A typical festival complete with lanterns and varied shades of red

Legend has it that on the day of Lunar New Year, Buddha asked all animals to meet with him. Only 12 animals came (the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig), and those 12 were rewarded with having their namesake embedded in the zodiac forever. Seeing that the diverse group of animals characteristically encompassed most human personality traits, Buddha proclaimed that people born on certain years would inherit some the corresponding animal’s personality traits. People born in the year of the dragon, in particular, are assumed to be ambitious, innovative, courageous, and passionate. Notable historic year-of-the-dragon’s are Joan of Arc, Sigmund Freud, John Lennon, and two of our former presidents, Zachary Taylor and Woodrow Wilson.

Other new year traditions entail the lighting of firecrackers, dragon or lion dancing, and overindulging in the color red, all of which are based around the bringing of good luck and eluding bad luck. Firecrackers are meant to scare the bad luck away with the loud noise and the crackling flames, whereas dragon/lion dancing and the color red (as can be seen in festive clothing and ‘red envelopes’) are both supposed to reap a harvest of good luck.

“One of my favorite things about Lunar New Year is how jovial everyone is everyone is wearing bright colors and there are reciprocal exchanges of laughter and good vibes,” Julie Vu (’13) comments.

The most important of all traditions is the gathering of multiple familes, related in some way or even unrelated. In the early periods of American history, Chinese immigrants would arrive with their families in search of opportunity. As the ideas of racial hierarchy were still prevalent in that age, the Chinese usually lived in outcast enclaves. Nonetheless, they were able to find a sense of community through Chinese neighborhood bonds, especially on the day of their Chinese New Year.

Through the course of time, people of all shapes, sizes, and colors have grown to be more open-minded about the equal beauty of all humankind. And most people in the United States (especially in Fountain Valley) are able to live peacefully and harmoniously with their neighbors.

While we dance to Asian folk music and wish each other joy and prosperity, let’s remember to celebrate our heritage and more importantly, our families. In the coming year, let’s not take for granted the incredible people in our lives and how ‘lucky’ we are to have them.

Best wishes for the new year, Barons!

Through the dunks, shots, rebounds, blocks, and fouls, basketball isn’t much of an easy sport. The season may not have ended the way the Barons would have liked it, but the effort that was
shown in all the games was tremendous.

“I loved my team and I am going to miss all the seniors. I just wish we could have made CIF. Still, it was one of the most fun times I’ve ever had,” says Judd Chamaa (’11).

Coming in halfway into league at 0-4, they had an outstanding win over Esperanza which
put them 1-4, bringing in more spirit and hopes. Yet, they did not qualify for the CIF playoffs.

Senior Nam Pham comforts junior Brandon Moss on the bench, while senior Adam Renth lovingly stares.

“As the season came to a close, the varsity team ended the season with a bang. The Barons,
1 and 8 were determined to win this game. Both Nam and Robbie had stellar games,” says
Michael Perri (’12).

Although the season wasn’t as they wanted it to turn out, it only leaves room for improvement. FVHS has high hopes for next year’s team, considering the many talented underclassmen varsity such as juniors Judd Chamaa, Brandon Moss, and sophomore Nathan Moss.

Their games were fun for everyone and the Baron spirit was there to help the boys.

One the pictures that won our photo manager Tiffany Pham first place.

Congratulations to all the winners from Baron Banner and BBN who placed at the annual Orange County Journalism Education Association (OCJEA) Competition! The Barons competed in various categories and those who placed will now compete at the Southern California level!

Baron Banner:

Tiffany Pham - 1st place (Photography)

Camille Linares-Reed – 1st place (Sports)

Michelle Doan - 4th place (Newspaper Layout)

Emily Chu – 5th place (Newspaper Layout)

Jeff Nguyen – 5th place (Photography)

Angelica Yaghoubi – 5th place (Sports)

Martina Dorff - 7th place (Critical Review)

Brie Roche Lilliott – 10th place (Critical Review)

Anh Le –  Excellence Award (Novice News)

Christine Le – Honorable Mention (Novice News)

BBN:

Josh Alvaro – Best Broadcast Journalism Reporter

Josh Alvaro and Martina Dorff - Best Broadcast News Story

Friday, January 22, was a great day– not only for the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, but also for our Varsity Boys Basketball team who played Esperanza.

The boys were down by one when there were only four minutes left. Luckily, they stepped up their game to bring it up by one with only 50 seconds left.

The boys were worried when they entered the game because the Junior Varsity team had previously lost by 25 against the Aztecs. However, throughout the match, they continued to hold about the same points as Esperanza, slightly lagging behind. With 6 seconds remaining on the clock, two free throws put the Barons up by 2 and led to a victory against the Aztecs.

“Although they came into this game 0-4 in league, Varsity pulled through to win an exciting game against Esperanza 47-45,” says Michael Perri (\’12), who plays on the JV team.

“The crowd was on the edge of their seats as the game progressed; seconds went by like hours. The game was very emotional for both sides and extremely tense,” continued Perri. “These are the games I want to see; the Barons deserve every victory with their hard work!”

Now with a record of 1-4 in the season, the team hopes to enter a winning streak.

Adam Renth concluded, “We came out strong by setting the tone early and Ardalan came through in the clutch. This was a great win in a hostile environment. It was a true Nam Pham Friday!”