highlights
November 25, 2015 Volume 89, Issue 6 Beverly Hills High School Beverly Hills, California beverlyhighlights.com
MSA sheds light on labs Jamie Kim, staff writer
Juniors Joshua Fouladian, David Parvizi and Greg Ayzenberg focus on their gel electrophoresis lab. Photo by ANDREA DI BATTISTA.
Making agarose gels, conducting polymerase chain reaction and other activities of this sort are not the everyday challenges a common high schooler faces. However, on campus, a certain group specializes in just that. The Medical Science Academy (MSA) was first inducted into the list of the myriad of offered courses in the fall of 2012. This is a “three-year multi-disciplinary program incorporating college preparatory academics, as well as exposure to careers in the medical, science and healthcare fields,” as stated on its website. In the Introduction to Medical Science class, the first year of the program, sophomores are introduced to new medical terminology and the clinical aspect of medical science. The labs carried out in this class pertain more to treating and observing patients, such as taking blood pressure, vision testing and blood typing. “I decided to take MSA because I want to enter either the medical or research field. I hope to get a lot of experience out of the many
opportunities Ms. Lynch offers us. She provides us with volunteer positions at Cedars-Sinai and UCLA that would be otherwise hard to get,” sophomore MSA member David Bakalov said. The biotechnology class for the juniors and seniors goes beyond the clinical setting, conducting a variety of genetics based labs and experiments. “Our labs start with basic skills and build on each other. By second semester, students have the skills in order to produce a biotechnology product,” Lynch said. Some labs that students conduct are DNA extraction, antibiotic resistance, column chromatography and microarray tests. “Many of our labs involve manipulating DNA in genetic testing and such. For example, just the other day, we replicated DNA using a technique called PCR, which is polymerase chain reaction, and tested an individual student for a bitter tasting SNP, a genetic variation in their DNA,” junior MSA president Cameron Smith said. Diverse labs are prevalent in the curriculum to expose the stu-
dents to the kinds of techniques they will use if they decide to enter the medical or research fields in the future. “Like I said earlier, the purpose of these labs is not to skip the education of these techniques later on in medical school, but rather to attempt to get a taste of what the medical field is like,” Smith said. Lynch also wants these labs to teach her students skills they can implement beyond high school. “I hope that students gain exposure to the possibilities in medical science, in both the clinical and laboratory settings... Parents and students are investing time and money into their futures, and I’m hoping that they will have an awareness of what is available to them and what it takes to achieve their goals,” Lynch said. Many of these students are grateful for the opportunities that this course offers them. “I often find myself enthralled in both the labs and the professionals that come into speak to our class. I mean, testing our own DNA for genetic nuances? It doesn’t get much cooler than that,” Smith said.
Superintendent devoted to hometown Guy Ginsberg, co-editor-in-chief From teacher and coach to principal and now Superintendent, Steve Kessler has worn many hats over the last 40 years. Kessler has served the Beverly Hills Unified School District in 10 different capacities, spending most of his years at Horace Mann’s middle school. Kessler spent his first seven teaching years at Horace Mann’s elementary school, proceeding to teach math and PE at the middle school for the next 27 years. After his long tenure as a member of the Horace Mann staff, Kessler became principal in 2009, succeeding Dawnalyn Murakawa-
Leopard. In the classroom and on the field, Kessler always employed passion and reason as his foremost qualities. He was “never a pushover, and rarely tolerated disruptiveness in the classroom”; behavior he described as “horseplay.” While maintaining the importance of knowledge of course material, Kessler also stressed real-life skills like politeness and strong character to his students. During his time as principal, Kessler lead Horace Mann with a similar emphasis on how students should behave. Kessler credited his success to being “lucky in that I became principal of a school that I knew
INSIDE
very well, [Horace Mann]. I knew what needed to be improved and went right after it.” Following the resignation of former Superintendent Gary Woods in 2015, Kessler was appointed Superintendent of Beverly Hills Unified School District. Since then, the district has begun a campus modernization project at Horace Mann and plans to renovate the four other schools within the community. These projects are a main point in Kessler’s agenda in his new administrative role. “In the future, we will have modernized all of our five schools, as well as modernized the instruction with the most up to date technology to assist our teachers
with their instruction. These two areas have been my vision for the district for quite awhile,” Kessler said. “Now I have to think about the entire district, not just Horace Mann. Each day I feel more at home in the job and I’m very excited and honored to lead such a wonderful school district.” Kessler, having been a student in BHUSD himself, has noted many similarities and differences within the district from then to now. “The demographics of our city have changed over the years, but BHUSD is still the outstanding district that I first entered as a kindergarten student at El Rodeo in 1958. I always knew I was receiving an outstanding education
as I went through [kindergarten to 12th grade] in the BHUSD. The students have always been great throughout the years,” Kessler said. Throughout his years as a teacher, coach, administrator, mentor and instrumental member of the Beverly Hills community, Kessler has kept his childhood dream of pursuing a career in academics alive. “I have wanted to be a teacher since I was 10-years-old, so I am really living the dream,” Kessler said. “When you do something you enjoy it never really seems like work.I have enjoyed all the years I have spent as a teacher, parent and administrator in the BHUSD.”
SPOTLIGHT CULTURE SPORTS
this issue
Living in the Adderall generation
@bhhighlights
@bhhighlights
Page 4-5
/beverlyhighlights
Thanksgivin Pumpkin Bread
Page 6
FEATURE: Emma Carruth commits to Pace University
Page 8
www.beverlyhighlights.com
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HIGHLIGHTS NEWS NOVEMBER 25, 2015
Senior finds success in state political pursuits Sydney Tran staff writer Max Yera staff writer When senior Shawn Ahdout came across the California Association of Student Councils as a freshman, he could not have predicted the success he would find with the organization whose mission is to “improve the quality of life in the world by developing skilled, ethical and sensitive leaders of diverse backgrounds and cultures”, according to the CASC website. “My freshman year I heard about this organization called the California Association of Student Councils, and I saw it as a way to increase what I’ve been doing with ASB and get more involved on a bigger level, so I applied for a position on their region cabinet. I was given the position, not really knowing what it was, not really knowing what the organization was about,” Ahdout said. As he intended, Ahdout was
able to use the organization as a instigate change and increase the because it was the first thing I vessel through which he could in- voice of students within the Cali- worked on.” fluence state legislation regarding fornia state legislation. His first After a long period of inactivity, education. the bill’s passing signified “Last year I was in Ahdout’s evident talent charge of all of our in the world of legislation lobbying and initiand politics. ated two bills that got “It was our first bill that signed by the govhad been signed since ernor and amended 2010, and before that, I two other bills, one of don’t even know how long which was signed and it had been since we had the other one wasn’t,” gotten a bill signed,” AhdAhdout said. out said. Receiving the posiSenior Debbie Lee, Ahdout visits the Capitol Building in Sacramento for a tion piqued Ahdout’s who joined CASC her CASC conference. Photo courtesy of Shawn Ahdout. interest in the organizasophomore year, extion and influenced him pressed pride in being to become more involved. act toward achieving this goal in- involved in organization along“I applied to be the State Gov- volved proposing to add a student side Ahdout. ernmental Affairs director for the to the Instructional Quality Com“It’s cool to be able to move up organization,” Ahdout said. “We mission, the commission that se- in terms of involvement with a do a lot of advocacy work in Sac- lects textbooks and our curricu- peer that I joined CASC with in ramento, so our lobbyist is also a lum standards. sophomore year. I’m thankful to student by extension, so I became “We got [the bill] going, and it have been a part of his journey essentially the organization’s lob- passed [California’s] Senate and and that he’s been a part of mine,” byist for the year.” House unanimously,” Ahdout Lee said. As a lobbyist, Ahdout aspired to said. “It was kind of like my baby Ahdout’s initial success led him
Model UN delegates triumph at Bruin MUN conference Lauren Hannani staff writer Members of Model UN were given several awards for competing against schools such as Mira Costa High School and Palos Verdes High School at UCLA’s annual BruinMUN conference on Nov. 14 and 15. Junior Cathy Lee, sophomore Jonathan Artal, and freshmen Adriel Ghadoushi and Eli Boudaie left the campus with research awards and outstanding delegate awards for excelling in their overall performance throughout the two days. “This is my ninth conference and it was particularly rewarding to win those awards seeing that I participated in an advanced committee with mainly juniors and seniors. The challenge of the debate and the sophistication of the delegates’ proposed solutions made the conference highly competitive and I was honored to be recognized at an event that I had prepared heavily for,” Lee said. Debating issues in front of many people was not an easy task for some students. “This conference felt intimidating at first because I expected everyone to contradict my ideas and policies when I presented my country and ideals, ” sophomore Julia Marshall said. However, the students were not
nervous for too long. “There were fifty people in my committee, so at first speaking in front of so many people was kind of scary. But by the second day, we were all very comfortable with each other and it didn’t even seem like there were a lot of us,” junior Johanna Lengyel said. “It was really good to interact with so many people and hear so many diverse ideas.” Overall, the delegates that participated in BruinMUN were satisfied with their experience. “After debating and discussing possible solutions we eventually came up with very complex resolutions which felt really good after so much work,” Lengyel said. “It was just really good to look back at what little we started off of and eventually coming up with something big and important.” Advisor Malia Frutschy is also very proud of her students for speaking up in advanced conferences like these. “Delegates have to speak in front of a room full of strangers, and sound like they know what they are talking about, and they have to have the courage to approach kids from other schools to begin negotiations,” Frutschy said. “I think it’s funny when teachers congratulate me, because it’s the kids that do all the work; they make me look good.”
The Model UN delegates compete in the annual Bruin MUN conference hosted by the UCLA MUN Club. Photo courtesy of John Lee.
on a path to writing and amending three other bills pertaining to California’s education system and ultimately to his position as State Council President of CASC. “[The organization] really opened my eyes to government and politics,” Ahdout said. “Being a lobbyist is such a different experience, and it empowered me in a way that nothing else ever has.”
Highlights Print Juliette Deutsch and Sadie Hersh editors-in-chief
Natasha Dardashti, Isaiah Freedman, Vivian Geilim, Jamie Kim, Veronica Pahovoma, Sydney Tran, and Max Yera staff writers
Web Guy Ginsberg and Marty Schnapp editors-in-chief
Eleanor Bogart-Stuart, Nirav Desai, Sophia Goldberg, Lauren Hannani, Jason Harward, Evan Minniti, Keith Stone staff writers
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. Correction: On the sports page, in the caption for the article titled “An inside look at varsity basketball’s veteran five,” from Nov. 6, the name Maddox Daniels was mispelled twice.
HIGHLIGHTS OPINION NOVEMBER 25, 2015
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Questionable legitimacy of social media ‘likes’ Sadie Hersh co-editor-in-cheif Vivial Geilim staff writer Whether it’s a long car ride or a tiring dinner, technology and phones are the perfect weapons to fend off boredom. With the evolution of technology, it seems that the unstoppable rise of social media has grown into a notorious element that is used in many people’s everyday lives. The 21st century has had multiple expansions and modernizations that have helped the world grow throughout the years. However, some of these innovations may inevitably lead to our social downfall. Instagram is supposed to be used as a form of expression. In other words, to present pictures of your life or things that inspire you. However, it is utterly disheartening to explain how sharing and liking a picture has led to society’s way of using the app as a facade for why people care so much about how many followers and “likes” they get on each picture. Instagram started as a platform to share a significant moment or thought that may occur to the poster. It almost seems as though the thought of posting pictures on social media changed from sharing a piece of your life to caring about how many “likes” you get. After an Instagram post gets over 10 “likes,” your “like” simply becomes another number. At this point, do people really care about who is liking the post? Fundamentally, the poster only sees the number amplify as time goes by from the time they posted it. The act of scrolling through your newsfeed and double tapping a photo has become instinctive, rather than thought provoking. There are some followers
Two students scroll through their Instagram newsfeed and “like” photos in between their passing period. Photo by: VIVIAN GEILIM who simply “like” every photo that appears on their newsfeed. Do followers truly “like” each post or do they just double tap the heart in hopes of getting a “like” back on a future image? Instagram was made as a form to share moments from your life with your followers, and yet it has turned into a foundation for people to base their reputation and popularity off of photos they post and the number of “likes” that image receives. Now, people have started to post photos only hoping it will get a great amount of attention. From a beautiful plate of food you ordered to cute bathing suit photos, people
seem to share photos for the purpose of gaining more “likes.” Instagram images no longer are posted because they are meaningful to the poster- they’re posted in an attempt to get more confidenceboosting “likes.” Instagram pictures have simply lost their meaning. Some Instagram users feel the need to know what time a post should go up in order to acquire the greatest number of “likes.” With this mentality, people are watching the clock for the prime ‘Insta’ time, rather than sharing in the moment. “A lot of people base themselves off of Instagram a lot and how
many followers they have and who sees their photos,” junior Victoria Lamas said, “and as I started gaining followers I realized that that didn’t change me as a person. It’s honestly stupid.” If an image does not receive the same amount of Insta love that one’s last post did, the only person that notices is the poster himself or herself. No one else cares enough to go back to the picture you posted five weeks ago and criticize the amount of “likes” you received. The mindset of being captivated by “likes” is altogether pointless. “Likes” and followers should not determine how people feel about themselves. Once a profile begins
to gain followers, posters feel a need to appeal to their growing audience. Ultimately posters must post for themselves, not anyone else. Along with Instagram, other forms of social media, like Twitter and Vine, have become revolved around likes, favorites or revines received. Do the posters genuinely want to post a photo anymore? Chances are that they do not and they are only “doing it for the vine.” This socal media crazed generation needs to snap out of the obsession of how many “likes” their photo and refocus on the importance of posting in the moment.
Editorial During the season of gratitude, the concept of giving thanks depends on the circumstances of your surroundings. Those who may live under the poverty guidelines might be thankful for the blanket that keeps them warm at night or the one full meal they will have that day, while those who never need to worry about housing or food might not feel the same sense of gratitude for those items. In a community sheltered from major world matters, such as poverty, it can be easy to neglect these issues. Beverly Hills residents are protected from what is going on beyond our city limits because our streets are rarely occupied by homeless people. It is easy to forget to be grateful for the little things when our community makes the bigger problems seem unnoticable. The appreciation for the roof over our heads on a rainy night and the warmth of our jakctes on windy winter days are overlooked because of an infatuation with material items such as designer labels and apple products. Service Learning organizes their annual fundraiser for our sister school in East Los Angeles, Albion Street, to stress the idea
Two Peruvian children find joy in playing with a toy car, teaching us to appriciate the simple things in life. Photo by: SADIE HERSH of being thankful. When the elementary school students open the presents the senior class delivers before Christmas, there is evident thankfulness from the glowing expressions on the children’s faces. For many of these children, this is the only gift they will receive this holiday season. Service Learning
members visit sixth period classes and encourage students to donate money that is put towards purchasing the toys that Albion Street children are given. Every Beverly student has the opportunity to make an Albion Street student smile by donating. Seeing true appreciation for one
holiday present is something that many Beverly students may think of as ‘no big deal.’ However, to the Albion Street children it is not. The experience of making these student’s holiday season may create a new point of view about the real meaning of the holidays. The holidays aren’t about the presents,
but rather the love you give to and receive from others. Keeping all of this in mind over Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, remember to cherish the unnoticed simplicities that occur in your daily routine, from the jacket keeping you warm to the food you enjoy with your family.
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HIGHLIGHTS SPOTLIGHT NOVEMBER 25, 2015
The Adderall Generation Stimulant abuse factors into academics Sydney Tran staff writer Max Yera staff writer Natasha Dardashti staff writer Psychostimulants are drugs that reduce fatigue, promote alertness and have possible mood-enhancing effects. They are primarily used to treat the symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, commonly known as ADHD. Psychostimulants, particularly Adderall, are regularly prescribed, but such prescriptions may fall into the hands of students. Being involved in the competitive environment of academics, students may find the drug’s enhancement of one’s ability to stay alert particularly useful when preparing for an upcoming exam or while merely completing a weekly night’s load of homework. In a recent poll distributed by Highlights, 13.8 percent of students indicated that they had used Adderall in preparation for a test or assignment at least once. However, only 2.5 percent of students have been prescribed Adderall, and only 39.6 percent are aware of the effects of Adderall on the body. “I began using [psychostimulants] my junior year at Beverly while enrolled in
multiple AP classes,” an anonymous source said. “Students might be surprised that some, if not all, of the top students in a class are taking these cognitive enhancers.” Although these students who take stimulants, with or without a prescription, find them to be advantageous to succeeding in school, others take advantage of the drugs in a different way: monetarily. Those who sell their prescription medications to other students capitalize off both the drugs and the students who feel that they need stimulants in order to do well in school. “On average I sell about $50 per week, but depending on what’s going on, I can make anywhere from $10 to $100, if there is something like an ACT or SAT in that week,” an anonymous source said. “There is a real advantage to using these stimulants that almost anyone can reach if they can pay for them.” Though abuse of such psychostimulants appears to be prevalent among certain sectors of the student population, it does not appear to be the norm. According to a 2014 survey conducted
by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a mere 6.8 percent of high school seniors abused the stimulant Adderall. Norman psychologist April Stalker advises against the misuse of non-prescribed psychostimulants due to the potential dangerous effects. “Taking any prescription drug not under the direction of a doctor could be dangerous because there might be other reactions that are not intended [if] there is no doctor to supervise the medication management,” Stalker said. The NIDA also states that the use of psychostimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin can have drastic effects on the body such as increases in blood pressure and heart rate, loss in sleep and even psychosis. “While these stimulants can help boost studying in the short term, they proved ineffective in the long term,” an anonymous Ritalin user said. “Getting sleep ended up being the most important thing for my academic success and taking stimulants like nootropics can interfere heavily with a user’s sleep schedule.”
157 students were polled
Indeed there appears to be a drawback for students abusing these stimulants, but those who have been prescribed these drugs greatly benefit from their doses. “I was diagnosed with really mild ADD a couple of years ago because I was really struggling in school freshman year. [My doctor] gave me Adderall, and it really helped a lot,” another anonymous source said. “I’d say it’s an unfair [academic] advantage for the kids who abuse it because they’re already at the advantage where they’re not constantly distracted, but for the kids who do have ADD, it’s not an advantage because it’s just leveling the playing field a little bit.” However, others who regularly take such psychostimulants appear to have a different idea regarding this “fairness” within the academic environment. Rather, they hold no qualms in using the drugs in order to succeed. “At no point have I felt morally wrong for taking psychostimulants,” an anonymous source said. “Students need to get every advantage possible in this competitive environment of getting into college as well as finding a career.”
Opinion
Pressure leads to Adderall abuse
Juliette Deutsch, co-editor-in-chief Pressure.
“Pressure” is a word that unites high school students across the country, across a variety of upbringings and across socioeconomic classes. All students have felt it, especially with the push to rally at the end of final the fall semester. There is constant pressure to keep up good grades, to go to college, to stay focused, to stay current and most of all, to succeed. This push to be astonishing in every way can bring students to their tipping point. Students find that their workload is simply too much to handle and the pressure is overwhelming. Finding themselves in this situation, these students search for a way to push their excellence to the limit by using one or two pea sized pills that transform their mind and body into a unhealthy mode of extreme concentration. Out of all of this pressure comes what students believe to be the key ingredient to
academic success and it’s called Adderall. Adderall is a psychostimulant, commonly used to treat those with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). It is prescribed to those who need help with skills such as focusing and organization. This focus, however, is meant for those who are rightfully diagnosed with ADHD. Use of the drug without ADHD for performance can cause extreme side effects when consumed. Adderall allows those students who are given a disadvantage by ADHD to keep up and be on the same level as those who don’t have the disease. Studies on high school students with ADHD are at an increased risk for lower GPAs and academic skills. Students who don’t in fact have ADHD and use Adderall to get the extra push can experience extreme side effects such as depression and increased irritability. To add, abusing Adderall decreases a user’s natural ability to have self-control, which can lead to eating disorders.
Similar to how steroids are illegal for athletes to help increase their performance levels, the abuse of Adderall should be considered as a method of cheating. If it’s not the unnatural effects that make students more cautious about using Adderall, it should be their conscience. Taking this drug to academically advance performance is on the same level as cheating on an exam or plagiarising in an English class. If you made the choice in August to take AP classes, sports and other extracurriculars, then take the initiative and study harder. If you’re feeling like there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done, then stop scrolling through Instagram and bingewatching Netflix. It’s not worth ingesting chemicals when you can fix your academic problems with better time-management and studying. Get up, get motivated and study with what you have, because cheating is never the way to get ahead academically, especially when you have to abuse drugs to do it.
Photo by: GUY GINSBERG
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HIGHLIGHTS CULTURE NOVEMBER 25, 2015
Future of Thrifty’s Sweet spots: Thanksgiving pie ice cream in question Juliette Deutsch co-editor-in-chief
Nirav Desai staff writer
Thrifty Ice Cream, a longtime Los Angeles treat, is in danger of melting away into discontinuity after Walgreens’ $17.2 billion purchase of Rite Aid Pharmacy. Thrifty, the award-winning staple of Southern California drugstores for 75 years, may not survive the impending merger of the two corporations, which will officially combine to form the largest drugstore chain in America during the second half of 2016. Prior to the brand’s eventual demise, Rite Aid stores will be allowed to operate under their existing names and sell Thrifty Ice Cream and other Rite Aid products to a loyal, vocal fanbase in the southland. However, Walgreens has been noncommittal regarding the fate of the creamy confection after it is brought into the fold within the next year. In an October statement to the LA Times, Walgreens spokesman Phil Caruso simply divulged that “decisions on product lines will be
made later,” while in a separate statement to CBS LA, a Walgreens spokesman similarly articulated that “working together, decisions will be made over time regarding the integration of the two companies.” The company’s repeated refusals to publicly embrace a future of Thrifty Ice Cream being sold in Los Angeles Walgreens locations was enough to strike a chord with senior Alex Alcalde. “I’m a little heartbroken. I don’t eat a lot of ice cream but I love Thrifty a lot. Dreyer’s is ‘whatever’ and the other [store-bought] ice creams are the worst. Basically, Häagen-Dazs, Baskin-Robbins and Thrifty are the only ones I really like. Jeez, is this really happening?” Alcalde said. Fellow senior Elijah PilgrimDuque also listed Baskin-Robbins as a personal favorite, an affinity so strong that he never felt compelled to step foot in a Rite Aid. To read the full article visit beverlyhighlights.com
and now you can have it delivered to your doorstep. Milk Bar will ship it in one day so it’s fresh and ready to be devoured. Simplethings Chipotle Pumpkin Pie 8310 W. 3rd Street Simplethings celebrates with pie in all sizes, including their famous cutie pies (tiny, single-sized bites). In, the spirit of the holiday season, Layered in a oreo crust, the pie is filled with a spiced pumpkin filling and topped with the perfect amount of freshly whipped cream. Trust me, it’s worth every bite.
Momofuku Milk Bar pumpkin pie layer cake from the Milk Bar store. Photo by: AMANDA DEUTSCH into masterfully crafted cakes, cookies and more. The brand-new Momofuku Milk Bar Pumpkin Pie Layer Cake is what Pumpkin Pie Layer Cake can be best described as a holiwww.milkbarstore.com day remix: pumpkin cake layered Cost: $48 with graham cracker cheesecake, pumpkin ganache and candied Born at the crossroads of eccen- pumpkin seeds. Probably best to tricity and classic baking, Momo- skip the turkey all together. Therefuku Milk Bar is known for its elab- fore, it is essential to my family’s orate, unconventional confections. Thanksgiving table and it should The bakery taps into the palate’s be to yours. Momofuku gets my guilty pleasures, combining them pumpkin pie cravings taken care of
The Pie Hole’s Chocolate Peanut-Butter Pie 714 Traction Ave Located in the trendy Downtown L.A., The Pie Hole is about reinvigorating staple dishes and giving them a modern vibe. The restaurant makes everything in-house, except for coffee (they leave that to the pros). If you’re not in the mood for the traditional pumpkin pie, look no further. The chocolate peanut butter pie is the perfect balance between sweet and salty.
Thanksgiving Guide: Apple pie, perfect pumpkin bread
Juliette Deutsch co-editor-in-chief
There is no better gift than the gift of food. In the spirit of being thankful and giving, baking something with love and care is just as meaningful as buying something for your loved ones. In the season of giving, we’ve armed you with what is arguably the most delicious Thanksgiving recipes you will ever taste. The best part: you can make it too. Pies N Thighs Apple Pie Recipe Ingredients: Servings: 8 Crust: 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons granulated sugar ½ tsp kosher salt 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter Filling: 5 large Granny Smith apples. (Peeled, cored and thinly sliced) 2 tablespoons unsalted butter ¼ cup granulated sugar ¼ cup light brown sugar 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon fresh nutmeg 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 large egg 2 tablespoons demerara sugar Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out 1 disk of reserved dough on a lightly floured surface to a 13” round. Transfer round to prepared sheet and chill while you roll out remaining piece of dough to another 13” round. Stack second round on top of the first, separated by parchment.
Vivian Geilim staff writer
Recipe courtesy of: Max Yera Ingredients on how to make the perfect pumpkin bread: 1 ½ cups of sugar ½ cups of vegetable oil 2 eggs 1/3 cup of water 1 ¾ cup of flour 1 teaspoon of baking soda 1 teaspoon of salt ½ teaspoon of cinnamon 1 can of pumpkin 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips Two large bowls One bread pan Pam cooking spray Serves one loaf Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. In the large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, sugar, salt, vegetable oil, water, cinnamon and chocolate chips. 3. In the separate bowl, stir the eggs and pumpkin until well blended. 4. Stir pumpkin and egg mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten 5. Mix until well blended 6. Add one cup of chocolate chips 7. Grease two bread pans 8. Pour batter in bread pans until half full. 9. Bake for 55 minutes until perfection.
Beat egg to blend with 1 tsp. water and set aside. Using a rolling pin, carefully transfer 1 crust to a 9” pie dish. Lift up edges and allow dough to slump down into dish. Scrape in apple filling along with any accumulated juices. Place second crust on top of filling and press edges of crusts together to seal, crimping as desired. Brush top of pie with egg wash and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place pie on sheet. Bake until crust is deep golden brown on top and bottom and juices are bubbling, 90–100 minutes (some of the juices might bubble over onto the sheet—this is what the foil is for). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 4 hours before slicing. Do Ahead: Pie can sit out overnight, or wrap in foil or plastic and refrigerate up to 3 days. Recipe by: Pies N Thighs
Perfect pumpkin bread with added chocolate chips. Photo by VIVIAN GEILIM.
HIGHLIGHTS ADS NOVEMBER 25, 2015
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HIGHLIGHTS SPORTS NOVEMBER 25, 2015
Senior swims to SJSU Sydney Tran staff writer Wake up. Swim. Go to school. Eat. Swim. Eat. Study. Sleep. Repeat. This is a glimpse into the life of senior Jamie Dodd. It seems a busy life to live, but it has led her to be admitted to San Jose State University, the school to which she recently committed and signed Nov. 13. Dodd, who has been swimming since the age of seven, was elated upon receiving an admission offer from SJSU. “[Receiving the offer from SJSU] was so exciting! I ran into my parents’ room, and I think I yelled at them with the news and didn’t stop smiling for days,” Dodd said. Not only was the offer itself exhilarating, so was the process leading up to it. As a nationally ranked swimmer who has “qualified for and competed in the USA Swimming 5K Open Water National Championships twice in the last couple years and finished in the top 10 of all under-18 competitors” and “competed in about a dozen 5K and 10K open water taxes in the U.S. and internationally,” Dodd had a few guidelines for the schools that she would pursue. “The recruitment is an exciting and scary process actually. Based on a number of factors, I narrowed down the schools to 15 or so that I thought would be a good fit based on what I want to study, quality of the swim program, coaching staff, location, campus and town,” Dodd said. “Then, I filled out the new recruit questionnaire on the college swim team website. A bunch of those schools then started writing and then calling after the required dates, and I worked with my coach to decide which of the recruit trips to accept.” Despite the joy and excitement, the vast amounts of time spent and the arduous efforts exerted in order to achieve this accomplishment was not simple.
“It’s definitely not been easy. I wake up at 4 a.m. four days a week to be at the pool by 5 a.m. during the week and ‘sleep in’ until 5 a.m. on Saturdays. Swim for 2 hours, go to school, come home and eat, go to afternoon practice for 3 hours, come home and eat, study and get as many hours of sleep as possible,” Dodd said. “Eat, swim, eat, study, eat, swim, eat, rinse and repeat... that’s the joke among swimmers!” Dodd attributes much of her success in committing to the Division 1 swimming program at SJSU to support from her club coach and to her swim-oriented family life. “Without question, my club Head Coach and my family [helped me to get to this point]. Coach Dave has been my coach for almost 5 years. He keeps us focused on the bigger mission each season and year,” Dodd said. “My parents are amazing. My mom was and still is an amazing competitive swimmer and my whole family of four swims almost every day. She gives me great swimming advice. Even my little brother keeps me motivated. Dodd feels fortunate to have the opportunity to pursue her swimming career at a D1 school that she genuinely enjoys. “Given how much I enjoyed the recruit trip and how amazing the coaching staff and swimmers made me feel, it ended up being a pretty easy decision once [SJSU] made the offer,” Dodd said. “I have to be honest, it’s an incredible relief and I feel very fortunate. Of course, it definitely helps make all the hard work and sacrifice worthwhile...[I] now have a new appreciation for what swimmers and other serious athletes go through to get to this point.” Dodd, who wants to major in hospitality and hotel management, looks forward to swimming for SJSU and eagerly awaits the fall. “For a high school senior, you dream of this stuff,” Dodd said. “I can’t wait...Go Spartans!”
Varsity softball captain pitches acceptance to Pace University
Column: NBA early season storylines Isaiah Freedman staff writer
Anthony Davis, only 22-yearsold and considered by many to be one of the best players in the league, has also underperformed as of late. Last year, Davis had averages of 24.5 points, 1.5 steals, 2.9 blocks, 10.2 rebounds and 54 percent from the field. This year though, Davis’ overall numbers are slightly down, with splits of 23.3 points, 1.1 steals, 2.5 blocks, 10.3 rebounds and 46.9 percent from the field. Even though those numbers are very close, people thought Davis would surpass last year’s stats due to New Orleans’ new up tempo offense. Instead, he has taken a slight step back, with the Pelicans taking a huge one.
point guard Reggie Jackson. With Ilyasova a perimeter based player, as opposed to Monroe’s interior based game, Drummond has had more space to work with the newly signed $80 million dollar player in Jackson. For a team projected to be a in the lottery again, being in the playoffs as of now is surprising.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and sports in general all come with unwarranted surprises. Players unexpectedly get injured, teams inexplicably underperform or overperform and coaches are relieved of their duties. So far, this NBA season is no Minnesota Timberwolves different. A coach has already been fired and there are some players For a team that netted the first and teams that have performed overall draft pick last year, expecdifferently than expected. The tations were relatively low coming three most noteworthy surprises into this season for the young Timso far this season have been the berwolves. This is a team starting New Orleans Pelicans’ rough start, two 20-year-olds (Karl Anthony Andre Drummond’s dominance Towns and Andrew Wiggins, one and the Minneso35-year old (Tayshaun ta Timberwolves’ Prince), as well as one “I believe the Timberwolves have pleasant and 39-year-old (Kevin young surprises. a lot of potential and they are alGarnett). The Pelicans’ Struggles
Dodd and her coach are all smiles after she commits to San Jose State University. Photo Courtesy of: JAMIE DODD
Pace came about very recently upon her official visit to the both the New York City and Pleasantville, New York, campuses just a couple of weeks ago. Carruth has
how the campus in Westchester has a very traditional college feel Since she was 10 years-old, seand but I can still experience all nior Emma Carruth has dedicated the opportunities that the city her afternoons and weekends to campus has to offer. The campus playing softball. Afin New York City ter many years of is breathtaking,” determination and Carruth said. hard work, Carruth In addition to has earned a spot on playing Division II the Pace University softball, Carruth softball team for fall plans to major in 2016-2017. criminal justice. Carruth has spent The opportuniall of high school ties presented to balancing a rigorous her by her softball academic courseand academic efwork, club softball forts will allow her and varsity softball. to study at Pace Since freshman which is currently year, Carruth has ranked number continued to be a two for it’s Law key player and leadand Criminal er for Beverly and Justice Programs her club team. by US News and “Beverly has really World Report. prepared me for the Caruth, who has played varsity softball all four years, will con“I want to help next chapter in my life tinue her career at Pace. Photo courtesy of: EMMA CARUTH people and make and helped me bala change in the ance all of my goals. I was lucky decided to study at the Pleasant- world,” Carruth said. “I think I to be able to be an active player ville campus over New York City. have the best chance of doing that “When I went to the Westches- through criminal justice. I hope to for both teams. I have also really grown as a person these last four ter to see the campus and met the one day join the FBI or something coach, I instantly fell in love with along those lines of law enforceyears,” Carruth said. However, her decision to attend Pace and with Pleasantville. I loved ment. ” Juliette Deutsch co-editor-in-chief
ready starting to flourish.” -Grant Gaon
When the New Orleans Pelicans re-signed Anthony Davis to a new contract and hired offensive specialist Alvin Gentry as head coach, many expected a jump into the NBA’s upper echelon. That projected spike has turned out to be premature. The Pelicans have been snakebitten by injuries, losing starters Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday, Davis and Omer Asik, as well as other bench players. The result so far is an uninspiring record of 3-11. Junior Jason Mehraban is shocked at the Pelicans’ slow start. “Before the season, I believed the Pelicans would be a great team, especially because of their big man, Anthony Davis. To my surprise though, they aren’t doing so well,” Mehraban said.
Andre the Giant? Before the season, the Detroit Pistons’ 22-year-old center Andre Drummond was believed to just be a ravenous rebounder with raw offensive skills. This season, the stats speak for themselves. Drummond is putting up very impressive numbers of 18.4 points, 17.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.4 blocks. “He has been a monster,” junior Owen Lloyd says. Part of Drummond’s success has been thanks to his coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy. Van Gundy, who arrived before last season, let power forward Greg Monroe walk in free agency, and traded for power forward Ersan Ilyasova as well as
Junior Grant Gaon points out that the team is finally putting the pieces together into a quality team. “I believe the Timberwolves have a lot of potential and they are already starting to flourish,” Gaon said. Ages aside, this team has played competently so far, sporting a modest 5-8 record to start the campaign, although the team is 4-2 when Rubio plays. Towns has been a force, averaging 16 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 90.7 percent at the free throw line, with Wiggins chipping in 21.5 points a game. The surprising yet efficient production of this teams’ two young stars has been a major reason for their early success. With eyes still on the future with this team, early production from two of their youngest players must be encouraging.