Author Archives: The Brave News

Life Of A Brave: Armenian Wrestlers Become Bosco Brothers

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by Oscar Aranda

Bosco Brotherhood! A common feeling that both Armenian wrestlers, sophomore Grigor Cholakyan and freshman Niko Sahakian, have felt since arriving on the campus of St. John Bosco.

Sophomore Grigor Cholakyan (Photo by Jim Thrall/Mat Focus)

Both wrestlers are underclassmen here at St. John Bosco and are now both experiencing their first in-class studies after being online for the entirety of the past year. Niko and Grigor both agreed that the welcome they have felt at Bosco is like no other, especially compared to the school environment in Armenia.

“At this school, we have a special brotherhood that you may not always find at schools in Armenia. There’s no comparison,” said Grigor. 

These wrestlers also have big academic goals for themselves this year. Grigor and Niko made it clear that the most important thing to them was to maintain a 4.0 GPA status while winning a team and individual CIF-State title. They both realize that they will have to study hard to achieve these goals all while balancing their athletic careers. However, they are unfazed, as they are fueled with the desire to attend an American division-one college.

“I would like to attend a division-one college with a full-ride scholarship, and I don’t only plan to be just on the wrestling team, but I plan to be a starter all four years of my college career,” said Niko.

Freshman Niko Sahakian (Instagram)

These young men are not only just scholars in the classroom, but nationally acclaimed wrestlers. During the summer, Grigor went to the rigorous national tournament, Fargo Nationals, and placed fifth, which put him into the national rankings at number twelve. Niko also placed sixth at Fargo Nationals and was himself placed 25th in the nation as a freshman.

The wrestlers plan to be a great asset to the Bosco wrestling team this year at both the lower and heavier weights. Grigor mentioned that he was planning to go 126 or 132 pounds this season and Niko is set on 220 pounds. The Bosco wrestling team has always lacked heavier weights, and Niko came into our program understanding this.

“I saw the success Bosco wrestling has had throughout the years, but not much noise has been made up in the heavier weights, so I believe I can create my own legacy here,” said Niko 

Grigor attended St. John Bosco freshman year and has had one prior season with Bosco wrestling, but this was cut short due to COVID restrictions. Grigor explains that he was unsatisfied with the fact that he was unable to attend the CIF-State tournament along with other nationally acclaimed tournaments that come with a regular high school season. Though he was happy that the team was still able to participate in CIF-Duals and of course, beat Servite! 

Grigor plans to have plenty of success this upcoming season and plans to do this by putting in some extra work after practices. He talked about how he goes on runs and lifts on the weekends, which keeps him conditioned. He tends to run the hills in Hollywood with his close friends, who are also Armenian natives. 

“My move during a match would have to be my blast double. I get told that I have one of the slowest takedowns, yet I’m able to take anyone down at will,” said Grigor.

He knows his extra training will be seen when in competition because no one will be able to keep up with his conditioning. With a combination of his conditioning and his excellent wrestling skills, Grigor has the confidence that he will dominate his competition during the upcoming year. 

Niko also has high hopes for this upcoming season, but he did show some concern pertaining to a full season, because of the short season last year. Although he still believes he will have a great freshman showing. 

Niko enjoys watching wrestling matches on his off time and really studies different moves whenever he gets the chance. He also went on to say that he has found a new love for lifting and uses that as his extra training outside of daily practices. 

Niko has a different type of wrestling style that is heavily influenced by his Armenian culture. The normal style that is popular in many inside the United States is called “folkstyle,” but Niko’s specialty is Greco-Roman wrestling, which is only upper body.

Niko explained that he started wrestling because he went to one practice and got thrown on his head in Greco-Roman wrestling, and since then, he has loved it. Niko is known for his throwing ability during a match and it will only grow from here.

“I plan to widen my knowledge of wrestling and open up my arsenal a little bit more. I know coming into high school I will need to start doing more moves, so I plan to start shooting more,” said Niko

When asked to give a message to their fellow Brave Brothers who are thinking of joining the wrestling team, they both gave similar answers: it would be a life-changing experience that will teach you many lessons you wouldn’t expect from such an aggressive sport.

Sports: Bosco Football Dominant In Victory Over Alemany

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by Aeden Alexander, Sports Editor

The Bosco Braves cruise to an easy victory over top-ranked in-state power Alemany, as they continue their national title run while making headlines along the way.

St. John Bosco came off a hot first win over nationally ranked Miami Central in their previous game and looked to win another game against a top-ranked school in California. Bosco’s opponent this time was Alemany, who was ranked very highly and looked forward to putting on a show on the big stage.

Alemany was given the first opportunity to score, meanwhile Bosco’s defense was not slowing down. They were coming off a dominant performance in the previous game and continued to show Alemany how defense wins games and, ultimately, championships.

Bosco quickly gained possession of the football and sought to score and start the game with a bang. But that didn’t scare Alemany, as they were able to somewhat contain the Braves’ offense, limiting them to just a field goal in their first drive.

Bosco’s defense made quick work of Alemany’s offense and regained the ball with ease. The Braves’ offense was able to put together an impressive drive scoring their first rushing touchdown of the game, making their lead to start the game 10-0.

Alemany finally got the ball rolling on their next drive marching down the field. The run was working well, and in addition, their quarterback made some major completions. The drive finished off with them kicking a field goal for what would be their only points of the game.

The Braves’ offense quickly responded with an impressive drive that was capped with a long pass for about 45 yards to the end zone, advancing the score to 17-3.

With a demanding lead, Alemany needed to start finding ways to score, but Bosco’s defense proved too dominant, forcing them to return possession.

The Braves’ returned with an even more impressive drive than the last, showing off their abilities to both run and pass the ball. The audience watched as almost a 90-yard drive ended with an impressive receiving touchdown, putting the Brave’s up 24-3.

For the rest of the game, both teams were able to put impressive drives together, but none resulted in either team scoring. The two teams battled and both defenses shut down one another down the stretch.

But the damage had already been done, as the Braves’ moved their record to 2-0 with a final score of 24-3.

Bosco will host the San Gabriel Valley’s best, Bishop Amat, next Friday night at 7:00 PM at Panish Family Stadium, as they look to improve and show another dominant performance. Tickets can be purchased here.

Sports: Was this the Craziest NBA OFFSEASON in the past decade?

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by Jeremiah Davis

As the NBA season is getting ready to start back up, the offseason has brought about some major trades and signings that have had people on the edge of their seats waiting to see what team makes the next move.

Several NBA teams have benefited from the NBA offseason such as the Lakers, Heat and Bulls. The headliner of free agency came with the recent signing of L.A. native Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers.  

The team, however, lost some key pieces from their 2020 playoff run, with Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope being traded to the Washington Wizards and Alex Caruso signing with the Chicago Bulls.

With the Lakers’ first round exit in the previous year, the signing of Westbrook ultimately will help the Lakers reach the pinnacle of their true potential as they did in the 2020 season.  

The Miami Heat have also headlined the NBA offseason, as well. The Heat were able to trade away their six-year veteran point guard Goran Dragic for six-time NBA All-Star Kyle Lowry. Alongside that, the Heat were able to resign some key players which is a bonus to their team. Five-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler was able to re-sign a deal for four years and $184 million.  

On that same note, 2020 NBA All- Star Bam Adebayo has re-signed with the Heat for a five-year, $163 million deal that makes him one of the highest paid forwards in the league. They also re-signed three-point sniper Duncan Robinson for a five-year deal worth $90 million. These roster changes should put the Heat back in contention in the Eastern Conference. 

The Bulls have made a lot of noise within the NBA offseason and it is no surprise that they are fed up with their losing seasons. The Bulls front office has decided to build around their All-Star shooting guard in Zach Lavine. By doing this, they were able to make some beneficial signings. 

Point guard Lonzo Ball was one of the first to sign with the Bulls for the upcoming season signing a four year, $80 million contract, which some NBA fans say is well-deserved. Ball has made the strides necessary to prove his naysayers and doubters wrong.  

Another signing that raised eyebrows was shooting guard Alex Caruso to Chicago. Caruso was a fan favorite for the Lakers due to his athleticism and playmaking ability. Although the fans seemed to enjoy Caruso staying with the Lakers, the organization was not able to re-sign him due to the cap space within the team.  Therefore, Caruso was able to sign with the Bulls.  Caruso will bring great energy off their bench next season.  

The final piece for the Bulls roster this offseason is Compton, CA native Demar Derozan.  The hype behind Derozan’s signing was compelling to say the least.  He was rumored to be traded to many different teams, including the Lakers. 

In an interview with Shannon Sharpe on his show “Club Shay Shay,” Derozan said, “ You’d love to have the opportunity to play at home, especially if they want you, why not? I think it would work [between me, LeBron & AD]. We’re smart basketball players, and it’s all about coming together.” 

However, Derozan finally made his decision to leave the Spurs and sign a three year, $85,000,000 contract. It will be exciting to see how this NBA season will unfold with the way teams are stacking up, especially in the Western Conference. 

News/Op-Ed: Pfizer First Again, Vaccine Approved by the Food and Drug Administration Ahead of Bosco’s Vaccination Drive

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by Andrew Fierro, Managing Editor

As the COVID-19 Delta variant continues to surge, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine became FDA approved, which in turn has led to a rise in vaccinations as there is less hesitancy amongst the citizens.

Photo by Getty Images

On December 11th 2020, the Pfizer vaccine was authorized under “Emergency Use Authorization” (EUA) for individuals of the age 16 or older. Since this time, many people in the United States have chosen to get vaccinated, though a large number of people have waited as they are hesitant due to the absence of an FDA approval. However, this all changed on August 23rd, as the FDA have now fully approved the use of the vaccine.

The vaccine will now be advertised as Comirnaty, which is now the new full name of the vaccine. This comes from an agglomeration of the words “COVID-19 immunity.”

With the Delta variant becoming more and more prominent in the country, the FDA approval could not have come at a better time, as people who were hesitant are now feeling a lot more confident in the vaccine. Since the approval, the vaccination numbers have increased with more and more people continuing to become vaccinated everyday.

According to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey taken in June, a third of unvaccinated people said that they would be much more likely to receive the vaccination if it was FDA approved. With more people becoming vaccinated, the chances of a return normalcy in the U.S. are at an all-time high.

Since the approval of the vaccine, numbers for the vaccine have improved significantly, and many attribute that to the FDA approval. The amount of people receiving the vaccine per day has increased from 260,000 to 450,000 in the last month.

This increase in vaccinations comes at a dire time, as the Delta variant continues to surge, with vaccinations being the best way to defend against it. With these vaccinations, the amount of symptoms contracted by COVID-19 are significantly less and weakened, vastly outweighing any health risk for the average person.

Alongside the FDA approval, there has been continued support from many health officials and even political officials, including both former-President Trump and current-President Joe Biden, who were two of the first people to receive the vaccine publicly.

The vaccine is also available to children from ages twelve to 15 under EUA which has helped slow the spread of the virus immensely. With schools starting to re-open, safety is of utmost importance and having these children vaccinated makes it so the schools will not only be able to re-open but stay open.

If you are located in the Bellflower area, some local places that you can safely acquire the Pfizer vaccine are, Walgreens Co. 15740 Woodruff Ave, Bellflower, CA 90706-4018, Rite Aid 15924 Bellflower Boulevard, Bellflower, CA 90706-4602 and CVS Pharmacy, Inc. 11011 Alondra Boulevard, Norwalk, CA 90650. 

St. John Bosco High School will be also be providing both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for all students who are interested and have parental permission from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM in the gym this evening.

Life of A Brave: 21 Questions With First-Year Teacher And Bosco Alum Mr. Ruben Solorza

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by Eric Torres, Editor-in-Chief

St. John Bosco welcomes back alumnus Mr. Ruben Solorza, a 2012 CIF Champion in cross country and member of the class of 2013.

Q. Where are you from, and what schools did you go to for elementary/middle school?

A. I am from Whittier, California. I attended St. Bruno’s Elementary, in Whittier, from Kindergarten all the way to 8th grade. 

Q. Did you play any sports or do any extracurriculars in high school?

A. I tried out wrestling for one season (yikes), and then ran cross country and track for three years after that. I occasionally helped out with The Brave newspaper as well.

Q. What are some things you wish you could have done differently in high school, and why?

A. I wish I would have developed better study habits early on. This would have helped me perform better as well, but I guess that’s all part of growing up. 

Q. What was your favorite memory of high school?

A. My favorite high school memory was winning the 2012 State Championship for Cross Country with my team. It was an amazing experience.

Q. Are you currently involved in any clubs or sports here at St. John Bosco, and if so, which ones and why?

A. I am the assistant coach for Cross Country and track. I’m also looking forward to helping out in the garden (shoutout to Mr. Corkhill).

Q. Where did you go to college, when did you graduate, and what was your major?

A. I went to Whittier College and was a double major in Environmental Science and Psychology. I graduated in 2017.

Q. What was your favorite memory of college?

A. My favorite college memory was getting to compete at the national level for NCAA in cross country. I enjoyed traveling with the team to different cities. Also, studying abroad in Denmark with great people was a lot of fun.

Q. Were you involved in any organizations in college, and if so, what?

A. Aside from cross country and track I was a part of the sustainability club and the culture center. In the cultural center, we put on a lot of events for different cultures. The food was great too.

Q. What brought you back to St. John Bosco and what excites you the most about teaching here?

A. This place is a second home to me, and everyone here is like my family. Of course, there are rough days, but I always leave this place each day feeling good about myself and the day. I love that I get to teach what I am passionate about and feel very thankful for this opportunity. It is the perfect place for me to learn and improve in my teaching career.

Q. What subject do you teach, where have you taught before St. John Bosco, and how long have you been teaching?

A. I teach Environmental Science as well as the AP course. Before Bosco, I taught two years at the elementary level in the Los Angeles Unified School District. I have gone from helping kindergarten kids open milk cartons to well… still helping kids open milk cartons here at Bosco.

Q. Why teach environmental science, and how did you discover that this is what you wanted to do?

A. I love that it can be very hands on and engaging with fun labs and visuals. I also find it very relevant to our everyday lives. Growing up, my family loved the outdoors and we were always exploring the country. I have to thank my family for planting the seeds of interest there.

Q. What is your favorite part of being both a coach and a teacher, and why?

A. I love that I can really get to know the student body as a whole now. I feel I am a full member of this community again, and it’s exciting. I am still adjusting to being called “Mr. Solorza.” That will take some time.

Q. Do you enjoy traveling, and what is your favorite place that you have traveled to?

A. Absolutely! I am always always planning something. It is hard to say, but when I went to Hawaii for school in college, it was an amazing experience. We got to visit many great landmarks and stayed in a five-star hotel one night, which I will never forget. It also started my coffee addiction when we visited a coffee plantation.

Q. Where is one place you’ve never been to but want to go to, and why?

A. I have to pick two: Germany for the Berlin Marathon and for the history of the country, and Switzerland for the Alps! I have always wanted to go down one of those sleds on the mountains; it looks fun.

Q. What are some of your hobbies, and why do you enjoy doing them?

A. I love fishing and camping. I have been going with my family since I was very little. I also enjoy playing pickup sports games. I am always down for competition and often meetup with my alumni group for sports days.

Q. Do you enjoy sports, and if so, what are your favorite sports and sports teams?

A. I watch them all, but my favorite sports teams are the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Eagles, Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Lakers, USA men’s soccer and Bayern Munich. I also enjoy playing fantasy football.

Q. What types of music do you like, and who are some of your favorite music artists or bands?

A. I listen to a lot of different types thanks to my parents. Favorites would be The Beatles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Queen, Blink-182 and Sam Cooke. Basically, if you tell me to listen to something I am going to check it out and most likely enjoy it.

Q. What is your favorite food or restaurant?

A. I like anything barbecue. Also, my favorite post race meal was a classic burger, fries, and coke.

Q. What is your favorite holiday and why?

A. My favorite holiday is Christmas. I love when everything is decorated and Christmas music. I definitely will be decorating my classroom when the holidays come around.

Q. Do you have any pets, and if not, what pet would you like to have?

A. I have a dog and a turtle. The turtle just goes about his business every day and eats. However, I have always wanted a chameleon.

Q. What are your favorite movies and TV shows?

A. My favorite shows are The Office, Ted Lasso and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. My favorite movies are The Dark Knight, The Other Guys and Rudy.

Sports: The Braves Are Back With A Dominant Win Over Nationally Ranked Miami Central

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by Aeden Alexander, Sports Editor

In an East versus West coast battle, St. John Bosco cruised to an easy victory over Miami Central in a match-up of nationally ranked powers, winning 35-12.

Friday night lights are back in Bellflower, as this was Bosco’s first full capacity football game since the pandemic began. The atmosphere in Panish Family Stadium was at an all time high.

Not only did these two highly ranked teams match up, but both are big name high school football programs for Nike. Both teams are coming off successful seasons for their programs, as they both seek to continue making headlines. This is especially the case for the Braves, who are yet again a favorite to win the National Title.

To start the game captains from both teams met at the center of the field for the coin flip. Bosco started with an edge over their opponent, as they won the toss and chose to kickoff.

Right away the Braves showed how prepared they were by forcing a fumble off the kickoff, which they recovered around twenty yards away from the end zone. Starting quarterback for the game, junior Pierce Clarkson, quickly figured out Miami’s defensive plan and started off the drive by running the ball straight into the end zone for senior Jabari Bates’ first touchdown of the game. 

With an early lead, Miami Central’s offense came out looking to answer back with a score of their own. Although Bosco’s defense was too fast, too powerful and immediately showed Central that this game wasn’t going to be easy, forcing them to go three and out. Michigan State-commit senior Katin Houser came out the next drive at quarterback, looking to keep the ball rolling with another touchdown of his own.

The Braves continued to do what worked well the first time – play bully ball in the run game – leading to another Jabari Bates rushing touchdown. 

Central’s offense came back on the field and looked to just get something started on that side of the ball. But with the same result as the first drive, the Braves’ defense continued to show just how dominant they are, quickly forcing Central into another punt..

Pierce returned at quarterback, and the Braves started opening the playbook up through the air. Bosco’s offensive line did a stellar job the entire drive, quickly moving the team to the endzone where Pierce connected with Jahlil McClain for his first receiving touchdown of the game. The Braves jumped out to a 21-0 lead in just the first six minutes.

With it still being early in the game, it was far from over, but Central needed to make adjustment before things got ugly. Their next drive, things started to click. They started moving the ball around the field a bit better and picking up some first downs. However, too often, Central was still forced to punt, due to the Braves’ powerhouse of a defense.

The playing field leveled out a tad as the game wore on, but not by much.

The exclamation points on the night were Jabari Bates’ third touchdown of the game as well as a 55-yard receiving touchdown by Chedon James from the hands of Pierce Clarkson, which more than sealed the deal for the home team .

This week Bosco Football is back at Panish Family Stadium taking on Alemany High School, who lost their opening week match up on the road against Lone Peak. Tickets on sale here.

News/Op-Ed: All For Nothing? A Closer Look at America’s “Forever War” in Afghanistan

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by Nicholas Neoman

In the wake of American military withdrawal from Afghanistan and just hours after the American evacuation of Kabul, the Taliban, an Islamic extremist military organization, completely overtook the capital city and any fragment of democracy left in Afghanistan.

Photo by Defense One/Handout via REUTERS

After 20 years of fighting, four presidential administrations and over $2.26 trillion spent, Kabul has been restored back to being a terrorist stronghold. This crisis started with President Joe Biden ordering removal of American forces on July 8, 2021 as an extension of the Trump Administration’s plan for leaving Afghanistan. On Sunday, August 15, 2021, the Taliban officially took over Kabul, less than 24 hours after the United States troops officially left the city. The aftermath from these events have caused mass chaos and panic in both Afghanistan and the United States.

As the United States pulled out of Afghanistan, Afghans are attempting to flee the country by any and all means. The Hamid Karzai International Airport airport in Kabul has been the scene of mass chaos for the past week as citizens attempt to crowd onto leaving planes.  According to one report, over 600 civilians squeezed into a United States Air Force plane, while many others jumped on the outside of the vehicle trying to escape. Every citizen is desperate as they fear for their lives and freedom.

Women especially are suppressed under the new Taliban regime. Previously, women were making long overdue strides toward equality, and life for women was substantially freer under the previous rule. However, the Taliban has strictly enforced Islamic Sharia law, forcing women to wear a hijab and a burqa outside, as well as taking away many other rights.

The Taliban reports that girls are allowed to go to school and women can teach as they used to, but in reality a more sinister picture is being painted. Rather, in the past week, girls have been physically blocked from entering schools along with female teachers, forcing them to retreat back to domestic life. This is a severe reduction in rights, and American citizens of all political shades can agree that women had many more rights under American-led rule compared to the Taliban.

As for men, a different suppression has been enforced. Any adult man who speaks out against their new terrorist leaders will be shot and killed. Unlike the United States, there is no freedom of speech, no right to Habeas Corpus and no right to a trial by their peers. Instead, anyone who disagrees is murdered.

Because it is very difficult for women to leave their house, men have been forced into a role of being the absolute leader of their household. They must do nearly everything for their home because they can go out, which means more time subjected to the new government. Because they spend more time out working for the family, it is incredibly difficult for men not to rise up and speak out against the government. All in all, life for Afghans is extremely harsh as women have very little rights and men are subjected to death.

At home, a different kind of madness is ensuing. Now, political parties are arguing over where to pin the blame. Many Democrats today believe that the United States never should have been in Afghanistan and that the blame should lie at the feet of former Republican President Donald Trump, who initiated the pullout effort.

However, the Republicans have a completely different perspective on this issue. The current president is Joe Biden, and it was under his leadership that Afghanistan crumbled. Even though Donald Trump started this process, Republicans believe President Biden’s orders of immediate removal and the mismanagement of that removal led to the Taliban takeover.

As for the issue of starting the war nearly 20 years ago, both Republicans and Democrats agreed on fighting in Afghanistan at the time, so both parties are in theory to blame for these issues abroad.

Regardless, Afghanistan seems to be in a similar, if not worse, state as it was when American military occupation began. When President George W. Bush started the war in Afghanistan, it seemed to be the correct approach. However, in hindsight, many citizens wonder if those trillions of dollars could’ve been spent more wisely.

That money could have gone to benefit both political parties, instead of fighting a war. Homelessness, opioids and even more recently pandemic relief could have been viable alternatives for this money. Instead, Afghanistan remains as it originally was, a developing nation where rights are suppressed and terrorism reigns.

Life Of A Brave: Bosco Seniors Decide To Enjoy Their Ditch Day Days Before Their Final Goodbye

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by Omar Cerezo

There’s no greater opportunity than enjoying a day of rest after an eventful quarter, especially for all seniors in the month of May. Therefore, Bosco decided to grant Monday, May 17th as the official ditch day for all seniors to enjoy.

Senior Ditch Day – The Cord News

Exams, college applications, prom, graduation can sometimes be a bit too difficult for a senior to keep track of in their last year of highschool. Bosco doesn’t want their seniors to feel like they’re being overworked which is why they’re privileged with a senior ditch day to enjoy a nice day of relaxation with friends. 

Senior Joseph Ochoa has been at Bosco for 4 years and is very grateful that Bosco is giving him the day off to himself. Joseph says it’s a multi purpose day where some people are doing things and some people are not, but for Joseph he is going to rest and will attend a friends pool party and will also go for a workout to get a little sweat on. 

While enjoying a day at a pool party and working out may be nice, other seniors may find this moment to engage in activities that will benefit only themselves. Senior Andrew Vega says senior ditch day to be more like a normal day for him. Andrew is very thankful for Bosco to give him the day off.  Andrew says that he’ll spend his senior ditch day at home relaxing watching TV shows and movies and eating a good meal and playing video games.

Another great way of enjoying a day of relaxation is to reflect on how Bosco has helped each student over the past four years. Senior Don Le, who participates in Key Club, band and is also in the Biomedical pathway feels very excited to have a whole day of relief mainly because there has been so much that has happened this year. 

 “I’m honestly super excited to just have a whole day of relief where I can just forget about school and focus on myself and my time at Bosco,” says Don.

Don will make sure to spend his ditch day by indulging in his own self care by meditating and getting some rest so he can take a chance to breathe and not worry about school for a moment. Don is more than happy that Bosco gave him and the seniors the day off to themselves. 

Even as this school year has been extremely challenging for all seniors, they can be sure to enjoy at least a “semi-normal” experience with many events going on, including their own graduation this month. Many of them could have enjoyed their day off preparing for graduation, sending invites to friends or simply shopping for suit to wear on their final day at Bosco. Overall, the class is thankful to have been part of an experience where they could have a nice ceremony that other classes have enjoyed as well, making their ditch day a tradition to be kept.

Around Bosco: As Los Angeles County Enters The Yellow Tier, Bosco Prepares TO Return To Normality Next School Year

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by Joseph Theisen

As the percentage of the population that is vaccinated raises, COVID-19 restrictions fall, but what does this mean for Bosco students?

There are many changes for the better in the yellow-tier; music classes can now play wind instruments indoors and outdoors, theater classes are allowed to host indoor productions, high contact sports are now fully allowed indoors, and can have minimal spectators, and athletes no longer have to get weekly covid tests if previously required.

Mr. Adan Jaramillo, the Interim Principal, is excited to finally see a decline into what has been one of the most detrimental viruses.

“Moving into the yellow indicates that the county (L.A. County) is moving in the right direction to best mitigate the spread of the virus. The vaccinations have played a major role in how our county has been given less restrictions and been able to do more as a school” Mr. Jaramillo said.

If things continue on a downward trend, it is predicted that Los Angeles County will be in the green-tier by June. Foreseeing these factor, Bosco has decided to take action and create a plan that would benefit all students and take all precautions when coming back next school year.

“All activities and school operations will resume traditionally as we did before the pandemic. However we are challenged to look at how we operated and be innovative. 7 periods throughout the semester, white periods 1-7, blue 1-4, gold 5-7 with an X period. X periods will be community time, late start, or academic support” said Mr. Jaramillo, laying out the plans for the next school year.

In one of the strangest school years in recent history, the SJB staff and students have succeeded in the face of adversity. One of the factors that has allowed the school to prevail during times where everyone needs each other, being recognized by the people of administration.

“Our staff have been working so hard to be safe, be cautious, and provide the best education for all of our young men. Our teachers have rocked transitioning into COVID and coming back to campus. As a school our teachers shifted their entire paradigm of teaching and rocked it! As a Bosco Family we have gone through so many challenges, transitions, and changes. However, we are resilient and will continue to meet the moment. We are ready to bring all our brothers back to campus,” Mr. Jaramillo said.

But it’s not just business for the Interim principal, Mr. Jaramillo, as he is also excited to feel safe while socializing with his family and friends, and to see his two-year old make new friends at parks and other social settings. Bosco is a community that could never be separated and has proven to accommodate to in the most difficult of times. When coming back in the fall, students can be guaranteed to have a support program that they can lean on in their very own community.

Sports: Dustin May’s Elbow Injury Is A Microcosm Of Tommy John Surgery’s Grip On Young Athletes

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by Aeden Alexander

On May 4, 2021, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced that right handed starting pitcher Dustin May would have to undergo Tommy John Surgery on his right elbow. The injury will result in May missing the remainder of the 2021 season, part of the 2022 season and being unable to throw a baseball for almost an entire year.


However, it isn’t the first time a top pitcher has had to lose the rest of his season for Tommy John surgery. In recent years, the numbers of pitchers needing Tommy John surgery have gone up significantly for many obvious reasons.


As baseball has evolved over time, higher pitch speeds and different pitch types have been phased into the game. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, it was amazing to see a pitcher throwing low to mid ninety miles per hour on their pitches. But nowadays, pitchers are throwing fastballs up to one-hundred and three miles per hour with an arsenal of four to five different pitch types.


For Dustin May, many sports analytics predicted his elbow injury would happen due to the arm angle he has while pitching. The commonality of Tommy John surgery has trickled down to the high school level, where many athletes find themselves needing the surgery.

Current Bosco Baseball varsity player Niko Riera team has gone through the Tommy John process and has had first hand experience with what it’s like.


Niko underwent the surgery in early 2020 and with the season getting canceled due to COVID-19, he was somewhat lucky he did not have to deal with missing too much baseball. Niko did return to baseball this year and has gotten the opportunity to return to pitching.


“When I found out I had to get Tommy John it really sucked, because at the time we didn’t know baseball was going to get cancelled so I was just thinking how much I would miss and fall behind,” said Niko.


One of the main results of this surgery is the amount of time it takes to recover and get therapy. Once you get the surgery, you are in a sling and cannot throw a baseball or anything at all for six to eight full months. During those months, you are slowly getting stronger as you have to do physical therapy.

“The recovery process sucked, not being able to do really anything was a bummer, to me that was the worst part of it, because yeah losing my season sucks, but being in a sling and not doing anything with my right arm for months was terrible,” said Niko.


One of the very few benefits of getting the surgery is the chance that once you do rehab and come back, you might have even more velocity when pitching due to having so much physical therapy and working from the ground up with your throwing arm. But, this isn’t the same for everyone, as in some, Tommy John surgery results in them ending their careers because their arm wasn’t able to handle all the stress put on it.


“For me at least I came back way stronger, I lost a little bit of command but that will come back over time, my fastball seems to almost jump out my hand way more. Also having new throwing mechanics helps and makes me feel comfortable as it is a scary thought of re-injuring my elbow again,” said Niko.


Many players don’t bounce back from something like this, and for a fellow Brave like Niko to be able to come back and be dominant on the mound and on the field is something special and great for the St. John Bosco Baseball team.

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