Bravo’s new campus at the East Los Angeles Occupational Center - a brief interview with our principal, Dr. Lopez: When was the idea of the occupation center brought up: The idea of the occupational center was brought up when there wasn't enough space to accommodate all the students here at Bravo. Meaning we would have to have cut at least 200 students or lower the enrolling classes. With the lack of funding it was suggested that we move students to other schools and still be Bravo. One school that was brought up was actually Murchison Elementary school, they went to go visit the campus but it was further away. It would have been very difficult to bring students back and forth as they do now. Bus transportation was not funded. So Murchison was not an option. Th they settled for the occupation center, since it was not only closer but their are partnerships in place so that career classes as well as technical classes can be added.
What is the goal? Are we planning to expand? The goal is to expand the goal is to have every single student at bravo not only take regular coursework but to at least take one or two career tech classes that are based on the medical field so that everyone is exposed early on to medical fields whether we choose to go on or not.
When do you see this idea taking shape? The way that Dr. Lopez sees it is that it's going to take a few years at least five years to get a solid long term plan. The reason is because he isn't sure that the OC is the long term solution, It may be that the building around the corner, which is currently underused, be the better solution so that we won't have to cross the street.
Some of the courses or pathways that Bravo offers such as the music or band courses are successful. This means we might be able to expand. The more students that we have the more courses that we will have to offer of all kinds. The idea is to build and develop a strong medical base.
What happened to partnership with USC?
the
It is still going on they are looking to begin again in the Fall. It is already being discussed what the options will be. In the meantime they are still looking on developing a partnership with the LA county so that the students will be able to do their second semester, and they will be able to do the same things they used to do at USC.
Additional comments: How are you planning to expand? Are you planning to add more students or adding more courses? Both by adding more students here at bravo and by adding more courses that are career type Such as Medical assistant nursing assistant dental assistant and courses such as the one we already have.
Written by Esmeralda Martinez
Do you plan on adding courses that are not necessarily medical?
The way that Dr. Lopez sees hardships and the ways he wants to communicate it to the staff is that hardships are often sources of stress and anxiety and frustration as well as hopelessness he wants to see it as an opportunity. Even though we are overcrowded, it may be an opportunity to develop something bigger and better that what we already have.
Earlier this month, Vital Signs staff visited Bravo’s new campus at the East Los Angeles Occupational Center. Bravo expanded to the Occupational Center earlier this year. Our reporters were able Above, the Bravo office at the Occupational to see the students in their classes with Ms. Bogue, Center with the support staff hard at work. Mr. Hua, and Mr. Sarte, the layout of the occupational center campus, and the overall experience of walking to the occupational center!
Above, students walking to the Occupational Center. The walk takes around 10 minutes each way and can be dangerous at the crosswalk.
Above, students being given a helpful presentation by two guest speakers from our partners at USC!!
Left, students hands-on learning in class with Mr. Sarte. The classrooms are bungalow style and the students spend two consecutive periods there (1-2, 3-4, or 5-6).
Congratulations, Dr. Darryl Davies!
(Photos of the now co-directors Dr. Amanda Burkhardt and Dr. Terry Church) (Photo of Dr. Darryl Davies receiving an award of recognition for his years spent with the STAR & EHA program (1992-2021))
Last November, Dr. Darryl Davies retired as the STAR & EHA pathway director. His journey with the program has been a long one and he has officially passed on his titles to the now co-directors, Dr. Amanda Burkhardt and Dr. Terry Church. Dr. Davies is a principal investigator at the USC Pharmacology lab, where he is motivated to develop novel therapies for alcoholism, wanting to use the scientific
Dr. Davies is a principal investigator at the USC Pharmacology lab, where he is motivated to develop novel therapies for alcoholism, wanting to use the scientific process to help advance the potential of life. Especially
(Ms. De La Cruz, Dr. Darryl Davies, Ms. Dypiangco, Dr. Sinclair.)
(Photo of Dr. Darryl Davies, Ms. De La Cruz, Dr. Sinclair with USC students and staff)
seeing how alcohol affects all social economic plato's and having personally experienced alcohol use disorder in his family, he recognizes how it not only affects family and those within society, but everyone. People with alcohol use disorder act outwards, whether it be through causing car accidents or outward aggression, which society as whole end up paying for. In addition, he believes his research is even more important now than ever, because of the worsening of alcohol use disorders because
of isolation and loss of social groups with COVID-19. Seeing this impact has fueled his passion to tackle this issue and help prevent the catastrophic effects of this disorder. Dr. Davies officially started with the STAR & EHA program as a graduate student in 1992 or 1993 at the USC School of pharmacology, where he was a mentor for STAR students and even earned the mentor of the year award in 2003. Once he got his Ph.D. in Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, he continued to stay at USC as a postdoc and eventually as a research professor, where he continued
to use STAR students. He kept working with the program and then became co-director about 10 years ago and director about 5 years ago.
(Dr. Davies and Ms. De La Cruz)
He became a director as his co-director, Dr. Roberta Brinton-Diaz was becoming overwhelmed and he wanted to offer his hard-working nature to the program. Over the years he has enjoyed watching his students blossom. He recognizes
that STAR & EHA breeds competitive students with its research driven didactic learning style where students get research experience ahead of their peers and he has enjoyed watching students rise up to the rigor, especially at a school like Bravo that does an amazing job at setting the standard and foundation for when students go to college. There have been a logeneral working with underage students, there are often safety concerns. He has t of difficulties running the program such as with COVID and the consequences of it, but in glad to have had Ms. De La Cruz, to rely on. He has
seen a lot of students take the program for granted and don’t realize how many people are volunteering to do extra work and really hopes that students start fully taking advantage of this opportunity to work in labs. However, he has had many successes, which he is very grateful for. One of which is continuing to have the support of the Good Neighbors Campaign and their funding. Overall, he is happy to have seen kids grow over the years and their different routes to success. Many students learned that science isn’t what they wanted to do, but glad to have had students each take falling into the Petri
dishes and something out of working in lab. One last piece of advice that he offers students is to always pay attention in class. He gives this advice recalling the famous scientist Alexander Fleming, a scientist back in the 1920s who was doing cell culture down in his lab’s basement.
(Photo of Alexander Fleming)
He was trying to culture staph infections and had gone home, forgetting to cover the Petri
dishes. The building was very old and had a lot of mold. The mold ended up killing them. He was extremely curious and continue doing research on the mold and this was how he discovered penicillin. Dr. Davies points out that because of Fleming’s scientific brain that was observant enough to see the possibilities of the mold, he was able to make this one in million lifetime discovery. He hopes that his students develop this same curiosity and observation skills to be able to one-day offer amazing possibilities in the world of science.
Merry Christmas , Bravo Knights! We have finally reached the end of the year and holiday joy is just around the corner! Lets starts of by going over a brief history of Christmas! Christmas Day is celebrated on December 25 as both a religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial celebration for everyone. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth who forms the basis of their religion.
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Monday= Pajama Day Tuesday=Holiday Headwear Wednesday= Ugly Holiday Thursday= Twin Up Friday= Santa's Workshop Freshman as elves Sophomores as snowman Juniors as reindeer Seniors as Santa Claus and Mrs Claus
There were holiday grams handed out to students during their extended period throughout december 8 and december 10! Such as a Lollipop nosed reindeer or a holiday goodie bag! There was also a Winter Concert at Bravo held in Hernandez Hall! Students that former part of The Mariachi Band, Latin Jazz Ensemble, and the Orchestra performed christmas songs and sang as well.
Popular customs for christmas include exchanging gifts, going to church, decorating pine trees or more commonly known as christmas trees with lights, ornaments and a shining star up at the top, sharing meals/ going to feasts and waiting for Santa Claus to arrive with family and friends. Christmas has been for many years a family-centered day of peace and nostalgia. December 25 has been a federal holiday in the United States since June 26, 1870! Let's continue by going over ways that Bravo students celebrate here at School! From Monday, Dec. 6th all the way to Friday, Dec. 10th Bravo Students will Celebrate spirit week!!
Even though there are amazing things happening her at Bravo we must remember to keep safe during these holidays, not only for ourselves but for our friends and family members as well. ❖ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
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Alternative activities Holiday cookie decorating Virtual ugly sweater contest Decorate as a family Outdoor festivities were participants wear two-ply or fabric face masks and are social distancing Shopping for a tree were masks and social distancing is enforced Outdoor Christmas Movie night
❖ Wear a mask This may be obvious, but now more than ever we must follow this guideline over the winter holidays to keep our friends and family safe. The CDC recommends their usage when social distance is challenging to enforce. Parents should also wear masks. ❖ Social distancing Although it's fun shopping for presents and goodies during Christmas time, going n large groups is not the safest way to travel, we recommend avoiding this! While shopping make sure to bring hand sanitizer or sanitary wipes, since you will come in contact with other surfaces. While making or wrapping presents remember to wash your hands with soap and water before, after and during the process if possible. ❖ Stay Home If you or someone you know is exposed to covid-19 during christmas time you should still continue to quarantine, to not only keep yourself but others safe.
Written By Esmeralda Martinez
LAUSD New Covid Regulations New year means new covid regulations. To start off, weekly covid tests are no longer going to be required for students that are fully vaccinated after the month of January; therefore, only unvaccinated students who have filled out a vaccine exemption form will be required to take the covid test weekly starting February. Students without a filed vaccine exemption form and have yet to be vaccinated will not be allowed to attend LAUSD schools starting January 10, 2022. However, a delay on the LAUSD covid mandate is a possibility since the board is set to discuss the mandate on Tuesday, December 14, 2021.
If nothing changes, students ages 12 and up that are not vaccinated and/or show no proof of their vaccination status by January 10, 2022 will be forced to find a school outside of LAUSD or partake in an independent study program provided by the City of Angels. In high schools were at least 85% of students are vaccinated masks will no longer be a required outdoors. indoor masking will be a required for everyone despite vaccination status. Quarantine for unvaccinated students who are asymptomatic will also change in the spring semester of 2022. These students will partake in “in-school quarantine” in order to miss less instruction time since secondary transmission is low.
Quarantine for students that show symptoms of covid and are unvaccinated will continue to be at home. Also, although the booster shot is not a requirement or part of the mandate it is recommended for both students and employes. Booster shots will be provided by LAUSD schools, both students and employees will be able to schedule an appointment with their daily pass accounts. The changes made to the spring semester are not set, they might change because of the LACDPH guidelines.
Janeli Cruz
Best Video Game Gifts As the holiday season coms to a peak, many people are wondering what is the best gifts are for the people they care about. This list will help people choose the best gifts for the people in their lives that play video games. 1.
3. New Headphones Headphones are a great item to have while gaming, a brand new gaming headset could make a great gift.
PS5
For those with a larger budget, the PS5 is one of the most popular consoles out now. With a growing library of games this is one of the best gifts to get this year
4. Gift Cards If you do not know what games or accessories the person likes then a gift card is a good option. Something like a $25 gift card would make anyone with a console happy, just make sure you know which console they have.
2.
Switch OLED
The Switch OLED is the newest iteration of the switch with a wider, more clear looking screen. At the moment it is only available in white.
The year of the Tiger starts on Chinese New Year until January 21st, 2023, and marks the third year in the Chinese zodiac cycle after the Rat and Ox. There are a total of twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac that rotate yearly in order to make a cycle of 12 years. The upcoming year, 2022, is specifically the year of the Water Tiger, since every cycle, there's a different tiger. Tigers in Chinese culture are considered to be symbols of strength, braveness, and exorcists of evil.
Anyone can check their Chinese zodiac by finding their year on the calendar below. Overall, Tigers are considered to be brave, confident, charming, and well-liked by others. A person has specific traits based on their type of Tiger as well; for example, a Water Tiger is said to have high self-esteem and learning abilities. Lucky symbols for Tigers are 1, 3, 4, blue, gray, orange, yellow lilies, and cinerarias. Meanwhile, unlucky symbols for Tigers are 6, 7, 8, and brown.
In China, it's common for people to wear clothing with tigers on them. For example, children often wear tiger-head shoes, also referred to as cat-head shoes. The shoes are used for exorcising evil spirits and protecting the child wearing them from diseases and disasters.
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