VITAL SIGNSFriday, March 21, 2014

What When Where

Prom Ticket Sales Mon., Mar. 17- Fri., Apr. 4 Student Store

Prom Court Apps Due Tues., Mar. 18 Montes, Rm 313

Prom Court Elections Tues., Mar. 25 In ClassParent Conference Thurs., Mar. 27 On Campus

ASB Elections Wed., Mar 26- Thurs., Mar. 27

Outside Bas-ketball Courts

Academic Celebration Fri., Mar. 28 GymJunior Shakey’s Fund-raiser Fri. Mar. 28 2023 Cesar E.

Chavez Ave.

March Calendarcompiled by Roman Hernandez & Dulce Morales

BRAVO NEWS • 4

EHA seminar culminates student suc-cess.

Prom pro-posals done right! Brace yourselves.

BRAVO MEDICAL MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL | LOS ANGELES, CA | VOL. XVII, ISSUE vi| WWW.BRAVOWEB.LAUSD.K12.CA.US

SCIENCE • 2-3

Bravo’s boys soccer team became Southern League Champions on February 14, 2014. One week later, the boys put their hearts out on the field and competed in quarter finals against Robert F. Kennedy High School. For the second year in a row, Bravo’s boys soccer team has become League Champions and have qualified for play-offs. Despite a rocky start, (having lost pre-season games), the boys were able to change their faulty beginning and make a spectacular comeback. Although the players faced hardships, they were able

Girls Soccer Team Makes History!

by Cristina Aguilera, Cintia Bonifacio, & Adrian Rodriguez

to direct their focus to the game and, consequently, became League Champs. “As a member of the team, you felt proud of yourself and it’s something that the school should be proud of”, Omar Angeles.(’14). Adrian Rodriguez commented, “Despite getting suspended and having to apologize to get back into the starting line-up because of unsportsman-like conduct, I had to put my differences aside and demonstrate leadership in order to mollify my discomfort within the team. Becoming league champions was the result of overcoming that barrier.” Besides being just a team the boys have also become a family through all the hard work they have put into the game. Our soccer boys bring pride to the school through their outstanding achievement this year. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work to have the honor to be league champions. On behalf of the entire Bravo community we would like to congratulate you boys on all your hard work and achievement.

From scrooge-like fathers to invalid mothers, Bravo Theatre introduces their new play that has it all: Gold Diggers.This play, based on Moliere’s French comedy The Miser, is set in the 1930s, during the Great Depression. It follows the story of Harper, played by returning actress, Francis Zaldivar (‘14), and his hectic household. Harper is trying to keep his precious gold hidden from everyone, including relatives, but what is he to do when it seems that not only his children, but almost

everyone he meets is after it? The answer? Marriage. Filled with romance and jam-packed with pun-induced laughs as well as a few musical numbers, Gold Diggers is sure to be a treat. With the help of advisor, Mr. Ryden, Bravo Theatre’s members have been preparing this theatre piece diligently ever since January. The actors have met together every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday afterschool from about 3:20 PM to 5:30 PM, practicing each and every scene with finesse. Under the guidance and expertise of

Raise the Curtainsby Sharon Kim

Mr. Ryden, Bravo Theatre rehearsed their lines in order to achieve perfection. This amazing theatrical work will be premiering afterschool in Bravo’s Hernandez Hall from March 27th to April 2nd for only five dollars. Don’t forget to buy a ticket when they go on sale!

On Thursday, February 27, 2014, our Knights hosted their second annual Multicultural Festival, celebrating the most significant thing about Bravo: its cultures! Parents, staff, and students lined up to buy tickets to support student performances. The trip began with Desi Club, who opened their performance with “Vande Mataram,” meaning, “I bow to thee, Mother.” Their second song was called “Purano Shei Diner Kotha”, a Bengali folk song meaning “how can you forget the old days.” They continued their performance with an up-beat Bollywood couple

dance. To end their show, Desi Club prepared a surprise dance with solo dancer, Wahida Ani (‘14). Bravo’s Mariachi sang “Aires Del Maya” and “La Chariada.” Dance Unlimited danced a traditional Russian dance and a Chinese-Umbrella dance while Korean club danced to K-pop. Filipino Club sang their National Anthem,“Lupang Hinirang” and danced a traditional folk dance, subli.Whether it was Filipino, Korean, Desi, Dance Unlimited, or Mariachi, they all left their hearts on Bravo’s stage! With cheers from the audience, it definitely was a groundbreaking show everyone enjoyed.

Bravo’s Multicultural Spectacularby Priscilla Romero & Pamela Ruiz

Photo Credit: Martin Gomez

Desi Club

Mariachi

by Melanie Sobri &

On Friday, March 7 2014, countless students filled up the bleachers at Miguel Contreras Learning Complex School in order to support the girls soccer teams against Verdugo Hills HS. The game consisted of a very enthusiastic Bravo crowd, which included an endless amount of cheering, spirited marching band pieces, handmade posters, “B-R-A-V-O” scrawled across bare stomaches, and many students rocking their favorite player’s number on their cheeks. Despite the loss against Verdugo, Lady Knights’ soccer team made Bravo history by marking 2014 as the very first year any Bravo sports team has ever made CIF Finals (The California Interscholastic Federation). We are all so proud of our Lady Knights. Here’s the inside scoop on what Bravo’s very own

Girls Soccer captains have to say about accomplishing it this far:

Photo credits: Meri M

ak

League Champions

Kimberly Parada

Mikayla Torres (Varsity)How did you feel about your team’s performance throughout the year?- “I’m proud of them, we’ve adapted very well.”What are your thoughts on your team as a whole?- “Through it all, our team stuck together and never stopped fighting, and regardless of the outcome, I couldn’t have asked for more. We had a great season on and off the field.”

LucyVega(Junior Varsity)How would you describe your team’s effort?- “It’s unfortunate that we lost, but I’m so proud of the team. We had girls who cramped up and went back on that field, girls who had nasty turf burns on their thighs and knees, but no one ever gave up. They fought through the entire game with intensity levels at their peak, and they gave it their all. Verdugo had really fast players, but they didn’t let that faze them.”

Photo credits:ontap.com

SCIENCE Friday, March 21, 2014 - P2VITAL VOL. XVI, ISSUE vi SIGNS

Dr. Joseph Cocozza passionately gives his introductions to the Engineering for Health Academy (EHA) Project Seminar, praising current student researchers and welcoming prospective EHA research students.

The Engineering for Health Academy (EHA) is designed as a small learning community within the context of the larger comprehensive high school, our very own Bravo Medical Magnet. The major goal of this program is to introduce high school students, including English Language Learners (ELL) ,and top-notch science students, to the broad spectrum of biomedical engineering (BME) career opportunities as well as the different avenues that the sciences can give to them. Mentoring is central to all aspects of the EHA program, faculty, and students from the Viterbi School of Engineering and USC under-grad & graduate students, PhD professors, scientists, and doctors meet with Bravo students on a weekly basis to guide them in their core EHA classes and make sure that they are on their way to a bountiful and enriching health and engineering-related career. “It is not an easy program to get yourself into, it takes hard work and dedication, but if you have love for science and engineering, then it is all worth it at the end,” says Virginia Chino (14’). EHA’s curriculum consists of three years of preparation, and within those three years, students who want to join the class must take a chemical foundational class of biomedical sciences in the 10th grade, a computer class focusing on biomedical engineering, and 12th grade year they gain in-the-field experience by collaborating on a research project in a USC or industry biomedical engineering laboratory. The Engineering for Health Academy held its annual presentation on February 7, 2014. The students enrolled in the program spent their year in research labs experimenting and compiling crucial data to present to field professionals, school administrators, prospective EHA presenters, and science- enthused

EHA Seminarby Martin Gomez & Oziel Palma

students. Mrs. Glendy Ramirez- De La Cruz, Dr. Michael Sinclair, and Dr. Joseph Cocozza, worked together to coordinate the event. EHA’s mission, according to Dr. Cocozza, is to “work on different aspects in the biomedical and engineering fields.” As the seminar came to a slow start, students gathered in the library, prepared to present their findings to the eager audience. The event took place from 10:30 AM to 4: 30 PM. Within that time several students went up to the podium. Carolina Martinez (’14), Homer Torres (’14), and Wendy Ramirez (’14) proudly demonstrated their knowledge about radiation, specifically microwave radiation. “We had large amounts of data to shift through. It took hours’ worth of work to get something reliable,” said Torres (’14). Anthony Sanchez (’14) spoke to the eager audience concerning his subject area. He went into painstaking detail about his use of nodes (written programs) to program the Pioneer 2, an automated disk bot, to move in specific angles. He became very familiar with the “arduino” software and its ability to plot X and Y points from a remote computer to the Pioneer 2. It was obvious the team put in a tremendous amount of effort and time as they answered any and all questions asked by the students and professionals present. Virginia Chino (’14) wowed the spectators with her impeccable knowledge of robotics and how robots can be programmed with social interaction purposes. Other presenters were eagerly greeted as they walked up to the podium to share their findings. Ashim Nabith (’14) and Edward Leon (’14) spoke about their human-to-robot interaction project. They worked in the Interaction Lab with mentor, Ross Mead, and, Principal Investigator (PI), Maja Mataric. Together, the team programmed a Roomba vacuum robot with a spinal structure to “act out

EHA Project Seminar student researchers and participants take a group photo. From left to right: Edward Leon, Ashim Nabith, Carolina Martinez, Nafi Mizan, Virginia Chino, Wendy Ramirez, Homer Torres, Annabel Baltazar, Brenda Penata Nadia Siddiqah, Brenda Yanez

Nadia Siddiqah (left) presents her project “Amelogenin-Chitosan Matrix for Human Enamel Regrowth: Effects of Viscosity, Supersaturation and Application Procedures.” Anthony Sanchez (right) presents his project, “Building a Servo-Based Pan/Tilt Unit to Point at Objects.”

Homer Torres, Wendy Ramirez, and Carolina Martinez undergo an intense flurry of student questioning after presenting their project based on the adverse effects of microwave radiation on humans.

Prospective EHA students and presenters intently listen and take careful notes as Anthony Sanchez gives background information on his project.

EHA students help themselves to a hearty lunch provided by the program. Front to back, left: Ashim Nabith, Virginia Chino, Brenda Yanez, Carolina Martinez, Nadia Siddiqah, and Brenda Penata. Front to back, right: Edward Leon, Anthony Sanchez, Annabel Baltazar, Wendy Ramirez, Nafi Mizan, and Homer Torres.

Photo Credit: M

artin Gom

ez

SCIENCE Friday, March 21, 2014 - P3VOL. XVI, ISSUE vi VITAL SIGNS

EHA Seminar the six basic emotions: fear, sadness, happiness, surprise,

On Tuesday, March 5, 2014 Bravo’s annual science fair took place in the gymnasium where STAR, EHA, and honors science students gathered to present their projects. Throughout the course of the day, beginning in 3rd period, the students presented their projects to the judges, competing in a variety of categories. EHA student, Nafi Mizan (’14), presented her project titled, “Optimal Electroformation settings for the formation of Giant Unilamellar Vesicles.” Mizan’s project was to be able to see the different characteristics of the giant unilanellar vesicle, which is an artificial vesicle, and see at which frequency the vesicle was produced best. STAR I student, Anastasia Bugrovia (’15), presented her project titled, “The effects of conditioning, training, and decapitation on planarian worms” which involved her decapitating

worms in order to prove if separating the head from the body of the worm would still enable the worm to have a memory. Her hypothesis proved to be effective as the worm was able to remember its way around a maze, built by Bugrovia, despite the fact its body wasn’t attached to the head. Uriel Vazquez (’17) presented his project titled, “Producing glow in the dark plants,” where his goal was to try and create plant leaves that were able to glow in the dark when put under the UV light. Vazquez used two begonias and two pansies, and added food coloring, fertilizer, and phosphorus among other materials, in order for the plants to be able to glow in the dark. Congratulations to all the science fair participants on their outstanding research and dedication towards their projects.

Bravo’s Science Fairby Cristina Aguilera & Cintia Bonifacio

Finally, for the first time in Bravo’s history, both A and B-teams of Bravo won top ranks at the California State University, Northridge annual American Society of Civil Engineers Popsicle - Stick Bridge Building Competition on February14th. A-team held 2nd place silver trophy and B-team held 3rd place bronze trophy. In addition, A-team won 3rd place in strength with a max weight capacity of 1,134 pounds, and B-team won 2nd place on presentations with their ecstatic, crystal lattice-themed bridge. Overall, this was no easy “science fair” project for the Nerdy team. According to the CSUN website, about 70 teams containing about 250 high school students from the Los Angeles and Orange County area participated in this competition, bringing in a variety of bridges, geometric designs, and presentation posters. By the end of the day, after several bridges had snapped under immense weight and students had presented their struggles and processes, the ranks were announced and the trophies were awarded.

With major competition coming in from schools such as Garden Grove High School (4-time champion) and Bravo-rival, Belmont High School, the competition seemed like a huge cliff for Bravo’s Nerdy team to climb up. Bravo’s bridge building A-team captain, Simon Chow (’15) admitted that Bravo’s recent team“[has] never been to this competition before, and we had to learn to adjust quickly. There were many struggles along this road of success. First, we had no experience. In a matter of weeks, we had to improve dramatically. Many sacrifices were made to improve as much as we could.” B-team captain, Rebecca Sine (’15), claimed that one of the main struggles of this competition was the need to build many prototypes before the final competing bridges could be confirmed with the team. Emon Sahaba (’15), B-team member, stated that a main disadvantage Bravo had was its shortage of heavy weights and hydraulic presses, which could have increased the strength of their bridges. However, after several trials, practice presentations, and visits to the school’s weight room, Bravo’s teams finally accomplished two amazing ranks on competition, not to mention, great money prizes which gave A-team $300 and B-team $200. “I feel extremely proud of our accomplishment,” says Simon, “My team was comprised of rookies, and yet we managed to win second overall. Team B had one veteran and three other rookies. They won third overall. I am proud of what we did as a group, and I will not forget it for the rest of my life.” Overall, with such an accomplishment achieved by Bravo’s teams and pride gained from the competition thanks to great efforts and hard work, I think we could agree with Rebecca Sine when she quotes Edison’s famous line, which was: “success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.”

Structured the Ranksby Jesus Javier Serrano

Photo Credit: Science Share Photo Credit: Entertainmentguide

and anger.” With this programming, Nabith said, “We applied the 12 Disney Principles of Animation into each programming. One day we intend to use these functions to create a story a person with no knowledge of robotics could understand.” The duo went on to explain how the Roomba expressed emotions by its driving patterns. “For example,” Leon lectured, “the Roomba will move quickly in one direct path when it is angry or in a slow, random motion when it is sad.” Nabith and Leon were equipped with the KISS IDE program that allowed them to change C - Programming, or the human emotional reaction code, into a dialect a robot would understand. “Analyzing the data was somewhat different than what our peers had to do,” Leon went on to say, “we couldn’t rely on a computer to tell us what emotion it thought the Roomba was using.” To test their findings, the pair used humans to watch videos expressing an emotion and then asked what emotion they believed the robot was displaying. According to Nabith, “The greatest help in configuring all this has been the knowledge acquired through Mr. Chacon’s Introduction to Computer Science and Mrs. Bracamontes’s Physiology classes.” This experience taught the EHA students a variety of life lessons that would further prepare them for not only college but their future in STEM, for example: they were able to electronically develop their resume to highlight their achievements, develop excellent oral and written communications skills, use their creativity to develop medical solutions to real world challenges, and of course the feeling of accomplishment one receives from working all year on a project. All the students, outside of EHA, who were lucky enough to attend the presentations, were immensely glad they were able to receive this

education experience, and have already spoken to Mrs. Ramirez- De La Cruz about joining the prestigious program called Engineering for Health Academy next year. Due to budget restraints, the school has cut classes and programs, but EHA has survived and prospered in the face of such adversity. It has become a shining beacon of education and determination, providing students with an opportunity to explore the uknown in engineering, health, and STEM overall. These two characteristics have been

instilled in the students as they spend countless hours researching, conducting experiments, and studying for years to present their progress to their proud sponsors and mentors. Congratulations EHA in developing another generation of excellent , science-bound students. For more information, please contact Dr. Cocozza, Mrs. Ramirez - De La Cruz, or Mr. Sinclair.

Above:Anthony Sanchez’s impressive Servo-Based Pan/ Tilt Unit, built on a mobile unit and show-cased at the EHA seminar.

Friday, March 21, 2014- P4VOL. XVI, ISSUE vi

BRAVO NEWS

Letters to the EditorsLetters to the editors concerning any topic relevant to Vital Signs are welcomed. Please refrain from using vulgar or disrespectful language. Letters should be brief and may be edited to maximize space and heighten clarity. Letters may be anonymous or signed by the author. Please send letters to:

bhsvitalsigns2014@gmail.com

Drop them off in Mr. R. Rodriguez’s mailbox/ Rm. 312

Opinions expressed in Vital Signs belong to the writer. They do not reflect the opinions of the Journalism staff or those of Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School.

Vital SignsHannah ContrerasEditor-In-Chief

Meri MakCo-Editor-In-Chief

Martin GomezPhotographer-In-Chief

Siboney Arias Managing Editor

Scan this QR Code to check out past Vital Signs issues online!

Editorial Matter

VITAL SIGNS

Genesis AnguloEditor

Sharon KimEditor

Jesus Javier SerranoEditor

Dulce Morales Editor

On Wednesday, February 26, 2014, Bravo took a trip around the world when it hosted its Multicultural Fair, successfully bringing together various regional cuisines, raising money, and illustrating a diverse student population. Several of Bravo’s cultural clubs, such as Korean Club, Filipino Club, and Desi Club, as well as Hands and Paws, Random Acts of Kindness, ASB, Club MD, the Yearbook class, the junior class, and the senior class, all participated in the after-school event. At the ring of the 3:30 PM bell, a long line of eager students began to form across the courts, and tables heaped with food awaited the onlookers. Each club offered something different, but everything looked equally enticing. The junior class’ table was a runaway hit, with their pupusas being sold out almost immediately after the fair opened. Along with the stuffed corn tortillas, they offered aguas frescas in horchata (fermented rice with vanilla and cinnamon) and Jamaica (infusion from Hibiscus flower) flavors. Next to them, the Korean Club table was overflowing with Korean snacks such as Pocky (coated biscuit sticks), wafers, and shrimp flavored crackers. Set up beside them was the Filipino Club table, with their diverse selection of Filipino spaghetti, steamed rice, puto (steamed rice cakes), and balut (boiled duck embryo). Desi Club offered an equally diverse selection of skewered beef and chicken, vegetable curry, rasgulla (cheese-based syrup dessert), and jalebi (deep fried wheat flour batter), as well as a

Bravo Takes a Trip

by Meri Mak

selection of condiments including black and yellow chola (curried beans). The rest of the tables offered various desserts and sweets, ranging from Random Act of Kindness’ selection of cookies, brownies and cake slices to Hands and Paws’ red velvet and vegan cupcakes. Club MD offered wrapped caramel apples, while the senior class sold mochi (small Japanese rice cakes). At the end of the tables, ASB sold fruit and Yearbook had a table lined with water bottles and cold sodas. Overall, the food fair was a success, and was a huge turnout as well. Students were willing to try new things and brave the variety of foods from around the world. At the end of the day, the fair brought people together in sharing their differences and expressing their culture through delicious food.

Photo credits: Meri Mak

Around the WorldProm Proposalsby Rimon Hossain &

Hey seniors, it’s March and you all know what that means: Prom is of the essence. In the following weeks, prom proposals will be happening left and right. As quick as it may all seem, it will turn out fine as long as you do your research, stay calm, and play your cards right. Here are some tips for guys AND girls.1.Talk to All Prospective Dates Early - Consistency can keep you from coming off as awkward before the prom. Remember, it is always better to go with a friend rather than a stranger. 2.Get the “Go” – This is easy for those who are already in a relationship, but if you are planning to ask a friend, make sure he or she wants to go with you. To save yourself from future embarrassment, ask their friends to play the “yes/no” game and see if they are willing to spend prom night with you. 3.Know What Kind of Person He/She Is – Before you go all out on a proposal, find out what kind of person he/she is. Some people like the attention, but others tend to shy away from any extravagance. Don’t make asking someone to prom about yourself, unless you want to go to prom alone. 4.Make it personal – Do you and the person you want to ask have any inside jokes? Do they have something they are completely obsessed with? Great prom proposals are tailor made. Posters are cute, but overplayed. You could make someone really happy by simply remembering their little quirks and fancies.

Carissa Salazar

Promby Tatev Sarkissyan

Prom was themed after the Disney movie Tangled. It was named “Night of Endless Lights.” However, Prom Court is still in session about the minor details. Prom will take place at Skirball Cultural

Center on April 5th. As girls are looking for their prom dresses and boys are renting their tuxes, the entire school is running around trying to get cleared for prom. Nevertheless, prom proposals have begun and they get grander every day. Around this time, most of everyone’s conversations revolve around finding a prom dress, prom date, prom clearance, and of course, figuring out how to get to prom. All the seniors have to make their mind up about these things soon; prom is

only weeks away. Bravo’s 2014 prom will be catered by the chefs at Skirball, so everyone should arrive with empty stomachs, ready for delicious food. Besides taking pictures with a phone, there will be a photo booth station for this magical night and marvelous looks. Prom only happens once for most people. Even though some people think they wouldn’t like to attend, it doesn’t hurt to get cleared just in case.

As the clock wound down to the last three seconds, Bravo’s basketball team made their last stand on Friday, February 21st, at Marshall High. With the season falling to an end, the Knights left Marshall with a score of 51(Bravo) - 69(Marshall). With the arrival of the fourth quarter, the crowd suddenly intensified. Many prophesized a loss for Bravo, knowing that we were down seventeen points. Ongoing chants from both sides of the bleachers lasted from thirty seconds to two minutes at most. With that, impressive shots were seen as remarkable. Victor Balderas(‘14) showed true compassion when he started off the ending quarter with a three - pointer which landed Bravo at a score of thirty-two. From that point on, both teams scored consecutively until the very last minute. High - fives followed a victorious hoop, leading to the electrified roars within Marshall’s gym. While strengthening the vocal chords, those who attended cried out for the opposing team to strike out during free throws. “Miss it! Miss it!,” would throb throughout Bravo fanatics as Marshall’s attendee shushed their crowd for

the players’ concentration. Each side grasped onto their seats, watching and waiting for the points to accumulate. Although each team was equally fouled out, Marshall enhanced their scoreboard with a range of eight points during fouls. At the same time, rooters from Bravo cheered when Adam Baltazar stole the ball from Marshall and helped Victor Balderas complete the basket. “I did not feel we did very good... we could have gone further.” said Adam Baltazar. The loss brought a reign of dissatisfaction for the Knights. Varsity was left disappointed on Friday’s game knowing that team seniors would not have another chance to play for the win. “This whole season has been a surprise, but not because of lack of talent,” said Mr. Ota. Forgetting about the downside on Friday’s game, Mr. Ota emphasized on how the team elevated not only their skills but views from others. Mr. Ota also commented , “Most people compared our team to the J.V. status because of our lack of height, but in the end, a lot of schools found out that the people from Bravo never give up.”

Bravo’s Last Pushby Kimberly Parada