February 2024

WHY WORK?

Students speak out about balancing school and work, and why employment matters to them PG. 10-11

14 DAYS OF LOVE

Spotlightting 14 couples at PRHS for the month of love- and possibly making another with “The Bell” PG. 18

FREEING OUR SPEECH

Following conflicts around protected speech on college campuses, students speak out PG. 26 In

BRIEFS

PASO CELEBRATES MLK DAY

Community members celebrated at the annual MLK event downtown with guest speaker presentations and student awards for their talents

Community members gathered downtown to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy downtown on Jan. 15. 2024. The theme of this year’s event was “Power in Togetherness” a theme by which local students followed in their art and writing contests.

Sophomore Lulu Haddox received first place for her multimedia art project in which she combined MLK’s visions with her mother’s admiration for his legacy. The piece was made with paint, paper, and coffee grounds for a vintage look. The components were put together with a collage of words that Haddox felt represented MLK’s message.

“My mom has always been a really big person in communities and it’s always like trying to reach out to others and being there to support and help,” Haddox said. “She is such a kind person so if I can at least try to incorporate that, then I’ll have represented what I wanted.”

Other first place winners included Harrison Ryker Smit for his essay and Kinley Thompson for her t-shirt design.

The event continued with dance performances from the God Squad Dance Crew and several speakers including teach-

er and football coach Matt Carroll, Paso Robles Mayor John Hamon, and school board trustee Laurene McCoy.

Several performances from PRHS groups were canceled due to their issues with keynote speaker McCoy. PRHS Forte and Drama Club took votes as to whether or not they would perform because of their conflicts of interest with the board trustee.

“The theme for the event was “unity.” I was uncomfortable because having a lead speaker who had dedicated much of her campaign to removing a certain demographic from schools is not my definition of “unity.” I would have attended alongside her, but not with her as my keynote speaker,” Forte President Eve Barajas said.

“This event is made to show togetherness and unity within our community, but if the speaker has previously spoken about a group of people in a negative manner then it is hypocritical to have her speak,” Tobi Rowins, another member of Forte said. “I’m fine with her using MLK quotes, but I think if you use them, you should try to live by them.”

McCoy expressed hope for unity despite the disagreements

POETRY OUT LOUD WINNERS 2024

Of twenty performers, PRHS English Dept. crowns three winners and two honorable mentions of Poetry Out Loud 2024

by Sebi Radojevic, Web Director

surrounding the event.

“I hope that the audience realizes the importance of us being unified, not always having to agree on everything but to treat one another with love and kindness,” McCoy said. “Start talking to that person that may make you feel uncomfortable. It could be that you just need to have a conversation and get to know them. I also hope the audience left knowing that we all need each other to help our city prosper.”

DUAL IMMERSION PROGRAM MOVING TO LEWIS CAMPUS

School board votes to move Georgia Brown dual immersion to Lewis, 7-8 junior high to Flamson for 2024-25 school year

by Blair Bishop, Reporter

At the PRJUSD meeting on Jan. 23, 2024 it was announced that the Georgia Brown elementary campus will move to one of the middle schools campuses, causing the middle schools to join, and all elementary schools to be K-6 grade.

There were originally plans to rebuild Georgia Brown as was done to Glen Speck. Unfortunately during an inspection a seismic anomaly was discovered, terminating the proposal.

Their next decision was to decide which middle school between the Flamson and Lewis campuses would host a dual-immersion K-8 program and which would be the “main” middle school.

Both options were presented with pros and cons: Flamson is a bigger school, so it could have a larger student population. However the location of the Flamson campus is an optimal location to which many English learner students previously walked to Georgia Brown.

Trustee Joel Peterson has been on the school board for nearly ten years.

“I would hope that this is one of the last big decisions that

we make and that we can finally have some continuity for our programs to really grow and develop,” Peterson said. “It’s been tough to come out of covid and there was lots of learning loss and lots of change and so I would love to have some continuity for teachers, for students to really get the basics of education and make friends.”

An issue many see with the single middle school approach is transportation. The district has struggled with a shortage of bus drivers, and would need a long bus route and host of drivers to support kids whose parents can’t drive them across town for school. The issue will occur no matter which campus is chosen. Teachers will also be affected regardless because of the needed movement of staff members to accommodate the changes.

The final decision on Feb. 13 decided that the dual immersion program of Georgia Brown would be moved to the Daniel E. Lewis middle school campus hosting grades K-6, putting all junior high students at the Flamson Middle School Campus.

“It’s been interesting in my house over the last few weeks

because I have a Flamson alumni and a current Lewis student and so I think they’re watching right now rooting for one or the other,” said trustee Jim Cogan. “I do think having been on both campuses as a parent, Lewis is probably the better site for the dual immersion program.”

The cost of moving the dual immersion program to Flamson and having a 7-8 grade junior high at Lewis sits at an estimated 27.6 million dollars.

The approved option sits at an estimated 9.7 million dollars and is set to take place in the 2024-25 school year.

I DO THINK HAVING WALKED BOTH CAMPUSES AS A PARENT, LEWIS IS PROBABLY THE BETTER SITE FOR THE DUAL IMMERSION PROGRAM JIM COGAN, BOARD TRUSTEE

REMEMBERING HIS LEGACY: Various art pieces created by students are displayed downtown in honor of MLK’s legacy.

by Elijah Mayo, Director of Photography

DAY REDUCED

RISE ON THE

Students share mixed opinions on the pros and cons of having a reduced schedule as over a third of the 2024 seniors have at least one reduced period

by Elise Mathers, EIC

As seniors approach the end of their high school careers, many come to realize that they are only a few credits short of meeting the 235 credit requirement to graduate. At this point, students have the choice whether or not they want to take a full schedule. As of Sept., 169 of the 458 students in the class of 2024 had at least one reduced period on their schedule.

The trend appears to be one of the largest counts of reduced schedules in recent years, and draws both praise from seniors who desire the free time and criticism from seniors who depend on a full schedule for college admissions reasons.

Seniors weigh a variety of factors when deciding how many classes they are going to take their senior year. They can take no less than four classes, but have options as to which periods to remove.

“Students request reduced day schedules for a variety of reasons,” Natalee Johnson, current senior counselor said.

“Some students plan ahead early in their high school career to take care of all their diploma requirements diligently in 9th-12th grade with the reward of having a reduced day schedule. Many seniors see it as a privilege they earn.”

Johnson also sees requests for reduced schedules from students increasing their financial responsibility, whether that be for their families, or for their own benefit.

“Others who are on track for graduation take the op-

portunity to work and gain work experience or contribute financially to their family expenses,” Johnson said. “Others are taking on more financial responsibility for their own expenses around this age and may need to work more.”

In a survey taken by 48 seniors, 31 have a reduced schedule. Of those, 17 expressed that one of the reasons for taking a reduced schedule was because “they don’t want to be at school.” Other reasons for taking a reduced schedule included students who did it for the sake of their jobs, extra homework time, time to sleep in, and an extra hour or two during the day for hobbies.

Senior Kameron Paine was among the seniors who took a reduced schedule because he doesn’t want to be at school.

“I’m going to Cuesta and I already have a job, so I really want to get high school over with as quickly as possible,” Paine said. “It’s really difficult to want to be here when I already have a plan for my life that doesn’t require me working insanely hard toward a four-year college.”

Senior Laila Shea works as a ranch hand, and has her 6th period off in order to get an early start on her hours. Shea also shows cattle for the PRHS Beef Team through FFA, and uses her free time to care for her animals.

“With 6th period off I am able to dedicate more time to my extracurricular activities. I wasn’t able to work as many hours my junior year because I didn’t have enough time after school,” Shea said. “I want to study animal science when I graduate, so being able to work at the ranch is preparing me for that.”

Students who are taking a full schedule expressed two

main reasons for doing so: they feel it helps with their college admissions and they wanted to take six classes.

Of the two reasons, students were split regarding the benefits of a full schedule.

“I think having a full schedule has made this year a lot more exhausting,” senior Peyton Bedrosian said. “I only needed one more class to graduate, but still took a full schedule. I think that my motivation toward my classes is lower because I know they aren’t necessary to graduate.”

On the other hand, senior Jovana Flores uses her full schedule to gain experience for her future career.

“Having a full schedule has been beneficial because I have taken more science courses that could help me go into a healthcare career,” Flores said. “I’ve completed the Healthcare pathway and will also receive my science cord from the classes I’ve taken.”

For students who want to take a reduced day in the second semester it is important to reach out to any colleges they’ve applied to beforehand.

“Requesting a reduced day in the second semester is problematic for those students who have applied to colleges, as it can adversely affect their admissions,” Johnson said. “Students need to contact the admissions office for each college and ask if dropping the class will affect their admission or possibly have the college revoke an earlier offer of admission.”

36% OF SENIORS HAVE A REDUCED SCHEDULE

*NOT including spring semester changes

No Period 1: 20

REASONS FOR TAKING A REDUCED DAY:

ENOUGH CREDITS 87%

DON’T WANT TO BE IN CLASS 55%

HAVE JOBS 38% *survey of 48 seniors

No Period 5: 46

No Period 6: 101

“HOW HAS HAVING A REDUCED DAY BEEN BENEFICAL TO YOU?”

“I am NOT a morning person, no matter how many hours I sleep at night. Being able to sleep in has made me SO much more productive and energized for the day.”

“I definitely feel a large difference in how I view school, my behavior, and the nice part is the time to myself. I don’t get much of that at home and so getting the hour between practice and school is very nice and has had a huge impact on my mental health.”

“I am not as tired for school, I can schedule appointments in the morning so I don’t miss work, and I can complete internship hours.”

*quotes from surveyed seniors

PEYTON BEDROSIAN, 12

LAILA SHEA, 12

DIGITAL THE SAT G ES

by Margot Klo, News Co-Director

DIGITAL

by Margot Klo, Co-News Director

Juniors are gearing up to take the new digital SAT in March SAT is still relevant to college admissions

As we approach March 2024, many juniors at PRHS are preparing to take the new digital SAT after the last paper SAT was administered in December 2023- but many others students feel doubtful about the continuation of standardized testing in U.S. college admissions, especially as private schools like Dartmouth have reinstated standardized testing.

The digital SAT provides students with a new format and time length compared to the traditional pen and paper exam. The test has been shortened from the three hours on paper to two hours online. The length the formatting of the exam has also changed to be an adaptive test, which means the test will access difficulty of the next question set by how well you do on the previous set of questions.

Another major change made to the digital SAT is the authorization and integration of a calculator throughout the entire math section of the exam. In previous iterations of the SAT and PSAT, their would be a calculator and no calculator section of the math section of the exam. Due to the new length, format, and calculator additions to the examination, students can experience a test that is catered to their own efforts and knowledge in math and reading.

According to College Board, Bluebook, the digital program the PSAT is administered on, is designed to withstand the possibility of an internet outage during test day and will save students progress if an untimely event of an internet outage occurs on test day.

The paper examination may be better suited for students that prefer paper exams as junior, Ava Friedling, points out. “I like being able to write out my ideas, Friedling said.. “So (I prefer) paper tests honestly.”

Last year, PRHS juniors took the digital PSAT on October 25, 2023 and the pen and paper PSAT 10 on April 11, 2023. In a survey taken by PRHS students suggests that 75% feel that it was easier to take the PSAT digitally then the pen and paper PSAT 10 providing evidence that the digital SAT is easier for students.

JESSICA SHATWELL

According to College and Career Counselor Jessica Shatwell, “It’s going to be faster test there’s going to be less room for error because you’re not having to worry about all of the pre loaded information.”

The average digital PSAT score at PRHS according to score reports on the CollegeBoard website was a 1032. Compared to the pen and paper SAT, the California average score was an 1083 according to Prep Scholar, this provides insight into the benefits of the digital testing option for the SAT.

“It’s much easier to administer the PSAT digitally, and it’s much easier for the students as well,” Shatwell said.

The digital SAT works to improve many formerly-criticized aspects of the traditional SAT comes, but it’s not without it’s downsides: problems can occur during the exam especially during it’s initial international rollout.

“If we lose internet and if it’s on the day that we’re doing the SAT that would be very challenging,” Shatwell admitted.

An anonymous senior says that the digitization of the SAT, “marks an attempt to make the SAT a little more student friendly” through the shorter test length and digital format.

For juniors at PRHS, the digitization of the SAT won’t make a difference in college outlooks as many students either don’t plan on attending college or they are relying on colleges being test optional. According to a survey completed by PRHS students, 64.7% of students believe that colleges do not value the SAT.

According to Crimson Education, there are 1,843 colleges in the U.S. that are test optional and 35.3% of PRHS juniors think that while many colleges are test optional it is still a good idea to take the exam.

“If you do not go to college it is beneficial and if you do go to college it prepares you for tests in college,” junior Adane Siegrist said.

Although, the SAT may be a good gauge for college readiness, the UC college systems in America has adopted a test-blind approach to reviewing students applications, meaning that they view how well rounded a student is as whole including, extracurriculars, stats, essays, and AP test scores excluding test scores.

With a more holistic approach to reviewing applications, Shatwell feels students shouldn’t worry about their SAT scores.

“It’s going to be what your SAT score is, what your GPA is, what you do, in high school in general, how you are spending your time and for the schools that are highly selective, that whole broad overview of a student is going to be what’s important to them,” Shatwell said.

It may not last for long, though: the UC system will be moving on to a new standardized test starting in the fall of 2025, however this is contingent after the University of California Board of Regents approved these testing requirements in 2020.

Shatwell suggests that students taking the SAT is should check the university or college admissions requirements before applying and checking the average SAT scores for the university or college to see if your score aligns with the university or college.

“They’re all test free right now, but they do like to see your scores. They can place you appropriately.“ Shatwell said.

PAWS ON PASO

Pet therapy dogs are regularly visiting Paso High, supporting the mental health of

students and staff

ABy Kailea Stoltzfus, People Co-editor

s today’s youth demonstrates a clear mental decline from other generations, one of the implemented solutions for students at PRHS comes with four legs, a wagging tail and a smile unmatchable by any human. Starting fall of 2022, pet therapy dogs have been coming to PRHS Tuesdays and Fridays, absorbing the attention of students in the main courtyard and the Well Space. Three pet therapy teams come with the purpose to talk to students and help them feel comfortable in their school.

Students passing by the dogs in between classes have a second for a quick pet and others sit down with the dogs to often chat about the pets they have at home during nutrition and lunch. Even just spending a little bit of time on campus with a friendly canine face is often a welcome change for students and teachers.

PET THERAPY IS AN APPROACH THAT RECOGNIZES THAT FOR MANY PEOPLE, ANIMALS PROVIDE A SOURCE OF COMFORT AND JOY.

JUDY LEVINE, TRAINER

Aliyah Perez-Martinez , a senior, visits the well space as often as possible when she sees the dogs are coming to visit. Having seven classes to manage and many outside responsibilities, having dogs to pet at school is a huge comfort and stress relief for her.

“I am just able to sit down and not think about my school and outside of school responsibilities and just sit and pet the dogs,” Perez-Martinez said.

Brandon Loera, the new wellness counselor as of Nov. 2023, has taken on the role of scheduling pet therapy dog teams on a weekly basis. He sees the benefits of having pet therapy dogs on campus not just for the students, but the teachers as well.

“Our assistant principal would see the dogs in the courtyard during finals week and I saw his face just

her 20+ years of therapy, explained is an approach that that for many people provide a source of comfort and Levine hasn’t just used intuitive Bindi for pet therapy but horses as well. She also supported stu dents with physical and emo tional challenges while doing volunteer work before she began working with dogs.

The purpose of pet therapy dogs just improve mental health in stu to feel assured in themselves academical (ATD), which tests and trains teams, explains having dogs on campus improves confidence, learning motivation, school attendance and reading skills in students who visit with these dogs.

Students at the University of California, who have been involved in canine reading programs, experienced an increase in reading fluency from 12% to 30%. Other cognitive benefits shared by ATD are “Enhanced executive-functioning skills [and] stimulating memory and problem-solving skills”.

Animal-assisted therapy, originally created in the 1960s, has not just been a part of the Paso High campus but many other schools in the county and state as well. San Luis Obispo High has dogs on campus in their animal science classes. A program called “Pet Hugs” on the ley focuses on bringing therapy dogs to their campus to mood, reduce stress, and create connection”. UC the only college, 60% have animal therapy on

mission to “share smiles and joy” Alliance of Therapy Dogs has certified over 17,000 teams in the US, Canada and PR. Three of those volunteer teams form a network of caring individuals that support the student body at Paso High. Four paws have been the solution to supporting academic success and school connectivity at this high school.

CUTENESS OVERLOAD! : Students enjoy Bindi’s comfort, petting her coat at lunch,

Anonymous students share a wide range of opinons on the current conflict occuring between Israel and Palestine

by Dayana Aispuro, Carmesi Co-Editor & Chloe Van Pelt Op/Ed Editor

The conflict of Palestine in Israel has kept popping up on people’s screens ever since October 7, 2023 with the deaths of 1200 Israelis that day and the ensuing invasion of the Gaza Strip. It’s a controversial topic involving religion and land, a centuries old conflict which has led to injustice and the denial of human rights for hundreds of years. In 1947, the United Nations pushed for two independent states, and Jerusalem under UN Administration. Jews accept the UN partition plan and declared independence as the state of Israel on May 15, 1948. Zionist gangs violently expelled over 750,000 Palestinians from their homes in 1948 and took their land rendering them refugees. The day is remembered as “Nakba,” Arabic for “catastrophe.”

More than half of Palestinians had to flee their homes and find residence in refugee camps in the West Bank of Gaza and in neighboring countries. countries objected to Israeli independence and on the day following, the first Arab-Israeli war broke out. Israel grabbed more land intended for the Palestinian state, dividing it into three parts: Jordan occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem; Egypt occupied Gaza; and the state of Israel took 78% of historical Palestine, including west Jerusalem. In 1967, the Six Day War in 1967 saw Israel take full control of the land, leading to the formation of the PLO, an organization to protect

PRO PALESTINE

“This war is a very sad thing, and the amount of civilians that have died or been in danger because of it is devastating. I think that there should be a ceasefire, however I can understand the reasons that it is happening.”

and defend Palestinians with the goal of an independent Palestinian state.

The fighting went on for many more years, and the PLO eventually accepted the division of the land between Palestine and Israel. The conflict worsened when more Israeli settlers made their way into Palestinian territories. The frustration among Palestinians led to an “intifada” or “uprising” in Arabic. As a result, Hamas was born as a political movement determined to fight against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. After attempts at peace accords, Israel built separation walls and checkpoints to control Palestinian movement. In 2005 Israel withdrew from Gaza but continued to build illegal settlements in the Palestinian West Bank. Hamas gained power in Gaza and split from the PLO. Occupied West Bank and Gaza are now under separate leadership.

After violence erupted in Gaza, Israel imposed a 2017 blockade on the besieged enclave, restricting any form of movement. Israel has carried out military assaults on Gaza in 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2021, but in 2022 was one of the deadliest for Palestinians. In 2023, Israel carried out several violent attacks on Gaza and deadly raids in Jenin. On October 7 2023, Hamas responded in its biggest attack on Israel in its history.

“Though I acknowledge Hamas’ evils and clear role in starting the October 2023 attacks that killed over 1,000 Israelites, I cannot support Israel’s killings of over 20,000 Palestinians in response, many of whom are innocents. Two wrongs do not make a right, and arguing that Israel is justified or moral in it’s killing is harmful,”

“The brutality of HAMAS and surprise attack on Israel has endangered the stability of the GAZA strip, since Israel declared war and indicated a military motive to wipe out HAMAS entirely.”

“I believe that the Israeli Palestinian Gaza War is something that is horrible for both people in each country. I see both countries getting damaged and innocent people dying. What is so sad those innocent people dying have no control of what their leader have done.”

“I do not feel like I am on either side of these countries. I do not respect the war that is going on, and I think that it is causing so much harm and strong debate between so many people. I am not educated enough to thoroughly speak on this topic; however I would never support something as harmful as this.” ?

PRO-ISRAEL

“Israel is in the right and Hamas is in the wrong because the Hamas are terrorists killing innocent people and Israel is just defending themselves against this.”

“I feel like I am not qualified to talk about the war just because I haven’t done proper research about the situation to have an understanding or opinion about what is happening in Gaza.”

“I think it’s awfully easy to pass judgment on how another country could best handle a war. The IDF is doing what they can to minimize civilian casualties.”

“I side against Hamas, and with Israel. What Hamas is doing to innocent people in the Gaza Strip is not okay, and I like that Israel is trying to stop them.”

FVALENTINE’S DAY

HOLIDAY OR NOT?

Students share if they believe Valentine’s Day is a holiday or if it is just another way to earn profit

by Chloe Van Pelt, Op/Ed Editor

or over 700 years, Valentine’s day has been celebrated by over 50% of the world.

The main story of Valentine’s day originated from the years 268-270 when Emperor Claudius II ruled over the Roman Empire, (History Channel). Claudius strived to gain a large number of men that would be able to work and be soldiers in his army, rather than marrying young and starting families. Young bishop, St. Valentine of Terni, did not agree with this and rebelled by spreading love letters. Because of this, he was sentenced to death on February 14.

The next millennium then continued what he started by celebrating love on that day every year.

Today, students are debating whether the day of February 14 should be determined as a holiday worldwide or if it is just another way for companies to make money on love-themed consumer products.

Senior Keegan Railsback believes that Valentine’s Day should not be considered a holiday.

“Why should we dedicate an entire day to loving someone else when we should be doing that the entire year?” Railsback said. Although Railsback is a firm believer of this day not being an official holiday, he feels that there are some positives to having a designated date. He believes that February 14 provides a sense of reinforcement or reminder to appreciate and love the ones we care about.

because it does not always have to be centered around relationships and couples. For the last 10 years, Butler has celebrated Valentine’s Day with her family by gifting presents to each other and eating lasagna for dinner.

“It has always been a positive day for me,” Butler said. “I would get dressed up in my pretty red dress and my mom would do my hair and everything for school.”

WHY SHOULD WE DEDICATE AN ENTIRE DAY TO LOVING SOMEONE ELSE WHEN WE SHOULD BE DOING THAT THE ENTIRE YEAR KEEGAN RAILSBACK, 12

On the other hand, senior Abigail Williams believes that Valentine’s Day should ne considered a holiday.

“It provides everyone with the opportunity to closely cherish those around them. In more than just a relationship way like with friends, family, and then of course relation ships,” Williams said.

She believes that there are multiple positives to this day including chocolate and being recognized by your friends to show that they appreciate you.

Sophomore Emily Butler also believes that Valentine’s Day is considered a holiday

WANT MY #’S?

While over 50% (driveresearch.com) of the world views Valentine’s Day as “The Day of Love’’ in a romantic way, Butler sees this day as another opportunity to appreciate and celebrate with her family.

Personally, I don’t believe Valentine’s day should be a holiday because of the way it is celebrated. I think rarely people know why Valentine’s day has a name because of its history. It is normally promoted as a day only for couples which I think can make the other parts of the world who are single, upset.

Although, there are alternatives to this day which I think are beneficial for those who do tend to feel upset of the constant “lovey dovey” with couples around this time. Many female friend groups celebrate Valentine’s day by changing the name to “Galentine’s Day” which I think eases the societal pressure of being in a relationship by celebrating friendships.

Valentine’s day has always been a controversial topic regarding whether it really should be considered a holiday or not. While I might think that Valentine’s day is a bit overrated, others believe it is a day that should be celebrated not just for the couples, but for the gals, and families too.

While I understand couples, girl groups, and families can use the date as an excuse to

74.5% THINK VALENTINE’S DAY IS A HOLIDAY

25.5% THINK VALENTINE’S DAY IS HOLIDAY Survery of 51 students

WE Prefer HUman Intelligence

These days everyone is talking about AI and experimenting with its applications. Around PRHS, students are grappling with – and often enjoying – the ways that AI tools aid and replace their academic effort. Crimson Newsmagazine staff are no different.

Throughout our AI investigation pages, we used several images generated by AI that we were able to gain access to in a matter of seconds. The use of these images sped up our process overall, saving our sleep schedules and allowing us to harvest our creativity for the stress of other ongoing projects.

At the same time, the use of these images provoked a critical discussion among members of our staff about how tools such as image generators are tak ing over human creativity for the sake of convenience. We urge you to watch this problem in your use of AI, too.

Our lives were made easier from using these images, and we acknowledge that the ability to take pride in our work was severely hindered by our lack of involvement in the creation of these images. We know that AI has some quick uses that are helpful when time is lacking, yet we are becoming increasingly aware and concerned of its ability to distort reality and take the place of human tasks.

Additionally, the credibility of news nationwide is already difficult to determine as AI

can generate millions of words that may or may not be true. It is becoming nearly impossible to pick apart as our public figures are being manipulated by artificial intelligence. Journalists, writers, and photographers, who are the people we’re supposed to rely on for our truth, are being replaced with unreliable sources. It is becoming more difficult by the day to tell what videos, photos, and arts were sparked by genuine passion, and which came from some key words typed into a search bar.

Using artificial intelligence as a fact finder or as a secondary search engine is completely valid and to be expected. However it is becoming apparent that anything beyond that poses a risk to the talent artists, writers, designers, and creators of every kind. It’s a threat to authenticity.

A future run by AI is a future with no place for the qualities that make us different from one another.

Crimson Newsmagazine would not be the same if we choose to let AI take over. Face to face interviews would be replaced by chatbots, peer collaboration with editing bots, creativity with computer code, and our pride with shame. We took a chance on it, but artificial intelligence is not something we plan on relying on by any means for our magazine. Risking our humanity is not worth the reward. We prefer human intelligence.

BEHIND THE VOICE

Every morning the school hears her voice, but who is she behind the intercom?

by Chloe Van Pelt, Op/Ed Editor

Each day at the beginning of second period, a junior girl hurriedly makes her way to Jillian Titone’s cubicle in the counseling offices. She extensively studies the script, preparing for club, sports, and news announcements. The office staff knows the face of Amy Ayala but the rest of the school just knows her clear voice over the loudspeakers in second period.

Ayala was chosen by Principal Fletcher to do the announcements after she submitted an application for the role. Towards the beginning of the year, Fletcher was visiting classrooms, looking for a student who would be the perfect candidate for this job.

“I was accidentally put into Mr. Cantrell’s English class, even though I did English over the summer, and then Principal Fletcher did a presentation to the class and asked if any one was willing to do the morning announce ments,” Ayala said.

“I thought it was something that sounded super cool and something that I thought I would be interested in.” Ayala then submitted an application to Fletcher and was chosen to do the job which she has been doing ever since.

At the beginning of this adventure, Ayala had to overcome some challenges that unexpect edly fell in her path. Her first couple times doing the announcements, she was slightly nervous as to what the rest of the school would think of her voice presenting every morning.

“At first I was nervous, because you don’t know what people would expect when they hear a voice,” Ayala said. But after doing it a couple times in the first week, she was super used to doing it to where it just felt comfortable for her.

To be able to do the announcements, she must walk a little faster to the counseling office every morning to get there in time. But overall, the positives beat the negatives and she has found the job as something that she looks forward to in the mornings.

Amy Ayala Ayala’s Guide s to Announcing

Since Ayala has begun this job, she has felt that it has a specific importance that contributes to the overall knowledge of the school. It gives her a chance to advocate for a cause or event but also to hear every thing that is going on on campus. She thinks that it also is an easy way for students and staff to hear events, rath er than read.

• Loud speaking voice

• Enunciate your words properly

• Keep a steady pace when speaking

• Be informed about what you’re reading about

• Be on time to the counseling office

“It’s a very efficient way for students and staff to know what’s to come in that week or later weeks without having to open any emails or websites,” Ayala said.

In this opportunity that was pre sented to her, she feels like she has also been able to sharpen some of her natural skills. Being in acting for two years, public speaking is something that has always come naturally to her, which made her able to execute this job in a profes sional manner.

Ayala has grown to love this job more than she would have imag ined. This opportunity has opened her eyes to going into a career that will enhance her public speaking.

Right now, her main interest is to go into a job in the medical field and she feels that having this public speaking job can contribute to whatever job she acquires in the future.

“I feel like you need to have good communication skills in that field so I feel like this is preparing me for that career,” Ayala said.

Ayala is vigorously involved with over eight activities, including Varsity sideline cheer, advanced acting, LINK Crew, Superintendent Council Board Meeting Team, after school Safety & Enrichment Program at Bauer Speck, ASB Secretary, FCA Club Member, Drama Club Member, and two AP classes while also doing enrichment courses through Cuesta.

Ayala has also made a massive impact on the school environment that does not go unrecognized. Jillian Titone, the Office Manager, sees Ayala daily when she comes in to do the announcements from the phone in her workspace.

“Amy is very bubbly and outgoing… Someone who is announcing every morning should have excitement and be cheery and positive while also speaking clearly which is exactly what she does,” said Titone. Titone has only begun in her position at the start of this school year,

FWHY

What are the reasons behind adding a job to a 7 hour school day?

rom taking tests to taking down orders, Paso Robles students play a balancing act between school and work.During 2021, on average 30.5% of teens in the U.S. ages 16-19 had jobs throughout the year, and this number is rising. (17 Essential High School Job Statistics [2023]: How Common Are High School Jobs - Zippia)

Students at PRHS are choosing to balance work with school amid inflation, high gas prices, and looming college costs at times in spite of labor laws.

Brenda Matthysse, the supervisor of the “work experience” elective which allows students with a job to leave school during the sixth period and work up to eight hours on a school day, believes having a part-time job has a positive impact on students.

“Having a job in high school offers numerous benefits, including time management skills, real-world experience, and financial literacy, all of which contribute to a student’s overall success,” Matthysse said. She mentioned

that not all students can be successful in balancing school and work, though:

“Students should prioritize school and then tackle employment in that order,” Matthysse said.

While Matthysse is referring to the average student working, some go beyond what is considered reasonable or legal. An anonymous student explained how they illegally work 48+ hours a week along with school and can balance things well.

“I only have two things to worry about school and my job, and honestly it’s cool like I’m doing pretty good in school,” the anonymous student said.

This person, however, does not play sports or have any after-school extracurriculars. After school, they take the bus to work and do homework on the way. They work from 4-10 p.m. before heading home to do more homework and get to bed by 11 p.m.

This student works for independence. They explained how they disliked having to ask their parents for money and wanted to take some responsibility to be able to buy what they wanted.

HAVING A JOB IN HIGH SCHOOL OFFERS NUMEROUS BENEFITS... ALL OF WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO A STUDENT’S OVERALL SUCCESS. BRENDA MATTHYSSE, CTE TEACHER

California Labor Laws: Minors aged 14 - 15 may work up 3 hours on a school day, 8 hours on nonschool days, and 18 hours in a week.

STUDENT RUN BUSINESSES

Gaby Verduzco, junior, who has two jobs, one of those being a nail tech from her house. She began this business as a hobby. Her mom had learned how to do nails so her mom taught her. After a while she thought she should make some extra money from doing nails so she began practicing more and more on friends a few times a month.

When first starting she had four to six clients a month and now she has about 20 a month. She makes about 700 dollars a month and spends 150 dollars on supplies. Verduzco always has to buy different colors and charms for nails, besides her typical monomer, nail tips, acyrlic, because she has to stay on top of every new nail trend.

“I feel like being a nail tech there’s always trends that come out and holidays with never ending themes,” said Verduzco.

When creating a logo for her buisness she has to thank her buisness class with Mrs. Overton. Verduzco mentioned that being in that class has helped her to manage her buisness more.

Junior, Flor Velazquez has flowered into an entrepreneur with her own bouquet business.

She started with her flower bouquets for family and for her church, St. Rose of Lima, with no prior experience. As she began working on bouquets for her churches events and for her family she realized she has much more than just a hobby. After her friend offered to pay for her bouquets is really when she started to bloom this idea of starting a bouquet business.

“My parents were my biggest support: they bought me most of my material to start off,” said Velazquez.

When starting she only would have one to three orders a month and now she has three to five orders a month, making $350 - $1,000. Just in this 2024 valentine day sale she will sell 15 bouquets.

With half of the money she makes she invest it back into her business to make sure her supply is stocked. She spends about $50 monthly on supplies. She now invest on much more than Korean wrapping paper and flowers, she buys rhinestones, teddy bears and more accessories.

WORK?

by Brian Arndt, Health Editor

For other students, working 40 hours a week is not reasonable or “worth the sacrifice,” preferring a more traditional work/school balance.

Varsity soccer player Brandon McWilliams (11) works about 10-15 hours a week and prioritizes his sport over his job at The Backyard. He admitted while he works less than others, that it can still be a struggle with school:

“It’s hard to get homework done because basically most of my free time that I’m not playing sports or at school I’m working,” McWilliams said.

While working is a struggle for him, McWilliam explained the sacrifice: “I work because I get paid and so I can save up money for my future.”

He also understands the life experience that comes from a job is important in the long run. He believes it teaches lessons that can’t be taught during school. McWilliams’ supervisors proudly stated that he was a great worker and goes beyond many other highschool employees.

Sadie Wagner (12) doesn’t find it necessary to have a job because there is really no need in her case.

“I’m really busy with school and sports, and I really value time with my famitoo,” Wagner said. She explained by not owning a car or going shop often, she has no real need for one.

For other students such as Benjamin Didonna not always a choice. Didonna works Saturday through Tuesday at Chipotle as a means of supporting his future and family.

“(I work) so I can get money for college and a car.” “Some times if my parents don’t have enough for the bills or something I’ll pitch in.” Didonna enjoys his job and explains that it doesn’t interfere with his school work or social life.

Having a job for students can mean working a few week end hours to earn some extra pocket cash, to spending hours after school racking up the hours past the legal limit. With the percentage of students who have a job rising it is inter esting to see the factors influencing a student’s choice.

SOMETIMES IF MY PARENTS DON’T HAVE ENOUGH FOR THE BILLS OR SOMETHING I’LL PITCH IN.

BENJAMIN DIDONNA, 10

Freshman, Joab Laredo has his own barber business for a year and a half. Operating from his own house. He started because he had seen on social media someone starting their own clipping business.

Laredo’s parents really kicked off his business by buying equipment like clippers. Laredo explains that at first he had no clients – if anything one young person per a month.

“Fast forward to now: I pretty much do like five to six cuts a day,” said Laredo. He explains now that he makes $500 a week, when he couldn’t even make 100 a month. He likes to take his parents out to eat with his money or invest it back into the business. For example he recently has purchased is a new couch for the room in which he cuts hair. He invest about, $300 a month out of the $1500 estimate of what he makes a month.

BTHE Details BEHIND THE DANCER

A deep dive look into the lives of competitive dancers at PRHS

by Georgia Domenghini, Pop-Culture Editor

e strong, show emotion, have artistry, tell the story. These are all the things a dancer has to think about when stepping onto the competition stage. They have to be in complete control of their bodies throughout the dance, while being able to make it look effortless. At PRHS, several students pursue this control through dancing competitively.

According to several PRHS dancers, it takes years of practice and training to achieve this level of perfection.

“I started dancing when I was three years old, and competitively when I was six. [I] go right after school and I’m there till about 8:30 or 9,” Brooklynn Betz said.

Betz is a freshman at PRHS, and she dances competitively at Artistry in Motion dance studio. This year she is in seven dances that she will compete at three different competitions. Her dances consist of a solo, a duet, a trio, and four group dances. A solo is performed by Betz herself on the stage, a duet is performed by Betz and one other dancer, and a trio is performed by Betz and two other dancers, and group dances are performed by Betz and up to eleven other dancers. She will be going to LA Dance Magic competition/convention, Art of Movement competition/convention, and Thunderstruck competition.

In the dance world, there is a difference between a competition/convention

“If we’re going to a convention, [we] usually compete the first day, and then have classes the next day. Then after classes we compete again, and then

A dance convention is similar to a regular convention, in the sense that all day the dancers are in classes learning different styles from professionals in the industry. The teachers of the classes go on to judge for the competition later that day. This practice gives the dancers the opportunity to learn from many different people over the entire weekend, giving them the chance to use expert advice to improve

“At a regular competition [we] would just perform our dances and get scores from the judges, we also don’t take classes from the judges.” said Betz has been dancing since she was five years old, and competing since Ford dances at Artistry in Motion dance studio as well, and is there most days after school.

Brooklynn Betz, 9

Contemporary is similar to ballet, however it has more fluid movements that are slightly abstract. Tap is a dance involving special shoes with metal plates that make noise when certain movements are made. The first group dance is jazz in heels. Jazz is very specific with a certain place for each body part in every movement of the dance. The second group dance is open. Open is similar to contemporary, yet it is more abstract and out of the box, and the dancers do very uncommon and different movements. The third group dance is another contemporary dance. The fourth group dance is a lyrical dance, similar to contemporary in the way that it is fluid movements, and more commonly reflects the lyrics of the song.

For the past two years, Ford has won the title of Miss Thunderstruck and Thunderstruck

Competing for title is a little different from competing in the regular competition. To compete for title, dancers can be entered into the competition, and compete a solo against all of the other competitors who entered. At the beginning, all of the dancers who entered will be brought out to answer a question in front of the judges, and will dance after. Questions can be anywhere from: “After high school do you plan on pursuing dance as a career, and if not, what career do you plan on pursuing?” to “What dance teacher in your life has influenced you the most this far?”

Sophomore Jaklyn Woodland has been dancing was two years old, and competitively dancing since she

Woodland dances at Main Street dance studio, and spends many long

Woodland is going to eight competitions this year, three with her studio and five on her own. The three she is going to with her studio are Dance Makers competition/convention, Hollywood Connections competition/convention, and Heat competition/ convention. She is in seven competition dances this year, two solos and five group dances.

Carina Ford, 12

“Usually I’ll get there at like four, and each class is an hour, and then I stay for four to five hours,” Ford said.

She is in seven dances that compete at multiple different competitions and conventions this year. A contemporary solo, a tap trio, and five group dances that are all different styles.

Woodland has also been on a competition company for the past few years. Being in company for a competition/convention means that the dancers travel all over the country to compete. Being a part of a competitive company like HEAT Force, means extra rehearsals during weekends and the opportunity to take special company member only classes taught by professionals. While competitive dance takes so much work and effort to perfect, that’s not why most dancers do it. All dancers interviewed expressed the drive behind the dance is a joy experienced by expressing their emotions through the intricate movements they perform. They affirmed that dancing is a therapeutic art that is often healing for many. The priceless outcomes these dancers can get from dancing is worth all of the blood, sweat, and tears that goes into it.

Jaklyn Woodland, 10

competitive dancers in advanced dance average of competitions a year 10 5

Amid vaping epidemic, students struggle with addiction and regret

By Owen Winstead, Photographer, and Brian Arndt, Health Editor

Students stand in corners of the bathroom with their mouths on the sleeves of their sweatshirts. Groups huddle in the quad blowing smoke down at the ground during nutrition. This is a day in the life of about 7% of high school students according to the CDC as of 2023.

problem that anonymous student C brings up that affects them even after being five months clean: “I feel like something that has been damaged in me is the essence of living life,” they said, “

“The biggest campus problem that I see is vaping. It’s everywhere, in bushes, bathrooms, and sometimes even classrooms. People truly can’t stop someone who has been hypnotized by the taste and feeling of hitting a vape,” an anonymous student said.

Students see vaping every day, but the clouds hide the humanity of the teenagers behind them, struggling with addiction and withdrawal symptoms such as: “anxiety, anhedonia, depression, dysphoria, hyperalgesia, and irritability,” according to Nicotine Withdrawal - PMC.

One student explained their battle with vaping addic tion They began their junior year when the stress of school was becoming too much

“Every class I took that year was either honors or AP and I was so stressed, so I just used it as a coping mechanism for all the other things that were going on in my life.”

What started as a coping mechanism, howev er, quickly became an addiction that became out of control:

“I would vape so much I would get nic sick and feel so bad and it would help me fall asleep.” They hid this addiction from everyone except one of their closest friends.

They explained how they would vape while driving and they would, “take back roads so no one would see me driving because I was paranoid that someone my mom knew would see me driving and tell her.”

Vaping became a vital part of their life and it af fected them physically:

“At that time you could look at my face and it was thin, I wasn’t eating right, everything about me was colorless, I looked sick. my skin was really bad.”

Eventually, their mom found out and took their vape, but starting the recovery process from their vaping addiction was not easy. “Stopping was real ly hard because it was a part of my routine, it was something that I just did, it became a part of me.”

The long-term effects of quitting vaping is a

DO YOU BELIEVE THE VAPE DETECTORS WORK?

54.6% NO

26% YES

18.6% UNSURE

97 PRHS students surveyed.

PRHS Staff has notably made attempts to address vaping. Michael Godsey, assistant principal of the class of 2023, explains the process of when students are caught vaping parents will be contacted and they will be sent to detention where they will take online classes about stopping smoking.

If they are caught using marijuana they will be reported to the school resource officer, Godsey said this has discouraged students from using on campus, where they could face citations and might be sent to court.

“I know nobody really believes us but the point isn’t really to punish students. The point is to get them help,”

“STARTING NIC WAS THE BIGGEST REGRET OF MY LIFE.” - ANONYMOUS

HAS THE AMOUNT OF STUDENTS WHO VAPE GONE UP OR DOWN?

UP 43% DOWN 35.5%

Another student who vapes on campus said, “I feel like they do enough (regarding the repercussions of being caught vaping) for you to not want to be stupid about it,” but this student still continues to vape on campus.

To help prevent future vaping on campus, Godsey said one focus of the school is spreading awareness: “Proactively we are always doing awareness stuff: talk to the freshman class as they come in, try to spread the word through tutorials.”

Students don’t think they’re doing enough however given that out of 97 students surveyed, 65% believe the school is doing a sub-par job stopping students vaping on campus.

A student quitting vaping is a process that takes self-determination and the help of those around the

“And in reality, it’s not really what you put in yourself that helps, it’s what you put out in the world,” says an anonymous student who has quit

A student quitting vaping is a process that takes self-determination and the help of those around the

“And in reality, it’s not really what you put in yourself that helps, it’s what you put out in the world,” says an anonymous student who has quit

WHERE DO YOU SEE STUDENTS VAPING?

78.6% BATHROOMS

21% QUAD

18.6% UNSURE

FAKE FAKE

FAKEREAL REAL FAKE

Once nothing but a homework tool and a burden for educators AI is now a master manipulator of careers, relationships and creativity

Elise Mathers, EIC

Ayear ago we published a magazine called “The Artificial Intelligence Invasion.” The invasion of the time that was really only invading our homework is now invading our livelihoods. As AI continues to become more prevalent, the essence of truth continues to blur into the digital world.

Determining the credibility of news is becoming impossible as the journalists and photographers of the world are being replaced by AI generated words and images that aren’t necessarily based on fact. People are becoming increasingly tricked because of the way AI trumps critical thinking skills. Public figures, celebrities, and even your own friends and family can be generated, altered, or added to by the power of AI image generators.

It’s bots before besties as human relationships are being replaced by thumb tapping and yapping to AI chatbots that have been implemented into social media platforms including Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and more. There is no need for human interaction when there’s “someone” to talk to at your fingertips at all times who will tell you exactly what you want to hear.

The power of knowledge no longer has any place in schools where knowledge now comes from some key words typed into a search bar. As long as AI continues to involve itself, the learning environments of students all over the world are fading away out of the convenience that AI is as a “tool”.

There are a wide range of societal aspects that are being swept away into the world of artificial intelligence. Here we are a year later ready to take on was artificial intelligence has in store for us, and it’s safe to say that we were most definitely not disappointed.

As AI seeps deeper into our daily lives, the very essence of truth itself becomes blurred in the digital landscape. With AI-generated content proliferating across online platforms, discerning what is real and what is fake becomes an impossible task. The once trusted pillars of journalism and photography are now under siege, replaced by algorithms churning out content without regard for accuracy or integrity. This erosion of trust in traditional sources of information leaves society vulnerable to manipulation and fake news.

dont bElieve

SEE you What

AI and misinformation seep into our mainstream news and media through photographleaving students unsure what’s real or fake

From images of the pope wearing a white puffed jacket worth thou sands of dollars, to reviving dead celebrities into wild images, Ai has begun to become the king of the internet. But not only that, it has become more and more prominent in workspaces, and pictures becom ing more realistic. Thus, fake news has begun to become more prominent than ever. Ai is now being used in news and journalism. In an article made by Generating Change made by Journalism Ai, they ran a global survey about what news organizations and how many of them are using artificial intelligence. A reported 85% have stated that they have, 14% being unclear, and 1% stating they have not, and with 80% of them stating that they believe news is going to have more applications of Ai in the future.

“The instant we start messing with photographs themselves, it’s no longer true because news is about documentary photography. It should be realistic to what we actually experienced. We shouldn’t manipulate or generate photographs more than we need to make them fit and look pretty,” yearbook teacher Micheal Witman, said about his opinion on Ai photography.

But with these kinds of changes happening amongst the news, it’s beginning to become harder and harder to tell what’s real and what’s fake. In a post on reddit created by Pablo Xavier, a 31 year old construction worker, he had created a fake image of the pope in a balenciaga puffer coat. The image had been taken through the internet, sailing across the seas of so cial media like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. It was created in Mid Journey, and it’s not the first time these images have been created to make people either laugh, post about, or save for their own personal use.

I’M WILLING TO BET ALL OF MY MONEY THAT AI PHOTOGRAPHY WILL NEVER OVERTAKE REAL PHOTOGRAPHY. ROGELIO MOLINA, 12

Because of this manipulation with Ai, internet freedom is beginning to be stripped away. In the article, The Repressive Power of Artificial Intel ligence, written by Allie Funk, Adrian Shabaz, and Kain Vesteinnson, it was revealed that 29 countries’ conditions for human rights on the inter net had deteriorated.

MEET YOUR NEW BEST FRIENd

Students notice how artificial intelligence, media, and technology affect our connections- for better and for worst

by Kalani Gaviola, Editor-in-Chief

Thanks to AI, your perfect friend may be just one click away. With a customizable cartoon appearance and bubbly personality, Snapchat’s “My AI’’ and other chat bots are always available to talk, always kind, always focused entirely on you. And, on the surface, they seem like a cure for lonely teens with no one to talk to- especially considering that Gen Z has been reported to be the loneliest generation by far by a variety of news outlets such as Forbes, USA Today, and more.

Critics and PRHS students seem to think however, that the situation isn’t quite that simple, and these connections to AI we’re forming are not only fake, but harmful.

With the advent of more chatbots and ways to “fake” connections, many, including 85.7% of the PRHS student population surveyed, worry about our generation’s future relationships, privacy, and wonder about the necessity of online chatbots.

The “My AI” feature on Snapchat was released in February 2023 for premium users, and became available to all 750 million users in April of the same year. The chatbot is placed on the top of your list of friends, and cannot be deleted.

When asked “What is your purpose?”, it responded that it was here to be a “virtual friend.”

When asked “Do you care about me?”, it responded “Of course, I care about you. Even though we’re chatting virtually, I still want to be a good friend to you. Is there something specific you’d like to talk about with me? I’m always here to listen and chat with you.”

“It’s creepy,” Kinleigh Morud, freshman, said. “It feels like its trying to substitute real friends or relationships… I think that’s bad.”

People online were similarly quick to point out the “creepy” side of the AI, and 60% of students believe AI “friends” are always weird, and 85.7% worry about how AI’s invasion of pri-

54.3%

vacy. AI’s like Snapchat’s are feedback based, and companies use chats, no matter how private, to better train the AI model.

“It’s interesting to see people using AI as more than just a tool.” senior Gabby Silvia said, “I could see using it as a social thing could lead to people having limited social skills and emotional intelligence, which would inevitably be detrimental to them.”

And the Snapchat AI isn’t an isolated Another popular AI chatbots include “character.ai”, where users can chat with almost anyone, from popular anime characters to real life historical figures. In these chats, the sky is the limit, you can romance these bots, fight with them, debate them, anything.

And, with the help of AI, limitless creation and connection doesn’t stop with text. Videos of AI friends already exist, such as Billie released by Meta that serve similar purposes to the Snapchat AI. But image creation has a much darker side in relation to connection, particularly, romantic or sexual connection- or, what people will do when they lack them.

Recently, explicit images of Taylor Swift were spread on X, formerly Twitter, reportedly gaining over 40 million views in the few hours they were up before being taken down by the platform. And with this reality comes the unsettling realization that, as technology develops, these attacks may not be isolated to famous people. A girl in your math class, a local politician- if there’s a photo, AI will find a way.

“It’s really uncomfortable and such a huge violation of privacy,” Jordan Hammond, junior and Taylor Swift fan, said. “It’s scary to know that anyone could use with so much power to create such realistic things.”

Action is being taken politically via a bill in Congress titled the “No Artificial Intelligence Fake Replicas And Unauthorized Duplications (No AI FRAUD) Act” to protect individuals from defamation, as many current laws don’t entirely address the issue of AI generated online sexual abuse.

THINK AI CAN REPLACE SOME HUMAN CONNECTIONS

NEW AND IMPROVED

An average day in the classroom consists of computers, pencils, and AI services that are being used in both a positive and negative way by students.

Since the creation of Chatgpt, which was created on Nov. 30, 2022, Artificial Intelligence has continued to grow at a rapid rate, with over 100 million users in the first six months of its launch. However, the question raised is how students are being affected by the onslaught of work that is not being self generated.

“I have looked at lessons where students write something and then go into AI and see what suggestions are being made and how they could improve their writing…I am curious about incorporating a lesson like that into my curriculum,” English teacher Carrie Baldovin said about AI’s incorporation in the everyday classroom.

Currently California is one of five statesNorth Carolina, Oregon, California, Washington, and West Virginia- that have offered propositions to further the usage of AI in schools, in lesson forms just as Baldovin has looked into. Creating a policy for this newer form of technology is the first thing that states and school districts are establishing moving forward. PRJUSD’s school board was planning to bring the program Magic School to the community on Jan. 23, 2024, but was pushed back to the next board meeting on February 13, 2024. The board is considering bringing Magic School into classrooms as an extra resource for students and teachers to use in a positive way. Magic AI is attempting to be approved for a pilot program in favor of the faculty/staff in Spring of the 2024 school year. The pilot program of this new technology will aid teachers in training and educating students in ways to use AI responsibly, rather than using it as a cheat sheet. A long term goal for this program is that it will be able to be brought to schools where students can use AI beneficially in their classrooms.

As AI develops, questions emerge about what education is now going to look like in the coming future

by Kayla Degnan, Sports Director Chloe Van Pelt, Op/Ed Editor

with access to materials outside of the classroom which allows for a wider lens of learning/development. In the article, “AI in Education” points out the examples that services such as Chatgpt, Microsoft Bing, Youchat, and many more offer limitless examples that could relate to topics that are already being taught in the classroom, in a more clear context.

Although AI is commonly talked about in classrooms and how it can influence cheating, students have found that it can also be beneficial.

“It helps you think through problems, because I mean, it’s not always correct and accurate, but I use it sometimes to help give me ideas in English about certain things to write on,” senior Hayden Jones said.

I USED CHATGPT FOR SCHOOL BY ASKING QUESTIONS, SEEKING CLARIFICATION ON SOME TOPICS, BRAINSTORMING SOME IDEAS, AND EVEN GETTING SOME HELP ON HOMEWORK. IT WAS REALLY USEFUL WHEN I STARTED WRITING MY [COLLEGE] ESSAYS

PEYTON BEDROSIAN, 12

“I had some ideas in my head of, what I wanted to do, and I wanted to see what ChatGpt said,” history teacher Seth Draine said, “some of it confirmed what I was thinking [for my lesson], which was nice to hear and other parts, not so much,” The ability that AI has to help deliver real time feedback and provides students

69.2%

Students can benefit from using AI if they choose to use it in a way that allows them to better their work that they are submitting. For seniors this tool can be very beneficial, with AI spotting edits that may have been missed in the Google Docs or Microsoft word spelling and grammar programs helping their college essays. The technology that is used to detect the spelling errors is a form of AI

14 DAYS OF LOVE

14 duos participate in games and activities for Valentines’ Day and spread their love

DAY 1:

by Cassidy Heer, In Depth Co-Editor and Naomi Velasco, Carmesi/Podcast Director

Seniors Katie Blaney and James Cogan will be making senseless slime. While Blaney loses her sight by being blind folded, Cogan will have headphones on blasting music, prohibiting him from understanding Blaney. These two will have to put their senses together in order to complete the slime.

DAY 2:

Juniors Gracie Domenghini and Skylar Collins play the guessing game. While mystery items are placed into a box, these two will have to reach in the box and feel the item in order to guess what they are touching.

DAY 3:

Senior Georgia Domenghini teaches senior Bennett Reed how to dance. When Domenghini names a dance move, Reed will try his best to display what he believes that move to look like.

BELL OF LOVE

Single bearcats take a chance on love on the game show “THE BELL”

I’M TOO GOOD A FRIEND WITH HER FAMILY. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AWKWARD.

DAKOTA RICKERD

Scan the QR code to watch the series!

DAY 5:

Sophomores Anaiah Prado and Tre Clark put their knowledge to the test. While answering a combination of “Are you smarter than a fifth grader” and popculture questions, the couple competes to see who knows more.

DAY 4:

Juniors Matthias Willis and Angel Guerra test their Bromance while also testing flavors of candy. These two blind react to random candies, competing to guess the flavor. The loser must eat something a little less sweet.

February is the month filled with love for couples to give their partners chocolate, flowers, and love letters! Not so much for single students at Paso Robles High School, praying for the day to end their lonely misery. It’s also the perfect month for Blind Date to eagerly introduce upperclassmen: Brooke Lewis (12) Ashley Benami (12), and Natalie Boyd (12) to Cameron Henry (12), Brandon Henry (12), Tristen Salgado (12), and Dakota Rickerd (12), spicing up their single love lives before Valentine’s Day.

Inspired by a viral speed dating show that surfaced through YouTube, ‘The Button’ is a method to mix, match, and reject individuals for personal and intimate reasons they see fit. By pressing the button first, one is essentially rejecting and eliminating the

partner across the table. Blind date set up a bell that works on the same terms as “The Button.” It’s an exciting way to engage the upperclassmen on campus and get them to learn about their school and peers.

Many of the contestants had rejected each other in a failed attempt to feel the love between one another. The relationships ended before it could even blossom, cutting their interactions short in lighthearted friendships. Pressing The Bell reveals their fearless will to find another partner.

“We’ve been friends for so long, I can’t. I don’t see her that way,” Salgado said.

Two PRHS students, Benami and Henry however, made it through! They started their journey after they clicked instantly. Blind Date hopes to see them again!

by Raffy Fuentes, Sebastion Redojavic, Braydon Hoier, and Mateo De Alba

LA MAGIA MAS ALLA DE LA FRONTERA

Los estudiantes visitan México y se dan cuenta lo que mas les gusta de allí

by Naomi Velasco, Carmesi/Podcast Director

UDIFFERENCIAS

ALGO QUE AMO DE MEXICO ES LA GENTE, ES HUMILDA Y SIMPLE

HECTOR AGINIGA, 12

- La arquitectura de Mexico no es tan advancada en todos los pueblos en Mexico

- La gente de Mexico son mas humides y amables

SIMILARES

- Tienen mas de los mismos productos en tiendas

- Tienen mas tiendas que son iguales

no de los segundos grupos raciales más grandes en los EE. UU. son los hispanos/ latinos. La mayoría de los hispanos en Estados Unidos son mexicanos. En PRHS más de la mitad, el 55.6% de los estudiantes son latinos y la mayoría son mexicanos. Las visitas a México son muy comunes entre los estudiantes de Paso Robles y parecen notar las diferencias con ambos países.

Jessica Isidro es estudiante de segundo año en el campus y viaja a México una vez al año. Ella explica cómo las culturas de Estados Unidos y México se han fusionado porque ahora Estados Unidos tiene una gran población de mexicanos, especialmente en California debido a la proximidad de la frontera y hay muchos intereses compartidos entre ambos grupos étnicos. Aunque ve una diferencia entre ambos. países es que en México “todos estamos más unidos como comunidad”, dijo Isidro. Ella siente que hay una conexión más grande entre sí en México que en Estados Unidos. Leticia Velázquez comparte cómo viaja a México dos veces al año y algo que la diferencia es la arquitectura. Ha notado que todas las casas en México están construidas cerca unas de otras y la mayoría no tienen un diseño y construcción tan modernos como las de Estados Unidos. Otro aspecto que describe es que las carreteras son más accidentadas en México y no tan organizadas como las de aquí. Por ejemplo, en determinados lugares los cruces se complican. Sin embargo, descubrió que algo que hace especial a México es la gente, “En México la gente donde quiera que vayas no importa si alguna vez los ves, estarán de acuerdo si te conocen de toda la vida”, dijo Velázquez.

MAGIC BEYOND THE BORDER

Many students in PRHS are Latinos and most of them are mexican. Many students have the ability to go to Mexico and visit those who do are seeing many diffrent similarities and diffrences. One big diffrence is that in Mexico the arquitecture is much more diffrent than in the US and much less advanced in most towns. In addition something that they mention is that the people in Mexico feel more like family. Leticia Velazquez mentions how anywhere she goes no matter if she knows them or not everyone is always nice. In additon they Hector Aguiniga

Aunque ambas diferencias ahora también tienen cosas más comunes, como las mismas tiendas y los mismos artículos vendidos. Por ejemplo tienen Walmart, Homedepot, Costco y más en México y en Estados Unidos no están empezando a vender artículos que solo se vendían en México, por ejemplo ciertos jabones, snacks y bebidas.

Héctor Auginia quien es Senior vino de México hace 7 años. Cuando vino a los EE. UU. notó muchas diferencias y algunas similitudes y algunas cosas nunca se compararán. Algo que ha notado desde que se mudó aquí es que hay una gran diversidad de personas de otros países en Estados Unidos y la arquitectura es muy diferente. Aunque algo que hace único a México es. “La gente es humilde y sencilla”, dijo Auguina. Muchas personas a veces no se dan cuenta de lo diferentes y similares que pueden ser dos lugares al mismo tiempo. Se han logrado avances para hacer que México y Estados Unidos sean más similares en formas que sean beneficiosas. Por ejemplo con más progreso México está consiguiendo recursos para construir casas como Estados Unidos. También el gobierno mexicano ha estado trabajando en la construcción de nuevas carreteras. Desde 2019 México ha iniciado más de 500 nuevas obras viales y la mayoría están cercanas a su finalización.

En cuanto a Estados Unidos, México siempre ha tenido una gran importancia para las importaciones de alimentos agrícolas, pero ahora se ve que no solo se importan frutas y verduras de Estados Unidos, sino también snacks. Después de ir a las tiendas de comestibles, puedes ver en los pasillos que cada vez se importan más bocadillos mexicanos, una de las marcas más importantes que se ven aquí es la marca Bimbo.

Con el tiempo, México y Estados Unidos crean cada vez más su propia singularidad en su país, pero también combinan ciertos aspectos que tienen cosas en común.

mentiones how when he lived in Mexico he loved how the people were humbled and were happy with their simple life, unlike most people here. Although everyone saw that they were a few similarties between both contries. Both in Mexico and the United States there are stores that sale the same products and some stores are even the same. Overall the countries are evolving to become something uniquie for themselves but also advancing to help out there communities.

LETICIA VELAZQUEZ, 11

JESSICA ISIDRO, 10

A RISE IN RACIAL A RISE IN RACIAL

GETTING IT RIGHT: MEDIA IS MAKING PROGRESS

Sharing the flaws and improvements in representation within media by Michelle Rosas, Carmesi/Video Director

The feeling of being welcomed, wanted or valued is pivotal to human development. Seeing people “like you” accomplish great things or become very successful, inspires and motivates people, it gives them hope. This is why we need representation in the media.

“Underrepresentation, as a result, has the potential to establish harmful views and negative perceptions. For children who are developing their thoughts and behaviors, and for teenagers who are searching for identity and their place in society, media takes the role of a significant influence.” The stereotype and oppression minority groups have faced are critical to their identity and self esteem. Representation, well done representation, can break those stereotypes that were created in the past.

Senior Gandhi Anastcaio believes representation in media is important for people to see when it is done right. “People think putting a person of color on the screen is representation when it’s not”. The goal for representation in the media is to uplift marginalized groups, but that can’t be done by just adding a person of color. Tokenism is when authorities or an underrepresented they can be diverse with Having a token character sarily fix the problem of underrepresentation, it just makes these companies want the public to know they are okay with minorities. Diving into the culture and showing the issues that are faced are ways that representation can be met.

an Indian girl in highschool. The show follows her through her experience with her relationships, applying for college, being a teenager, and her culture and the importance of it in her life. The show was directed by an Indian woman herself, Kabir Akhtar. The show gets praised for doing a very good job with how important the traditions in Indian culture are for her family but also how difficult it is being a teenage girl discovering herself in highschool. Senior Lilian Shroyer says that, “I think a big problem with representation is that it’s not being done by people who have knowledge or have personal experience with these topics”.

A problem when it comes to accurately portraying representation is that often the producers or people behind the camera aren’t familiar or are not a part of the culture they are “representing”. The show “Never Have I Ever” is a show about

U.S history and Ethnic studies teacher, Mrs. McPherosn shares how she has seen representation grow. “I remember seeing the “Cosby Show (1984)” , it was the first positive representation of a black family at the time,” she said. She also shares that a lot of people would see themselves in “the ghetto” or in tough situations. She highlights the show “The Jeffersons (1975)”, the show shows African Americnas having high paying jobs and living in a high class neighborhood. “It showed successful black men and women with a family and that would show a certain group of people that there was a way out of that ghetto or that neighborhood”.

U.S history and Ethnic studies teacher, Mrs. McPherosn shares how she has seen representation grow. “I remember seeing the “Cosby Show (1984)” , it was the first positive representation of a black family at the time,” she said. She also shares that a lot of people would see themselves in “the ghetto” or in tough situations. She highlights the show “The Jeffersons (1975)”, the show shows African Americnas having high paying jobs and living in a high class neighborhood. “It showed successful black men and women with a family and that would show a certain group of people that there was a way out of that ghetto or that neighborhood”.

Women Representing

Never Have I Ever provides represenation, specifically for first-generation Southeast Asian teenagers.

Queen Charlotte focuses on representing Black women by putting them in powerful leading roles.

Stuck in The Middle spotlights and large and unapolgetically Latino family.

REPRESENTATION REPRESENTATION

MEDIA BENDS RACE INTO CURRENT CASTINGS

OPINION An analysis of racebending in recent movies and shows, and how has it affected the industry

by Elijah Mayo, Director of Photography, Environmental Editor

With new iterations of movies popping out from every corner of movie companies, characters have begun to change as well. However, not in personality or archetype, but in ethnicity. Such as Ariel in the live action Little Mermaid was narrowly casted as Halle Bailey. In the original movie that came out on November 13th, 1989, the character was depicted as a white mermaid with roaring crimson hair. However, in the live action remake that was released on May 26th, 2023, Ariel’s character had been casted by a woman who is African American, 19 year old Halle Bailey. This change resulted in a backlash of over 1 million dislikes of the trailer, with critics arguing that she shouldn’t be casted as the character if she was a different race in the first place.

In the original book itself, she was a white woman. “They were six lovely girls, but the youngest was the most beautiful of them all. Her skin was as soft and tender as a rose petal, and her eyes were as blue as the deep sea, but like all the others she had no feet. Her body ended in a fish tail.”

Racebending has not only become prominent in Disney’s productions, and nor is it a new phenomenon. Characters like Nick Fury from Marvel, or Velma from Scooby Doo both had their races altered. Despite Samuel L Jackson immortalizing the character for not only all Marvel fans, but for most people, his character in the comics was originally a white man. Debuting May 1st, 1963 in the comic Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, he was changed 39 years later in 2002 in the Ultimate Comics series into an African American man.

While Velma, a character that was white during the character’s fame and debut and only changed recently, was changed into an Indian woman. Being made on September 13th, 1969, her character was altered in the remake on January 12 in 2023. So what’s the reason for these changes?

Many people think it is a part of the “woke agenda,” believing it’s only

there to create a forced form of diversity. Others believe it to be a mixed form of representation.

However, in my opinion, I find racebending to be an extremely important change. The change of the ethnicity among characters is able to bring to light representation for people of various races, for all sorts of different characters. More often than not however, the change does not mean anything in the story. But I believe it’s better for this to occur (at least in children’s movies). It gives a soft representation towards various audiences.

“I think that racebending helps representation, but sometimes not in the right way. I think there have been times in the media that racebending has been done well, currently though I feel like media companies are using race bending as a way to make more money. The representation is there, but only to profit off of it.” Daniel Rodriguez said.

I do not believe that this form of representation is enough. Race bending serves as a replacement for already existing characters’ ethnic ity, but I believe that we should have a combined representation of race bending and creating more characters that are people of color. This needs to be done by Hollywood itself and creating committees that are capable of giving the spotlight to more minority actors.

In my opinion, I find racebending to be an extremely important change. The change of the ethnicity among characters is able to bring to light representation for people of various races, for all sorts of different characters. More often than not however, the change does not mean anything in the story. But I believe it’s better for this to occur(at least in children’s movies). It gives a soft representation towards various audiences.

Racebent Characters

Racebent Characters

Aquaman DCEU - Caucasian

Mary Jane Watson Spiderman - Caucasian

Aang Avatar the Last Airbender - East Asian

Kingpin Deadpool - Caucasian

Karen Smith Mean Girls - Caucasian

Dastan of Persia Prince of Persia - Persian Polynesian

African American European

African American Indian Caucasian

HYPER FEMININITY: THAT’S SO Coquette

As pink bows storm social media, this fun trend brings back a sense of nostalgia and girlhood

by Cassidy Heer, InDepth Co- Editor

In hair, food or animals, life has lately been wrapped in a pink dainty bow as the “coquette” trend rises in popularity. Inspired by the titular ‘coquette’ aesthetic, the internet has been blowing up with both aesthetic and humorous videos featuring various (sometimes random) items wrapped in pink bows to feminize them. This girly pink fashion that coquette has transformed into seems to also question and subvert the perceived weakness of girlhood and femininity. While some see this trend as a silly or lighthearted joke, others have observed it as a way for women to express their hyper feminine style. Though hyper femininity has been seen as weak with the advent of modern feminism that prefers more “traditionally masculine” female icons, women have been using the coquette trend as a way to take control of their feminine side.

Thesublimewomen.com’s (Ksenia Sita) stated that “being happy, and being happy as a woman are two different things.”

The current hashtag coquette has 1.3 million posts and 5.1 billion views according to Linkedin. com. Yet this trend has gone beyond pink bows. Videos of fawns captioned “this is me if you even care” have also fed algorithms and reposts. This juxtaposition from the more “tough” and traditionally strong face women have put on to this modern “girly” and gentle hyper femininity has taken modern women.

the hyper feminine trends came from summer of 2023 with the mass popularity of traditionally feminine figures such as Taylor Swift and Barbie. Time’s Person of Year Taylor Swift brought in $4.1 billion off of her Eras Tour, with the three and a half hour show of love songs and sequins being so popular it ended up benefiting the economy according to Northeastern Global News as her fans’ traveling opened up new jobs and money in the cities she performed in tourism industries.

Summer of 2023 also brought Barbie to the box office. The girly plastic doll ended up making history with $1 billion in box office sales. Swift and Barbie were once looked down upon as girlie, blonde, pink-wearing women and weren’t always recognized for their success. But after earning their respect women began wearing pink with pride.

“People have always looked down upon people like Taylor Swift and Barbie, diminishing their successes because of the idea that they are ‘girly’ or ‘too femiJordan Hammond

Times.com’s (Eliana Dockterman)

noted that “the very meaning of pink seems to be changing. Barbie director Greta Girwig has successfully wrapped a feminist message up in a traditionally girlie hue. Even men are wearing more pink.”

Junior Hannah Rougeot reveals her thoughts on girlhood. Younger girls weren’t shamed for listening to Taylor swift, playing with Barbies or wearing pink bows.

“It brings back a sense of girlhood that was backed by Barbie and the explosion of Taylor Swift in 2023. I have seen bows on a variety of things such as Dr.Pepper, a stack of money, or even chicken tenders,” Rougeot said.

THE COQUETTE TREND IN A NUTSHELL IS USUALLY SOMEONE WHO IS FEMININE, BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT’S QUESTIONING WHAT IS FEMININE, BECAUSE WHAT ACTUALLY IS FEMININITY?

JESUS

URSULO ECHEVARRIA, 9

Participant in the trend, junior Gracie Domenghini, sees it as a more playful and fun way for women to have the freedom of being whoever they want.

“I think we’ve definitely moved away from doing things to please men or things to relate to the male gaze. It’s more of women doing what amuses them. I also find it very funny because it’s almost like women are playing into the narrative that they are gentle and petite, and I think that’s perfectly fine because that’s what women might want to be,” said Domenghini.

Anything imaginable is being wrapped in a pink bow and captioned coquette. Things that are not traditionally feminine are being claimed by women in the name of coquette.

“The coquette trend in a nutshell is usually someone who is feminine, but at the same time it’s questioning what is feminine, because what actually is femininity? That’s the art of it all,” freshman Jesus Ursulo Echevarria said. He believes the coquette trend opened up a good conversation on femininity.

“I feel the coquette trend has exposed actual feelings that women have felt and has normalized those feelings to the point where they could express themselves and relate to others. I think the coquette trend is softening topics that aren’t usually talked about,” said Echevarria.

Hannah Rougeot, 11

Gracie Domenghini, 11

New Percy Jackson & The Olympians TV show on Disney+ sparks new attraction to beloved book series and huge fandom FROM PAGE TO SCREEN

by Amelia Peterson, Blind Date Co-editor

“Look, I didn’t want to be a million dollar franchise.”

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is considered to be one of the biggest book series of our world today, having sold over 180 million copies since its original release in 2005 (WordsRated). This five book series tells the story of 12-year-old teenage boy, Percy Jackson, and the complicated life he lives after discovering his true identity as a half-blood (half human and half god). With a complete 16 book universe, this saga has had almost 200 million fans desperate for an accurate screen adaptation.

Released in the form of an 8-episode TV show available on the streaming platform, Disney+, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” portrays the events of the first book in the series “The Lightning Thief”. The show is said to be a thrilling adventure full of nostalgic book references and impactful acting from its young starring actors, Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri

This production features talented guest stars such as Lin ManuelMiranda, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Megan Mallaly, Adam Copeland, and many more. Filming took place in Vancouver, British Columbia on a volume stage, a set that uses large LED panels to display computergenerated imagery. After 9 months of filming, and 10 months of waiting, this show has been highly-anticipated by the public eye.

found solace in these books, looking to the characters for advice.

Some book-enthusiasts have criticized changes made from the original novels to the series, such as the plot pacing or certain lines being left out, but the majority of supporters do not believe that the changes are that important, and actually help the story develop further.

“The show is accurate enough and the artistic liberties that it does take are well deserved, and they’re well created,” Wilson said.

Milo Wilson, 10

Its 2-episode premiere on December 20, 2023 generated 13.3 million viewers in its first six days on Disney+ (Variety), and has since been welcomed and praised by countless fans,

“I really like how Walker has been playing Percy. I really think he’s bringing new light into the character and they’re portraying him as a really complicated and three dimensional character and they’re doing a really good job,”said, sophomore Milo Wilson who has been a fan of the books since 4th grade.

He has stayed faithful to this series because of the relatability of the characters and intricate universe you are transported to. Wilson states that during hard times he has

92% 3/5

7.2/10

With this new installment comes many new fans: ones who have not read the books and are just being introduced to this universe, as well as returning book readers. The show does a great job of introducing these complicated characters and world in a digestible way for those who have no prior knowledge of Greek mythology. The complex myths and tales present in the original novels are explained simply so fans can follow along.

One tricky thing has been avoiding spoilers for books that have been out for 20 years now, and with the revival of this series, come many showrelated trends on social media platforms such as Tiktok. Many either voice their opinions on the show or are fan-made edits of the characters, creating a difficult space for first-time viewers. However, these “newbies” also put their input on the series online, and their attempts to guess the plot twists are hilariously wrong.

As they say, all good things must come to an end, but that is not the case for the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” TV show. The 8-episode series, plus

MATEO (PROFESSIONAL)

picky vs. professional:

Las Kalaveras was a little lackluster to say the least. The food was ok as I tried a burrito and the quesabritas again nothing very unique about this food that separated it from other Mexican restaurants. However I still believe that the food here was better than the food at another common Mexican restaurant “La Mexicana”. The environment and atmosphere was also very dull as this may be very picky but some things I absorbed were worn down chairs and the hardwood floor was poorly installed leaving gaps in some areas. It seemed to me that their main focus was putting together the bar as the bar was very well put together and decorated well. The customer service is what you would expect as the server was nice but rarely checked in with us after she took our order, however she was the only one there so I understood that she had a lot on her plate. The food was a 5.9/ 10 the environment

was a 6/10 and the customer service was a 6.5/ 10 so overall a 6.2/10 if you are really craving Mexican food I would give it a try.

KALANI (PICKY)

2/10. Really nothing against the restaurant, but I don’t really like a lot of Mexican food, so I wasn’t sure what to order. I decided to go out on a limb and get albondigas soup for the first time. Fellow picky eaters will know this is a very risky move, and this time, it did not pay off. Unfortunately, I learned I am not an albondigas soup fan. The chips were good though, and I thought it was decorated well. I’m sure it has plenty of loyal fans, but I am sad to say I am not one of them.

MATEO (PROFESSIONAL)

Umi tends to be one of my go to places because of the fact that their food is always so good with a pretty large variety of food and plated in a way that really captures the eye. They specialize in sushi. As I had several different rolls such as the cowboy, angry lobster, rose roll, etc… but they serve more than that so even if sushi is not your thing they have other great options as I have also had the teriyaki chicken, gyoza, yakisoba and more. However I don’t eat sushi often enough at other restaurants to compare Umi’s sushi to anywhere else but it is a great restaurant. However the service is not on par and is usually very poor as it often feels like they neglect you once you ordered your food they never checked in after that even though my glass was empty they never once came by and it seems to me that even the online reviews agree. Yet I have never had a rude server here so although they may be a little neglectful

MATEO (PROFESSIONAL)

I got to try the tri-tip and brisket sandwich as well as the brisket and tri-tip mac and cheese. All the food was good and well proportioned. It lacks complexity which is to be expected from barbeque so that is in no way a negative comment, but it also lacked uniqueness; none of the food really tasted much different from other barbeque places but it was still very appetizing and flavorful.

One of the things that really did separate this restaurant from all of its barbeque competitors was the great atmosphere and environment of the restaurant. Most of the seating is outside so you get to sit under the stars at night but there are plenty of heaters to keep you warm even during the cold night, and plenty of canopies to protect from the harsh sun during the day. So, though it’s mostly outdoors it’s still very welcoming and comfortable. The service was also unique as it was mostly self service. You didn’t have a server taking your order, but instead you would go up to the cashier and order the food from there. They then bring the food to

they are always very kind. The environment wasn’t anything special either. It felt like there was a clash of ideas when designing Umi and a few flickering lights but I do like the option to sit outside in the balcony overlooking paso’s downtown park, however they lack any outdoor heating so it can get cold especially during the winter. I would rate the food a 9/10 the service a 5/10 and the environment was a 7/10 making it a 7/10 overall. If you are ok with the lack of customer service this is an excellent place to check out and I would recommend it.

KALANI (PICKY)

I had a teriyaki chicken bowl. The rice was as good as it could be but the teriyaki was definitely not the best I’ve had. The vegetables inside, however, were perfectly suitable and prepared well. A good go-to for people on the pickier side, though it was nothing special for me, a very mid-tier teriyaki bowl. Service was alright, and the atmosphere was perfectly suitable to get in the good for Japanese food. 5/10.

your seat. Even though we didn’t have a server, the customer service was great as everyone was very friendly and constantly checked in to ensure that we were still comfortable.

I would rate the food a 8/10, the environment a 9/10 as its one of the best in paso and the customer service an 8/10 so everall an 8.33/ 10 would recommend.

KALANI (PICKY)

I had a Tri-Tip Sandwich (ate bread and meat separately) with no BBQ sauce. The meat was tasty and the bread was too, though, as an entity separate from the sandwich, it lacked some butter. I usually don’t like potato chips, but the ones that came on the side of my meal hit the spot for me. Though you have to walk up to the counter to order, everyone was very friendly while delivering our food and made sure we were comfortable by turning on the heating lamps when we arrived. Overall, a really good restaurant. 8/10. Would definitely recommend it.

restaurants

Crimson senior reporters, one picky, one professional, review various cusines from Paso Robles restaurants

by Kalani Gaviola, Op/Ed Editor, and Mateo De Alba, Photographer

MATEO (PROFESSIONAL)

MATEO (PROFESSIONAL)

Las Etto was a restaurant that seemed to be an amazing straight out gate, as you walk in you are greeted by their glass display showing off their desserts. However the first person that greeted us looked to be uninterested in working as she seemed very upset to even be there and was kind of rude as she ushered us to a table. But once we were seated I began to notice how well put together the restaurant was. I really enjoyed their open kitchen as it faced the rest of the restaurant without taking away from the environment. Their outdoor seating is also a great option as you walk into an open environment surrounded by rocks as water pours down them.

Etto is similar to Jeffrey’s in that they are both self service restaurants which took away from the customer service experience but not necessarily in a nega-

I got to try the seafood pasta, the Ribeye, calamari, and coconut shrimp. We had the calamari and the coconut shrimp as our appetizers, and they were not disappointing, especially the calamari as it was a great portion for an appetizer with a satisfyingly crunchy crumb on the outside and a soft yet not chewy inside. However the ribeye was very under seasoned making it super bland and the fries that were paired with it were also obviously frozen. However that was a side that wasn’t offered on the menu so I understand why they might use frozen fries. The Pasta was good though as it was not only a great portion plated with a variety of seafood infusing that flavor into the pasta while not completely overpowering the creamy flavor of the sauce on the pasta. The environment was also very lacking as it just felt like I was eating in the middle of a living room with very dim lights and a strange party light in the corner of the restaurant. The customer service was just about what you would expect from a restaurant, nothing that really stood out to me. They made sure our glasses were never empty and they

would regularly check in on us. I would rate the food a 7/10, the environment a 6/10, and the customer service a 7/10 so overall a 6.7/10

KALANI (PICKY)

tive way, that would be based on personal preference and the rest of the staff seemed very friendly. I got to try the ribeye, mighty cap mushroom pasta, the lasagna, and the garlic bread. The Mighty Cap Mushroom pasta was so well put together as their creamy white sauce paired well with the mushroom without totally overpowering their natural taste. However the steak wasn’t anything outstanding as there was no real complexity to the steak making it no different than any other steak. The food was good but not outstanding so I would give it an 8.5/10, that somewhat rude encounter drops the service score to a 4.5/10, but the environment was also very pleasant 8.5/10 so overall 7.1/10

KALANI (PICKY)

I love pasta so I knew this was going to be good. I really enjoyed my spaghetti bolognese, and the bread beforehand was good as well. Shout out also for letting me order extra sauce. Service was fast, but not super friendly. Overall 7.5/10.

I ordered the 14oz Ribeye with sauce on the side and fries instead of grilled scallion mashed potatoes. First of all, I enjoyed our waitress very much. She was friendly and attentive to how quickly we devoured our bread side, which, I must warn, does come with a charge on the bill if you eat past your first basket. The atmosphere was a little disjointed, and it seems like they were still getting their aesthetic together, with a professional environment but also party style lights flash in one corner? My food originally came out without my adjustments, which was understandable, but when sent back it was returned correct very quickly, which I appreciate. The steak, by itself with no sauce, lacked a little flavor but tasted good regardless and was cooked well. 7/10.

meet the reviewers

MATEO DE ALBA

• The “Professional”

• Has worked in the food industry for since 14

• Hobbyist chef

our ranking

KALANI GAVIOLA

• The “Picky”

• Has the palate of an extremely particular 5-year old

FREE IS YOUR SPEECH?

Following conflicts around protected speech on college campuses, students voice their thoughts by

When the decades-long Israel-Hamas conflict rekindled in October of last year, the significance of the war vibrated throughout the entire world.

With thousands dead and both sides calling for an independent state, it quickly became a topic of conversation in America, reaching from online discussion to Congressional hearings as some of America’s top college campuses struggled to balance free speech and the safety of students. The result was the resignation of two Ivy League presidents, Harvard’s Claudine Gay and UPenn’s Liz Magill, over anti semitism on campus. The incident isn’t isolated either; free speech has been called into question as students protest conservative speakers on their college campuses and Americans are fired because of how they post on social media in their free time, thus begging the question: how free is our speech in America- and how free is our speech at Paso Robles High School, a school that’s made state and national news several times for the strength of our political discord in past years?

Kalani Gaviola, Editor-in-Chief

harassment, depending on the context, implying that a call for genocide does not always violate the rules on the basis of free speech.

People on both sides of the issue have been subject to criticism, with certain celebrities being “canceled” for supporting Israel, or just for staying silent on the issue,

Railsback identifies as pro-Palestine, and cites a lot of the confusion as “conflating being against Israel’s actions with anti-Semitism”, but admits the line between what’s protected or not can be unclear.

WE SHOULD CONTINUE MAKING IMPROVEMENTS WHILE LIMITING OR HARMFUL MISINFORMED SPEECH

CONNOR RAILSBACK, 12

At PRHS, A recent survey of students show a trend of feeling limited by current restrictions on free speech, with 40% of students surveyed saying they feel people can’t say what they want without punishment, and that is “a bad thing”.

Senior Connor Railsback pointed out that the problem is often more complicated than free speech.

The issue at college campuses is commonly associated with the Pro-Palestine phrase “From city to sea, Palestine will be free” and the different interpretations of the saying. AP News describes it as “a call for peace and equality after 75 years of Israeli statehood and decades-long, open-ended Israeli military rule over millions of Palestinians” for Pro-Palestine activists, while Pro-Israel activists see it as “a clear demand for Israel’s destruction,” and therefore a call for the genocide of the Israeli-Jewish people. The Ivy League presidents’ resignation come partly because they did not condemn the phrase when student organizations promoted it and claimed it was protected under free speech, with Gay originally stating that calling for the genocide of Jews can violate Harvard’s rules of bullying and

“Usually civil rights groups won’t be calling for the genocide of anything… If an institution markets itself as being accepting, than I think students have a right to hold them to that standard. They draw the line themselves.” Railsback said. He clarified that he thinks codes of conduct are generally a good thing, as they can protect historically marginalized groups.

Other PRHS students seem to be split- 54.5% of students surveyed said they would protest against a speaker at a college if they believed they were actively harming a group, while 41.8% instead would just not attend and let them have their free speech. In terms of political party involvement, 60.5% of students said both parties are contributing to this state of free speech.

Some believe these issues are indicative of greater, systematic issues.

“It is not a matter of whether or not freedom of speech is too limited or not limited enough, the problem lies in the willingness to say and do whatever will get the most polarizing reaction,” Van Thompson, senior, said. “In country where the legislative body is controlled by the money of corporations, whatever they say goes, and to distract the public by having them fight amongst themselves is to eliminate their greatest threat to their golden goose.”

Ultimately, the country is full of conflicting opinions and though there are issues, many appreciate America’s free speech capabilities, with the majority of students rating it a 4 out of 5.

“We’ve definitely gotten better,” Railsback said. “We should continue making improvements while balancing limiting the spread of harmful or misinformed speech.”

40% think freedom of speech is more limited than ever and that’s BAD

FSC TAKE A HIKE

Field

Studies Collaborative is a learning experience, while doing good for our environment

by Blair Bishop, Reporter

Where do young trees go to study? Elemen-tree school. Where do interactive PRHS juniors and seniors go to collect data, collaborate with others, and gain educational skills outside of school? To the Field Studies Collaborative Courses. The FSC courses are an opportunity for students who want hands-on experiences in nature with provided tools needed. They introduce and expand the knowledge of students, helping them find interests. Six different courses are offered with a variety of biology, marine biology, astrometry, and history. Depending on the student, there are studies for different interests. Engineering teacher Alisa Bredensteiner is part of the team that created the FSC at PRHS. Bredensteiner says that the biggest takeaway for students after participating in any of the courses is realizing how much more to the world there is, and broadening the ideas we have of how to contribute to the improvement of our planet.

MARINE INTERTIDAL JOSHUA TREE

The Marine Intertidal Monitoring Project is for marine biology, but more specifically marine ecology. Four days during the fall are spent studying the California coastline.

Senior Mackenzie Ruppe said that the course gave her experience in the field she hopes to pursue while spending time with encouraging peers.

MONTAÑA DE ORO: Student holds star fish on the first of four days in the field.

The Joshua Tree trip is focused on reading and writing about desert ecology, the outdoors, and solitude while being in that environment. During spring, students spend four nights away from home on this trip. “Rock climbing for hours up a mountain with a group of really amazing friends was the best part,” senior Lucy Shulte said.

QUAIL MOUNTAIN: Students celebrate, reaching the top of their first hike on the trip.

SANTA CRUZ ASTROMETRY

Students traveling on the Santa Cruz Island courses study biology using tools such as topographic maps, compasses, and GPS devices. This trip happens twice throughout the year, during the fall and during the summer. The fall trip lasts five days, and during the summer lasts eight.

Senior Emma Smith said, “My favorite memory from the Santa Cruz Island field studies course is probably the night of the talent show. Everyone was singing and having fun. It felt like one big family.”

COMING SOON

CHANNEL ISLANDS: Students pile in the back of a truck to arrive at their research destination.

The Research University Experience and Ethnic Studies Oral Histroy have happened in the past. Steps are being taken to bring them back.

The Astrometry Field Research course studies double stars, working with teams from the Washington database from the US Naval Observatory. During the summer, participants spend two nights at Mount Wilson Observatory.

Senior Jasmine Rosales has gone on the Santa Cruz Island, Marine Intertidal, and Astrometry FSC courses. Rosales said, “There was this moment on top of Mt Wilson, it was about 12 at night, and my friends and I that went on this trip sat around this giant telescope under the millions of stars over Los Angeles and listened to a guy tell us stories about every constellation we asked about. When I say stories I mean like the in depth Greek mythology version. I felt so connected to our universe like the stars were calling out to me specifically telling me. It was such an insane feeling.”

BRIAN’S BACKYARD

My take on the state if hiking, cycling, campingm and outdoor exploration on the central cost

In this publication, I will discuss the state of hiking in Paso Robles. Compared to other cities on the central coast we have significantly fewer hiking trails in Paso Robles.

Our best, and debatably only, hiking trail in Paso is a flat two-mile looping trail in the Montebello Oaks open space in between Highway 46 and Union Rd. Other than that we only have the flatas-a-pancake “River Trail” which follows Salinas River and has become occupied by the homeless population, or the two “Creak Walks” which are paved flat paths. One is located off of Rambouillet Rd, and the other off of Appaloosa Dr.

Being a runner on the Cross Country and Track team, I have thoroughly experienced these trails and what they have to offer. The River Trail, while providing good views of the Salinas River, is very dirty. Along with this the River Trail and the surrounding land are home to much of the homeless population. On my own time I have experienced passing a homeless man holding a machete on the trail, seen baggies of pills on the ground, and been yelled at.

While the Creak Walks have no inherent problems they are much too short and flat for my liking.

These “hikes” leave much to be desired.

Looking to the west side of town there is an abundance of hills perfect for trails. While much of the land we see is privately owned and already developed, driving only 10 minutes further into the hills towards Adelaida there are large chunks of undeveloped land ready for the city to buy and create some much-needed hiking space.

MOUNT WILSON

OBSERVATORY : Students see the optical interferometer, the CHARA array.

On my own time, I am working on adding a trail of my own to the Creek path off of Rambouillet Rd. which will take the hiker up onto the hill where they can experience great views of the city and see the large deer population that lives in the open space. It will be around a 1.5-mile loop going off the main well-traveled path.

While it may be short it will be steep and in the closest thing we have to wilderness so the hiker can really experience hiking.

While some may argue that there are perfectly good trails in Atascadero or San Luis Obispo, it is a barrier to hiking for someone with a busier schedule. I believe our city should put more effort into building hiking trails for the community. If I can do it on my own with a hoe and my bare hands there is no excuse.

HURT EARING FROM EADPHONES

Why do Bearcats continue to use headphones when they know they can cause hearing loss?

In a dead silent class, where you can hear a pin drop, you pick up a hum from across the room from someone’s airpods, and can’t help but wonder, how loud is it playing for them?

According to the National Library of Medicine, teenagers that listen to music with airpods or headphones for 80 minutes or more, on average, per day have a hearing loss prevalence of 22.3%. Regardless of this information, the sight of headphones in student ears on campus is not uncommon.

Though it may not seem like it, this knowledge of how headphones can damage their hearing is fulfilled by the students. Out of 70 Bearcats interviewed, 85% stated that they know that wearing airpods or headphones could potentially lead to hearing loss, but they still use them for numerous reasons.

Based on the same survey, 73% said headphones help them focus, 70% said they help to block out noise, 43% said they use them to relax or fall asleep, 33% said it helps them hear the music louder, and 34% said they use them so that only they can hear what’s playing.

“Using headphones, it’s in my own personal space. I’m not disturbing anybody else. It’s all

about me and the way I enjoy my music,” senior Jazir Artega said.

When we listen to music, on a high volume, with devices over our ears, the inner part of our ears are damaged, which leads to hearing loss.

The cochlea, a part of our inner ear, contains thousands of tiny hair cells.

Loud noise can injure those hair cells, and, after this happens, the cochlea can’t transmit sound messages to the brain as well as before. Unlike other broken or fractured parts of our body, however, the damage done to the inner ear never heals, so the more hair cells that get harmed, the worse the hearing gets.

“You can hear all the music details and the sounds that you can’t usually hear through the phone’s speaker,” junior Erick Aguilar said.

Artega and Rickert both explained that they understand that listening to music for long durations can or will affect their hearing, but ultimately agree that it’s worth the risk because of the other benefits that come with it.

Based on the survey results, it’s clear that numerous other Bearcats agree as to how the experience with headphones is irreplaceable and worth the chance of hearing loss.

USING HEADPHONES, IT’S IN MY OWN PERSONAL SPACE, I’M NOT DISTURBING ANYONE ELSE

JAZIR ARTEGA, 12

YOU CAN HEAR ALL THE MUSIC DETAILS AND THE SOUNDS THAT YOU CAN’T USUALLY HEAR THROUGH THE PHONE’S SPEAKER

ERICK URIBE, 11

I GET TO BE FULLY IMMERSED IN MY MUSIC GANDHI OLIVO, 12

HOW OFTEN PER DAY ARE BEARCATS USING HEADPHONES? (out of 70 students surveyed)

by Quinn Kobayashi, Blind Date Co-Editor

STAYING F T?

Exercise is becoming “abs”-tinent in students’ daily routines

TEENS NEED60MINUTESEXCERCISEOFPHYSICAL

FLEXIN’: Brody Rayner (11) excercises through his partipation in Swim and Waterpolo.

ith only two years of physical education required to graduate, many students in their junior and senior years go into their last half of high school not in a physical education course. While some students maintain their fitness through extracurricular activities, many may find it easy to opt out of physical activity.

Based on a recent survey with a total of 42 student responses, 41% of all students are not participating in a physical education course. Experts from the US Department of Health and Human Services , recommended that teens should receive at least 60 minutes of moderate to strong physical activity a day. Students who have met their PE requirements and are not actively participating in physical activity daily are not meeting the requirements to sustain proper fitness and

Kinleigh Mourd is a cross country and track athlete who prioritizes exercise.

“Exercise is one of the most important things in my life. Without it, I would not be who I am today. It has helped me grow stronger as a person and is a way for me to feel my emotions,” Mourd said. “I am happier, healthier, and have developed so many meaningful friendships. For me, it has had an incredible positive impact in about every aspect in my life when integrating more effectively into my schedule. Exercise is all about consistency and discipline. Exercise leads to a healthy lifestyle and “benefitness” Consistency over quantity: Better to work out 30-60 minutes a day for a week, rather than 5 hours in one day.

JR Felganhauer

SPORTS PROVIDE AVENUES TO MAKE FRIENDS, LEARN HOW TO WORK WELL IN GROUPS, AND UNDERSTAND YOURSELF BETTER.

JR FELGANHAUER, PE TEACHER

by Zane Wilson, Photographer

Experts from “Sunny Health, and Fitness” describe consistent exercise will develop improvements in physical health, boost energy, muscular fitness, better sleep, and alleviate anxiety and depression.

JR Felganhauer, physical education teacher, finds that exercise has a positive impact on mental health.

About 59% of students do not participate in any PRHS sports. However, 73% of the total survey said that they are engaged in exercise for the recommended 60 minutes or more through other outside of school forms.

A lack of exercise may catch the scale by surprise. Withdrawals from exercise increase risk for negative health issues such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, premorality, obesity, and high blood pressures. Experts explain that a shortfall from exercise may lead to depression and anxiety. Exercise releases feel good chemicals:, anandamide and endocannabinoids, straight to the brain. Lack of exercise cuts these chemicals that create feelings of happiness and joy for essential esteem.

“If your ultimate goal is to run a marathon, don’t run the 26 miles on day one (that would be dangerous, you will get hurt!). A small goal would be improving your mile time. The next goal would be training for and participating in a 5k run. The next would be training for and running a half marathon. Everyone is motivated by success. Small, achievable goals can promote more feelings of success in your journey,” Felgenhauer said.

In recap, teens should be getting at least 60 minutes a day of physical activity through a spread of various exercises. As exercise stays consistent, so do the benefits. Video games can be fun, but don’t just work out your thumbs. Give your whole body a chance.

STAY STRONG!: Skylar Wells (09) poses in a plank.

MOTIVATION TIPS:

Find a work out Partner

Join a gym / sense of community

Participate in activities you enjoy Schedule workouts/ Make part of routine

Set goals / keep track of your progress

WINTER

GIRLS SOCCER

OUR COMRADARY IS OFF THE CHARTS THIS YEAR, AND IT HAS REALLY HELPED US WIN AND BUILD A TIGHT BOND, LIKE NO OTHER YEAR.

HANNAH BOURGAULT, 11

The girls’ soccer season has had a killer season. They won first in Sunset league, and will receive the first ever women’s league champion title. Their biggest competitors in the league were Santa Ynez. They have an overall record of 17-3-5 and a 9-01 league record. The team’s performance sets a high standard for success in Division 1 CIF. As they transition into CIF, their sights are set on claiming the top spot, fueled by a string of dominant victories that have

I’VE

showcased their talent and determination. “Our team this year works a lot better together and we’re communicating and I can tell that everyone is happy to be at practice and at games,” senior Hannah Freygang said.

This cohesion has been a driving force behind their success. Each player fully committed to the team’s goals, there’s a sense of unity and enthusiasm that has propelled them forward.

The boys soccer team has had a commendable season. They placed 2nd in Mountain League, with SLO High school, their biggest competition, securing first in the league. They have an overall record of 15-6-2 and a league record of 5-2-2. They are in position to play in Division 2 CIF, and have the aspirations and determination to go far.

“Compared to before, I’ve seen massive amounts of im-

provement especially in our end product, allowing us to win games by scoring more goals than before, and also we’ve improved our chemistry with one another greatly helping us understand each other’s styles of play” senior Tomas Cremer said.

Their team bond has skyrocketed throughout the season as they continue to work together to win games. Their moment will propel them to excel in future games as the season comes to a close.

by Serenity Wulfing, EIC

The boys’ basketball season has been a journey filled with highs and lows, marked by resilience and determination. The team reflects on the challenges of the pre-season, where despite big wins, the team recognized areas for improvement. The team is in Sunset League and has an overall record of 8-17 and holds fifth place in Sunset League with a record of 4-5, with their biggest competition as Cabrillo.

Despite setbacks, the team remains optimistic about their chances in league, and they emphasize the importance of focus and teamwork.

“I have seen improvement in many of our younger players. I have seen them get comfortable in a more fast-paced environment. If we continue to stay focused and win our games we have a chance of doing good in league,” senior Brayder Rothbauer said.

MENS BASKETBALL

IF WE CONTINUE TO STAY FOCUS WE AND WIN OUR GAMES WE HAVE A CHANCE TO GO FAR IN LEAGUE

BRAYDEN ROTHBAUER

Lining up to shoot (Barney Schwartz Sports Complex) : Freshman Lila Colegrove dribbles up the field with her opponent breathing down her neck. Colegrove winds up to take the shot before the defender can stop her.

Blocking to shoot (PRHS Gyl Asa ) : Senior Conner Bowman dribles down the court and takes on his opponent, gets passed him and leaps to shoot the ball into the basketball net.

PhotobyChloeVanPelt

PhotobyRogelioMolina

PhotobyRogelioMolina

Winter sports have had many highs and lows. Boys Soccer, boys Wrestling and girls Wrestling competed in Mountain League. Boys Wrestling and Girls Wrestling placed 1st in league and Boys soccer placed second in league. Girls Soccer, girls Basketball and boys Basketball competed in sunset league. Girls soccer won 1st in

OVERVIEW WRESTLING

Nearing the end of winter sports, the women’s basketball team had a commendable season. They hold a win-loss record of 14-8 and currently hold the fourth position in the sunset league standings. Following a successful preseason that saw them win first place in a pre-season tournament, the team is in position for further success as they navigate the challenges of the league. Their biggest competitor this season is Mission prep. “Preseason went really well for us,” Senior Riley Milder said. “We beat some pretty good teams and

took first place in our preseason tournament.”

Despite the tough competition in the league this year, Milder remains optimistic. “The league is tough this year because there are a lot of good teams, but we have been doing well overall,” Milder said.

The team has a total of nine seniors out of the 12 players which contributes to a high level of play and experience. Heading on to CIF, the team aspires to work extremely hard and stay focused in order to place high.

WOMENS BASKETBALL

14-10

PRESEASON WENT REALLY WELL FOR US. WE BEAT SOME PRETTY GOOD TEAMS AND TOOK FIRST PLACE IN OUR PRESEASON TOURNAMENT.

RILEY MILDER, 12

league. Which is the first womens soccer league win in the 35 years of the soccer program. girls Basketball finished league in 4th palce and boys Basketball finished 5th in league. With league coming to a close, girls soccer, mens soccer and girls and boys wretling will be moving on to Division 1 CIF and boys and girls basketball will be moving to Divion 2 CIF.

THE HARD WORK AND DEDICATION THEY’VE BEEN SHOWING HAS PAID OFF.

Following a very successful season, being undefeated, the Bearcat boys Wrestling team secured first place in Mountain League. “The hard work and dedication they’ve been showing has paid off,”

Head Coach Nathaniel Ybarra said about the building done since last year’s season.

Ahead the team will compete in CIF matching up against very competitive teams: “That’s one of the toughest tournaments in the state of California,” Ybarra said. “Every team that’s there is top 25 in the state.”

With a young team mainly consisting of sophomores, Ybarra sees a bright future for the team in years to come, and for the program as a whole: “If we continue improving the system of elementary school wrestling to middle

wrestling into high school wrestling, and you just get good at the system, you’re going to have a successful program,” Ybarra said.

NATHANIEL YBARRA, HEAD COACH

Starting his attack (PRHSGylAsa) : ____ positions himself and keeps his eyes locked on his opponent as he takes him on. He stays low to the gorund in order to get under his opponent to secore the win.

Dribling down the court (PRHSGylAsa ) Senior Riley Milder dribles down the court on an attack to secore another two points for the lady bearcats against Lompoc.

VICTORY ROYALE (PRHSGylAsa ) : Ella Overton, wins her weight class and secures more points for her overall team score.

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING: CONNOR BOWMAN

BASKETBALL

Varsity Basketball Guide Featuring:

by Serenity Wulfing, EIC and Sebi Radojevic, Web Director

Senior Connor Bowman begins to run towards the basket as the Bearcats gain possession in their game against the Orcutt Spartans. Suddenly, the ball is hurled over and overshot as Bowman begins to chase the ball. He jumps forward and stretches out his right leg. “I jumped and my leg got stuck into the wall and my weight collapsed on my leg,” Bowman said. As a result of the incident, Bowman’s right fibula was torn.

Before his injury, Bowman would practice ten hours a week with his team, and five hours individually. Team practices typically consist of conditioning and continually running different offensive and defensive

drills. Meanwhile, he would run scrimmages and free shoot at Kennedy Club Fitness Center in his free time often.

“Jayson Tatum has been the inspiration towards my love for basketball.”Bowman claimed when asked what drove his appreciation for the sport. Tatum is the current power forward on the starting roster of the Boston Celtics, Bowman’s favorite NBA team. Bowman plans to attend a four year university after highschool and pursue a business degree. Although he doesn’t plan to continue his basketball career into college, he hopes to continue playing on his free time and improving his skills.

TEAM SUPPORT

Wyatt Haley and team cheer Bowman on, stoked for the game moment, boosting the play.

FOCUS

Bowmans focus is crucial as he must senter on timing, elevation and precision to propel the ball through the hoop with force and accuracy

EXTEND

Bowman uses all his momentum to launch himslef in to air to execute a dunk. he extends his pody to full width and stretches his arms out to place the ball into the basket