Volume 90, Issue 2, September 23, 2016

highlights

Beverly Hills, Calif.

Volume 90, Issue 2 - September 23, 2016

Beverly Hills High School

From left to right: Daniel, Shai, Raphael. Photos courtesy of: BETH SCHWAB

Prime Program participants on payroll Veronica Pahomova co-editor-in-chief Evan Minniti staff writer Two months into the school year, Special Education students Raphael* and Shai have recently been placed on payroll, allowing them to monetarily benefit from their weekday work in the third floor cafeteria. From preparing the salad bar to stocking the refrigerator with juices, the two students impressed the cafeteria manager and earned a promotion that rewards them with regular checks, according to special education teacher Beth Schwab.

“It’s been great to see them grow because I’ve been with them a long time. So, it’s nice to kind of see them move up in life and become adults and, y’know, get out there and get jobs. When you see them on their first day in like uniforms… and get off to work, it’s really, really awesome,” Schwab said with a smile.

Schwab is not the only one who

recognizes the significance of this promotion. Senior Ashley Rahmani has had an active role in the Best Buddies Program, an organization “dedicated to to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.” Rahmani spends time and effort to help create a positive atmosphere for students who have special needs. She does this with board games, coloring and other “fun-filled activities.” Upon hearing the recent news, Rahmani stated her excitement for both Shai and Raphael, stressing the importance of encouraging special education students by “helping them make links between their strengths and the requirements of a specific job.”

“I am very proud of both Shai and Raphael. They both are wonderful students and it’s great that they are given responsibility which will provide them with experience as working adults in the future...I

INSIDE this issue

think this is a step toward the right direction,” said Rahmani.

Along with Schwab’s teaching role in the Special Education Department, she is also one of the adults responsible for managing the Prime Program. This organization allows students with special needs to be split up into a high school (ages 14 - 17) or adult transition group (ages 18 to 22), each section allowing the members to pursue vocational preparation and functional academics.

“This is a program that we’re really starting to build at the district, and I think our hope is to…prepare them as best as we can for when they leave us when they’re 22, so they can live as independently as possible and can be doing as much on their own. Ideally, my goal is that every single student will have jobs in some sort of supported appointment, independent [appointment], whatever it is,” Schwab said. “We have the best team here.

I’ve been very lucky and fortunate

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that we have an amazing team of adults that are working with these students and the students are amazing,” Schwab said.

Currently, all of Schwab’s transitioning adult students are at job sites. Daniel can be found shredding papers and sharpening pencils in the front office of Horace Mann, Steven can be located stocking shelves in Pet Express, and Soheil is assisting and researching in a production company in Culver City.

“For students in my room...we’re always working toward the [ultimate goal], which is working off campus in their job sites, and that’s a big thing, and that’s really exciting,” Schwab said. “We take it very seriously and we present it to them as very serious…They’re going into businesses, or they’re going into offices, or they’re going into actual functioning places, and you can’t be messing around, y’know. You can’t be not doing your job; you have to be working if you’re there.

So, I think just putting a certain level of importance on it makes it important to them and then they work harder to achieve it,” Schwab said.

According to Schwab, even the students at the high school level are working at the textbook room, attendance office or library, participating in on-campus jobs and building necessary skills that are required to earn an off-campus occupation.

Both Schwab and Rahmani spoke about the relationship between people with special needs and the wider student population, stressing the fact that they are as equal and unique as the rest of the student population.

“To me, they are unique and no different than any other person.

Just like everyone else, they deserve respect, acceptance and inclusion,” Rahmani said.

CULTURE

SPORTS

Student feature

Page 6

*Students’ last names were withheld due to request.

Volleyball recap

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www.beverlyhighlights.com

September 23, 2016

2 news

Highlights

Business club incorporates guest speaker series

Print Veronica Pahomova and Ben Shofet

Ben Shofet co-editor-in-chief Next Gen Vest, a business-oriented club led by senior Evan Nehmadi, is returning for its second year. Evan and his older brother, Aaron (Class of 2016), started this club in the 2015-2016 school year due to their dual interest in business. However, this year, Nehmadi is determined to change the club’s program by introducing a guest speaker series related to business.

According to their website, Next Gen Vest’s mission is to save students time and money with their biggest financial decisions, such making college more affordable.

Evan Nehmadi first got involved with Next Gen Vest during his junior year. A mixed passion and curiosity for business are what attracted him to start his own club.

“I felt the best way to express my passions for business and real estate was to start a club with my older brother, and to invite the leaders of various industries to come in and advise students how to get started in the world of business,” Nehmadi said.

As of now, Next Gen Vest has over 50 members. Nehmadi hopes that his guest speakers are what it will take to bolster membership in the club.

“We will often have a guest speaker come in to talk about his or her occupation and to answer

editors-in-chief

Rinesa Kabashi, Evan Minniti, AJ Wolken staff writers

Jamie Kim news editor

Natasha Dardashti multimedia editor

Sophia Goldberg business manager Club leader Evan Nehmadi and guest speaker Robert Hunter listen to questions from club members after Hunter’s presentation. Photo by: BEN SHOFET. any questions from our members,” Nehmadi said.

Nehmadi aims to bring speakers from all corners of the business world who can provide insight about what their day-to-day lives are in their specific profession.

“The speakers are there to inspire and encourage students who have a passion in business to get involved and get an inside look into the lives of successful realestate businessmen, wealth managers, brokers and other business professionals” Nehmadi said.

In their first meeting, Nehmadi brought in Robert Hunter, Vice President of Investments at Republic Investments, a real estate investment and development firm.

“This is the first time I’ve spoke in front of a group of young kids.

I’ve done some mentorships, but this is the first large scale thing I’ve done. Regardless of this being my first time, everyone was respectful, they asked good questions. They seemed inquisitive,” Hunter said.

“They have bright futures. You can tell when you listen to a group of kids what kind of future they are going to have and I can tell that these kids are going to have bright futures.”

Senior Nathaniel Anavim, a member of Next Gen Vest, found the meeting to be quite “insightful” about what the world of business has to offer.

“I heard there was going to be

an actual business professional at the meeting so I thought, ‘Why not give it a try?’ To hear Robert speak was very insightful. He spoke to us not only about the work he does, but also that path that he took to get there, which was very interesting,” Anavim said. “I highly recommend the club for anyone, regardless of whether or not they are going to pursuit a business degree.

It is important for anyone, in any profession to have a solid understanding of what business entails and how it works.”

Next Gen Vest will hold its next meeting at lunch in the Jon Cherney Lecture Hall on Oct. 5 and the speaker will be Eric Fingleson from UBS Wealth Management.

ASB looks to increase attendance at homecoming Rinesa Kabashi staff writer After weeks of preparation, the Associated Student Body (ASB) has worked continuously in an effort to provide a welcoming homecoming experience.

ASB president senior Maytal Sarafian would enjoy to see more than just current students there.

“ASB’s goal is to get the entire Beverly Hills community involved such as K-12 teachers, students, parents and Beverly Hills business involved. There are going to be games, gift cards and apparel that you could get just being at the carnival tailgate,” Sarafian said.

For the first time, ASB is having business sponsors fund a big portion of the homecoming cost.

“Because of their generosity, we have hundreds of dollars worth in gift cards and prizes students could earn by sitting in the VIP Student Section,” Sarafian said.

Highlights

“For the first time ever, we are also creased cooperation among ASB able amount of work to be done having teacher/staff/administra- members will show itself at the everyone in the class is working tion homecoming royalty that both tailgate. hard for their specific homecomteachers and students will be vot“ASB has really molded into a ing committee,” Sarafian said. ing on.”

As new adviser of ASB, Due to the ongoJennifer Goolsby exing construction near plains how preparing for the main auditorium, homecoming is going. homecoming will be “I was afraid that slightly different.

I wasn’t handling all “Rather than having the paperwork details a homecoming assemquickly and correctly bly this year, ASB is enough to make sure the having a homecoming student’s plans could all pep rally. Students will happen, but I am feeling be given gift cards, apvery excited now. Everyparel, taught their class thing is coming together chants, and introduced wonderfully, and I canto the football team, not wait for everyone to cheerleaders and dance Sophomore Estella Rosen creates spirit posters to raise come experience that teams. While entering awareness about homecoming. Photo courtesy of AUspecial night with us,” the football game, all DREY LABIB. Goolsby said.

ASB card holders will be Goolsby hopes everyreceiving a free Orange Fever shirt hard working team throughout one can make the most out of their as well,” Sarafian said. these first few weeks of school. homecoming experience.

Sarafian is hoping that the in- Even though we have an imagin“I really want to show every stu-

Web Keith Stone and Max Yera editors-in-chief

Sam Bernstein, Benjamin Dahan, Lauren Hannani, Jason Harward, Priscilla Hopper, staff writers

Vivian Geilim opinion editor

Isaiah Freedman sports editor Eleanor Bogart-Stuart culture 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.

Visit beverlyhighlights.com.

Follow @bhhighlights on Instagram and Twitter.

Highlights is sponsored by PTSA and BHEF.

dent here at Beverly how much fun we can have just being teenagers and having some Friday-nightlight’s fun together, being silly and crazy in the bleachers of a football game!” Goolsby said.

Homecoming is on Oct. 7, starting with a tailgate at 4:30 p.m., followed by a varsity football game against Hawthorne at 7 p.m.

MSA creates new club to incorporate freshmen, volunteers Jamie Kim news editor To engage more freshmen into its program, Medical Science Academy (MSA) created a club that would allow these freshmen to volunteer at MSA’s events.

MSA president Michelle Heravi was inspired to create the club in order to raise awareness about the club aspect of MSA. “ [A lot of freshmen] know about the class, but they don’t really know about the club aspect, so I thought about opening up the volunteer section,” Heravi said. “[Through this], they can get a sense of what the volunteer section is like and kind of feel like

a part of the club so that when they’re in it in their sophomore or junior years, they know what’s going on and they can start where we ended off.”

MSA adviser Colleen Lynch, who credited Heravi for this novel idea, showed optimism for this new club and its potential in easing the process of teaching freshmen what MSA is.

“Historically, we’ve done recruitment second semester, so [this club] is a great idea, and I told her to go for it. She really deserves the credit for not only coming up with the idea, but implementing it. We’ll see how it goes,” Lynch said. “It’s the first year that we’ve done it, and I think it’s a

great idea to include students that may eventually be in MSA. We welcome freshmen, and we want them to feel like if they want to be a part of MSA, we can start that process earlier rather than second semester.”

The freshmen members of this club will be involved in volunteering at MSA’s events throughout the year. Some events they have organized in the past have been a thank-you ceremony to CedarsSinai and a presentation about stem cell research.

“The events are also studentled. It’s almost like ASB; it’s leadership. Students will take the lead on what they want to do their events on,” Lynch said.

Heravi listed some benefits that partaking in these events would bring for the freshmen interested in MSA. “MSA is trying to hold really big events this year, bigger than all of the other years. So we’re going to need a lot of help in advertisement and set-up for events. They can definitely come and participate in these events, and they will be in there with all of the MSA members. They get to meet the people that we’re going to be bringing in, and just helping out and meeting the members, a lot of the Intro to Med students who will be the biotech class next year will help build relationships between the students, and create a big envi-

ronment where everyone can feel involved,” Heravi said.

Heravi hopes that the club will not only expose freshmen to MSA, but also create a closer relationship among all MSA members and prospective students.

“It definitely builds a lot of teamwork and leadership. I think that this initiates a lot of great ideas that can come from it, especially when freshmen are exposed to what kids are doing now in this club,” Heravi said. “I think that it’s just something people can feel involved with, and creates a ‘family’ sense in MSA that it’s this big program, but everyone in it is involved, and everyone has a role in it.”

September 23, 2016

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4 spotlight

Jamie Kim news editor Sophia Goldberg business manager As a part of Metro’s $6.3 billion Purple Line extension project, the proposed subway will run through Beverly Hills down Wilshire Boulevard before cutting under Beverly and into Century City. For the past several years, Beverly Hills Unified School District and those of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) have engaged in a multitude of legal battles, yet the overall outcome has remained the same: uncertain.

The Current Status: Despite the many years of debates and discussion among the board, the Beverly Hills community members and LACMTA, there is still no final decision of whether the metro will run under Beverly.

“Metro believes that they are continuing to develop along the same route directly under the high school. Although our efforts have been a constant uphill battle, there are some unresolved legal issues,” board member Noah Margo said.

Among the unresolved legal issues is the recent ruling by Judge George H. Wu, who, according to the Los Angeles Times, “chided federal officials for several missteps during the environmental review process but stopped short of delaying the subway’s construction.”

Specifically, Wu ruled that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) may not have considered the environmental effects of tunneling under the high school before giving the green light for construction to be planned at this site.

However, this ruling has not stopped the subway construction from being delayed.

“We take the ruling seriously and we are going to get the work done. Nothing so far has kept us from meeting the goal of delivering the project,” Metro spokesman Dave Sotero said to The Los Angeles Times.

The district also views this ruling as a benefit for its side, calling it a victory for Beverly Hills

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September 23, 2016

Highlights

by opening the door for future legal cases, and more careful inspections of Metro’s environmental tests and reviews.

While LACMTA has the general timeline on its website, Goldstein said that it is uncertain when LACMTA will begin construction under the school, mainly due to the long procedural process of initiating and potentially obtaining an eminent domain action.

The bottom line is this: it still remains uncertain whether the Metro Line will run under the school.

The Legal Issues: As with most major construction projects, legal issues have formed surrounding the continuation of the Purple Metro Line under the high school. The Board of Education has been in lawsuits with the MTA board since 2014, losing in the initial round of the lawsuit.

Margo expresses disgust about Metro’s behavior on the issue of tunneling under Beverly.

The need to take Metro to court over the issue of the safety has resulted in the spending of tax dollars on the lawsuits instead of on the students.

“We’re following the law as it may support our claims against Metro. It disgusts me that a government agency such as Metro has allowed this to play out as long as it has without concern for students. This whole episode should have been settled years ago with the students’ best interests in mind,” Margo said. “Now there are no winners, because taxpayer money has already been spent and not where it should have been. We will continue to responsibly do our due diligence to protect our campus. As trustees, that is our responsibility.”

The Measure E bond, passed on Nov. 4, 2008, allows the District to have an additional $334,000,000 in order to fund the proposed Beverly modernization, renovation, and seis-

mic update proj- ect. However, a portion of the Measure E bond funds have been used to pay the multitude of law firms suing LACMTA on behalf of the District.

“Regardless of the outcome of the NEPA litigation, the District will be able to recover at the very least the legal costs incurred, including all the geotechnical work that it was forced to perform in order to clear its sites of potential faults,” Goldstein said. “Even if LACMTA is ultimately successful at tunneling under the high school, it will still have to compensate the district in an eminent domain action for their right to tunnel. Part of that compensation includes all the legal fees spent to defend the district against LACMA and to refute its false assertions that Beverly Hills High School and El Rodeo School sat on active faults.”

Sotero states that before the litigation began, Metro worked alongside the FTA to make sure their proposed plan for the Purple Line Extension was analyzed for possible disturbances it would cause the community. Those reports found that there would not be a large negative impact on Beverly or the surrounding neighborhood.

“Impacts were analyzed in the Environmental Impact Statement/Report for the project,”

“I wouldn’t want a subway underneath the high school because I want to stay focused in class and not be hearing it go back and forth.”

- freshman Lily’Rose Mai

Sotero said. “However Metro, together with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will be conducting further analysis of impacts to the High School from subway construction and operation as a part of the Supplemental EIS that was recently ordered as discussed in [Judge Wu’s ruling].”

The Possible Safety Concerns: The major reason why many of the community members object to the underground tunneling is the possibility of endangering the students.

Goldstein expressed concerns about safety, specifically soil subsidence and methane gas explosions, due to previous mishaps that had occurred during Metro’s previous construction on the Red Line and a portion of the Purple Line.

However, even Margo has said that the safety concerns are “speculative.”

Sotero said that with any project Metro proposes and completes, safety is of the highest importance. After the project has been completed, Sotero states it will take only 25 minutes for residents of Beverly Hills to travel to Downtown, bringing an added benefit to the city.

“With any project, Metro’s #1 priority is always safety of the general public, the people building the project, Metro employees and our passengers.

Significant planning, field testing, analysis, engineering and design all go into this effort. Once the project is built and operating, it will provide a dependable, fast alternative for people traveling to, from and through Beverly Hills. Travel time from downtown Los Angeles is expected to be 25 minutes,” Sotero said.

The students of this school also have mixed feelings about the possibility of having the Purple Line run underground.

“Although I am not excited about the Metro being built under the school, I have full trust in those who are planning to build the Metro and their capability of gaging whether or not the area is safe to build around. I am very concerned about the Metro being built under a school of over 1,000 students, but once again, the city and Metro have been working together to oversee the safety precautions of building a Metro under the school,” ASB senior president Ryan Neyvavood said.

The Problems and Benefits of Adding a Metro Line under Beverly:

“I don’t think much about it...Before I came here I lived in Hong Kong and that was actually pretty common everywhere.”

- sophomore Ryan Cheung

The Board of Education and the Superintendent have expressed concerns with the productivity in the classroom if the subway is built under Beverly, including vibrations and noise. However, Sotero disagrees, stating that the Metro line will not cause distractions to students, as it is 60 feet below the school.

Superintendent Steve Kessler claims that although he has been presented with the information showing the Metro line will not interfere with classes, he does not believe that classrooms will not vibrate with the passing subway cars or hear the sounds of the trains as they enter and exit the station.

“I’m not a subway expert, but I do know this: you’ve got a subway, and subways aren’t quiet.

They make noise, and I understand that they are far under the ground-- I’ve been told all of the arguments for it--but I absolutely believe, along with our Board of Education, that you should not tunnel underneath where 1,500 to 2,000 kids and staff are going to school and working every day. That doesn’t seem right to me,” Kessler said.

Kessler has also shown frustration with Metro’s plan to build a subway down the middle of the high school campus. The possibility of

earthquakes and disasters with the oil well under the southwest corner of the campus are also one of Kessler’s main points of argument.

“One thing I have learned is that in these earthquake zones that Metro, because that’s not the first time they’ve dug in earthquake zones, when they do that, they have to do extra precautionary building things that would help alleviate that issue,” Kessler said. “Now, with that being said, I am concerned because this whole area used to be oil wells, and you’re digging underneath the ground where the oil wells used to be. There are issues with that, but most importantly, I think about our kids and our staff that are working there every day, and really, right down the center of our high school, come on.”

Margo worries about the possible increase in traffic, noise and vibrations as distractions for students and staff during the school day. Also, Margo is unsettled by the possibility of limitations placed by Metro if construction begins, causing conflicts with the modernization of the high school.

“The immediate effects may be noise, vibration and traffic, which will affect staff and residents as well as students. My concerns have always been the easement, the school property that Metro will control, and the limits that they or an outside agency may put on any future development of the campus. Safety is also a concern, but that’s speculative,” Margo said.

While Margo sees no benefits whatsoever to having the Metro Purple Line run under Beverly, Metro believes the construction of the Purple Line will decrease transit time across West Los Angeles and provide a reliable public transportation service for the community of West Los Angeles.

According to the Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) document, published in March 2012, “the purpose of this Project is to improve transit travel time and provide more reliable transit service to the 286,250 transit riders who travel through the highly congested Study Area today, as well as to future riders who will be attracted to the system.”

“The only problem that I see with [the subway] is that the construction may not be structurally safe...

I think that could cause problems later on.”

- junior Gabriel Arye

September 23, 2016 Highlights

6 culture

Renaissance junior shines in performing arts Natasha Dardashti multimedia editor

To act, sing and dance effectively, junior Solomon “Solly” Margo knows that he must free himself of all emotion. This includes the giddy anticipation of performing again. With this in mind, he steps onto the stage.

The performing arts have almost always been a passion for Margo.

Ever since his enrollment in the middle school extra curricular class A Taste of Broadway in the fourth grade, Margo has been dedicated to all aspects of the craft.

“I realized before sophomore year started that I loved the arts and should stop fooling myself into thinking I didn’t,” Margo said.

“After doing ‘Spamalot,’ I realized my love for musical theatre. In an attempt to bring my other skills up to par, or something like that, I joined [Dance Company and Madrigals].”

Involvement in all three performing arts departments is advocated in order to create multitalented performers, as stated by choir teacher Stacey Kikkawa.

“What’s special about someone like Solly is that he has decided to embrace all of the arts, and not just one,” Kikkawa said. “He’s in theater, he’s in vocal music and he’s in dance. That’s what we encourage here in the Performing Arts Department, it’s that you

cross train in different disciplines.”

Margo’s favorite roles include Flute and Thisbe from Shakespeare’s “A Midnight Summer’s Dream.” He found that playing two different genders was an interesting challenge in his acting career.

“If I were to just play Solly in every role, I don’t know how I would get better,” Margo said. “By exposing myself to unnatural characters that I can’t relate to, I can develop into a better actor because I can easily access unknown places.”

Though he has improved his own skills significantly, Margo also recognizes the benefits of teamwork.

He realizes the importance of cooperation onstage, and has been able to apply this quality to his everyday life.

“As good as it is to improve yourself and your abilities, it is equally beneficial to learn how to work in a group and improve symbiotically,” Margo said.

Margo’s ever-growing love for the arts has resulted in the formation of several unbreakable relationships among other members of the theatre arts program.

“There is no better feeling than after opening night of any show,” Margo said. “Everyone feels so close and amazing after all the tedious months of work to put the show together.”

Besides teamwork, though,

Margo’s dedication to all three aspects of the performing arts makes him appear intriguing onstage.

“When he’s onstage, he’s engaged and engaging to others. So, it’s very clear that the level of dedication and commitment is there and that’s really what it takes [to be a great actor],” theater teacher Karen Chandler said.

Before he truly began to involve himself in the performing arts, Margo admittedly had difficulties regulating negative emotions. However, ever since joining the arts programs, he has been able to successfully channel negative emotions into art.

“I’m able to look at school in life from different perspectives, like you would take on different Junior Solomon Margo (left) plays one of the gaurds in Performing Arts’ production of roles,” Margo said. “Spamalot.” Photo by: BRENNA NOURAY “If I don’t get a part think badly of myself, [I] simply more or study harder to achieve or don’t get a good grade I never just realize that I have to train my goal the next time around.”

Student vegans voice their views Veronica Pahomova co-editor-in-chief

From tofu to Twitter, veganism has increased in popularity and recognition, with the Huffington Post reporting statistics on Google trends in searches for “vegan diet” being higher than ever before.

However, this lifestyle is not only restricted to former President Bill Clinton, 90s kids’ heartthrob Justin Timberlake and Freelee the Banana Girl, many actually walk these very halls.

According to a recent Highlights poll, 11 out of 283 respondents are vegans. Though they are the ones who always ask for soy, almond or coconut milk in their lattes alongside other more complicated food orders, each vegan not only saves a certain amount of animals per year, but also lowers water usage and greenhouse gas production.

Vegans are known for avoiding animal foods such as meat, dairy, eggs and honey, yet veganism also strays away from any animal byproducts, including leather, wool and anything that has been tested on animals.

Senior Jeremy Segal has been a vegan for about three years and became vegan for “the animals, for health and for the environment.”

From questions along the lines of, “Wait, so do you just eat like fruits and stuff?” to “Isn’t it in our DNA to eat meat?,” Segal does not agree with these remarks, saying that “here is “so much variety when you’re vegan” and one “just needs to search for it.” “[Those who compare

us to rabbits] are uneducated,” junior and fellow vegan Sarabeth Tansey said. “If they actually learned about the benefits, they wouldn’t be so judgmental.”

A common misconception is that vegans will inevitably be deficient in nutrients. However, vegans obtain their protein from products like lentils, black beans, tofu, nuts, peanuts and soy milk. Vegans also get their calcium from foods like broccoli, cabbage, collards, kale and calcium-fortified orange juice.

B-12, a vitamin found in certain bacteria in animals, can be retrieved from cereals and yeast.

According to popular vegan website “V Between the Lines,” each vegan is not only responsible for indirectly saving nearly 200 animals per year, but is also known to help with greenhouse gas reductions and water conservation.

“V Between the Lines” states that it takes more than 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef, allowing each vegan to save

about 219,000 gallons of water a year. Alongside that fact, the University of Chicago also reports that, “going vegan is 50 percent more effective than switching to a hybrid car in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

“I’ve been vegetarian for ethical reasons,” senior Tamar Simone said, “But seeing how much veganism positively affects the environment really pushed me to make the change.”

Health and nutrition website “Healthy Eating” reports that without proper education and awareness, “vegan diets may limit some of the nutrients your body needs on a daily basis,” as well as “affect your system’s ability to absorb nutrients efficiently.” However, the same site also regards veganism to be directly tied to a reduction in heart disease and “related complications” due to the low consump-

tion of saturated and trans fats.

However, much like Segal stated, Simone stated that there are “so many alternatives nowadays that if it’s that easy to make a difference, why not do it?”

“I feel lighter and more energetic. I am glad that the food I eat does not require an animal to die,” Segal said. “My strength takes no victims.”

While some members of Highlights are vegan, the publication does not condone a vegan diet or lifestyle without first conducting extensive research, speaking to a healthcare provider, or any other mean of educational consultation.

Opinion 7

September 23, 2016

Highlights

Pros and cons of the school Dress Code Evan Minniti staff writer There are reasons to have a dress code, but that does not mean that it has to be totally unreasonable! Despite the seemingly precise list of possible infractions, it seems that a lot of decisions about whether someone is violating the dress code falls down to individual teachers’ and administrators’ judgement.

In the Dress Code Policy document that was emailed to all students, there appears the following line, “The following are considered inappropriate and shall not be worn: any clothing that suggests gang affiliation, bears inappropriate logos, or detracts from the academic environment.” The last statement, “...detracts from the academic environment,” appears again later. However, this is a very vague statement. It seems that this rule really comes down to what a certain teacher or staff member thinks of an individual’s clothing.

Another empty sentence states, “All clothing must be neat, clean, and in good condition, reflecting a professional atmosphere of learning.” The meaning behind this exact phrase remains ambiguous. Students could be dress coded even after they follow all other rules simply because a teacher believes that their clothing is dirty or not in “good condition.”

Keith Stone co-editor-in-chief

This is not an exceptionally precise system. A student may get dress coded from a strict teacher while the other teachers will let them off scot-free.

Also, many students have Physical Education classes in the morning. They are most likely sweaty after exercising and their clothing may not meet the “good condition” standards. Perhaps they will be dress coded because these students literally cannot meet the requirements.

Arguably the worst part of the dress code is that it conflicts with female students more than male students. Girls have to meet 14 requirements while boys only have to meet five. In fact, it seems that boys and girls have separate rules.

So hypothetically, a boy can wear shredded jeans while a girl can’t, but a girl could wear a hat or hoodie inside while boys can’t. This is absolutely crazy!

Some of the requirements, like not wearing shredded jeans, short shorts, or having an exposed midriff, can be difficult for some to follow in warm weather. At the time of writing, the weather was 82 degrees outside. This isn’t comfortable weather to be covered in.

Needless to say, this dress code must be rewritten to reflect the needs of the student population.

There are two sides to a dress code. Some schools, like Buckley, take dress codes too far with black polos and school uniforms.

Other, more laidback schools, are on the opposite side of the spectrum and trumpet, valuing of a more lax code. Recently at Beverly, a controversy has risen between whether or not the possibility of suspension based on garb is inappropriate. However, the people who believe suspension is inappropriate are incorrect. A strict dress code needs to be enforced by strict rules, because appearance truly does matter.

First impressions matter in life, and appearance defines that first impression. It does not matter how qualified someone is for a position or how brilliant s/he may be, if s/ he shows up to an interview with ripped jeans and a crop top, s/he probably won’t get the job. The purpose of high school is to prepare kids for life in the adult world and if we are deluded into believing that we can dress how we want to, we will ruin future opportunities.

While school may not be the most professional of settings, since people wear sweats and even pajamas, it is still a place for work. Not only do students learn the value of

dressing tidily at school, but they also have the chance to feel more professional. This could lead to an increase in performance. Dressing to impress does not just have an impact on those around you, it also leads to an increased in self-confidence. After all, if an individual is impressing others, s/he will be feeling good her/himself.

Detractors of a school dress code consistently put forth the same pablum to defend their unrealistic views. They play on the emotions of irritable and stressed out high school teens and act like the only argument in favor of a dress code is that women should be covered up to not distract men. This is just incorrect. The type of people that use that idiotic argument are the same type of people who would vote against gay marriage. I am not one of those people and neither are most Beverly students. Instead, dress codes are in place for the logical reason that looking better is beneficial for the school and its reputation.

Dress codes are an idea as old as public schools because they are necessary to maintain professionalism. Some people are never fully dressed without a smile, but at Beverly, students need to wear a little more than that.

Editorial “Each tardy will result in a 0.6% deduction from your semester grade. Be on time.”

These are the words that are recited to nearly every student during the first week of school, for it is reasonable to assume that a student will occasionally be late to his/her first class of the day. Yet, these words, and the teachers that recite them, fail to acknowledge the difficulty in making it to school on time.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70 percent of high school students are not getting the sleep they need. This statistic, though frightening, may make more sense upon second glance, as many high schoolers today are left with an overwhelmingly daunting task of balancing schoolwork, extracurriculars, standardized tests, a job and a social life.

Evidently, the chances of one getting behind schedule in the morning are high and if a student wakes up a mere five minutes later than usual, the threat of a .6 percent reduction becomes ever more apparent. At this point, said student must decide whether to endure the grade reduction or simply miss the class.

If that student decides a grade reduction is not worth it, s/he may miss

an entire class period of instruction, placing him/her behind in the class.

Yet, to evade an even greater grade percent reduction of 3 percent as the result of an unexcused absence, the student may then ask his parent to call the attendance office, claiming illness, not a mere few minutes of oversleeping, as reason for an absence.

This cycle might end up repeating itself throughout the year as some

Furthermore, along with the mere, yet ever imposing in a student’s eyes, threat of reducing a grade, this tardy system is also of notable danger to our sleepy student body.

As reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2013, an estimated 72,000 crashes, 44,000 injuries, and 800 deaths resulted from drowsy driving. Rather curiously, should the aforementioned

sleep deprived students will continue to miss instructional days, causing them to fall behind in their classes.

For instance, if a student missed over 15 days of instruction a semester, s/he would fall behind in class and not perform to his/her full academic potential. If s/he, however, were to go to class late all of those days, his/her grade would have nearly dropped 10 percent.

student driver have sped to school to avoid a tardy or simply avoid the class?

Moreover, beyond being potentially dangerous and detrimental to one’s grade, the current tardy system, which, as mentioned previously, only further enhances the notion that students must sacrifice valuable sleep, resulting in a deficiency in learning and memory.

According to research completed at the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, sleep deprivation may hurt a student’s academic and learning experience in two distinct ways. First, a sleep-deprived student cannot focus attention and thus struggles to learn efficiently. Second, since sleep plays a pivotal role in the consolidation of memory, sleep deprivation is particularly harmful for learning new information.

Finally, in terms of resolving the issue, it appears only necessary for our current tardy system to be revised. Evidently, a 0.6 percentage reduction in an individual’s grade is central to the problem. Perhaps, instead of the repercussions affecting, potentially drastically, the student’s grade, it would be best fit for the administration to find an alternative.

Punctuality is a principle that Beverly wants to teach its students; however, at the expense of students’ safety and education, it is not the best idea. In college if a student is running five to 10 minutes late to a class they are not penalized, in most office jobs if an employee is running a tad bit late his/her employer will not deduct from a salary, so to penalize students for running a little late to their first class of the day is illogical.

Punctuality is a principle that Beverly wants to teach its students; however, at the expense of students’ safety and education, it is not the best idea.

September 23, 2016

8 sports

Highlights

Girls varsity volleyball takes down Hawthorne Rinesa Kabashi staff writer In their first league game of the season, girls varsity volleyball came out with a 3-0 win against Hawthorne on Wednesday, Sept.

21.

Captain Maytal Sarafian felt that the players were consistent on doing their parts throughout the game and is proud of the way her team performed.

“I think the team really got together and realized that this game actually counts. Our setter, Katie Wu, really made great decisions. Hitters were always there and passers were always there when we were out of system,” Sarafian said.

Girls varsity volleyball coach Miranda LeBrun noted that varsity’s hard work in improving offense and serve passes showed in their game.

“Today we passed really well, our defense was efficient, we transitioned where we needed to go, and we were able to run a full offense, creating multiple dimensions to our game,” LeBrun said.

She expresses that the team is winning more than just a league game, they are growing as a unit.

“It is really exciting to see all of our hard work pay off,” LeBrun said. “Winning a league game is

great for our overall record, and is really wonderful for the team’s confidence.”

LeBrun sees the team’s performance change when playing at home.

“We definitely play well at home.

Most teams do, but the biggest part of that is just the support of our school. These girls are putting so much time and effort, blood, sweat and tears into this sport,” LeBrun said. “It is such a great feeling to showcase all of our hard

League in order to make the playoffs.

“We have some stiff competition coming up and we will be challenged, but I do believe that we have a chance if we work hard enough and keep our focus,” LeBrun said. “We are going to need to increase the competition between players. Great teams are created by players pushing each other and pushing themselves. It really is up to them how well they do.”

Sarafian sees the team making it to playoffs as they have more advantages.

“I honestly don’t think we were as good last year. We definitely have more experienced coaches, more relatable coaches and I think that we all improved a lot this season. I definitely think we have it in us, it just matters if we can rise up to the challenge,” Sarafian said.

Setter Katie Wu sees difficult competition ahead for the team but knows the team will persevere.

“We know we will be facing a lot harder teams than this so we are going to have to bump up our level even more and hope to improve what we have already improved.”

The girls’ next game will be a league game at El Segundo on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

“We definetly play well at home. These girls are putting so much time and effort, blood, sweat and tears into this sport.”

Middle blocker Isabel Maizes spikes the ball as her teammates watch in anticiaption. Photo by: RINESA KABASHI

Fantasy Football: Does it relieve the stresses of high school?

work in front of our friends and family. Regardless of where we are playing, the more people we have in the stands rooting for us, the better we do.”

Although the team won, libero Savannah Perry still believes there is room for improvement.

“I think that as a team we played hard, and a lot of people who usually don’t play got to play,” Perry said. “I think we need to take away how to play hard even when the other team isn’t as strong.”

The team hopes to make it to the top two or three in the Ocean