School is almost over and our seniors will be leaving Arcadia High School this June after four long years. After all their amazing experiences and lessons learned, this is what our seniors say about their high school career and their advice to those still in high school.

Emily Zheng

The seniors that I have interviewed will be attending a variety of universities in the fall, including Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Los Angeles, Cal Poly Pomona, Claremont McKenna College, Marymount College Palos Verdes, New York University, Pasadena City College, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, University of Michigan, and University of Southern California.

<Editor’s Note: blogger Emily Zheng is a freshman at Arcadia High School.>

What was your most memorable experience in Arcadia High School?

Annabel Combs: My most powerful and memorable experience at AHS was this February, on the last day that the French exchange students were here. I was devastated and everyone in the room was crying because we all had grown extremely close. It was heartwarming to see the eternal bonds that had formed between not only myself and my students, but my classmates and their students. Seeing two sets of teenagers from two very different parts of the world become so entwined in such a short period of time through the sharing of two beautiful cultures was an extremely powerful thing.

Farihah Chowdhury: I think AP Biology in my sophomore year was my most memorable experience. Despite it being such a difficult class, I learned so much and made great friends.

Jeremy Beckman: The thing I truly adored about Arcadia High School was the door that opened to so many opportunities. I found Arcadia High as a place of unlimited possibilities, where you can transcend into anybody you want, and achieve your own measure of satisfaction.

Kevin Lin: My most memorable experience by far in high school would either be the time our Cross Country team won CIF, State, and the nationals.

Nadine Tran: It would have to be my first charity show. It was amazing. I discovered a newfound respect for dancers and ended up loving dance more because of it. It was so surprising to find out that a high school was capable of having a high quality show.

Thanesh Ayyalu: My most memorable experience at AHS is most definitely being on the “We The People” Constitution team. Everything from applying and making the team to preparing for and going to the various competitions has been an awesome opportunity and I would totally do it all over again. I never thought I would get to delve so much into what our nation’s founding document really means in changing times and get to bond so closely with 29 other people at the same time. Winning a couple of competition titles didn’t hurt either. Being on Senior Men and Women and Cross country come in at a close second though.

Travis Tu: I think my most memorable experience in high school was when Arcadia’s Science Bowl team upset Troy to win the regional competition at JPL and go to nationals. It was extra special because we lost to Troy once and then went into the consolation bracket where we came back from a 100 point deficit to beat Woodbridge and then take 2 in a row to beat Troy for the nationals trip.

Wendy Cheung: The organizations that I got to be a part of, such as Student Council Apache Commission, SMW, French Club, Girl’s Basketball, Link Crew, FBLA, Key Club, Hope Can Cure Cancer Club, and Prom Committee. I believe that AHS provides so many different outlets for creativity and cultural exploration. These organizations provide ways for each and every person to find their true passion. Being a part of SMW was especially rewarding because it was truly a family of students who wanted to make a difference, serve the community, and put others before themselves. It felt good to be a part of a group that had a common goal and also had tons of fun at the same time!

If you could start over your four years again, what would you change?

Andy Qin: I am a firm believer in embracing what has already happened in these four years. Sure, I would like to have met certain people sooner, committed to certain courses earlier, and have found my direction in a more timely manner, but hey—that’s life! I wouldn’t change a thing.

Brendan Ma: I would change to trying out for Speech and Debate so that I could be in it all four years. Being in Speech and Debate allows a person to experience a variety of public speaking in front of audiences. Whether you like debate, advocacy, or acting, it’s all there for a speech and debater. The people are kind and supportive and what’s best about Speech is the freedom that an individual has. If you are just in it for fun or your too busy with academics then that’s fine. If you want to be a hardcore speech person and do multiple events then you can do that too.

Daniel Han: If I could start over as a freshman again, I would focus more on studying and less on “lazy leisure time.”

Farihah Chowdhury: I would take my AP classes more seriously than I did.

Frank Wang: If I could start over, I would definitely make some adjustments to my course/class selection.

Kevin Lin: If I could start over I would definitely have tried to study a bit harder. I slacked way too much in school and it did not help me get into college in any way. I also would have tried to get out of the house more and be more social with people and go to more school events.

Oishee Shemontee: I probably would be a little less sure of my abilities. I think I’ve missed a lot of opportunities and messed up a lot because of overconfidence in my abilities. For example, I took 5 APs senior year and I really regret doing that. I’d change my overconfident attitude.

Thanesh Ayyalu: I would probably change my study habits and/or pick my high school schedule better. I think my GPA suffered due to a little bit of both and the fact that I couldn’t fully juggle all the extracurriculars I was in with homework and AP classes. Most of all, I would take more time to appreciate the present because in hindsight high school has been a blast and four years have flown by. I would gladly go back and fix my GPA though.

Vincent Wei: I would try to get better grades, because I regret not going to a Division I football school, like USC.

What advice do you have for others who are still in high school?

Andy Qin: The key to success is foresight. Everyone has an imagination; use that imagination to predict what situation you will be in as a result of the choice you have made. Lead a spontaneous life, and stay true to your principles, and I promise you will have a fulfilling high school career.

Annabel Combs: My advice would be to take classes that inspire you and capture your interests; not necessarily the interests of your parents and friends.

Amy Wen: Grades before extracurriculars! EXTRAcurriculars are extra. Grades are what make your dream school a reality.

Brendan Ma: It is never too late to try a new thing. From a club to an extracurricular activity to a sport, if you want it, go for it. I tried two things in my senior year, speech and debate and track, and loved both activities. With so many different things to do at Arcadia High School, there is bound to be something for everyone.

Daniel Han: Don’t overwork yourself by taking AP classes for the sake of having the name brand of “Advanced Placement” on your transcript. If it happens to be a subject that you don’t enjoy at all, you will surely regret taking the class. Also, there is no such thing as an “easy AP”; all APs require a fair amount of hard work invested into it. I had taken a couple APs that may have scarred pieces of my transcript.

Farihah Chowdhury: Do what makes you happy, don’t let the opinions of others stop you from reaching your goals.

Gina Oh: Don’t stress out so much about what college admissions are looking for and do something that you enjoy. Something that I personally think will get you far in life is passion. So find what your passionate about and stick with it because doing something out of obligation versus passion becomes very obvious. And one last thing is to try everything. What people forget is that high school is FREE. This is where you get to take as many classes as you want, try many different activities without having to pay the price like you do in college. It is a perfect opportunity to find out what you are passionate about.

Jeremy Beckman: I’d like to tell my fellow peers that despite the pressure to be the perfect student, try to find your own source of happiness in school. Enjoy the time you have as a student, perform to the best of your ability, and be proud of what YOU have done. Take pride in your work and accomplishments, and get involved in the things that fulfill you the best.

Kahao Lim: Advice? Relax. Whatever happens will happen.

Kevin Lam: For those new students coming from China to America like me, don’t waste too much of your time playing or relaxing.

Kevin Lin: My advice for the student is to have fun as much as possible and let loose every once in a while but at the same time focus on the important stuff like grades because if you want to get into college, you’re going to have to work hard.

Oishee Shemontee: Whatever you do, make it count. Don’t just join a club or team or take an AP class for the resume. Do it because you actually care. Because some things really, really, really aren’t worth it. Really. Trust me.

Thanesh Ayyalu: My greatest advice is to not miss any opportunities because Arcadia is so full of them that it’s really easy to let them fly past you and not notice. Get a handle of what you like, what your hobbies are, and what you feel like pursuing and go follow it! Keep your grades up, but don’t let it dominate you because you only get to go through high school once. The world is super competitive, so live in the moment but also keep your grades high. Most of all, have fun with it and learn for joy of learning something new not simply to go through the motions.

Travis Tu: Don’t make everything you do be about getting into college. Enjoy yourself and don’t like kill yourself over grades and stuff because now that I look back on the college admissions process, I do not feel that 1 B or 2 would make or break you. It would be all the different things that you can talk about in an interview or are able to show colleges that you can become something in the future. Whether the people that get into the “great” schools actually have that potential is a totally different story. And don’t procrastinate!

Wendy Cheung: Don’t fear rejection. It’s a part of life and while you should always strive for the best, don’t let your fears guide you through life. It’s important to stay strong when the going gets tough and have the big picture in mind at all times. I can tell you that I’ve probably been rejected at least 20 (no lie) times from various organizations, colleges, and programs. While it totally stings that you’re not who they’re looking for, keep in mind that there are millions of other opportunities! Keep trying, stay strong, and always strive for the best.

Wendy Huang: Work hard but don’t forget to have fun on the side. High school is only what you make of it, so make sure you have no regrets.

Thank you to all the seniors for being a highlight of Arcadia High School and for sharing your experiences with us! Best of luck in the next step of your careers!

During our recent Spring break, Dana Middle School organized an 8th grade student trip to visit Washington D.C. and New York City. I was one of the 40 students along with a few teachers and chaperones to visit our nation’s Capital (including the White House) and the Big Apple.

Vick Liu

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
A memorable Spring Break Trip in DC and NYC
By Vick Liu (8th Grader at Dana Middle School)
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
The trip that was intriguing, educating, and fun will be memorized probably for my entire lifetime. I honestly learned more than I ever could have imagined and took home with me a vast amount of knowledge that I believe will benefit me for years to come. In this trip I had many fun experiences, yet there were numerous solemn ones. This trip gave me an opportunity to explore our capital and learn about all the sacrifices that the American people have given to preserve the freedom that we, especially young students, take for granted every day.

We left from Dana Middle school to the airport on Friday night, March 30, 2012. For most of us, it was the first time to travel alone without parents. There was an air of excitement as we left and we had a size-able sum of time away from our parent’s jurisdiction. The bus ride went by within a blink and soon we were on the plane to Washington D.C. Our plane flight was one that spanned overnight, also dubbed as a “red eye.” Mrs. Sanchez, our teacher, has already recommended that we get as much sleep as possible, but nobody ever did.

The first day in Washington D.C. was probably the most exhausting. We were able to visit numerous monuments. including: the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, FDR Memorial, MLK Jr. Memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial, Korean War Memorial, etc. We also took a tour in the capitol where we were allowed to see the national statuary collection, a collection of statues of famous people, and visit the past area of where Congress would meet. When we got back to the hotel at night, everybody was too tired to say anything and we all just fell asleep for a measly five-minutes before heading down to the pool to play around in the water and soak our tired bodies in the Jacuzzi. The next day was almost identical to the first, we went to multiple tourist attractions, but the highlight of that day was visiting the White House.

Naturally, at the White House you would have to go through numerous security checks and at one of them I forgot to remove my belt so when I went through the scanner, the alarm went off and a Saxon horn started sounding. One of the security guards quickly took me over to a wall and started swiping me with a metal detector. He swiped around my body until it detected my belt. Next, he started patting me down to check if I was carrying anything else, and you have to realize that the whole class was watching me so it was astonishing to all of us. He said seriously to me: “You are under arrest.” While I was totally shocked there for a minute, he looked at me with a smile and said, “Son, are you from Dana?” I nervously answered a quick yes and was a little on edge until he explained that he made a joke since he had graduated from First Avenue Middle School (a neighboring middle school in the area) and had noticed my jacket printed with Dana Middle School’s name.

The second half or the relaxed portion of the trip, as I called it, was in New York City. We had a couple of chances to go shopping and the zenith of the trip was probably when we went to China Town to do some bargaining. There, we were left to wander (but with adult supervision) around the streets going from store to store, looking at items, and bargaining for them like a vagabond. I was lucky enough to lower the price of a $15 dollar T-shirt down to $10 and a pair of $15 sunglasses to only $6 with only a couple minutes of “training” that our teacher had given us. What made China Town the highlight of the trip wasn’t the shopping, but the freedom we were given to buy whatever we wanted and the burst of adrenaline that bargaining gave us. Every time we made a successful deal we could feel a certain rush that could not be replaced.

During our time in NYC my group was also able to visit the famous Ellis Island, an island where all immigrants had to go through in order to earn their American Citizenship, and the 9/11 Memorial. In Ellis Island we saw the numerous rooms that would house the sick, rooms where medical examinations would take place, and rooms where there would be an extremely long line for immigrants to get questioned. We also saw how it developed from being a fort to a bustling immigration center. In the 9/11 Memorial, we visited the two areas where that the twin towers had been located and saw the World Trade Center and the four other buildings surrounding it being built.

In conclusion, the Washington D.C. and NYC trip was one that can never be re-created for me again. I was able to witness many great tourist attractions and had my first chance at bargaining. In addition, friendships were developed and strengthened among students and teachers. At the end of the trip the students complained about their reluctance in coming home, but we all knew that we were not meant to stay. It was truly an extraordinary experience for all the students that participated.

We hear about many successes and achievements of Arcadia High School students.
On Saturday I was impressed and inspired by a dazzling dance performance produced by a dozen former AHS students at a performing arts theater in Baldwin Park.

by Scott Hettrick

Twelve of the 18 members of the Evoke Dance Company, including the three founders, Jeniffer Hsu, Justine Hsu, and Josephine Lau, hail from Arcadia and are now mostly twenty-something university graduates.
The 21 songs they chose, and their choreography, costuming, and complex and immaculate dance steps were a joy to watch and truly evoked emotions from more than 500 enthralled audience members.

The performances in the program called “Life Renditions” portrayed “defining moments, attitudes, struggles, and experiences during various stages of life.”
A number called “The Crash,” depicted a broken relationship between a young man and woman with the heartfelt emotion comparable to the quality and power of a performance on the TV show “So You Think You Can Dance.”
A mash-up of multiple songs and styles called “Travelers Unite” featured eight of the principle dancers wearing masks as they performed delightfully rapid-fire steps, hand movements, and facial expressions.
And the whimsical “Too Cool For School” presented many of the dancers dressed in brightly-colored child-like outfits as they expressed the unbridled enthusiasm of elementary school students to the music of The Jackson Five’s “A-B-C” and Lil Mama’s “G-Slide.”

Justine and Jeniffer Hsu, and Josephine Lau

Even more inspiring than the program and the performances was the realization that these young adults are choosing to do this completely on their own, without the structure of a high school, university or pre-existing organization. What’s more, they donate a portion of proceeds to worthy organizations, in this case, the Feed the Children charity.

These upbeat individuals are not sitting around watching TV, playing video games, hanging out at clubs, or getting into myriad forms of trouble. In fact, almost all of them have full-time jobs and many are nurturing relationships and even marriages. And yet, they still devoted many late nights and weekends during the past four months to creating this show and practicing several times a week.
<Story continues below following video produced by Evoke about their company and mission.>

Justine, Josephine, Jeniffer, and the Evoke Dance Company are living their mission to “dance, evoke, and give.”

Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
I don’t know if members of Evoke have any such lofty ambitions to change the world, but the attitude and performances of Evoke are having a positive impact on everyone they touch.

– By Scott Hettrick

Posted April 11, 2012:

I would like to thank everyone for participating in this years election.
SignageI congratulate Gary and John for their election victory and continued service as Councilmen. The residents of Arcadia have spoken and I respect and support their decision. I thank my parents, my daughter and all my friends for all their support. It has meant a lot to me and I have made many new friends throughout this process. I still feel honored to have been able to participate and voice my vision and thoughts for our great city. Thank you to all for allowing me such a great experience.

Henry Nunez

Posted April 6, 2012:

The Emperor Has No Clothes

As one of the three candidates that Mickey Segal targeted at the past City Council meeting, I feel it is only appropriate for me to respond.

My initial reaction is, how strange was this tirade? His comments were shocking, unrelated to any business of the Council and totally out of left field. They were contradictory, illogical and the content showed arrogance and his pompous attitude toward others. The fact that he knew none of the attacked candidates could respond shows his immaturity and childish school-ground retaliatory behavior. What Mickey is saying is he doesn’t think anyone is up to his standards and is wondering why can’t any candidates be as great as him. Thank goodness we are not. He is so out of touch with reality and so self-absorbed that he acts like the emperor without any clothes. This is exactly why I chose to run for the Arcadia City Council.

The Good Old Boys Club has taken extraordinary steps to blatantly support incumbents Kovacic and Wuo. Roger Chandler and Bob Harbicht participated in pre-recorded telephone messages (robo-calling) paid for by the campaign of John Wuo, asking residents to vote for John Wuo. Mickey’s tirade is just as desperate an act. The Good Old Boys Network seems very afraid and they are certainly acting like it. What is their motivation, what are they hiding? Is this in the best interests of Arcadia? Is this the type of character that we want in our Council? All it shows to me, is what Sho, Mary and I have been saying prior to and during this election period….Arcadia needs new voices on our Council now, not in 2014.

The only thing I can suggest is a double dose of humbleness for these guys.

I, for one, would be proud to serve with Sho or Mary. I see them both as highly qualified, contributing members of our community and most of all able to work intelligently and professionally with others. Lastly, I pray that we are elected so that we can show the people of Arcadia how very wrong Mickey has portrayed the three of us. I wear it as a badge of honor that I was included in the same group as Sho and Mary.

Posted March 27, 2012:

Vote before April 10th for new members of Arcadia Council

As a new member of our Council, I would be very proactive in facing the issues that Arcadia faces today. We need to be very diligent in addressing the signage problems, massage parlors and lack of collection of retail tax in certain commercial areas of Arcadia.

I don’t see why this is so difficult to do.

We have our ordinances and guidelines that dictate the types, size and language content of business signs. The solution is a two-step process. First, a drive-by inspection is all it takes to create a database of offenses. Secondly, strict enforcement of our guidelines is needed.

Massage Parlors
We need to strengthen our existing guidelines to stop illegitimate massage parlors from operating and spreading all over Arcadia. Again, the solution is a simple two-step process. First, the creation of a database of existing massage parlors allows us to identify the scope of the problem. Secondly, diligent inspections along with strict enforcement of strengthened guidelines will close the illegitimate massage parlors and stop others from coming to Arcadia. There is no place in Arcadia for these types of businesses to be left to thrive and spread throughout our City.

Lack of Retail Sales Tax being paid in parts of Arcadia
There are several areas of Arcadia’s commercial districts that have not been paying their retail sales tax. This problem has been left to continue for many years and is certainly unfair to those businesses that have paid their fair share of sales tax for many years. Again, a simple two-step process is the solution. First, identify the businesses in those commercial districts that consistently refuse to pay retail sales tax even though their business has been operating for years. Secondly, inspections that determine customer count and cooperation with the State Board of Equalization for strict enforcement of the law would stop this offense from continuing and spreading in Arcadia.

Gold Line and Downtown
We are the only City in the Foothill Gold Line extension to not have any vision, direction or plans for the Gold Line stop in Arcadia. It is a great opportunity for us to create a downtown with dining, shopping and local events for us to gather. Who doesn’t want that? Let us be in control of the destiny of this opportunity rather than ignore the elephant in the room. Let us be proactive along with the Arcadia Downtown Business Association and be certain that our ideals and values will be upheld.

Good Ole Boys Group at City Hall
The robo-calling by Roger Chandler and Bob Harbicht for former councilmember and current candidate John Wuo is an effort to continue this Good Ole Boys Group. These robo-calls are paid for by the campaign funds of John Wuo. Which begs the question…what is the motivation for Roger Chandler and Bob Harbicht to go to such extremes to return John Wuo to Arcadias Council? One could say that John Wuo will be beholden to them for his vote. One could point to other more nefarious motivations. Or one could say that the current strength of council candidates has placed fear in the Good Ole Boys Group and they are reacting to that. Lastly, one could also say that they are exercising their right to support whichever candidate they like.

Whichever reason it is, there is just no place in Arcadia for this to continue.

The above issues have all been able to fester for many years. New faces on our Council will bring new energy, new ideas and a proactive way to face the issues of today. If you haven’t voted yet, please vote for me, Henry Nunez, before April 10th.

Posted March 12, 2012:

Why it’s the right time for Arcadia to elect new council members

Enthusiasm
Traits that describe an Enthusiastic personality are:
Planning, Anticipation, Work, Wisdom, Emotional contagion

It’s important to have different opinions, methods, thoughts, ideas and personalities in all groups. This helps for all group members to examine different sides of all issues. Enthusiasm seems to have the ability to spread among others and provide inspiration and participation in common goals. I think at this time our council would benefit by a candidate with enthusiasm.

Strategic Planning
The strategic planning process includes the following approaches:
Situation-Target-Proposal

Evaluate the current situation and how it came about. What is today’s situation? What is the ideal image or the desired state? What is the gap from ideal and why? Define goals and/or objectives. Map a possible route to the goals/objectives. What specific actions must be taken to close the gap between today’s situation and the ideal state? What resources are required to execute the activities?

For the past years our business districts such as Live Oak, Baldwin, Foothill and Arcadia Downtown have not flourished. The Gold Line station is on its way and provides us an opportunity to better able to increase city revenues. For the past eighteen months our Arcadia Business Association has studied, worked and united to create and revitalize our downtown. March 6th, the city council agreed to spend up to $70,000 from our general funds to hire a consultant to analyze the downtown area to create a business improvement district for the purpose of revitalizing the downtown area. This effort will create new events to offer new activities for us to gather, market our downtown and business and create a stronger sense of community. Strategic planning is the process to ensure that our efforts have been studied and debated in great detail and more importantly that the results includes all the values and ideals that our great city stands for.

Increased City Revenues

Our city has a $60 million dollar pension obligation along with the costs of all the great services we enjoy. I feel it is very prudent and responsible to explore ways to continually increase our city revenues and control our expenses. Recently, it seems as though the emphasis has been to cut our budget and this requires our police, fire, hospital and city departments to constantly do more with less. We should examine how we can benefit from all the great resources that we have here in Arcadia. The Santa Anita Race Track is a global property, the Arboretum, Santa Anita Golf Course and Park, Library, Chantry, Wilderness Park to name just a few. Maybe a citywide economic plan can help us to identify ways to leverage these great properties and contribute to our city revenues.

The Jewel of the San Gabriel Valley

Arcadia has always been the Jewel of the San Gabriel Valley. Our leadership is responsible to continue in this path and it requires forward planning, analysis of the past, the future and what direction is the best for our residents. Our leadership has provided us a conservative and diligent foundation that we have always been able to count on. I feel it is responsible for me to voice opportunities that we have here in Arcadia to better our city. Revitalization, Improvement, the definitions are nearly identical. I just want Arcadia to always remain an example for the entire San Gabriel Valley. Our values and ideals is what I grew up on here is Arcadia since I was five years old and it is what our future generations will depend on. It takes our entire community to keep our city great. Please join me in this effort.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
Henry Nunez
Age 53
Businessman

I am proud to say that I was raised in Arcadia, attended our great schools and graduated from Arcadia High School in 1976. I grew up with Arcadias’ great traditions, strong sense of community and sense of safety and security. In 1986, I began my real estate career in Arcadia and founded my firm here in 1998.

My priorities are increasing sources of revenue while adhering to strict fiscal policy. Strong police and fire, public safety, education and Arcadias’ outstanding resources are our foundation.

My focus is:
TRADITION — COMMUNITY — REVITALIZATION
Protecting and supporting our traditions will help to increase involvement and strengthen our sense of community. Revitalizing our business base and mix will provide us an opportunity to support our local businesses and spend here in town. We need to create more public spaces to gather and make our streets pleasurable to walk.

My leadership in community organizations includes:

• 2007 President of the Arcadia Association of Realtors
• 2008-09 Chairman of the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership
• Support for the Foothill Gold Line
• 1982 Bachelor of Science, Marketing Major, SW Oklahoma State University
• 2001 Masters in Real Estate Development, University of Southern California

Could you survive on your own in the wilderness, with everyone out to make sure that you would not see the day? Along with many young students in Arcadia, I went to the AMC theater at Westfield Santa Anita to embark on a remarkable movie adventure. The movie line -to my interest- extended all the way outside of the theater building. The moment I stepped into the theater, I realized that this was going to be one of the most treasured experiences of my life.

Benjamin Liu of Camino Grove Elementary

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
by Benjamin Liu
a 5th grader at Camino Grove Elementary

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

The movie was made based on its inspiring novel, The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. The story exemplifies the true meaning of cleverness, survival, and a situation where you have to fight to your extreme to survive. Jennifer Lawrence starring as Katniss in the movie chooses the decision to survive and fight her way out of a situation where she must withstand fear and pain in the arena utilizing every asset and ability she possesses to survive and stand up for her loved ones.

The movie begins in the black and burning coal mines of district twelve where Katniss Everdeen specializes in the skills of hunting with pure accuracy and major survival skills from experience and genetics. In the ruins of North America, the nation of Panem is divided into twelve districts that live in a state of poverty with a demanding and tyrannical capitol that abuses power relying on the twelve districts to create resources such as agriculture, electricity, fuel, etc. After a past uprising by the districts and rebellion against the government, the capitol overpowered the 13 districts; and ever since, they have used their advantages in cruel and injustice ways to enslave the districts in harsh conditions. As cruel punishment, they destroyed the thirteenth district and bred The Hunger Games, where each year, children from the age of twelve to eighteen from each district would have a chance to be raffled and chosen to fight in a battle and brawl to the death until only one remained. As one of the most courageous decisions in her life, Katniss Everdeen fixes her sister’s footsteps by restraining her from certain death in the arena and takes her part in the hunger games. She faces some of the biggest challenges of her life by turning her enemies’ strengths into their most substantial weaknesses and risking everything to survive.

“The Hunger Games” film had an opening of $152 million dollars- third best opening in history- and has already out-shined and eclipsed many movie competitors by making more than $300 million dollars in less than three. The novel and film have already received major reviews (mostly positive) and several awards and honors. Main cast members feature Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, and Jennifer Lawrence.

The Hunger Games trilogy has been the pick of many readers( esp., young students and adults) but as well as it may seem, the only way to experience such an adventure is for people to read the remarkable novel themselves. They can never quite explain how truly exceptional The Hunger Games is. The Hunger Games gives a secret message behind it taking readers to experiences of poverty and starvation and taking them to the bloody and miserable battle fields and brutal fighting arenas. Persistence and cleverness are the keys to survival. Life is not an easy path and leads to many major obstacles and even in a time with harsh conditions, poverty, starvation, unfairness, and chaos, people need to persevere to do the right thing. Step into the darkness and do not be afraid to stare face to face and meet your eyes with some of your greatest fears.