The Cypress High football team stumbled last week to El Modena and lost its top-10 ranking in the CIF polls. However, it’s unlikely that it will stumble again in Week No. 3, when it hosts Cabrillo (Long Beach) in a non-league game on Friday, Sept. 14.
Former GG resident runs despite cancer and one lung
On Saturday, July 28, Cypress resident Elena Starkey, 54, who lived in Garden Grove for about a decade, performed a courageous feat. The Cypress resident ran in the Cypress 10K/5K Run and Walk with one functional lung, cancer and an uncertain amount of time left to live.
“I really want to do this,” Starkey said. “It means so much to me to be able to run again.”
Rapist to be released in OC community
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is warning the public that a rapist who continually fails to register as a sex offender was released into the community after a jury determined that he did not meet the criteria of a sexually violent predator.
Dennis Craig McDaniel, 55, was released Aug. 31, and has indicated that he plans to move to Fort Worth, Texas, to a residential treatment facility. McDaniel is no longer on parole but will be required to register as a sex offender within five days of release and be listed on the Megan’s Law website.
Cypress Police host National Night Out
The Cypress Police Department hosted another successful National Night Out at Veterans Park on Tuesday, Aug. 7.
The event, which unfolded on a beautiful evening, was also held in 15,000 other communities across the United States, such as Hawaiian Gardens and Seal Beach.
The purpose: to provide a once a year opportunity for the community and its first responders to become familiar in a non-emergency, non-violent setting.
Morris School to hold grand reopening
On Oct. 4, at 9 a.m., students and staff at Juliet Morris School of the Cypress School District will give the community an opportunity to celebrate with them at the school’s Grand Reopening.
This event will showcase the improvements made possible through modernization funds from the Measure M General Obligation Bond approved by voters in 2008.
Internet Stars
It’s possible that Asian.Train.Productions, otherwise known as ATP, might become the next internet sensation. This performance group, which features local high school students, has posted multiple videos on the webpage to share their work with the world.
The group showcases Los Alamitos High freshman Gabriel Bae and Cypress High’s Miguel Ituralde, Los Al residents Algernon Carillo and Michael Oh, and Nathaniel Groner of Seal Beach. The group intends to one day join the ranks of Youtube legends Ryan Higa, Wong Fu Productions and Smosh.
ATP formed about a year ago. Bae, the founder, named it after an inside joke that he shared with a former member who recently left the group. He quickly began to recruit new members, such as Ituralde.
“I did some work with them back in December,” said Ituralde, who contributed to ATP while working on his own channel, Cumcwatsinc. “These boys [Groner, Oh, and Carillo] were later added to the mix.”
Most of the group is new to the Youtube world, but they have already contributed to the growth of Asian.Train.Productions. Also, because of Groner and his father, the group is filming a 15-to-30 second, anti-littering campaign video, which they plan to submit to a contest called “Be the Street.”
The winner of that competition will receive a $1,000 cash prize and, as Groner pointed out, “a chance to be on television.”
Each member brings something different to the table. Groner contributes brains and fearfulness, as shown in the video “Slender Reaction Video,” Carillo and Ituralde bring extroverted personalities, Bae contributes creativity and Oh sparks laughter with his trademark dry humor.
Their low budgets eliminate pressure and create fun atmospheres. Additionally, the group members have bonded, forming a chemistry that’s visible in their videos, which are gaining the Los Alamitos members some notoriety in their hometown.
“I like the guys equally,” said Bae, who hopes ATP will one day accumulate enough views to take off on Youtube. “They are my closest friends. Working with them feels like a dream job sometimes.”
To watch the group’s videos, subscribe to Asian.Train.Productions on Youtube.com.
Editor’s Note: ATP features four videos and 89 subscribers on Youtube. Views of the videos vary from 115 to 400, with most viewers voting that they approve of the material.
Local teams win Cypress Recreation basketball titles
The city of Cypress Recreation and Community Services held the annual Summer Youth Basketball League Championships on Thursday, July 26 at Lexington Junior High School.
For the C Division, ages 7-9, the Kings were declared the champions for the season. The team was coached by Karissa and Troy Degener
Players for the Kings included Kylie Degener, Tanner Degener, Tyler Degener, Jason Ho, Eugene Kim, Caleb Kwon, Tyler Matthews, Luke Jacob Ortiz, Aarnav Verma and Eric Wen.
Cypress residents win rings
Two young Cypress residents won championship rings in a recent Huntington Beach baseball tournament.
Centurions top Bruins
The Cypress High girls’ tennis team delivered another solid effort in non-league action. On Wednesday, Sept. 12, the Centurions defeated Wilson High (Long Beach) in a tough 10-8 victory at home.
“I am really happy with how we are playing,” Cypress High head coach Joseph Paul said. “We’ve been doing well this year.”
The win improved the Centurions to 5-1 overall this year. It also came on the heels of an 11-7 triumph against rival Kennedy High.
Cypress falls in Week No. 2
The Cypress High football team hit a road block in Week No. 2, falling to El Modena in an 11-9 defensive struggle on the road at Fred Kelly Stadium in Orange on Friday, Aug. 31.
For Cypress (1-1), running back Jake Brito carried the ball 20 times, but the El Modena defense only allowed him to gain 82 yards. Wide receiver Quinten Pounds probably had the most impressive performance for the Centurions, catching six passes for 57 yards.
Cypress opens with win against Centennial
The Cypress High football team, ranked No. 8 in the Southwest Division poll, opened on the right foot last week, besting Centennial (Compton) in a 31-26 victory at Western High on Aug. 23.
For the Centurions, running back Jake Brito delivered an impressive performance. The senior used 29 carries to generate 140 yards, found the end zone with a 57-yard kick return, and notched a 27-yard touchdown pass.
Beacon Day School holds Summer Olympics at La Palma Park
Beacon Day School showcased it students in athletic competition at The Beacon Day School Summer Olympics on Friday, Aug. 17 at La Palma Central Park in La Palma.
The event featured an Opening Ceremony to start the day and a Closing Ceremonies, which served as a medal presentation to end the day’s festivities.
Competitions included running, walking, hurdles and relay races, as well as the long jump, high jump, and throwing events.
Beacon Day School in La Palma was founded by Dr. Mary Joan Lang in 2004.
Cypress softball team takes third at nationals
The Cypress 10-U Blue (Gold) all-star team recently battled at the ASA National Tournament, where it took third place.
To reach that point Cypress entered several tournaments in preparation for the qualifying district tournament. The team landed in second place at Orange Canyon’s Memorial Day Tournament and won the Laguna Niguel’s Sea Country Classic.
One tough trio
The Young-In Martial Arts team from Cypress, which competes in taekwondo, won a gold medal at the 2012 U.S. Poomsae Trials in Dallas, an event that wrapped July 4.
The winning trio, or team, consisted of Los Alamitos High sophomore Cindy Asano, Cypress High sophomore Sarah Min and Cypress High senior Margaret Kim.
The girls trains under Master Hogeun Chung and will compete at the 7th Worlds Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Columbia this December. They will be joined by Ryan Tucker and Stephany Kim, who both won individual gold medals.
Cypress mom helps son raise $7,000 to build a home in Mexico
When Robert Sittman told his mom that he was going to raise $10,000 to build a house in Mexico, she thought he was out of his mind. Considering the current economic situation, she was hesitant to join him in an attempt to complete a project of this magnitude.
“I’m going to do this with or without you,” Sittman said to her.
Women
In celebration of Women’s Equality Day, the U.S. Army Reserve 79th Sustainment Support Command at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos recently hosted Major General Marcia Anderson, the first African American female to rise to such rank in the 237-year history of the U.S. Army. She currently serves as the deputy chief of the Army Reserve at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
Local boy battling bone marrow failure
Imagine being 10-years-old and told you can’t play in the park or at school due to a life-threatening illness. You’ve walked into the reality of Kai Quinonez of Rossmoor. This vibrant fourth grader from Hopkinson Elementary School lives with Aplastic Anemia, and is one in a million children known to have the rare disorder.
Shoes for King School children
The Cypress Children’s Advocacy Council distributed brand new shoes to at-risk children at King School as part of their back-to-school program.