by Mark Lutke

With AP exams and finals approaching, St. John Bosco students may feel stressed or unprepared, but by staying calm and using these well-known study tips, anyone can be prepared to ace all of their tests.

10. Study for tests weeks in advance and avoid cramming.

This is the only way to truly feel comfortable when preparing for any exam. Allotting even just ten minutes a night to review study materials and starting a week or two before a test can be extremely beneficial. Longer review sessions can still be helpful in the days leading up to an exam, but don’t overload yourself because it will more than likely harm your final score.

9. Use flash cards.

As cliché as it sounds, using flashcards whether they be paper-made or digital is undeniably beneficial for many students, especially those studying for exams that involve vocabulary, true or false and multiple-choice questions. Flashcards are most useful in shorter study sessions or as a warmup for longer review.

Some teachers may also allow students to write a select amount of notes on a flashcard of a given size before a test. While reminders can be helpful, it is best not to rely on outside information, except necessary formulas for math or science courses, and instead feel comfortable enough in the content to only require sparse hints or none at all.

8. Study during free time, like at break and lunch or in classes where you might have downtime.

Studying alone or with a group of friends is a productive way to use free time in the upcoming weeks at break, lunch or during Academic Support. Although extracurriculars may clog many students’ after school schedules, there are many opportunities throughout the school day to squeeze in a bit of review.

7. Study where it’s comfortable and quiet.

If you find the sounds of everyday life to be noisy and distracting at times, you may want to study in a secluded or quiet place. Removing distractions is a necessary part of this because technology will overstimulate the brain and make focusing more difficult. For those who do not have access to a quiet or secluded area, it is recommended to study in Bosco’s Learning Commons or a teacher’s classroom.

6. Practice breathing techniques to help center and calm yourself.

Breathing techniques can help you clear your mind and deeply focus on whatever it is you need to do, including studying for finals. Inhaling through your nose for four seconds, holding your breath for seven seconds and exhaling for eight seconds has been shown to be an effective method. By exhaling for longer periods than you inhale, you are telling your body and mind to relax but also stay alert. This calm and collected mindset is one that is perfect for test taking.

5. Teach the material to others.

Teaching others what you have learned proves to be one of the best ways to truly master content. Along with summarizing what you have learned, teaching others can also help foster a positive mindset. This is because sometimes it is easy to forget that what we learn in school isn’t always common knowledge to others. By giving mock-lectures and talking about course material, one may surprise themselves with how much they actually know. This method can also serve as a much needed break from writing and reading during longer study sessions.

4. Maintain healthy lifestyle by focusing on diet and exercise.

Many people forget that it is hard for your brain to function if your body is lagging behind. When we exercise and eat healthy, blood flow increases in the brain, which improves mental capacity and learning ability. This can be especially helpful for one’s test taking ability. By maintaining an exercise schedule or healthy diet, one can ensure that their brain is firing on all cylinders come test day.

3. Join a study group or start one.

Joining or starting a study group can be a great way to review course content while still being social. It is best to not study with people you are good friends with, but instead with new people or acquaintances. While studying with friends can work for some, many may find themselves becoming distracted and getting sidetracked. Study groups can be especially helpful because you can both learn from and teach to others. While you might take a test alone, studying doesn’t have to be the same.

2. Pay more attention in class.

Many teachers will review material and recap old lectures in the coming weeks. Taking advantage of anything that can help you study includes applying yourself while in the classroom. While it might not be what some want to hear, paying attention in class is crucial to success academically all the time, not just during finals.

1. Most importantly, get eight to ten hours of sleep a night.

Many students often find themselves with distorted sleep schedules due to extracurriculars and homework. But toward the end of the school year, both of these tend to cool down significantly. Take advantage of the extra time and fix your sleep schedule. Go to bed earlier and try to get 8-10 hours of sleep a night in order to be at your best for finals week. Many don’t realize that sleep deprivation is actively harming them and making their lives significantly harder. People who do not get sufficient sleep will have impaired decision-making skills, which could be detrimental for students in need of a grade-boost.

By Christian Angel, Managing Editor

After defeating the Central Catholic Rams last week in Eugene, Oregon, the St. John Bosco Braves face another out-of-state opponent, the Kahuku High School Red Raiders, as the Braves continue their national championship quest in their first home game of the season at Panish Family Stadium Saturday night.

Head Coach Jason Negro and Bosco Football secured a big win against the number one team in Oregon, the Central Catholic High School Rams, in a huge 49-0 blowout. They now look ahead to the 2021 Hawaiian Open Division Champion in the Red Raiders, who are ranked 34 in the nation by MaxPreps and are the second strongest football team in Hawaii.

Bosco continues their show-stopping national tour, looking to earn another win against the Aloha State’s best at home.

Kahuku will attempt to knock the Braves from the their throne as the consensus number one high school football team in the nation, as the Braves are currently undefeated in the opening three weeks, defeating Allen 52-14 in week one, defeating Bishop Amat 42-7 in week two and a statement performance defeating Central Catholic 49-0 last Friday.

Some Bosco teachers, Ms. Edna Ramirez and Ms. Patty Martinez, joined the team in Oregon to support the Braves throughout the whole trip leading up the game.  

“It was an absolutely amazing experience watching my boys in their element. Seeing their hard work on display and their hunger for competition allowed me to connect to them on a different level,” Ms. Martinez said.

The Braves now shift focuses offensively and defensively to take on the Red Raiders, who come into this game with an undefeated 4-0 record.

Offensively, in their past game against Central Catholic, the Braves were led by quarterback Pierce Clarkson, who went 9-9 for 183 yards and 2 passing touchdowns. He was then replaced by junior quarterback Caleb Sanchez midway through the 2nd quarter after it was made clear the game had completely swung in favor of the Braves.

Bosco’s offense also received some major help from senior wide receiver DeAndre Moore, who had four catches for 68 yards and two touchdowns, senior wide receiver Jahlil McClain, who had three catches for 95 yards, and running back Chauncey Slyvester, who had two carries for 84 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, they shut down and shut out a Rams offense who could only muster up 64 total yards against the Braves. The Braves pass rush got to the Rams quarterbacks, sacking them eight times, with senior Vaka Hansen recording three sacks and Matayo Uiagalelei recording one.

Tomorrow night’s game will give Brave fans their first glimpse at Panish Family Stadium into the all encompassing might of the number one Braves, as they look to represent their community as well as the entire Trinity League for the third annual Trinity League vs. The USA Showcase. With both teams pride on the line, fans are due for a huge mainland clash. Kickoff starts at 7:00 pm, and for those who cannot make it to the game, it is available to watch via Bally Sports.

by Dominic Ramirez

The season of Lent is an important time to self-reflect and to discover how each person can better prepare their heart for the coming of Jesus, not just by giving something up, but by giving back as well.

5. Adopting from an animal shelter

adoptapet.com is a nonprofit website someone can use to find local animal shelters near them. Their website can be used to find local shelters with the specific breed, age, and species of pet they are looking for. Their site also has resources for those who want to volunteer or donate. 

Adopting an animal from a shelter is more beneficial than buying one from a pet store as a lot of the animals in shelters were picked up from off the streets or left by people who couldn’t take care of them anymore. When someone adopts from a shelter they are giving those animals a second chance at finding a home.

4. Checking up on friends

Something easy one can do is to make sure their friends are alright. A lot of people struggle with their mental health, but having good friends for support makes a world of a difference. It could be as simple as checking in on how their friends are feeling or reminding them that they are there for them, little acts of kindness can go a long way. As it is written in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “So continue encouraging each other and building each other up, just like you are doing already.”

3. Helping out the church

Getting involved with one’s local church is a great way to serve God during Lent. Someone interested can speak to a priest or church official about becoming a lector, usher or altar server for their local parish. Helping out with mass is a great way to help out one’s community while also growing closer to god.

St Dominic Savio church will be holding confessions this Saturday from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m.

2. Volunteering

The Surfrider Foundation is a nonprofit organization that focuses on ocean conservation. Volunteer opportunities and events such as beach clean-ups and activism meetings are open to the public. Through their website, one can find out when and where events are being held.

Meals on Wheels America and Feeding America are also two nonprofits that are looking for volunteers. Both organizations specialize in feeding the less fortunate, volunteers are assigned jobs such as delivering meals to people in need and as well as working at food banks. 

1. Donating to charity   

Giving money to a charity is one of the most common ways people give back during lent. Giving money to a charitable organization can provide help on a scale that would be too difficult for just one person. 

Doctors Without Borders and American Red Cross are two large nonprofit organizations that take online donations through their websites. Giving even a little can help make a difference in places around the world. Both Doctors Without Borders and American Red Cross are helping in places such as Ukraine, Afghanistan and Iraq, and giving money to organizations like these can help provide aid in places that may feel too far away to help.

by Aydn Morris

The St. John Bosco cross country team heads into playoffs following a magnificent showing at Trinity League finals.

The Braves took second place in the Trinity League behind Santa Margarita, led by seniors Chris Chavez, Ian Sanchez and Ethan Beck. 

Some Braves’ runners set their best run times, as Chavez finished first in the race and ran one of the best ever times on the course at 14:58.9, earning the Trinity League Championship title. He finished about 20 seconds faster than the next best time.

Although this race may have been dedicated to the seniors for their senior day, sophomores Aiden Aldana and Andrew Perez put on a show as well. Aiden, who has been excellent this year, finished fourth with a time of 15:35.4, while Andrew finished ninth at 15:42.2 

Following a long break from competition due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Braves were excited to have a season without much restriction.

“We have enjoyed being able to travel again this year, being able to meet with a lot of runners and going back to invitationals again,” said Ruben Solorza, an assistant coach. 

Last season, the Braves were not able to do their normal meets because of the pandemic, instead competing league dual meets, which is racing against one opposing team at a time. 

Although the Braves were happy to be back on the regular schedule, they had adjustment issues, as many people nationwide have.

“Keep small problems small, fix them right away and continue to overcome other challenges,” said Coach Solorza, regarding overcoming the obstacles that the season presented.

In the Trinity League Championship race, the runners dealt with a slightly slippery course, which made a couple of the runners fall, including junior Harold Munoz, who still pushed through and finished the race. 

Having such a young team be so successful, while also having to fight through adversity, has shown the growth and maturity of the team. The junior and senior runners did an amazing job developing the underclassmen into outstanding team runners.

Although the Braves had many great accomplishments so far throughout the year, they still have one final push towards higher aspirations. They continue their season with CIF preliminaries as their next meet, followed by CIF Finals and then possibly a CIF State Championship appearance. 

The season for the Bosco cross country team looks to continue to shine bright, as the season comes to a close. The full focus for them will be on prelims, as they continue to work hard and perform strong.

by Joseph Theisen

On April 20th 2021, almost a year after the murder of George Floyd, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison procescuded Derek Chauvin, former Minneapolis police officer, and convicted him on two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter.

On May 25th 2020, George Floyd was killed while being arrested for allegedly using a fake $20 bill. This caused America to take a stand against police brutality, causing several demonstration of civil protesting around major cities of the country.

The three other police officers, Thomas Lane, Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, have not yet presented themselves to trial but are being prosecuted for aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. Chauvin has not yet been sentenced to a specific amount of years. However, he could receive as few as twelve and a half years or as many as 40 years. These extremes are unlikely, and his sentence will probably be somewhere in the middle.

George Floyd’s murder was not by any means the first time a police officer has killed a black man in America, but it was one of the most impactful on our society in recent history. This fateful day sparked many police reforms across America in Congress and on smaller scales, such as in specific police departments in towns.

The killing of George Floyd metaphorically woke up many people in America, heading in the right direction towards progress being made, but there is still a long way to go to achieve equality.  On October 15th 2019, just a few months before George Floyd, Angel Zapata Hernandez, a 24 year old Latino man was killed in a similar manner to George Floyd.  Hernandez was stopped by an MTS code compliance inspector while walking over railroad tracks, and an Allied Universal security officer came over to the scene. 

When Hernandez saw the security officer, he took off and was pursued for about 100 yards at which point the two men tackled and handcuffed him.  After the incident, one of the men stayed on top of him with his knee on Hernandez’ neck and continued to do so for six minutes.  When the two men could not feel a pulse, Hernandez was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. 

No charges were brought against either of the MTS employees, and the family of Angel Zapata Hernandez reached a $5.5 million settlement.  No matter the situation, a security guard should work to deescalate situations before resorting to killing someone in pursuit, and in this case, the guard got away without any charges. 

This was a case in which a minority man was killed, and it was brushed under the rug and largely silenced in the media. America has a long way to go, and the American citizens are the ones that need to make sure these changes happen. With the current political climate and many citizens being tired of living under fear, several reforms can be lobbied in government in order to prevent a catastrophe like that of George Floyd or Angel Zapata Hernandez.

By Christian James

The NBA trade deadline comes to a close on Thursday, February 7, at 3:00 p.m. E.T. and many teams are going to try to put together their final rosters to make a push for a late playoff run. 

There has been a lot of rumors and speculation about where players would end up. This all has been a result of star players like Kristaps Porzingis requesting to be traded which happens to be the first blockbuster move of the trade deadline season.

The New York Knicks agreed to trade Porzingis, Courtney Lee, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Trey Burke to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr., Deandre Jordan, and Wesely Matthews and two future first-round picks.

Already with two high flyers on the New York Knicks, Allonzo Trier and Kevin Knox, Smith Jr. would be another high flyer edition to be apart of this overwhelming athletic team. Not only is he a great athletic talent, but he is a scorer that should thrive on this young team.

New York is now in a rebuilding state of mind and now it got even brighter with acquiring the two first-round picks, even though they are giving up fan-favorite Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas.

`Dallas now have a very promising young core with Porzingis teaming up with Luka Doncic who happens to be the front-runner for the Rookie Of The Year award putting up about 20 points, 5 assists, and 7 rebounds a game. Porzingis is hoping to come back this season sometime this month in February and the fans in Dallas can’t wait to see their now European dynamic duo in a game together.

The Philadelphia 76ers now have made their second blockbuster trade of the season as they acquired All-Star caliber Forward Tobias Harris along with Mike Scott and big men Boban Marjanovic, lottery-protected 2020 first-round pick, a Miami 2021 unprotected first-round pick, and two Detroit second-round picks.

The Sixers may now be the team to beat in the east with maybe the best starting-five in the conference consisting of Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, J.J. Redick, and now Tobias Harris. The Sixers are going to be as tough to beat as anyone.

Probably the most anticipated trade rumor is no other than six-time all-star power forward Anthony Davis. Davis has been a huge factor in the New Orleans Pelicans success throughout the years.

However the superstar recently requested a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers be the top preferred location. This was huge news to everybody because the Lakers now have the opportunity to pair up two of the top players in the NBA, but they are going to have goodbye to most of their young core in doing so.

Acquiring Davis would almost be a dream come true for the Lakers, but it will be tough to make it past the conference finals when you have to face a star-studded Warriors team to do so.

by Nikolas Molina

As an effect of the government shutdown, US President Donald Trump has postponed his State of the Union address, which was originally scheduled for January 29th, 2019.

Left – President Trump, Right – Nancy Pelosi

The government has been shut down for more than a month now, due to President Trump requesting $5 billion to build a wall on the US-Mexico Border and stop illegal immigration.

According to Fox News, Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had a back-and-forth conversation which ultimately led to Trump making his decision on postponing the address.

“This afternoon, I sent @realDonaldTrump a letter informing him that the House will not consider a concurrent resolution authorizing the President’s State of the Union address in the House Chamber until government has opened,” Pelosi tweeted.

“As the Shutdown was going on, Nancy Pelosi asked me to give the State of the Union Address. I agreed. She then changed her mind because of the Shutdown, suggesting a later date. This is her prerogative – I will do the Address when the Shutdown is over,” Trump tweeted later that night.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1088288311922307072

“Mr. President, I hope by saying “near future” you mean you will support the House-passed package to #EndTheShutdown that the Senate will vote on tomorrow. Please accept this proposal so we can reopen government, repay our federal workers and then negotiate our differences,” Pelosi finally responded.

According to Fox 35, President Trump says he will do an “alternative” event. He called the cancellation a “disgrace,” but did not state his next move, yet.

According to CBS News, Trump told reporters the speech was canceled because Pelosi “doesn’t want to hear the truth.” He also stated the Democratic Party had become “radicalized” and “very dangerous,” and he accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of being too submissive to Pelosi.

He had also said there might be an “alternative,” but now, he appears to have ruled out the idea of using another venue for the address. The address has been postponed indefinitely until further notice.