Farewell!

Thanks for the memories, Fresno High! 

 

On June 5, 2023, I leave Fresno High and Fresno, California for four years. I will say goodbye to people I’ve known for most of my life. I feel happy about it; finally ending high school, and having more freedom, although, it makes me sad that I will never see these people again and I won’t have the stability that free public education offers.  

Almost all of my family, on both sides of the family, have attended Fresno High. My mom met my dad here! We have countless letterman jackets, cheer outfits from the 2000s, and stories from long-term teachers like Mr. Ochs. I guess you could say graduating from Fresno High is sort of a legacy for us. 

I was never greatly involved in my school. Here and there I’d try out for a sport or listen in on a club meeting. I regret this a lot; I should have joined more extracurriculars! However, I have had the privilege of witnessing my peers grow up. I can say I knew everyone, but not everyone knew me. I was an observer. Even if I had no classes with an individual, I still knew their name and a rough image of who they were since freshman year. I have seen everyone’s tough times, good times, mistakes, and successes. I am proud to say that my class has matured greatly. Instead of extracurriculars, I stayed on top of my schoolwork, earning A’s and sometimes B’s. I am graduating as a valedictorian with a GPA of 4.2! On top of this, I worked part-time jobs for money for Starbucks, Target, and Dr. Marten’s.

I have met new people and reconnected with old elementary school friends during high school. I have met and formed bonds with cool teachers like Mr. Brown and Ms. Sciacqua.  

My favorite memories are the ones I made as a junior, attending CART’s Biomed Lab. As a senior, my favorite memories are the rallies with my friends, and coordinating as well as participating in the Homecoming Marvel skit.  

What I am going to miss most about Fresno High is the hospitality the faculty and students provide on campus.  

Now I am growing up. I am moving to the northern coast of California for college! High school IB and Honors classes gave me great experience for college, which I am grateful for.  

Thank you, Fresno High, if it weren’t for you, my parents would have never met, and I wouldn’t be in the place where I am now. I will forever be a Warrior at heart.  

Goodbye.  

Coffee at Home

By Bella Garcia

I love coffee, both hot and cold. For a while, my favorite drink has been the brown sugar shaken oat milk espresso, with an extra pump of brown sugar, and vanilla sweet cream cold foam on top at Starbucks. Starbucks has been more and more expensive recently. My favorite drink went up by 30 cents just a few weeks after the New Year! Not everyone, including me, has the money to spend $8 every few days just for a cup of coffee so, I decided to learn how to make my espresso drink from home!

To make it, you will need brown sugar, light or dark works, your choice of coffee roast, cinnamon, your choice of milk (for me its oat or soy), heavy cream, a handheld non-heated milk frother, Torani vanilla syrup, ice, a mason jar, and a mason jar lid.

If you do not own a Keurig, Nespresso, or Moka Pot… brew your coffee in whichever way you are familiar with.

Usually, I brew my espresso using the Nespresso machine, with a dark roast pod. I use 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, or a little more if I want it sweeter. I place the sugar and a dash of cinnamon in my mason jar and brew the hot espresso or coffee into it to make it easier for the sugar to dissolve. I tightly screw on the lid and shake. Once well shaken, I add ice into the cup, seal it with the lid once again and shake. Next, I add extra creamy, Silk oat milk and stir with a straw.

For the vanilla sweet cream cold foam, I grab a small cup. To it, I add less than ½ a cup of heavy cream and 1 ½ pumps of vanilla syrup, you could also use vanilla extract. I froth the milk with the handheld frother for about 3 minutes or until thickened. I pour the foam on top of my coffee and enjoy.

I advise investing in a Moka Pot if you do not own an expensive espresso machine. Regular brewed coffee can work well but the coffee flavor is greatly diluted once ice and milk are added. A Moka Pot is an Italian coffee brewer that creates a more concentrated coffee flavor with any type of grounds. They range from $5-$40 online.

In total, I save about $40 a week by making my coffee from home. In total, the ingredients, excluding the coffee, are around $22 altogether.