highlights
April 8, 2016 Volume 89, Issue 12 Beverly Hills High School Beverly Hills, California beverlyhighlights.com
2015 SBAC scores low, changes implemented Evan Minniti staff writer Sydney Tran staff writer The implementation of the block schedule that will remain until April 27 indicates SBAC testing season. The SBAC, which stands for Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, is a standardized test that was administered for the first time last year and is indicative of a school’s proficiency in comparison to other schools. “The SBAC test shows how well we are doing compared to [every other school] in the United States,” Principal Dave Jackson said. “It is sort of a barometer of what we are doing.” According to Jackson, last year’s scores were not up to par with what the school wished to accomplish. “[Last year] was the first year, and it becomes the baseline, but [the scores] were not stellar. I don’t believe they showed
a true indication of our students’ nificance of the test is apparent think that we need to emphasize knowledge or our teachers’ abil- to students who took the test last communicating the importance ity to teach,” Jackson said. “I year. of the SBAC since the scores will don’t think they show what a “I think that the scores would be reflective of our school.” good school [we Administraare] and how tion is making outstanding the changes to the teaching staff is, testing enviand surely didn’t ronment. show a true rep“First and resentation that foremost, the our kids have.” major change Jackson be[from last lieves that last year’s SBAC], year’s results is that we are stem from stutesting all of dents being unour 11th gradaware of the ers in their test’s purpose. English and “I don’t think To improve scores, administration has focused on stressing the importance math classes. that anybody re- of the SBAC to current juniors, a message that was expressed clearly last That produces ally explained year. Photo by: KEITH STONE. an environhow important ment that we the test was or what the measures have been better if there had been feel is a better testing environwere,” Jackson said. “I don’t more effective communication ment for our students to be sucthink anyone thought much of it because more students would cessful. They feel more comfortbecause it was a baseline year.” have taken the test seriously,” able in their own classrooms,” This failure to express the sig- senior Mishelle Arakelian said. “I Kevin Brown, assistant principal
for House B, said. Brown went on to describe some of the technological changes that have been made. Additionally, administration intends to incentivize higher scores. “Right now, you can’t get out until 1:40, even though lunch starts at 1:10. One of the things for kids who score proficient or higher is that we will allow them to leave at 1:10,” Jackson said. “It’s a little bonus that they are doing well at school and on the test.” Brown was impressed by the first day of testing. “Day one, the test went very smooth. It was a successful day one,” Brown said. “The students were well prepared, the teachers were also well prepared in launching the test. [For me], going in and out of classrooms [on the first day of testing showed] they had a very excellent classroom environment.”
CSUs look at SBAC BHEA election results revealed Juliette Deutsch co-editor-in-chief Jamie Kim news editor Starting with the freshmen applicants for the Fall 2016 semester, California State Universities (CSU) are now using the scores from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) test as way to determine if students are prepared to take English and math classes offered by their CSU or if a remedial class needs to be taken. This change follows last year’s initiative in looking at a special, optional writing portion for this same purpose. This year, administrators and teachers have placed more stress in publicizing the importance of this test to the juniors. “First of all…I’ve met with every eleventh grade English class, and I think the juniors have pride and I think the seniors have pride also, but I don’t think that anybody really explained how important the test was or what the measures were, because I don’t
think anyone thought much of it because it was a baseline year. So, I’m not criticizing what happened last year,” Principal David Jackson said. However, there are other ways to determine students’ placement into general education classes at CSUs besides the SBAC test. “If you don’t place into the English and math college level classes, then you have another opportunity to take actual placement exams to get to the right class. Or, if you have a high enough SAT or AP score, there are different ways to place into the appropriate classes. So it’s not SBAC or nothing,” Dean of College Admissions Ah Young Chi said. The implementation of looking at students’ SBAC scores parallels the changes the California education system is undergoing as it adapts to the new test. “It’s really to streamline the assessment. Since the whole state is going to a new assessment, SBAC, they’re just incorporating that assessment into it,” Chi said.
INSIDE
Jamie Kim news editor General election results of the Beverly Hills Education Association (BHEA) were tallied and announced on April 6. The elected members will serve on the BHEA Representative Council for a twoyear term. The votes were col-
lected from every member of the union from the four K-8 schools, the high school and the district office. “Being part of a strong union is something that is very important to me...I am happy to align myself with Mr. [Telly] Tse, our
president, our new vice president, Ms. [Marla] Weiss and of course, to be part of the Executive Board as well as the Representative Council,” re-elected secretary Kate Marks said. The Representative Council members meet on a monthly basis throughout the school year.
Position
Name
President
Telly Tse (BHHS)
Vice President
Marla Weiss (BHHS)
Secretary
Kate Marks (BHHS)
Treasurer
Phil Chang (BHHS)
K-12 Director
David Siskin (Horace Mann)
K-5 Director
Temmy Lehman (Beverly Vista), Shelly Lucky (Beverly Vista)
High School Director
Dan Moroaica, Lisa Dickens
BHHS Site Representative
Tim Briggs, Josh Glass, Kim Davy, Molly Peterson, Malia Frutschy-Warner, Melony Bronder
Beverly Vista Site Representative
Gabrielle Radonsky, Judith Chan
El Rodeo Site Representative
Rebecca Metrano, Amy Arebalo
Hawthorne Site Representative
Lori Schwartz, Alana Leftkowitz
Horace Mann Site Representative
Ethan Smith
District Office Site Representative
Sergio Mandiola
SPOTLIGHT OPINION SPORTS
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FEATURE: Indepedent Studies Page
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OPINION: D’Angelo bro-code
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FEATURE: RJ Keneally Page yoga instructor
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HIGHLIGHTS NEWS APRIL 8, 2016
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Rabbis’-in-Training message transcends religion Sydney Tran staff writer Eleanor Bogart-Stuart staff writer
The bell’s ring on Friday signifies the beginning of the weekend and the departure from a week at school. But for three rabbis-intraining, the Friday bell symbolizes the start of fun. Although students may not know them by name, they can probably recognize Yossi Klein and his two colleagues by their faces. These three 21 and 22-year-old men set up a table opposite the Swim Gym every Friday, complete with a small prayer book and a long, black cloth. Though their methods may not be conventional, they simply come to spread a little bit of joy and education about their faith. “Our goal is just to, you know, we’re running around all day, we’re busy all the time, so it’s important that sometimes we stop and we focus and say, ‘What’s my purpose? What am I doing here?’ When we do that it allows us to be kind to other people,” Klein said. Klein and his fellow apprentice rabbis are dedicated not only to the spreading of knowledge about their faith, but also kindness in
general. They welcome students to take part in a Jewish ritual known as the Tefillin, where the aforementioned black leather is wrapped around the participant’s arm and Jewish prayers are recited. “We do this ritual to spread our message to everyone. This general idea of just stopping once in awhile in the middle of your crazy life, thinking about purpose and then becoming a better person. That’s what our goal is, and I hope that happens,” Klein said. The three men are currently in training to become rabbis at an international organization called Chabad. The three are in their seventh and eighth years of training and will become full-fledged rabbis in three months. “Chabad has a big emphasis on outreach, which is reaching out to everyone in the whole world. You name a place and they’ll have it there. That’s why even though we’re studying and we’re busy all week, we do put the emphasis on trying to go out and spread the message to the world,” Klein said. Students recognize the “fiery energy” of these three men and ap-
Highlights Print Team Juliette Deutsch and Marty Schnapp editors-in-chief
Jamie Kim news editor
Keith Stone
opinion editor
Ben Shofet
business manager
Sophomore Ben Dahan wraps Tefillin with soon-to-be rabbis on Lasky after school. Photo by: SYDNEY TRAN. preciate it. “I think it’s great that they’re there for people who have a religious and spiritual experience with it,” participant Ben Dahad said. In fact, the late leader of Chabad, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, taught the potential of teens and youth. “He passed away 20 years ago, but his influence is very powerful. This was his vision. He always emphasized the positive side of
teens,” Klein said. If you ever have the desire to wrap the Tefillin or just simply find out a few facts about the Jewish faith, you can find them almost any Friday, waiting and willing with spread arms, wide smiles and open prayer books. “There’s a lot of darkness in the world and the way to fight darkness is by adding more light,” Klein said. “One good deed can change the world.”
Retired teachers adapt to new lifestyles Keith Stone opinion editor Ben Shofet business manager
Retirement is always a huge step. Going from a stable long-held job is a significant change and one that Herb Hall and Bill Hiatt have had to adjust to. Hall, for the past two years, has been enjoying the perks of retirement. After working for 28 years as the Theater Director and Performing Arts Department Chair, Hall decided to conclude his career in exchange for a life of leisure. For Hall, retirement was initially a bittersweet experience. “I knew I’d experience a sense of loss on the first day of school, which is why I wanted to be as far away from BHHS as I could get, on that day,” Hall explained. “My wife and I went on an acrosscountry road trip that summer and on the first day of school we were chilling on the beach in Florida.” For Hiatt however, ending his career as an English teacher after serving for 34 years, retirement
was an easier pill to swallow. “Retirement is always an adjustment, but because I retired at the
Herb Hall strums a guitar standing next to a fake crocodile while on vacation in Florida. Photo courtesy of: HERB HALL right time, no, I didn’t feel as if I had lost something,” Hiatt said. After retiring from the arts program at Beverly, Hall now has time to focus not only on his own inde-
pendent theater, but also some of his other passions. “I spend several hours reading scripts or doing theater-related work. My wife and I go to the beach as often as possible so I do a lot of reading there. I’m also writing a screenplay, doing audiobook work and acting.” Hall said. He has also found himself assuming many of the tasks to which he had not previously been accustomed to. “I’ll grocery shop and do other mundane ‘life stuff,’ if necessary. I’m the family cook, so I’ll make dinner and afterward I retire to my office and write for four to six hours,” Hall said. Hiatt however, approaches each day differently and does various tasks from his old life as a teacher along with some from his new, retired life. “I haven’t really settled into a specific daily routine. I had a lot of leftover business initially (like finishing with my father’s estate and writing recommendations for last year’s juniors). Ask me that ques-
tion again in a year, and I’ll have a better answer,” Hiatt said. Hall still holds time and a place in his heart for the community that he has served for so long. “I miss the students, teaching, directing shows and my colleagues. I have assisted when someone asked me to, and I’m always willing to help out if I can,” Hall said.” The feelings of nostalgia for the people at Beverly are the same for Hiatt, but he is enjoying the luxury of retirement without a daily job. “I miss the students. I miss my colleagues. The job itself? Not so much. ” Hiatt said. Hall holds his experience at Beverly as something that he is proud of and hopes to remain connected to the community for years to come. “I’m very proud of having been able to affect the lives of so many students. I often get messages from former students, telling me of their successes and thanking me for having made a difference in their lives,” Hall said. “That’s the reason we all teach, isn’t it?”
Evan Minniti, Lauren Hannani, Eleanor Bogart-Stuart, Max Yera and Sydney Tran staff writers
Web Team Sadie Hersh and Guy Ginsberg editors-in-chief
Jason Harward graphics editor
Vivian Geilim photo editor
Natasha Dardashti social media director
Sophia Goldberg, Veronica Pahomova, Isaiah Freedman and Nirav Desai staff writers
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 Twitter and Instagram. Highlights is sponsored by PTSA and BHEF.
Multi-talented senior excels in golf, music, science Sadie Hersh co-editor-in-chief There are so many facets that make up what James Dohm is all about. As captain of the golf team, violist in the school orchestra, composer and sometimes even fillin teacher, senior James Dohm strikes a balance across various disciplines. Dohm started playing golf at Rancho Park when he was 3-yearsold, and began to compete more competitively in the eighth grade. He enjoys the game’s need for accuracy and that it is a solitary activity. “The precision required of hav-
ing a target or having a goal and trying to get the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible really appeals to me,” Dohm explained. “And the fact that [golf] is more individual and how it’s like a double-edged sword: if you hit a bad shot you are the only one to blame and it is really easy to get down on yourself, but at the same time there is no one that can cause you to screw up and you are not relying on teammates to have a good round.” Dohm’s talent doesn’t stop with golf. He also is an accomplished viola player, and has been playing since he was in fifth grade. He has been an integral part of the school
orchestra for the past four years. He has taken it a step beyond just playing the instrument, and has composed his own work. “As far as performance goes, I don’t have the same interest in it as I do with composition. With performance, however, I do find the part of interpreting what the composer has written to be fun,” Dohm said. “While you are playing the ensemble, hearing everything around you and how it all comes together is really satisfying.” While one might assume Dohm would prefer classical music, he also enjoys works from the romantic era by composers like Rachmaninoff, Haydn and Bach. Dohm
tends to dislike works by soloists, finding it “overpowering.” “I don’t like most classical violin concertos because the intricacy and texture of the orchestra is lost behind the violin soloist. Similarly, I don’t like rap music and most pop songs because the vocalist pretty much controls the entire song; rarely any balance with the rest of the band.” Dohm composes his own music on Soundcloud under the username violacomposer. His most memorable high school experience was when the orchestra performed a Bach Fugue piece he transcribed in his sophomore year. “Whenever something I have
written gets played it leaves an imprint. Even if it is not played well, it still leaves a mark,” Dohm said. Dohm also notes an unforgettable experience to be when he helped teach his AP Computer Science class after the teacher took leave in the second semester of Dohm’s junior year. With a passion for chemistry, Dohm hopes to one day work in a field that involves science. He has received a full-ride scholarship to Vanderbilt, and while he has not yet committed to a college, he is sure he would like to major in chemical engineering, take classes in composing and join the school’s ensemble.
HIGHLIGHTS ADS April 8, 2016
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HIGHLIGHTS SPOTLIGHT APRIL 8, 2016
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Independent studies: a different path to success
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Hidden talent in the district office Juliette Deutsch co-editor-in-chief
Max Yera staff writer
On the second floor of the district building lies a room far more familiar to some Normans than most. It is these select students who find their road to graduation through the Independent Study program (IS). The program, now reaching the end of its first decade since implementation, is primarily run by teacher Sergio Mandiola. “I was hired ten years ago by a director of alternative education who was hired by the district to create the program,” Mandiola explained. Classes consist of individual appointments with Mandiola and MST’s (Multiple Choice Subject Tutorials), essentially study halls in which students can obtain additional help from their peers. “I usually go to class every Wednesday for an hour, which is my one-onone session with the teacher, and in that hour he checks my homework and interrogates me on what I studied in the past week,” senior tennis player Martina Bocchi said. “We usually have to attend at least one MST out of the three that there are in the week, and during the other days I do the homework that is assigned to me independently.” The consistency in workload varies, depending on the daily level of study/ homework completion. The curriculum itself is chosen from a selection of standard Beverly courses. “I have six classes, like many of the other students, and every week I must meet with Mr. Mandiola to work on the subjects and receive help in ways in which I can improve my work for him. We do as much work as the high school students do; however, the only difference is that since IS students don’t have a set ‘daily schedule’; we can do this work when we have time,” junior opera singer Golda Berkman said. “For example, I have singing rehearsals every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons, so during the morning I will study and get my work done before I have to leave for rehearsal.” All courses are taught by Mandiola, whose students have heralded him as a knowledgeable and understanding mentor. “Mr. Mandiola is a very different teacher compared to others I’ve had because, though of course he’s very smart,
the way he teaches is different from how others teach. He interrogates us orally and always covers every topic we studied in the past week,” Bocchi said. “He understands us more as real people and not only as students. He knows what’s going on in our lives because he’s always involved with parents, and if we are succeeding at what we do.” The application process to be in Mandiola’s independent courses, however, is rather complicated. Students must first obtain a referral from their individual counselor or administrator to the SST (Student Success Team) and from there, a recommendation to the IS program. “I first talked to my counselor about my options and whether or not I was eligible,” senior tennis player Kat Stefanovic said. “It was a long process of the school checking my athletic achievements and consulting with the school’s tennis coach because they wanted to make sure I was a good fit and was realistic about my goal.” The class has also helped contribute to students workload overall. “My workload is more manageable now because I get to work and learn at my own pace. I have a lot of assignments to complete every week but I get it done by doing a few hours of homework every school day,” senior Kat Stefanovic said. Some students have even found themselves with free time. “In my free time, I’m either resting in between practice or helping my mom. She’s an event coordinator and cook. Also, I take a lot of pictures and do interviews for yearbook,” senior swimmer Amy Okada said. The caliber of students enlisted in the program has been quite impressive historically. Notable alumni include Logan Lerman (‘Perks of Being a Wallflower’), Caylin Hauptmann (NFL offensive tackle) and Michael Kerman (former UCLA baseball player). This group of talented students has in no way dwindled, as today students range from hopeful Olympians (Amy Okada), to teenage icons (Sofia Riche), to opera sensations (Golda Berkman) and talented filmmakers (Jo Murayama), just to name a few. “[I hope to] find the inner good in each student and build from it into excellence,” Mandiola said. “Everyone in this program is talented.”
This group of students represents only a portion of the Indpendent Studies talents.
Most likely when I’m not doing schoolwork, I’m swimming. I swim 5:00-7:00 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 4:15-8:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, and practice on Saturday from 6:008:00a.m.
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Senior Amy Okada, swimmer
I am a competitive hockey player in top division of youth hockey 18AAA. During the season my team travels all around North America causing me to constantly be on the road as well as being in the weight room and on the ice for up to four hours a day.
Senior Guy Petrie, hockey player
“ Chance King, baseball player Photo coutrsey of: CHANCE KING
Guy Petrie, hockey player Photo coutrsey of: GUY PETRIE
Joe Murayama, filmmaker Photo courtsey of: JO MURAYAMA
“ Amy Okada, swimmer Photo courtsey of: AMY OKADA
Golda Berkman, opera singer Photo courtsey of: GOLDA BERKMAN
Kat Stefanovic, tennis player Photo by: BRENNA NOURAY
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I am an opera singer and my rehearsal schedule is very busy. Independent studies helps me to manage my time because I can be able to do schoolwork and also allows do my focus on my singing career and my singing growth.
Junior Golda Berkman, opera singer
I’ve been very busy working as a freelance filmmaker, which makes it hard for me to attend to school regularly. The program allows me to expand on my career and go to school at the same time.
Senior Jo Murayama, filmmaker
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I play tennis, and when I was attending school regularly I didn’t have much time to train after school due to too much homework or exams. So I joined to have more time to train more and better and do better in tournaments.
Senior Martina Bocchi, tennis player
Lily Yovetich, hockey player Photo courtsey of: LILY YOVETICH
Martina Bocchi, tennis player Photo courtsey of: MARTINA BOCCHI
Lucas Yovetich, hockey player Photo courtsey of: LUCAS YOVETICH
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HIGHLIGHTS CULTURE APRIL 8, 2016
‘Wonderland’ play in the works Evan Minniti staff writer
play director Annie Terry. is also the assistant director, exTerry went into more detail plained the writing process behind For the first time this school year, the Theatre Arts Workshop is about the nature of the Alice’s “Wonderland”. “We wanted to add a legitimate letting students write one of their crime. “As the play goes on, we come to twist to the plot of the story, so new productions. “Wonderland” is their adaptation of the classic discover that the crime she is be- the students presented ideas and novel “Alice in Wonderland” by ing accused of is growing up and voted to have Alice be suspected of having Lewis Carroll. committed It plays from a crime, and April 29-30. she explains “Wonderher side of land”, howevthe story of er, has a twist: what hapAlice is in jail pened in and is being Wonderland interrogated to the police by Tweedledee interrogating and Tweedleher. We are dum. taking the “I told [the basic story students] I did of ‘Alice in not want to do Wonderland’ a straight reand making telling of the the character story of ‘Alice Annie Terry preps theater students about what the plans are for and storyline in Wonderland’. the day’s rehearsal. Photo by: EVAN MINNITI. our own. We I told them I wanted it to have some form of maturing and making wise choices are adding a layer and meaning interpretation or adaptation by us. and the characters in Wonderland, to every character to make them Alice, at the beginning, we open on who are immature and foolish do more dynamic and more enjoyable her being held in an interrogation not agree with her making these to watch and relate to. Students room and she is being interrogated choices, so her punishment is to be who want to be involved in the by…Tweedledee and Tweedledum kicked out of Wonderland,” Terry writing process have been contributing a great deal,” Rishwain said. and they have clearly accused her said. Senior Emily Rishwain, who “The words and ideas are all ours.” of some kind of crime,” explained
Teens take on sushi Lauren Hannani staff writer Sydney Tran staff writer As a city of high culinary diversity, Los Angeles hosts a myriad of cuisines, with none more impressive than its take on the Japanese specialty adored by millions: sushi. Students now have the opportunity to learn the detailed art of sushi rolling from chefs at Ocean Prime restaurant and to practice these newly developed skills by crafting favorites such as salmon hand rolls, California rolls and spicy shrimp tempura rolls. Since renowned executive chef Geoff Baumberger will be teaching the classes, students can anticipate learning techniques more advanced than mere basics. “This is such a rare opportunity to learn from the best and at an incredible culinary establishment with a general manager who truly believes in supporting our career education,” ROP Coordinator Cindy Dubin said. “Welcoming our students in this way, I can’t think of a more dynamic and creative way to spend an hour and a half.” One student who participated in the class on April 5 learned many new skills and was appreciative to have been offered a chance to take advantage of this opportunity. “It was a really good experience because I love eating sushi, and I’ve always wanted to learn how to make it,” senior Amanda Block said. “I feel very grateful to have been able to take this class at a very nice restaurant with very skilled chefs.” After setting up an after school
program for culinary students at our school, Dubin got support from Ocean Prime to spread the extracurricular activities to there as well. “We are forming more partnerships with local businesses, and once we showed Ocean Prime what we had set up with Il Fornaio, [a restaurant where culinary students will be filming a cooking show] they loved the idea and wanted us to set up similar workshops there,” Dubin said. Although there are only two workshops to choose from, Dubin expects the class to be very fun for students and is looking forward to more workshops being offered around the city. “I know that this is just the beginning of similar workshops around town, and through our new Career Creators program, we are forming incredible real world experiences for our career education programs,” Dubin said. For $25 per session, students can experience a unique kind of culinary class with help from a professional on April 12. Be sure to pick up and fill out a registration form from Ms. Dubin in order to reserve your spot. “I hope that our students have a fun and engaging experience right here in our own Beverly Hills backyard,” Dubin said. “We all spend so much time driving here and there over the years for activities, and we are trying to create those opportunities that are a win win for us and the businesses right here in town.”
“[Students] can become involved in the entire creative process from the beginning.” -Director Annie Terry “All of the students have ideas and creative input that really help and influence eachother.” -Junior Nicole Neighbors “We wanted to add a legitimate twist to the plot of the story, [we] voted to have Alice be suspected of having committed a crime...” -Assistant director Emily Rishwain
‘Thrones’ reigns king of T.V. Evan Minnitti staff writer Vivian Geilim photo editor
The show’s outstanding cast is what really propels the series forward, though. Respected character actors like Sean Bean, Peter Dinklage and Charles Dance give fantastic performances alongside many talented onceunknowns like Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, Michelle
Blood, treachery, sex, dragons and war all inhabit the dark world of HBO’s hit epic fantasy/political drama “Game of Thrones”. The show takes place on the continents of Westeros and Essos, and follows three main storylines. The primary one is about the political intrigue and civil war that is descending Westeros to its doom; an exiled princess in Essos named Daenerys Targaryen is desperate to reclaim the Westerosi throne and avenge her family, and in the process helps bring dragons back from extinction; and a sworn brotherhood of warriors dressed in black defending a wall of ice at the northern fringes of the continent from aggressive savages called Wildlings and a dark mysterious force called the White Walkers. Westeros follows a strict feudal society based on European history but is also very clearly a fantasy world where seasons Photo by: GLOBAL PANORAMA are impossible to predict and can last for years. Fairley, Jerome Flynn, Emilia The show is more or less a faithClarke and Maisie Williams. ful adaptation of the “A Song of The show is comprised of 10 Ice and Fire” novels by George usually-cliff-hanging episodes R.R. Martin, who also works as an each season. With all the things executive producer for the show. “Game of Thrones” has to offer, The writing for the show is absoone of its strengths is fundalutely superb, thanks in large part mentally derived from the unto Martin’s original dialogue as knowing future the next episode well as new input from screenwrithas to offer. In each gruesome, ers David Benioff and D.B. Wiess. yet greatly appealing episode, In addition to writing, fantastic Benioff, Weiss and Martin, actdirecting gives the series a much ing as the show’s main executive more cinematic feel than most TV producers, showrunners and shows can hope to achieve. script writers, feel more than ob-
ligated to take their audience for unexpected turns throughout the series. The anxious wait for the next hour-long episode can give the audience more than enough emotions to overcome, especially after a particularly brutal prior episode. Ultimately, both “Game of Thrones” and Martin’s novels follow existentialist themes. The world is seemingly meaningless, dark, brutal and full of pain and suffering, yet individual characters still try to do good despite it. Tyrion Lannister, for example, has a soft spot in his heart for “cripples, bastards and broken things.” Daenerys Targaryen does her best to bring justice and freedom to the slaves and poor people in the cities that she rules. Jon Snow makes the loathed decision to make peace with the Wildlings in order to combat the much more dangerous White Walkers. It’s as much for reasons like this that the show has hit such a chord with audiences around the world, in addition to the general excitement and human drama of each episode. With its bloody wars and dishonest rulers, “Game of Thrones” is also a lot more relevant to the modern world in its themes than “Lord of the Rings” or “Harry Potter” are. The title alone refers to the destructive power struggles between different sections of the nobility for ultimate control of the Iron Throne, a theme much more relatable than a boarding school for wizards. With five seasons under its belt and a sixth around the corner, we highly recommend this bingeworthy epic both fantasy and very real human drama. We give this a five out of five stars.
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HIGHLIGHTS OPINION APRIL 8, 2016
Mandatory exams D’Angelo rustles bro-code Editorial
As AP testing season rolls around, hundreds of students will have the opportunity to prove that they truly absorbed material covered in their courses. Many of those students will be well-prepared, and others will not. The true question lies in whether those students had a choice to take the exam itself, or if registration was a mandatory requirement for their class. While the AP program is optional in nature, the exam, often per individual teachers’ requests once students are enrolled, may not be. Teachers are able to mandate exam registration, and in some cases, can administer in-class exams to those students who decide not to register for the AP anyway. There is rationale behind mandatory AP testing; some teachers claim that if AP students are confident that they are unprepared for the exam, then taking the course was likely a mistake in the first place (likely an issue of academic aptitude or work ethic). While in many cases this reasoning rings true, a student’s failure to grasp material does not necessarily mean that he or she is at fault. Correlation is not causation. For example, students frequently misjudge their workload when they select courses at the beginning of the year. Once students find themselves in too many AP classes, their schedules are already overloaded--throwing another test into the mix will only exacerbate the problem.
While school administration acknowledges the arguments for both mandatory and optional AP exam registration, they encourage teachers to get as many students as possible to register for the exam. One reason for their push for registration numbers is that the number of students who take AP exams reflect Beverly’s ranking on US News and World Report’s list of the nation’s best high schools. The AP participation rate calculation does not take into account how many students enrolled in AP courses or how well they scored on their exams, only whether or not they registered. However, it is important when we look at the benefits of high exam registration numbers that we also consider the consequences. There is a notion that scoring poorly on an AP exam causes no harm. Low scores on an AP exam do not have an adverse effect on a student’s transcript nor college application process since they are optional to send, so they have nothing to lose, right? Nothing except for two to four hours of time that would be spent in a classroom and a $100-$150 exam fee. If the school had accounts set aside to cover students’ testing fees, then the debate over mandatory testing would be a different story. But that’s just not a feasible reality in this district’s current condition. Beverly, it’s time to get our priorities straight. Non-passing AP scores, however much they may boost our school ranking, are not worth their ticket price.
is so reckless off of it? I’m sure the same question is going through the minds of Lakers officials and The Los Angeles Lakers are the teammates, who have some seriworst team in basketball. ous thinking to do about the future Even while the Philadelphia of their organization, which was 76’ers 10-68 record should, in going to be Russell, by the way. theory, condemn them to eterSure, Nick Young is a huge, nal suffering behind the gates of steaming piece of garbage for National Basketball Association cheating on his Hell, they manfiancé; most can age to somehow agree on that. be a better team But there’s a certhan the oncetain level of trust revered Lakers of that teammates LA fame. Sure, the have that goes Lakers do top the beyond the norSixers’ record by mal “bro-code.” six games (16-62, There’s a bond which really isn’t that ties players good), but I’m of the same team not measuring the together, one quality of these that should oftwo abhorrently ten be tested but bad teams by wins never be broken. and losses. No, RusI’m measuring sell, through isothese ballclubs by lation, has been their ability to act forced to become like a team, a real D’Angelo Russell can’t keep anything to himself. Illustration by: a lone-wolf of team. A team that MARTY SCHNAPP sorts, falling bebands together, a team with professionalism and in- public has been sternly against hind the pack as they throw their tegrity, a team composed of play- Russell’s infidelity (in favor of support fully behind Young, who ers who respect each other and Young’s?), the kickback in the has a knife wound in his back. Russell should be traded, and the locker room and within the Laktrust each other. It is in this measure where the ers organization has been even Lakers should try for a new start. Lakers fail miserably when put to stronger, with teammates report- Maybe Ben Simmons out of LSU the test; just ask D’Angelo Russell edly “isolating” Russell following is the guy, or Duke’s Brandon Inor Nick Young. Or Iggy Azalea, for the incident, according to multiple gram, but I just don’t see the pack ever re-welcoming Russell after news sources. that matter. Incidents like this one are a he’s betrayed their trust like this. For the non-basketball-inclined I wish you the best, D’Angelo, reader, I’ll clarify. Over the past huge cause for concern in my few weeks, the Lakers organiza- mind. What kind of a teammate maybe in Milwaukee, Indiana or tion has been forced to deal with can Russell be on the court if he Miami. Just not LA. Guy Ginsberg co-editor-in-chief
the justified fallout concerning D’Angelo Russell’s (Lakers rookie point guard) secretly-taken videotape (and videotape leak) of teammate Nick Young as Young self-incriminates himself as an adulterer, with fiancé Iggy Azalea his cuckold. While the response from the
Board should explore permits as enrollment drops Nirav Desai writer Ben Shofet reporter The Board of Education recently eliminated a significant number of full-time positions in an indirect response to consequences of the ongoing district-wide decline in enrollment. Though the motion will probably not exacerbate the slump, teacher layoffs cannot be the final solution to a problem that does not show any sign of improving. Rather, it is time for the board to explore the idea of resuming the diversity and legacy permit programs to ensure that the dropping enrollment dilemma does not claim any more victims. The loss of 16.4 faculty members around the district due to retirement, resignation or firing on March 8 has been the most blatant sign of collateral damage in a battle against declining enrollment that only spawned within the last several years. Coinciding with this downward trend was the rapid phasing out of students who did not live within Beverly Hills city limits but obtained diversity or legacy permits in order to attend school in BHUSD. Since these permits, awarded to ex-LAUSD students and descendants of city residents, respectively, were discontinued after the 2009-2010 school year, high school enrollment has fallen from 2,201 students in the spring of 2010 to 1,633 students in the spring of 2015, ac-
cording to School Accountabil- revenue limit. These districts, like public education system, BHUSD’s ity Report Cards (SARC) from the BHUSD, are allowed to keep all of enrollment dilemma dampens past six school years. their property tax revenue. They current talk of any fiscal upswing. This rapid 26 percent decrease receive from the state the statu- This is precisely where the reinin enrollment is something board tory minimum aid, called “Basic troduction of permit students into member Noah Margo attributes Aid.” This results in an extremely BHUSD could help solve the same to a similar decrease in funding high degree of dependence on local financial problem that initially led the district receives from the state, property taxes.” to their expulsion. saying, “the lack of state funding This controversial measure “That all depends on how long we was the driving force behind the spurred a mass exodus of non- remain a Basic Aid district. If we elimination of the permit pro- resident students whose families were to return to an Average Daily gram.” Attendance (ADA) According to the model we could jus“High school enrollment has tify accepting out of LA Times, California typically provides fallen from 2,201 students in the district students to roughly $6,200 in financially support aid to public schools spring of 2010 to 1,633 students in the educational profor each student atgramming,” Margo the spring of 2015” tending the school said. under the Average When asked if the Daily Attendance funding model. did not pay city property taxes, as board had considered bringing BHUSD opted out of this program these children were deemed too diversity and legacy permit stuin favor of a move to the Basic Aid expensive to enroll in the short- dents back into the fold, Goldstein model prior to the 2010-2011 fiscal term in the hope and expectation replied with a resounding “NO,” year in order to combat the effects that the district’s financial prob- and while there are valid concerns of the Great Recession. lems would not continue into the about such an action, those conBoard President Howard Gold- long-term. cerns will never be tested unless stein framed this decision as a nec“At the time I agreed with elimi- the board actively considers the essary evil, explaining, “BHUSD nating future permits, but thought move. does not have a choice whether that current permitted students “We need to study the trends, it is a basic aid district. The lo- needed softer exit strategy. Basic whether the declining enrollment cal property taxes of most school Aid chose us. We didn’t chose it. is long term issue or part of cyclidistricts are not sufficient to fund I would opine that it hasn’t been cal issue in a particular phase. I the state ‘revenue limit’ and so the as rosy as first thought, but we would prefer to wait until after state provides the balance or the are currently trying to adapt the our construction program is comrevenue limit amount. On the oth- budget to the realities. I also un- pleted and then follow the trend of er hand, approximately 80 of the derstand that if we were not Basic enrollment to make a determina1,000 school districts in the state Aid we would have an even smaller tion. We see students shifting in have local property tax revenues budget,” Margo said. and out of our schools that are curwhich, given their enrollment levThough the national economic rently in construction, completing els, result in dollars per Average recovery has led to small budget- construction or scheduled for conDaily Attendance which exceed the ary increases for the California struction,” Margo said.
Indeed, ongoing construction at the four K-8 schools may present some potentially confounding variables. However, El Rodeo and Beverly Vista have only experienced a combined four percent drop in enrollment since the termination of the diversity and legacy permit programs, according to those schools’ SARC forms. This figure represents less than onefifth of the decline in enrollment that the high school has experienced, even though construction has infamously been delayed here several times. Additionally, the pair of past permit programs had a positive correlation with increased rates of diversity and athletic success at the high school. Since 2010, the combined percentage of all nonCaucasian high school students in the district has dropped by 10.5 percent, a discouraging sign that should worry proponents of cultural exposure in one of the most ethnically diverse regions of the country. Additionally, the onceproud BHHS football team has clearly suffered in the years since the permit students’ exit. Surely, the prescription for a school district’s fiscal ailment should not include severe injuries to the district’s diversity and athletics programs. Instead, the Board of Education should take precautionary measures such as bringing permit students back home to BHUSD in order to prevent further financial issues.
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HIGHLIGHTS SPORTS April 8, 2016
Sophomore pursues future as yoga instructor Keith Stone opinion editor The anxious, stressed and constantly overwhelmed teen is one that sophomore RJ Kenneally rejects that mindset. He has discovered a wonderful new hobby in yoga and has thrown himself into the peaceful art wholeheartedly. Currently, Kenneally is 13 hours into an intensive yoga training program that he will leave with the ability to teach others and contort himself into incredible positions. “The class is 13 hours every weekend until the 200 hours are complete. There is a final exam and we have homework due
every week so it is like an actual class…During the week, the class requires I take complementary yoga classes at Yoga Works in order to implement what I am
learning,” Kenneally said. Not only is he unique at school for his devotion to yoga, but Kenneally is also special in his yoga class for his age and gender. “I am one of two guys and the only person under the age of 20. The teacher leading the class said I was the youngest she ever
had [take the Kenneally According to am Webster, yoga most basic form is keeping in good both mentally physically and Kenneally feels is truly geterything has to “Every pracyoga I m o r e strong and I feel more more calm each day as the meditation aspect builds awareness and pres-
class],” said. Merriin its about health a n d in this, that he ting evy o g a offer. day of ticing become flexible, healthy. a n d
ence of the mind. Therefore, every day I am less stressed and more relaxed in my body,” Kenneally said. Kenneally has ambitious plans for the future
a n d plans to continue yoga, which in his mind has been extremely beneficial in his daily life. Aside from 20 minutes of yoga flow in the mornings, foll o w e d by 10
minutes of meditation and then other, sporadic meditation throughout the day, Kenneally also hopes to “Someday teach yoga, nutrition and psycho ogy; all of which I believe go hand-in-hand. At some point I would even like to build my own brand based around yoga because it is on such a huge rise now in the West.” No matter what he plans to do with yoga in the future, Kenneally is loving it right now and his constant smile and cheerful personality have only gotten happier and kinder. To him, “Yoga creates an amazing sense of well being, and I am so happy and grateful to have it in my life.”
Swim sweeps San Pedro at home meet Softball beats Viewpoint Marty Schnapp editor-in-chief
for all season,” Ayzenberg said. “Personally, I swam well during the 200 [meter] free, and our 4x100 relay team made a comefrom-behind victory that was very exciting.” Last time the two schools faced off at the 2015 South Bay Invitational Tournament, San Pedro beat all four Beverly teams.
“We were able to turn the tables this year, which was awesome,” varsity co-captain Amy Okada said. “The frosh/soph is the strongest I’ve seen in my four years of high school, since I was always on varsity.” The swim team’s next first league meet is Thursday, April 14 at El Segundo.
The swim program swept San Pedro High School at home on Tuesday, with wins by the varsity and frosh/soph boys and girls teams. Final scorecards read 106-55 (varsity girls), 95-74 (varsity boys), 75-70 (frosh/soph girls) and 93-37 (frosh/soph boys). Boys varsity junior Greg Ayzenberg felt that the team swam well as a unit. Ayzenberg also swam with improved times in his own races, including a firstplace finish in the 200-meter freestyle individual race with a CIF-qualifying time of 1:51.00. “You really felt that team mentality that our coaches have been pushing Varsity boys line up for the 4x50 freestyle. Photo by MARTY SCHNAPP
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Lauren Hannani staff writer The girls varsity softball team pulled out a 10-1 victory against Viewpoint High School at home on Wednesday, April 6. Although they did not begin the game as strong as they anticipated, they dominated the last half of the game with a big win. “We started off the game kind of slow. We had to adjust to the faster pitching than we’re used to, but we eventually adjusted and we started hitting the ball a lot,” senior captain Madeline Tirella said. The team’s defense proved to be a beneficial part of the game as they became more familiar with their opponents’ skills. “Our defense was strong throughout the game and our offense grew stronger as the game progressed. We were able to advance our players on the bags to home,” junior Montana Logan said. Logan is not the only player who felt like the team had improved by the end of the game.
“By the third inning, we were all getting on base and getting base hits. Our defense was solid and we didn’t make any errors,” senior team captain Emma Carruth said. Tirella had two RBIs and senior centerfielder Abi Hakimi hit a triple, which helped keep the ball rolling as they successfully played together to defeat Viewpoint. “We were playing as a team,” Carruth said. “A few players started hitting really well today. They have been good, but today they did great.” The team’s current record is 8-2, losing only to Hawthorne and Santa Monica. “It felt good winning. I’m proud of my team; we have been working really hard on hitting and it showed today,” Carruth said. The girls varsity team’s next home game is scheduled for April 12 at 3 p.m., where they will be playing against El Segundo. Overall, the team is looking forward to testing their skills on the field and achieving many more victories in the following games.