2017 MAGAZINE
WATCHT WER
Table of Contents 1-2 Table of Contents
Dream Team17-18 Kinsey Hogan
3-4 Lacrosse Injuries Hogan Behrstock
Three is not a Crowd19-20 Priscilla Hopper
5-6 Stress to the Max Dylan Braun
The Story Behing an all Honors Kid 21-22 Sierra Moe
7-8 Fresh in Lane 1 Victoria Rae Chandler
The Last Hit 23-24 Sayeh Rahbari
9-10 Ben Heller Kenneth Cho
Immigrants are the Engine of Change 25-26 Fauzieh Sadeghi
11-12 Over the Barrier Andrea di Battista Gonzalez
Queen of KBEV: Sophia Martin 27-28 Leila Shamtobi
13-14 A Cut Above the Rest Ethan Eils
Fighting without Foils 29-30 Leora Yektafar
15-16 Educate, Agitate, Organize Emilie Gibbons
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ith about 9,000 injuries per year, lacrosse is ranked the fifth dangerous sport for boys, according to Great Schools. Sometimes injuries are the cause of the other teams’ actions; however, there are many injuries that are self-inflicted. In the case of the varsity boys’ lacrosse team, more injuries happened this season than Coach Kyle Kobe has seen in his past three seasons as the head of the lacrosse program. The lacrosse team had a losing record of 6-14. Their league record was 0-8. The team more than doubled their wins from the previous season. “I think that there are other factors that led to their struggling, but I think injuries definitely added on to that,” sophomore Tyler Kiper said. Despite the losing record, there were many positives this season that helped develop the lacrosse program. “Everyone is a year more experienced. We learned a lot this season. We had about ten, eleven, twelve, or so freshmen who never played before combined with a couple sophomores and even a junior who never played before, so we introduced maybe twelve, thirteen kids to the sport of lacrosse that have never played before. Even if it doesn’t reflect in our record, individually, a lot of players made advancements in their abilities. A lot of players improved how they pass, how they catch, how they shoot, and how they play defense. I view that as a positive,” Kobe said. Unlike the positives of this past season, there were negatives that weakened the junior varsity and the varsity teams. “There were certain games where we were not very competitive that I was hoping to be more competitive in. And negatives would, of course, have to include the larger than normal amount of injuries we had this season,” Kobe said. There is not just one cause of injuries this season. Some injuries are agressive injuries and others are accidents. “There is the perception that maybe we are just getting beaten up by other teams, and that’s not the case in some of the injuries. Were there injuries caused by contact? Sure, every team has them.
hogan behrstock
But I don’t think that there is a single cause for the large amount of injuries that we’ve had this year,” Kobe said. As an immediate solution to the rise of injuries, Kobe and Assistant Coach AJ Ellis called up junior varsity players junior Tyler Kim (attack), sophomore Tyler Kiper (attack), and junior Evan Timmerman (midfield) to play for the varsity team. “There’s really two purposes to a JV team. Number one is to give experience to the younger players, but also the second purpose is to help support the varsity team. That might mean that certain members begin the season on JV, but because of circumstances, they have to be pulled up to the varsity level, so their participation has supported the varsity team. Yes, we want JV to win, but most importantly, we want JV to learn. We want varsity to win games. So, do learning on JV and hopefully the winning on varsity,” Kobe said. The varsity team struggled due to the lack of skills that injured players contributed. “There were holes in our team. People’s skills were needed. The people who were injured provided something unique to the team, so with them injured, our team wasn’t full,” Timmerman said. The junior varsity players had challenges when being promoted to the varsity level. “I think one of the struggles with moving up in the second half of the season is that you don’t have the same chemistry as the rest of the team and you don’t know all the plays, but Coach Kobe and Coach AJ were very helpful in learning the plays,” Kiper said. In hopes to prevent or reduce injuries in future seasons, Kobe is working on different practicing techniques. “One thing that I hope we can do next year is, I hope that we can find regular time in the weight room. Building up our bodies, or building up strength is a good way to prevent injury. We haven’t done that since I’ve been a part of the lacrosse program. We haven’t done weight training. It’s definitely a goal of mine, and I’m going to take the steps to hopefully make that happen next year,” Kobe said. As of this postseason, Kobe has received permission for weight room time. He is currently focusing on build strength and resistance for next season’s team.
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Stress to the Max
tress could impact people in many ways, according to the American Psychological Association, over 31% of teens report being overwhelmed. In, there is a lot of stress going around. It could be this vast and ranging environment that makes some feel overwhelmed in. The ever amount of work that the teachers give and the stress of passing makes many feel coming to school a type of dred. “The amount of work teachers gives us is stressful,” freshmen Charlie Silver said. According to the National exam stress survey, 96% of the 1300 people who were surveyed felt anxious/stress about exams. “The thing that stresses me out the most right now is that before finals week teachers are more keen on giving out tests and projects while not trying to focus on final exams,” said junior Naomi Braun.
By:Dylan Braun
homework to review the topic, but for AP classes, we constantly have to take notes. For example in AP Language we constantly have to rewrite our essays and read our books, and for AP United States History I constantly have to take notes in the text-
“The amount of work teachers give us is stressful.”
book in order to keep so its homework everyday for AP classes,” Braun said. According to the American Psychological Association, average teens report sleeping 7.4 hours a day while the recommended hours of sleep is 8.5. Being a senior could be on one of the best things in the world. For many it’s a time to release all the stress the past three years has caused. Braun feels like she has been “Since all my college appressured with both AP Lan- plications are finished, I reguage and AP United States ally don’t need to care much History classes. about my grades because I “In my regular classes, it already got accepted to a great mostly just busy work and
university, so it’s not I need straight A’s so the stress is much less,” senior Kenneth Cho said. Another type of stress is summer school. Many people go to summer school to take some courses they would’ve taken over the school year. Stress can happen in many different ways, stress can also lead to sadness and depression. According to the American Psychological Association 30% of teens report being sad or depressed. In conclusion there is a major problem with stress, and in most Ameircan high schools. According to the American Psychological Association 42% of teens report they’re not doing enough to manage their stress. There are many ways you can help not stress youself out, especaily whenn finals is around the corner. Around campus there are posters with facts and inspiration, like sleeping early and excercising do destress.
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FRESH IN LANE
here is something truly inspiring seeing runners fight through the pain of exhaustion at the end of a race. How they can push themselves past their capability and limits. Beverly High has many of those athletes on the track team, but one in particular is Veronica Valle. She came to the United States from Madrid, Spain about three years ago and started middle school at Horace Man. She came into track only as a freshman and competed on varsity throughout the whole season. “I started running competitively since sixth grade but I didn’t take it as serious in Spain because I was just in a club vs on a school team and I only did it for fun. I didn’t represent a school but now I do and it feels more important because I have the school on my shoulders,” said Veronica Valle. Being a freshman running with girls three to four years older with more experience can be nerve-racking but also a great experience. “At first I thought it was really cool but then it turned out to be much more competitive than junior varsity and I had to push myself more to keep up with them.” Veronica’s favorite event is the one mile because it is not too long or short. “I like the one mile but I like Cross-Country more than track because it is less competitive and stressful,” said Valle. On May first the pressure was on at prelims at Culver City as she ran her 1600 meters. She had to be the first eight to finish to qualify for finals, on thursday May fourth, and she received first place with a time of 5:48. “During the race my friend told me that pain is only temporary, it kept me going because at the time my shins were hurting a lot and it was painful. I didn’t have a PR (Personal Record) that night but I got first in the race and that is good. But, during finals I didn’t have anything on my mind like I normally do, because I was so nervous and couldn’t think of anything that could keep me motivated. And I think that is why I didn’t do so well,” said Valle. Veronica is very lucky to have an older sister to help her out in track and give her expert advice. Her older sister, junior Leticia Valle tries to help her younger sister
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as much as she can. “I have always wanted to take care of her because she pushes herself to the limits and after I was injured by breaking my fingers, and missing a season I know that it sucks. I try to help her with her shin splints with massages and rolling her calfs out. Plus just trying to be a good sister and take care of each other,” said Leticia Valle. They both were interested in running since they lived in Spain. “We were in Spain and we both were into running and when high school came I joined track and when she came into high school I told Veronica to join because it is something we have always been good at. And now she is one of the fastest varsity runners. The passion we both have has driven us both to continue running and push ourselves to the limit,” said Leticia Valle. Leticia and Veronica both come from a family of athletes and it runs in the family. “My dad has always been very fast but was more into basketball. But, we inherited these genes. My other little sister that’s ten is also pretty fast and hopefully it does run in the future for our family,” said Leticia Valle. The whole track team and coaches are very impressed by her capability as a freshman runner so far. “I am excited for the future and excited for her future. I am also very impressed with her times and how she exceeded our goals by improving more than I thought and if I was coaching her next year my goals for her would be all league in Cross-Country and finish in the top 10 to continue to CIF for track.” said the distance track Coach Howard Edelman. During prelims and finals coach was very impressed with the way she pushed herself. “I was impressed by how tough she raced. She ran like such a tiger and I was doing backflips,” said Edelman. Howard Edelman hopes to expand the girls distance team next year because it has been very small for the past years. “The girls distance team is better this year with my best runners being Veronica Valle,VictoriaRae Chandler and Yael Balakhane. I hope to expand our girls team over the years,” said Edelman.
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Ben Heller
The computer science(CS) major who left Cedars
Photo courtesy of Michelle Heller
Photo courtesy of Michelle Heller
Photo courtesy of Ben Shofet
Photo courtesy of Michelle Heller
Photo courtesy of Michelle Heller
In November 2014, Benjamin Heller discovered news which would change his life: he had cancer. After experiencing persistent pain in his left leg, his mother sent him to a hospital, where they performed tests to search for his discomfort. “My leg hurt and they did an x-ray. It revealed the truth about the cancer was rather painful in my upper left leg. The x-ray only revealed that it was only a tumor, not necessarily a malignant tumor, so they did a biopsy. They stuck a needle very far into my leg, pulled out stuff and then determined that it was in fact Bone Cancer. It is relatively rare. It is bone tissue that grows in an uncontrolled manner. The initial resection of the cancer cells hurt more than the actual surgery. I found out when I was 15,” Heller said. Before Heller’s diagnosis, his family believed that his leg pain was a common sports injury among other baseball players. He was sent to physical therapy but when that failed, his mother grew worried. After hearing the news of his son’s cancer, Michelle Heller was left nearly speechless. “We were already having difficulties and I just thought ‘of course I’m gonna get bad news here.’ I had to go in and tell Benjamin. The doctor pulled me out and I went back in the room. Benjamin asked me ‘what is it?’ and I just said, ‘it’s bad.’ It dawned on me that I couldn’t explain this to Benjamin. I can’t just say ‘it’s cancer’, because he would want details that I couldn’t explain. He’s smart and the doctor had just said a bunch of things to me that I fully didn’t understand. I went back to the hallway and told the doctor ‘you need to come in here and explain this’ because I couldn’t. All I could say was ‘it’s bad.’” Michelle Heller said. Despite having cancer, Heller remained an active contributor to his school’s robotics team, Mortorq 1515. Not even a tumor could take away his position as lead programmer, a job Heller remains passionate about. “Ben is an amazing friend and coworker. I first met him during my first year on the school’s robotics team and got to know him better in subsequent years. Working alongside him as leaders on the team, Ben has taught me programming concepts I hadn’t learned about and mathematics I hadn’t cared about. Even while battling cancer and undergoing treatment, he committed himself to the school’s robotics team among other things. As a friend, he is always there to confide in and there to chuckle at my sarcastic witticisms,” David Baum, fellow programmer and close friend, said. Even though he had to take many days off school for him chemotherapy, Heller maintained a 4.0 gpa, while taking the hardest classes that his school had to offer. He limped to classes in his baseball cap and crutches. “I met Ben in tenth grade, the same year he was diag-
nosed with the sarcoma. Throughout the first semester, we spoke soe and did a lab report together. Ben only cares about what matters, only expends his energy on a task that carries importance. He is truly a perfectly efficient machine. He started teaching me about key ciphers and how internet providers and password protection works. He taught me what the derivative and integral are and what they allow us to find out about the world. Ben’s pretty much the realest type of person around in this hyper-superficial society we live in. He has integrity and is down to earth, which is why I am always hanging out with him at school. Who comes back to school after being diagnosed with a life threatening disease? Who can honestly bear this? Ben can. He’s so smart that he knows how life works, the logical course of action to take all the time, and how to disregard emotion when necessary and focus on the essentials. I’m certain that Ben Heller is gonna change the world for the better,” Braden Schumitzky, biology lab partner and close friend, said. Heller was recently accepted into Stanford University where his programming knowledge and passion for math will continue. He showed his commitment by wearing a Stanford sweater. “I’ve known Ben for quite a few years now. To me, he has always appeared to be a unique personality. Even while struggling against cancer, he never pitied himself and continued to do his best in and out of school. In robotics, Ben presided among us like a coding God straight from the annals of Reddit, I was impressed with both his intellectual and physical abilities. In time, I concluded Ben was one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. Seeing his acceptance to Stanford in honestly was not too surprising. Of all the people I knew, if one person would get in, it would be Ben. Upon graduating college Ben wants to work for google and all I can say is that Google is lucky to have the opportunity to have such an opportunity. Watching and growing up with him throughout high school has been a true privilege,” Andy Liu, fellow programmer and close friend, said. Ben’s mother was ecstatic about his acceptance into Stanford as it had been his lifelong dream. Heller was at robotics when he texted his mother the news. “Thank God. He texted me the news. He was at robotics when he got it and he went out with his friends that night. I got to sit here by myself and enjoy the news. He’s worked so hard and he’s been through so much with cancer, 6 rounds of chemotherapy, and learning how to walk again. Thank God his dream will come true,” Michelle Heller said. “Nobody has tommorow guaranteed. You have the same guarantee for tomorrow as any of us have. You have to live today. You have to be positive and do what you want to do today. You have to work toward a future that you want. Thank God.”`
“I’m certain that Ben Heller is gonna change the world for the better”
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T over the barrier
Maia Baker’s journey on top of a horse By: Andrea Di Battista
hough anxiety disorders are highly common and treatable, only one third of those suffering receive treatment. Maia Baker, a lover of the very thing that causes her anxiety, sees therapy differently from how society sees it. Every weekend since 2011, Baker has been riding at the Willowgate Farms in California with her horses Oddy and William. Disregarding her mother’s scaring horseback stories, Baker decided riding was her passion after a Palm Springs trail ride when she was 12 years old. “My mom always wanted me to get into riding. She bought me horse books or stuffed animals, then she kind of gave up after a while. She scared me! A horse bit and kicked her,” Baker said. Apart from being in a calm atmosphere and helping her forget about school, Baker had many reasons why riding compelled her since that first trail ride. “Riding is like nothing else in regular life. It is a different world. You just have this connection with a horse and you’re making this huge 1,200 pound animal do things just by your leg in a position or your arm or your hand,” Baker said. “I felt like I was good at it and when I feel like I’m good at something, then it makes me more confident and I want to do it.” Baker, however, strived for almost impossible goals. “I used to get nervous because I used to be a really huge perfectionist, the possibility of doing well is a really addicting feeling. If i wasn’t perfect I would cry,” Baker said. “That’s always a small fear, having a bad lesson. Sometimes I cry. I feel like I disappointed myself, the horse, or the trainer. It’s like losing a game, you feel like you’re disappointing your team.” Even before getting in the saddle, Baker has to mentally prepare herself. “I do homework in the car to wake myself up and start thinking. You need to be constantly analyzing things because if you’re half asleep, you’re not riding, you’re just being a passenger,” Baker said. Riding a horse takes a lot of tiring thinking strategies. “I’m always looking ahead and around me. Is the horse listening to me, is he being slow? Is my thumb pointed up or down, is my toe too out? Is my spur poking him?” Baker lists. “Do I look weird? Am I doing something wrong? What’s my trainer going to say? What’s my next exercise? What do I need to do right now so when I get to the next part it’s good?” Due to the nerves and stress, Baker decided to look for help.
“I went to therapy. That has really helped. It helps you learn that no one is perfect and you can’t expect that. It taught me that sometimes you have good lessons and sometimes you have bad lessons. I say to myself: this is the best that I could do for this day,” Baker said. “I started taking medication for the anxiety, it helps control that pit in your stomach.” With three concussions and a torn ligament, Baker’s fears when riding have slowly dissipated. “The worst time I fell off was on this horse called Virginia. She’s kind of crazy. She goes very fast. We were jumping and it was going well but then we got to this jump and she stopped because we weren’t in the right position. I flipped over the top and landed on my shoulder with my arms flailing. I got a concussion and I tore my AC ligament on my shoulder,” Baker said. “I knew if I got all freaked out then I would never get back on. The thing that helped me most, it’s so pessimistic, was if I died I would be doing something that I love. And that’s the best way to die, if there is such a thing. Also, if the horse felt that I was scared then they would become scared because they feel that. I knew that for the horse’s sake, I had to not be a big wimp.” Although riding has caused some setbacks, it has also given Baker a glimpse into adulthood. “I would say that we are not as wealthy as people say. [Owning a horse means] a lot of budgeting. You can’t go out to eat, you can’t buy many things. It’s a lot of knowing what you can and can’t buy,” Baker said. “All the money goes to the horse.” Through the therapy, medication, accidents and money issues, Baker’s mother has remained supportive. “She’s the best. She loves horses and riding. I think she feels genuine joy seeing me ride. She’s riding too even though she’s just watching. She loves going out to the barn, the people there and the horses,” Therapy and how it has changed the ways she thinks about riding. “I haven’t conquered everything because I still have little fears, but therapy helps a lot. People say ‘therapy is for the weak’ or [they] just don’t believe in mental health. That’s stupid,” Baker said. “If you’re just making a decision you can talk to someone who can help think deeper. You don’t need to have a mental problem to go to therapy. You can never 100 percent learn how to ride properly, but that’s also why riding is so fun and interesting, you have to be very adaptable. Riding challenges you in ways that you aren’t challenged in real life.”
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Riding challenges you in ways that you aren’t challenged in real life.
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A cut above the rest Flashback to April 22; Junior Eric Cherdak waits for his start time at the Skills USA State Competition in San Diego, California. He starts tapping his fingers on the cutting board as the clock continues to tick. Finally, nine o’clock strikes and he is the first person in the staggered start. Silence permeates the room as Cherdak begins his knife cuts. With only the sound of his knife on the cutting board and the stares from his competitors, Cherdak starts two hours of mentally gruelling and stressful cooking. Beginning the main portion of his culinary journey in high school, Cherdak felt inspired by his parents and his brother, to start on this adventure. Cherdak originally started cooking in his childhood. “I started cooking when I was younger because my parents cooked a lot, but I really did get interested in it in high school. My grandparents had a passion for cooking slavic cuisine and russian dishes and because of how passionate they were, it was a kind of motivation to push me to enjoy cooking like they did,” Cherdak said. Cherdak is currently enrolled in the Advanced
Culinary Arts course. He very proud as one of his started off enrolled in mentors,” Chef Leece, the Intro Culinary Arts Cherdak’s culinary class as a sophomore. teacher stated. “When I was in middle Cherdak worked at school, my brother was Bombay Palace, as a taking [the Intro Culiwaiter while helping in nary Arts] class and I the back kitchen during always came to the open slow times. He has also houses and I always saw volunteered and cooked him cooking and the for several school events. things he did. That’s “I worked in the front when it really sparked of the house, but once my interest, that’s when in awhile, when there I was like wow, that weren’t that many cuslooks really fun and after tomers, I was told to go the first year of the class, to the back and help the I really started taking it chefs. That was the only seriousrestau“I shall leave the rant job ly, like a career,” ever high school, and cre- Ihas. Cherdak I said. ate the dish that will [also] One of do eventually become did Cherevents dak’s my culinary career.” in the closest school, friends, Ross Yankowitz, but they weren’t paid, has known Eric for eight they were voluntary,” years, and has always says Cherdak. seen Eric enjoying himAfter high school, Eric self in the kitchen. is looking to continue “Eric became very pas- his involvement in the sionate about cooking in culinary world. He has high school. It is shown dreams of being a resin his effort [in the taurant owner. kitchen] and his food, “I never thought of and in his superiority [being a chef] as a career complex,” Yankowitz choice until high school said, while laughing. and now it is definitely “Focused and deterthe direction I am gomined, Eric has develing. I am planning on oped so much skill in pursuing something in such a short amount of the food industry. As a time. Truly an inspirachef or as a restaurant tion to his fellow stuowner, I am not sure. I dents and has made me do want to own a res-
taurant in the future. I want to be involved in restaurant business. But as the same time, I want to cook, since I love it. [I applied to a private yacht called Hornblower], to work with a private chef there, who called the school to look for some young workers who are interested in the job,” Cherdak said. Cherdak had entered the Skills USA Culinary Competition, and won second place at regionals. Although Cherdak fell to 12th place in the 2017 Skills USA State Culinary Competition, he continues to follow his dreams and aspires to become a great chef. “I took second place [at regionals] and continued to state, where I underestimated the competition, as the competition provided one burner for three dishes. I plan to come back next year, as I will have one more year to hone and prepare my skills for the harsh atmosphere of the busy kitchen,” Cherdak said. “As I take the knife that resembles my passion for culinary arts, I shall leave the high school, and create the dish that will eventually become my culinary career,” Cherdak states. - Ethan Eils, Photography Editor
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EDUCATE, AGITATE ORGANIZE
Sophomore Isaiah Berke and junior Evan Minniti explain their political views and how they stay politically active in “Trump’s America”.
BY EMILIE GIBBONS
When asked to nominate a person, alive or dead, for president that he thinks would be fit to run the country, sophomore Isaiah Berke says the establishments should overall should be recreated. “I don’t have any faith in the system,” Berke states. “I would rather just destroy the whole system.” Yet junior Evan Minniti has quite a different response. “There was a guy named Eugene Debs, he ran for president in the early, turn of the century America, in like 1912. He ran for the Socialist Party, and he was a big dude,” Minniti answers. “ He didn’t win, but he gained I think six or seven percent of the vote, at one point. Running from prison. He’s one of my favorite historical figures.” WBerke and Minniti both consider themselves part of the Leftist, or “Labor” Movements.
THEIR PERSPECTIVE
Minniti considers himself a Democratic Socialist, but he specifies that even though the term was used by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders on the campaign trail, his definition of the term is different than Sanders. “He [Sanders], is kind of referring to like Scandinavian countries as his ideal society. I think those countries are really just what I would call Social Democratic. I think that the working class should own the means of production, not the capitalist class, and from that you get all the different ramifications. I think that would be more of an egalitarian society.” Minniti is the only one out of his family who
is a part of the Labor Movement, his parents both being moderate Republicans. Unsure of his brother’s political affiliation, Minniti adds that he and his brother don’t often see eye to eye on certain topics. “No one in my family is part of the Socialist Movement, I didn’t really get it from my family,” he replies. “My whole family and I, we have very interesting debates, we all love each other. There’s no hate politically, even if we don’t completely agree with each other.” Since there was no family influence to become a Democratic Socialist, Minniti gained his ideas through reading. “I got a comic book once, when I was like eight years old. It’s a very famous textbook called A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn. And that was a Socialist perspective on American history. And this was a comic book version of that. It put those ideas in my head, and gave me a different viewpoint of the world.” he reveals. Unlike Minniti, Berke has been gravitated towards Marxism through the influence of those around him. He attributes his initial interest in the Labor Movement to his brother, Elijah, and Minniti. Berke traces his learning and formation of his beliefs to the internet. “There’s a lot of information you can find out about on the internet, if you’re curious, and that has certainly helped me,” he says. He also credits his learning to his summer camp that he went to, Camp Gilboa, which is a part of the youth labor zionist movement, Habonim Dror.
Berke considers himself a Marxist, Leninist, sometimes Maoist, but in general a Leftist. The two biggest reasons why Berke is part of the Labor Movement is because he believes that the capitalist governments are ill-equipped to handle our major problems, because of their capitalist interests. “Our system today is totally ill-equipped to handle the two biggest problems of this century, and that’s going to be automation of the workforce and climate change,” he says. “When robots take over vast amounts of jobs, there’s not going to be any way for a capitalist system in which people have to sell their labor, to be able to sell their labor. There’s not going to be the jobs.” He believes that in a Communist society, it [automation of the workforce] would be a benefit, because people would just be able to work less, and still be able to get the things they need.
POLITICAL ACTIVITY
Berke is a member of several political organizations, some being The Party for Socialism and Liberation, as well as the Democratic Socialists of America. Even though he has some disagreements with these groups, Berke states that there is no one organization that closely follows his political beliefs. “I think it’s part of my responsibility to support any Leftist group,” Berke states. “I also participate in marches, protests, and education.” He believes that why a large number of people don’t accept Leftist philosophy, is that they have a lack of understanding for politics. “People are capitalists because they were born into a capitalist society, not because they’ve thought it out at all.” suggests Berke. To remain politically active, Minniti co-runs the Socialist Student Union, where students can participate in discussions. “We usually give a lead-off into a certain topic, and we do a Q & A with people, and there’d be
discussions,” he says. Outside of school Minniti is a member of the Worker’s International League, where he goes to marches and protests with other people in the group and spreads his message.
ABOUT THE FUTURE
In “Trump’s America”, Minniti thinks it’s easier to become more politically active, and relates it back to a saying by Karl Marx, “The counter-revolution whips the revolution forward”, meaning that when a far-right politician comes into power, someone like Trump, it will make Liberal people more left-wing and more active. “I think it’s very easy to become politically active, because I know a lot of people that weren’t necessarily politically active, and who, because Donald Trump is president, that’s lead them to question some things and wanting to become more involved in becoming an activist in this country,” he answers. Berke, however, doesn’t consider Trump to be an entirely different leader than former presidents like George Bush of Ronald Reagan, but does maintain that Trump has inspired massive amounts of political activism. “From town halls to the Women’s March, which two million people marched worldwide. It was the biggest protest movement since the Vietnam War. It’s crazy,” he says. “This has provided a real opportunity for Leftist groups and Leftist ideology, especially since Trump has been categorized as a fascist and has flirted with far-right and fascist movements. It has provided a real opportunity. Protests are a great thing, and marches.”
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DREAM TEAM Standing on the stage side by side, with a convention center of 19,000 people staring down at them, sophomores Mia Grossman and Sean Toobi are ready to accept their recognition as a top 20 team in Marketing Management Team Decision Making. Countless hours of preparation and studying, late nights accompanied by immense support from their adviser, John Johnson, the duo qualified for DECA, an international business club’s, International Conference otherwise referred to as ICDC. Held in Anaheim this year, four students from Beverly Hills DECA qualified to compete at the highest level of competition the organization offers. Competition consists of two categories: a marketing test and a roleplay in an individual’s (or team’s) category. Grossman and Toobi are the first individuals in the school’s history to place at one of DECA’s international conferences. “We were shocked because a lot of the people in our category were seniors and had been doing this for such a long time,” Grossman said. “We put in all this hard work and it really payed off so we were really ecstatic to have gotten that far.” “Placing top 20 and not only was that a huge accomplishment for my partner and I but the fact that we are the only people in beverly history to accomplish that feat is the most exciting thing for us this year,” Toobi said. While other teams, including Toobi’s brother who has just graduated UT Austin, have made it to ICDC none have made it to the stage. Toobi names his brother as his initial reason for joining the club in which he and Grossman were appointed as co-presidents for the 2017-18 school year. “After [my brother] told me everything about deca and everything he’s done, it really pushed me to be in this club,” Toobi said. “I had no idea that it would become like this great and this much of a part of my life today.” Toobi’s brother attended ICDC his senior year while holding an officer position. “Coming in I really wanted to follow [in my brother’s] footsteps and actually surpass everything he’s done,” Toobi said. “He’s basically acted as a standpoint for me to push off of.”
“Right after [we won] he was the first person I called,” Toobi said. “He was really excited and he was really happy for me, because he himself has been pushing me to surpass him.” This conference marks the second time that Toobi and Grossman have competed as a team, the CA state conference held in March being the first. “I work better as a team,” Toobi said. “I’ve gone through three different singular events and it just hasn’t worked out for me [until now].” While the two can not pinpoint exactly why they work so well together, they both have their own theories. “I think the dynamic of having a very different viewpoint than your own while still thinking on the same wavelength allows you to collaborate well together,” Grossman said. “As a team it creates a way that I can rely on someone else,” Toobi said. “We both benefit from what we do and we just intermix as we talk throughout our roleplay and it just works a lot better for me.” Grossman and Toobi have been accatinced since the 3rd grade but have just recently become closer. “Being partners has definitely brought us a lot closer,” Grossman said. “I feel that DECA is where we first became friends really.” Grossman and Toobi stand out, not only due to their high acclamations, but because of their extended involvement in the club. They both entered DECA as freshmen and were chosen for officer positions their sophomore year. Grossman was chosen as secretary, while Toobi was given outreach director. Aside from competing, DECA means something deeper to both Grossman and Toobi. “DECA to me, is kind of like a family or community that we have here at school,” Grossman said. “DECA is where I found most of my family here throughout my beverly years,” Toobi said. said. “DECA is where I found most of my family here throughout my beverly years,” Toobi said. By; Kinsey Hogan
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I
Priscilla Hopper sports editor
t is a Wednesday afternoon. Seniors Bennett Gershwin and Owen Lloyd arrive at the back gate. They hike up the steep concrete pavement at Lloyd’s house after punching in the code that very few have memorized. Lloyd opens the studio door and immediately shines the heavily draped room with an off-white light. After Max Yera’s late arrival, he and Gershwin perch on the bright turquoise hand-me-down couch in front of the TV while Lloyd cranks “When Doves Cry” by Prince. Lloyd grooves in front of the mirrors pressed against the wall-length wardrobe after illuminating the studio with a red overhead light. A cardboard cut out of C3po wears a royal blue toga next to a chalk board with a pink face that had been previously scribbled on. As Prince fades into the Beastie Boys, Gershwin begins to recount his day. Although they met in kindergarten, Lloyd was not interested in a potential friendship with Gershwin due to the amount of “red cards” he received. The pair reconnected in fourth grade when Lloyd began attending El Rodeo Elementary and bonded over their comedic personalities and interests. “When we were ten, Bennett was really into the show Ben10. Like really into the show Ben10. Bennett had a toy watch that he did not take off. The Omnitrix. As much as the watch is clasped to Ben10 it is clasped to Bennett,” Lloyd said. “I just chose to not let that bother me. He kind of just owned the title ‘best friend’.” It was not until sixth grade that Yera was integrated into the clan.
Reflecting on six strong years of friendship cemented by art, music, comedy
“The whole friend group kind of connected in sixth grade. We all had similar interests and definitely by the time eighth grade rolled around we were the group. We would eat lunch together every day in our teacher’s classroom. Bennett, Max and I, and Ms. Stuart. I think that was the first level of detachment from the rest of our grade,” Lloyd said. “When we left middle school all of these teachers were preaching this mantra that your friends in middle school are not going to be your friends in high school and that was something the three of us resented very deep in our hearts,” Gershwin said. “I think we maybe stayed friends out of stubbornness to prove those teachers wrong, but we had a very smooth transition into high school. We had a very solid group of friends on which we could rely.” The trio discovered Radio Airlift, a club where students can create and record their own podcasts and post them online. “Radio Airlift was big influence for how I was going turn out in high school,” Gershwin said. “If you had asked me day one of freshman year where I thought I would be at the end of senior year, I would say exactly where I am right now. I think that I’ve had a lot of artistic ventures in high school. Nothing about that dream or aspiration of being [popular] appealed to me,” he added. Lloyd had a different idea about high school after watching his older brother of four years push through the years leading up to college. “I was definitely coming into high
school trying to be the big man on campus and I was always so frustrated with Bennett being content with not being that,” Lloyd said. “I think I certainly keep things close to the chest though. I’ve had a lot of the same friends so obviously they know a lot about me. I feel like I’ve changed a lot throughout high school, so I feel like people who met me as a freshman, their first impression is probably reasonably deceiving.” In their sophomore year, Lloyd discovered the code to the pool house attached to his home. This once undecorated cabin is now known as the studio. He took this opportunity to turn this unchartered edifice into his own sanctuary. “This house has kind of grown with me and this studio is like the final frontier and I made it my own. Sophomore year we were discovering ourselves and then junior year is when it really turned into hard chilling just all of us together. We kind of established a clubhouse and just became us,” Lloyd said. The three have been adamant about sticking together through high school. “I am beyond relieved to say that now, as a senior, I can say with confidence that all those people that tell you as a freshmen that your friends from middle school won’t be around are wrong,” Yera said. “They are my brothers. We’ve really watched each other grow up. We were all really different when we first met and we’ve all definitely gone through a few phases over the years, but regardless, I think what first connected us…has fortunately never faded.”
three is not
a CROWD
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THE STORY BEHIND AN ALL HONORS KID
I
magine a group of boys and girls going to see a movie. Relaxing. Eating popcorn. Having fun. While these kids are enjoying their time, Emma Sirota is studying for an honors biology test for five hours, no breaks. During the week, Sirota plays volleyball and runs track. In the fall, Sirota has volleyball from 3pm to 5pm. In the Spring, she has track practice from 2pm to 5pm. On the weekend, she participates in an “intense” two hour piano practice. She finds time to hang out with her friends on Saturday night, but on Sunday morning it’s back to studying. “I mostly just try to organize my time, I give myself a standard amount of time that I want to do each assignment that way I give myself an hour to do this or 30 minutes for this and if I organize it and finish it at a certain time I know I’ll be good time wise,” Sirota said. Sirota joined theater in the seventh grade at El Rodeo Elementary and attends the Introduction to Theater class. “Theater is a way to clear my mind, and explore my talents,” said Sirota. In 8th grade, she played Ursula in The Little Mermaid at El Rodeo. Her friends were in love with the performance. “I think Emma’s performance last year playing Ursula was really fun to watch, because she played the part really well,” friend Grace Bot said. She says she strives to be the best she can be, even though that cuts into her sleeping time. Sirota goes to sleep at 11pm when she isn’t swamped with homework, and at 2am
when she is. “How I function in the morning is I think of everything I accomplish and that motivates me to be better and sometimes I drink coffee,” Sirota said. Sirota couldn’t do it without the support from her family and friends. “People that inspire me the most are my family or other students that I’m trying to reach their standard,” Sirota said. Compared to another student who isn’t in any honors, with an exception of one class, student Rebekah Sheff only has on average about one hour of homework a night compared to hours on end being an honors student. Sheff sleeps around 10:30pm every night, and completes her homework, with a couple episodes of her favorite show. She is happy with her workload and classes. Sirota feels the need to exceed and challenge herself. She wouldn’t be happy if she was in regular classes, since she knows that she can do better. Sirota’s friends understand that she’s busy and always supports her. “I love playing volleyball with Emma and having classes with her. She makes everything more fun. She’s there when you need her, no matter how busy she is. Emma’s always determined and that inspires me to be better in whatever it is we’re doing. She’s a great friend, I am really thankful for her,” friend Leora Yektafar said. Emma Sirota does it all, and says she will continue to push herself over the limit. BY: SIERRA MOE
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Spread by: Sayeh Rahabri
Screams of joy from the dugout mark the end of the seventh inning. As the seniors high five and hug their fellow teammates a mix of emotions can be seen. 10 May 2017, marks the end of the graduating senior’s high school baseball career. The varsity boys cheer and celebrate their 4-0 win against Lawndale High School. The boys take a knee and wait for their coach to give them his last speech of the season. “As a kid I didn’t really like sports quiet honestly, I was more into art and signing and stuff like that. I feel like my parents thought I was completely gay, they thought I was really feminine, of course there is nothing wrong with being gay but that kind of got to me and my dad and grandpa, I thought it would make them happy if I watched sports or played sports so I did. And I didn’t like it at first but when I turned 10 or 11 I was like I actually like this,” senior Oliver Barry said. Barry has been on the varsity team since sophomore year. He plays the left fielder, but used to play as the catcher for six years. As a left fielder, he backs up third base on pick-off attempts from the catcher. Both Barry and Steinberg wanted the position as the catcher, however after a few practices, Barry gave up the position as he saw that Steinberg is a better fit. “I’ve been friends with Zach since first grade, I’ve known him for a long time, there was this one time I was in the bathroom in 1st grade and I’m not circumcised so Zach saw that and he is a Jewish boy so he got really scared,” Santizo said about his first impression of Steinberg Steinberg has been playing baseball since he was four years old, and he has been on the varsity team since sophomore year. This season was Steinberg’s first year as captain; the baseball team doesn’t formally assign captains but the players all agreed that Steinberg is considered one of the captains. “As catcher, I like to see what’s going on in front of me, I get a unique perspective of the playing field. I’m involved in pitch calling and decision makings. Being a catcher is
pretty important position, there is a lot of strategies, you need to know all the plays, you are responsible for (what) every person is doing on the team and where they are, ”Steinberg said. As a catcher, he needs to keep track of balls and strikes count, remind the players about the number of outs, handle the pitcher, back up first base and set the defense. Catchers are usually the team leaders since they’ll be facing their teammates and giving them quick tips right before the pitcher pitches the ball. “I’ve known Chris since first grade, back in hawthorne,” Steinberg said about Christian Santizo. Senior Christian Santizo has been playing baseball for seven-eight years, ever since his cousin took him to his first Dodger game, Santizo fell in love with the sport. He has been part of the team since freshman year and part of the varsity team since sophomore year. Despite the lack of his participation in this season, Santizo usually plays at first base, being on the first base he needs to concentrate as he will be needed as every ball gets played. “I can always play baseball when I’m older but one thing I won’t have is my teammates,” Santizo said. Talking about what he’ll miss about high school baseball, Santizo talks about how he will miss his teammates. The bond they’ve all made during the past four years grew stronger by each game and each win and loss. Getting separated from people who they spent 15 hours per week together during baseball season is not easy for them. “The ever so dynamic baseball player, just one of those guy that when he steps up on the game gives it it’s all, sid Steinberg,” Barry said. Barry mentions the time when Sid Steinberg was kicked out of a game. Sid mentioned because of the umpires unfair judgment it built up a lot of frustration for him causing him to throw his bat on the ground full of anger. Sid has been playing baseball ever since he was 4 years old. Zach
and Sid both started Playing baseball due to their dad’s love for the sport. Despite being introduced into other sports such as soccer and basketball, they were both drawn into baseball the most. Sid plays right field for the boys’ varsity baseball team. As the right fielder, he needs to think ahead, back up the first base on all throws from the catcher and back up the second base. He also bats for the team regularly. “Baseball has been my life for the past 13 years, so yeah I just live and breathe baseball. When I was little I would watch every dodger game, it’s just a lot of fun,” Sid said. Starting at a young age, baseball has been an monumental part of Sid’s life. Even when he was not playing the game, he would be watching and supporting his favorite team the Dodgers. “I’m not going to continue in college, but it’s possible that I’ll play club college, I’m not sure yet,” Sid said. Going to Boston university, Sid does not plan to continue playing baseball mostly because currently there is not spot available for him and he would rather focus on his academic major than sports for now. However he will still be watching and playing baseball with his friends on his free time. “I’ve been playing with Sidney now for about- since I was four years old, basically my whole life, you know playing catch in the back yard, you know, all the good memories I had with him, it created a special bond between us that can’t be undone. It’s blood, sweat and tear shared on the baseball field that will forever hold us together,” Zach said about his twin brother, Sid. The four spent more than 10 hours a week together, from classes they have together to getting lunch and practice. Baseball has been a huge part of their lives since a young age and as each year passed they’ve grown more and more through the sport. Having to say goodbye wasn’t easy, but they all knew this would not be the last time they’ll be playing together. Even though they will not be in a college baseball team, the four talked about meeting up every now and then to play and caught up.
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immigrants are the
engine of change
E
very year, immigrants come to this country to start a new life and, consequently, introduce new cultures, traditions, and experiences to melting pot of the United States. Junior, Nicole Ovadia, moved from Egypt 5 years ago. She moved here when she was in seventh grade. “It was very easy to adjust for me and my family. I had no difficulty making new friends, and my teacher and peers made me feel very welcomed,” Ovadia said. As Nicole says in her quote, it was relatively easy for her to ad-
just to a new society. This shows how accepting the United States can be to immigrants and the foreign traditions they bring to the country. Not only are the people friendly, but also the institutions are accepting, as portrayed when Ovadia’s “teachers” at school made her “feel very welcomed.” However, on the contrary, other immigrants experienced the harsher side of American society as they had difficulties meshing in a new culture. Senior Kiana Mohammad expresses the challenges faced when adjusting to a new home. “I met very friendly people, but
I also met rude people who were rude just because I wasn’t able to speak English well and called me stupid just because I wasn’t able to express complex thoughts,” Mohammad said. Kiana is Persian and moved here 3 year ago from Germany to pursue higher education, and the American Dream. Kiana expressed her feelings how she misses the memories and past, but doesn’t miss the country itself. “I think I miss the memories and I just miss the past, I’m very nostalgic about it, but I don’t miss country just itself,” Mohammad
said. Many immigrants come to this country, not knowing English. Nicole mentioned how different the school system is here, than it was in Egypt. “It was difficult to adjust to the school system, especially how I feel succeeding in school is more about the grades you get, and the pressure you have to get into good schools. I think kids are focused more on the grades they get, than the actual knowledge, and learning the information,” Ovadia said. Kiana talks about how she felt when she first came to the United
States, not knowing English. “You feel discouraged, you don’t have a voice in your writing because you haven’t mastered English you just know how to speak it,” Kiana said. Ovadia talks about how she loves this country and is glad she moved here in 2012. She talks about the main reason why she loves LA is because of the ‘city’ feeling. “I am a city girl, and I love LA traffic. I like knowing that there is constantly something to do in this city, so I don’t have to just stay home in bed if I’m bored. I also am so grateful that there
is so many great job opportunities in this country, then there is elsewhere,” Ovadia said. Opposite of Nicole, Kiana mentions how she isn’t a ‘city girl.’ Kiana gives off the impression that she likes more of a calming city, without the LA traffic. “I guess it’s fine… it’s not my kind of place. Objectively this place is nice, but subjectively this place is not built for people, it’s built for cars, and it’s just not my kind of place. I like quiet places, cities that aren’t this big, cities where I don’t have to be out or in traffic 45min just to buy some groceries,” Mohammad said.
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A
t 12:15 everyday, junior Sophia Martin walks into KBEV to place her backpack and jean jacket down before writing her latest entertainment story. When Martin was a sophomore, she decided to join the intermediate class of KBEV. “My brothers were actually legacy of the KBEV class, and were in the intermediate class all four years of high school. They were the ones that conceived me to join KBEV. I was originally in an intermediate class where we did shows everyday but I was always so nervous to do my own show. This year Ms. Zylberberg, my counselor, ended up putting me in the advanced class and when I started filming the news every single week I became very confident on camera and just really fell in love with doing the news and filming every single week,’’ Martin said. Martins passion for broadcast journalism started to grow when she joined advanced KBEV period five. This hobby for Martin soon became her aspiration for the future. “In the future I see myself as a local news caster for KTLA or maybe in New York or Chicago, one of the cities, I really hope to be a newscaster some day,” Martin said. The support she receives from her community, friends, and family are what drives her to continue doing broadcasting in the future, “people have really taken a liking to what I’m doing and it just feels really good for the gratification,” Martin said. While enrolled in the advanced broadcast journalism course Martin decided to make her dream of having her own show to a reality, making Influential Women of Beverly Hills. “The biggest moment for me has been the creation of my show, Influential Women of Beverly Hills. I always thought that I wanted to do my own show… I was always too nervous, but once I came into
the advance class and started getting comfortable in front of the camera and doing the news every week I was finally able to carry out my dream of doing my own show,” Martin said. Her goal of the show is to showcase strong women that help better the community of Beverly Hills. The purpose of the show is to, “empower young women as well as men, to gain knowledge from my guests that they can do anything that they want,” Martin said. Influential Women of Beverly Hills allows Martin to produce her own show, allowing her to make her own decisions of her own team, and what she wants to make. A normal day for Martin in KBEV is going on the computer and choosing her next guest speaker or doing the Norman News. She fixes her editing skills and plays around with Final Cut Pro, trying to learn new skills to help better her show. As her producer, junior Gabriel Tabariai noticed that Martin, “is like [him], she always finds a way to have fun in a beautiful way.” Martin brings an energy to the class that is noticed by her peers and producers. A fellow classmate, as well as Martins producer, junior Noah Danesh also has his own show and explains that, “whoever has their own show, its different everyday. One day you’re working on getting your guests, another day you’re working on the show getting your interviews, and then you also have to work on editing and uploading, then putting it on channel six,” Danesh said. Having your own production on KBEV channel six is something difficult to achieve, but the start of her show was only the first step in her broadcast career. After being in advanced KBEV for five months Martin took on Skills USA. Martin recognizes Skills USA to be, “one
the best things [shes] ever done in [her] life because [she] was able to bond with so many people in the class. [They] were also rewarded for everything that [they] worked really hard on, and the gratification again felt really nice. It was very fun,” Martin said. Skills USA is a nationwide competition where students and teachers work collaboratively to present their projects in front of judges. Categories include home development, communications, culinary, job interviews, broadcast, photography and more life skills. Skills USA’s goal is to inspire young leaders to take on new challenges in the work industry. KBEV teacher Romeo Carey has submitted two teams each year into the competition. Martin’s group consisted of three other students who helped with on and off camera production. “For Nationals we were given a prompt based on technology and how technology is affecting the future of broadcasting. You could be very creative with this prompt, you didn’t have to particularly answer their questions. My Co anchor ben and I wanted to incorporate how broadcasting is going to affect tech in the future into all of our stories… I thought that was a really cool way that we were creative with the prompt,” Martin said. After a month of preparation and five months of practice in advance journalism Martin won first in state for broadcasting. Martins says, “My biggest goal is to continue to be passionate, having passion is so important because if I actually see myself doing this in the future as a career I want to be able to send my kids to a school or a place like beverly where they get to explore their interest and their passions. I think that KBEV in particular but Beverly as a whole has helped me to discover my passion” By calendar editor: Leila Shamtobi
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Leora Yektafar Staff Writer Freshman Karina Yaroshenko everyone is as good as us. It keeps circling the fencing community,” spills the everlasting rumors that Yaroshenko said. you motivated to practice hard to encircle the teenage fencing com- stay competitive with your group.” Karina experienced what it felt munity. 7/10 fencers admit it’s like to be the outsider of her own Even though Yaroshenko and common to witness fencers badfriend group, because of one boy Olivares get along, others in their mouth each other to fight for a who talked badly about her. This group occasionally do not. Their faster path to the Olympics. group saw each other once a month teammates spread cruel gossip to “This girl and I rivaled for the decrease their focus from the actual for a few days at a time, since they coach’s attention, and we’d say all lived in different states; but the fencing aspect. mean things to each other. The gossip spread every day through “Fencing itself, I wish it was parents ended up getting involved, that simple. You just fence and social media. Yaroshenko may and we weren’t allowed to have lost some friends after fence each other at practice “The whole drama that’s this rumor; but fortunately, anymore. To this day, which she was lucky enough to learn built around it makes is three years later, we still who her real friends are. hate each other,” she said. She mentions her best everything so much more Yaroshenko compares friend Stella, who stuck by the social fencing world to complicated, because if you her side, “She’s friends with school, and explains the difthe same people I’m friends have a bad history with ferent social standards.The with, so when I tell her everyoutsiders, also known as the thing she knows exactly what somebody, or you’re trying fencers who are not in the top to say, and what I need to do. 20, attempt to claw their way to impress somebody; you’re It feels good to have friends into the group. that I could trust. I don’t constantly distracted.” “One way is to be top 20 know what I would do within the country, because that out real friends to confide in,” top 20 is the traveling team. Yaroshenko said. So with that group, you travel to The drama in the fencing world you have a few friends or whatEurope for competitions, and also ever. The whole drama that’s built isn’t only between the competinationally in the U.S. You guys are around it makes everything so tors, it reaches the coaches as well. all close, and obviously you guys much more complicated, because if “Coaches do have drama. My are the best in the country. So you you have a bad history with some- coach had drama with the Junior have to be either very good, or you body, or you’re trying to impress World Team coach, they got in can be either best friends, or dating somebody; you’re constantly dissome argument. The junior team one of the people that are very high tracted. I’ll be fencing in a compe- coach wouldn’t put my coach’s son up there. You hang out with those tition and I keep thinking they’re on the team. He didn’t believe he people more,” Yaroshenko said. should be there, even though he thinking about this; if I don’t do Yaroshenko is ranked number was fourth in the country, and in well they’ll talk about me, they’ll 17 in the cadet age group in the the world, “ Yaroshenko said. spread more rumors about me. country. She has made exception- You’re always thinking about what Whether you are trying to get ally close friends, who she relates other people are going to think of ahead to be popular in school, or to. Friend and teammate, Marcello you, instead of the actual fenccompeting to make the Olympic Olivares, adds, “It feels really good ing tournament, which happens fencing team, it is a dramatic and to be in the top 20, because not with a lot of people. This drama is vicious journey.
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