PAGE 3
News November 2016
Balls are Soarin ’, Flying
Avery Nueva Staff Writer
This is dodgeball , the epitome of OCSA sports . The first dodgeball tournament of the school year was held after school , Friday Oct . 14 in the DMS Quad . Students , teachers , and parents attended to cheer on the 16 teams competing in this year ’ s event .
Junior Alex Padilla ( PD ) kept the players and audience energized with his lively song choices , while the La Chonita taco truck provided savory snacks to teams and viewers .
The rules of OCSA dodgeball are simple . Teams can include anyone , regardless of grade or conservatory .
Mr . Dion , the coordinator of the event , explained that “ matches are three minutes each ( unless a team gets eliminated earlier )... the team with the most players on the court wins . If they are tied , there is a sudden death / untimed period until a player gets eliminated .”
This semester , teams comprised of students and some teachers vied for their team ’ s name to be engraved on the prized trophy . It came down to the Dodgefathers and the defending champions , the Nebraskin Armadillos , in the final game , with the Nebraskin Armadillos emerging victorious once again .
The all-junior team includes team captain David Pulido ( ACT ), Adrian Delcan ( FTV ), Matthew Morales ( IM ), Chris Villarino ( IM ), and three non-OCSA students . One of the most memorable moments in spectating senior Maddie Moore ’ s ( ACT ) mind is when the Baller Boyz , a team made up of all middle school boys , played their first
Junior Matthew Morales ( IM ) calculates his next shot . Photo by Crystal Uribe
game . Moore recalled the Baller Boyz were met with cheers of encouragement : “ The crowd rallied around them ... and they were so fun to watch !”
Junior Taylor Scott ( IA ), a player on team Snoop Doggy Dodge , thought the event would be a fun way to hang out with friends . “ I thought we did very well ! We had a goal of winning at least one game during the tournament , and we ended up winning two ,” said Scott .
When asked whether Scott and her team would compete in the spring , she replied , “ Definitely ! We are super excited to play again in the spring !”
Even though most OCSA students laugh at the mention of anything sports related , dodgeball is a unique opportunity for students to step outside of their comfort zone , and provides amusing Friday afternoon entertainment for all .
Flow It , Show It , Long As You Can Grow It
Junior Sarika Ramalingam ( MT ) chops her locks for a good cause . Photo by Crystal Uribe
Amelia Newett Features Editor
A light breeze blew through the long locks of eight students as they anxiously waited on the Symphony Hall steps to cut eight or more inches of their hair in OCSA ’ s biannual Hair Drive .
During the Hair Drive , professional hairdressers visited the campus and gave free haircuts to participants who signed up for the event . Their locks will be donated to Pantene Beautiful Lengths , an organization that uses hair donations to make wigs for women battling cancer .
One of the hairdressers was Karen Chacon of Shear Dynamics in Fountain Valley . She said the process was “ fun and enjoyable ” and only took “ probably about 20 minutes ” to cut and style each participant ’ s hair .
There were only four hairdressers working the event , leaving four participants , including eighth grader Mariana Vargas ( CCD ), to keenly wait on the side .
“ I ’ m a bit nervous ... I ’ ve never actually cut my hair more than three inches ,” Vargas said as she anticipated her haircut .
The Hair Drive is an amazing event that connects people with their community and provides an opportunity to impact others in a life-changing way .
Sophomore Austin Crawford ( CAH ) left the hair-cutting table giddy with excitement and a huge smile on his face . He didn ’ t regret chopping off his hair because he was supporting people like his “ neighbor [ who ] is getting chemo .”
Hair Drive is a part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and is meant to raise awareness for people fighting cancer .
To learn more , visit gotobeautifullengths . com .