With the second semester just beginning, tryout season for the 2015-2016 school year quickly approaches. Complete your schedule with one of these classes that can channel your special interests.
ASBL
Associated Student Body Leadership adds the pizazz to a place filled with stressful academic courses. The student-operated government voices our student body’s requests, so that we can laugh at Vines during assemblies or ride a mechanical bull at a dance. As part of ASBL, a student is responsible for working with fellow members to plan and fund enjoyable school events.
“Not only do we go out of our way to find new ideas and ways to improve our campus, we also get the opportunity to improve ourselves,” ASBL Vice President Senior Stanley Huang said. “Whether it be being more organized or building a stronger mindset, there is always room for improvement when you’re in ASBL.”
Each year, ASBL searches for dynamic people who think innovatively, follow through with their ideas and can work with the rest of their committee. Students who participate in other organizations on campus and who want to support others stand apart from the crowd.
Deadlines for elected officer candidates are right around the corner; election packets, which are on Edline, are due on Feb. 13. Elected officers make up ASBL’s cabinet and include class presidents and vice presidents, along with the student board member, who represents the student body at board meetings.
Once the student body elects the new executives, next year’s ASBL president and vice president select appointed officer applicants. ASBL splits appointed officers into four committees: activities, assemblies, campus and public relations, or PR. Activities organizes dances; assemblies works on spirit rallies and break time and noontime activities; campus works with our school’s clubs, community and staff; and PR advertises and does birthday grams and poster requests. People interested in becoming an appointed officer must complete an application by March 11. The application can be found on Edline on March 2 and includes more information on specific positions within ASBL.
Brighter Side Singers
With a passion to perform, the Brighter Side Singers bask in the spotlight while singing and dancing at events around Southern California, and they hope that their audiences leave on the brighter side. This musical group finds entertaining ways to express their vocal talent to the community; for Christmas, they carol for past BSS and teachers. They also pitch in major efforts towards the annual musical.
“Brighter Side is one of the most well-known, community-oriented groups on campus,” Brighter Side Singer Senior Jenny Romney said. “Plus, every year we tour; this year we are visiting San Francisco for a vocal competition.”
BSS wants people who voice their love for performing and can bring great vocal and dancing abilities to the group. Additionally, Brighter Side Director Mr. Matt Byers searches for singers who are involved in many of our school’s different programs while maintaining good grades, so that the diverse population of the campus can be represented.
Auditions for the group will most likely occur in April, and candidates must sing a song and have a completed grade check and three teacher recommendation forms. These forms will both be under the tab called “Links & Forms” on http://templecitybrighterside.org. For callbacks, applicants should wear comfortable clothing and warm up to sing and dance the night away.
Choreo
“We are a family first, team second,” reads the decorated poster in room 601, Choreo’s rehearsal space. That is the motto in Choreography, a group that dances many genres, including ballet, jazz, lyrical and hip hop, and aims to perform as one. During the first semester, members dance at school performances, most prominent being the annual dance concert. In the second semester, the team prepares for their Choreo Showcase and also competes their numbers at SHARP Competitions.
Along with basic flexibility and technique, Choreo looks for a fierce personality that can be shown through facial expressions and sharp movements, and the ambition to improve. Advisor Ms. Jenny Powell usually checks that an applicant has previous dance experience, but it is not required.
“When I was accepted on the team, I was inexperienced,” Co-Captain Senior Asjia Fulcher said. “Being on Choreo has taught me all the technique I know.”
Show off your moves: applicants must attend the informational meeting at lunch on March 20 and the clinics held through March 23 to March 25, each from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Official tryouts are on March 26 at 3 p.m. All of these events will be in room 601. Following the same requirements as other athletic teams, members must maintain a 2.0 GPA or higher. Find out more information in the tryout packet, which will be posted on Choreo’s Edline page.
Dragonflicks
Art/Film, better known as Dragonflicks, is the crew behind the lights and camera of our school productions. In the class, members delve into film and tech by learning camera operation, editing, special effects and set design—just to name a few. They aim to make innovative movies and explore and try new concepts, even if that requires them to stay long hours at the Civic Auditorium. They keep the show going in our most popular school performances, including the annual talent show, holiday concert, dance concert and musical. At the end of each year, Dragonflicks showcases all their students’ movies in their film festival.
“Our goal throughout the school year is to open up our students’ minds about the whole art and film industry,” Dragonflicks and ASB Technical Director Senior Vanessa Arciga said. “We focus on making our movies better, being more creative, trying out new positions and seeing what you like.”
Aside from having an ambition to learn more about audio and visual media, applicants should be ready to work hard and put in additional hours for production. Members will interview applicants in March. The group will announce more information as tryout dates near.
Yearbook
The yearbook staff, or as they call themselves, yerds, capture the good, the bad and the ugly moments of the school year to create a book of memories that students will smile at years later. Their creativity has translated to social media; some of its members founded the page Humans of Temple City, on Facebook.
Copywriters write copy, headlines and captions; Photographers take and select pictures; Designers organize and market the yearbook and use graphic design software. Yearbook applicants are divided into these three categories and along with a completed application, potential copywriters must submit copy samples, designers must create a spread and photographers must submit certain types of photos.
“Being in Yearbook is a great way to get to know the TCHS community and gets you to be more extroverted,” Yearbook Advisor Ms. Elizabeth Botello said. “It kind of shakes you in this amazing way, and it gives you the journalism tools to use for the rest of your life, too.”
Tune into the bulletin around March and April to hear the date of the tryout meeting, where the staff will give out the applications and specific requirements.
Rampage
Breaking news: Rampage is looking for staff writers for the upcoming year. Our school’s student-run newspaper releases 11 new issues a year, and they strive to report about our entire student body and staff. Throughout the year, Rampage works late nights every few weeks from Monday to Thursday to create a publication that makes news accessible and enjoyable.
Rampage looks for determined and responsible people who want to delve into journalism. As a staff writer, a student learns the steps to get from brainstorming ideas to releasing an issue. This includes but is not limited to writing and editing news, entertainment, opinion, feature and sports articles; practices taking action photos and gains interview skills. Throughout the year, Rampage also attends journalism competitions around southern California.
“Rampage really helped me to develop my writing skills and became something that’s truly my passion,” Rampage Editor-in-chief Senior Serena Lin said. “If you love writing and want to get to know the student body, Rampage is perfect for you.”
Applicants must attend a journalism workshop on March 6, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., and write a timed news article about a mock press conference on March 9, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The required application, due the day of the press conference, can be found on the top right corner of tchsrampage.com. Applicants also must submit a sample photo along with the application.