This week's Photo Theme: 

Caught Off Guard

Connections

How to play:

• Find 4 groups of 4 words

• Each group contains 4 words that are connected by category

For Example:

Pocket / Wallet / Purse / Bank → Places to put your money in. 

Snow / Base / Foul / Winners → ____ Ball.

• The categories of each group will be more complex, it will not be something like “Adjectives”, “Words”, “4-Letter Words”, or “Contains a vowel”.

• Each category varies in difficulty: Easy, Medium, Hard, Very Hard.  

• Click on 4 words and hit “submit” to see if it is a category.

• Feel free to reset the game if you lose. Have fun!

Created by: William Espiritu 10th

School Update

This Week's Features!

From April 2 to April 5, a select few of KSJC’s juniors were picked to go on a trip to visit six different colleges in Fresno and the Los Angeles area. The first college they visited was Fresno State University. This college was hyped up to be one of the more prestigious and better colleges that were going to be visited, but the reality was that it seemed very average. The consensus was that this was one of the lower-ranked of the 6, probably being around the 5th–6th-best college. They would wake up the next day to visit CSU San Marcos and UC Irvine. 

First was CSU San Marcos, which was a school honestly nobody really knew about before going, so the expectations were pretty low. Arriving at the school, however, showed that this school was definitely talked about a lot less than it should’ve been. The main two things that would describe this school would be amazing views and stairs. In the end, the endless amount of stairs didn’t really hurt anyone's opinions on the school, as most would have it as the 2nd or 4th best, depending on who you ask. 

Later that day, the juniors would visit UC Irvine, one of the most prestigious schools in the country. This school had so much hype going into it and definitely lived up to it. It was a pretty-looking school that had many things to do around it, as well as the feeling of constantly being surrounded by very intelligent and accomplished students. Most would also put it around the 2nd–4th best, depending on how you ask. 

The next day, students would go to CSU Fullerton and UCLA. Arriving at CSU Fullerton, most of the students had no clue what the school offered. In all honesty, it wasn’t a bad school, but the lack of students being there because of spring break did not help the feeling of it being empty. It ranked around the 5th–6th best. UCLA, however, would live up to the hype and prestige that it is known for. Going around, it felt like a lot of the juniors dreams due to how many wanted to go to this school. Its gorgeous campus and just wonderful views make it rank around the 2nd–3rd spot. 

On the last day of the trip, the students visited USC. If you’ve noticed the dramatic increase in USC merchandise at school, you could probably guess students’s opinions on this school. To summarize it, everything about it would exceed the standards put on it, including being a prestigious school that looked and felt amazing. The whole time there was enjoyable, and it definitely deserved to be the consensus best school visited on the trip.

Day 1: California State University, Fresno

Starting off the trip was a bright and very early 6:30 AM check-in at the place nobody should be at 6:30 in the morning: school. After being greeted by chirpy teachers and excited friends, it was time to make it to our tour bus. Granted, it wasn't as cool as the tour buses of Taylor Swift or The Beatles, but it was still filled with snacks and enough water to supply a small town and friends! 

After a 3-hour bus ride, we reached our first college: California State University, Fresno. CSU Fresno was an interesting school filled with friendly squirrels, debatable dining hall food, and a huge campus life. The school most popular for its agriculture, library holding 1,000,000 books, and diverse student population helped students expand their minds to different schools. 

Following the CSU Fresno tour with an interesting, to say the least, tour guide, students arrived at their homes for the next two nights. The Hilton Garden Inn was definitely one of the nicest hotels I had ever seen or smelled (the immediate smell of lavender and soap hits you on the way in). Rooms with two huge beds, a TV with critically acclaimed movies from TV shows such as Pitch Perfect 2 and Bob’s Burgers, and a complimentary hair dryer! The one downside that I will mention is the difficulty of finding a toothbrush. Although it was my fault for forgetting mine, I did not realize the struggle and embarrassment I would have to go through trying to find one in my pajamas right before bed. Another very odd part of the hotel was that the ghosts would knock on doors very randomly, but what's a trip with your friends without any paranormal encounters?

Day 2: California State University, San Marcos, University of California, Irvine, and Downtown Disney

After another wake-up call at 6:35 AM and a buffet-style breakfast of eggs, potatoes, and fruit, we were ready to hit the road again! This time to California State University, San Marcos, where we were greeted with many, many stairs. Throughout this whole trip, we faced many stairs, but none as serious or daunting as those at CSU San Marcos. Although it was one of the smaller campuses that we visited, it still held an amphitheater, a huge dining hall and gift shop, and cultural centers. The school’s campus life was much more lively than that of CSU Freso’s and had much better dining hall food, in my personal opinion. 

College 1 of 2 down, and the second was definitely a jaw dropper. Even approaching the University of California, Irvine felt like going into ‘The O.C.’. After a KSJC alumni-led tour showcasing the school’s renowned business program, pristine dorm buildings, and lush garden-like campus, we got to go to the UC Irvine bookstore campus gift shop. The gift shop was filled with anything you could think of with the UC Irvine logo stamped right on it: sweatpants, water bottles, stuffed animals, foam fingers, and even jewelry because ‘Go Anteaters!’. 

The day hadn’t been and definitely was not going to slow down after that because right after UC Irvine was the big deal of the day: Downtown Disney. We got to go to Downtown Disney, eat sandwiches paid for by the school, which I will give a solid 8/10, and explore the district with our friends. Downtown Disney as a whole was probably a 10/10 for me, as I got to do some of my favorite things with my favorite people. I got to shop and eat churros, and that was enough for me to go home and be happy and content with the trip, but even after that, just getting to wind down and be with my friends was a pretty great experience. 

Day 3: California State University, Fullerton, University of California, Los Angeles, and Universal’s Citywalk 

If you thought Day 2 was a lot, Day 3 was even more. Waking up even earlier this time in order to check out of the hotel and be able to enjoy breakfast was a difficult task and definitely one I was not prepared for. After making sure I hadn’t forgotten anything in the hotel and making many room checks, I finally made it to the bus to go over to California State University, Fullerton. The school was on its spring break, so the campus was eerily quiet and empty, but after a tour from former KSJC students and alumni, it definitely opened my eyes to the school. 

Students got to experience what being on campus at one of California's most prestigious and elite schools was like when they went to the University of California, Los Angeles. A self-guided tour of the Los Angeles campus was a crazy experience for me. I got lost and exhausted, and I almost fell face first a number of times, but nonetheless, I still had a good time seeing the school and getting to see why people like it so much. If I were a young Sheldon type of student, I would definitely consider going there, so if you are considering this as a school to apply to, I definitely would! 

The beginning of the end of the day started with Universal Studios’ Citywalk. When comparing Citywalk to Downtown Disney, you see a wide array of differences. Downtown Disney is much more commercial and doesn't have as many themed stores as Universal does. Although both do have Sephora, I saw a lot of things, such as me spending way too much money and regretting it as soon as I saw the notification from the Wells Fargo app on my phone. A purchase that I do not regret at all was the 3 Doritos Locos Tacos from Taco Bell, which were provided by the school. (May the taco that flew out of my hands because of the wind rest in peace.) Not only did we get Taco Bell, though, we also got renowned Raising Cane’s. Raising Cane’s was not seen in the original plan and agenda of the Junior Trip, but with enough begging and nagging from students, anything can happen! As a first-time Cane’s goer, I was very excited and satisfied with the food, especially the bread. 

Day 4: University of Southern California

After awakening from a cane’s food coma, it was the last day of the trip. A quick tip for any future junior trip goers: do not eat your breakfast too fast. You will get sick. A bus ride later... We finally reached California's personal Harvard: the University of Southern California. USC was the school that I was most excited about. Prior to visiting the school, I only really knew it had a good film program, but after the tour with KIPP Navigate alumni, I learned a lot more. With the school being very close to Hollywood, it made sense that its film and arts programs were very renowned. The school also prides itself on its business programs and diversity. From an outsider's perspective, the school looks quiet and very studious, but students say its student life and school events are a huge part of the school’s identity. My honest opinion of the school is that it is a 10/10 and definitely a school I would recommend even just visiting. 

Closing off the trip was a pit stop at In & Out. In & Out is best known for two things: its burgers and its ability to always be busy. The latter of the two was definitely true, and seeing 45 teenagers and their chaperones pull up probably made at least a few workers regret their career choice. Nonetheless, it made us happy and made us go into a food coma, making for an easy ride back home. 

The junior trip is definitely a trip that I recommend you take and go to during your junior year. It not only expands your knowledge of college but also of the people around you. During the trip, I got to talk to kids that, for some reason, I hadn't before.

Current World

It’s no secret that drug cartel activity has been very active lately. Drug cartels had been around as early as 1970, and the growing demand for cocaine has caused a high increase in drug cartel activity in the country. Though the pleasure of other drugs comes from other countries, Almost 70% of it comes from Mexico, as Mexcio drug cartels control approximately 70% of the foreign narcotics flow into the United States. Most of the states where this cartel activity has been active, like Texas, New Mexico, California, Arizona, and as far as Washington and Connecticut, Taking into account that Mexico has one of the largest drug cartels active as of March 1, 2024, during a morning press conference in Mexico City National Palace, he stated, “We are not going to act as policemen for any foreign government,” López Obrador said at his daily news briefing. “Mexico First. Our home comes first.” President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's main argument is that he won’t fight along with the US to stop cartels along with U.S. orders as he chose to protect his country first, but he did argue that “Of course we are going to cooperate in fighting drugs, above all because it has become a very sensitive, very sad humanitarian issue because a lot of young people are dying in the United States because of fentanyl.” Considering that he will help the US government if it’s located in Mexico,.

On Thursday, April 12, 2024, in Mexico’s Pacific Coast resort, Acapulo police officials were shot, marking the latest incident of deadly violence in Mexico’s resort. The city government believed that gunmen killed Eduardo Chavez, who was the head of the municipal traffic police. He was fired far away from the resort, and the crime is still under investigation. Pleanty of crimes relatively happen in Acapulo regarding drug cartels. Drug cartels in Mexico usually force bus and taxi drivers. A video that had been posted in March showed enforcers brutally beating up bus drivers in Acupolo as they failed to look out for drug cartels, including slaps and name-calling such as “animals” and et cetera. Demanding that they should check in more with the gang.

Comic Strip

Follow our Instagram!

for the latest news and interesting interviews of your peers around campus.

@ksjcwolfprints