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Amelia Newett Features Editor
Cece Melvin Features Editor
Many students are familar with the renowned taco truck , La Chonita , that ’ s parked on the corner of Civic Center and Sycamore , but how many know anything about the brilliant man who runs it ?
Let me introduce you all to the world of Juan , a delightful man who specializes in selling the best Mexican food in town , alongside his co-worker who does the majority of the cooking .
Juan bought the truck in 2006 and started his business immediately . He drove around , serving food to hundreds of people in Santa Ana , before
News October 2015
A Class Act : OCSA ’ s New Classes
The new year comes bearing not only a slew of new teachers , but also four new elective classes : Comparative Government and International Affairs with Stacy Leimkuhler , Medical Applications of Anatomy with Christopher Weitzel , Introduction to Computer Science with Jake Read , and the Art of Mathematics with Jeremy Hansuvadha .
These new classes are meant to provide students with real-world skills on a wide range of topics .
In Leimkuhler ’ s Comparative Government and International Affairs class , students are encouraged to look past the U . S . government and investigate different governments around the world , focusing on how they function , their strengths and weaknesses and which governments are actually able to sustain themselves .
The 11th-12th grade course appeals to students who are thinking about majoring in political science or history , and allows them to get a feel for what kind of content might be covered in those college courses .
Senior Sehee Park ( CV ) enjoys the class because it spends more time covering “ what ’ s happening now and what ’ s more relevant ” than general history classes .
The science elective , colloquially called Med App , uses knowledge learned in the prerequisite anatomy course and goes even more in-depth in order to give students a basic understanding of medical diagnoses .
Weitzel states that he hopes to teach students “ that health care professions vary greatly in how they operate ” and that each profession requires a certain personality type . In Weitzel ’ s words , success in the field of health care requires “ a great understanding and creative mind to achieve ,” but in the end “ can be a very rewarding career choice .”
Perhaps the most strikingly new class being offered this year is Read ’ s Intro to Computer Science class , which teaches students basic computer coding . The intention of
finally finding his place on Sycamore St . a year later .
Right away , OCSA students of all ages began ordering food from the taco truck because it is “ very convienent and their food is amazing ” as Junior Emi Meronk ( CM ) says . The truck provides an affordable after-school meal and a quick dinner before rehearsals .
Juan loves working the taco truck at this location , stating he “ appreciates having the opportunity to meet and learn more about all the OCSA students that come and go .”
For many students , the taco truck is the best place to go when staying after school for the class is to introduce students to a career field where workers are in high demand .
Read ’ s hope for his students is that “ the earlier you start [ coding ], the more [ they ] might be likely to do it in college .” With an understanding of and passion for coding , students will be able to enter the world with a highly marketable skill , taking advantage of the countless opportunites within the continually growing field of computer science .
The final new course , the Art of Math , focuses
long periods of time , because they can still get a wonderful meal without straying too far from the school premises .
Junior Megan Coughlin ( MT ), who stays after school because of her parents work schedule , also enjoys how easy it is to get dinner from La Chonita ,“ the taco truck is always a good time .”
When Juan was asked about his craziest experiences while working the taco truck , he recalls a few , but one story stands out among the rest . He told the story of a rebellious kid who tried to pay for his meal with a fake $ 100 bill .
“ It was a very scary situation for both of us ,”
on the real-life applications of math . It is open to students from all math backgrounds , providing a safe environment for students to learn about areas of math that are not typically taught in high school , such as game theory and topology .
Junior Maggie Hudson ( MT ) says that if you are a student who “ enjoys problem solving , group work and mostly a challenge , this is the class for you .”
Throughout the year , Hansuvadha plans to cover a vast array of topics . Students will
said Juan . The culprit ’ s identity remains a mystery , as Juan did not disclose whether or not an OCSA student was involved .
For future customers for students who have not yet been to the taco truck , Juan recommends an item off the menu , “ the barbacoa and carnitas , it ’ s be able to choose a particular area of interest to conduct their own projects and experiment with ways in which math is applicable to everyday situations in a college .
While each class may not be the right fit for everyone , there is praise to be heard for all of them . This year OCSA elective additions continue to provide students with classes that are very promising toward their future studies and creative paths .
Christopher Weitzel watches senior Alex Tomlinson ( CW ) work on a gel electrophoresis lab . Photo by Ryan Porter
The Life of Juan : The Taco Truck Man
definitely my favorite .”
While Juan works , he also likes listening to music , specifically smooth jazz ,
So , if you ever find yourself hungry for amazing Mexican cuisine , take a quick walk down Sycamore and try out some food from La Chonita ! Be sure to say “ hello ” to Juan .
Visit Juan at the Taco Truck . Photo by Ryan Porter