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McClatchy vs. Kennedy Varsity Boys Soccer

The McClatchy Lions played the Kennedy Cougars at Kennedy High School last Thursday, and it was a clean sweep. The first half went by slowly, with Kennedy starting with the ball. The game was rough, with a lot of dirty plays. Within the first ten minutes, McClatchy scored off of a corner kick, leading 1-0. After we scored, it started getting more technical, with players sliding into each other purposely, causing fouls, and even arguing with the refs. After our goal, the half went by slowly, with the ball going back and forth. The half ended 1-0, with McClatchy still up.

The second half started off at a good pace, with McClatchy having the ball and moving it around Kennedy. It went back and forth until eventually, Kennedy caused a foul inside the penalty box. Nathaniel took this penalty and scored, leading McClatchy 2-0. After this goal, Kennedy took the kick-off, and it started getting rough, with Kennedy causing fouls, crowds yelling, and the ref getting frustrated. The ref made calls more towards Kennedy’s side, not giving McClatchy fair play. A foul was created in the box by a Kennedy player, and a McClatchy player was down injured. The ref didn’t make this call and decided to play on. Kennedy took the ball for a quick counter-attack, but McClatchy’s defense quickly shut it down and took the ball back to their half. Kevin scored, leading McClatchy 3-0.

The game got worse as it went on, with players from each side getting hurt and the referee not stopping any of these plays. Things got hot quickly, but Reid scored his second goal of the game, leading McClatchy up 4-0. Within the last five minutes, the rest of the game went on, and McClatchy won 4-0.

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Finals week Q&A

Finals are one of the most feared things among high school students. They happen to determine whether or not you’ve been paying attention in class, or just to cause a headache, as said by some students. We went around the school interviewing students and some teachers about the grave week to come. 

Mx. Herold, the regular and AP Biology teacher here at McClatchy, was asked, “So Mx. Herold, how are you as a teacher prepping for finals week?”

“How I’m prepping for finals week is I’m making sure that all of my students have a solid idea of what’s on the final. We’re doing review assignments in all my classes, but there are different types of review assignments for my AP bio and bio classic. The final test for my AP bio is basically already written, but this is actually my first year that I have given a final to my regular bio students since the pandemic. So that has to be completely rewritten from the ground up! So that’s what I am going to be doing for the rest of the week.”

Wow, they have a lot on their hands!

Anonymous student 1, Junior:

“How are you feeling for finals week?”

“I’m really stressed out, but I’m trying to go over everything on what I don’t understand the most.”

Anonymous student 2, Junior:

“How do you plan to organize your study schedule leading up to finals week?”

“Well regarding that I don’t really study ever, but this will probably be one of the times where I would study. Most of my teachers I have finals in are letting us use notes, so I would just go over the notes that I’ve taken and write the gist of what I remember.”

Anonymous student 3, Junior:

“Are there specific subjects or topics you find challenging and might need extra review on?”

“Probably French and forensics.”

Anonymous student 4, Freshmen:

“Have you discussed your study plan with teachers or classmates to gather different perspectives?”

“I have discussed it with other classmates and my friends to get different opinions to find out what works for them so I can do it”

Anonymous student 5, sophomore:

“When taking study breaks what do you do during them?”

“Eat, just whatever the vibe is.”

Mrs. Abdo, U.S. and AP U.S. History teacher at McClatchy:

“Mrs. Abdo, how do you manage stress during high-pressure weeks like finals week?”

“Time management, making a list of things I need to do, organizing myself and making sure that I am organized before the stressful week comes up.”

Anonymous student 6, Senior:

“Have you reviewed any past exams or assignments to identify areas you can improve?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because once I’m done with it, it’s gone I don’t revisit things”

“Alright..”

Anonymous student 7, Freshmen:

“Are you planning to get enough rest and maintain a healthy routine leading up and during finals week?”

“I will try.”

The students and teachers of McClatchy have a stressful week ahead, but we all shall wish luck upon them as they prepare to take their finals. Good luck lions!

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Night on Ice

The McClatchy Night on Ice, presented by the senior class, took place on January 11th. Hosted at the downtown ice rink near the Golden One Arena, students and faculty ran the events, while the ice rink employees handed out the skates. Many students, families, and friends gathered for a night out. Ice skating was a great challenge, simple to learn for some, while others struggled to stay upright.

When you weren’t on the ice, you could get hot chocolate from a student-run station for a small fee. Hopefully, more events like these get set up in the future for us lions to have more fun outside of school.

To see photos from the event, check us out on Instagram! @ckmprospector

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McClatchy vs. Kennedy Varsity Boys Basketball

Yippee Ki-Yay! The Wild Wild West was the theme of Friday’s home varsity boys’ basketball game, with McClatchy facing off against Kennedy. The energy in the gym was full of life as many students came out to support the team by wearing their best Western attire.

I had a chance to speak with a player from McClatchy’s team before the game to get some insight. Wearing jersey number 4, Daniel Ecks-Estes, a junior at the Clatch, has been playing basketball since about sixth grade and enjoyed playing because it was fun.

“So Daniel, I know your game starts in a few. Most would say that they’re nervous, but how are you feeling going into this game?”

“I’m a little nervous, but I would say that I am a lot more excited than nervous.”

“Yeah, that’s understandable. Do you have any sort of strategy of your own besides the gameplay your coach made?”

“Just to play aggressive and not let the crowd influence me in any negative way.”

“Sounds like a plan. Thank you for your time and good luck!”

The varsity boys started off the game with a call-out for the five starter players for the first round of the game. The cheers from the audience went wild as each starter player was called. Then, like that, McClatchy got the ball first on the tip-off, but it was not long before Kennedy made the first score, which the Lions quickly followed up with one of their own. Each team moved swiftly across the court. Kennedy threw up an impressive sidecourt shot, gaining another point, but the Lions’ team captain, Kendall Andrews, easily put up another layup, putting the score at Lions 6 and Kennedy 5.

The scores went back and forth for a while, with each team going neck and neck with scoring points. The Lions were down by one in the second round of the game, but with an impressive shot made by player 1, Eugene Castillo, the Lions went up by 4 points. New score: Kennedy 20, Lions 16. The Lions were playing quite aggressively, having 3 fouls on the scoreboard. As the game continued, Kennedy made it hard for the Lions as they scored 3 points. Eventually scoring 5 more, the new score being Kennedy 28, Lions 23.

With less than 20 seconds left on the clock in the 2nd round, Kennedy had the upper hand on the Lions with 33 points. The teams broke for halftime, while the fierce McClatchy step and dance team gave a spectacular halftime performance, giving the Lions time to strategize and hopefully come back on top in the third round.

Round three commenced as the Lions were still down by nine, with a scoreboard check of Lions 25 and Kennedy 34. They gained some points with an impressive shot by player 4, Daniel Ecks-Esteces, who we spoke with earlier. Until Kennedy swiftly followed behind with a score. The crowd grew frantic as the Lions were still down, but the boys had heart and weren’t giving up that easy, rushing to gain points.

The score was now Lions 34 and Kennedy 43. The Lions needed to play their all to score nine more points. The crowd went wild as the Lions caught up to Kennedy with a score of Lions 42 and Kennedy 46. Player 0 scored a point, but Kennedy followed up with a layup, and so did the Lions! Scoreboard check 45-48. Kennedy scored two more points, but with two perfectly executed penalty shots, the Lions followed behind only needing 4 more points to surpass Kennedy.

With a minute and twelve seconds left on the clock, the Lions were struggling to gain the points they needed as Kennedy threw up another two points. Fifteen seconds left and the Lions were down by six. Now with five seconds on the clock, Kennedy scored four more points, making it clear that tonight was not the night for the Lions. The boys gave it their all, played aggressively, and didn’t give up. They might not have won, but they walked off the court with their heads held high!

Photos from the game by Francisco Escobar:

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Winter Rally Recap

The winter rally, kicked off a week of school spirit, with Monday’s theme being white out. 

Before going in, McClatchy staff gave out glow-in-the-dark sticks, and when you finally stepped into the gym, you couldn’t help but be captivated by glow-in-the-dark posters decorating the room.

Starting the rally, ROTC delivered an amazing performance during the Star-Spangled Banner with their incredible color guard. Then, we transitioned to the “Night Before Christmas” skit narrated by Santa, a.k.a. Mr. Feikert. It served as a great segue to the hosts for the night, Student Body President Zach and Vice President Olivia. They introduced the iconic Mean Girls skit, a McClatchy tradition.

The crowd’s applause grew after the entertaining performance, followed by an introduction to the winter sports teams at McClatchy, who showcased their lion pride in their big entrance. This was then followed by an outstanding performance from our McClatchy cheer team, keeping us on our feet with their routine.

A pause from our McClatchy talent allowed for some fun games with teachers and students, including Hungry Hippos, musical chairs, and dodgeball. After, a surprise performance by the K-pop club had us all on our feet ready to dance again. The step and dance teams then took the stage, making more get out of their seats, dance, and sing along, making the crowd louder than ever.

Wrapping up the rally, we held hands with our fellow lions and did the classic “CKM” chant. This was a fantastic way to conclude our last week before the new year, creating a memorable moment that will be a highlight among all the rallies this year.

Below are pictures from the rally photographed by Francisco Escobar:

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Winter Concert

On December 15th, the McClatchy Music Program held its fantastic performance of “United.” The entire purpose of the show was to celebrate the power of music to bring people together.

The entire performance lasted around 2 hours and was wonderful through and through. The entire music program put on a stellar show with many holiday songs and shifting color schemes throughout each performance.

The first song played was “Carol of the Bells” by Mykola Leontovych, which was performed so well that you could feel the emotion in the song. The following songs were just as good, if not better, as they progressed. The most memorable piece in the entire show was “A Charlie Brown Christmas” by Vince Guaraldi, with “Uma Familia” by Jay Althouse following as a close second.

With changing colors and shifting musicians, the experience was extraordinary. Each song performed was a spectacular display of the abilities of the McClatchy music department. The crowd was captivated throughout, dazzled by the experience. Towards the end of the performance, some audience members were called up onto the stage. On the stage, they put on helmets and were hit on the head with Boomwhacker sticks. It was a very memorable and unexpected experience.

The performance by the McClatchy Music Program was a truly memorable event. This event should continue for many years to come for all to enjoy. With their next event, the Spring Soiree coming in March, it’s sure to be a night to remember.

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McClatchy Clubs Spreading Joy This Holiday Season

The season of giving is upon us, and many clubs are finding ways for CKM students to spread joy all around Sacramento. This is the final week before winter break, so many of them are set to conclude this Friday, the 22nd. However, while this is the last opportunity for seasonal community service, stay updated with the following organizations for chances to give back all year round!

Firstly, the Brown Issues club is holding a food and toy drive to support farmworkers this holiday season. Give back to those who put food on our table by donating goods before Friday, December 22nd. The Brown Issues team is looking for non-perishable food and gently used toys to donate. If you have any items from previous donations, consider leaving them with Mr. Meza in room 215 or any Brown Issues member before winter break.

Another drive to take advantage of this week is the Feminist Coalition’s feminine products drive for the Wellspring Women’s Center. The class with the most donations will win a pizza party, so supply as many items as you can for a chance to win. Ask your English teacher if your class is participating in the drive this week; there should be a box for donations in every English classroom.

Finally, the CKM Key Club is holding a potluck this Tuesday, December 19th, where they will be collecting cards to send to the memory care center at the Carlton Senior Living Home. Make your cards in advance and bring them to room 31 during the weekly Key Club meeting at lunch. There will also be community service hours available for anyone who makes a card for the benefit. To get more information, contact a Key Club member or find them on the group’s Instagram, @ckmkeyclub.

There are also dozens of community events all around the Sacramento area this season, with countless organizations putting together opportunities to give back before the holidays arrive. The holidays are a great time to help others and support the community. If you are interested in other ways to support those in need this season, reach out to groups that are important to you and ask what help they need. Many local businesses are also holding similar drives this season, so be sure to stay involved with your community to find ways to help.

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2023 Festival of Plenty

Black Student Union’s Festival of Plenty was held this Friday, November 17, during lunch in the lunch quad. The event included cultural dishes from all sorts of clubs on campus, all of which were delicious and very affordable to students. Clubs and organizations often hold fundraisers on campus, but this was one of the first events in which all the student union members collaborated in one big feast. The Festival of Plenty was a great way to kick off the Thanksgiving season and our upcoming break.

From savory entree to a sweet dessert, there was something for everyone at this Festival of Plenty. With so many unique options, the Festival of Plenty was a great way to have a delicious lunch and support McClatchy’s cultural clubs on campus. 

Black Student Union planned this whole event and undoubtedly had the most vast spread of all the clubs there, but there were tables all around offering something unique to the culture they represented. Black Student Union’s menu included chicken, fish, mac and cheese, collard greens, and many more sides and beverages; Meanwhile, the Raza Collective was serving aguas frescas, the Pacific Islanders Union had spam musubi and pork buns, and the Hispanic and Latinx club offered elote, pan dulce, and gansitos. There were also tables for the Young Lines/K-Pop club which sold cupcakes and ramen and the Jewish Student Union which had cupcakes too, all of which sold for $10 or less. 

The event was a huge success for everyone able to participate. With all the different foods offered during the festival, you would think that lines would spread out over all the open booths; However, each stand seemed equally bustling with customers, hopefully meaning that all the clubs present were able to benefit from this fundraiser. Most of the food sold out pretty fast, so if you didn’t get your fix of whatever meal you were hoping for, be sure to keep up with the organizations there to see when they will have a booth again. 

Fundraising like this is also a good time to get familiar with clubs you may have missed at Club Rush, so if any of the clubs mentioned above sound exciting to you be sure to find their Instagram or a member to keep updated on meetings and other events in the future. However, events like these only happen every so often, so try not to miss them when they do!

This potluck was a great send-off to the upcoming break. In the Thanksgiving spirit, it was nice to see everyone enjoy working together to create such a nice meal on the last day of school lunch. Hopefully, this inspires others to do the same with their family and friends and celebrate gratitude however they see fit. Thank you to the Black Student Union for organizing such a wonderful event!

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Pocky Day

You may have seen this holiday on your phone calendar, but what is Pocky Day? Well, most people now probably know about the famous chocolate-covered biscuit, Pocky. But why does it have its own holiday?

International Pocky Day is held on Nov. 11, because the “1” in the date is similar to the looks of a Pocky stick. Pocky Day is largely celebrated in Japan and South Korea. It was established in 1999, by Glico, the company Pocky comes from. This holiday is a great time for fans of Pocky to enjoy their favorite treats.

People love Pocky so much that on Nov. 11, 2013, a Guinness World Record for the most mentions of a brand name was broken. Pocky was mentioned a total of 3.7 million times! 

Many find this treat addictive and delicious. Flavors range from the original chocolate to cheesecake! Many flavors can only be found in a single country, making new flavors very hot commodities. But, Pocky had to start somewhere. In 1963, Pocky was created by Ezaki Glico. These biscuits were an instant hit, but many found the chocolate to melt in their hands. To solve this issue, Glico decided to remove the chocolate from the bottom of the stick. This gave consumers a place to hold their Pocky without getting their hands dirty.

Pocky became a huge success. Years after their creation, flavors evolved from just chocolate to a variety of flavors like almond and strawberry. Pocky spread all across Asia, finding its place in various countries like Thailand and South Korea.

By 2003, Pocky had successfully made its way to North America. More Westernized flavors were made available, like Cookies & Cream, Chocolate, and Strawberry. Matcha was also sold, but the flavor was noticeably less strong than the original Japanese version. Now, Pocky is widely enjoyed in the United States. Plus, with the increase in imported foods from Asia, we have more flavors available to us than ever. If you decide to step into an Asian grocery store, you’ll find Pocky.

Pocky Day isn’t a super widespread holiday. Still, it can be as fun as you make it. It’s the perfect day to enjoy Pocky for all it is. You can even try a bunch of different flavors with friends and rank them!

Overall, Pocky is a very popular treat in Asia and the West. Feel free to celebrate to your heart’s content, by eating tons of delicious Pocky.

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Frogtown Subsections

The McClatchy cross country team really said, “We are the champions, We’ll keep on fighting to the end”, as they traveled up to Frogtown, Calaveras to run at sub-sections. The team did incredible with the varsity, jv, and sophomore boys teams qualifying for sections.

Jonas Johnson is a junior at McClatchy and has been running cross country since seventh grade. He is the fastest boy on the team and ran a good race at sub-sections with a time of 16:40 minutes for the 5k. Although he hasn’t been feeling too well in the weeks leading up to sections he gave it his all.

“So Mr. Johnson we’ve heard that you haven’t been feeling so well leading up to subs, can you elaborate on what you’ve been experiencing?

“So about two weeks out from this race I started feeling a pain in my femur and it ended up being a reoccurring pain due to stress. So I’ve been going to the gym and using the elliptical instead of running, but I’ve been able to do workouts with the team.”

“I’m sorry you’ve been feeling that way, but hey on the bright side you trained to do your best and you did. You ran an excellent race and got another shiny medal to add to your collection. What’s your game plan going into sections?”

“My game plan for sections is to get out to that front pack at the start and stick with them for as long as I can.”

“That sounds like a very challenging plan Jonas. Are you sure you can handle that? I think you could go about this more strategically.”

“Well for these last two weeks I haven’t run so I was worried I would lose some of my drive and maybe I could go about this more strategically but the top pack has a big gap between the other runners, so if I don’t want to fall behind I have no other choice.”

“Ok ok well you are the fastest guy on the team and I’m sure you can get through this!”

The varsity girls team unfortunately didn’t all qualify but Jillian Palmer and Isabel Neff did and will be representing for the varsity girls at sections.

Isabel Neff is a sophomore and has been running cross country for only two years now, but is so incredibly fast!

“You ran fabulous Bel! I know this wasn’t your best race but you still got an amazing time of 22:38 minutes for the 5k. In your eyes, how did your race go?

“Looking back on my race I’m so proud of how I did! Right before my race, while warming up and stretching, I was not feeling it. My legs felt sore and my throat had been dry since that morning, these things tend to happen to me whenever I’m about to race. But once the gun went off, all of the pain went away and was replaced with lots of adrenaline. I can’t remember much of the race, except the steep hills and all the dust in my eyes. I do remember the relief that I always felt when crossing the finish line. I thought the race was hard, but in the end, the effort I put in paid off and that’s what makes me so happy and proud of myself. These races are just as much mental as they are physical.”

“Your efforts sure did pay off, since you’re going to sections! It’s really unfortunate that all of the varsity girls didn’t qualify though. How does it feel to be going to sections?

“I’m really sad that the whole team didn’t make it to sections, but there’s always next year. We had a great season as a team and I’m so proud of all of us! For me, this entire season has felt like a comeback. I had the worst season last year, fracturing my foot early into summer conditioning, which put me out for the majority of the cross-country season. The rest of my freshman year was followed by another fracture and a hematoma on my hand. I spent the spring of 2023 working with a personal trainer trying to strengthen my body and prepare for a healthy sports year. This season I’ve been able to regain my strength and confidence in running and stay healthy. I’m beyond proud of myself for making it to sections and I seriously couldn’t have hoped for anything more. I’m so happy that Jillian and I get to represent CKM for the cross-country girls!”

“Wow, you’ve been through so much and I’m so happy that you still have a positive outlook on everything. Keep striving for greatness Bel!”

This was the last race for many runners on the team, but they all went out with a bang and ended their season wonderfully. As for those on the team that qualified, make sure to look forward to what they will accomplish at sections this Saturday, which will be held at Willow Hills in Folsom. That course has some crazy hills but the runners have run it many times before so I know they can do this. Go lions!