Vandalism tags the walls of FVHS

by Linh Nguyen, Judy Hua & Agnes Chang, Staff Writers 

Marc Trocchio, assistant principal of supervision, sent out a mass email to all staff members regarding information about recent vandalism at FVHS. The email had an attached photo of a specific graffiti sign, spelling out “Santo.”

“The two biggest taggers are known as Santo and Cripto,” said Trocchio, “they’ve been the biggest nuisance in the last couple of years.”

Vandalism stands as an issue for FVHS for as long as the school has been built, however, this problem has recently caught attention of many staff members and supervision. In previous years, tagging, a form of vandalism, has occurred two to three times a month. Trocchio said the school spends about $2,000 to $5,000 a year cleaning graffiti and other mishaps.

He decided to email all staff members because catching the culprit in action is a rare occurrence.

“Getting the awareness out there to a community of about 3,800 people of teachers and staff and students, someone’s going to see something,” said Trocchio.

Photo by Brandon Nguyen, Staff Photographer

Trocchio states that the purpose of it is to bring awareness to our school population, and hopefully find out more information about the tagging. Also, a $50 reward gift card will be given to anyone that has information leading to the culprit.

“Bringing more awareness, teachers see student notebooks and doodles, and things like that,” said Trocchio, “Often times, taggers are trying to perfect their tag by just doodling around in class.”

Information is shared with Officer Castille, Fountain Valley Police Department (FVDP) officer. According to Castille, the tagging has not only occurred at school but throughout the community.

At the moment, there are no suspects for the tagging. Several students that were known for such behavior were questioned, but all were of no use to their investigation. However, when the culprit is caught, that individual will be arrested and charged $60 per tag.

“What we want to do, is empower the students because you guys are the frontlines of knowing who’s who and a lot of times, the way we catch taggers is because a student will step up, see it happen, or know it’s happening and give us the information we need,” said Trocchio.

 

Link to original article: http://www.baronnews.com/2016/03/01/vandalism-tags-the-walls-of-fvhs/

Girls volleyball defeated by Los Alamitos on Senior Night

by Agnes Chang, Staff Writer, and Michelle Nhi Nguyen, Staff Writer/Photographer

Girls varsity volleyball demonstrates strong defense on the court against Los Al. Photo by Michelle Nhi Nguyen

The Lady Barons volleyball team faced the Los Alamitos Griffins in their last home game of the 2015 season.

Both teams played hard, but the girls ultimately lost 0-3, with the individual scores being 17-25, 16-25, and 16-25.

Los Al had several star players who kept the level of intensity high with their hard-driven hits and strong blocking, keeping the Lady Barons on their toes for all three sets.

Nevertheless, the girls never failed in maintaining their high spirits both on and off the court, as was evident with their consistency and endurance. Their strong performance was assisted by the solid serve receive of libero Alex Brooks (‘18) and fierce kills earned by outside hitter Erin Finley (‘17).

The enthusiastic Loud Crowd, consisting of Fountain Valley’s spirited students, also added to the positive atmosphere, giving much love and support for the players while dressed in all white for the White Out game.

Loud Crowd shows their support for girls volleyball during the White Out game. Photo by Michelle Nhi Nguyen

“The last four years have been an amazing experience and I’m sad to see it come to an end. Through the years I’ve made so many friends and memories that I’ll cherish forever,” said Thatsanaphonh (‘16). “We didn’t make it out on top but we sure fought hard. I love my team and [am] so grateful I had the chance to play with…them.”

This game not only marked the end of the girls volleyball season but also commemorated the team’s three senior players for Senior Night. Setter Brennan Cuttrell (‘16), opposite hitter Ashley Knipe (‘16), and outside hitter Maya Thatsanaphonh (‘16) were escorted across the court by family members as they were presented to the crowd and applauded for their high school volleyball career.

 

Girls volleyball dominated by Huntington Beach Oilers

by Agnes Chang, staff writer, and Michelle Nhi Nguyen, staff writer and photographer  

The Lady Barons line up after warm ups, waiting for the game to begin. Photo by Michelle Nhi Nguyen

The Lady Barons battled hard against Huntington Beach, but ultimately suffered a loss against the Oilers.

Although both teams played hard, the Barons fell behind and eventually lost with an overall score of 0-3, with scores of 16-25, 14-25 and 12-25.

The girls played strong offense in all three sets, with several kills from outside hitter Erin Finley (‘17) and middle blocker Kennedy Hood (‘17), as well as with powerful serves from opposite hitter Amy Hinnant (‘17). However, they fell short with their multiple hitting errors which gave the Oilers the advantage.

Kara Winthrop (’17) receives a tough serve from the Oilers. Photo by Michelle Nhi Nguyen

“We started off strong and…tried our hardest, but in the end we weren’t ready to face the Oilers,” said Britney Tran (‘17).

The Barons are working hard  to improve and are continuing to practice for their ongoing season every weekday.

“This loss is just a way for us to learn from our mistakes and improve for future games. We’re training even harder for the next game to make sure we come back as an even stronger team. Hopefully we’ll be able to make CIF playoffs and win.” Tran adds.

 

Lady Barons triumph over Marina Vikings 3-2

by Agnes Chang, Staff Writer, and Michelle Nhi Nguyen, Staff Writer/Photographer

Middle blocker Rilyn Todd (’17) reaches high over the double block and earns a kill for the Barons. Photo by Michelle Nhi Nguyen

Girls varsity volleyball won against Marina with a score of 3-2 at their cancer awareness game which successfully raised $915 for the McKenna Claire Foundation.

The McKenna Claire Foundation is an organization that aims to cure pediatric brain cancer by raising awareness, increasing community involvement and funding research.The players wore specially-made jerseys for the night and were joined by the enthusiastic loud crowd who wore pink to support the cause.

The girls had a shaky start and gave the first set victory to Marina, who was led offensively by front-row players #2 and #13.

However, the Barons were able to pull through with their consistent serving, wall-like defense and high spirits, ending the neck-and-neck match with overall scores of 23-25, 25-20, 17-25, 25-17 and 15-5.

“There was a lot of encouragement [on the court]. Even when they lost a point, they were still able to shake it off,”  said spectator Phiona Reilly (‘19).

The Barons were led in the offensive by right-side hitter Amy Hinnant (‘17) and middle blocker Kennedy Hood (‘17) with several kills, as well as by libero Britney Tran (‘17) with her consistent digs and serves throughout the game.

The girls huddle together for a time out in their specially-made pink jerseys. Photo by Michelle Nhi Nguyen

“They were very effective in blocking and attacking. Especially at the end of the match, our defense really picked up and that’s what helped us finish strong,” Assistant Coach Grant Metheny said. “There were some lulls, but the high points were really high and they finished strong.”

The girls practice every weekday from 3-5 PM after school and are working hard to improve their communication and synchronization on the court for the rest of the season.

“We’re pretty much just practicing by passing and shuffling. [We practice] a lot of hitting into the corner, rather than into the middle of the court so that way it’s harder for teams to get the ball,” middle blocker Rilyn Todd (‘17) says.

 

Link to original article: http://www.baronnews.com/2015/10/17/lady-barons-triumph-over-marina-vikings-3-2/

Audrey Beck shows her dedication through her passion of softball

by Linh Nguyen and Agnes Chang, Staff Writers

Softball shortstop player Audrey Beck has been playing on varsity softball for 4 years. Beck started off playing baseball when she was 5 years old. She ended up switching to softball when she was 8 years old because she felt it was more suited for her.

Audrey Beck (’16) poses at her National Letter of Intent Signing. Photo provided by Audrey Beck                                                                                                     

 The entire softball team has always displayed strong teamwork that there is no wonder why Beck and her team are very close together.

“I could easily call them my second family,” said Vu. “Honestly, I can just really tell them anything and they’ve been there to support through anything I do.”

Beck feels that softball has become a major part of her daily routine. From practicing with the Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) softball team after school for typically an hour and a half, she heads to another softball practice for the California Cruisers for another 3 hours. On her busy weekends, she plays for a total of 17 hours.

“Playing softball is definitely a sacrifice. I usually come home around 9 p.m. then I have to do homework and it is tough, but it’s a commitment I made,” said Beck.

Beck is very committed to her sport. Recently, she has been signed for a 4 year scholarship to Mount Mary University in Wisconsin and is the only person as of this year to do so. She is nervous for her future softball career, but looks forward to the experience. Beck thoroughly believes that it is worth the time and effort.

“The practice is definitely worth it. It’s changed how I play,” Beck said. “It’s definitely made me a better player on and off the field.”

Softball has impacted Beck’s life and believes that it has taught her many valuable life lessons.

“I’d have to deal with a lot of adversity, especially having to do with failure. Softball is a game of failure and I had to tell myself that you’re not going to get a hit every time or you’re not going to make the play every time,” Beck said. “So whatever mistakes you made, you have to let it go.”

Beck understands the difficulty of dedicating yourself to playing a sport. Additionally, she recommends to the athletes who are struggling to persevere and continue their path with the sport of their choice.

“My advice to athletes who are planning to sign is to not get discouraged on yourself. It is really difficult, but if you keep pushing yourself, you can get there,” Beck said.

 

Link to original article: http://www.baronnews.com/2016/01/14/audrey-beck-shows-her-dedication-through-her-passion-of-softball/

Students take the PSAT and PACT administered at FVHS

Dustin Tran (’17) studying hard for the upcoming SATS. Photo by Viet Vu.

By Linh Nguyen and Agnes Chang, Staff Writers

Students who took the Practice Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) or Practice American College Testing (PACT) last Saturday reflected on their experiences.

If students want to take the PSAT or PACT, they can register online or in the front office for $25. There is usually an opportunity to take these practice exams every month. The test is distributed by either Kaplan or Revolutionary Prep and is held in either the media center or the cafeteria.

Some students who took the practice tests believed it to be helpful. They found the session simulated the testing environment and gave them the opportunity to sample the test questions.

“It was a little odd but it was nice getting the instant results from correcting your own test,” said John Daoud (‘16). “Grading the essay was a little tedious.”

Like Daoud, another test taker, Dustin Tran (‘17) also found the test helpful in the sense of timing, but not so much for content.

“I felt like the PSAT didn’t actually reflect the SAT. [The PSAT] is not accurate,” said Tran. “I would recommend other students to take other resources because the SAT only happens a couple times in your high school career.”

 

Link to original article: http://www.baronnews.com/2015/10/01/students-take-the-psat-and-pact-administered-at-fvhs/