Highlights Volume 87, Issue 13

highlights Rock and Roel

A look at the life of Roel Hinojosa

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May 2, 2014 Volume 87, Issue 13 Beverly Hills High School Beverly Hills, Calif. beverlyhighlights.com

Core Curricu-yum Reviews of Ben & Jerry’s new flavors page

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Halimi joins administration as asst. principal Robert Katz web editor-in-chief The Board of Education voted to appoint English teacher Michelle Halimi as assistant principal for the 2014-2015 school year on Tuesday, April 22. Halimi will partially fill the administrative void left by departing assistant principals Amy Golden and Dr. Regina Zurbano, in addition to retiring assistant principal Toni Staser.

Halimi, who is also the Service Learning teacher, Western Association of Schools and Col-

leges (WASC) coordinator, English teacher and Beverly alumna (2002), looks at her new role on campus as a positive opportunity.

“I am very excited to be the assistant principal at Beverly,” Halimi said. “It’s actually something I’ve always wanted to do and I’ve had my administrative credential for a few years, so it’s just exciting to start a new chapter.”

Among her goals as assistant principal, Halimi wants to maintain a “positive learning community for families, staff and students,”

as well as help adjust teachers to the Common Core, the new federal education standards.

Among the district Board of Education members who voted to appoint Halimi is Dr. Brian Goldberg.

“I voted for Ms. Halimi because of her deep connection and commitment to Beverly and the fact that she understands Beverly, being an alum,” Goldberg said.

“She’s someone who’s been teaching there for some time now and in particular I was impressed with

her roles and responsibilities with regard to the WASC accreditation committee and the work that she did for that committee.”

Superintendent Gary Woods shared the high praise for Halimi.

“We believe Ms. Halimi is a young and upcoming administrator,” Woods said. “She’s a fantastic teacher. We believe she has the personality, the work ethic and the desire to become a really strong administrator.”

Principal Carter Paysinger also looks optimistically to Halimi’s fu-

ture as an administrator.

“I think she’ll do a fine job,” Paysinger said. “She’s a great teacher [and] she did a great job with leading the WASC accreditation process. I think she can be a fantastic administrator. It’s hard to say what’s going to happen in the future, but I think she’s very capable.”

Halimi, whose sole administrative work has been as a WASC coordinator during the school’s accreditation, continued on page

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Seniors win low-turnout Color Wars Audrey Park staff writer

AUDREY PARK

The seniors were victorious at ASB’s annual Color Wars in the Swim Gym on Tuesday, April 29.

The event consisted of a series of games in which members of each grade level competed against each other.

“They compete in competitions, such as the three-point shoot outs and limbo and the grade that wins the most points at the end wins the game,” ASB sophomore representative Shawn Ahdoot said.

“This is unique in the fact that it really gets all four grades involved in a single event and promotes grade spirit. It’s always really fun and one of our biggest events of the year.”

According to an email sent out before the games began, the freshmen were in the lead

Sophomore Ohry Moosiki cheered on his team at Color Wars on Thursday, April 29. Despite the fact that the seniors had far more attendees than other grades, the scores were close.

A world lit only by lit: A look at English summer curriculum Mabel Kabani editor-in-chief Every year, the English department makes changes to the reading material for Honors and Advanced Placement students for the following summer and school year. Though there is a pre-determined set of books that the English department must teach its students, the require-

ments often offer flexibility to teachers, according to English teacher Dr. Steven Rubenstein.

“Every year the reading list is modified. For example, this past summer the department assigned less summer reading because the summer was shorter,” Rubenstein said. “But of course during the school year, there are certain books that we as teachers

must teach...the Shakespeare requirement is an example.”

Though all levels of English, regular, Honors and AP, have the requirement to read Shakespeare plays, the texts for Honors and AP classes “tend to be more challenging and are analyzed at a much deeper level” than the texts in regular classes, according to Rubenstein. Not

only that, but summer reading is also assigned only to students entering into Honors and AP English classes.

“We as teachers [of honors and AP English classes] want these advanced students to show their commitment to the class by doing extra work,” Rubenstein said. continued on page

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HIGHLIGHTS NEWS MAY 2, 2014

SUPREME 14

Seniors dominate games at low-turnout Color Wars

Continued from Page 1 with 20 points, the juniors were second with 15, the sophomores with five points and the seniors with zero. At the games, according to senior representative Adam Steinberg, the seniors won with 25 points, the juniors and sophomores tied with 20 and the freshmen ended with 15.

Ahdoot believes that the competition among grade levels was especially high.

“The fact that the scores were so close stood out to me the most,” Ahdoot said. “By the last event, almost all of the teams were tied at 20 points and each game would make or break the team. In the end, the seniors won, but it was an incredibly close ending. All four grades competed really well and the and the Seniors almost lost for once. It was a really close game and it was really exciting.”

ASB senior class president Parham Senehipour was particularly impressed with push ball and tugof-war because of the “improvement in teamwork.”

“I think the reason for [the improvement] is that our school spirit was much higher this time than it was in the previous years,” Senehipour said.

As part of preparation, ASB created committees in charge of aspects like games, decorations, publicity and equipment.

“ASB started planning for this event more than a month ago,” Senehipour said. “A lot of students worked day and night publicizing the event on Facebook, especially

nior Night was a success so we expected there to be more people,” Steinberg said. “The games were organized well. The food truck made a lot of money, and the timing was perfect.”

Senior Celine Hakimianpour, who attended the event, was disappointed by the small amount of school spirit.

“The turnout wasn’t as good. There wasn’t enough hype,” Hakimianpour said. “Because there weren’t a lot of people, there wasn’t enough school spirit.”

For next year, Mead hopes to move the date of Color Wars to an earlier time in the year in order to avoid other events, such as Advanced Placement testing.

“I know that a lot of juniors are feeling parAUDREY JAMES-ANENIH ticularly swamped at this Seniors, in green, presented the highest turnout to win the event with 25 points. time of the year,” Mead said. “The word was out, our ASB president who spent also assign specific roles and indicountless hours publicizing the vidual assignments. We make sure but the turnout was small nevertheless. The people who came event on Facebook and taking care that each person has a role.” of a lot of paper work.”

Steinberg believes that, although seemed to have a good time, but I ASB adviser Mark Mead over- the event “ended up being good, think at this stage of the year there looked the event’s organization. it could’ve been better” had there is a little bit of lethargy.”

Students can expect to see a pos“I oversee the kids and try to been more publicity. make sure that we’re communicat“I think we didn’t get as many sibility in the change of dates for ing with the school,” Mead said. “I people as we wanted. Junior/Se- Color Wars next year.

Culinary students compete, learn professionalism at Skills USA Marguerite Alberts spotlight editor Students of Chef Rick Leece’s culinary classes, Intro to Culinary Arts and Advanced Culinary Arts, attended the annual Skills USA Competition last weekend in San Diego. While the competition serves to allow students from across the state to prove their skills in many different areas, Beverly’s representatives went to demonstrate their culinary expertise. As a reward, successful students were made eligible for scholarships and grants.

The competition consists of three parts that are considered for all participants: an interview, job demo and the competition itself which is a job skill demonstration.

“Job skill demonstration, is a part of a competition where you explain your skill that you’ve learned in or out of school,” sophomore Joel Gabai said. “It could be anything really, I just so happened to choose a food related

item to demo for the judge.”

The first two events occurred prior to the competition. Anyone in Leece’s classes who wanted to participate were allowed. The selection of who went was made by students.

“I really just allowed students to sign up as they wanted, so if they were interested in the event they could sign up for it,” Leece said.

“If they wanted to be involved and I thought they were capable of doing it, then I allowed them to compete.”

During the job demo, participants had to demonstrate their cooking abilities while explaining what they were making to an audience.

“In the demo, I made Vietnamese spring rolls,” sophomore Victoria Unzon said. “I picked those because I have made it so many times for the Open House for the culinary program. I just wanted to do something really nice for [the judges] and present them [the dish].”

While Unzon found that the interview went well, her fellow contender, senior Evan Carl, had a more negative experience.

“I participated in the regionals and got 9th out of 26th in the cooking version. In the job interview, I didn’t do as well.”

Despite his unsuccessful interview and the inconvenient timing caused by the event conflicting with prom, Carl still attended the competition as a representative of the school, but focused more on the business aspects of a culinary career.

In San Diego, Gabai met people from across the region, learning about different trades and cooking techniques.

“I had a ton of fun meeting people from various parts of California that represented their school in subjects like automotive, architectural drafting, welding, carpentry, and more,” he said.

While planning for the competition, Leece generally remained hands off, allowing the students

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to make many of the decisions on their own.

“I really just give them guidance and help them with ideas,” Leece said. “I really try to let them do it on their own, formulate their own ideas and creativity, because otherwise what’s the point if I am doing it all for them.”

Both Unzon and Gabai spent their time in class as well as extra hours outside of school preparing for the trip to San Diego.

“I prepared for this competition by coming to the culinary kitchen on my own free time to hone my skills on chopping down the vegetables, imitation crab and especially cooking the rice,” Gabai said. “I started my preparation since the day I got the notice that I advanced to state, which was approximately a month and a half before the actual state competition.”

In the competition, students had a total of seven minutes to prepare a dish including all of the ingredients from a list previously

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provided to them.

Unzon prepared seared tuna with a cucumber salad.

“I wanted to try something new and I have never actually worked with the ingredients that I chose,” Unzon said. “I wanted to try something quick and easy to do.”

Unzon was one of two students actually competing in the primary competition. Fellow colleague Gabai prepared California Rolls.

“For my job demonstration, I made a California sushi roll to pay a tribute to my state,” Gabai said.

“My roll consisted of carrots, cucumbers, jalapiños and a creamy spicy aoili sauce.”

Overall, Gabai enjoyed participating in the competition and felt confident going in.

“I wasn’t nervous at all because I felt very confident and comfortable demonstrating to the judge how to make sushi,” Gabai said.

Neither Gabai nor Unzon advanced to nationals and their overall scores have yet to be released.

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HIGHLIGHTS NEWS MAY 2, 2014

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Robotics, minus senior prom attendees, competes in Mo. Zoe Kenealy staff writer Robotics team MorTorq 1515 advanced to the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) championships at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Mo. The competition lasted four days, April 23-26.

“We were lucky enough to have advanced to this level of competition through our victory in Las Vegas,” junior 1515 member Gabriella Shofet said. “We competed in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) as one of 400 teams in our level. FTC (First Tech Challenge) and FLL (First Lego League) also had their own competitions.”

The FIRST championships lasted through the weekend of prom, and with an incomplete crew, present 1515 members faced the additional challenge of meeting the team’s fullest potential.

“I did not attend St. Louis because it was also my senior prom.

I do regret not being able to be there for my team, but I knew that 1515 would be strong enough to carry its own weight,” senior 1515 member Justin Kim said. “Hearing the news of the team’s performance made me proud despite the fact that we did not place first.”

While in St. Louis, 1515 competed for the Chairman’s Award, “the most prestigious award at

FIRST...It honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST,” according to USFIRST. org. The goal of FIRST remains to “inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.”

In competing for the Chairman’s Award, 1515 prepared a puppet show aimed at interesting kids in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) through, according to Shofet, “fun and creative ways such as a Shakespeare play.”

Although 1515 ended with a score of 3-7 and was not able to capture the Chairman’s Award, the team was proud of the fact that it was able to score the fourth most autonomous points in Galileo, 1515’s division. The other three divisions included in the competition were Archimedes, Curie and Newton.

“In addition to competing for Chairman’s, we competed with our robot and placed 74th in our division,” Shofet said. “We were proud of what we were able to

achieve, especially with a smaller team.”

Shofet was given the opportunity of meeting FIRST founder Dean Kamen and considers the privilege similar to those of attending the FIRST competitions.

“Every one of these competitions offer so much more than awards to take home and meeting Kamen was only indicative of that,” Shofet said. “Seeing a man who had a vision and was able to carry it out, and now gets to see

Photo courtesy of CAMILA MONCHINI MorTorq 1515, with its robot in St. Louis, placed 74th in the Galileo division.

thousands of kids competing to support his vision was truly inspiring. In addition to being inspired by Kamen, simply working through the events with my division despite any difficulties made me all the more determined and motivated to finish off my career with 1515 as strong as possible.”

Team 1515 looks at the opportunity to have attended the St. Louis competition as an honor and reward for the hard work each and every member has put

into making the team both competitive in its division, and unified in its efforts. A major goal of the team leading up to St. Louis has been to ensure a strong sense of teamwork and responsibility for fellow members. According to Kim, the absence of the numerous 1515 members due to the senior prom having taken place the same weekend of the championships only proved the ability of 1515 to take initiative when push comes to shove.

21 students, teachers “donate eight” for Service Learning’s hair drive Brenda Mehdian staff writer

DAMI KIM Students donate eight or more inches of hair on Tuesday, April 29. Seniors Simon Hedvat and Leora Hakim served on the Service Learning committee.

in the headlines

The crowd watched as students lined up to support a charitable cause at the front lawn on Tuesday, April 19. During lunch the student body supported Service Learning’s annual hair donation drive, sponsored by Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

According to co-chair senior Leora Hakim, due to the success of last year’s hair donation, she and fellow co-chairs junior Davina Shoumer and senior Tori Hertz began planning the event earlier than they had last year. The three had to work together to contact sponsors, find a hair stylist, make a facebook event page and work together on the hardest part: convince the potential donors to donate their hair.

“I know a lot of girls have a special attachment to their hair (and I did too before I donated my hair last year). But if you take a minute and just think about it, these women battle cancer and have absolutely no hair. Your hair will grow back, theirs won’t.” For me, it was a no brainer... my grandmother is a breast cancer survivor so I felt an obligation [to do this].”

LOCAL According to CNN, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life. Racist remarks were attributed to Sterling earlier this week, as recorded by his girlfirned. Sterling was also fined $2.5 million.

Hakim said.

Although Hakim believes that last year’s event was successful, she also believes that this year surpassed last year’s event.

“Last year a lot of people signed up, but many decided not to go through with the donation on the spot. This year I think more than half of the girls decided to stick to their decision and donate their hair; it was pretty amazing,” Hakim said.

Furthermore, Hakim also attributes this year’s success to the experience she gained from planning the event last year on the committee.

“This was my second year on the hair donation committee, so the things that seemed so complicated to me last year now seem simple. We also had a bigger committee and more time to plan the best event possible,” Hakim said.

Service Learning hoped that 18 students would donate hair and, to their pleasure, 21 students ended up donating. One of those students, junior Gabriella Shofet, felt confident about her donation.

“I wanted to cut my hair since last year but didn’t feel confident enough to wear short hair. Once

NATIONAL A FedEx package handler, armed with a hot gun and bullets strapped to his chest “like Rambo,” wounded six people in Atlanta, Georgia before committing suicide, according to NBC News. A lockdown of the facility began at about 6 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29.

I realized who I would be helping, and how someone who’s gone through so much and needed my hair more than I did, my gut told me to go for it. I’m pretty sure this was one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long time,” Shofet said.

Some other students who donated were a bit more apprehensive to chop of their locks, like Dveirin.

“Before I sat down to cut my hair I was excited, and then during the process I was really scared, and then right after my hair was actually cut off I thought to myself, ‘Oh no, it’s so short,’ but now I like my hair,” Dveirin said.

Donors were not only limited to the student body. Faculty members such as librarian Karen Boyarsky and math teacher Elaina Reilly also donated.

Many of the donors say they would donate again.

“I would absolutely donate again. It’s a pretty awesome thing knowing you’re helping someone who’s fighting cancer, [which is] something so much bigger than any of my possible short hair problems [could cause],” junior Olivia Koshy said.

INTERNATIONAL President Park Geun-hye of South Korea apologized and later resigned in response to a ferry accident that left at least 300 people dead or missing. As reported by the New York Times, a majority of these people aboard the sunken ferry were high school students.

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HIGHLIGHTS NEWS MAY 2, 2014

AP Psychology added to course catalog, Hinojosa to teach Max Stahl comment editor Next year, juniors and seniors at Beverly will for the first time have the opportunity to take AP Psychology. The course will count as an elective, and completion of two semesters of biology will be required for enrollment.

AP Psychology will also be one of several courses seniors can take as part of the Medical Science Academy (MSA), a threeyear program at Beverly which prepares students for future studies in medicine through classes taught on campus and hands-on training at Cedars-Sinai Hospital.

The idea to bring AP Psychology to Beverly originated in science teacher Colleen Lynch’s 10thgrade Introduction to Medical Science class and her 11th-grade biotechnology class, both part

of the MSA. Students voted on whether they would prefer AP Psychology or forensics and elected the former.

“I think AP Psychology is going to be a fascinating extension of the MSA courses thus far. I know that a lot of us are very interested in going into the psychology field, so this should provide us with ample opportunities to explore the career and learn about its various aspects,” junior and MSA student David Younessi said.

The Beverly Hills Board of Education, the University of California system and the College Board have all approved AP Psychology for Beverly. In the steps leading up to approval, Lynch, social studies teacher Roel Hinojosa, Head Counselor Diane Hale, Assistant Principal Amy Golden and Beverly Hills Unified School Dis-

trict Chief Academic Officer Dr. Jennifer Tedford were instrumental in organizing and developing the course.

“Ms. Lynch and Dr. Tedford and I just started having informal conversations, and we realized that the stars were aligned; there was personnel, there was [room in] the budget,” Hinojosa said. “It’s like juggling balls, and everything has to be in place in order to go through with it, and everything just lined up perfectly, so we took advantage of it.

In addition to readings, lectures and case studies, AP Psychology will focus heavily on experimentation. However, although the class will be housed in the MSA, it will be taught primarily from a social sciences perspective.

“There’s a lot of science in it, but you don’t have to be a scientist to

actually study it. Certainly I’m not a scientist myself,” Hinojosa said.

“But it takes a general approach to science, so you do study things like brain activity and the chemical interaction between drugs and our bodies and how that affects our psychology. So there is some biology and some chemistry, and so we’ll work on experiments on that, but also more traditionally psychological experiments that deal with subjects of a more psychological nature.”

Hinojosa, who intends to teach the class, is excited to offer students a unique educational experience that they can relate to.

“I’m looking forward to it, because it’s a class that offers students the ability to examine themselves, to use themselves,” he said.

“A lot of the topics are about human development, and there are

several chapters on adolescence and all of the challenges that adolescents have to go through — in their families and with their peers and in school — so students will I’m sure be able to recognize some of their own challenges going on in their personal lives being outlined in the pages of the textbook that they’re reading.”

AP Psychology can also apply in other academic endeavors.

“A lot of the chapters deal with how we learn; [students] might be able to examine how they’re learning not only in the psychology class, but in other classes as well,” Hinojosa said.

Current sophomores and juniors can request enrollment in AP Psychology in May when they receive their tentative schedules and meet with their counselors to discuss plans for next year.

Red Cross Club awarded banner for service, events, activism Jessica Lu news editor The Red Cross Club was granted a banner from the American Red Cross in the Los Angeles region to recognize its standing and completion of services and events as part of the Banner Up! youth incentive program.

The requirements to achieve this honor included coordinating a preparedness education presentation, hosting a Red Cross Blood Drive and preparing a fundraising event for the Red Cross. Additionally, clubs must either participate in a community outreach event or prepare a puppet show for children.

“It felt amazing,” Club Representative Upsana Mannur said

about receiving the banner. “All our hard work paid off. I never thought I would get something out of participating, but I learned a lot about event planning and community outreach.”

Though the team was happy to receive the banner, President Shayna Eshmoili said the event was also expected upon the club’s completion of the specific criteria.

“It wasn’t much of a surprise because we completed all the requirements,” Eshmoili explained.

Coordinators of the Banner Up! program and other American Red Cross employees plan to present the club with the official banner within the upcoming weeks.

Principal Carter Paysinger and other administrators are invited to the ceremony, which will take place either at the school or in the district office, depending on time constraints.

“It feels nice to be recognized,” Eshmoili said. “It’s a kind gesture from the Red Cross.”

The Club recently hosted an Emergency-Preparedness Booth at Open House on Thursday, April 3, which educated primarily eighth graders about how to handle disasters. The booth offered booklets, prizes and snacks, all contributing to the club goal of attracting new recruits for next year.

“We are definitely focused on recruiting more members,” Man-

nur said. “We would love to share the opportunity for students to get involved in community service with a worldwide organization.”

Mannur also explained what prospective club members could expect from joining the club.

“Future members can definitely look forward to a new and gratifying experience,” Mannur said.

“It is fun to work with other high schools for a common cause: helping the needy.”

The Red Cross Club is now able to add additional recognition seals to the banner, ranging from bronze to gold, with the completion of additional services and events.

“We will continue to serve through the American Red Cross

Halimi appointed administrator Continued from Page 1 credited her eight years of teaching as a crucial asset for administrative work.

“I think [teaching experience] makes being an administrator a lot easier,” Halimi said, “because I’m able to understand what teachers are dealing with in the classroom, both their successes and their struggles, so I think that alone is going to be invaluable to my work as an administrator.”

Typically, prospective administrators would apply to work at Beverly through EDJOIN, a database used by educators to check for job postings in almost every school district in California. Beverly selects their employees by reviewing and interviewing a pool of these applicants.

The district chose to appoint Halimi as soon as possible to ensure a stable transition to the new administration staff, which will begin working at Beverly on July 1.

“We needed someone in place now who can follow the transition,” Woods said. “We only have a month left. We have a lot going on right now so we need to get someone in place so she can oversee the transition that happens.”

However, Halimi was preferred over candidates from outside Beverly, as the board “wanted to give continuity to our administration at the high school so they really understand [Beverly],” Goldberg said. As a result, Halimi’s appointment process was “abbreviated.”

According to Halimi, little to no paperwork or bureaucratic machinery was involved on her part in accepting the position.

“There were some conversations, but ultimately it was just an appointment,” Halimi said.

Appointed administrators are usually either given a contract specifying one year of employment or are notified by March 15 of the following year of whether or not they will be kept for another school year. However, some administrators, such as Paysinger and Horace Mann’s principal Steve Kessler are given two-year contracts.

As of the time of interview, Halimi was unsure of who would fill her current roles in the school.

“That’s something that Mr. Paysinger and I need to discuss,” Halimi said. “We haven’t sat down and talked about who would take

over Service Learning or Link Crew or WASC coordinator position.”

Although every board member has a separate philosophy regarding the proper criteria to be met by school employees, Goldberg outlined the mental rubric he applies when reviewing administrator evaluations.

“Most important to me is [their] evaluation of teachers and whether or not that has been done satisfactorily,” Goldberg said. “Number two is, are we implementing board policies and district policies? If an administrator is not implementing or following district policy, that would be a reason why I would not vote to renew a person in that position. The third thing is just personality, and if they’re a good fit with the team.

Especially at the high school, we have a team that all fits and works together well.”

Goldberg and Woods would not comment on why Golden and Zurbano were not offered continued employment as administrators at Beverly, out of respect for their privacy.

As well, Golden, Staser and Zurbano declined to speak to Highlights.

and plan to expand into new territory with more community events in and around Beverly Hills,” Eshmoili said.

Mannur added that the team had its last meeting April 29, and a few members can apply for summer internships with the Red Cross. More information about these internships can be found on the American Red Cross’ website.

Ultimately, according to Eshmoili, all the members in their activities hope to uphold the mission statement of the Red Cross: “The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.”

AP Exam Schedule Week 1

Morning 8 a.m.

A1ernoon 12 noon

Monday, May 5

Chemistry Environmental Science

Psychology

Tuesday, May 6

Computer Science A Spanish Language and Culture

Art History

Wednesday, May 7

Calculus AB Calculus BC

Chinese Language and Culture

Thursday, May 8

English Literature and ComposiDon

Japanese Language and Culture LaDn

Friday, May 9

English Language and ComposiDon

StaDsDcs

Week 2

Morning 8 a.m.

A1ernoon 12 noon

Monday, May 12

Biology Music Theory

Physics B Physics C: Mechanics (Physics C: Electricity and Magne<sm at 2 p.m.)

Tuesday, May 13

United States Government French Language and and Poli<cs Culture Human Geography

Wednesday, May 14

German Language and Culture United States History

European History

Thursday, May 15

Macroeconomics World History

Italian Language and Culture Microeconomics

Friday, May 16

Compara<ve Government and Poli<cs Spanish Literature and Culture

JESSICA LU

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HIGHLIGHTS CULTURE MAY 2, 2014

Eugene Gold

World War II veteran relflects on service, writes inspiring novel

Audrey Park staff writer Alumnus Gene Gold (class of 1944 and Highlights managing editor) recently published a historical-fiction novel, “The Luger’s Vision,” inspired by his own experiences fighting in World War II. The book revolves around the lives of three young men: Caucasian, African-American and Japanese-American. The three men overcome racial tensions and defeat a hate group in the California fictional town of Cuesta Verde, affirming their belief that “America belongs to us all.”

Having been drafted by selective service, Gold joined the army a week after his high school graduation in January 1944. He was sent to Camp Roberts, an infantry site for basic training.

“The infantry is considered the most dangerous job in the army because they’re the ones who are right on the front line engaging the enemy face to face,” Gold said.

After Gold finished his combat training, he was sent to a camp in Mississippi, where he stayed for a few months until he was taken to the New York harbor to be sent to France. The United States army had already invaded Normandy; Gold joined General George S. Patton’s third army.

“It was very, very cold and we were supposed to land in England first, but a week before, a German sub sank a U.S. troop ship and 1,000 Americans drowned so they considered it too dangerous to cross the channel,” Gold said.

“We went into a camp in France that was not quite ready for us.

The weather was extremely painful and uncomfortable. It was a mess.”

Inspired by his experiences, Gold decided to write the “The Luger’s Vision” as a legacy for his descendents. After having received an assignment on his family tree back when he attended

Awards given to Gold (top to bottom): Division Insignia, Combat Infantryman Badge, Major Battle Campaign Ribbons.

To the right (top to bottom): Gold’s vision of how the fictional town, Cuesta Verde, would have looked like in the pre- and post-WWII era in Southern California.

Beverly, Gold realized that “you need to know about your ancestors to be able to write a decent essay,” and was motivated to do so. He began his project in 2011, at the age of 85.

“You may have had some ancestors you know about and some you know a little about,” Gold said. “When I went into the army I was just 18 and was not married yet. Consequently, I didn’t have children or grandchildren at the time, but they were in my future plan and I wanted to have something written down on paper for them.”

Brian Gold, Gene Gold’s son, is “proud” of his father’s accomplishments and the legacy he created for his three children and two grandchildren.

“I think the book is a poignant retelling of his wartime experiences along with a fascinating fictionalized accounting of the life of three wartime friends,” Brian Gold said. “It is a great book for those interested in historical fiction and true life events.”

The most difficult aspect of writing the novel was reliving the memories of seeing “men who were like brothers being killed or severely wounded in action.” Dur-

Gold, as a soldier, 1945.

Author Gold, March, 2013.

Above photographs have been published in “The Luger’s Vision” Courtesy of GENE GOLD

ing the war, Gene Gold recalls going to army training camp stores to have a coke or beer while playing pool with his comrades.

“You form a lot of close friendships with men, and they become your brothers. Those dear friends were killed all around me in combat. I was very lucky,” Gene Gold said. “In my class at Beverly, one of my best friends and I planned to meet and resume our friendship once the war was over. During the war he and I exchanged letters. One day, I got a letter back with a stamp saying that the letter was not opened and the recipient was killed in action. It was crushing.”

A major underlying theme in Gene Gold’s novel is peace. He hopes the readers will be able to grasp that it is useless to discriminate against a group of people because of their race, sexual orientation or religion.

“It doesn’t mean we have to like every person in a specific group.

There may be people who are not nice and we don’t have to necessarily like them, but we don’t have to reject the whole group,” Gene Gold said. “I want to give recognition to the minorities who are often not given enough credit for

their contribution to democracy.”

Gene Gold specifically chose to include pictures of Manzanar, a Japanese-American internment camp, and a picture of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of black pilots, on the front cover of the book in order to give recognition to these two minority groups.

“Blacks were severely discriminated against and they were not considered smart enough to be pilots,” Gene Gold said. “The airmen did a marvelous job flying along with U.S. bombers that were stationed in England and bombed German cities that were making airplanes and other supplies. They did a terrific job.”

In addition, in his book, Gene Gold also explores the challenges homosexuals face.

“The daughter of a soldier and nurse turns out to be a lesbian and the father thinks it’s his fault,” Gene Gold said. “The nurse explains that they didn’t make any mistakes; being gay or lesbian is all just biological.”

Two weeks before the war ended, Gene Gold was involved in a serious street fight with a German SS trooper (a member of Hitler’s team of spies). The trooper began to take out his Luger pistol; Gene

Gold’s rifle was out of bullets.

Gold took his rifle and “smashed” the trooper to the ground.

“He looked up at me and shouted in English, ‘I surrender! I surrender!’ I could’ve killed him, but I didn’t want to and there were a couple of military police nearby so I called them over and told them to take the man as a prisoner,” Gene Gold said. “I told him, ‘I want you to have the memory for the rest of your life that a Jewish guy is putting you out of the war!’

The book’s title was inspired by this event. Gene was allowed to take the pistol home.”

Due to the amount of American history covered, Gene Gold believes that the book would make a “very good motion picture.”

“It talks about the danger of hate groups and the attempt to destroy democracy while incorporating romance and issues, such as homosexuality,” Gene Gold said. “The book covers everything from the 1940s till now. It was a total shock to me that I was able to live long enough to witness the inauguration of the first black president.”

Readers interested in reading the novel can purchase it on amazon.com.

Meet the Teachers

Roel Hinojosa ignites his passion for politics through teaching Eunice Kim staff writer

WATCHTOWER

“I often see myself changing my mind, my opinon on issues, because of my students. I love my job.”

Social studies teacher Roel Hinojosa spent his childhood growing up in San Antonio, Texas. After graduating high school, Hinojosa decided to move to Italy during his college years to “see the world.” Afterward, Hinojosa transferred into New York University to graduate, where he met “fascinating people.”

“I loved NYU. I loved New York City. I mean, it’s the capital of the world, I think..I had so many fantastic experiences and this is what’s so great about going to NYU or Columbia. I was able to meet all sorts of fascinating people and be in all sorts of fascinating situations,” Hinojosa said.

Hinojosa worked for the French Cultural Institute during his stay in New York. While fixing some paperworks for the Institute, Hinojosa got a chance to meet with one of Pablo Picasso’s mistresses. “[I met] Françoise Gilot, and we were having this conversation and she offered me a drink. I was just a stupid 20-year-old [back then], but it was an extraordinary experience,” Hinojosa said.

After graduating from NYU, Hinojosa pursued a degree in politics at Harvard University. Soon after completing his course, Hinojosa began working for Charles Schwab. However, even though Hinojosa enjoyed his job, he was not completely satisfied. “[Working in Charles Schwab was]

very rewarding financially, but it was also a lot of work. Back in my job at Schwab’s I had a lot of responsibilities like leading projects. And after a while, I realized I didn’t want to work all the time,” Hinojosa said.

In order to have more time for himself, Hinojosa quit the job and decided to become a teacher. Although Hinojosa already completed his degree at Harvard, he went back to school to obtain a Master’s Degree in education.

“I liked politics, but I didn’t want to go back to school to get a Ph.D., and even though I had to go back to school to get a teaching degree, I think it was easier than a Ph.D.,” Hinojosa said.

Hinojosa taught history at a high

school in New York. However, due to a relationship commitment, Hinojosa moved to Beverly Hills. “[While in Beverly Hills I met] and interviewed [with] Ben Bushman, who was the principal at the time, and I was accepted, so I’ve been here since 2001,” Hinojosa said.

Hinojosa’s love and passion for politics has stayed strong as he has continued to teach economics. However, while teaching at Beverly, Hinojosa realized that his views on politics changed over years.

“My kids are really sharp and I love the interaction between them,” Hinojosa said. “I often see myself changing my mind, my opinion on issues because of my students. I love my job.”

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HIGHLIGHTS CULTURE MAY 2, 2014

Ben & Jerry’s Core line the new American cream Courtesy of BEN & JERRY’S

Mabel Kabani editor-in-chief Danny Licht editor-in-chief When Ben & Jerry’s announced its new Core line, the

internet went wild. These gorgeous, gooey flavors offer two flavors of ice cream, and fudge or jam running through the center of the carton. “We are always

looking to make something bigger and better for our fans,” lead flavor developer Eric Fredette said in a press release. “We wanted to blow out the concept

Hazed & Confused looks similar to Karamel Sutra but tastes quite different. It features the same chocolate-chocolate-chip ice cream, but also a hazelnut flavor in addition to its hazelnut-fudge core. The hazelnut provides a cool, distinct flavor to the otherwise traditional ice cream. It tastes almost like what would be Nutella ice cream, though the hazelnut flavor is somewhat less pronounced than that of the chocolate-hazelnut spread. But that isn’t to say that Hazed & Confused isn’t rich, or strong, or great. It is.

It doesn’t taste exactly like a frozen, creamy Nutella, and it doesn’t need to.

The hazelnut taste is subtle, complementing the chocolate flavor beautifully.

This variety’s name isn’t a very good pun; it works on only one level. Eating it leaves no confusion. In fact, it leaves the opposite effect. Hazed & Confused makes total sense. It’s nirvana. It’s cosmos aligning. It’s really good.

That’s My Jam, my favorite of the core ice cream flavors, is a hodgepodge of creamy ice cream, crunchy chocolate chips and a huge amorphous substance of tart strawberry jam. This blend of flavors and textures creates a unique and delicious ice cream flavor that is uncomparable to any of the other cores, simply because the jam, which at first seems unusual to eat with chocolate ice cream, ties together the sweet, the tart, the crunchy and the creamy.

of fun flavors, chunks and swirls and take it over the top.” Well, Mr. Fredette, you’ve succeeded.

Here we’ve reviewed the five flavors — Hazed & Confused,

That’s My Jam, Peanut Butter Fudge and Salted Caramel. Rest assured, though: these flavors are sold at Pavilion’s on Beverly Drive.

Salted caramel ice cream: a traditional and classic flavor that has electrified our taste buds and melted our hearts for generations. However, Ben and Jerry’s has magnified a simple salted ice cream flavor and has created the new Salted Caramel core, a flavor that incorporates multiple flavors and textures in one bite. The gooey blobs of golden caramel create a perfect contrast to the delicate, soft and slightly salted ice cream. Not only do the subtle differences between salty and sweet, and soft and gooey create diverse forms of taste, but this core is the ideal choice for those of you who want to save the dignity of your pints from chunk diggers in your home, for though each bite is filled with flavors of chocolate chip blondies, the pieces are too small to isolate and extract on their own.

The Peanut Butter Core Fudge, according to the Ben and Jerry’s description, is composed of “chocolate and peanut ice creams with mini peanut butter cups and a peanut butter fudge core” and is a hybrid of the company’s Peanut Butter Cup and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup. The two ice cream flavors meld into the other and create a harmony of flavors and is also accompanied by a thick viscous peanut butter fudge core. Though the pint is about 1200 calories (eeek!) this flavor is definitely worth an extra trip to Soul Cycle this weekend.

Karamel Sutra, the original Core flavor, offers a beautiful combination of classic flavors — chocolate, vanilla, caramel — in one carton. The central swirl of caramel glory is surrounded by vanilla and chocolate-chocolatechip, providing a wonderful and exciting approach to the traditional, no-surprises ice cream carton. Sure, the Core is really nothing more than caramel sauce, but boy is it convenient. And delicious. And perfect. I’ve had three pints of this flavor in the past two weeks. The flavor’s name, a play on “Kama Sutra,” the Sanskrit sex manual, gives buyers a hint at the flavor’s seductive, irresistible nature.

DANNY LICHT

A week in review: Annual Art Festival

Art Festival hostess Sarah Peskin welcomes and directs visitors.

Senior Natalie Friedman sells DIY-made lace bandeaus and headbands at a student-run booth.

Dance Company surprises visitors with a flash mob chereography in front of the parking lot.

MARGUERITE ALBERTS

HIGHLIGHTS COMMENT MAY 2, 2014

9

College rankings matter, even if they shouldn’t Jessica Lu news editor “It’s a great school,” I insisted. “It’s known for its incredible economics department.

The student-to-faculty ratio is low, so my classes will be small, and lots of employers know its reputation.

Not to mention, the school is in the perfect location for internships.”

I could almost see my legitimate and thoughtful reasons evaporating as they left my mouth, wasted on my parents’ inflexible ears. The prospect of attending my dream school seemed to pale next to the idea of attending a better-known, cheaper state school. Months of obsessive research, painstaking essay edits and periodic pangs of anxiety seemed a small price to pay for admission into my top-choice university, but at this very moment, my parents were concerned with a more tangible type of cost. In one last, desperate attempt, I cried out, “It has a high ranking!”

I was finally speaking in the vernacular of my parents; one mention of U.S. News and World Report’s National University Rankings seemed to carry more weight than my previous unremarkable reasons. My parents verified my claim, talked to a few family friends, investigated the school with newfound

motivation, and soon shoved the credit card in my hand to make the deposit.

I got my way, and I didn’t feel dirty about it. I was just as obsessed with that list as my parents were. I could recall every school and its corresponding ranking up to a certain point; it became my Bible when I picked out schools to look into, and since then it has affected my perception of schools. Granted, I did not swallow its numbers as easily as my parents did, especially when choosing to apply to the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (#28) over Vanderbilt (#17), and Emory (#20) over John Hopkins (#13), and Cornell (#16) over Dartmouth (#10).

The numbers began to fade as I formed my own conclusions from websites, alumni feedback and college visits. But before all of that, as a lost student fed only with names that had “Ivy League” and “UC” attached, where else was I to turn?

I’m not alone, as it turns out: CBS cited an Arts & Science Group study that revealed that two-thirds of applicants last winter used college rankings to decide where to apply. The top lists used included U.S. News, Princeton Review and Forbes, but there are plenty of other lists floating around on the internet, waiting to be eaten up by anxious applicants like myself.

As editor-in-chief Mabel Kabani pointed out last issue, the basis for these rankings is flawed. And I know that. What truly matters in a school varies from student to student, but the things that mattered for me―as summarized at the beginning of this article―did little to move my parents, who were convinced I could find similar resources elsewhere. When choosing where to apply, how else could I instantly differentiate schools like MIT (#7) and Washington University at St. Louis (#14) to my parents, my peers and myself―when they both have reputable business schools?

Steve Cohen, co-author of the college admissions book Getting In!, wrote an article for Forbes Magazine, saying “college reputation has been hijacked by rankings.” For better or worse, he’s right. Whether or not rankings can be interpreted as the truth, they undeniably shape the admissions and employment circles. It was the easiest way to convince my parents to think of my expensive choice as a good investment, even though there were other reasons readily available. Yet it could easily have backfired, particularly if my school of choice had a relatively low ranking. All things considered, a huge weight, whether beneficial or detrimental, is placed on these college rankings. After

all, as Cohen notes, “A college’s brand value―whether that school’s name will be recognized and open employers’ doors―is a reasonable measure of return on investment.”

Anxious applicants and their even more anxious parents aren’t the only consumers of these lists.

Employers, too, use these lists in a variety of ways. Schools with low acceptance rates and therefore higher rankings (as the first weighs into the second) are useful to companies, who assume the institution has already weeded out less qualified candidates. Simply put, students “good enough” to squeeze into Harvard’s skinny acceptance rate (5.9 percent for the class of 2018) are probably good enough to work for the company. Lists also serve as a shortcut to comparing two otherwise similar candidates―perhaps the kid with a 3.7 GPA from Notre Dame (#17) has more value than the kid with a 3.7 at Boston College (#31), at least to the person striving to make a decision. And let’s not forget Cohen’s sentiments that brand recognition is important: the kid with a degree from Princeton (#1) will simply get the interview before the kid from... well, #1 is pretty hard to beat.

But in this game of college admissions, there’s one more player to be considered: the seemingly innocent colleges themselves, who are ready

to pounce when no one is looking.

On the surface, the universities claim no rankings list can determine if the college is a good fit (a valuable point, by the way). Yet, strangely enough, they can’t live without them. Colleges care about these lists a great deal; in fact, some admissions officers have been accused of misreporting information to boost their rankings, most notably Claremont McKenna (#10 Liberal Arts Colleges). Besides this serving as an alarming indicator that the rankings can’t be taken too seriously, it signals an even more painful truth: lots of people care about these rankings, and probably too much.

Ultimately, I do agree with Kabani and her sentiment that these rankings mislead everyone, but I can’t ignore their importance. No one else―parents, employers, colleges― seems to be waving them off. Choosing a school based off rankings may work out because there are so many incredible, highly-ranked schools with different, quirky personalities.

Or it may not work out. What’s best to do is to acknowledge that these lists exist, thoroughly research any schools of interest, and actually talk to students who attend. If this isn’t enough to point to an obvious decision, like in my parents’ case, then maybe it’s time to play the rankings card.

Mozilla controversy threatens LGBT groups’ integrity Max Stahl comment editor It doesn’t take a lot of courage for me to come out and say I support marriage equality—not in today’s political climate. America’s attitude toward gender and sexuality, for the vast majority of its history inflexible and repressive, is becoming increasingly liberal at an astonishing rate. But the job is far from finished. Thirty-three states still forbid gay marriage, and across the country gender nonconforming and transgender Americans are denied health-care services, as well as basic rights and dignity. And, of course, certain stigmas about queer lifestyles persist among a large percentage of the population. Therefore, with an eye to the future, LGBT groups must bear in mind that their perception is just as important as their accomplishments.

Let the case of Brendan Eich serve as a warning.

On March 24, Eich was named CEO of the open-source, nonprofit software company Mozilla, known for its web browser Firefox. Aware that Eich had donated $1,000 to support California’s Proposition 8, which until last year had prevented gays from marrying, LGBT groups lashed out at Mozilla. Employees of the company voiced similar complaints about working for a man who actively sought to deprive gays of their rights, and, perhaps most potently (for some reason), the dating website OkCupid urged users to boycott Firefox until Eich was no longer CEO. On April 3, after having served as CEO for 10 days, Eich responded to the pressure and resigned his position.

A victory for gay rights, it would seem. If only it were so simple.

This time, the consequences went a step further (as far as we know) than they have ever gone before: the victory cost a man his job. There are greater complexities surrounding this point, which I’ll delve into later, but for now I’ll focus on some of the tangible effects of the incident. One: as already mentioned, Mozilla lost a qualified CEO. Two: the palatability, and in fact preferability, of supporting gay rights in today’s social and business spheres was reaffirmed. And three: groups and individuals opposed to the LGBT movement gained a treasure trove of ammunition against it. “See what a gay orthodoxy in America looks like?” they can now say (not that they weren’t saying it already). While I think in general they take their arguments too far, I can’t help but agree with the essence of their frustration. Gay rights is about allowing people to embrace who they are, and this should extend even to those whose beliefs come in direct conflict with what is quickly becoming the cultural norm. As backward as I may think Eich’s philosophy is, I don’t have the right to require that he hide or change his perspective. I can try to convince him that he’s wrong, just as he can try to convince me that I’m wrong, but neither of us deserves to suffer for our beliefs. Tolerance means allowing people of all different outlooks to interact and to potentially work toward a common goal despite their differences.

There are still 29 states where employees can be fired for being gay and 33 where employees can be fired for being transgender. If

LGBT activists hope to eventually get the Employment Non-Discrimination Act passed through the House (the Senate has already approved it), they must be sensitive to hypocrisies like demanding that a supporter of Prop 8 lose his job.

Assuming moral superiority, even in this case, is a precarious enterprise.

As complex as the issue may already seem, the specific circumstances of Eich’s resignation further muddy the waters. Upon first glance, Eich appears to be beyond qualified to run Mozilla. A computer genius, Eich created Javascript, the programming language used by all web browsers, in the early days of the internet. He later played an integral role in founding Mozilla and developing its software. So why did he resign in the face of pressure, when he never intended to allow his social views to influence the work environment?

The answer, at least partially, seems to lie in the nature of Mozilla as a company. Mozilla, unlike most well-known software producers, is a non-profit corporation. Its primary objective is to produce free, high-quality, open-source software for public use. It has, in light of this, constructed a progressive persona for itself, and Eich simply did not fit that persona. As the face of the company, he would not have been able to attract prospective employees as well as someone who supported gay marriage. His views, like it or not, prevented Mozilla from achieving its goals.

That’s the reality of the situation.

It’s an unfortunate reality, and one that needs to change before the gay rights movement becomes just as oppressive as the forces it’s trying

to counter. Undeniably, everyone who criticized Eich had the right to do so; that’s free speech. But Eich was equally within his rights to donate to Prop 8, and those who say he should suffer for that speech are missing the point. The real problem seems to be that we’re allowing politics to infiltrate the work environment. Mozilla’s selflabelling as a progressive company seems to me an excuse to cleanse itself of any unsavory opinions. A self-proclaimed conservative company would not have had such an easy time firing an employee who opposed Prop 8. And that’s what we should want. Ultimately, we need a separation of business and politics—or at least social politics; keeping business out of economic politics would be counterintuitive.

Mozilla is a progressive corporation primarily because it makes its free, open-source software available to everyone. Its focus is, or at least should be, on technological progress. When it was thrust into controversy over social progress, it distracted itself and its clients from its product, from its true purpose.

That distraction won’t disappear just because Eich is gone.

I can’t blame Eich or Mozilla for what happened. They’re the victims of a culture that, in the words of Brookings Institution senior fellow Jonathan Rauch, promotes “intolerance in the name of tolerance.” What shocks me is how willingly employees at Mozilla, some of whom had worked with Eich for years, played into this culture.

These employees don’t have as much right to complain about Eich as they think they do. Drawing from my example above, if employees of a different company complained

that their boss was too liberal for them, or that their boss’s race or sexuality made them uncomfortable, most people would respond with a resounding “too freakin’ bad.” Somehow, these factors are irrelevant to most Americans when there’s an objection to an employee whose qualities would generally be favored by liberals, but when Mozilla’s personnel expressed dissatisfaction with their boss’s conservative politics, it’s a completely different issue.

This is especially ridiculous, because there is no evidence that Eich would have imposed his beliefs on his employees or acted on them in any way that could have been construed as an abuse of his position as CEO of Mozilla. In several public statements, Eich indicated that, on the contrary, he would tolerate other viewpoints, and that he even intended to work “with LGBT communities and allies, to listen and learn what does and doesn’t make Mozilla supportive and welcoming.” He promoted an “active commitment to equality in everything we do, from employment to events to community-building.” Yes, in the past Eich may have acted politically in a way that I strongly object to, but it appears that, unlike some others at Mozilla, he would have kept his politics out of the workplace. That’s what we should look for in a CEO. In a perfect world— or at least a world in which merit takes obvious precedence over ideology in professional spheres— Eich would have been the right man for the job. It’s just too bad his company, LGBT groups and the consumer population at large didn’t recognize that before he lost his job.

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HIGHLIGHTS COMMENT MAY 2, 2014

EDITORIAL

SASHA PARK

Highlights Mabel Kabani and Danny Licht editors-in-chief

Jessica Lu news editor

Max Stahl

comment editor

Dami Kim

culture editor

Marguerite Alberts spotlight editor

Arman Zadeh and Jackson Prince sports editors

Michelle Banayan graphics editor

Robert Katz and Dani Klemes web editors-in-chief

Juliette Deutsch social media director

Braden Bochner, Audrey James-Anenih, Zoe Kenealy, Eunice Kim, Brenda Mehdian and Audrey Park staff writers

Nicole Leibman, Audrey Park, Sasha Park and AJ Parry cartoonists

Gaby Herbst adviser ­— The mission of Highlights is to deliver community-relevant news in a timely manner while adhering to professional ethics.

Highlights is a forum for student 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.

Club culture has blossomed, can still grow The 2013-2014 school year was marked by extensive club action, with every week since Club Day featuring at least one club activity.

Many of the 67 approved clubs on campus contributed to this impressive output of events, fundraisers and general spirit, even as some groups remained idle for the majority (and, in some cases, entirety) of the year.

Rising clubs involved the student body in debut events. Radio Airlift’s Battle of the Bands, Video Game Club’s Smash Bros Tournament and the DECA Dance all made their first appearances this year, infusing Beverly’s culture with brand new ideas and opportunities.

Others, such as Art Reach, Model UN and Christian Club sought out students who weren’t members of their clubs and involved these Normans in their own events, which improved turn-outs and general excitement, perhaps even boosting membership in the clubs themselves.

Clubs helped to bridge the gap between the student body and the community, with groups like Interact upping Norman attendance at Beverly Hills civic events. Students, often focused on APs and extracurriculars, were able to step out of their daily routines and experience their city, thanks in part to this handful of Norman-run groups.

They kept the school busy, staving off boredom throughout the course of the year. The constant pushing of clubs to show up at and participate in events encouraged

spirit and even school unity. Students from all walks of Beverly life were able to come together as one student body at these club events.

Most significantly, clubs enriched the extracurricular lives of every student on campus by acting as outlets for a wide variety of interests. The atmosphere of activity and enthusiasm persistent in Beverly’s club culture is crucial to keeping Beverly from becoming just another high school.

On the flip side, Beverly’s clubs can be problematic. Many clubs fail in their trajectories, with some losing support or focus, others dying quietly before the year’s end and, even more, not seeming to make much of an impact at all.

Some clubs, due to a lack of funding, were not able to host their desired events, but continued to rally members in a limited capacity. Meanwhile, other student organizations dissolved without much ceremony midway through the year. Perhaps due to a lack of continuing purpose or inability to maintain adequate membership numbers, clubs fell off the grid far before the school year ended.

Unfortunately, some clubs remained under the radar, not yet venturing to gain a larger awareness among students. We hope that those clubs will strive to make a reputation in Beverly’s friendly cultural climate. Although they may have members, blossoming groups should try exploring their goals, be they philanthropic, activist or recreational.

There is the potential that many

newly-conceived clubs enter into niches already held by established clubs such as Interact and Model UN, which respectively dominate philanthropy and debate at Beverly. When one club is highly organized and has connections to significant people or groups, it’s hard for it to lose potential members to a fledgling club.

With major clubs dominating certain extracurricular interests, it is more important that new club founders explore interests not currently considered on campus. Yes, those clubs are at risk of not finding much membership either, but a tightly-knit group of similarlyminded students is often enough to keep a niche club alive.

However, watching the life cycles of student groups inspires the question of whether or not club failures are a problem at all. In the actual world of organizations, membership-based groups must abide by a Darwinian environment, where the public chooses which groups should survive by joining them. In that same entrepreneurial spirit, a school club’s failure could be a result of failed marketing, poor leadership, a lacking premise, or some other flaw. Why discourage the survival of the fittest?

The answer is that high school is not necessarily the real world. If a club does not fail to earn members, any other detriments should not damage the experiences of club members. The faulty leadership of a fascinating club should not result in a group of students missing out because that club’s leaders could

not be bothered to schedule a new meeting. Essentially, clubs should still be provided with an incubating environment, because high school is a place to branch out socially and intellectually.

With all of this in mind, a solid system should be in place to ensure that clubs are consistently active.

ASB’s current system of moderating clubs consists of an initial approval process along with a $50 payment, followed by regular submissions of each club’s minutes.

However, once a club is conceptually approved, ensuring that it sticks around in practice is problematic, as the current system of club leaders submitting meeting agendas to ASB does not require any proof of those meetings actually taking place.

Instead, ASB could help to nurture clubs by enforcing meeting inspections. A handful of ASB members could check in on all scheduled club meetings at random times during lunch. As it is probably impractical to sit in on the entirety of each club’s meeting, and that can risk voiding the trust between school groups and ASB, random, quick visits would allow for a casual but consistent relationship between the two groups.

Although it is not ASB’s responsibility to ensure the health of clubs, maintaining a consistent inspection policy could ensure that all of Beverly’s clubs are the real deal.

That, in conjunction with Beverly’s encouraging past year, can inspire an even more prominent club culture in the years to come.

Visit beverlyhighlights.com Follow @bhhighlights on Twitter and Instagram.

Ads are not endorsed by BHUSD. Highlights is sponsored by PTSA and BHEF.

CORRECTION

In the March 28 issue, on page 8, there were some errors in our coverage of the musical, The Wiz. • Senior Anthony Lofaso, who played the Wiz, was identified as the star of the show, which was not the case. We have also been informed not to refer to the most prominent actors as the stars, but rather to call them the leads or the major characters, which we will do.

• Some information about the history of the musical was based on the movie, which significantly differs from the Broadway musical. Our description of Dorothy as “a young teacher who chased her dog during a snowstorm in New York City” was based on the plot of the film and has no basis in the original stage production.

11

HIGHLIGHTS SPORTS MAY 2, 2014

Okada takes first, Segal seventh in pentathalon Zoe Kenealy staff writer Varsity swimmers Maggie Curtis, sophomore, Allie Kahn, senior, Amy Okada, sophomore, and Mason Segal, senior, competed in a region-wide pentathlon. Both Okada and Segal placed in the top eight. Okada took home a medal for first place and Segal placed seventh. The pentathlon was held in Cypress, Calif., on April 12.

The events included 100-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 100-meter backstroke, 100-meter breaststroke and a 200-meter individual medley (50-meter butterfly, 50-meter backstroke, 50-meter breaststroke and 50-meter freestyle).

Okada started swimming at the age of eight and looks up to professional swimmers Missy Franklin and Michael Andrew for motivation to practice and perform at the best of her abilities. Practicing

about 27 hours a week, Okada was pleasantly surprised to see the hard work pay off in Cypress when she swam the closest time to her best time.

“I was most surprised with my 100-meter freestyle because it was actually the closest to my best time,” Okada said. “My best time is 51.11 seconds, and this was timed at 51.83 seconds.”

As part of standard training for varsity swim, the team practices every day in the afternoon and before school three days a week, adding up to about 14.5 hours of practice per week. The varsity swimmers work to maintain a healthful lifestyle including a proper diet, and regular sleep and exercise outside of swim practice.

“While in training, I do not eat anything with trans or saturated fats,” Segal said. “I take in what seems to be a profusion of carbs when in season so that I have

enough fuel for the meets, and am not exhausting myself with all of the demanding practices. Anything that is not nutritiously beneficial will put me at a disadvantage, so I restrict myself to eating only healthful and organic foods.”

Having role models like Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, Segal was set on being a swimmer in high school. Despite his efforts, however, he was cut from the swim team his freshman year. It was then that Segal made the goal of returning to the team his sophomore year.

Working in that direction, Segal spent the entirety of his summer becoming a better, stronger, more competitive swimmer, and eventually earned a spot back on the team.

“That summer is when it all started for me. I worked on swimming because I knew I would not be interested in any dry-land sports, and the satisfaction I got out of my own improvement was a feeling I

Photo courtesy of AMY OKADA

(From left to right) Sophomores Maggie Curtis, Amy Okada and senior Allie Kahn after competing at Cypress.

have kept in mind throughout every season of swim,” Segal said.

“It was the same situation with the Cypress meet. I knew that I had to work more on my butterfly, breast and backstrokes, because I usually swim just freestyle, in order to come out on top.”

The varsity swimmers, through their daily practices and restrictive

diets, hope to better themselves both as a team and as individual competitors by the end of the season. Hours of practice go into their individual successes outside of the mandatory team practices, and as the swimmers progress in their season, they ask for the support of the school at meets both at school and at away campuses.

Girls lax finishes strong near end of “tough” season Julliette Deutsch social media editor In what coach Kate Marks describes as “one of its toughest years,” the varsity lacrosse team managed to win two games after a total of four games of league play. Beverly defeated Marlborough on Friday, March 14, at home, and Samo on

Monday, March 31 at home. This year, the girls lacrosse team played as a member of the Ocean League, as opposed to the Bay League, the league the team competed in in past years.

“We played some new teams this year since we switched to the Ocean League and lost many key seniors

from last year with the graduation of Dillan Watts, who currently plays division three lacrosse at Chapman University, Sarah Baek and Kristen Huang,” Marks said.

Another challenge the team faced was its disadvantage to schools such as Redondo, whose team members are all required to have experience in

lacrosse before entering high school.

“We lost many close games this year. It’s a struggle to work with a program that has no feeder, meaning that our girls start playing in ninth grade which is a huge disadvantage when we face toughest schools like Redondo or Glendale,” Marks said.

According to Marks, although it has been a tough season for the varsity team, key seniors who have played on the team since ninth grade have had great seasons as individuals and “will be missed.”

“Senior Chloe Ticknor, who is the leader of defense, and senior Inbar Avrahami, our starting goalie, are both key players on varsity and will be missed,” Marks said.

Although seniors will be leaving Beverly, some will continue to play lacrosse in college. Senior Natasha Kashani will continue playing lacrosse next year, but has not decided where she will play. Kashani has been recruited to schools such as Chapman University to play division three lacrosse.

“Athletics has always been a huge part of my life and I’m lucky that I can continue playing lacrosse at a more serious level. Wherever I go, I plan to continue lacrosse,” Kashani

said.

On the field, defender sophomore Kate Ganon believes that despite having a tough season the team has still shown improvement.

“We have really improved our communication as a team which is a really important part of lacrosse because it makes it easier to trust each other and execute plays correctly,” Ganon said.

Aside from challenges on the field, Ganon believes the team has also had to deal with a number of difficulties off the field.

“There is a lot of aggressive energy on the field,” Ganon said. “When highly aggressive players are mixed with a incredibly technical sport like lacrosse it makes things more difficult.”

Avrahami believes that the team has improved despite the tough changes this year.

“We have been putting in a lot of effort and improving with every game. We have much better transitions down the field and our communication on offense has greatly improved,” Avrahami said.

The varsity team will play their last league and home game of the year today at 6 p.m. against Santa Monica.

AUDREY PARK

Senior Chloe Ticknor races past defenders at home in the team’s loss to Peninsula in early March.

12

HIGHLIGHTS SPORTS MAY 2, 2014

Who are Norman athletes’ favorite athletes?

“Much of my childhood was spent with wiffle ball and bat in hand. I’d make one of my friends pitch to me and call out different baseball players’ names, and the challenge was to do the best impression of their batting stance. They would call out “ALBERT PUJOLS!” and I would struggle to get my bat almost upright and near my right ear, my elbows tucked in and just inside of my shoulders and my stance bow-legged enough to perform the perfect imitation.

Granted, standing at three-feet tall, I was no shoe-in for the Ken Griffey Jr. Lookalike Contest. But professional athletes have made an extreme impact in my athletic career, be it in my physical performance, my in-game mentality and even my post-game celebrations. Norman athletes, too, have been similarly affected by big leaguers in their high-school careers.” -Jackson Prince, sports editor

Jillian Dveirin, Cross Country Audrey James staff writer Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times wrote an article on Simi Valley High School senior Sara Baxter in the winter of 2012, in which he reported the confounding superiority of Bax-

AUDREY JAMES

Liat Hackman, Girls Volleyball Audrey James staff writer Outside hitter Liat Hackman’s favorite athlete is American professional beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh-Jennings.

AUDREY JAMES

Ronan Massana, Boys Basketball Arman Zadeh sports editor Beverly’s biggest Spaniard looks towards the original “Big Spaniard” for inspiration on and off the basketball court. Center Ronan Massana’s favorite athlete has been starting center for the Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol, since Gasol’s move to LA in 2008.

As fellow Spanish basketball players, Massana and Gasol share many similarities in style and sportsmanship. Gasol’s influence on Massana’s game is most clear, Massana believes, in his post-move style. Teammates recognize how similar

ter’s performance at a crosscountry invitational at Mount San Antonio College.

“Baxter is a three-time state champion and a two-time high school national champion...

[She] ran the fastest 5K girls’ time...at the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational in what one expert called ‘the greatest high school performance ever,’” Plaschke wrote on latimes.com.

Baxter’s success is enough to inspire anyone, as she is arguably the best girls cross-country runner in the country. For track athlete Jillian Dveirin, Baxter’s success is her aspiration.

“We perform the same events when Baxter is running track and field, the 400 and 800,” Dveirin said. “What’s special about her besides her suprem-

acy is that, even though she is one of the best high school distance runners in this country, she manages to stay extremely humble.”

Dveirin also appreciates Baxter’s competitive nature and her constant effort. “[Baxter] is just so incredible to watch and hear about. She has set many course records in cross country and has won state every year since she started out as a freshman. It says a lot about her drive even for those who’ve never met her,” Dveirin said.

Though the senior out of Simi Valley High has a few years on Dveirin, the Norman looks to follow in her footsteps as she gains more experience on the track.

Walsh-Jennings won gold in beach volleyball at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, alongside her teammate, Misty May-Treanor. The duo has been christened as one of “the greatest beach volleyball teams of all time.”

Hackman, at six-foot-four, has been able to positively impact each team she’s played with since the beginning of her career in the ninth grade. Much of her gameplay and mentality is inspired by the gold medalist.

“Walsh-Jennings is always influencing me by example.

Her example has allowed me to stay in my zone and not get too much into my own head before and during matches,” Hackman said. “I work hard so I can play harder. I train harder in practice so that the things I worked so hard to perfect in practice

come easier when comes time to perform during my games.”

Hackman mentioned that Walsh-Jennings’ confidence in her abilities is the most appealing aspect of her character and the most inspiring part for her when watching Walsh in a match. Both Hackman and Walsh-Jennings are native Californians and tower over their friends.

Hackman also appreciates Walsh-Jennings’ attitude towards the sport.

“Kerri has been playing for a lifetime now and she’s made volleyball a lifestyle. She lives and breathes it, so I find that really inspiring,” Hackman said.

Hackman has drawn much from Walsh-Jennings throughout her career, and plans to continue to do so in her college career to further improve.

Massana’s style of play to the all-star’s, noting at times it’s almost as if they’re watching Gasol play at the Swim Gym. “They have similar, no, identical playing styles,” teammate Siavash Yektafar said.

Massana’s heart was set on playing the sport of basketball since his move to the United States. While developing his game, Massana admired not only looked up to the playing style of Gasol and the similarities they shared as taller-thanaverage Spaniards, but also the work Gasol was doing off the court. From philanthropy to teammate loyalty, Gasol acted as a basketball inspiration to Massana.

“I’ve always admired [Gasol’s]

Mason Leib, Baseball Jackson Prince sports editor Currently, varsity second baseman Mason Leib claims that his “favorite baseball player” is Dee Gordon of the hometown Los Angeles Dodgers. Gordon, the son of former journeyman pitcher Tom Gordon, spent the first three years of his career fighting for a spot in the Major Leagues, and has cemented himself early on as the primary second baseman for the Boys in Blue in 2014.

“I admire his scrappy, go-hard type of play,” Leib said.

Though Leib admittedly doesn’t have the superhuman quickness of “Flash” Gordon, Coach Gregg Riesenberg sees similarities between Leib and the speed-demon.

“Like Dee, Mason always plays hard and thinks he can make every play,” Riesenberg said.

The varsity second baseman also admires the professional second baseman’s instinct to try “carrying the team.”

“His willingness to do anything in his power to help the team out has influenced the way I look at and play the game,” he said.

Leib, not possessing the biggest body on the field, also respects the way Gordon deals with his own frame, as the Dodger is the lightest player in Major League Baseball.

“I try to body up on every ball like Dee does,” Leib said. “There isn’t a lot of Dee to work with, so he has to use his entire body on every play.

loyalty to the Lakers,” Massana said. “Even despite all the trade rumors he always has.”

[Dee] plays the game aware of his size and succeeds, and I’ve altered my style in a similar way.”

Both Gordon and Leib have improved at “turning two” in the past three years, and the two second basemen also try their best to keep their respective dugouts loose.

“He has a lot of fun with the boys in the clubhouse,” he said. “And I think it’s extremely important to keep a positive mood in the dugout.”

As the Norman and Dodger have both finalized their starting positions in 2014 on their respective ballclubs, Leib hopes for a “successful” season from Gordon in order for him to maintain his job.

“Dee has a lot of potential, and he’s definitely exciting to watch, especially on the basepaths,” he said.

The Normans, currently second in Ocean League, will challenge firstplace Samo on Tuesday, May 6.

Lily Manavi, Girls Soccer

VIRGINIA CARMELITANO

Jackson Prince sports editor

ARMAN ZADEH

ARMAN ZADEH

“She’s my inspiration to play soccer,” varsity forward Lily Manavi said.

That inspiration is U.S. Olympian Alex Morgan, currently playing for Portland Thorns FC. Morgan, a native Californian, has attracted much attention due to her looks.

Yet, the gold medalist is much more than a pretty face. In 2012, Morgan was named U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year and was the third-best soccer player in the world, according to the results of the FIFA World Player of the Year award.

Morgan, like Manavi, has yet to establish herself as a seasoned veteran on their respective teams.

However, this lack of experience didn’t stop either of the two.

“She’s young like me,” Manavi said. “She shined in her early games and played with confidence, which inspired me to start out strong, too.”

The freshman was placed on the varsity team upon her arrival into the soccer program, and worked her way to a starting role on the team.

“Her play showed me that I had to work hard to achieve what I wanted, especially because I’m young,” Manavi said.

Morgan’s ability to dominate in clutch moments has also seeped into Manavi’s style of play.

“She plays great under pressure,” Manavi said. “And I apply the aggressiveness she carries into those times to my own game.”

Manavi is confident that Morgan should be able to improve on her game, as she “has a bright future ahead of her.”