ‘Wow, this is a lot easier than I thought! I can probably get through all my classes with minimal study and still get straight A’s!’ Unfortunately for me, I was being very naive.

A few more quizzes came in the next week, and surprisingly, the tests were still quite easy. I had done a bit of studying and reviewing back at home, and this was obviously more than enough to compensate for the difficulty of the tests. This raised my confidence even more, and I decided that the next time, I would try studying even less. This was the worst decision I made the entire year.

The next week, a few of the teachers announced that the harder units were now going to start, since the students were most likely settled into the study type by then. This faltered my confidence in the undemanding style of test taking, but referencing back to the previous exams, I reassured myself that it would still be easy.

The moment that I read the first few questions on the test, I immediately thought to myself, ‘I’m screwed.’ Half the terms I did not recognize at all, and the other ones were still very vague in my memory. My own confidence had led me to believe that no studying or reviewing was required, and I also had listened with minimal effort during class. Panicking, I took much longer on the test than usual, and ended up turning it in with a groan.

Fortunately for me, the test only required a bit of common sense, and I was able to pass with an A-. As naive as I was, I did not learn my lesson from this. This was not even close to the hardest test, and as I took more and more tests, I could see my grades slowly but surely declining. Finally, I decided that it was enough, and actually started studying and reviewing all the pieces of work relentlessly. The next quiz, I scored the first 100 in a while.

After that week, I realized that I was being slightly egotistical in thinking that I would be able to get perfect scores on every exam without even trying. Most importantly, I grew out of the ‘elementary’ style of working and started to mature in how I treated schoolwork, which gave me a lot more satisfaction when gaining a high grade.

After releasing in 2016 and becoming Game of the Year, Overwatch has since accumulated millions of players and has made an even greater name for itself in gaming culture. Thanks to Blizzard, the creators of Overwatch, the game has sustained itself through the constant updates, seasonal events, and new characters. Even after all these years, it still provides a fantastic gaming experience and sets a great example for other games with its diversity of characters and stories.

Overwatch is a first-person shooter that revolves around 27 heroes, with 4 different classes to choose from. Due to its variety of characters having different appearances, different personalities, and coming from different places, the game is sure to have someone perfect for everyone. Each character offers something unique, both in terms of actual identity/background and game-play. Although you might be hesitant of trying new heroes, you could actually find them enjoyable to play.

After investing hundreds, or even thousands, of hours into the game, it still offers moments of absolute joy. Clutching up, making a great play, and finishing the game single-handedly gives you a giddiness like no other. The game is also extremely accessible, which means that you and your group of friends can still enjoy a game together, even if your experience levels are differ greatly. Even if you have played for years, the game’s staggering cast of heroes with different, intricate mechanics will make sure you are always learning something new.

Game not looking so good? If you’re having trouble with the enemy lineup and they seem to be constantly steamrolling you, you can swap characters whenever you like. Seem to be dying too fast? Pick a tank and laugh at your enemies attempting to take you down. Team dying too fast? Pick a healer. It’s a dull and unappreciated role, but becoming the selfless giver and sustaining the team makes you a crucial part of the team. Just bored of playing a hero? Simply walk back into base and switch, giving you the great feeling of playing something fresh.

All of this is further supported by Overwatch’s actual feel and game-play. Every time you fire a bullet, rocket, hook, or laser and it lands on the enemy, it connects with a satisfying impact and sound effect. Hitting a head-shot plays a dink sound and gives you a satisfying feeling. Hitting multiple in a row will give you the delight of watching your opponent’s health deplete and hearing the cheers and encouragement of your fellow teammates. Even just healing your teammates and hearing their thanks could make the game worthwhile.

League of Legends is one of the first multiplayer online battle arena games to come out, and it has been widely successful since. Even almost 10 years later, it still holds as an example of what a great MOBA game is. It has an amazing variety of champions (almost 150) and each and every one has their own unique lore, backstory, quotes, and special abilities. Game-play-wise, it has an extremely fast paced, tension packed feel where everyone on the team must contribute to win the game. Not only that, it is completely free, and the only money you can spend on it is to buy skins (cosmetics) for your characters to support the developers; however, these do not affect the actual game-play. You can buy champions/characters with real money, but it is still very possible to not pay any money and play competitively. It is played in a traditional 5 vs 5 style, so if you want to grab some friends and play, it will make it a lot more fun and immersive.

The game is played on a huge map called Summoner’s Rift. The map has many brushes, rivers, jungle areas, and lanes to fight and skirmish with other players. Each different area has a different environment and objects which you can use to your advantage. This adds an element of surprise and strategy to the game.

Each character is full of personality and interesting powersets. They feel like they are real and often shout out one of their unique quotes or battle cries, which greatly adds to the immersive aspect of the game. All champions have a passive effect and 4 other abilities, all of which are completely different. These passive effects can give them a quick edge over their opponents, and their flashy abilities can turn huge fights easily and make the characters memorable. From simple slows to enormous nukes that shake the map, every ability has their own use, whether it is for a small cause or it is game-changing. Aiming precise skillshots to destroy your enemy while dodging all of theirs is another one of League of Legends’ many thrills – the best players in the world are known for being able to dodge numerous skillshots at once.

Ingame, in the shop, there are hundreds and hundreds of items that your champion can purchase to enhance their fighting abilities. These come in all shapes and sizes and all give different stats and unique passives. Each character has an infinite amount of different builds and play styles that you can associate with it.

All in all, League of Legends is a popular game due to its free-to-play structure and competitive, intense game-play. It has lasted for almost 10 years and is now the most played game in the world. The community is immense, and having a friend join you in some games can amplify the fun even further.

Unlike some others, I may not have a variety of hobbies and pastimes. However, like everyone else, I do have some special interests. For example, in my spare time, I enjoy playing video games such as League of Legends and Overwatch, especially with my friends, as it makes it much more entertaining and engaging. I play casually most of the time, although there are times when I can get competitive, which happens typically against my friends or simply with people I know. I also enjoy reading comics from Marvel and have followed the entire story in the cinematic universe. I mainly have a liking for the Avengers series, owing to the fact that I love crossovers between memorable characters. The DC Comics are also very entertaining, but at times, it gets quite dark and depressing.

As for music, I usually listen to a variety of genres, and I am open to many types. I notably like pop and some hip hop, although I may listen to some rap if I think it is worthwhile. I virtually always listen to lo-fi while studying or doing homework, since it is calm and helps me concentrate. I rarely listen to country or hard metal music, as country does not fit me very well and metal can be exhausting to listen to.

Regarding sports, I am not currently participating in any at the moment, but I hope to be able to soon enough. I used to play basketball on and off mostly casually, but it began to get too competitive due to the abundance of hardcore basketball players in the school. I am interested in tennis and would like to start soon, but the sweltering heat and thirsty mosquitoes are discouraging me at the moment.

My parents had given me the unique name of Edward in an expectation that I would stand out and in wishes that I would live up to its meaning. Throughout my life, I hope to live up to the meaning of my name. I wish to become someone who has fortune, who is prosperous, and someone who shows kindness and generosity to others. Even though I do not have many hobbies, I still have a few special interests and things I enjoy doing, such as video games, reading comics, and listening to music. I hope to get through this year with strong academic grades while still maintaining a healthy social life. I know it may be difficult to balance, but I trust that I will be able to do so.

Since it is my first year of high school and it is only my fourth week, I still have little experience and may not know everything that is good or bad about it. However, there are still some factors of school I enjoy and dislike. The long passing period (9 minutes) feels great and I have no need to worry about whether I will get to class on time. At times, I feel that many of those 9 minutes are wasted, but it is better than being tardy. I also enjoy the freedom that we have during lunch and brunch. While attending middle school, eating was restricted to lunch tables, and those were usually occupied. However, my friends and I can now sit wherever we would like, which means less cramped spaces and less squeezing one more person into a seat. The quality of the food is also substantially better than middle school, and there are a multitude of lunches to choose from. The only parts of school that I personally dislike are the long lunch lines that take years to get through and the size of the school, since it is especially easy to get lost compared to middle school. The bathrooms are also quite disgusting at times, as there is dirt, grime, and urine all over the floor. There is also a rancid smell near some of the stalls, which is unpleasant and repels me from using them.
As for my classes, I am more or less satisfied with all my teachers. They all have had a good first impression on me and do not seem too strict. However, some of the subjects themselves are either dull or challenging; maybe even both. For example, Algebra II/Trigonometry is rather painful at times, and I have heard it becomes much worse in the second semester. It is a class where one has to be especially careful with mistakes or something could go wrong and one’s grade could be affected. Biology also seems quite difficult, as I am not the best at memorizing (which is what it revolves around). Even though the teacher is great, the tests are still confusing at times and the homework can be frustrating. Nevertheless, it is likely to be my favorite class, as the teacher is encouraging and the labs and experiments seem fascinating.

Hi, my name is Edward Kim! I am 14 years old, and I am currently a freshman at Diamond Bar High School. I enjoy playing video games such as League of Legends and Rust and hanging out with my friends. I am taking Biology Honors, Kinesiology, Algebra II/Trig, Journalism I (obviously), English I Honors, and Spanish I.

I joined journalism for many reasons, but there are a few primary ones that led me to take the class. It will improve my writing skills drastically, as it is a second writing class, and also help me to write blogs/newspapers/articles correctly. I believe that my writing is decent, but this class will most definitely help me in other areas of writing, such as blogs/articles. I was also interested in the way that news and information can spread so rapidly across a city, state, or even a country. Think about a time that you have heard a rumor in school. Where did that rumor start from? How did it spread so fast? I am especially curious as to how factors such as social media play into this.

I have a few expectations for this class. I hope that I will be able to learn how to professionally write an article and become better at interviewing and talking to others openly. At the moment, I am not the best at talking to strangers, but I believe that this class will assist me in improving in those kinds of areas.

So far, the class is more slow-paced than others. However, it is interesting and I have hope that it will pick up soon. We have discussed some intriguing topics and I expect to hear some more in the future. I also would love to have the opportunity to write for the school newspaper, The Bullseye, as it seems like a great chance to join a fun community and get better at writing. This class will also help later in the future with speaking and social skills, as I must interview and get used to talking to new people. Overall, I believe that the class will provide great training and will be enjoyable.