highlights
April 28, 2017 Volume 90, Issue Thirteen Beverly Hills High School Beverly Hills, California beverlyhighlights.com
Proposed position Normans shine at Skills USA GOLD divides district Broadcast
Max Yera co-editor-in-chief A new administrative position has been approved by the district. The position, whose title is formally called the Communications Director, was first proposed in February of this year. Though the position has not officially been filled, the person, an unnamed individual not yet released to the press, has been selected. “The position has been approved to fill the vacancy, but the actual person has not yet been approved formally by the Board of Education,” superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy said. “Several rounds of interviews have taken place and the person has been selected. I am in the middle of conducting reference checks on the candidate.” In regards to what the District has been looking for in the candidate to fill the new position, Bregy has expressed a need for innovative ways to share information. “People aren’t reading newsletters anymore. We can send out information about our finances, but people are just not responding anymore to those traditional
methods, so we need somebody that has experience in video, and not only content but also editing, to help get out our message because instead of a long newsletter, short bursts of information are much better if you’re going to be talking about programs or cuts or construction,” Bregy said. The Beverly Hills Education Association, the teacher’s union, has expressed concern over the new position, citing a budget crisis as a poor time to expand administrative positions. “The position of BHEA is not that we are against the district having a Communications Director; the position has always been that because we are going through layoffs right now and teachers’ positions and instructional assistants’ positions are being threatened, it is not a good time to expand the administrative team while that is going on,” BHEA President Telly Tse. According to the listing on the district website, the position’s salary will be $110,000-$120,000 per year, and a date for approval of the candidate is yet to be set.
“It is critical to share this information with our internal stakeholders...so that we can obtain their input on how to best move forward.” -Superintendent Michael Bregy
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What is the Communication Director? • Position designed to improve communication between district and community • Comes during an uncertain financial time • $110,000 to $120,000 per year • Similar administrative position existed under ex-superintendent Dr. Gary Woods, and was later discontinued
INSIDE
Ben Cohan (10) Jordan Kramer (10), Sophia Martin (11), Gabrielle Urman (9)
Audio/Radio Ryan Dubin (9) Marcello Terasi (12)
Community Service Ryan Dubin (9) Jonah Okum (10) Christian Ulirsch (11)
BRONZE Broadcast The broadcast team consisting of Jordan Kramer, Gabrielle Urman, Sophia Martin and Ben Cohan celebrate their gold medal at the Skills USA state competition. “Honestly winning was one of the most special moments of my life,” Martin said. “I had no idea that we were going to win so it came as a big surprise.” The team will advance to Nationals in Kentuck in late June. Photo courtesy: CINDY DUBIN
Bregy brings tech changes to admin Jamie Kim news editor When superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy first entered the district, he outlined his inital plan of action to be to listen and learn from the current district leadership in order to help him make the best decisions. As his first 100 days in the district draw near, it seems that his goal remains the same, as he implements more changes behind-the-scenes. Even before he arrived to Beverly Hills, Bregy expressed his belief that in order to have a successful district, there must be successful leadership, which he is currently working to improve. One of his priorities in making the district administration function is teamwork, which he believes can even improve through altering physical space.
NEWS
“I see a greater need for collaboration in our daily routines instead of departments making independent decisions. Our district office physical set-up does not foster communication because we are separated by different floors, different buildings,” Bregy said. “Since this is not going to change in the very near future we must change the way we talk to one another and how we are currently sharing information.” While Bregy conceded that it is important for administrators to have private spaces to make phone calls and having meetings, overall, everyone must be working in a collaborative environment.
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Bridgette Fussman (9) Christian Ulirsch (12) Leila Vahabzadeh (11) Eva Danesh (9)
Culinary Arts Ethan Eils (11)
ON THE WEB April 18-24
Artists explain meanings behind pieces for art festival Natasha Dardashti multimedia editor
‘DAMN.’ showcases a vengeful, angry Kendrick Lamar Jason Harward design editor
Guerilla Tacos is the best food truck in L.A. Isaiah Freedman staff writer
SLAG motivates young readers Priscilla Hopper staff writer
Congresswoman Bass answers students Ben Dahan news editor
Finals after AP exams, recipe for disaster Keith Stone co-editor-in-chief
These stories and more at: beverlyhighlights.com
SPOTLIGHT SPORTS
this issue
Photo courtesy: beverlyhills.org
Meet Mayor Lili Bosse
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Earthquake Safety
Photo courtesy: conservation.ca.gov
Pages 4-5
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Boys baseball defeats SAMO
Photo by: Sophia Goldberg
Page 8
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“You have to spend a little money in order to get a return back for what you’re asking for. This is not a problem we can just solve internally. We need our entire community, and the only way we are going to get out to the community is to have somebody help us and market us, and have contacts,” Bregy said. “Let us show you how this will work and how different this will be, and I wasn’t here for the last position, but we have a desperate need to share our information, and as far as the salary, there’s an industry standard for every job. I will not be able to get the same quality person if it was less than that.” The administration has also affirmed that the District’s financial challenges are one reason such a position that focuses primarily on communication between administrators and the community at large is necessary. “Our District’s financial challenge is not a myth, but if you ask
Bregy
continued from page 1 “We are struggling for space at the district office, so I replaced my desk and table with a large collaborative table for 10 to 12 people. It’s a tight fit but we can now work together as a team in a collaborative setting,” Bregy said. “Sometimes you need to move beyond the traditional approaches we have been using and change the physical settings of our offices.” Bregy said that this type of office change-up should be happening relatively frequently in the classrooms, as “the days of having traditional rows of desks does not encourage or support the type of collaboration that should be occurring in the classroom.” Another one of the updates Bregy has made is to more than double the number of administrators who attend the superintendent’s cabinet meetings, greatly increasing the amount of people present. Upon his arrival, the cabinet team consisted of only three chiefs: Yolanda Mendoza, Chief Human Resources Officer, Dr. Jennifer Tedford, Chief Academic Officer and La Tanya Kirk-Carter, Chief Administrative Officer. “I believe in having more voices at the table, especially leaders in our school district who are making district-level decisions. I have now included the Director of Technology, Directors of Special Education and [Director of] Construction and Facilities to the same table – we are the district team,” Bregy said. Tedford said that Bregy’s efforts have allowed for a “greater degree of input and online collaboration with administrators.” “We can always improve in this area, and I look forward to con-
April 28, 2017 Highlights students, staff, parents and community members to share further information about our challenges you will be hard pressed to find anyone that has relevant and comprehensive information about this very serious topic,” Bregy said. “It is critical to share this information with our internal stakeholders, students and staff, and our external stakeholders, parents and community members, so that we can obtain their input on how to best move forward.” A similar administrative position previously existed under the tenure of Dr. Gary Woods, who served as the District’s superintendent from 2011 to 2015. The position was ultimately cut, but Bregy insists that this new communications director will be far more innovative. “What I’ve heard about that position is that that position was more of a traditional position with sending emails and press releases,” Bregy said. “It wasn’t a visionary position. It wasn’t one that evoked any type of innovation, and there weren’t any issues in the District either.”
tinuing on the path of improved communication,” Tedford said. Administrative assistant Pam Kraushaar also said that while Bregy’s changes are geared to build more unity within the administration, Bregy’s predecessor, Steve Kessler, also attempted to do much of the same in terms of collaboration. “For me, nothing has changed. I had a great working relationship with Mr. Kessler and I have a great working relationship with Dr. Bregy. Both superintendents include me and ask me for my opinion on different matters. It has always been a team effort and I still love coming to work each day,” Kraushaar said. Additionally, Bregy plans to integrate more and various technological advancements into how the district administration functions. “Communication is critical in our organization and we are not doing this effectively. Our first priority is sharing information internally with our staff and then externally to parents and the community,” Bregy said. To improve the collaboration among the superintendent cabinet, members have increasingly begun to use the online document sharing program, Google Docs. For example, they have a document called “Board Connection” to communicate with the board members on a weekly basis. “Dr. Bregy is innovative and technology-savvy. The ‘Board Connection’ is a means of updating board members weekly on every department of the district, obtain their questions and comments, and respond. It is an incredible time-saver and means of communicating,” board president Mel Spitz said. “This resource has been incredibly underutilized in our
Venoco files for second bankruptcy Jamie Kim news editor
Venoco, the energy company that operates the oil wells located on Olympic Boulevard, filed for a second bankruptcy on April 17. Venoco first filed for bankruptcy in 2016 as part of a plan for reorganization, but the most current plan calls for a complete dissolution of the company and its assets, according to the Beverly Hills Unified School District’s statement released on April 17. “Today’s filing is the result of unfortunate circumstances impacting the company’s financial strength, including the ongoing closure of Plains All American Pipeline’s Line 901,” Mike Wracher, Chief Operating Officer of Venoco, said in Venoco’s press release. “Despite these considerable efforts, our financial position now compels us to take this action.” According to the district state-
ment, the administration is currently having discussions with city government officers and those from Venoco to “ensure that the safety of students, residents and visitors are protected through this period of transition.” “The key issue for the District is to ensure that the condition of the wells continue to be monitored to ensure public safety and that the Venoco’s obligations to fully decommission the wells and to restore the condition of the property to its original condition are fully performed,” Superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy said in the district press release. According to the district statement, “the district is engaged in dialogue with Venoco, as well as with the different governmental and private agencies to ensure that the necessary work is performed and that adequate funding is available, as necessary.”
district and we need to step up ‘training’ so more staff are using programs developed by Google. They are simply amazing, easy to use and increase collaboration, communication with each other,” Bregy said. Furthermore, Bregy plans on creating more Google Doc collaborations, such as “Leadership Connection” where administrators can communicate with one another and “Staff Communication” where administrators can communicate with staff on a
weekly basis, to be used starting August 2017. All the changes Bregy has implemented reflect the importance he places on collaboration. “I enjoy bringing an idea to a team and then have everyone ‘beat it up’ a little and add their thoughts. The best projects are ones that come in with a solid foundation, but come out of the group a completely different look and feel to it,” Bregy said. “I enjoy when projects have everyone’s fingerprints on them.”
Highlights Keith Stone, Ben Shofet, Max Yera, Veronica Pahamova 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 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.
Correction: In the April 14 edition, the photo for the lacrosse article on the sports page should be credited to Sayeh Rahbari.
A Thousand Words: Madrigal’s Disney World
A happy group of Madrigals poses wildly in front of the Epcot Monorail in Disney World. The singing group was in Orlando for a festival. Photo courtesy of: Lauren Aviram.
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April 28, 2017 Highlights
Mayor Bosse has BOLD new plans for Beverly Hills Benjamin Dahan news editor Mayor Lili Bosse, in her second term as the mayor of Beverly Hills, has exciting plans to lead the city forward into the future and improve the quality of life for its residents. One of her priorities is the launch of the Business Open Later Days (BOLD) initiative, which would extend the operating hours of stores and restaurants in Beverly Hills. She figures that this will work to increase the amount of shopping and commerce the city experiences at night. “I think Beverly Hills has been somewhat notorious for closing down at 6 p.m. The city pretty much goes to sleep. With the reality of [competition from the] Westfield [shopping center], the Beverly Center and the Grove, we now have to change the culture of Beverly Hills and have more of a nightlife and experience the evenings,” Bosse said. “It is a wonderful initiative that I think the city is ready for.” Bosse’s colleagues on the City Council embrace the initiative as a collective priority. The members of the City Council agree with Bosse’s attempts to enact change in the city. “The City Council has tried many times to encourage the business community to stay open later. We want to dispel the idea that we roll the sidewalks up at 6 p.m.,” Vice Mayor Julian Gold said. “I am op-
timistic that we will be successful this time [in] making it happen.” An “A plus plus” priority for Bosse is protecting tenants and renters. Bosse spearheaded the effort to pass a temporary rent control ordinance, which passed unanimously in January, that lowered the cap on increasing rent from 10 percent to three percent, and looks forward to pass a “winwin” final ordinance in her term. “There’s a misconception that Beverly Hills is just a city of wealth and high net worth, and that’s absolutely not accurate, which is also why providing housing for all levels of economic situations is a priority for me to provide for a diverse community,” Bosse said. Bosse is also dead set on making her city government more transparent and making the various elected officials more accesible to members of the public. This year, she has introduced the practice of televising the Mayor’s Cabinet Meetings, which typically feature reports from the chairs of various city commissions, such as planning or traffic and parking. The city has also begun to publish the city council members’ calendars, which detail with whom they are meeting. “Transparency is an overused word which today means different things to different people,” Gold said. “In the end, the functioning of local government is by and for its residents and to the extent that those residents are informed about what is going on and participate in
Mayor Lili Bosse
Fast Facts:
beverlyhills.org
-Beverly Hills native -25 years experience serving the community -Elected to Beverly Hills City Council in 2011 -Serving second term as mayor on the Beverly Hills City Council -Pioneered establishment of the city’s first dog park and the Roxbury Park Community Center reconstruction project
those decisions.” Making herself accessible to residents is a priority for Bosse. She frequently gives out her cell phone number and is active on social media. During her first term as mayor in 2014, she began “Walk with the Mayor,” in which she, and the succeeding mayors, spend their Monday mornings walking the streets of the city with citizens and visitors. “We walk the city, showcase businesses. We visited all the schools and landmarks, really getting a feel for the community,” Bosse said. “I think for a very long time people have seen City Hall as to be behind closed doors. This is a way that people can come to talk to the mayor; every Monday they know where to find me.” Being raised in the city she now leads has deeply influenced Bosse and the policies she pursues. She went to school at Beverly Vista and Beverly, as did her two sons. Prior to joining the City Council in 2012, she served on the Traffic and Parking Commissions and the Planning Commission for six years, as well as the Fine Arts Commission for one. Her campaign’s color during her first run for a seat on the council was orange, to reflect that of Beverly. “I’m homegrown. My value system and nature, the fiber of who I am, is this community. I think it’s very important to be a very open community leader, whether you are involved in the school or the city [and] that you have this sense
of community pride and this sense of connectedness,” Bosse said. “Everything that I am and who I am is because of my experiences growing up here.” Bosse believes her city’s neighborly feel and open-embrace of tourists and visitors to be its defining characteristic. “Beverly Hills has a reputation for being a world class city, but it’s primarily because of the people that live here and that we embrace having people experience that,” Bosse said. “What makes our city so special and unique is that you can walk down the street and know your neighbor. I welcome that connection.” Bosse, who has sat on the City Council for six years, maintains that her motivations behind her policies is to better the city and constituents that she loves. “It’s all about promoting our community. Promoting our business. Promoting openness and relationships with City Hall. We are a world famous city,” Bosse said. “But we are also a family.” The mayor has a particular eye on the young members of the community, especially its students. “My passion is our schools and community. I want the students of Beverly to know that I am really looking out for them and their schools,” Bosse said. “If they have any suggestions on what we can do to make Beverly Hills better for the next generation, then I am more than willing and ready to be a partner with them.”
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April 28, 2017 Highlights
Sophia Goldberg sports editor Jamie Kim news editor Built in 1927 with French Normandy style architecture, the original foundation of Beverly has attracted community members and tourists. More recently, however, the safety of such antique infrastructure has become a concern. In light of April being Earthquake Preparedness Month, Highlights looked into the state of Beverly’s current buildings and how they would fare in the case of an earthquake, and what the city and school leaders would do to ensure the safety of everyone. Current infrastructure Director of Maintenance and Operations Gino Garcia believes that as a whole campus in its current state would be able to withstand a mild earthquake, but would most likely retain serious structural damage if a larger earthquake were to hit before renovations are completed. “It is tough to say because I’ve seen the worst of it. I’m going to say yes, I think the buildings would withstand an earthquake, but anything other than mild I don’t think so. The buildings are just too old,” Garcia said. “I don’t want to send anyone into a panic, but in my opinion, a large earthquake will beat us. The rain beat us up pretty bad, imagine what an earthquake will do. The buildings need attention.” With the main building’s infrastructure being nearly a century old, the school may not structurally withstand a major earthquake. This concern prompted the current modernization efforts. “The buildings are built really tough, but when you are coming up on 100 years, I don’t care how good you are. If something does come, we need to be able to hopefully withstand the majority of it,” Garcia said. “It’s time; it needs to be done. We’re at a point now where the school needs not just a facelift, but it needs a remodel.” This remodeling that Garcia speaks of is why the school is currently in various stages of construction. However, there is significantly less concern over the safety features of the bungalows in the event of an earthquake. The newer, lighter rooms are designed to survive a serious earthquake threat with minimal structural repercussions.
EARTHQUAKE
SAFE A R E WE R T E A D Y? Y MONT H
“With the wood frame and metal frame structures that are single-story, [the bungalows] are pretty forgiving when it comes to earthquakes, so I think those should be fine during a major earthquake,” Garcia said. Additionally, the Science and Technology Center (STC) building was newly built in 2007, which makes it one of the safest locations on campus. How we prepare and educate
In order to educate students about how be behave and be prepared during an earthquake, the administrators hold drills and have informational flyers in classrooms. House B Assistant Principal Phil Wenker and House C Assistant Principal Mark Mead worked together to plan out earthquake safety drills and site safety plans, including the annual California Great Shakeout Drill. “Earlier in the year, we had the Great Shakeout. What you probably don’t know is we do a comprehensive school site plan and a comprehensive school safety plan that incorporates what to do in all sorts of emergencies, including earthquakes and other natural disasters. We have protocols in place that we move into when we have to when a situation arises,” Wenker said. This year, Mead updated evacuation escape routes to align with the school configuration changes from the remodeling and revised evacuation patterns related to teacher pairs. . “One teacher receives another class’s class in order to supervise them when the other teacher can go into search and rescue. So we have a search and rescue team, we have a reunion gate team, so we spent a good deal of time making sure that teachers were aware of their evacuation routes and their assignments during an emergency,” Mead said. Mead is confident that the teachers are well prepared for their respective duties. “I do think our staff is well versed on what to do. On that one Great Shakeout Day, we did check to see that the teachers were in the right spots, that they knew their emergency partners, and we had a remarkable degree of success even with the new teachers,” Mead said. Furthermore, Wenker and Mead
SAFETY TIPS
upgraded the stock supply of what the school would need during an emergency. “We also did a thorough inventory of our three emergency bins. We made sure that we had the supplies that we need for the search and rescue teams,” Mead said. “We actually moved a bunch of the stuff to better suit where our emergency team would be. We also are well versed in what we have for an emergency.” Wenker urges students to use the earthquake safety drills as time to understand how to be safe and prepared in the case of a natural disaster. “I think the Great Shake is a good wakeup call for everybody. It kind of wakes up the whole state. That’s why on that date you saw kids go where they need to go and take it seriously. It’s a good drill for everyone to participate in because the reality is we all know that by living in California those things can happen,” Wenker said. Wenker also establishes set policies and roles for each of the teachers and administrators on campus. All staff members have specific jobs and groups to make sure everyone is out of harm’s way. Regularly scheduled maintenance checkups are done on the buildings around campus to verify the safety of the current infrastructure and document any damage created in the event of a natural disaster. “Any time something hits, we go out and check all the usual suspects. We just kind of check the areas that we know had issues and visually inspect everything,” Garcia said. “If there is more damage or sustained damage, I would obviously report it and let the fire department know that this might not be a safe place to enter.” Future plans Due to construction, some of the
ways in which the staff ensures the safety of everyone need to be altered. “I would think because of construction, we make sure to revise the plan a little bit to make sure we have the correct routes we need. It’s not stuff we need to improve, but stuff that needs to happen every year because we do it anyway, but more specifically because the buildings are changing,” Wenker said. Pamela Johnson, the current district facilities consultant, briefly describes the history of earthquake safety regulations, following the collapse of many school buildings during the 1933 earthquake in Long Beach. Since then, state legislation has defined specific requirements schools must comply to in order to ensure the safety of the students and staff inside those buildings. “Within a month of the 1933 earthquake, the state legislature passed the Field Act, which established the floor safety code. Now you have build any public buildings to this standard. Since 1933, usually every time there’s another earthquake, the Field Act has become more restrictive and the standards are higher and higher and higher,” Johnson said. “What’s important to note, and what I think is interesting, is that since the passage of the Field Act in 1933, there has not been one fatality from an earthquake or fire. So, it’s working.” Johnson explains that the Division of the State Architect (DSA) is in charge of making sure the updated safety codes of the Field Act are being used during any modernization process. Beverly is currently in that situation, where construction must include raising the safety standards of the new infrastructure to meet those of
• When in a crowded public place, stay calm and still, and do not rush for the doorways
the Field Act revisions and the structural standards in Title 24. “The process is once the architect designs the plans, those plans have to go to the DSA. It takes months to get through the three divisions. Once the DSA approves the structural plans and construction begins, the district is required to hire a DSA inspector that’s on the site all the time, and the inspector watches every aspect of construction,” Johnson said. At the same time, Garcia stressed the need for modernization to happen because of the deterioration of the foundations of many of the original buildings. “Hopefully, we can all get together and just make sure that the buildings at this point need to be taken care of. We’re fighting a losing battle. There’s too much maintenance and upkeep for us to be able to do it,” Garcia said. “At some point, it’s the difference between having a Sony Walkman and an iPhone. They work and do what they need to do, but we’re at the time and point when we need to upgrade.” John Serdar, Senior Project Manager of Totum Project Management, is responsible for the design of the new buildings undergoing modernization.
While working with the structural engineers at Totum, Serdar aims at bringing Beverly’s infrastructure up to modern safety codes to ensure the new buildings will be safe in the event of an earthquake. “What the structural engineers attempt to achieve is to bring the buildings up to current codes. They are currently increasing the footing size to current standards. They’re adding new shear walls in strategic locations. In a concrete building, it could be another concrete wall that braces the building laterally. It’s just a big structural wall. When you add the weight of the concrete, you also need to add the appropriate footings,” Serdar said. “Secondly, they introduce four in-ceiling diaphragms. If the floor might be weak, they might need to go and increase the thickness of the floor.” Furthermore, Garcia believes that the benefits for everyone’s safety will soon become apparent after construc-
• When in a building, stay away from windows and do not use the elevator
tion finishes in a steady and efficient manner. “We are a work in progress. I think that the construction had so much to do with what’s going on right now in every aspect in everything. Instead of trying to do everything at once, I think we should focus on one piece and try to knock it out one at a time. We’ll get there,” Garcia said. Garcia feels confident in the condition of the school today, but looks to the future as a time to improve the safety for all students and staff. “In the event of an emergency, I think we should be good. We’ve got a knowledgeable staff, they know what to do, and knock on wood, hopefully nothing happens,” Garcia said. “So, we’ll hope for the best and prepare for the worst. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
• Do not stand in a doorway, as this does not provide extra protection
Find more information at www.fema.gov and www.bepreparedcalifornia.ca.gov
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April 28, 2017 Highlights
K-8 intervention program should avoid cuts expanded less than a year ago, is necessary. One such teacher is Viviana Osrevealing of the lack of long term The intervention program proplanning at the district level. This trzega, a math specialist who helps vides additional support for stuwould be understandable if the students from transitional kinderdents struggling in mathematics program was deemed unneces- garten through fifth grade at Hawand reading at each of the four K-8 sary, or, at the very least, the ef- thorne. schools. The program, which mon“I have two third grade boys who fectiveness of its expansion was in itors the success of its students question. However, such is not the recently ran into my class looking until the fifth grade, traditionally case, and is why cutting the posi- for me to show me that they got had four teachers. For the 2016-17 tions of these four recently added good grades on their most recent school year, an additional teacher teachers is a serious problem, and math test, and to just let me know was added at each school, allowneeds to be reconsidered at the how great that felt,” Ostrzega said. ing for one math and one reading “I have a second grade student district level. specialist per school. However, These “intervention specialists” who really didn’t like math, and the positions of these four added 5 typically sit in a teacher’s class- now she’s really succeeding1 ofand teachers will be cut for next year. Annual Progress Report loves math-time during intervenroom during either the reading Printed Friday, April 21, 2017 8:55:34 AM Unfortunately, this is a problem tion. She’ll graduating soon School: El Rodeo School Period:be 8/15/2016 - 5/31/2017 or math (given their speciality) Reporting for several reasons. For one, the from the program.” teaching portion and help teach Report Options reduction of a newly implemented Reporting Parameter Group: All Demographics Beyond these heartfelt stories those[Default] students for whom extra asGroup By: Grade program, specifically one that was Comparison: National Norm Reference sistance was previously deemed regarding early student achieve-
Max Yera co-editor-in-chief
Grade: 1 Grade 1 EL Rodeo, 500
STAR Math Scaled Score (SS)
450
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Aug-16
Sep-16
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Average Scaled Score Trend line is statistically calculated after three or more tests to show the direction the scores are moving. PR lines represent the 25, 50, and 75 percentile ranks (PR) for this grade.
Test 1 2 3 4 5
Date Range 09/01/2016 - 09/30/2016 10/01/2016 - 10/31/2016 11/01/2016 - 11/30/2016 01/01/2017 - 01/31/2017 03/01/2017 - 03/31/2017
Number of Students 8 11 5 14 14
Today is the last day of Teacher Appreciation week. We hope you’ve used the opportunity provided in the past week to show gratitude to your teachers. But more importantly, we hope you will continue to do so throughout your high school years, and beyond. Teachers are the cornerstone of our education. Without their hard work and dedication, we would not be where we are as students today. Teachers have been direct variables to shape the people we have become and grown to be thus far whether that has been throughout elementrary, middle and high school. Without the hard work and dedication of our advisor, Ms. Herbst, we, the Editorial Board and our publication, certainly would not be where we are today. This is an important time of year for students to internally acknowledge the commitment and efforts of their teachers year-round. Though we usually only interact with them in the classroom, where they spend 50 minutes executing a predetermined lesson plan or class activity, the thought and time put into what we learn far extend what we see as students. But, the “educator” is not solely restricted to those whom educate in the classroom. Administrators, assistants, coaches, support staff, custodians, tradesmen, security and all other BHUSD employees play their part in giving us this wonderful
Scaled Score 243 291 311 330 402
GE 0.7 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.9
PR 41 55 56 51 66
ment, it appears that this emergence of academic interest is, statistically, becoming easier and easier to come by. “We assess at the end of the month, and I think it’s very clear that among the students we are targeting earlier, so many of them have skyrocketed,” Ostrzega said. “They started below grade level standards and have graduated out of it, meaning they are now achieving at or above their grade level standards.” Though Hawthorne’s statistics were not provided in time for press, Chris Hertz, the District’s Director of Student Services and Special Projects, supplied charts documenting the success of the program at both El Rodeo and Beverly Vista (see below), and, in analyzing such charts, one finds that this rather remarkable trend appears to be true: the earlier the intervention, the more apparent the progress. In evaluating the success of the program at El Rodeo’s first grade level, the average scaled score for STAR testing in math rose around 150 points, from an average score of 243 out of 500 in September to a rather remarkable 402 out of 500 in March, only six months later. Likewise, at the second grade level, the average scaled score rose over 100 points, from an average score of around 358 out of 600 in September to 478 in March and 454 in April, again, only six to seven months later. However, the success is not only limited to math. In evaluating the
success of the program at Beverly Vista’s second grade level, the average scaled score for STAR testing in reading rose over 100 points, from an average score of 154 out of 450 in August to 288 in April. Similarly, at the third grade level, the average scaled score rose over 150 points, from an average score of 250 out of 600 in August to a truly exceptional 422 by the end of March. Student board member Sam Schwartz has too expressed concern over the reduction of the program. “As I’ve said at each board meeting, the cutting of the intervention program makes no sense to me. The District identified a deficiency in our education system, and addressed it by creating the intervention program at the beginning of the school year,” Schwartz said. “I think that cutting out a program that addresses deficiencies at such a fundamental level has the potential to have far reaching effects. When students don’t have fundamentals down, especially at that young age, there’s a very little chance that they’ll be able to succeed later on in their educational careers, and, at the very least, it would take a much more considerable effort to bring them up to speed.” Unfortunately, Schwartz appears to be the only board member with such strong feelings on this matter, a matter concerning student progress. Schwartz is also, of course, the only student on the board. How unfortunate.
Editorial PR Range -
opportunity. Similarly, the timeframe to honor and appreciate these heroes is not some lim-
NCE 45.1 52.4 52.9 50.5 58.9
Be respectful. Respect the effort and energy they’ve put in preparing their activities for the day, and be respectful
“Teachers have been direct variables to shape the people we have become and grown to be thus far.” ited to an arbitrarily chosen week in late April. If you have not shown your appreciation, do it now. Do it the next time you walk in or out of the classroom. Appreciation doesn’t have to be shown by putting a shiny red apple on teacher’s desk, it can be shown in any number of ways. The simplest way is to acknowledge the work your teacher put in. Take a moment, say thank you on your way out of class. Spend a couple seconds to convey to them what their hard work means to you. If you are uncomfortable with that oneon-one interaction, write a note. Make it anonymous if you wish. Leave a message on their board. In the end, it doesn’t really matter how you choose to express your appriciation, but what does matter is that you conclusivly give them their well-deserved gratitude.
when they execute it. Don’t foolaround, disrupt class, or annoy your teacher. Be respectful of your classmates, don’t waste their time or interrupt their learning. Whenever you are frustrated by an asof-yet unchanged grade, or the loss of a homework assignment, or the lack of an extra-credit opportunity, take a moment to consider the work and effort your teacher has already put in to further your education and knowl-
edge. We are fortunate enough to have many, many educators who do not hesitate to go the extra mile. Many give up hours of their week to do things that are not required of them, like work one-on-one with students, set up class activities, or in Ms. Herbst’s case, stay after school until 5 pm to ensure the publication of a paper we can be proud of. We, as grateful students, should not hesitate to reciprocate, and go the extra mile for them.
culture 7
April 28, 2017 Highlights
Students help design spring library display
While working on the display after school, junior Lital Peykar places a blossom and paints vines onto the wall. Photo by: LAUREN HANNANI Lauren Hannani staff writer
Flowers. Butterflies. Vines. Blue skies. It’s spring at last, and the library is celebrating with a seasonal frontal window display, a collaborative project designed by various students to encourage everybody to “spring into a book.” For the last two weeks, these students have spent their free time working on the display and using their artistic talent to carry out activities such as making flowers with tissue paper or creating three dimensional clouds. After librarian Daniel Bradford thought of the idea and asked the Student Library Advisory Group (SLAG) members if they were interested, these students, their friends, the library aids and librarian assistant Janell Balmaceda all collaborated together to create this new spring project. “We have so many creative minds. The ideas are coming from so many different people...I just say
yes to everything, and I love saying yes,” Balmaceda said. “They’re so passionate about what they want to add to the display, and so I love being able to say yes so they can do it.” One of the volunteers, junior Lital Peykar, spent hours after school adding to the display and painting primary features of the display, such as the vines. “Because I haven’t done too many artistic projects in the past few years, it feels really motivating to just sit down and take a breath and just draw or paint or do whatever,” Peykar said. “I just really love the feeling of having something to do without it counting for a grade or anything, and it’s kind of liberating at the same time. After seeing the winter display, I was really impressed, so I’m really happy to be a part of this one.” As well as painting and drawing, Peykar also has a say on what looks best or what works well in the display.
“Ms. B didn’t really tell me where to do it [place the blossoms] or how to do it, I just did it and then I asked her to fill in some lines or do small things like that,” Peykar said. “And with the flowers, my job was to see where they would be placed really well. It’s a lot of collaboration, so it’s not solely my ideas, but they ask me a lot for my opinion or how I feel about how something is placed or how it’s designed.” Bradford is very impressed with the progress that he has been seeing and all of the creativity and hard work that has gone into this project. “My job is just to come up with a basic idea, but the creativity is Ms. Balmaceda and all the students. It always ends up way better than I ever imagined,” Bradford said. “I never thought of the vines, for example, that they’re drawing. I wanted a blue sky and clouds, but I didn’t imagine three dimensional clouds. And now I’m buying fake grass!”
Permit delay leads to regret Keith Stone co editor-in-chief
While students are legally able to get their permits at 15-and-a-half years old, it is incredibly common for students to put off getting that crucial piece of paper until much later, according to The Atlantic. Not only has there been a nationwide trend toward getting a permit late or not at all, but there are also far fewer teenagers getting their licenses worldwide also according to a study by The Atlantic. A study from the Transportation Research Institute at the University of Michigan revealed what might be shocking findings to some. From 1983 to 2014, there has been almost a 47 percent drop in 16-year-olds with driver’s licenses. This steady yearly drop which is most present in the younger demographic is most likely due to a few factors discovered in a separate survey. This survey conducted by the University showed that many young people refrained from getting their permits and licenses because people are too
busy, cars are too expensive and it is easy to get a ride from others. Although that survey was conducted in 2013, these findings are even more relevant now. Cars have just become more expensive which makes their cost more prohibitive. College has become more difficult to get into and competition has continued to increase. This means that students need to spend more time on their studies and don’t have time to waste on weekdays. Also, Uber and Lyft have rapidly surged in prominence so even if a friend is not available to give you a ride, a quick, relatively cheap option is only a few clicks away. There is also the fact that the DMV is notorious for its long lines and poor customer service experience (to say the least). Most students aren’t used to arranging their schedules months in advance and that is what is necessary to book a driver’s license test or a permit test appointment, or students can wait in lines for hours on weekdays to take these tests. For many kids, this is just not an op-
tion. Homework and tests prohibit hours spent waiting at the DMV. “The DMV is so incredibly slow that I spent four hours there waiting to take my permit test. I had two tests the next day so I almost didn’t go, but finally I decided I needed my permit,” senior Xander Bienstock said. Bienstock got his license a few weeks before his 18th birthday because it is a hassle. “The whole process is geared against students and people who use their weekdays to get work done. It’s just a really annoying process,” Bienstock said. Students regret not getting their permits as soon as possible because they need to hold their permits for six months before getting their licenses. However, regrets won’t let them skip long DMV lines. “I wish I was able to get my license on my 16th birthday, but because I hadn’t had my permit for six months I couldn’t,” senior Samantha Kurtz said. “A license is so crucial to have, but for many students it’s simply an impossibility.”
Along with creating a nice display for students to see as they pass by the library, the project has also created new relationships between the library staff and the student volunteers. “We’ve all been bonding as we make flowers. I get to know the students more, they get to know me more. They get to know each other more, so that’s been really nice,” Balmaceda said. “I really feel like we have a library family here, and it’s allowed me to see students in a different light. Lital, I always see her here, she’s always studying. But I never knew she was so artistic, and now I get to see her hand waving while making the vines. It’s so impressive, and I’m glad I get to know her better. Same with all the other students. So the flowers are breaking boundaries!” One of the library aids, wTiffany Rahban, agrees that the staff and the students who spend time studying or helping out the library have become like a family.
“We’re all friendly to each other,” Rahban said. “We’ve also become close to Ms. B, so it’s basically a second family.” Peykar looks forward to seeing the final product and making students feel more welcome at the library. She is also very happy that Bradford and Balmaceda gave her the chance to contribute to the display and partake in a fun activity at the library. “I’m proud of all the library staff because it’s really hard work. Although it’s art, you still have to make time for it,” Peykar said. “And Mr. Bradford and Ms. Balmaceda have done a really good job of promoting this new library culture so it’s not only a place to study, but a place to be creative and have fun.” Balmaceda and Bradford would also like to thank these students for working on the display: Samantha Boudaie, Jessica Beroukhim, Annabel Paris, Susanna Reyes, Gia Moore, and Eva Danesh.
A Thousand Words: French Cabaret
Juniors Leticia Valle and Zoe Bertet wait for their cabaret performance. Photo by: PRISCILLA HOPPER
8 sports
April 28, 2017
Senior track star grinds for gold Keith Stone co-editor-in-chief A mile time improval of more than a minute and a ridiculous change in appearance are what have happened to Shimon Dubner, who came to Beverly his sophomore year. Three years later he is chewing up and spitting out all competition other schools throw at him. Before coming to Beverly, Dubner attended Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. There, he competed in track and field and hit a the personal record of 6:03.63 minutes for the 1600 meter race as a freshman. Since then he has continued to develop and train every day and has seen significant improvement. “Most days, I run about 12 miles
just to get a day’s training in. Then I’ll do some sprints and strength exercises to kill my body for the end of the workout. I love to get back to my house with all my muscles absolutely torched and no strength left,” Dubner said. These personal training sessions and the hours Dubner spends with the track team have paid off. He has racked up an impressive number of awards, recently placing first at the Ocean League Relays on Feb. 25. On April 22, he placed fifth at the South Bay Varsity Championships with a personal record of 9:52.53 minutes for the 3200 meter race. “The two mile [3200 meters] is one of my favorite events because that’s truly the time for all the effort and all the training to
Dubner pushes through during his cross country event at a dual meet versus North Torrance on Oct. 6, 2016. PHOTO BY: SIMON LANGER
Playing the first of two games this week against Santa Monica, the varsity baseball team soundly defeated the Vikings 5-1 on Tuesday, April 25. The team faced Santa Monica once more yesterday. Due to time constraints, the final score was not available in time for publication. With only five games remaining in the season, the players look to improve their record in league to 3-2 and secure a spot in CIF for the second consecutive season. Junior outfielder Alex Rosen and his team battled against a talented El Segundo program last week, but did not let the loss of 5-3 deter them from playing hard against Santa Monica this week. “The team really came together this past week, as we fought hard against El Segundo, even though we lost. We carried the same intensity to our game against SaMo, and we just have to keep playing
well,” Rosen said. “Our pitching has been phenomenal and we just have to keep supporting one another.” Senior third baseman Grant
Dubner raises to the finish line in his 3200 meter race at the South Bay Championships last Saturday, April 22. PHOTO BY: SIMON LANGER
come out explosively. Two miles is a long distance, but we train for much longer, so when I do the two miles on the course it doesn’t feel as bad. I can push myself past the limits of my endurance and just grind,” Dubner said. Dubner, as one of the captains of the team, also brings a fire and encouragement to the team through cheer and demonstrations of his own stamina. “Shimon has been on the team with me for three years. After becoming really close friends with him, I realized that he is a very hard worker both on and off the track. He shows up to practice every day ready for any hard workout or run that the coaches give him,” senior Johnny Cohen said. “Honestly, without him on the
to become a better team. We practice and play hard every day and just have a good time together,” Gaon said. Rosen believes that through
Pitcher Victor Noval strikes out a Viking batter at the top of the fourth inning in their second game against Santa Monica. Photo by: SOPHIA GOLDBERG
Gaon echoed Rosen’s support for team cooperation and a strong work ethic to enhance their team’s overall play. “We have worked on everything
team, it would’ve been hard to get through many of the hard workouts because he is always encouraging everyone to succeed. He has rightfully earned the nickname of ‘Quavo the Cannon’ for his hard work and dedication on the team.” In comparison to his freshman year 1600 meter time of 6:03.63, Dubner this year hit a season best 4:48.17, shaving more than a minute off his mile time. He attributes this to dedication and a simple enjoyment of running. “I love the sport. The runs are usually fun and getting results is insane,” Dubner said. “Freshman year I wasn’t sure whether I was going to stick with it, but Beverly and our team here has been a great experience and a great place to train.”
their perseveration, the team has a fairly good shot at making it deep into the playoffs after securing a winning record after Tuesday’s game.
“All of our players really came through [Tuesday], and we just have to support one another and we will take home another win [on Thursday],” Rosen said. “We clinched our 500 record [on Tuesday], so we will have a shot at playoffs. We would love to place in our league, and we all think that we have a real shot at it.” Gaon, although graduating from Beverly this June, continues to make the most out of every game in the Normans jersey. “Every game to me is meaningful. It is going to be tough to play these last few games knowing that I will never play for Beverly again,” Gaon said. “I will forever cherish these moments and make the most of each opportunity that I have.” They face Lawndale in their next doubleheader, playing at home on Tuesday, May 2, and away on Thursday, May 4. Their final set of games is against Culver City on May 9 and 11.
Team
Date
Opponent
Varsity track and field
5/1/2017, 5/4/2017 CIF
Varsity softball
5/2/2017
versus El Segundo
Varsity girls lacrosse
4/28/2017
at Santa Monica
5/4/2017
versus Santa Monica
Varsity boys lacrosse
4/28/2017
versus Santa Monica
5/8/2017
at Lawndale
5/2/2017
versus Malibu
5/1/2017
at Culver City
5/10/2017 at Culver City Varsity baseball 5/2/2017
Varsity golf
QUICK hits
Varsity baseball played Santa Monica this past week, on Tuesday they won 5-1, and Thursday they played a doubleheader.
Varsity baseball defeats Santa Monica Sophia Goldberg sports editor
Highlights
Varsity boys tennis
5/2/2017-5/4/2017 Ocean League
versus Lawndale
5/9/2017-6/3/2017 CIF
5/4/2017
at Lawndale
5/9/2017
versus Culver City
Varsity swimming
5/3/2017, 5/5/2017 Ocean League
5/11/2017
at Culver City
Varsity boys volleyball
4/29/2017
Away tournament
5/4/2017
CIF individuals
5/2/2017
versus Culver City
On Thursday, April 20, Varsity golf lost to Santa Monica 226-212.
Today, boys varsity lacrosse will play Santa Monica at home at 4:00 pm.
Girls varsity lacrosse takes on Santa Monica in Santa Monica today at 5:00 pm.
Varsity softball played Hawthorne away yesterday.
Varsity swimming’s last meet was against Culver City yesterday.
Beating Santa Monica 12-6, boys varsity tennis advances to first place in Ocean League.
Varsity track and field hosted Culver City yesterday for their final league meet.
Boys varsity volleyball played Lawndale yesterday in their second-to-last league meet.
Check next print cycle, coming out on May 19, to receive more sports updates. To see other sports coverage and sports game recaps on your favorite Norman sports team, check www.beverlyhighlights.com.