Our most prized band ensemble at Ayala High School is the Ayala Drumline. They have won multiple competitions before, but in 2024, they earned the highest possible honor with gold at the Southern California Percussion Alliance (SCPA) finals. Despite having some mishaps that needed to be worked on, they were able to address issues before the finals competition and achieve victory. In addition to drumline winning this competition, the SCPA organization held a competition for anybody who wanted to create an original 1-2 minute composition for a chance to win a scholarship. Recent Ayala alumni and tenor drummer, Garrett Reynaga, had been one of the four winners. [Annika Lim]

On April 13, ASL 3 Honors and 4 Honors performed their 17th annual ASL showcase, displaying what the students have learned. The showcase started off by honoring late alumni Sandon Larson, who was a major advocate for deaf rights, and announcing that the ASL scholarship would be renamed as the Sandon Scott Larson American Sign Language Scholarship. The theme of the showcase was “Throw the Track Back,” where students performed songs from the 1960’s through the 2010’s, including “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson and “Never Getting Back Together” by Taylor Swift. These songs were intertwined with ABC stories by different members which used the basic letters of the alphabet to tell a story about the person presenting. [Madison O’Neill]

In September 2024, Ayala High School students who are bilingual are offered the choice to take the Avant test, a way for the district to promote these students with the offer of the Seal of Biliteracy. The Avant test complements the AP exam curriculum, so the recognition is viewed as equivalent to taking a level 4 language class. Many bilingual students who aren’t able to take foreign language AP courses for their second languages can use it as a way to show that they are prepared and skilled. As an honor, the seal celebrates bilingual individuals and helps them demonstrate their proficiency. [Nancy Wang]

During the board meeting on October 18, the Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) passed the controversial “No Deception” policy, which required that “staff shall provide all relevant information when it pertains to the health, safety, and education of their child.” Concerns about the safety of LGBTQ+ students, the violation of California’s SAFETY Act, the role of teachers in the district, and the board’s openness to community criticism about the policy surfaced. Due to the passionate opinions about “No Deception,” many community speakers at board meetings were interrupted and even asked to leave by CVUSD Board of Education President Sonja Shaw, as well as other district staff. [Jiaying Hou]

As the United Student Body (USB) class holds their Executive Board (E-Board) elections every year from late October to early November, this year’s elections appeared to run smoothly as usual, until controversy regarding the voting results came to light. With rumors regarding certain candidates’ wins, a re-vote was initiated, abandoning the previous electronic polling system with traditional pen and paper voting during students’ 4th periods. Results of this year’s elections are as follows: President Alina Lopez (11), Vice-President Jadelyn Chen (11), Secretary Don Kumar (10), Finance Chair Amber Lin (10), UCC Chair Dylan Rasmussen (10), Speaker of the House Dylan Chang (10). [Madeline Khoo]

The Ayala Theatre Company’s fall production, “The Murder at Haversham Manor,” also dubbed as “The Play that goes Wrong,” is a light-hearted satirical comedy surrounding a play that, as named, goes wrong: props breaking, actors tripping, and most notably, the stage’s walls nearly collapsing down. One second there were students on strike, and the next there was a dog on the loose and security dragging out attendees. The play’s unique gimmick had fostered the audience’s laughter and enjoyment. [Avery Yang]

Madrigal Feaste, popularly known as Madfeaste, has been performed for 25 years by Ayala’s choir group and directed by choir teacher, Mr. Robert Davis. This year’s Madfeaste entails their traditional wassail, warm spiced apple cider, classical carols, and Medieval-age walk and talk. While the old-fashioned style of Madfeaste was already aesthetically pleasing, there was fun and immersive additions to this event, most notably an extremely altered version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” which made references to “Jingebells,” “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer,” and most interestingly, “The Coconut Song.” [Avery Yang]