highlights
May 20, 2016 Volume 89, Issue 15 Beverly Hills High School Beverly Hills, California beverlyhighlights.com
of the year
The varsity football team is overcome with emotion after they defeat Santa Monica High School at the Haunted Homecoming game. PHOTO BY: VIVIAN GEILIM
Excited students from Albion Street Elementary School anxiously receive presents from ASB President Blake Ackerman who dressed as Santa Claus. PHOTO BY: GUY GINSBERG
Dance Company members Scout Sklarew, Isaac Spector, Lucy Gallop and Matisse Love leap on stage in the annual Dance Company performance. PHOTO COURTESY: TIM AGLER
The Norman Nation enthusiastically cheers on the boys varsity basketball team as they dominate in the first rounds of CIF. PHOTO BY: VIVIAN GEILIM
Junior Adriana Medina Santiago projects her lines to the packed audience in the Salter Family Theater for the musical production of “Spamalot”. PHOTO BY: BRENNA NOURAY
Senior Amanda Block continually sets personal records throughout the season as she pole vaults her way to Brown University. PHOTO BY: SIMON LANGER
INSIDE
SPOTLIGHT NEWS
SPORTS
this issue
Declining enrollment in BHUSD.
@bhhighlights
@bhhighlights
Page 4-5
Union and school board discuss 20:1 conflict Page
/beverlyhighlights
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Annual QUEST awards Page wrap-up.
www.beverlyhighlights.com
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HIGHLIGHTS NEWS MAY 20, 2016
A Thousand Words: Mural Magic 2016
Highlights Print Juliette Deutsch and Sadie Hersh editors-in-chief
Nirav Desai, Sophia Goldberg, Sydney Tran and Max Yera staff writers
Jamie Kim news editor
Keith Stone opinion editor
Jason Harward design editor Web Guy Ginsberg and Marty Schnapp editors-in-chief
Eleanor Bogart-Stuart, Isaiah Freedman, Lauren Hannani, Evan Minniti and Veronica Pahomova staff writers
Vivian Geilim photo editor
Natasha Dardashti social media editor
Senior Ameen Hakimianpour concentrates as he spray paints the class of 2016 mural at the entrance of the student and faculty parking lots. PHOTO BY: SADIE HERSH.
Union, district continue 20:1 negotiations Jason Harward design editor The Beverly Hills Education Association (BHEA) and the Board of Education are still locked in intense discussions over a deal made between the two parties in early March, which includes clauses about K-3 student to teacher ratio and substitute teacher benefits, among other things. The two parties agreed, with an attorney present, to a maximum of 21 students in early April. But, in late April, the Board claimed that there was a miscommunication and that the maximum class size would increase to 23 for “flexibility.” “Our issue is that they made an agreement, and now they’re backing off of it,” BHEA president Telly Tse said. “We believe that the agreement that was made was legally binding, so it’s not like you can make a promise and back off on it.” Due to the many layoffs of specialist and support positions, in-
cluding teacher’s aides and technology specialists, Tse believes an increase to a maximum class size of 23 would be a burden on teachers. “We feel that [increasing class size to 23] is a problem, not only in terms of workload for teachers, because [a 23:1] ratio isn’t equitable,” Tse said. “But also, in this school district, it’s such a selling point to have small class sizes that increasing it by 15 percent in one year will make more parents move their kids to private school and will only add to the problem of dropping enrollment.” However, Board President Howard Goldstein believes that the duty of the school Board is to allow for what he called “maximum flexibility” inside of the classroom. “The bottom line for me is that class size determination should be made on a class-by-class basis by our K-3 teachers and their site administrator,” Goldstein said. “Class size should not be
an arbitrary number that has no statistical significance in student outcomes.” The negotiations will continue, with two bargaining dates set for the summer. And, although 20:1 has been the most widely advertised, the negotiations between the district and the union cover many other topics, including substitute teacher benefits, permits for children of teachers and the start date for next school year. At the same time, the BHEA is filing a charge of unfair labor practice with the Public Employee Relations Board against the district for their conduct during these negotiations. “We expect the Board to honor the agreements that have already been made, and we’re hopeful that we can get there soon,” Tse said. “Because, if the agreements aren’t reached and this isn’t resolved, everything in the total package is in jeopardy.” If the disagreement continues, students can expect an earlier
start date as well as a continuation of problems with substitute teachers. In the agreement, substitutes will get improved benefits, including a 20 percent increase in compensation, which will make the District a destination for improved substitute teachers. The outcome will be closely watched by many in the Beverly Hills community. At the year’s final Board meeting, many people argued against any increase to class size at all. Ike Zekaria, a concerned parent, spoke to the Board about why larger class sizes inhibit later cognitive skills. “Studies have shown that larger class sizes, especially at the younger levels, are detrimental to the children,” Zekaria said. “They don’t get the individualized attention that they need, and if by third grade a child is not reading and writing, the effects of that later in life are devastating. They start socially falling behind, cognitively falling behind and it’s just not a path you want to go down.”
Ben Shofet business manager Gaby Herbst adviser —
Our goal as a student-run publication is to provide reliable, accurate and fair content that informs and intrigues the Beverly Hills community by following the principles of ethical journalism and represents the student body. We will deliver a broad spectrum of coverage through a variety of mediums, including online and print. Highlights is a forum for public expression that is produced by the Advanced Journalism class of Beverly Hills High School, 241 Moreno Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Letters to the editor may be sent to beverlyhighlights@gmail.com. Visit beverlyhighlights.com. Follow @bhhighlights on Instagram and Twitter. Highlights is sponsored by PTSA and BHEF.
HIGHLIGHTS MAY 20, 2016
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HIGHLIGHTS SPOTLIGHT MAY 20, 2016
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Enrollment Enigma
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Enrollment at BHUSD Schools 2011-2016
A Highlights Special Investigation
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Nirav Desai staff writer Sophia Goldberg staff writer Jamie Kim news editor
nrollment is on the decline. Whether this issue has taken the form of students rallying at board meetings in March to save classes in danger of elimination or teachers donning badges in May to protest proposed K-3 class-size increases, it is one that repeatedly attracts city-wide attention. Accordingly, over the last two months, Highlights has investigated this decline in order to uncover the trend’s root causes at a time when its effects are increasingly visible. The Causes of Declining Enrollment The effects of declining enrollment in Beverly Hills Unified School District are most evident at the high school level. Whereas enrollment levels at BHUSD’s four K-8 schools have experienced an overall total increase of 27.4 percent since the 2011-2012 school year, the high school’s rates have undergone a decrease of 15.7 percent in the same timeframe. Board of Education President Howard Goldstein believes some of this slump can be attributed to the Board of Education’s 2010 decision to eliminate the out-of-district permit program. “Prior to the District being designated a Basic Aid District in 2010, there were approximately 2,500 students at Beverly. After 2010, the school Board revoked opportunity permits that accounted for almost 1,000 less students,” Goldstein said. Former Board of Education member Dr. Brian Goldberg, father of writer and contributor Sophia Goldberg, believes that the declining enrollment is not in fact caused by the phasing out of permits initiated by the Board in 2010, but as a way for the current Board to mask what he sees as the actual problem causing declining enrollment, the fact that resident families are leaving the district for private schools. “At the end of the day, that should be one of our goals, providing opportunities for students to participate and feel good about that participation. People don’t look at the big picture and understand how all of this fits in together. It would be less money per
student and less opportunities for each student,” Goldberg said. “It really is a cop out for the Board of Education and this community in terms of trying to figure out why so many resident families are leaving our district and not supporting their local schools by masking it with permits. It takes hard work to understand and to fix the problems and concerns that our resident families who are choosing private schools have. It’s just easier to cover up the problem with permits.” Superintendent Steve Kessler credits fears about the district’s ongoing structural modernization plan for contributing to dropping enrollment, though he feels such worries are unwarranted due to the involvement of round-the-clock state and insurance inspectors in the construction oversight process. “I can tell you through personal experience as the [former] principal of Horace Mann School, do I understand fears when it comes to the construction? Yes, but it is safety first, second and third. It’s a huge part of our discussions. We have safety inspectors whose entire job it is to work that one job. It’s not like city inspectors who go to five or six different job sites every day,” Kessler said. “Do I understand the apprehensions? Yes, but do I think that our kids are in danger from any air or noise or some type of construction accident? I do not feel that way at all because of all the safety precautions that we take each and every day out there.” Due to these potential handicaps, high school enrollment has further been impacted by an exodus of former BHUSD families to private schools, which have sources of funding that allow them to offer children an education unaltered by the same real-world economic flux that typically harms public school systems. “Many Beverly Hills parents have told me that they have enrolled their kids in private schools because they want them to have a superior education. I believe that is the reason in most cases,” Board of Education Vice President Mel Spitz said. This shift in thinking is reflected in the case of sophomore Carl Wehba, who currently attends Beverly. Wehba, who will be transferring to Crespi Carmelite High School for the upcoming fall semester, made his decision to depart BHUSD after being persuaded by similar notions of academic disparities between public and private schools. “I want to get my grades up for junior year, and
at Crespi, they will give me more help to do that,” Wehba said. Additionally, sophomore Calvin Koo, Hawthorne Class of 2014, decided to move to Harvard-Westlake School for high school. “I felt like Harvard-Westlake was a better option for me because of the balance of sports and academics. The sports program I was trying to get into felt like a better fit for me in terms of competition, and while playing those sports, I could be exposed to a good education,” Koo said. “I’m not exactly sure how the curriculum is at Beverly, but I do know that [at Havard-Westlake], there are more tightly knit teacher-student relationships because of the smaller community.” Current sophomore Allegra Melloul left Beverly this January to begin homeschooling. Three major issues causing Melloul’s decision to leave were problems she encountered with social issues, with her theater class and with the class environment in which she felt uncomfortable. “Another reason I left Beverly was because I couldn’t focus in the school environment. Teachers are hard to talk to, so I didn’t really feel like I could ask for help when I didn’t understand something. Online school allows me to take my time when learning a subject, and I genuinely feel like I’m more intelligent because of this,” Melloul said. “[Online school has] made me a more disciplined person. I’ve also become much more responsible and independent. Beverly didn’t allow me to be as independent.” Junior Evan Nehmadi’s opinion differs from those of Melloul, Wehba and Koo in that he believes Beverly offers more than private schools do in terms of diversity and strong teachers. “I came to Beverly from Milken after freshman year because I felt that the teachers at Milken were not as strong as the teachers at Beverly. In addition, I favored the expansive campus of Beverly over the compact buildings at Milken,” Evan Nehmadi said. “The most important aspect of Beverly over Milken was the diversity that Beverly provides in terms of students; it symbolized a microcosm of society and I wanted to get my feet wet with dealing with different kinds of people.” Senior Aaron Nehmadi, Evan’s brother, emphasizes his brother’s point about increased diversity in Beverly Hills, saying, “I chose to not go [to Milken] because coming from a Jewish school, I was already
confined to a certain niche of people. I thought it was time to spread my wings a bit and explore the diverse community of Beverly Hills High School, as I realized that the mix of people reflect the true nature of society. [Beverly] would prepare me for that.” The Consequences of Declining Enrollment Low enrollment numbers share a correlation with elimination of three CTE psychology classes and of eight sections of art classes. As Kessler explains, the Board looks at enrollment of each class in order to determine the fiscal viability of classes during each year. “We as staff bring to the Board the statistical information so they can make an informed decision. And basically yes, we look at enrollment from the previous year, or the current year, and decide whether it is fiscally responsible to still have a class and pay the teacher this salary plus benefits that they receive,” Kessler said. “In our personal lives we always make sure that our checkbooks balance and I believe the same has to be for [a] school district.” Despite this, Kessler stated his belief that declining enrollment has no effect on deciding whether classes remain. “No, I really don’t [think the cutting of classes is a direct consequence of low enrollment]. Again, when it comes to what classes we will have and what classes we won’t, that ultimately is a Board decision. They make that policy,” Kessler said. Goldstein further clarified the process of keeping and cutting classes. “Actually, Superintendent Kessler, Chief Academic Officer Dr. Jennifer Tedford and Principal Jackson, along with our Chief Business Officer, make recommendations to the Board as to what courses should be offered based on student interest and budgetary concerns. Once those recommendations are made, the Board then makes the final decisions as to what classes to ultimately offer based on those recommendations,” Goldstein said. Contrary to Kessler, however, Goldstein attributes declining enrollment as having an impact on class offerings in some situations. “However, the Board did not significantly reduce staffing levels at the high school; that left some courses with very few students. Since our funding
is finite, we receive a lump sum from property taxes [Basic Aid] we have to reduce the number of course offerings otherwise the district would operate at a financial deficit,” Goldstein said. Due to the total decrease of 338 students at the high school in the past five years, shown in the School Accountability Report Cards, certain career and technical education (CTE) classes, specifically three sections of psychology and possibly one more course the Board is looking to cut, sports medicine, will close. In addition to these CTE classes, the Art Department will face several changes next year, due to teacher retirements and the reduction of eight sections of art classes, although the course options will remain the same, according to Principal David Jackson. “I don’t think it’s fair to students interested in unique courses to have that opportunity revoked. If anything, the school district should be taking advantage of the lower number of students by decreasing class sizes--not by cutting them,” junior Lana Schwartz said. “The permit rule was meant for creating smaller class sizes. Instead, many classes got cut. This shouldn’t happen again because of declined enrollment.” Junior Xander Bienstock concurred, pressing the importance of art classes. “The arts are important classes and should not be cut for a couple of reasons. Many arts classes provide a niche for kids whose passion is the arts. Why deprive one kid of their passion and allow those who are passionate about sports to continue to do what they love?” Bienstock said. However, Bienstock still agreed with the decision to reduce the number of art classes. “All that said, I understand the necessity to cut some classes due to decreased enrollment. It may be the most practical step in the face of decreased enrollment to cut those arts classes, regardless of my prior reasoning,” Bienstock said. Despite students’ worries that the Art Department will be severely changed due to class cuts, the Fine Arts Department Chair, Melony Bronder, assured that there will be no change in course options regarding the arts. “When I first started, there were five [art] teachers for 2,500 students. Then this year, there were five [art] teachers for about 1,600 students. So, classes
GRAPHICS BY: JASON HARWARD have gotten smaller because they want to maintain all of the options that the kids currently have,” Bronder said. “They’re going to move an art teacher to the middle school and one is retiring, but they’re not going to change any of the options offered.” Solutions that the district is currently implementing Board members, administrators at the district office and faculty members have divided opinions about how to approach the issue of declining enrollment. Spitz believes that the current academic curriculum must be improved to parallel that of private schools in order to attract more eighth graders to the high school; therefore, increasing enrollment at the high school. “I believe we can reverse that trend [of declining enrollment] by improving the academic rigor and challenge in our math and English language arts courses, and by maintaining high standards in
our science courses,” Spitz said. Though Spitz maintains that the solution for decreases in enrollment lies in curricular reforms, this belief is not shared by some faculty members. “Overwhelmingly, academic research for schooling in the United States shows that smaller class sizes improve a child’s education. I see it every day in my English classes. Year after year, my smaller classes grow and mature as writers, while my larger classes stay relatively stagnant,” a teacher who wishes to remain anonymous said. “Furthermore, private schools offer learning environments with low studentto-teacher ratios, something the Board is currently trying to change. Raising class size will not help this district to compete with private schools, nor will it help with enrollment.” In regards to the possibility of the elimination of permits having an effect on decreasing numbers, the Board still agreed to not allow permits. “I take direction from our Board, and our Board has currently decided that we will offer no new permits. The Board does reevaluate that decision every year, though, so they could change their mind at some point if they decided to,” Chief Academic Officer Dr. Jennifer Tedford said. Furthermore, Tedford believes that there are positive aspects to declining enrollment. Due to BHUSD’s status as a basic-aid district, even if enrollment numbers increase, the district will not receive additional money to fund the needs of the students. Being a basicaid district means that the school is funded through local property taxes. “[Declining enrollment] may not be a problem. I think it provides potentially more services for the residents. We don’t get any additional money for additional kids. So, the money we get is spread out to the residents more. There’s no value in adding more kids, at least from a financial standpoint. That is the position the Board has taken, because we don’t get more money for more kids,” Tedford said. Tedford further stated that the smaller number of students is not going to have a negative impact on the education throughout the district, allowing more resources to be allocated to students currently attending district schools rather than incentivizing students to enter the district. “I’m not sure that there is an interest in increasing the enrollment. I think, you know, that there is a priority on the residents and on making sure there are excellent educational opportunities for the residents,” Tedford said. “So, I don’t think there is a drive to increase enrollment. I think there is a drive to provide the best education for our existing residents.” The following contributed reporting to this story: Keith Stone opinion editor Sydney Tran staff writer Max Yera staff writer
HIGHLIGHTS FEATURE MAY 20, 2016
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Thank you, goodbye, good luck A mass exodus of teachers, faculty members and other District employees will be leaving the Norman Nation for retirement, other employment outside the district or positions at the various middle schools. Not pictured on this page are Michelle Dar, Stephen Madaris, Don Johnson, Pablo Jaramillo, Eddie Sabocor, Clark Dykman, Jing Zhang, Samantha Miller, Patti Ann Harootian, Brad Vincent, Michel Paul, Barbara Jebejian, Karen Boyarsky, Debi Ives, Gene Michelman, David Wolfe, Vonzie Paysinger, Ryan Franks, Ah Young Chi and Kurt Schmalzbach. Full length features of those pictured can be found on-line at beverlyhighlights.com.
Leonard Mitchell
Mark Mead
Renee Cobb
Math teacher and softball coach Leonard Mitchell will retire after 41 years of teaching. Mitchell does not envision his next life to be without work, as he hopes to continue coaching softball and potentially subbing part time.
Mark Mead is leaving his job as ASB advisor, English teacher and a former wrestling coach, and is heading to Burbank High School to become a vice principal. He took on many leadership roles at Beverly and is prepared.
Two years after her welcome, House A Assistant Principal Renee Cobb will be leaving for her future plans. Working at Beverly has been a reciprocal learning experience for her: she learns from those she teaches and mentors.
Debra Joseph
Stacey Carr
Michele Mendelsohn
Due to her move to Santa Barbara, District Arts Coordinator and graphic design teacher Debra Joseph is concluding her 14th year in the district. In Santa Barbara, Joseph will continue to work in the arts and education.
As House B Counselor Stacey Carr’s time comes to an end, she looks forward to spending time in nature and to further fulfilling her passion for counseling and working with students at another institution.
Michele Mendelsohn, a ninth and tenth grade special education teacher, is retiring after 37 years of teaching. Mendelsohn states that she will continue to be part of the community even after she retires.
PHOTO BY: JASON HARWARD
Wanda Szeremeta
Margo Bender
Susan Schneider
There will be a new head of Norman athletics next fall due to the departure of current athletic director Wanda Szeremeta. Szeremeta has cited her passion for teaching as her primary motive for leaving the position.
Margo Bender will be retiring from her post in the attendance office where she was responsible for checking in hundreds of students each year. She will be moving to Orange County where she will be working at a private school.
Teaching Spanish since 1977, Susan Schneider has formed lasting relationships with students and teachers of all ages. After she retires, Schneider will use her Spanish to volunteer in the community and around the world.
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HIGHLIGHTS OPINION MAY 20, 2016
How to enjoy prom while going stag Rebuttal: Popular music Nirav Desai staff writer
Though tomorrow night’s prom may be aimed at entertaining the scores of couples eager to participate in the great American adolescent tradition, students attending without a date should not feel confined to the stereotypical role of the awkward wallflower. Rather, those going “stag”, as it is called, should look forward to arriving at the Pacific Design Center with Highlights’ three handy tips. 1. Remember that you are not going alone, you are taking yourself. Whether you categorize your prom night as a positive or negative moment in your life in the future will be highly dependent upon how you mentally characterize the night in the present. If you show up to prom thinking that you will stick out because everybody who has a date will be staring at you and judging you, then you are going to have a bad time. The truth is your worries will be shared by everybody else in the room, whether he or she has a date or not. Accordingly, they will have more pressing matters to attend to than staring at you, such as wondering whether people are staring at them. However, if you go into this seminal moment in your senior year with
an optimistic outlook, then you will be able to relax and enjoy this year’s prom for what it is: a fun function that kicks off your final week of high school. 2. Instead of spending money on your date, you can #TreatYoSelf, which is what prom is all about anyway. Everybody around you will be griping about whether or not somebody’s bow tie matches somebody else’s dress. Remember though, you are your own date. That means you will not have to worry about wearing the same dress as a date’s old fling. This is good, because you still hate her for that one thing she knows she did, and you did not want to have to deal with the fact that you and her are both wearing a red dress while sharing a love interest. Without a date, you can stress about other things, such as the fact that everybody seems to be wearing red even though it should be common knowledge by now that if everybody is going to wear a red dress to stand out, then nobody will be standing out while wearing a red dress. Going to prom stag also means you will not have to fuss about renting a tuxedo. You did not even want a tuxedo. You thought you wanted a tuxedo because in your mind, a word like “tuxedo” just evokes a word like
“prom.” But, then you see a tuxedo, and you think to yourself, “Oh, really? This is just a suit with no tie and a sexier name.” Then you see the pricetag, and you think, “Man, why would I want this? Why am I even in this situation? I ought to take my money and go buy something nice for myself and my date, who is myself.” Now, you can willingly go purchase some taupe shoes or a mint vest or a mauve tie. Such are the possibilities of life while going stag. 3. You will not be burdened by the responsibility of paying attention to your date. This means you will have a better chance of finding a fine honey on the battlefield of love that is the dance floor than will the people who settled when selecting their date. Aside from offering the potentiality of new romantic connections, arriving at prom without a date will give you the freedom to stay in constant contact with your friends, who are the people you really want to spend the night with anyway. After all, prom is a culmination of the feelings and friends that formed the last four years of your life. Hopefully, by the time you cease your slaying at prom, abiding by these guidelines will have become second-nature.
Nirav Desai staff writer
In Highlights’ previous print edition, there was an article criticizing the value of contemporary popular music. Though it was written by two wonderful, knowledgable people who crafted a particularly well-worded review of the state of today’s music scene, it still missed a few opportunities to moderate its stance. People already know to listen to Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce, Green Day or any other artist of that kind when they want to listen to something recent that is explicitly socially conscious, and to bounce to Desiigner, Young Thug, Carly Rae Jepsen or artists similar to those three when they want to willingly listen to fantastic nonsense. True, Desiigner’s “Panda” is not a work cut from the same cloth as Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone or John Lennon’s “Imagine”. However, everybody knows this. When people feel like reflecting upon the great injustices of the world during a car ride or a rainy day, nobody immediately thinks, “Oh man, let
me listen to Desiigner rapping to himself about a luxury vehicle that I’ll never be able to afford.” Rather, these less-sophisticated artists are launched into stardom because their songs appeal to the masses on a simple, though necessary, level. Sometimes, when one is cruising through an iconic Southern California setting like Heath Avenue with four friends stuffed into a three-seat backseat, one’s eyes catch the glint of sun-kissed side-mirrors at precisely the right angle, and lyrics like Desiigner’s “Ayy I’m just feelin’ my vibe right now, I’m feelin’ myself” become all the art that one needs. Thus, in shunning all that popular music has left to offer in favor of the classics due to the joyful ignorance found in certain artists’ works, listeners risk ignoring the popular artists who have something urgent to say about problems facing people who are still alive today. This unintentional ignorance is why there are so many people willing to listen to artists who offer minimal amounts of intellectual stimulation.
Four recent popular songs that should not be discredited: Drake’s “Marvin’s Room” - Insight into the mind of a defeated lover. Kendrick Lamar’s “i”- A motto fighting institutionalized depression. Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” - Motivation against low self-esteem. Miley Cyrus’ “We Can’t Stop” - An account of illenials’ malaise.
Co-editors-in-chief bid farewell to Highlights Juliette Deutsch Marymount Manhattan College
Sadie Hersh University of Wisconsin
Dear Highlights, It feels weird that after four years I am finally saying goodbye. Throughout these four years, I have met some of my best friends, found my passion and have been one step closer to reaching all of my goals. It is because of Highlights that I am going to New York for college in the fall. It is because of Highlights that I have my college major. It is because of this class that I can share my passions with readers and the world. From my first day four years ago to my last, there are not enough words to express how grateful I am that Highlights exists and that its readers continue to love our content. I would like to thank all four co-editors-in-chief I have had the opportunity to work with. To Jackson, Sadie, Guy and Marty, thank you all for putting up with my craziness. I will always cherish the individual friendships I have made with each of you and I hope that in the future we can create things together again. To the staff writers, if there is one thing you can take away from me it is that if you write what you are passionate about the readers will come back for more. It is important to be proud of the content you put out and own it. My very last thank you goes out to one of most incredible advisers in the world, Ms. Herbst. Thank you for helping me reach all my goals.
High school gives students an opportunity to expand their knowledge and discover new passions. While mine took two years to find, I made my home at Highlights. This publication has become a close knit family for me. I have made powerful bounds with my fellow editors and teammates that I cherish and do not plan on losing. Along with the familial bond I have formed, I have grown as a person. This publication has allowed me to speak my mind, whether the student body wanted to hear what I had to say or not. The opportunity this class has given me has shaped me into a stronger person. In this final issue of the school year (and my final issue ever) I would like to thank all of the loyal readers of Highlights, both print and online (beverlyhighlights. com), for relying on us as your number one news source for the latest happenings at Beverly. A lot of behind-the-scenes time and dedication goes into every article that is published by each member of this staff. While I am moving on from Highlights, I know that this school will be left in great hands by a team that I have helped blossom into even more talented journalists (with my fellow editors) and that has helped me grow as well. Thanks to an amazing opportunity provided by our school and the lessons I have learned from its great adviser, Ms. Herbst, I have found my passion.
Guy Ginsberg George Washington University
Highlights has been very good to me. I learned about being a young journalist in an expanding field as a staff writer, then sports editor, then co-editor-in-chief. While I have learned a tremendous amount and accomplished very much, the most rewarding aspect of my role in Highlights has been being able to serve the school and community. It gave me great joy to be able to communicate the news, my thoughts, and the fantastic work produced in this room to our school. I have also learned a lot from my fellow editors, and Ms. Herbst, and it has been an extreme pleasure working with two drastically different staffs this year and last. Learning from upperclassmen as a junior was what inspired me to want to do more and accomplish my journalistic goals, and being able to share the knowledge I have accrued through my experiences with the underclassmen this year has been extremely enjoyable as well. I met a lot of smart people through Highlights, and made some friendships that hold a lot of value to me. Without this school’s bubble, our newspaper couldn’t function the way it does, and we couldn’t create even a fraction of the content we do. This vibrant, bustling campus always gave us something to write about, even in the most seemingly uneventful times. We made the most of our campus here in room 253, and our campus got the most it could from us.
Marty Schnapp Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Dear Highlights readers, It is surreal for me to say goodbye to something that defined my career as a high school student. Firstly, I want to thank you for your readership. This really has been a wild ride and would not have been possible without your support. I am forever grateful for your reliable information, latenight quotes and poll responses. Through Highlights, I learned a lot about myself, both as a leader and as a student. Bi-weekly newspapers are fast-paced and slow down for nothing; my run with Highlights pushed me to my limits and past them. As we felt under pressure with tight deadlines and server crashes, we used friendship and humor to ease the stress of the situation, but all that mattered at the end of the day was the final product and our readers. I’m really going to miss this paper. It gave me purpose and motivated me every day, and I fear that the experiences I have accumulated over my two years here are unreplicatable. Where else will I find such a loving family of like-minded individuals ready to serve the student body by bringing them the best news possible? We all pour our hearts into Highlights, and it really does make me sad to have to let it go, but all good things must come to an end. Highlights was well worth it; I would not change a single thing about my time here, but it is time for me to move on. So for one last time, thank you, Highlights.
Juliette Deutsch
Sadie Hersh
Guy Ginsberg
Marty Schnapp
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HIGHLIGHTS SPORTS MAY 20, 2016
Annual QUEST awards acknowledges student-athletes Sadie Hersh co-editor-in-chief The fields and courts were empty during seventh period on Tuesday, May, 17 as all of the athletic department filed into the Swim Gym for the Annual QUEST awards. The award ceremony celebrates student-athletes from every grade level for their commitment and accomplishments throughout the fall, winter and spring seasons. Almost all varsity coaches were in attendance at the event to name outstanding freshman, sophomore and junior athletes, award students who had been involved in a sport for all four years and to inducted seniors into the Hall of Fame. Along with those notable mentions, seniors were honored with individual awards. Wrestler Elijah Klapper received the Lessie Paysinger award. Football and track
and field athlete Solomon Nwankwo was awarded with the Founders Scholarship and Male Athlete of the Year. Swimmer Amy Okada (who will be attending UCLA for her sport next year) was honored with the Don Reynolds Memorial Award which is a scholarship of $3,000, and was also named Female Athlete of the Year. Softball player Aleks Recupero received the Scholar Athlete award for excelling in her sport for all four years of high school while maintaining a 4.79 GPA. The winners, like Nwankwo, did not know they were going to receive an award before the event and were touched by the honor. “Honestly, I was truly surprised because I didn’t expect any of it. I was truly filled with joy when I was inducted to both the Hall of Fame and Male Athlete of the Year,” Nwankwo said.
Okada is proud of her success While the seniors athletes are “I am very proud of the Hall of and overjoyed that the practice moving on, they leave behind a Famers. They are all superb athand rigorous work has been ac- group of talented athletes who will letes. They were either two sport knowledged by her coaches and follow in their footsteps. Eleventh athletes or they excelled in their peers. grade Outstanding Athlete winner specific sport, and it was just very “I feel so accomplished and ap- for varsity tennis Jeffrey Lee ex- impressive to see after all of those preciated by the school. Hard work plains the motivation the Hall of four years...athletes who perreally does pay off. It’s a great Famers instill in himself and his formed successfully in all of their feeling towards the end of school fellow peers. sports was inspiring,” Lee said. year,” Okada explained. Coaches and teams were also awarded for their successful year. Coach Howard Edelman accepted the plaque on behalf of track and field, which received Team of the Year. Coach Jarvis Turner was named Coach of the Year for his successful run with the boys varsity basketball team as he coached the team through Four year student-athletes and Hall of Fame inductees accept awards for their the Semifinals of the CIF achievements. PHOTO BY: SADIE HERSH. playoffs.
Brown transitions from administration to athletics Keith Stone opinion editor
Beginning the 2016-17 school year, current Assistant Principal Kevin Brown will be transitioning from his role in the administration to a new role, leading the Athletic Department. As the new Athletic Director, he will be now responsible for a specific group of people and various new responsibilities. With the change in location of his office also comes a change in priority as his overall goals for students and faculty change. Since it is, “a full time athletic director’s position” Brown will “con-
centrate on working with studentathletes and with teacher-coaches [instead of] working with students and teachers and your primary goal [changes from] academic achievement and improving student learning and teacher instruction,” he said. Brown sees this job change as an opportunity to truly make a difference and have a dramatic positive effect on the lives of many students in the school. He sees the chance to build a strong department. “I think it’s the best situation.
I think I have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of almost 1,000 students,” Brown said. “We have approximately 980 student-athletes here at the high school. This is a tremendous opportunity to build an athletic program where the mission of Beverly and the vision of Beverly directly connect and mesh with the mission and vision of the Athletic Department so they go hand in hand.” To Brown, being the Athletic Director means taking the department to a higher level in the school
and in the community. This will happen through more than just connecting with a few important athletes. “We want to be a department where the rest of the student body can feel a part of something bigger and unified to where all students are going to have a good time,” Brown said. “It’s a positive, enthusiastic, energized part of high school and so not only is it for the student-athlete, but for all students to represent and have pride in their school.”