highlights
March 31, 2017 Volume 90, Issue Ten Beverly Hills High School Beverly Hills, California beverlyhighlights.com
A Thousand Words: Late Night Vandalism
Students commuting to school on the morning of Wednesday, March 29, were greeted with a vandalized “BHHS” sign. The incident is still being investigated by authorities. Photo by: PRISCILLA HOPPER
Administration responds to tagging
Keith Stone editor-in-chief
Beverly was the target of a tagger the night of Tuesday, March 28. Taking advantage of the lack of students and security, a graffiti artist snuck onto campus and sprayed paint the Beverly Hills High School front lawn sign. It was discovered the next morning by security. They then notified Principal Jackson at around 7:00 a.m., and “at that time I called the BHPD. We have taken pictures of it and the police department is in the process of filing a report,” Jackson said. While the graffiti was quickly covered due to the explicit nature of the words brightly written
with red spray paint, word spread quickly around the school with multiple students posting about the incident on their Snapchat stories. The police and Jackson hope that they will be able to eventually determine a pattern between this tagging and other incidents that may happen in the future and charge someone for this crime. Eventually Jackson hopes to have Beverly “go after that person [the tagger] monetarily and criminally for tagging the sign.” If you have any information about who might have committed this act or any other relevant information, please contact the administration or the authorities.
INSIDE
this issue
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Life 101: Education prepares students for “real world”
@bhhighlights
Ben Dahan news editor Evan Minniti staff writer
Though the door of the home economics classroom has been permanently shut and the garage of what used to be an autoshop course was retooled for other purposes, the administration continues to attempt to instill in students “life skills” with which they can interact in the “real world.” For the purposes of this article, Highlights defines “life skills” as anything that helps students prepare for life after they have completed their education and enables them to become functioning members of society, “real-world.” High school principal David Jackson believes these skills a foundational pillar in the educa-
NEWS
Band performs at Page festival
tion the school provides students. “We want students to think about what they are doing in school and how it will affect what they will be doing after they graduate from BHHS and/or college,” Jackson said. There are many courses and programs, 10 of them under the umbrella of Career Technical Education (CTE, formerly referred to as ROP), in which students can learn about a career. These include robotics, culinary arts, audio production, entrepreneurship and more. Traditionally, that purpose was fulfilled by offerings such as home economics, which prepared students to be homemakers, and woodshop, which gave students technical skills. According to Jackson, as the state’s graduation guidelines changed, and deci-
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National Poetry Month
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sions were made, many of those courses were eliminated. However, according to CTE Coordinator Cindy Dubin, the loss of those “traditional” courses is made up by offering other options. “I think a lot of [preparing for adult life] depends on the path that a student takes, [whether] they can find time to incorporate some of our entrepreneurship classes, or maybe culinary arts, where they can learn how to cook for themselves, or learn something about finance,” Dubin said.
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SPORTS
Doubles duo dominates preseason Page
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www.beverlyhighlights.com
2 news Aca Deca wins at state competition Jamie Kim news editor The Academic Decathlon team traveled to Sacramento to compete at the California State Championship from March 23 to 26 over the spring break. The team received eight individual medals and placed 10th overall in Division 2, compared to last year’s finish as 14th place in Division 1. “I am proud of what our team accomplished at Sacramento because I know that all of them gave their best effort and enjoyed themselves during the competition,” senior Nandini Murali said. Team advisor Jeff Berkeley was also proud of the students’ determination, especially since many of them spent spring break studying and competing. “I think we did as well as we expected. I don’t think we had the overall talent that we had last year. But, I think we did all right since we brought home a few medals,” Berkeley said. Berkeley also said that while there were some members who performed highly, there were those who did not score as highly as they did in past competition. However, he remains optimistic for the future of the program. Since the summer, the team has been studying to gain a strong basic foundation of all 10 subjects, but started to pick up on its preparation after the county competition on Jan. 28 and Feb. 4, as
evidently split into two parts. At the county competition, the team placed sixth overall, allowing them to qualify for state. “For the month and a half between the county and state competitions, we each tried to focus on
always room to improve and I think that this year’s competition illustrated the correlation between achievement and dedication,” Murali said. “I’m sure the future team will find this to be true and see similar, if not better, results in the
leaving this family and this amazing learning environment in the near future,” Schwartz said. While the season is over, Aca Deca members will keep what they learned beyond the tests with them. In addition to mastering the 10 subjects regarding World War 2, they learned study skills and time management. “To me, Aca Deca has always been about the pursuit of curiosity. It was never about the score, nor was it even about the knowledge I gained, but rather about the drive to learn anything and everything, and to challenge myself in all fields of study,” Schwartz said. “Aca Deca has fostered the curiosity within me, and has helped me find a group of friends who are like-minded in my quest for knowledge.”
March 31, 2017 Highlights Highlights Keith Stone, Ben Shofet, Max Yera, Veronica Pahomova editors-in-chief
Priscilla Hopper, AJ Wolken, Evan Minniti, Isaiah Freedman, Sam Bernstein, Lauren Hannani, Rinesa Kabashi staff writers
Ben Dahan, Jamie Kim news editors
Vivian Geilim opinion editor
Eleanor Bogart-Stuart culture editor
Sophia Goldberg sports editor
Jason Harward design editor
Natasha Dardashti multimedia editor
Gaby Herbst Name
Awards
Eric Han
-bronze in math -bronze in speech
Nandini Murali
-bronze in music -bronze for third place overall in division/category
Sam Schwartz
-bronze in art -silver in economy -gold for being highest team scorer
Kairui Zhao
-bronze in essay
The Academic Decathlon team travels to Sacramento from March 21 to 26 to take part in the annual state competition for the sixth consecutive year in a row. Photo courtesy of: SAM SCHWARTZ. our weakest subjects. The county competition gave us a clear benchmark to make improvements on,” senior Sam Schwartz said. “In addition, we traveled up to Sacramento three days before the competition in order to cram.” The competition also served as a marker of how the team could improve for future years. “Like most successes, there is
following years.” This competition was bittersweet, as this would be the last time the seniors represented the Normans at an Academic Decathlon event. “As a senior, this competition was both a mix of relief and sadness. While I do feel as though a burden has been lifted off my shoulders, I am sad that I will be
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.
Band performs at festival, receives rankings Jason Harward design editor The Chamber Orchestra and Symphonic Band attended the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association all-day festival on Wednesday, March 29, in Walnut, California. Symphonic Band, the advanced band class, earned “Excellent” for its prepared performance and “Superior” for sight reading, while the Chamber Orchestra won “Superior” in both categories. Band director Bill Bradbury thought the band and orchestra had much to be proud of after their performances. “I thought both groups have their best performances today. I thought the evaluations were fair. I was most proud of both groups receiving ‘Superior’ in sight reading; it really shows that [my students] are responding and understanding to what I’m teaching,” Bradbury said. Senior trumpet player Nikki Melamed thought the band sounded great and was underwhelmed with the “Excellent.” “I feel like the band sounded great, possibly one of the best times we’ve ever played these songs, so I was a bit disappointed with our ‘Excellent’ rating,” Melamed said. “I felt like we put an insane amount of work into this, and with the talent in this group, I think we should have won a ‘Superior.’” Senior percussionist Jake Ka-
lichman enjoyed playing the rehearsed piece, an Irish tune called “Chorale and Shaker Dance,” as the group had been working it to perfection for months. “It’s always fun to perform a piece that you’ve been working on for a while. It’s the culmination of your hard work; it’s always great to see it pay off,” Kalichman said. The second competition, sight reading, is more challenging. In sight reading, the band must play a piece of music without any rehearsal. Senior violist Alyssa Meng thought the group played well. “Sight reading is always a challenge, but I felt we had a strong performance for sight reading too. Of course we had a few things to improve on, but after playing a few bars again with the judge, we were able to gain a much better understanding of the piece,” Meng said. Senior flutist Eunice Kim advised future festival attendees not only to really enjoy the experience, but also to be prepared. “It’s really important to practice a lot. Also, you should just have fun and not worry too much about the award,” Kim said. Meng agreed with her bandmate, saying festivals are about celebrating everyone involved. “The important thing is to be proud of what you and the group have been able to do with the piece,” Meng said. “Festivals are supposed to be a way to celebrate music and other talented.”
Conductor Bill Bradbury leads the band during the sight reading and practiced perfomances. Photo by: VERONICA PAHOMOVA.
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March 31, 2017 Highlights
SBAC: Sophia Goldberg sports editor After first being instituted in 2015, juniors and sophomores will take the California Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC) during the first two weeks of April. The online test measures competency in English and math for juniors, and science for sophomores. These scores do not determine a grade in a class and will not personally affect any student in scheduling the next school year or participating in school-sponsored events to come. According to various English and math teachers, students do not take this test seriously, since there is no immediate consequence for doing poorly. These standardized tests are very important to students’ post-secondary education and the level of college readiness Beverly provides to its students. These national assessments play an important role in determining college readiness and placement. Cal State and community colleges use the SBAC and other tests to rank high schools and compare curriculums and standards of high schools across the country, creating an even playing field for all applicants. If scores are low, our school ranking drops, and students may be required to take more English and math courses before either transferring from a community college or graduating from the program. According to the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) website, over 250 colleges use the SBAC test as a means of determining whether or not
more impactful than presumed
students are college-ready and prepared to work hard at their university. College readiness is an important factor for admissions offices to see if students can handle the workload at their respective school. Public and private colleges in California, Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Nevada, North and South Dakota, Oregon, Washington and West Virginia use these standardized test scores to create their student body, including a majority of the universities in the Cal State program. Per district data, last year, 86 percent of students either met or exceeded the English/Language Arts standards, up 22 percentage points from the 64 percent in 2015. Additionally, 65 percent of juniors met or exceeded the mathematics standards, as opposed to only 48 percent in 2015. These trends are amazing for our national ranking and raising our Academic Performance Index (API) score of 865 in 2013. If we continue to succeed and show that Beverly does prepare us for a post-secondary education, it will only be easier for students to apply to and be accepted to college. We must take this test seriously, and not blow it off as another random assessment that has no weight on our future. This test matters, and it is important for every student to do the best they can. You never know if your college admissions opportunities will come down to the ranking of your school, but make sure that if it does, you are in the best situation possible.
Photo by: VIVIAN GEILIM
Editorial Over the years, the college application process has garnered an overinflated sense of importance amongst students at our school. The staff of Highlights is here to convince the current and upcoming senior classes why it truly, sincerely, really, genuinely doesn’t matter where you end up going to college/university. (This is less of a band-aid for the rejections letters as it is a rude awaking for overheated, anxious students.) Students feel like they are unworthy, or even worse, ashamed if they have gotten into a college that has a high acceptance rate. One of the biggest misconceptions about the college application process is that the harder the school is to get into, the better job you will get and the more successful you will be. But that simply isn’t true. “Today, whether you go to college retains some importance in your employment options. But where you go to college is of almost no importance,” “Time” writer Michael Bernick wrote in his article titled “Decision Time: It
Doesn’t Matter Where You Go to College.” Author Gregg Easterbrook interviewed college officials throughout the country to assess these impacts. His conclusion: on a range of measures of job satisfaction, attendance at an elite college had little impact. Teenagers have forgotten that not everyone’s path looks exactly the same. High schoolers are blinded by the idea of “hard” colleges; we’ve developed a notion that the only route to true success is one of Ivy leagues and exclusive programs. Certainly, that may have worked for some. But you have to remember that the cliché remains true: different strokes for different folks. Different things work for different people. Last year, New York Times Op-Ed columnist Frank Bruni taught a course at Princeton and saw firsthand how many students view life as a series of challenges and as a set of hoops to jump through, and that getting into Princeton was one of these hoops. This is in refer-
ence to the fact that students nowadays are not living in the moment. They’re not enjoying their teen years, they’re not mindful of their genuine successes and they’re missing some of their most memorable years. “A significant number of students had put so much energy into getting in, and then getting ready for the next competition, the job,” he said, “that they didn’t save their best energy and best selves for tilling the four-year experience for what it’s worth.” Whether you are accepted or rejected from your dream school, it is important to remember that the school itself does not define who you are or what you will become. It boils down to this: success and happiness in life can be found not by the ranking of the school, but by the ambition and determination of your own person. As Bruni wrote in his book Our Crazy College Crossroads, “Your diploma is, or should be, the least of what defines you.”
March 31, 2017 Highlights
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spotlight 5
Life 101 : Preparing you for what really matters
Taxes are due on April 15... Would know what to do?
Dubin says that by utilizing those courses, and other available resources, students can get practical knowledge and experience. Casey Rowley, the college counselor, agrees, adding that these “pathways can be helpful” in pursuing careers and college. “Those courses, they are really half-academic and mostly project-based learning and realworld experience,” Dubin said. “When our culinary kids go out and cater events, like how they catered Career Day, that is an unbelievably practical experience. Doing meal delivery here, the kids make [food] for the faculty and charge money.” Wylie Pendarvis, a professional musician and graduate of the Class of 2014, credits this approach for helping him become a better musician. “I knew I wanted to do music, but at that point I was only a guitar player. I wanted to branch out…I was lucky enough to get placed in a class during my freshman year that was directly relevant to my future career,” Pendarvis said. Extracurricular programs on campus, such as robotics, Medical Science Academy and Highlights, similarly serve a similar purpose of preparing students for a career. “Robotics challenges us to deal with mechanical, electrical and design related problems, all of which prepare you for a career in engineering,” build President Robert Sher said. A program which Dubin confidently feels gives students an advantage in adulthood is Career Day, in which over 100 speakers explain to students their careers and career paths. According to Dubin, and many students, it is an incredible opportunity for students to gain insight into their prospective futures as well as to network with professionals.
“I thought career day is a great opportunity for students to learn more about the fields they are interested in. It’s also a valuable to network with professionals,“ junior Hyunjae Won said. In addition, Dubin feels that the program gives particular advantage to the students running the program, who learn valuable business and organizational skills. “Career Day is a student-run event, which to me, is a perfect example of kids learning about putting on an event…That is an unbelievable hands-on, real-world experience. Kids told me how empowered they felt. Many of them had a lot of adrenaline from being in on the inner circle, hosting over 110 visitors on campus, plus making sure the visitors felt good and everything was smooth,” Dubin explained. Pendarvis also said he was prepared to undergo complicated tasks that were demanded of adults, including what to do on Tax Day, April 15, which greatly assisted him as an adult. However, Jackson does not believe that learning about the “real world” is confined to specialized classes like Piano Workshop or programs like Career Day. “All of our courses should prepare students for real life in someway or another,” Jackson said. “We learn from history to not make the same mistakes, in english we learn how to communicate in writing and verbally, in math we learn how to estimate and [how to] actually calculate, science we learn how the world works, PE we learn how to live a fit life, in art we learn to appreciate the world around us.” Pendarvis believes he and other students were prepared for the world that awaited them, in large part due to their high school education. “I think Beverly was surprisingly good for dipping your toe in the water [of adulthood]. You see what it is kind of like,” Pendarvis said. “But once you have dived into the pool of the real world, it is a lot deeper than you would expect.”
Opinion Veronica Pahomova co-editor-in-chief Vivian Geilim opinion-editor
Illustration by: VERONICA PAHOMOVA
As the halls begin to fill with talk of college responses and future plans, there appears to be one seemingly unanimous mindset about the expected flow of life: high school-collegejob-family. Though the path seems quite simple and clear, this is surely not the road for many people. It’s understandable for the nation’s high school faculty to not know what lies between each step or what challenges those hyphens will come to represent, but there is no excuse for not preparing a fresh batch of adults for the the real world that may even force some to do something different from the preconceived course. That being said, it is vital for the high school education system--or at least us--to shift its focus from preparation for college to preparation for life. As a place of education, the main goal of a high school is to prepare its students for college, an even higher form of education which may allow them to garner the skills for a successful future. However, there seems to be a wellestablished notion in which many students are keenly focused: college acceptance. According to the Census Bureau, however, only about 30 percent of the U.S. population even graduates from college. While there is logic in a high school curriculum’s strenuous focus on college preparation, there is no sense in leaving 70 percent of Americans unaware of basic life skills for success when high school may be the majority of the population’s last legitimate form of schooling. Most of the American population attends high school, and eventually everyone has to live in the real world. In the curriculum a
school provides, the basic essentials to succeed in life are not adapted in our education and instead, students are forced to be hyperfocused on mathematics, English, science and history. However, with or without a college education, up-and-coming adults must learn the basic skills necessary to survive in a cold world of taxes, mortgage payments and fluctuating credit scores. What are those basic skills, one may ask? A few include the basics of how to file taxes, how to succeed in a job interview, how to create an impressive resume and how to build and maintain good credit. And though it is also the responsibility of parents and the internet to provide some information on these procedures, it is nonetheless reasonable to expect a lesson on these skills here and there from an institution we spend more time in than our own home. This is not to mitigate the actions that have been taken to ensure some occupational progression. The values of Career Technical Education (CTE) courses, such as robotics, culinary arts, KBEV and audio production, are recognized and utilized, but there must be a greater number of work/adulthood preparation courses that cover a more useful, generalized subject matter. Even revitalizing a required, semester-long contemporary home economics class would be undeniably beneficial to the student body. Times do change, but requirements will only increase in intensity. More and more will be expected from incoming adults, and high school graduates can not be expected to juggle an attempt to understand the shifting alongside an already plentiful amount of school work. That’s where high school, the last step of education for many, and the first step of livelihood for others, comes in. No one’s asking to whip out the babyfied sacks of flour, but some life tips would be very much appreciated.
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YOU
Inforaphic by: PRISCILLA HOPPER
6 culture
March 31, 2017 Highlights
National Poetry Month Norman Nation
in the
Natasha Dardashti multimedia editor
Roses are red, violets are blue, writers all over are celebrating National Poetry Month...are you? Since 1996, April has been deemed as National Poetry Month, encouraging writers across the country to pick up their pencils and jot down stanzas. Various types of student writers have conveyed their positive emotions toward poetry. “I like that you can paint such a vivid picture of things that could never really exist in the real world,” sophomore Alex Evans said. “If you were to be describing something abstract like love, you can change the words in a way that gives the reader an image of a glowing, living thing with its own aspects and even personality that you could not have if you were watching a video or reading fiction.” Besides the ability to base a poem off of abstract ideas, junior Tessa Rudolph states that writing poetry gives a certain freedom
that writing fiction does not. “I like the freedom it allows, whether with grammar or structure, but at the same time I like the constraints of such a short form,” Rudolph said. “It gives you the freedom to say anything you want, however you want, but it limits that to a few lines or stanzas.” Though she is primarily a fiction
freedom granted by poetry is vastly different from any other type of writing. While structure may be important in other pieces of writing, poetry is seen as flowing and relaxed. “Unlike writing essays or articles, it’s not something that requires perfect grammar or structure. What matter most is putting abstract thought into words,” sophomore Noelle Trost. Overall, student writers agree that poetry is an interesting form of writing in its flexibility. This month, Evans and Rudolph both stated that they would indulge in more poetry. “I’m going to read more poetry, maybe works by Mary Szybist or Ocean Vuong,” Rudolph said. “But otherwise, I think it’s silly to dedicate only a month to poetry and literature. They deserve a lifetime!”
“I think it’s silly to dedicate only a month to poetry and literature. They deserve a lifetime!” writer, Rudolph acknowledges the way that poetry has wholistically helped to improve her writing. “I’d say that writing and reading poetry has encouraged me to pay attention to minute details and images in my fiction. It’s taught me that there is more than one way to tell a story, not only through characters and dialogue, but also through images and turns of phrase,” Rudolph said. To most student writers, the
Photo by: KEITH STONE
Photo courtesy of: PIXABAY
Finish this poem! “Roses are red ,Violets are blue...” “I bought my yearbook, did you?”
“In February, I got the flu.”
- Head Librarian Daniel Bradford
Photo by: SOPHIA GOLDBERG
- Yearbook adviser Gaby Herbst
Photo by: VIVIAN GEILIM
culture 7
March 31, 2017 Highlights
‘Youth’ showcases new star talent Evan Minniti staff writer
The best films in the “historical epic” category are the ones that don’t necessarily focus on a huge historical event only for the sake of spectacle, but for the effect they have on the protagonist. “Testament of Youth”, Joe Kent’s adaptation of Vera Brittain’s internationally famous memoir, understands this well. Vera Brittain (Alicia Vikander) is a young, rich and intelligent woman growing up in the years before the First World War. Though she is undeniably spoiled, she is displeased with the bourgeois house-
wife lifestyle that seems destined for her. Vera seeks to attend Oxford as a way of escaping her parents and to eventually become a poet and suffragette. She spends her days enjoying the gorgeous Yorkshire countryside with her beloved brother Edward (Taron Egerton) and his best friend Victor Richardson (Colin Morgan). Eventually, Edward and Victory introduce Vera to Roland Leighton (Kit Harington), an aspiring poet. Roland and Edward encourage Vera to pursue her dreams, and Roland takes a fancy to her. Roland and
Vera soon decide they want to get married. World War I changes all this: Roland, Edward and Victor all go to fight in France, and Vera becomes a military nurse. “Youth” never shows com-
“A moving and humanistic tribute”
Photo courtesy of: FRANKIE FOUGANTHIN
bat, only its aftermath: Roland’s early optimism and boyishness are transformed into anger and cynicism; the hosts of young men marching off in uniform come back missing arms and legs; mud-
dy fields full of dying men. While a nurse, Vera treats German POWs as well as her own countrymen. Vera soon realizes that there is little difference between them but the languages they speak. The Germans and the British are both men who have been maimed physically and psychologically. This revelation, combined with the news of the deaths of people she loves, completely changes her worldview and her attitude toward the war. The performances in “Youth” are heart wrenching. Vikander proves to be one of the most talented actresses working right now.
Photo courtesy of: GAGE SKIDMORE
Vikander’s acting, combined with Juliette Towhidi’s screenplay, are what propel the whole movie. With that said, Egerton and Morgan are incredibly believable and sympathetic. Harington, nearly unrecognizable without his long hair and beard, is absolutely astounding. He animates Roland with so much humanity, it is tragic to see his character’s degeneration as the film progresses. Full of wonderful performances, fantastic cinematography and Max Richter’s powerful musical score, “Youth” is a moving and humanistic tribute to Brittain and her account of the Lost Generation.
Photo courtesy of: GAGE SKIDMORE
ALICIA VIKANDER
Kit Harington
ALICIA VIKANDER
Vikander is fantastically moving. Her performance as Brittain might be her best.
Harington breaks typecast as Roland. Roland’s transformation from poet to soldier is heartwrenching.
Egerton’s Edward balances between Vera’s headstrongness and Roland’s humanity.
Vera Brittain
ROland leighton
Edward Brittain
Overhyped ‘Iron Fist’ falls flat Keith Stone editor-in-chief
While music blasts from behind “Iron Fist”, the new Netflix addition to the Marvel universe, is a poor copy of “Iron Man” from the main character’s name (Iron Fist, Iron Man) to the status of both Tony Stark and Danny Rand as billionaires. This show could’ve been good. Excitement was high as Netflix usually produces excellent shows like “House of Cards”, Orange is the new Black”, and has even previously put out a good superhero show in the form of Marvel’s “Luke Cage”. However, sloppy action and poor acting combine to form a lethal combination. Danny Rand returns to the multi-billion dollar company that bears his name after being presumed dead with both his parents after a devastating plane crash brought them crashing down into icy mountains. Of course, in that
time period he has been trained extensively by warrior monks and now possesses martial arts ability that ordinary people can only dream of. Not only is he an incred-
In this day and age that’s a bit of a hot button issue. Then there is the matter of the actual fight scenes. Even to the untrained observer (which I am) it is obvious that Danny Rand is not nearly as good as he should be. To be essentially the greatest fighter in the Marvel universe, he should be able to defeat all adversaries with relative ease. However, he struggles mightily on multiple occasions and he struggles in spectacular fashion. The action is somewhat forced and sloppy and is not the crisp gritty martial moves that Marvel fans have come to expect. This show disappoints on many levels, from the acting to the storyline to the basic personality of the characters. If you haven’t started it, don’t. If you have, cut your losses and head to another great Netflix show like “Fauda”.
“If you haven’t started it, don’t. If you have, cut your losses...” ible fighter but he also has magical power in his fist and a heart of gold to back it up. This should’ve made for an interesting 13 episodes. However, Danny Rand’s hippy/ homeless clothing and facial hair don’t endear him to the viewer and his lack of qualifications don’t do him any favors. He steps in and takes over a gigantic company solely on the basis of his last name.
Photo courtesy of: MARVEL PRESS RELEASES
8 sports
March 31, 2017
Highlights
Doubles duo dominates preseason Jason Harward graphics editor In an overall underperforming preseason for this year’s boys varsity tennis, the doubles team composed of sophomore Andrew Liner and junior Jackson Stewart has been a bright spot and, sometimes, the only winning group for the team. Stewart heavily complimented his partner, saying Liner’s competitiveness and love of tennis make the team work. “I like playing with Andrew because he is very focused on and off the court. He is very athletic, as well as really good at doubles,” Stewart said. “We are both really competitive and love tennis.” Stewart enjoys his partner’s ability to adapt to the match, as well as the pair’s skills to effectively communicate during each round. “Liner and I have also just learned our new system of signal-
ing when we are serving. It’s similar to how pitchers communicate with catchers using hand signals, and in our case the volleyer uses these signals really well,” Stewart said. Liner also enjoys the connection between the teammates, saying they play very well together and are not selfish. “Playing with Jackson is different than playing with anyone else. We push each other to do better and better. We try to set each other up a lot for points and it’s really beneficial for our team,” Liner said. Varsity tennis player Michael Huang agreed with Stewart’s opinion, saying the doubles team has been very impressive. “They work amazingly well together. When they play, they seem to motivate each other,” Huang said. Stewart is very optimistic about
Stewart and Liner warm up at La Cienega Tennis Center on Thursday, March 30. Photo by: MICHAEL HUANG
Ocean League. Though he and Liner went 5-4 against very tough preseason opponents such as Mira Costa and Harvard Westlake, Stewart thinks Ocean League will be much smoother for the duo. “We have been playing every day and our serves have been getting really good,” Stewart said. “In ten-
Natasha Dardashti multimedia editor
nis, you need a solid return and serve, and once we both have big serves, I believe we will go undefeated when we start Ocean League next week.” The varsity boys tennis team will take on El Segundo at home in their first league match on Tuesday, April 11.
In their second league game, the girls varsity lacrosse team fell to Santa Monica High School 4-11. The game was at home. Though the loss seemed discouraging, attacker Sophia Martin managed to see a winning side for the team. “I think that we did play a great game and our teams are evenly matched,” Martin said. “Next time I think we stand a fighting chance.” Before games, co-captain Sarabeth Tansey attempts to excite the team by leading loud cheers at the beginning of each game. The cheer consists of a phrase that progressively gets louder, along with hyperactive jumping. “In order to pump up, we talk about our goals for the game and we do a big cheer in the beginning,” Tansey said. “We just really
want the girls to feel excited for the game.” Martin hopes that the team can work together in making plays, which should ultimately improve their scores. In future games, Martin wants the team to be cohesive with communication. “Next time we need to work as a team to create plays. Also, we need to become more unified to score goals,” Martin said. Despite the low score, Tansey anticipates higher scores as league play continues. She hopes for future successes in games, but understands that the score does not determine true victory. “My hopes for the next game are that we play as a team and communicate,” Tansey said. “I hope we don’t get discouraged by the score.” The next varsity girls lacrosse game is at 3:00 today at El Segundo High School.
Taft transfer January arrives in March Isaiah Freedman staff writer Coach Jarvis Turner has done it again. In 2015, it was 6-foot-11 inch center Chance Comanche. In 2016, 6-foot-7 shooting guards Maddox and Mason Daniels, and, in 2016, 6-foot-8 center Ron Artest III. Now, for the upcoming 2017 season, sophomore Antwan January will don a Beverly Hills basketball uniform. At 6-foot-10 inch and 250 pounds, January, who transferred from Taft High School on March 20 due to the long commute to school every day, announced his enrollment into Beverly on Twitter. He attended his first day of school March 28. Not only is the commute much
shorter, but January’s older brother, Anthony, helped him with the process of growing familiar with the coaching staff through his relationship with Turner. “The location is definitely more convenient here. Also, the great coaching. My brother [Anthony] knows Coach Turner well, so it was nice to be familiar with him,” January said. Some of January’s new teammates are thrilled about the big man’s arrival, among them sophomore guard Kevin Cho and freshman forward Albert Fallas. “I am super excited to play with Antwan. He is a fantastic addition to the team. Hopefully I can throw him some lobs next year,” Cho said, smiling his trademark grin. Fallas, like many other players,
hits
On Wednesday, March 29, varsity baseball beat Hamilton 2-1 at home.
Girls varsity lacrosse falls to Santa Monica
TOP: Defender Alex Vujovic warms up against goalie Rose Gifford. BOTTOM: Co-captain Abby Kolko practices her shot on Gifford at practice on Thursday, March 30. Photo by: NATASHA DARDASHTI
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noticed a big hole at the center position needed to be filled with Artest III graduating this spring. “I love that Antwan is on the team now. We really need someone to replace Ron, and I could not be happier that Antwan is here. I don’t know him well yet, but I can’t wait to play alongside him next year, which is going to be awesome,” Fallas said. January’s skill set (shot blocking, rebounding and interior scoring) will be greatly needed in a starting lineup that lost a lot of height. The guard spots are set with the returning backcourt of Cho and junior Daniel Zahabian. Sophomore Chandler Sooferan will remain at power forward. Coach Turner is always mum on his lineups before the season, but
the two players in contention for the starting small forward position are juniors Jeron Artest and Sean Mehrara, who suffered an injury-riddled campaign this past season. When Turner was informed of January’s pending transfer to Beverly at the annual end-of-season banquet, he grinned. “Yes, I may have heard about that,” Turner smiled. Having a talent like January around for the next two years is beneficial for the basketball program. While January has marveled at the size of Beverly’s sprawling campus so far, he is already warming up to it. “I’m very excited for next season and looking forward to the experience,” January said.
Varsity golf beat North Torrance 225-243 on Tuesday, March 28.
Boys varsity lacrosse takes on El Segundo today at 6:00 pm at home.
Girls varsity lacrosse lost 4-11 Santa Monica Wednesday, March 29.
To begin league, varsity softball played Lawndale yesterday.
Varsity swimming takes on Torrance High School at home April 6.
Boys varsity tennis has their next match at Loyola High School on April 6.
Varsity track and field competes today in a weekend-long tournament at Trabuco Hills High School.
Facing Windward High School at home, boys varsity volleyball next plays on April 4. Check next print cycle, coming out on April 14, to receive more sports updates. To see other sports coverage and sports game recaps on your favorite Norman sports team, check
www.beverlyhighlights.com.