Currently, he teaches three separate English courses: English 1, English Language and Composition AP, and Power and Justice.  The differences between their curriculum, as Mr. Evans explained, are the depth and speed in which the courses progress, and the complexity of the types of reading and writing.  Recently, however, Mr. Evans has been slowly integrating writing synthesis papers into all three of his classes.   The synthesis paper—drawing on three separate sources and combining them to establish a concurrent point—is already a large part of the English AP class curriculum; however, upcoming changes in standardized testing will require all students to demonstrate ability in this style of writing.

As a teacher of the aforementioned courses, Mr. Evans has 5 class periods, yet usually stays for the full day at school.  Though he agreed that each year requires putting in a great deal of time and effort into teaching, and providing additional help when necessary, Mr. Evans asserted that it is all worth it in the end; “one of the greatest things about teaching is seeing student growth and comparing students’ performances from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.”

Interestingly, this passionate, dedicated instructor did not always have an innate desire to go into the field of education.  In college, Mr. Evans tried out television and film production courses, but later decided that he wanted a more stable occupation.  He had always been strong in reading and writing; naturally, he chose to instruct in the English department.   Yet even before teaching, he had a slightly different educational career in mind.  Earning his teaching credential at Long Beach State, and his Master’s degree in education at Azusa Pacific University, he had initially intended to become an administrator.

Now, Mr. Evans is more than pleased that he ultimately chose to become a teacher; he sees himself “teaching here at West for perhaps another 20 years.”  As for other future plans, he admitted that that notion of someday publishing a book is a fun one.  For now, you can catch Mr. Evans in room 4201; perhaps in the future, students will be glimpsing his name on the cover of a best-seller.

Drumming since her freshman year, Yasaki’s initial interest in percussion was influenced by  her two older sisters, who had both been in Drumline before her.  Her previous experience in band and keyboarding contributed to her being chosen as captain, a position which entails “dedication, communication, a lot of practice, and respect for others to get respect in return,” according to Yasaki.

Such a leadership role is certainly not easy.  In her opinion, the most difficult aspect of being a part of Drumline is “the many hours that are put into practices and competitions.”  Due to the fact that many of the other Drumline members are enrolled in multiple honors and AP courses, “getting homework done easily on days where a practice is scheduled is very tough.”  Very tough indeed, seeing as the typical practice schedule is from 3 P.M. to 6 P.M. on Mondays, 6 P.M. to 9 P.M. on Wednesdays, and occasional weekend practices that can last as long as 8 hours!

With such long, rigorous hours, one may expect Yasaki to have virtually no free time.  However, she still finds time for frequent involvement at her Buddhist church, and Taiko, a Japanese form of drumming.  In addition, she takes part in winter Drumline, which is optional, which consists of much more work than fall season, and “definitely an extracurricular [Yasaki is] proud to be a part of.”  When she is not leading the West’s Drumline, volunteering at church or Taiko drumming, Yasaki can be found texting incessantly, playing games on her iPod, and spending time with friends.

Though in college, Yasaki “[does not] plan on joining any Drumline groups” and will “be focusing more on academics,” she loves Drumline.  Yasaki asserted fondly that in Drumline, “we have fun, have inside jokes, and definitely fight, but in the end, we’re all back on good terms. We act like a family.”

   Resolutions can be easy to break, simply due to weak willpower or loss of enthusiasm, with a documented 78% resolutions result in failure each year. However, with the right amount of determination and an accurate strategy for maintaining one’s goals, resolutions can be upheld. For example, students promise to change certain aspects of their lives for the approaching year. Popular ones amongst students include studying more, improving time management and volunteering more frequently. Some students were asked about their respective resolutions for 2012. Kyung Cho (11) stated, “I want to find my purpose in life, then I want to focus on the typical things such as getting better grades and leading a better lifestyle.” Inna Echual (11) also added, “I simply want to have more fun this year; I want to enjoy life.” Generally, when it comes to resolutions, people are interested in improving specific various things in their lives in order to better their lives as a whole, and Resolutions can be easily followed if one possesses a clear mindset.

   Along with students, adults also possess their individual declarations for the New Year. AP English Language teacher Mrs. Sprague commented, “Each year I promise myself I’m going to lose twenty pounds, but Valentine’s

Day comes around and I like those conversational hearts and chocolate treats.”

   Resolutions are generally for anyone and their range is endless. From lifestyle adjustments to financial changes like spending less and saving more, resolutions take many different forms. Some are spiritual and self-seeking while others are physical and health-related. Despite this, the important virtue is living a healthy, positive life, regardless of the resolutions we make each year. Start thinking of good ways to adhere to your respective resolutions and remember it’s never to late to make a change.

Along with these positions, she participates in Bollywood Dance that presents annual shows in Hollywood. Every weekend, Ganesh dedicates herself to rigorous practices and rehearsals in order to present a picture-perfect dance. Her dedication to dance presents a love for her ethnicity. Both dancing and tennis display Ganesh’s exuberant energy, both of which she has participated in since freshman year. The tennis team has been a second family for her, with each fall season occupied with hours of practices and games that can last late into the day. As senior year approached, Ganesh was appointed as a Tennis Co-Captain with Danica Hu (12). She was very excited to both lead and bond with the team.

With all of this on Ganesh’s mind, it is hard to imagine how she manages her time. With many activities that take up a lot of energy, she still is able to balance her schoolwork as well. Ganesh remarks, “I make sure I prioritize my activities and I write down everything I need to accomplish; even the small things, because we tend to forget a lot. Also, I never think of any of my activities as work. I make it a point to enjoy everything I do.” All the work and dedication she puts in is seen as things she thoroughly enjoys.

As Ganesh reflects on the past three years in high school, she remarks, “My years at West have been both long and short. On one hand, I can’t wait to graduate, become independent, and discover my future. However, looking back, it is hard to think those four years ago, I was a freshman, naive and unaware. But honestly, a little part of me wants to take my time during senior year. I want to experience everything, try something new, basically make memories that I can share long after high school.” Memories last a lifetime; and Ganesh makes it a point to enjoy everything now with the people around.

   Mr. Pesusich created P-Ville as a learning experiment that gradually incorporated the institutionalized lesson plans required by the school. By teaching the students in class discussions and group presentations, Mr. Pesusich has been able to teach history in an active and comprehensive way. “Dewey has said that education should take place through ‘doing’. But these days, students spend most of their time sitting passively in their seats while a teacher is up front, screaming and yelling at them, hoping they learn!” exclaimed Mr. Pesusich. In P-Ville, no one sits around “doing nothing.” Everybody has a job and a place, whether that is Computer Guy or Supreme Council Member. And, since grades are moderately affected by P-Ville Points, which are earned by doing jobs, everybody has to participate or risk failure. When asked what he loves about his job, he says, “Interacting with [students] …. Seeing them grow up gives me pleasure and the boost to do my work.” 

   Though there is no doubt that Mr. Pesusich is a good teacher, he adds an ominous note. Because of a recent turn of events, Mr. Pesusich is led to believe he may not be teaching the way he wants to or at all for as long as he wants.  Despite this, Mr. P believes in Socrates’ philosophy that, “I cannot teach anybody anything; I can only make them think.”

Teaching these core classes, it seems as if Ms. Jensen has no time for herself, but think again! As director and mezzosoprano singer of the Los Angeles Vocal Core Choir, she puts her best foot forward as this adult choir performs twice a year. Singing is not just a routine, but a life passion for Mrs. Jensen. Last year, she started a Faculty Choir at West High where the teachers and administration learned to sing songs for the annual Winter and Spring Concerts.

Ms. Jensen continuously smiles, as she is always inspired by her students’ dedication to music. She remarked, “Anyone can learn to sing, it just takes some people longer to learn how to do it.” It takes much patience and time for a choir to sound like one voice, which is Aristocracy’s main goal this year. First year Aristocracy member Mani Wullschleger (11) stated, “Mrs. Jensen is an amazing teacher… I actually like going to her class and singing! We have so much fun and even though it is difficult memorizing the music, I am still excited for our performances!

Even though Mrs. Jensen is busy managing her classes, grading papers and directing choirs, her 26 years prove how dedicated she is to her job. Music is much more than just singing, and her classes reflect different curriculums such as instruments and the theory behind music. Mrs. Jensen is a true inspiration to music to everyone at West.

Of the moment she was crowned at game, Horton stated that “it was wonderful to get to share that Friday night with [the Homecoming Princesses] Nina, Michelle, Sophie, and BJ because they are all such fabulous girls! I remember watching movies about high school homecomings when I was younger…The moment I heard my name announced as the winner was a truly surreal moment.”  Zhang, the main coordinator of this year’s Homecoming, simply “was honored that people appreciated the work that was put in [to the dance] and that everyone was having a good time”; in fact, he admits that up until the instant his name blared over the loudspeakers, he was more focused on the actual dance and making sure it was running smoothly.  With his “caring, kind, determined, and helpful personality,” Horton confidently explained that Zhang “is the main reason why the Homecoming dance was so successful” and she is “glad that he is getting recognition for all that he has done!”

Reminiscing on all her previous years in high school, Horton “never could have imagined being one of the top 15, let alone top 5 or even Homecoming Queen.”  Consequently, she confessed, “I honestly do not think it has even sunk in yet!”  Zhang specifically remembers his freshman year at homecoming, which “was very fun, though nerve-wracking because [he] liked [his] date a lot.”  Similar to Horton, Zhang explained that as he recalled seeing all of the previous Homecoming Kings’ coronations, that the thought of him one day following in their footsteps “never crossed [his] mind.”

As the tradition goes, once the king is crowned, he shares a dance with the queen.  Horton and Zhang happily danced to the well-known R&B song “With You” by Chris Brown, a moment which Horton described as “really enjoyable” and which compelled Zhang to describe as “awesome; I love Katie!”

On their overall experience at this year’s Homecoming, both Horton and Zhang resolutely asserted that it was “not even comparable to the other years.” In addition, Horton professed her graciousness by stating “I want to thank everyone for giving me this opportunity; you guys are indescribably wonderful!”  On his experience of being in charge of the whole dance, Zhang explained, “I enjoy having all the responsibility on me and I love being able to make an event that provides so many other people an opportunity to have a memorable time.” Clearly, the 2011 title of Homecoming King and Queen could not have been given to any two more deserving, hardworking, and humble West High warriors.

Lecturing about subjects that a teacher has never taught before is tough. When asked about how she feels towards working at West again, she stated, “It’s all different from what I taught before. All the classes are new for me this year and now I’m working with students, before I was working with teachers.” Even though Mrs. Sprague is new this year and getting used to class sizes and interacting with students since there have been several of changes in two years, she still manages to make students content. Priyanka Das (11), a student from her English AP class remarked, “Mrs. Sprague is doing well and I am learning how to improve my writing in her class. I am impressed on how well she teaches in English AP.” Mrs. Sprague also added on what she enjoys best about her lessons and work, “There are always surprises. A same lesson works for one class in a different way for another. It’s a dynamic process!” She enjoys the way the lectures rotate and students have different comments on the same points.

Students are not the only ones excited for Mrs. Sprague’s return. Fellow English teacher, Mr. Evans commented, “[Mrs. Sprague] brings a wealth of experience and skill to our school.  The expertise she gained over the last two years, studying curriculum and teaching other teachers, will be of great benefit to us.  I’m excited for the benefit students will receive from her – she’s an amazing teacher of writing”

Being an English teacher, it is difficult to have a favorite book; there was no shock when this was the hardest for her to answer. She laughed and commented, “My favorite book to read with students is Beloved by Toni Morrison, my favorite mystery series is by Maisie Dobbs, and my favorite writer is Aimee Bender; she writes short stories and novels but I love all of her stuff.” Of course these are only a few books and writers she likes. There are several more she can list off. Mrs. Sprague is a dedicated teacher; we are glad to have her back at West and wish her the best of luck.