June 2016 Issue

Falconer

The Torrey Pines High School

Friday, June 3, 2016

Vol. 41, Issue 8, 28 pages

www.tphsfalconer.com

TAKE A PAWS

BY IRENE YU Healthy Living Week was put on by TPHS Peer Assistant Listeners May 2327 to “promote student well-being and raise awareness on how students can live a healthier lifestyle,” according to PALs vice president Chelsea Barrows (12).

“Making healthy choices is important because these habits support the hard work kids are doing in our classrooms and on our playing fields,” PALs adviser Don Collins said. “If our students get into great universities but don’t have the habits of sleeping, good nutrition and stress management to handle the transition, they may find themselves unable to make the transition and continue to succeed at home. Providing students with information about healthy living lasts far after high school.”

Principal David Jaffe also said that Healthy Living Week is important to the well-being of TPHS students.

“The stresses that students have to encounter in today’s day and age can be overwhelming, especially in the community that we live in,” Jaffe said. “It’s important to recognize that those classes don’t define you as a person. When you create such stress for yourself, it can be detrimental to your social and emotional growth.”

According to PAL JJ Hsu (12), the events focused on protection, optimism, wellness, exercise, rest, food, unplug and love, which were represented by the acronym “powerful.”

“Our most successful event was the ‘Relax With Art’ station set up at lunch for students to color on a poster to relieve stress,” Barrows said. “The smaller lunch activities were definitely a success, and so were the assemblies. For next year, we hope to have more participation in the assemblies to spread the message of the week around campus.”

The assemblies, which were held May 23-24 during third and fourth periods, focused on the consequences of marijuana and prescription drugs and the importance of brain protection and brain health.

“The helmet assembly probably had a bigger impact on students,” Ryan Zhou (10) said. “Since drug assemblies are so much more repetitive throughout the school year, people probably listened more intently to the helmet assembly.”

The helmet assembly featured Brian Applegate (12), who suffered a brain injury in a skateboard accident.

PALs also put up 300 posters with facts about traumatic brain injury, reminders about the district free breakfast program, and motivational quotes. Therapy dogs were on campus May 26-27 to support stress management.

Hsu believes more organization could have helped the week’s message translate better to the students.

“I think people responded well, but I don’t think everybody knew what events were planned for the week,” Hsu said. “The week was a little bit hectic, and a lot of people couldn’t go to all of the events.”

Barrows agrees and believes that a larger turnout would have been effective in spreading the message of Healthy Living Week.

“We hope the week will be bigger and we can bring in more new ideas and events to have a larger impact on the student body – mainly juniors since they experience the most amount of stress at this time of year,” Barrows said.

Jaffe believes that the impact of Healthy Living Week does not only apply to students. “[Healthy Living Week is] not just for teenagers; it’s for adults as well and it’s a good reminder that we need to take care of ourselves mentally and physically to live this life that we live,” Jaffe said. “I like the idea of Healthy Living Week, but what about just healthy living? Not just a week, but really having people conscientious about healthy living all the time.”

Healthy Living Week will continue in the future, though the PALs hope that through more outreach, there will be more participation in the week’s events.

PHOTO BY ALDERIK VAN DER HEYDE/FALCONER

feature

40-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

A11 DAY IN THE LIFE

Forty years after the first TPHS class graduated in 1976, three alumni reflect on the similarities and differences between then and now.

sports

A21 After playing lacrosse for eight years, Beau Botkiss (12) has committed to play for The Crimson men’s lacrosse team at Harvard.

A BIRD’S EYE VIEW opinion feature entertainment sports backpage focus

A7 A11 A15 A19 A24 B1

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Annual Math Open House showcases student projects

by Irene Yu

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Calculus C, Calculus D, Linear Algebra and Advanced Topics students presented their final projects at the annual TPHS Math Open House on May 25 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Media Center.

Abby Brown, who teaches all four courses, has held the Open House since she began teaching at TPHS in 1999. “[The Math Open House] was inspired by a research project that I was involved in about sharing student work and giving students an opportunity to give presentations,” Brown said. “It is a really great experience for students to explain their work to a wide audience. Many students chose projects based on problems out of the textbook that they expanded on or topics outside of our traditional curriculum.”

Calculus C/D student Sarah Murphy (12) applied the concept of critical points on threedimensional objects to the Black Lake from Harry Potter, with maximums representing mermaids, minimums representing sinkholes and saddle points representing the points at which Potter’s friends are being held captive.

“To complete the task, [Harry

Potter] is given a contour map, which is a two-dimensional representation of a threedimensional function, so he can determine where the critical points are,” Murphy said. “Using the second derivative test, we can define all these points and save his friends.”

Similar to Murphy, Calculus CD student George Zhang (11), whose presentation was centered on finding the moment of inertia of a yo-yo, applied his knowledge of calculus to real life. “[Math Open House] really centers around finding the applications of the math that we learn inside class; it makes it more relatable,” Zhang said. “Yo-yoing is a hobby of mine, so it allows me to explore math concepts in stuff that I enjoy doing.”

Advanced Topics student Christina Baek (12) used Mathematica to create a replica of the iPhone and Android application Piano Tiles.

“I was interested in incorporating sound into Mathematica, so I tried to create a game because those are the most complex things you can make with coding,” Baek said. “[Math Open House] is a really valuable opportunity to showcase all of the projects that I’ve done over the years.”

According to Principal David Jaffe, Math Open House is “an

amazing showcase.”

“I’m just floored with the projects that [the students] do and how they take what they’ve learned in their math classes and apply it to real world events,” Jaffe said. “It really is a wonderful celebration of what they’ve learned in their math classes.”

Prom was better than that of this year’s, which included pizza, chicken skewers, wontons, ice cream, bruschetta, lemonade and assorted sodas, and was arranged on white tables around the dance floor.

Scornavacco and his committee were responsible for choosing and developing the Prom theme.

“The theme was kind of hard because we wanted something unique,” Scornavacco said. “‘Hamptons’ kind of came to us when we were thinking about color. We wanted something white because we thought it would look nice along the water. When we were searching [for themes], ‘Hamptons’ kind of came up and it was kind of like an elegant, beachy town.”

Scornavacco then met with former ASB president Jourdan Johnson (‘14) to design the “Hamptons After Dark” logo and invitation.

According to ASB adviser Dawn Durkot, the junior class council worked closely with financial director Patricia Hargraves to make necessary purchases and sell tickets. The total expenses amounted to nearly $49,000. “ Patricia [Hargraves] played a bigger role as far as the planning of Prom with the students than I did,” Durkot said. “My role was mostly making sure that we had enough ASB students to help ... and making sure we had people to help set up and tear down.”

In order to offset the costs, the committee planned two fundraisers, one at Panera Bread on Apr. 19 and one at Jersey Mike’s Apr. 21-23.

“Our biggest one was Jersey Mike’s and we raised about $2000,” Scornavacco said. “It was really awesome what they did for us because anyone who went in with the coupon got a free sandwich for a $3 donation

and all the money went to us ...

They didn’t take anything from it except they got a lot of publicity and business.”

The committee also planned Prom Week, held May 4-6.

On Wednesday, the TPHS dance team coordinated and choreographed a flash mob during break as a Prom advertisement.

All the participating students wore matching t-shirts with the “Hamptons After Dark” logo designed by Scornavacco.

A fashion show sponsored by Men’s Wearhouse was held on Thursday. Eight ASB students wore suits provided by Men’s Wearhouse and prom dresses.

“That following Monday there was a competition over who could get the most jelly beans out of the whipped cream in the quad,” Scornavacco said. “It was a little fun pre-game for all the people who were nominated to get together.”

Brown also believes that the Open House is a valuable experience for parents and both her former and future students.

“For the parents, it gives them a glimpse of what their children have been working on all year, for the former students who attend it’s an opportunity for a reunion

sum it up: Calculus C/D students their math project about parametric

and revisit to Torrey Pines and for many of my future students, it’s a way for them to see the type of work that they’ll be doing next year, so I think it hits everybody at a different level,” Brown said.

The Math Open House tradition will continue next school year with Brown’s math students.

photo by travis felthaus/falconer

Belinda Liu (12) and Hyewon Seong (12) surfaces and gradients at Math Open

present House.

ASB hosts “Hamptons After Dark” Prom at Mariott Coronado

by Amanda Chen FOCUS EDITOR

TPHS ASB hosted the 2016 “Hamptons After Dark”-themed Prom at the Coronado Island Marriott Resort & Spa on May 14 from 8-11 p.m.

According to junior class president Zac Scornavacco (11), ASB sold 836 tickets as of the Friday before the dance, marking an increase of almost 100 tickets over last year’s Prom. Tickets went on sale for $55 with ASB sticker and for $60 without during the week of Apr. 25-29. The price increased to a flat rate of $65 for the remaining two weeks.

A junior class committee, which was headed by Scornavacco and included junior class vice president Mia Montini (11), junior class secretary Eric Yu (11), junior class treasurer Cole Chodorow (11) and ASB Commissioner of Publicity Michelle Buhai (11), began planning the event by looking for potential venues at the end of their sophomore year.

“We originally wanted a rooftop venue,” Scornavacco said.

“But when I visited this location, I fell in love with it because it was right on the water and had the view of all the buildings in downtown and the Coronado Bridge ... Right when I saw it, I was like, ‘This is where I want to have Prom.’”

Joyce Li (11), who also attended Prom last year, enjoyed the location of this year’s venue.

“The venue this year was better or at least more aesthetically pleasing [than last year’s] because it was right on Coronado near the bridge whereas last year was kind of in a random park or garden area,” Li said.

But, Li thought the selection of food and drink at last year’s

SHUT

lighting

UP

and

AND

enjoy

their

Prom week is an important, tradition, according to Scornavacco, but had diminished in popularity in recent years until this year, when ASB “made the effort to make the week more known about through various publicity measures,” Scornavacco said.

The dance floor was covered by a “tent-like structure with drooped lighting,” Scornavacco said. At the front, there was a stage and a screen featuring pictures of the students attending, which were also included on a special Prom Snapchat story. White chairs and leather seats were arranged around the grass.

“I thought ASB did a great job with the venue and decoration and the way the paths were lit was a really nice and memorable small touch,” Laila Voss (11) said.

“It was also nice that they had comfortable couches all over and it was nice to have somewhere to

DANCE: night

talk and rest.”

Both Scornavacco and Voss noticed small difficulties with restroom accessibility during Prom.

“I thought everything was pretty fantastic but the girls’ bathroom situation should have been thought out better,” Voss said. “There was only one women’s bathroom and it was outside of the venue across the street and everyone had to wait in line for at least 20 minutes.”

According to Scornavacco, there were many unique aspects to this year’s Prom.

“Typically, the venues are inside and I don’t think many of them have been on the bay,” Scornavacco said. “We built a structure at the event with drooped lighting and twinkle lights that lit our pathways. We also had a really unique photo booth where people could take photos and put it on a little clip.”

Students dance under at the Marriott Resort &

photo by lauren zhang/falconer

specially-constructed Spa on Coronado

tent Bay.

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Corner Cafe closes for Proposition AA Renovations

by Maya Kota BACKPAGE EDITOR

The Corner Cafe closed on May 16 and has since been undergoing renovation, in accordance with Proposition AA bond renovations, to become a ”student project room” beginning the 2016-17 school year, according to principal David Jaffe.

Since the current bookshelves and tables in the lower level of the media center will be replaced by project rooms and student collaboration spaces in the next school year, the cafe was removed to limit any mess near the new facilities, according to Jaffe.

The Frank Lee Corner Cafe ������� will be replaced with one or more snack carts on the upper level of the media center.

“As of now, we aren’t sure how many carts there’ll be or what will be sold in them, though it will likely be snacks and not whole lunch items,” Jaffe said.

The cafe will eventually be rebuilt in front of the school once the front finishes undergoing renovations in January 2017.

Frank Lee (11) who frequently bought lunch at the Corner Cafe believes that the closing of Corner Cafe will create problems during lunch in the next school year.

“Snack carts can’t compensate for the Corner Cafe, especially if they don’t sell real lunch,” Lee said. The time I would have to eat would decrease because I would have to find a new cart to get food from and stand in longer lines.”

Esther Kim (11), who also bought food from the Corner Cafe, conversely said that the renovations to the media center will be helpful for students.

“While I will definitely miss the corner cafe and its food, I am very excited for the snack carts,” Kim said. “I think that now that the Corner Cafe is gone, students who want to study in the media center will have a quieter, more convenient environment.”

The new Audiovisual room may be converted into a food service area as a “significant upgrade from the Corner Cafe,” according to Jaffe, though plans have yet to be confirmed.

Snack carts can’t compensate for the Corner Cafe, especially if they don’t sell real lunch.

INFORMATION COURTESY OF THE NEW YORK TIMES AND KPBS

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C.A.R.E. program educates TP seniors about financial literacy

by Lily Nilipour SPORTS EDITOR

Two U.S. Bankruptcy Court lawyers from the Credit Resistance Abuse Education program presented to TPHS seniors about financial literacy on May 23-24 in the Lecture Hall, according to law teacher Jackie Niddrie.

After testing the program in her law and business math classes in October, Niddrie approached Principal David Jaffe in January with the idea to bring the C.A.R.E. presenters to TPHS. The lecture was secured three months in advance.

“Some teachers [teach financial literacy] in some fashion or another, but, to ... make sure everybody goes through it is what we are looking to do,” Niddrie said. “We waited until after AP exams, I coordinated with the bankruptcy court and then the two lawyers came in [for] five out of six periods.”

According to attorney and presenter Bill Smelko, the C.A.R.E. program has been put on by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of California for 15 years at various high schools throughout San Diego. Smelko, along with attorney Philip Giacinti, spoke

about “credit abuse, fraud protection and student loans,” among other related topics like FICO scores and student loans.

“The program starts stressing responsible spending, because one of the hardest things for the young college student away from home to deal with is to understand that spending is the one thing that they can control, but it can get out of hand,” Smelko said. “We [also] talked about the use of bank accounts, and we talk about how expensive money is in terms of trying to understand that the cost of credit is very expensive.”

Niddrie said the program reached the majority of TPHS seniors — around 550 to 600 — which she felt “good about.”

“As a business teacher, I am appalled that we don’t do more financial literacy, although it is done in AP Econ,” Niddrie said.

“I just feel like [it’s] a disservice to our graduating seniors in the state of California that we don’t require even the smallest amount of some kind of financial literacy for our students.”

Economics teacher Dan Aposhian, who took four of his five classes to the presentation, said that it was “worthy of doing for every senior every year.” “[My students] were very positive about it, and a lot of them for the first time were

actually looking at [financial issues],” Aposhian said. “It filled a lot of gaps that they might’ve had about such things.”

To Sheyda Khonji (12), the lecture taught her skills that students “need in college and beyond” but are not emphasized in any class at school.

“I learned about the difference between grants and student loans ... which is really important for me because right now, looking at my financial aid package, I have to decide what I want to accept and what I don’t,” Khonji said. “I feel like the lectured helped me learn a lot and ... make a more educated decision.”

Nathan Chen (12) also said the presentation was “informative” and a “good way to educate [students] about the responsibility that comes along with owning a credit card.”

In order to continue improving the program for future years, Niddrie plans on asking for feedback from other teachers who took their students this year.

“I think maybe shortening the program [to] maybe not quite an hour and forty minutes, ... but still bringing them back every year,” Niddrie said. “My goal is for the business department to sponsor this every year, until we get a real good financial literacy course that we can offer students.”

INFOGRAPHIC BY SUMIN HWANG

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Savannah Rennie (‘15) receives Abby Brown recieves Crystal Apple liver for congenital hepatic fibrosis Award for outstanding teaching

by Caroline Rutten ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Savannah Rennie (‘15), TPHS alumna and volleyball player at University of California, Berkeley, received a liver on May 17 after battling congenital hepatic fibrosis with portal hypertension, a rare form of genetic liver disease in which the bile ducts become backed up and infected, since September 2015.

Rennie was notified on May 16 that a liver was available while she was in Chicago “cheering on the [University of California, Berkeley] baseball team.”

“At 8:00pm I received the official offer for my liver transplant and I had be in the hospital in three hours,” Rennie said.

Rennie will remain in Indianapolis, IN, where she was waiting for a liver, while she is in the recovery process. She was discharged on May 31.

“Most people stay in the [Intensive Care Unit] for two to three days, then stay in the hospital for another eight to fourteen days,” Rennie said. “I was in the ICU for two days and was released, but had a little set back and had to be readmitted to the hospital for dehydration and anemia.”

While the recovery process has been “challenging” for Rennie, having a support

system “has been huge” “Having my best friend, Maddie Haynes and my Coach Rich Feller visiting, and having my family here has been so helpful,” Rennie said. “Also, I have been receiving gifts, cards and messages on the gofundmepage and through emails, Instagram, Twitter and helped to keep me positive.”

If the recovery process continues to go well, Rennie can return to California on August 17.

“My doctors know that my goal is to be back at [University of California, Berkeley] for the Fall 2016 Semester and to be able to be back for training so I can play volleyball. Playing volleyball will remain to be seen as I do not know how quickly my body will rebound.”

Rennie has been appreciative of all the help she received along her journey.

“I knew this was going to be a difficult journey, but the team of doctors at Indiana University have been amazing with my care, they are very in tune with my goals and that means a lot to me,” Rennie said. “I have received so much support from my teammates as well as the entire University of California, Berkeley community. I want to be able to get back on the court and play the sport that I love and show everyone who has supported me during this journey that I appreciate all the things they have done for me.”

by Maya Rao OPINION EDITOR

Math teacher Abby Brown received the Crystal Apple Award for TPHS from the Church of the Latter-Day Saints on May 19.

Brown was nominated by Mormon student Timmy Jafek (12), who has two classes with her and had to submit, through an application, Brown’s “outstanding a t t r i b u t e s ” and significant contributions to students’ learning experience.

The Joyce Li applications were then reviewed on ������� the basis of quality and the number of times the teacher has received and been nominated for the Crystal Apple Awards. The awards recognize one teacher per year from local schools in the SDUHSD. “I actually heard from the principal first because he congratulated me,” Brown said. “[When I went home], I

[found] a letter in my mailbox explaining everything.”

Jafek said that his learning style “really clicks” with Brown’s teaching methods and that she is a “really nice and fair and awesome teacher.”

Joyce Li (11) also said that Brown’s teaching style has especially helped students who do not have strong math skills grasp concepts more easily.

“Out of all of the teachers I’ve had this year, she is one of the most accountable and organized,” Li said.

“Even though she teaches a really tough topic, especially with Calculus C, D and beyond, I think that she manages to make it understandable for people whose strengths might not be math in the first place.”

Jafek has nominated teachers every year since seventh grade, but this is the first time that any teacher he has nominated has won the award.

According to Jafek, out of all the teachers who were nominated this year, Brown “really deserved the award.”

Even though [Brown] teaches a really tough topic, ... she manages to make it understandable for people whose strengths might not be math in the first place.

INFOGRAPHIC BY SUMIN HWANG/FALCONER

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TPHS students compete in annual GoKart Challenge

by Alice Qu FOCUS EDITOR

On May 7, TPHS Automotive Technology students Mark Mauzey (11), Adrian DeVico (12), Jake Carr (12), Steven Heller (12) and Brock Bruun (12) competed in the 6th Annual GoKart Challenge at the MiraCosta College Oceanside campus as “an amazing learning experience,” according to Industrial Technology and Game Design teacher Eric Neubauer.

San Dieguito High School Academy won the competition after scoring the highest across various categories including craftsmanship, quality, safety and time in the race.

According to Neubauer, the five competing schools, TPHS, SDA, James Madison High School, Will C. Crawford High School and Vista High School, each received a $1400 grant from MiraCosta College to fund their go-karts. TPHS Automotive Technology students that were interested in the project and wanted to compete were selected for the team and started working on their go-kart “around Spring Break.”

According to Bruun, the team bought the stock for the go-kart’s frame from Escondido Metal Supply and ordered the engine

and other parts from various websites. After all the parts arrived, the team assembled the go-kart for 13 hours over the span of the three days before the competition.

“Don’t wait until the last second, don’t order from NR Racing, and don’t ditch the team for your girlfriend,” Bruun said.

“Basically, just come up with a plan and stick to it because we screwed ourselves over.”

According to Neubauer, staff from Sparks Mobile Welding donated equipment and helped to fix many failed parts. “[NR Racing], the people we ordered from, didn’t send the right materials, not enough materials, or didn’t send any materials at all for certain areas, so we improvised a lot of it, which ended up making us fail in the race,” Heller said.

According to Bruun, the gokart crashed on the first run when the steering broke, and the driver, Carr, “went over the curb, across the drainage ditch and down the hill” of the back parking lot at MiraCosta. The team then pulled the go-kart back up the hill to put it back together and straighten out the parts so it could run again.

“We didn’t go into it expecting to win or anything,” Bruun said.

“We had the projected fastest car, and if it wasn’t such a death trap, we might have won.”

Pieces of the go-kart will be used or put up for display, according to Neubauer.

“It was stressful, and there was a lot of throwing wrenches

and being angry at each other,” Bruun said. “But all in all, it was a great experience with friends and whatnot.”

According to Neubauer,

Mauzey has already started planning for the 2017 GoKart Challenge, and TPHS will be competing against the same four schools.

PHOTO USED BY PERMISSION OF ERIC NEUBAUER

READY, GET SET, GO: TPHS Automotive Technology students Mark Mauzey (11), Adrian DeVico (12), Jake Carr (12), Steven Heller (12) and Brock Bruun (12) stand behind the go-kart they built.

TP Students win Jr. Achievement Business Competition

by Anvitha Soordelu STAFF WRITER Abishek Chozhan (12), Ryan Zhan (12), Frank Liao (11) and Brian Friedenberg (12) won first place in the San Diego chapter of the Junior Achievement Business Competition on May 3 with their app, Beacon, which was created by their company, Gray.Labs.

Beacon is “an alert app that streamlines communications in case of emergencies,” according to Liao. “[Beacon] uses location and time data, and using algorithms [that] we wrote, [it] can tell where a person is or where a person is going,” Chozhan said. “It’s basically an app that allows for parents to check on their children to see where they’re going … and we’ll alert the parents or family [if] they’re not where they should be.”

According to Zhan, the app “started off as a more efficient 911 call,” but other

features were added to make Beacon “a showcase at the San Diego level, which they also won. more versatile app.”

The business competition consisted “[We were] on a trade show floor where of two main parts: the PitchFest and the everyone had their laptops and demos,” showcase.

Chozhan said. “We pitched our idea to During the PitchFest, teams pitched judges and investors and we won the competition there.” their business idea to a panel of judges who Although Gray.

Labs was not selected decided whether or not to attend the national they wanted to fund competition in the project.

“We received the Washington D.C., the maximum amount of team members are still very happy with their funding during that local results. pitch, which [was “The judges judge about $400], but for a high school company, based on how sound Abishek Chozhan it was really helpful,” your business model ������� Chozhan said. is, how much potential your product has, how Getting the microloan of $400, which the team had to pay you branded yourself and how successful back, was “pretty exciting” because it your product launch is,” Liao said. “We was validation of their idea and investors won first place [in San Diego] and we were “thought it was something worth pursuing,” really happy with that.”

Computer science teacher Richard according to Friedenberg.

The team was invited back to the Robinette was the adult supervisor for

We were on a trade show floor ... We pitched our idea to a bunch of judges and we won the competition there too.

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Gray.Labs, but credited the students.

“I provided the room … and computers … when they needed it, [but the students] did most of the work,” Robinette said.

The Gray.Labs team was created through “mutual friends [and] mutual interests,” according to Liao.

Friedenberg, who attends Scripps Ranch High School, joined the team at Chozhan’s invitation.

The team, as a whole, plans to move forward with Beacon and eventually launch it publicly.

“Over the summer, we plan to keep building with Gray.Labs [and] we plan to polish up Beacon and get it ready for launch,” Liao said. “We’re taking on some other side jobs as well, building websites for other people, but after [we] market Beacon, [we’ll] work on our next project.”

However, since Liao is the only junior on the team, he plans on going back to the competition next year with another team and also plans on establishing a club devoted to the Junior Achievement business program next year at TPHS.

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OPINION

PRO

By Maya Rao

OPINION EDITOR

Bindis.

Dreadlocks.

Saris.

Tribal prints. Kimonos. Ponchos.

Headdresses. All these are markers of cultures that have established distinct identities, and their clothing, their hair, their style are all ways in which they attempt to promote and protect those identities. And for years, the best way to assimilate into those cultures was to pick up their habits and customs, to dress like them, to act like them. But recently, doing any of the above has garnered more criticism than goodwill. If you are not ethnically a member of a particular culture, numerous articles caution, do not adopt any characteristics of that culture. Social media users lambast those who show up to Coachella with feathers in their hair — or worse, cornrows.

Cultural appreciation has morphed into cultural appropriation.

There is an article on Everyday Feminism, a left-leaning website that provides more etiquette lessons than a strict governess in 16thcentury France, that details the exact occasions in which it is acceptable to wear a sari or a bindi, both markers of South Asian culture. There are two: a South Asian wedding or after a civil partnership between you and your South Asian significant other.

I was baffled by this. As a member of the Indian community, I had seen a few white people wearing bindis and saris and other types of religious dress, and instead of

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Cultural appropriation is the use of aspects of one culture by those of a different culture; instances of perceived cultural appropration have provoked anger in U.S. media. getting offended, as the Everyday Feminism article suggested I should, I felt flattered. When I find out that someone who is not Indian has been to India, or wears Indian clothes, or is particularly interested in a certain aspect of Indian culture, I get excited.

I can’t stop asking questions. Nearly all Indians and South Asians I have spoken to share the same sentiment.

That is not to say that culture has not been appropriated in the past. It certainly has. The ire of Native Americans toward people who wear full headdresses is certainly understandable, because that headdress is something ceremonial and sacred to them. So is the anger toward culturally insensitive costumes — black face and the like.

Culture is not a costume; it is a way of life. But it is not a sensible response to completely decry the adoption of any customs of any other cultures.

Appropriating another culture is something we have become so afraid of in the United States that we have forgotten our origins. Our clothing and food and attitudes have been influenced by everything from the British Raj to Mexican vaqueros — precursors to the cowboy, a wholly “American” hero.

Some give the argument that people outside the culture cannot understand the history behind certain dresses or hairstyles and therefore should not be able to wear those dresses or hairstyles. But if those people are constantly cut off from those insular cultures, how will they ever learn? How will they ever fully comprehend what certain things mean in other cultures?

Instead of complaining, do something to fix the problem.

Educate people — they’re always interested. As soon as an immigrant enters the United States, his culture is not his anymore — it becomes another ingredient in the American cultural melting pot.

In a question asked

by Public Policy Polling ...

Should cultural appropriation be condemned?*

72%

16%

YES

NO

said

said

*12 percent of people did not answer

The United States is a melting pot of cultures; keeping them all separate would be impossible, not to mention of questionable value. But there is a fine line between appreciation and cultural appropriation. The examples of cultural mixing we currently witness are overwhelmingly disrespectful intrusions on various ethnic groups’ cultures, in which brands profit off designs they have no right to and non-Native Americans prance around in headdresses at musical festivals. These instances do not demonstrate appreciation — they diminish often already-marginalized groups, erasing key aspects of a cultural identity and replacing them with tacky, monetized mockeries.

In recent years, there has been a rising outcry against cultural appropriation: aimed at Miley Cyrus’ dreadlocks at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards; at former National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter president Rachel Dolezal, a white woman convinced of her own blackness; and at ethnic decoration like bindis at Coachella. The response to most of this outrage is simply to dismiss it. “It’s only hair,” people say, “stop being so sensitive.”

But it isn’t only hair, or clothes or fun traditions. When people carelessly adopt the culture of groups that have been oppressed, it fosters an imbalance of power and harms the marginalized. Twisting a culture for your own satisfaction is a form of oppression, however small. It speaks of ownership and superiority, of the ability to tread upon the cultural identities of other ethnic groups as you please.

Take MAC Cosmetic’s recent “Vibe Tribe” makeup collection, marketed through Navajo-inspired packaging, with models, mostly white, wearing colored feathers and tribal tattoos.

MAC claimed that the collection had “no connection” to Native American

CON

By Anna Lee

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

cultures, according to Refinery29.

It isn’t wrong for designers or companies to incorporate cultural elements — it is wrong for them to appropriate and rebrand cultures and not give credit for the inspiration.

It is wrong for them to use Navajo elements, but deny using them, furthering the lack of awareness about Native American culture in the nation and disregarding Native American history and rights. A more acceptable action for MAC would be to give credit to the Navajo Nation for the designs, as well as a portion of the “Vibe Tribe” collection’s profits.

It’s understandable that people want freedom of expression when it comes to fashion and celebration, that they want to be able to hold the Hindu festival Holi in New York City and mark themselves with henna at festivals. It’s a good time. But participants in these celebrations often dismiss the cultural significance and meaning of “trendy” traditions, making most cultural appreciation in fashion and festivals wholly unacceptable.

The way to address cultural appropriation is not to immediately brand outcry against it as “oversensitive.” Instead, people should make an effort to show respect for the cultures they adopt, give credit where credit is due, and realize that there is a thin boundary between appreciation and appropriation. Tread carefully.

A8 the falconer

opinion

june 3, 2016

STAFF EDITORIAL: LEGAL SMOKING AGE RAISED

GORILLA KILLED TO SAVE BOY

years of age may continue to smoke and vape; they may even be more encouraged to do so, the creation of this legislation an incentive to rebel against the government even more. But, even if under-aged purchasing of cigarettes cannot be largely deterred, or deterred at all, California has still taken the right step — instituting a law takes the hypothetical, sometimes abstract idea that cigarettes are detrimental to health, and brings it out in the spotlight.

If anything, the law is a symbolic statement, a warning.

Regardless of belief in personal freedom at the age of 18, or “adulthood,” that opponents to this law often cite, regulating something, like smoking, that is a known contributor to cancer and disease is an integral part in the government’s job. With this legislation, the state of California is thus fulfilling its responsibilities to its residents; now, it is up to the people to take up their responsibilities as well.

Gorilla Harambe was killed on May 28 at the Cincinnati Zoo after a 3-yearold boy fell into the moat that surrounds his enclosure. The gorilla, the zoo explained, adopted an aggressive stance, and there was no way to lure Harambe away from the boy — the zookeepers tried to herd the gorillas behind the exhibit; the females went, but Harambe did not. Tranquilizers might have been too slow-acting, or if Harambe was immobilized, he may have drowned in the moat and dragged the boy with him. There was no option but to kill. While the loss of Harambe’s life is a tragedy, the zookeepers made the right decision in saving the life of the child.

People have been outraged the past several days, calling on the parents of the boy to be punished with fines and jail time for neglecting their child — their backs were turned when the boy fell into the exhibit — and, by extension, causing the death of a member of an endangered species. But any parent can attest to the fact that it is next to impossible to keep eyes on children at all times. How could these parents know that the minute their backs turned, their child would end up face to face with a dangerous animal?

Ultimately, Harambe’s death is on the zoo’s hands, and it is up to the zoo to construct better barriers between people and exhibits so that tragedies like these do not happen again.

by Maya Rao

Falconer

The Torrey Pines High School

We, the Falconer staff, are dedicated to creating a monthly newspaper with the intent of encouraging independent thinking, expanding our knowledge of journalism, and providing the TPHS student body and community with a truthful, unbiased news source, in accordance with our First Amendment rights.

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The Falconer is the student newspaper of Torrey Pines High School. Its content, which is the responsibility of the Falconer staff, is not subject to administrative approval. Unsigned editorials represent the opinions of the staff, while opinion columns represent the writer’s perspective.

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smoke have no regard for their own personal health, the implications of secondhand smoke to passersby can be as deadly as those of smoking a cigarette to smokers. A study by the Institute of Medicine showed that a national smoking age of 21 could prevent 250,000 premature deaths, if properly enforced and followed.

Restricting public vaping areas, therefore, can only help in reducing the effects of secondhand smoke.

Yet, an issue with the California piece of legislation could simply be the enforcement of it. People under the age of 21 currently smoking regularly, when faced with such roadblocks, may begin to turn to illegal means to keep up their supply of cigarettes. The measure may not even prevent under-aged smoking at all — marijuana is illegal, but 81 percent of high school seniors in 2014 said the drug was easy to attain, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. If law enforcement in California begins to focus too much on regulating cigarette usage, it may detract from other issues of similar or even greater danger to public health.

No matter the situation, however, people will continue to smoke; it is impossible, then, to eliminate it completely. Students under 21

the strip

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 480,000 people in the U.S. die each year from cigarette smoking. Yet, 42,000 people from that total number do not even smoke themselves — they suffer from the effects of exposure to secondhand smoke.

On May 4, California governor Jerry Brown signed legislation that raised the smoking age, for both cigarettes and electronic cigarettes, in California from 18 to 21 and restricted vaping in certain public areas. Though there is no guarantee that this measure will deter certain under-aged smokers from purchasing cigarettes, it was a necessary step by the government to fulfill its duties and move toward ensuring the safety of its citizens.

Perhaps giving way to increasingly popular stimulants like marijuana and nicotine-infused e-cigarettes, cigarette smoking has been on a consistent decline in the U.S., reaching an all-time low of 16.8 percent usage in 2014 for adults and 15.7 percent usage in 2013 for high school students, according to the CDC. But, even so, it is the government’s responsibility to keep persisting at that percentage, for public health is essential to a unified, functioning country. Even if individuals who

Artists: Michelle Hao Simon Kim Jenny Li Jiyoung Moon Ellese Nguyen Russell Reed Amy Yu Amanda Yuan

opinion

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the falconer

A10

Illegal minors should not be covered by Medi-Cal

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law SB-4 on Oct. 9, 2015. It grants health care services to “individuals under 19 years of age who do not have, or are unable to establish satisfactory immigration status” through MediCal, a government-funded program “under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services.” In order to qualify as lowincome, individuals must earn less than 266 percent of the federal poverty line. The bill required the California State Department of Health Care Services to implement these changes on May 1, affecting around 170,000 California residents, according to state officials.

Massachusetts, Illinois, New York, Washington and Washington D.C. also provide coverage to children of illegal immigrants. Under the California bill, undocumented children will gain access to emergency care, dental care, well-child checkups, mental health treatment and other services that Medi-Cal offers all low-income children.

California is home to more immigrants than any other state, and there has been much concern about whether the new bill will initiate a push for coverage of all undocumented citizens, and along with that, how the health care would be paid for. Brown has pledged $20 million in state funds to provide coverage from May through the end of this fiscal year and $143 million in the upcoming fiscal year. Because the Affordable Care Act prohibits the use of federal funds to cover undocumented immigrants, the state must pay the entirety of the bill. Health benefits for citizens should be paid either by the state or by the federal government, but immigrants should not be eligible to receive health care through statefunded programs.

The bill will serve as a stepping stone toward the extension of health care coverage to all undocumented citizens; because children have lower medical expenses and stronger emotional appeal, the public is likely to accept a bill that allows them health care benefits. Many undocumented immigrants come to the United States for the benefit of their children, and if children are given health care benefits, there will be less incentive for families to apply for citizenship.

An influx of undocumented immigrants, and immigrants who do not see the need to apply for citizenship because they are already provided health care coverage, can increase the tax burden of

citizens and negatively impact their employment opportunities and suppress wages. This, combined with what it will cost the government to pay for Medi-Cal for undocumented children, and potentially all undocumented immigrants, will be prohibitively expensive.

Illegal immigration should not be addressed by making undocumented citizens eligible for health care; instead, the citizenship process should be streamlined to make it more simple and convenient for immigrants to attain citizenship. This is something that the government should have done many years ago, when the increasing n u m b e r of illegal immigrants and the constraints they began to place on the country’s resources became a relevant concern.

Alternatively, undocumented immigrants could be allowed to purchase insurance.

Currently, undocumented immigrants constitute slightly more than six percent of California’s population, according to the Public Policy Institute. There is no reason

these immigrants should not be allowed to become citizens once they have shown their committment to the United States and the ideals it espouses, but until they are actual citizens, they should not be eligible for any health care coverage. By only allowing documented citizens to have access to health care, low-income or not, programs such as Medi-Cal will be able to receive federal funding and increase the benefits available to eligible individuals.

PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE

Undocumented immigrants should be able to get coverage by applying for citizenship, not through a bill that ignores the problems that come with an increase in illegal immigration. Until applying for citizenship as an undocumented immigrant becomes more accessible, there will be no way to truly solve the problem of illegal immigration — especially not with a bill that does the exact opposite.

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By Irene Yu ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

PHOTO BY GRACE BRUTON/FALCONER

ANNA LEE

The Falconer Editor-in-Chief defensively rants about how people need to stop giving her grief for playing video games. Please.

In my lifetime, I have spent at least 1,500 years playing video games. Of course, some of the games I have spent the most time on don’t log hours, so that number is a rough estimate.

The reason I present this information is not to brag about being a gamer or set myself apart from “casual” players — compared to a lot of people, this number is nothing. Plus, I cannot say it is anything to be proud of.

To put it in context, I have spent over 62 days of my life camped on my couch killing aliens or spacing out in front of my computer, mindlessly grinding mobs to reach Level 120. It is not an achievement. I do not want to be a gamer. The label is embarrassing.

But why is this the case? Why do the majority of people see gaming as an inferior hobby or a guilty pleasure? What makes it worse than reading or surfing or painting? What is explicitly wrong with playing video games?

There are reasons, some credible, some not: Games promote violence, hinder social skills, hurt vision — and, above all, games are not productive. This, in particular, makes gaming distinct from other interests. Reading polishes intelligence and writing ability. Surfing is good for your body. Painting refines a skill that is seen as sophisticated, that may add to the beauty of the world. You gain nothing from playing video games besides better hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills and strategy skills. And I won’t argue any differently. The point of gaming is to have fun, not improve yourself as a person.

Assuming you are not making money from it, as

a pro-gamer or otherwise, gaming is a deeply unproductive pastime. If I’m being honest, that idleness is a large part of what makes gaming so entertaining.

As a society, we tend to condemn anything that is a waste of time. Spending a Saturday watching T.V. will get you no respect from others because you have nothing to show for it. You are not contributing to society, you are not becoming a better person. On the flip side, contemplating philosophy on a weekend is far more acceptable because you are refining your own character. But this disdain is flawed, unfair: Why must we always be doing something significant? The end goal of the human existence is not necessarily to make yourself the best possible person you can be.

People have no immediate obligation to make the world a better place either.

I am not arguing that everyone should say, “To hell with it,” quit their jobs, and hop on their Xboxes until the end of time. But, I don’t think anyone has any particular responsibility to constantly pursue something productive, nor do I think people should be embarrassed if they like video games. There is nothing inherently shameful about them, nothing that necessitates treating them as a taboo hobby.

Obviously, I’m biased; I’ve spent my fair share of time gaming. But it’s not just gaming this idea might apply to — Netflix bingers and comic readers and whoever else is looked down upon should be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy themselves without feeling guilty for it.

I have had a lot of people, mostly friends, make fun of me for playing video games. I have been met with sneering incredulity that I could even be interested in such a meaningless hobby, that I could spend hours mining virtual blocks. It stopped being annoying after 10 years because I stopped caring, and because a lot of my current friends play games. Now, I make fun of myself when I stay up until 2 a.m. playing Maplestory, but I am not genuinely embarrassed about my gaming habits. Well, maybe I’m a bit ashamed of that particular one.

After 13 years or so of gaming, I have come to terms with the nature of my hobby. It is a pastime made for entertainment rather than improvement, it is a pastime that is sometimes absurd and sometimes unhealthy — and that’s fine. We are all allowed to take a break. We are all allowed to have hobbies that are silly or useless or unproductive.

I am not going to make any trite remarks on

the meaning of life, but the thing I try to prioritize in the short, sweet time I have on this planet is my own personal satisfaction. Maybe this is selfish. Maybe I should make the betterment of society my number one goal. Maybe I should go outside for a hike, appreciate nature, get some fresh air. Maybe I should take up a useful hobby, like cooking. But I don’t really feel like it.

I would rather just play some Skyrim.

I suppose that if I truly didn’t care what others thought, I would not have felt the need to write this defense of my hobby. On some level, it still annoys me that people judge me for playing games, and that’s on me. But the fault also lies with the rest of the world — we are all a little too judgmental. We invest too much of ourselves into peering into others’ lives, scoffing and turning our noses up. That is the real waste of time.

In the end, people do what they want to do.

For God’s sake, just let them.

opinion

A10 the falconer

june 3, 2016

Rocks under freeway overpass should be removed

By Sumin Hwang STAFF WRITER

Homelessness is a plague ubiquitous in many communities across the U.S. A variety of approaches have been taken in an attempt to find a long-lasting solution to this issue, such as founding nonprofit organizations and building government-funded food banks. San Diego, however, has recently done something else: placing sharp rocks under freeway overpasses.

After residents from the south San Diego neighborhood of Sherman Heights complained about feeling endangered by the homeless population, in April the local government agreed to place jagged rocks under the Highway 5 overpass to deter the homeless from resting on the sidewalks there. The project, which cost a total of $57,000, immediately sparked backlash online, including criticism on Facebook and an online petition encouraging Mayor Kevin Faulconer to remove the rocks.

Sherman Heights later responded with claims that they were not trying to be anti-homeless, but rather “proresident.”

The notion that an individual can be uniquely pro-resident by being

anti-homeless is nothing more than a cop-out created by the more affluent in an feeble attempt to hide their obvious disdain for homeless people and the very idea of sharing their “rightfully earned” space in the community with them. It is also unclear as to whether the residents in Sherman Heights are trying to protect themselves by being “pro-resident” or if they are trying to promote residency for the homeless, but the manner in which they attempted to do is problematic. Furthermore, there has been no explanation of how homeless people living under the freeway infringe on the rights of Sherman Heights residents. The people of Sherman Heights presume they are in danger simply because of stereotypes about homeless people, like that they are mentally unstable, drug-addicted, violent or thieving.

There have been no incidents of violence against residents, at least not any committed by homeless people, who are being targeted by this new measure.

While the rocks have been effective in expelling the homeless from the overpass, they have only caused the homeless to move to different areas of the community.

In a classic ironic twist, Silvia Leon, a Sherman Heights resident, claims that since the rocks were installed, more homeless people have been sleeping in local housing complexes.

What the government should have done instead with that $57,000 is fund programs that would benefit the homeless through aid for basic needs and get them off the streets, not because they bother the residents

ART BY IRENE YU/FALCONER

but because local governments are supposed to be concerned with the well-being of all those who live within their geographical jurisdictions.

It is also important to consider the experiences of the homeless versus the experiences of residents in Sherman Heights. Five minutes away from Sherman Heights lies the Highway 5 overpass, previously occupied by the homeless, unemployed and desperate for a place to stay. Obviously, the overpass

is not the optimal abode, but it might be best that a homeless person can find. It it neither the responsibility nor the place of Sherman Heights residents to determine what the homeless should and should not do, just as the homeless do not determine how and where other citizens should spend their lives.

Government endorsement of this idea is just veiled prejudice based on offensive stereotypes about the homeless community.

Taking steps toward solving homelessness is indeed a role that local governments should undertake, but placing sharp rocks under highways to satisfy more fortunate citizens is not the answer. It is “antihomeless” to impose offensive stereotypes and force the homeless population to relocate without actually providing them with helpful relocation resources. As a community, we should take steps to become “proresident” and but not “anti-homeless.”

Presidential decorum key quality in candidates

By Austin Zhang COPY EDITOR

The U.S. Presidential Seal consists of an eagle with a shield over its breast, grasping in one talon a bundle of 13 arrows and in the other, an olive branch. However, the highest office in this nation is more than just the ability to bear a seal. As the foremost leader of the U.S., the president has upon his or her shoulders certain responsibilities that go beyond merely reviewing bills or giving speeches. Presidential decorum is one of the most important parts of the office, and when considering which of the prospective presidential candidates to support or reject, it must play a vital role.

We must understand that the president serves as a key diplomat and representative for the country.

He or she must be able to connect with the dignitaries of allies and non-friendly powers with tact and grace. When presidents go abroad, they serve as that foreign power’s link to the collective people of all 50 states, and thus they must command respect and communicate effectively.

They must stand behind allies and strive to not to alienate even the most hostile of foreign powers, while also ensuring that U.S. interests are acknowledged, and at all times work to advance the global standing of the U.S. through diplomacy and cooperation. The enormous weight of

this responsibility and the sometimesconflicting nuances of balancing domestic and foreign interests can be no better exemplified than in President Obama’s recent visit to Hiroshima, Japan. Behind this visit are a whirlwind of questions: Since it was not an apology tour, should he have visited survivors of the attack? Was he effective in managing not to offend American World War II veterans while also relaying his message of antinuclear proliferation? Did he balance the U.S. majority (56 percent) opinion that the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were necessary with the strong local sentiment against the attacks and against nuclear arms in general? President Obama was forced to grapple with these specific questions, but any future president could easily be faced with decisions and issues of similar magnitude and must be able in all cases to find the most effective course of action.

The behavior of any president and by extension of any presidential candidate, must thus be consistent with the position that candidate hopes to attain. As the U.S. plays a central role in the global market and international security, many countries have turned their eyes toward our own political system and are watching closely to see who will take up the mantle of presidency next as President Obama concludes his final term. And given that both our allies and our enemies watch how the U.S. conducts the business of selecting a new president, it is thus of paramount importance that the conduct of all those we consider for the title to act in a way becoming of the title.

When we dismiss candidates as “not being presidential enough” it may seem as though it is an empty remark, or a careless opinion. Yet

“being presidential” means so many things — from the aforementioned handling of diplomacy, to meeting with and rallying our legislative branch to support their policy plans, to directing and commanding the armed forces of our nation, and much else — all of which are essential parts of the job. This is why we say “to be presidential” and not merely to “act presidential.” Because, fundamentally, being presidential is not something one can fake. Being presidential is having a vital vision for the good of our nation and all of its peoples, and running on that vision as a platform, and finally executing that

vision in office, while accepting that compromises must be made and changes must occur. It means finding what values this nation stands for and standing by those values, remaining steadfast and consistent as any leader should be. It means fostering logical and clear views of our country and its condition, and not pandering to fear or irresponsibility exacerbating internal tensions. It means to be a uniter of the disparate and sometimes conflicting elements of our great nation, rather than a divider who only panders to a select group of voters or citizens. And it means to do all those things with dignity and decorum.

To be presidential, ultimately, is to be the leader that the entire world expects and that our nation deserves.

Just as the seal is the symbol of the president, so too must the president be a symbol of the U.S.: a figure behind which one of the greatest nations in the world stands and supports, a face for that nation to present to the international community. And thus, as we head to the polls this November to select our next president in perhaps one of the most controversial elections in American history let us ask ourselves “Who here do I believe truly is most presidential?” and cast our votes.

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FEATURE

INFOGRAPHIC

BY SUMIN HWANGBYAND LILY NILIPOUR WORDS BY LILY NILIPOUR /INFOGRAPHIC SUMIN HWANG

A11

A12 the falconer

feature

june 3, 2016

: & Q A david DAvid yurovsky

Q:

There’s three stages when I look at Russian leaders of the Communist Party; I look at [Vladimir] Lenin, and I see a lot of Bernie in him.

He’s like the fanatic, the guy who’s so wrapped up in his theory and in how the world is going to change because of the theory. He’s so in love with his theory that he wants to put it into play, so both him and Lenin are the “romantics.”

Then I look at Trump who wants to change America and push it, which is similar to [Mikhail] Gorbachev who tried to put his theories into effect more than Lenin and cut corners on communism. I look at [Vladimir] Putin and I look at Trump, and I see very strong similarities, though I think Putin is smarter than Trump, but also corrupt.

SUM HO LEUNG

NICO PENA

There’s something weird going on in this election. [Ross] Perot, for example, ran a very similar campaign to the campaigns Trump and Sanders are running.

But he ran it in 1992 and it didn’t gain any ground, so there’s definitely something different going on in the current U.S. election in that respect.

This election reminds me of Dominican politics in a certain sense, with regards to the populism with candidates, but it’s not nearly as bad here.

We have a version of Bernie Sanders in Hong Kong.

He is known by his nickname, “Long Hair.”

He is a socialist who rejects Mainland Chinese communism and the powerful real estate tycoons in Hong Kong. Support for him is, however, marginal, because he is perceived to be too disrespectful and extreme. The rise of Bernie Sanders’ campaign demonstrates a rejection of the mainstream class.

Q:

There’s much more stress on social media as the main outlet for politics here, but there are similarities in propaganda. Right now, there’s a lot of political propaganda in Russia. When I visited this past summer, the popularity rating for Putin was 88 percent, which means that 88 percent of people wanted him in office.

You’re not going to find those numbers in American history.

The way that elections covered here. You guys

are covered in have debates,

There’s much more stress on social media as the main outlet for politics here, but there are similarities in propaganda. Right now, there’s a lot of political propaganda in Russia. When I visited this past summer, the popularity rating for Putin was 88 percent, which means that 88 percent of people wanted him in office. You’re not going to find those numbers in American history. the U.S. are very different from the way they’re your candidates are constantly covered on T.V.

feature

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the falconer

A13

Q: Russians perceive Trump as someone living the american dream. He’s rich, he’s a billionaire, which is, in essence, success in a capitalistic system. I think Russians are probably siding with Trump. People in the Russian community here have been so damaged by what happened in Russia and how that affected their families, that they don’t want a bigger government which is what democrats tend to go for. I also feel like Putin would respect Trump a little bit more rather than Clinton because Clinton is a woman and there’s a lot of discussion about her corruption.

The way Russians are looking at Clinton, they hate her. At least from the Russian families that I know, the respect for women in Russia is very different from here in America. It’s a lot more sexist there than it is here. They also look at her as lying and cheating and a career politician, and that’s something that Russians, especially Russian Americans absolutely despise.

Those traits are reasons why Russians wanted to leave Russia for the United States.

Dominicans hate them both, but I think on average people prefer Trump. I think people here see Clinton as a liar, and so deceitful. I just think that Dominicans are desensitized to the lies of trump. But then Clinton, who people expect to be more honest, has caused people to be really more taken aback when it turns out she’s not. They don’t like Clinton at all, and some of it has to do with machismo; they don’t really want a woman president in the U.S., they don’t think she’s qualified.I think some people like the allure of donald trump, because he’s a billionaire who just says whatever he wants. The people don’t like either of them, but if they had to choose they’d vote for Trump.

People have a positive image of Clinton, because she is associated with Bill Clinton; people are always nostalgic for the past, especially in Hong Kong. Many Hong Kong people generally have a negative image of real estate tycoons.

Having said that, I think many people in Hong Kong share Donald Trump’s intolerance of racial and cultural minorities.

Q: Most Hong Kong people understand that the U.S. is very diverse and do not think that the Presidential Candidates are representative of the entire nation.

The main stereotype of Americans that Hong Kong people relates to gun ownership and risk of gun violence.

At this stage of the political debate, the candidates’ positions on gun ownership have been long forgotten by us in Hong Kong.

The world looks to the US to demonstrate how democracy is done. The more dysfunction and immature debate there is in US domestic politics, the more people outside the US will have negative perceptions of western democracy in general.

In this regard, I think the biggest challenge for the US to try to elevate the level of its political discourse, so that it can present solutions that are sophisticated enough to solve today’s complex problems.

While there’s always been a resentment of the United States in the Dominican Republic, likely because people here are just jealous, there’s also this kind of respect and admiration for Americans.

Seeing this election from the Dominican Republic, people are kind of taken aback and I think they can’t believe it. I think their opinion of americans has kind of dropped as well. Still, those that I have spoken to have a hard time believing the U.S. will be anything less than the world’s superpower. The overwhelming majority in the Dominican would agree that they can’t envision a world without the United States being the pinnacle of everything. I think Dominicans don’t see the U.S. as less than perfect, because compared to the DR, it’s amazing.

Russians spew a lot of propaganda against America because they feel like Americans are trying to control R u s s i a and act as international policeman.

I think Hillary Clinton makes Americans look bad to the Russian community -they think she’s slightly corrupt.

Overall, Russia is pretty much blaming america for their bad economy, because of the sanctions. Also, we have russian television at my house, and they talk about Trump at least once a week and say “Oh, look how stupid the Americans are with this,” and they bring up Clinton every now and then, too. Either way, the political polarization in the U.S. right now is something that Russians don’t see as an anomaly because they’re so used to it.

Seeing this election from the Dominican Republic, people are kind of taken aback and I think they can’t believe it. I think their opinion of Americans has kind of dropped as well.

A14 the falconer

LET’S IT DOWN In which we explore the issues surrounding events and debates in the news.

Puerto Rican Debt Crisis Puerto Rico is in debt. Really, really bad debt. The labor force participation rate has dropped to 40.5 percent and the unemployment rate has risen to 11.7 percent.

Puerto Rico’s standing as an American territory makes those people in Puerto Rico who are affected by the debt crisis American citizens — all 3.5 million of them. And those 3.5 million are on the hook for billions in debt. That’s a lot of Americans and that’s a lot of money. So what’s going on?

Puerto Rico, long regarded as an exoticbut-still-American destination for middle and upper class families, proved to be the perfect vacation spot for both tourists and businesses. Desperate to grow its economy, Puerto Rico issued masses of municipal bonds, which were tax-exempt for investors in the U.S. and returned higher yields than other bonds of the same type; this made the bonds very attractive to many retail bond mutual funds, hedge funds and risk-seeking investors, who bought them up. And while this did grow many businesses on the island, especially the pharmaceutical industry, it did not grow enough fast enough, and in an attempt to cover the debt it owed its investors, Puerto Rico just kept issuing more bonds, thus throwing itself in a vicious cycle that resulted only in massive job loss and a $70 billion debt.

The normal response to such a crisis would be to declare bankruptcy, but because Puerto Rico does not hold the same rights as other American cities or states, it cannot.

Because Puerto Rico is not much more than an independent colony, it does not have the standing of a sovereign nation and cannot ask for assistance from the International Monetary Fund. Puerto Rico needs a financial diuretic, and the only hope Puerto Rico has is for Congress to grant it the power to reduce its debt by means other than bankruptcy.

The Obama administration has pressed Congress to find a solution for Puerto Rico’s debt crisis, but Congress’ response has been nothing short of government control.

In an effort to save the territory, Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla, has enacted a law that allows him to block debt payments to protect Puerto Rico’s remaining cash, but some bond investors are still pushing for full payments or early settlements, further complicating the issue.

Some lawmakers ask why, if Puerto Rico is in debt, should American states bear it.

Many of the results of the severe budget cuts in the territory, however, seem to have direct consequences on the U.S. including Zika virus containment efforts and the reduction of U.S. bond prices and subsequently investment in riskier ventures, such as Chicago’s school district.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, star and writer of the Tony Award-nominated musical “Hamilton,” currently the hottest ticket on Broadway, is the son of Puerto Rican immigrants and has been one of the most vocal advocates for Congressional assistance.

He has appeared everywhere from John Oliver’s show “Last Week Tonight” to the Rose Garden with President Barack Obama to call for Congress to rise up to help the island, even offering up “Hamilton” tickets as a sort of bribe. His pleas have served to spark a national conversation about the issue.

Partly due to this dialogue, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan made Puerto Rican rescue a priority, but his deadline of March 31 has long passed, and no solution has yet been proposed. The debt crisis is expected to become an election-year issue, especially in Florida and other areas with high Puerto Rican populations.

by Maya Rao

feature

One in

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After watching “Step Up 2: The Streets,” a movie centered around the lives of Maryland dance students, in third grade, Austin Edwards (12) knew he wanted to be a dancer.

“That was the defining moment when I switched from karate to dance,” Edwards said.

Since third grade, Edwards has tried jazz, ballet, contemporary, tap and hip hop dance, which is his “main passion.”

june 3, 2016

After discovering his passion for dance in third grade, Edwards has integrated dance in every aspect of his life. other people during the summer of his junior year, where he attended a dance intensive program at University of California, Los Angeles. Dancing from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Edwards and the other dancers “were able to connect with each other through dance.”

“We were able to show each other ourselves, and because of that we were able to form friendships that are really unique,” Edwards said. “I believe that it’s impossible to truly be friends with someone unless you spill your guts to them, and dance in that scenario was our way of really showing people our most purest self.”

Dance has taught Edwards the difference between “making a real friendship and having a fake one,” and has shown him how people can come together. Edwards will be able to create more real friendships at UCLA next year, where he will be majoring in dance and potentially business economics, psychology or finance.

“When you graduate with a dance major it’s not just a dance major; it’s a lot more applicable with other jobs,” Edwards said. “I’m obviously excited because I got to get an inside look at what dance at UCLA would be like, but in terms of being worried, I don’t know if I’m doublemajoring or minoring.”

As of now, Edward hopes to own a business that incorporates both community service and dance.

And, while it might not play as big of a role in his life as it does now, dance will always be part of Edwards that allows him to express himself and build relationships with others.

by Irene Yu

“[Hip hop is] not as feminine as [other forms of dance],” Edwards said. “In the dance world it’s mainly just girl dancers and girl routines, so as a guy dancer you tend to really appreciate the more masculine dances.”

Edwards joined the TPHS varsity dance team in his freshman year, where he bonded with and learned from his fellow teammates. “[Being on dance team] was really an eye-opener,” Edwards said. “Not only because you got to see so many people with varying skill levels, but also because you got to see where you want to be. Torrey Pines dance team is more like an outlet where you take everything you learn outside in the dance community and you put it into action.”

Outside of school, Edwards takes hip hop classes at Culture Shock Dance Center and Studio FX Dance & Performing Arts, and occasionally travels to Los Angeles with friends to take additional classes. He also dances with a hip hop group called Lost and Found, which competed in the 2015 World Hip Hop Dance Championship last August.

“When I’m onstage, there’s a mixture of intense focus and some pre-show nervousness, definitely stomach butterflies and stuff,” Edwards said.

“When you’ve gotten to a part of the dance where you feel like it’s your part, it just feels like the spotlight’s on you and that everyone can see you. It’s nice to have that sort of feeling, especially with college apps and all of that, you tend to lose your individuality, but when you’re dancing it’s your own style.”

Through dance, Edwards feels like he is able to fully express himself, which is one of the reasons he continues to participate in the activity.

“You can take any sort of movement that people give to you and put your own self into it,” Edwards said. “When you’re able to do it on stage, it’s basically sharing yourself with hundreds of people.”

Edwards introduced himself through dance to 40

Austin Edwards (12)

PHOTO BY ERIC CUNNINGHAM/FALCONER

entertainment

tphsfalconer.com

The TPHS art department held its annual art show “For Art’s Sake” from May 23-27.

Students from AP studio art, photo imaging, drawing and design, sculpture and painting classes displayed their work at the show, and culinary arts students catered the event opening on May 23 from 4-6 p.m., according to art teacher Sarah Morawa.

“Having a big event like this is really important for the kids because it allows them the opportunity to showcase their work for their peers and teachers and gives them almost a real gallery space and a real reception, which makes them feel proud,” art teacher Emily Moran said. “Presenting and showcasing the artwork is a really valuable and important part of the art-making process … because it’s visual by nature, sharing it with people is important.”

Artworks done in a variety of mediums were presented at the show, including 2D painting, photography, digital design, 3D ceramics, mobiles, surfboards and papier mache sculptures. According to Moran, more 3D works were displayed at this year’s show than in past art shows because 3D art “reaches out to a different type of student than 2D does.”

“One of the reasons we’re bringing [a] ceramics [class] into the school program is because there’s clear Sarah Morawa student interest in that type of artwork, too,” Moran art teacher said.

In order to attract more viewers to the art show, culinary arts students served “healthy appetizers” like hummus, bruschetta and pastry puffs throughout the gallery opening, according to culinary arts student Daniel Ju (9). Participation in the art show was mandatory for many art classes, but many students appreciated the exposure and opportunities for showcasing the work they created throughout the year regardless.

Mai Saito (12), who will be attending art school next year, chose to display portions of her college portfolios and believes that “For Art’s Sake” is good preparation for the art shows she will participate in college.

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“[At “For Art’s Sake], you can get both positive and negative criticism from the people who view your art,” Saito said. “It’s also interesting to see what people gravitate toward because you can tell which walls people like the best since they all gather around those ones.”

For students who do not plan to attend art school in the future, the TPHS art show still provided opportunities to learn about art show set-up and potentially sell artworks.

“It’s a great opportunity for these students to have some experience setting up an art show, being at an opening and talking about their art and discussing what ideas have motivated them,” Morawa said.

The majority of the artwork was available for purchase with prices set by the individual artists; many artists also submitted 5x5 inch pieces, which were each sold for $5. Parent and artist Wendy Austin, who purchased several pieces, believes that art shows can “teach [student artists] to talk to people about their art … it’s a great habit to get into to expose yourself and take a chance and let people see what kind of stuff is inside of you.”

“It doesn’t matter how old you are when you make art; it’s just an expression of what you’re thinking, who you are and a culmination of your surroundings that comes out in some kind of art form,” Austin said. “It’s beautiful, and it says something or strikes something in a person that’s viewing it, and it just creates an emotion or a reaction.”

Moran said that in the coming years, the show will expand with more 3D ceramic and sculpture and will continue to impress attendees with the “types of different artwork and the technical skill that people have and the level of creativity presented in the works.”

Presenting and showcasing the artwork is a really valuable and important part of the art-making process ... because it’s visual by nature, sharing it with people is important.

jade babcock-chi

rebecca chen

afia khan

melissa woo

tiffany kang

richard li

richard li

michelle hao photos by alderik van der heyde/falconer

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entertainment

As I stepped into a Corvette Diner for the first time in probably 10 years, my senses were immediately bombarded. Loud ‘50s music permeated the air, bright fluorescent lights emanated from old-school Coca Cola signs and chrome-plated car wheels lined the walls.

If the theme wasn’t already evident, a bright blue, sparkling Corvette located directly in front of the entrance gave full credit to the restaurant’s name.

My three friends and I were told to expect a 20-minute wait while dozens of students in Prom dresses and suits loitered around inside. But, the 20 minutes — already surprisingly short — was actually less than ten minutes as an employee quickly led us to a table and seated us.

Playing off the “rude diner waiter” stereotype, our waiter tossed straws onto our table and offered us menus and suggestions for drinks, pointing out the signature shakes. We ordered the Elvis Shake ($5.99), the Marshmallow Cloud Shake ($5.99) and the Mocha Motion Shake ($5.99), all bursting with sweet, unique flavors. The Green Frog Soda ($5.99) was especially interesting and a ‘50s classic: lime soda topped with generous scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Despite the overarching facade of bad diner service, the actual service was surprisingly satisfactory, with our waiter, quite a committed actor, taking our orders quickly and patiently. For an appetizer, we requested the Slap Me Some Skins ($9.50), potato skins filled with cheese, bacon, green onions and sour cream. But, by the time those, as well as half our drinks, were polished off, I was quite full already.

Our main meals arrived quickly as well: the Kookie Burger ($11.49) with grilled onions, swiss cheese and sauteed mushrooms, the classic Dee Dee Burger ($10.99), the California Dreamin’ Sandwich ($11.49) and the Diner Chicken Fried Steak ($12.99).

Admittedly, coming off of the potato skins and shakes, I had higher expectations for the food than were probably realistic. My Kookie Burger was not bad, but it wasn’t great either; it was just a normal burger, with well-cooked but bland meat, not particularly exemplary onions or mushrooms and lettuce that could have come from my refrigerator. The Diner Chicken Fried Steak tasted like a mediocre Thanksgiving dinner, and the sandwich was like any other sandwich, something that I, under pressure, might be able to throw together at home.

Yet, Corvette Diner is a diner, after all, and that in itself implies the food will not necessarily be top notch.

Perhaps, the shortcomings in the actual taste of the meal — which was slightly over-priced, at that — could be excused and even forgotten when considering the experience as a whole. Just sitting in the restaurant, watching little kids with straws in their hair, singing with the waiters as they danced, coordinated, to the music, clapping along with dozens of counts of “Happy Birthday” was a lively and exciting environment, something entirely unique in itself.

by Lily Nilipour

PHOTOS BY GRACE BRUTON/FALCONER

It would be an understatement to say I am unfamiliar with Mexican wrestlers. Until I walked inside Lucha Libre Taco Shop, I thought “lucha” was just the Spanish word for lunch. Not surprisingly, I was way off – lucha libre is a form of professional wrestling originating in Mexico where the contestants wear brightly colored masks.

When my friend and I arrived at around six p.m., the line was already halfway out the restaurant.

Lucha Libre isn’t one of those themed restaurants that just has cleverly named menu items or a few pictures hung around the room. With lucha masks and paintings of Mexican wrestlers hung all around the room, a T.V. showing clips of lucha libre and even a gold spray painted Champion’s Booth that can be reserved 24 hours in advance, it was even obvious to me that the theme was based on Mexican wrestlers.

We placed our order of a Queso taco with chicken ($4.50), five beef rolled tacos with guacamole ($4.95), a plate of Champion’s Nachos ($9.50), two fountain drinks ($2.50 each) and flan ($2.25). Needless to say we were pretty hungry, and got a bit carried away after noting the inexpensive prices.

After we ordered, the cashier handed us two plates of warm tortilla chips, and we spent the entire time waiting for our food trying the seven different types of dip and fountain drinks. Out of all the fountain drinks, the orange one labeled “whipped drink” tasted the best to me because of its creamy texture and slightly sweet flavor.

Soon enough, my name was called using a microphone that was pulled down from the ceiling, and we went to get our overwhelming amount of food. Contrasting with the vibrant walls, the Queso taco, which had two tortillas, a layer of grilled crispy cheese, chicken covered in their “secret sauce” and a slice of avocado, was pretty bland. It was worth the $4.95, and because the chicken was a little dry, it tasted much better after dipping it in one of their salsas. The Champion’s Nachos were another story.

Nachos with melted cheese, beans, guacamole, pico, sour cream and steak sounds good to me at any time of the day, but after eating that taco, sampling all of the fountain drinks and trying more salsa in 20 minutes than I have in my entire life, I was only able to eat a few bites.

After we finished our main dishes, or tried to at least, we went back up to the front of the shop to grab the flan we ordered. The creamy texture and savory but sweet taste of the flan made it delicious but also as equally filling as our main dishes. Regardless, the flan was only $2.25, and I recommend getting it.

We left the restaurant around eight p.m., and the line was even longer than it was when we arrived.

The taste of the food was decent, especially for the cost, but if it wasn’t for the decor and overall vibe of the restaurant, I probably wouldn’t consider going to Lucha Libre again.

by Irene Yu

PHOTOS BY GRACE BRUTON/FALCONER

june 3, 2016

“The Godfather” is one of my favorite movies, apparent through my repetition of famous movie quotes in a really bad Italian accent. But when I was told to review The Godfather on Convoy, I was a little hesitant.

First, an Italian restaurant in Convoy seemed out of place, but more importantly, themed restaurants tend to have the same experience — mediocre food accompanied by kitschy aesthetics that seem only appropriate for a birthday party. I was nervous to spoil the novelty of the movie; The Godfather, however, broke that stereotype.

The large wooden doors at the entrance of the restaurant led to a dimly lit restaurant filled with decor that you would expect from a Godfather themed restaurant — grape vines, white tablecloths and the aroma of garlic bread. A classic movie poster for “The Godfather” hung in the center of the restaurant. The service was extremely friendly and seated my group immediately and shortly brought us two (not one, but two!) complementary appetizers: fried zucchini and warm bread. The fried zucchini was fried to perfection, maintaining both the crunchy texture of the vegetable and the warm softness of the breaded outside. After stuffing ourselves with the appetizers, we were served the our first course: a white pea soup that was light with flavors that blended together.

Be warned that The Godfather feeds you very well — a very empty stomach is absolutely necessary, to say the least. Nonetheless, for my main course I decided to leave the gun and take the cannelloni fatti en casa ($19.75), an Italian crepe filled with a chicken, tomato and mushroom sauce and topped with besciamella sauce.

Even though I could only get through one half of the two that were served, the thicker crepe was something new and a nice touch that balanced the richness and heaviness of the chicken and the besciamella. The penne ai quattro formaggi ($17.95) is a cheese lover’s dream, with four imported cheeses combined together to make a rich creamy sauce. The fettuccine alfredo with shrimp ($20.95) was good but nothing too exciting.

The classic cheese sauce tasted up to par, but lacked any wow factor. Finally, the lenguine al pesto ($17.99) was the lacking dish of the group; the pesto was too salty, which took away from the overall dish.

As we finished our monstrous portions, the restaurant owner greeted my party as we slumped in our seats holding onto our new food babies, joking with us that “we are free to start our meals at any time,” referencing our half eaten plates. We assured him it was no way the taste of the meal, but the sheer size our “personal” portions after being stuffed with appetizers prior to the start of the meal. I had to thank the owner for his hospitality and for providing me with leftovers for all the upcoming week’s lunches.

The Godfather combined a fun amount of cheesy movie design with high quality food. Along with the friendly service, The Godfather gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse: a stellar dining experience and a high ranking review.

by Caroline Rutten

PHOTOS BY AVERY SPICKER/FALCONER

tphsfalconer.com

entertainment

By the end of their high school careers, most students can name the major highlights of the Second World War. Adolf Hitler rises to power, the invasion of Poland, the horror of the Holocaust, the Pacific Theater, the Russian Front, D-Day and the atomic bombs.

“The White Rose,” however, offers a different perspective: A look into the lives of a handful of German University students, opposed to the workings of Hitler’s Third Reich, defiant and terrified, as they print and distribute the anti-Nazi leaflet known as the White Rose. “The White Rose” provides an intimate focus on the students over the course of five days of interrogation leading up to their trial and execution and reveals a story from the war that sharply contrasts the sweeping lessons of battles across nations and of the leaders at the forefront of each power, creating a power and moving narrative of principle and struggle. The TPHS reproduction of this play ran May 18-21 and 25-28 and was dedicated to David Gulko.

The play opens with the protagonists, University of Munich student Hans Scholl (Mitchell Mapes, 12) and sister Sophie Scholl (Daniela Sherwin, 12) being arrested on suspicion of distributing anti-Nazi propaganda. The local Gestapo chief, Robert Mohr (Ben Spitters, 12) notes that they are both of Aryan pedigree and doubts that they are guilty, while Anton Mahler, a Gestapo investigator from Berlin, insists that they could be culpable. The play then cuts between the present interrogation flashbacks of the Scholl siblings and friends beginning and running the leaflet. Mohr takes a particular interest in Sophie Scholl, calling her in for questioning multiple times and becoming drawn in by her passion as the evidence to their guilt slowly builds. As the interrogation process draws on, friends and fellow White Rose collaborators Christoph Probst (Austin Edwards, 12), Wilhem Graft (Tor Johnson, 10) and Alexander Schmorell (Jensen Cameron, 12) are arrested as well, and Mohr, the simple police chief who begins to sympathize with the White Rose students and especially Sophie, experiences greater conflict with Mahler, who insists on their guilt and resulting punishment.

Eventually, the students are found guilty and are sentenced to execution, while Mohr tries to reconcile his actions with the true sympathy he felt for the passion of the students, if not their cause. Toward the end of the play, Mohr, upon hearing of the death of the students, desperately tries to find some form of outlet by asking his blankly sycophantic aide Bauer (Seth McCutchen, 9) what he thought of the students, though he despairs upon hearing his dismissive opinion of them as “cocky bastards.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF DANIELA SHERWIN

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Each character brings a unique and vividly human aspect to the play.

Hans Scholl tries to be the brave leader of the band, but in truth masks the underlying terror they all feel from confronting their fascist government.

Sophie Scholl does her best to stay loyal to her brother and cause, but when faced with death and with Mohr’s attempts to get her to save her own life by disassociating herself with the actions of her brother, she finds herself conflicted between her love of life and the will of her conscience. Mohr himself associates Sophie with his own daughter of similar age, and, through phone calls with his wife about the mundane chores he has yet to complete, shows us that even members of the Nazi secret police were not merely emotionless monsters, but rather real humans faced with difficult times, desperately reconciling conscience and the instinct to keep one’s head down and survive. Though the scenes are sparsely furnished and simple, they do not detract from emotional depth of the play.

The conclusion of the play is wellestablished and foreshadowed, but despite being predictable, is ultimately extremely satisfying. The entire play seems all the more powerful as the White Rose students stand proud in the face of having their lives taken by the Nazi regime, dying unbowed, unbroken and unrepentant.

“The White Rose” is a moving story that truly delves into the strength of character humanity is able to possess even in the bleakest of circumstances, and will surely present truly relatable characters and motivations to any audience.

by Austin Zhang

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A18 the falconer

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june 3, 2016

Falcons edge out El Camino Wildcats

Football (3-1) beat El Camino High School (1-3) 7-3 on Sept. 16 at home, able to overcome the Wildcats in a tight defensive battle throughout the game.

El Camino began with possession of the ball, but were unable to acquire first down, quickly giving up the ball to the Falcons.

However, they too could not take advantage of their momentum from a few successful plays, resulting in rapid turnovers from both teams.

With four minutes left in the first quarter, an El Camino punt fell short and landed at the Wildcat 36-yard line, opening up an offensive chance for the Falcons. Despite the opportunity, they could not complete on downs, with a long pass from quarterback Johnny Hastings (12) to wide receiver Carsen Gentes (12) falling incomplete and a screen pass by Andre Meiers Hastings thrown for ��������� ���� a loss on third down.

With seven seconds left and the Wildcats at the Falcon 26-yard line, TPHS received a 15-yard penalty, placing them in a dangerous position at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter began with more quick turnovers, neither team dominating offensively. Halfway through the quarter, the Wildcats encroached into Falcon territory, but exemplary TPHS defense forced an unsuccessful field goal 25 yards away from the end zone. Rebounding from El Camino’s offensive drive, running back Sully O’Brien (11) snatched an inside handoff from Hastings and ran 62 yards down the field, untouched by Wildcat

defenders.

“I didn’t really have to do much [to score],” O’Brien said. “It was all the offensive line. I just outran one man, and it was really easy.”

Going into the third quarter, the two teams once again fought defensively for the ball. Six minutes in the third, defensive back Nick Clapp (12) grabbed Wildcat wide receiver Sean Ward as he dashed down the field (12), saving an otherwise easy touchdown for El Camino. On the next play, defensive back Andre Meiers (12) tackled Wildcat quarterback Jaden Casey (11) as he tried to cut to the right side of the field. Because of TPHS’ strong defensive front, El Camino was pushed to attempt a 30-yard field goal, which brought the score to 7-3.

According to Gladnick, the momentum truly shifted when El Camino was deep in Falcon territory but “couldn’t score, couldn’t get it done.”

“Our defense played an amazing football game,” Gladnick said. “To give up only three points against that team is such a great accomplishment, and our defensive coordinator did such a good job having the boys ready to play.”

Not succumbing to pressure put on by the Wildcats, the Falcons continued to press defensively and bar all chances for El Camino to score In the final half of the fourth quarter, Torrey Pines held possession for nearly six minutes, driving the ball 75 yards down the field in 13 gaining plays.

“Offensively, we needed to possess the ball and eat at the clock,” head coach Ron Gladnick said. “At the end, we took possession of the ball five minutes and forty seconds left and never gave it back — just drove the ball down their throat.”

Wildcats running back Christopher Brown (11), who already has four PAC-

We really were just flying around, ... working together as a team. From the beginning, we just came out flying, and we just dominated the whole game.

12 offers, consistently drove El Camino’s offense forward by making consecutive plays throughout the game, though to no avail.

“They’re a very talented team,” Gladnick said. “[Brown] is one of the best running backs in the county, so obviously a big focus was stopping him and making them have to go to other players to win the game.”

According to defensive back Andre Meiers, who prevented a number of Wildcat passes from being completed, once they put a cap on Brown, the Falcons were able to control the game.

“We really were just flying around, … working together as a team,” defensive back Andre Meiers said. “From the beginning, we just came out flying, and we just dominated the whole game.”

The Falcons will continue training and improving their game, with the goal of simply “getting better every week,” Gladnick said. They play Westview High School (1-3) on Sept. 23 at Ed Burke Stadium at 7:00 p.m.

PHOTOS BY ANTON SCHUH/FALCONER

FLYING FALCONS: Defensive back Nick Clapp (12) tackles a Wildcat wide receiver Sean Ward (12) running toward the end zone (TOP). Line backer Jack Nelson (11) makes a run to intercept a Wildcat pass (MIDDLE). Defensive back Andre Meiers (12) gets ready to receive a punt (ABOVE).

A20 the falconer

Girls tennis second in Golden State Classic

Girls tennis finished second in the Golden State Classic Tournament at Stanford University on Sept. 10, losing to Los Gatos High School 4-3 in the championship round.

The team beat Arroyo Grande High School 7-0 in the first round, Saint Francis High School 4-3 in the quarterfinals and Monte Vista High School 6-1 in the semifinals, before falling to Los Gatos in the finals.

According to head coach Keith Barksdale, the matches were “excellent,” and the players “all stepped up.”

The Golden State Classic Tournament draws some of the nation’s top high school tennis programs every year, Barksdale said. This year the tournament even attracted a top Hawaiian squad.

“Overall, it was a success and I was really happy as a coach to be a part of it,” said Barksdale.

“All the players loved being there as well.”

This is the first time the team has played in the Golden State Classic Tournament, according to Navyaa Sinha (11).

“I personally think we got farther than I expected, but at the same time I think we could’ve gotten first,” Sinha said. “In the end, it came down to a single tiebreak.”

Line one singles player Jessica Walker (12) won the finalizing match in Torrey Pines’ 4-3 quarterfinal win over Saint Francis. The win allowed the team to advance to the semifinals and eventually the finals.

“I had no idea how well we were going to do,” Walker said. “I was a little bit surprised that we made it to second place, especially because we had so many new people. But, at the same time, after our first match I had confidence in everybody.”

Although the team did not beat Los Gatos in the final, Barksdale is very satisfied that the team reached the tournament’s championship.

“Again, it came down to a ten-point tiebreak with Jessica Walker playing for the championship.

But you know we had other chances. Sophie Beachboard (12) had an opportunity to win as well so we just came up a little bit short there, but overall it was a success and I was really happy as a coach,” said Barksdale.

Barksdale also said the team was not at full strength, as line two singles player Kathy Wang (11) was not at the tournament.

According to Megan Tran (11), the benefits did not just include earning a top spot in the tournament.

“I think everyone had a great time at Stanford,” Tran said. “We all bonded a lot more, which was really important since we have a few new members. We really supported each other and I think our cheering was the best I’ve ever heard it.”

Sinha says the experience was also really fun for the team.

“I didn’t expect us to play center court at Stanford, so many times. It was the best.” said Sinha. “The Stanford coach was there too for tennis and there were a lot of big people. People from colleges came out and all the seats were full.

Also, the campus was gorgeous.”

According to Barksdale, the team loved it and will be back next year. The Falcons play San Dieguito Academy today at home at 3:15.

sports

september 22, 2016

Girls rugby introduced as new sport Girls’ rugby, coached by TPHS field hockey coach and U.S. Olympic rugby team member JJ Javelet, will be offered as a new club sport at TPHS this winter season. The team will hold practices twice a week and compete in round-robin tournaments, each with five 14-minute games, every week on Friday or Saturday, for a six- to sevenweek season, according to Javelet.

“I obviously want to bring rugby, especially girls’ rugby, to Torrey Pines, just getting as many girls involved as possible now that it is an Olympic sport, and I think more colleges are going to start carrying it,” Javelet said.

“This is something that we wanted to get started starting in the spring of last year.”

But because Javelet was busy training for the Olympics, they were unable to get the team going until this year.

A “pre-rugby session” will be held sometime in late September, when interested students can come learn about and try the game, even if they have no prior experience. Tryout dates for the team will be closer to the start of the season.

Javelet said that she does not “anticipate making cuts” and wants to “keep as many people as involved as possible,” which may mean they have to form multiple teams.

Many of the students who are interested in joining the team are

TPHS field hockey players.

“I want to play rugby because our field hockey coach is going to be the coach and she was on the women’s national team,” field hockey player Brynn Froehlich (12) said. “We play rugby all the time in practice for fun, so it should be a fun season.”

Field hockey player Gabby Pacula (12) wants to play for many of the same reasons.

“It would be really fun just to have everyone out there,” Pacula said. “[Rugby is] super fun, so I think it would be fun to be on a team too.”

Because girls’ rugby is less established than some of the other sports at TPHS, Javelet’s goals for the upcoming season are just to get students “exposed to the sport” and help them “get some experience.”

Field hockey falls to Serra High School Field hockey (4-2-1) lost 5-0 to Junipero Serra High School on Sept.

20 after a long battle in the rain.

The Falcons lost to Serra 3-0 last year in the open division championship of the CIF finals.

“We’re playing the number one team in the county today,” head coach J.J. Javelet said. “Serra is a very talented, well-coached and disciplined team.

For us, it’s really going to be coming out and setting the tone for the game.

We can definitely hang with them, but we’re going to have to play — not a flawless game — but we’re going to have to limit their offensive scoring opportunities. We might not be able to generate a lot of scoring opportunities.

So, we’re going to have to execute and get on the other end of that. It’s going to be a tough game and a little bit of a physical game, but these are the games that you play for. So, I think we’re excited to get after them today.”

Within the first 10 minutes of the game, Serra was awarded a short corner and scored a goal. For the first half, possession went back and forth between the Falcons and the Conquistadors, but it remained in Falcon territory during most of the gameplay. The rain picked up as the game progressed, making control of the ball difficult. It was equally difficult for players to run without slipping.

Minutes after their first goal, the Conquistadors scored after having several shots blocked by TPHS goalie Jaden Watkins (12). Following a third goal, an attempt to score again by a Serra player trying to make a long shot was foiled as the ball ricocheted of Watkin’s stick.

With less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half, Laura Walton (11) maneuvered the ball up the side of the field where Skylar Sage (11) and Kristen Bitter (10) came close to scoring.

The Conquistadors made their fourth goal shortly after being awarded another short corner.

Ryan Poe (11) neared the Conquistador’s circle, but the ball made its way back into Falcon territory, where Watkins blocked two consecutive shots. However, the third slipped into the goal, giving Serra its fifth and final goal.

Shortly before halftime, Bitter took a shot at the goal, but it rolled askew.

The final half of the game saw no scoring. At the start of the second half, the ball remained in Falcon territory briefly until Brynn Froehlich gained control of the ball and dribbled it down the field. The Conquistadors gained and maintained the ball in Falcon territory for the rest of the game, as both teams fought for brief possession of the ball.

The game ended after a 10-minute standoff between the Falcons and Conquistadors within the goal circle of the Falcons. The Falcons held their defense together and prevented several goal attempts by the Conquistadors.

“It was obviously a tough game,” Javelet said. “It was the tale of two halves. The first game didn’t really set the tone to play and that was unfortunate. I’m proud that they were able to turn it around because you know it’s hard to get down 5-nothing and not feel defeated, but they did a really good job. We know that in order to win as a team we need to play as a team. I awarded the player of the day to the team because collectively in the second half they decided to work as a team and really just pull it together.”

According to Bitter, the standout

player of the game was goalie Jaden Watkins who “had some really great saves.” She also credited the offense with having control over the ball in the second half and making it into the circle “Mentally we went into [the game] kind of scared because last time we played them we also got annihilated,” Arielle Shahrabani (11) said. It was definitely a better outcome than last game we played [against them.] We’re going to play them again in the playoffs and hopefully get better The Falcons will play Rancho Buena Vista High School on Friday Sept. 23.

On Saturday, they will participate in day two of the Serra Field Hockey Tournament.

PHOTO BY ALDERIK VAN DER HEYDE/FALCONER

STICK WITH IT: Forward Ahrielle Shahrabani (11) runs with the ball down the field, looking to score a goal for the Falcons. The game fell flat for TPHS, with a final 5-0 win for Serra.

sports

tphsfalconer.com

DAY IN THE

LIFE

the falconer

A21

Beau Botkiss (12) started playing lacrosse eight years ago, when his friend offhandedly suggested that he try the sport. Now, an All-American athlete, Botkiss will begin playing for Harvard in the fall.

Though lacrosse season at TPHS is in the spring, Beau Botkiss (12) trains all year, without a day, or even perhaps an hour, to waste. “[Over the summer], I’d probably lift three times a week, and then when school started … [the team] lifted three days a week and … had club practice on Sundays up to winter break,” Botkiss said. “After [that], we had conditioning three days a week, [which] is basically running, sprints and the mile, getting in shape for the season.”

After years of training, Botkiss will take his hard-earned skills to Harvard College this fall and play Division 1 lacrosse in the Ivy League.

But, although lacrosse plays a major role in Botkiss’ life and future today, the sport wasn’t always his “passion”; when he first started, he also played baseball and basketball through middle school and football through his freshman year at TPHS. “Up until seventh or eighth grade, [lacrosse] was just kind of for fun — I liked it a lot, but it was nothing serious,” Botkiss said. “In middle school, I really started to fall in love with it, and [I started] practicing and playing more.”

After making varsity lacrosse his freshman year, Botkiss also joined club teams like West Coast Starz in the summer and RC Starz in the winter, both of which are a part of Adrenaline Lacrosse, an event and sports gear provider.

“Adrenaline Lacrosse runs [many] tournaments, like the Las Vegas tournament, the Arizona tournament and the San Diego tournament in the winter,” Botkiss said. “[Adrenaline] even [has] leagues, and the first league I ever played in was [for Adrenaline].”

Botkiss’ involvement in summer tournaments helped him garner attention from college coaches scouting for new talent. Though he got in touch with the Harvard lacrosse coach in the summer after ninth grade, Botkiss committed to Cornell University before the beginning of sophomore year. “[When] the Cornell head coach got fired, I decided to think about committing somewhere else,” Botkiss said. “[I was] still talking to [the Harvard coach] … and then I just switched over.”

Despite his early commitment to Harvard, Botkiss is still planning to play more tournaments this summer before moving over to the east coast.

Botkiss was one of 44 high school players selected nationwide to play in the Under Armour AllAmerican Game, which will air on ESPN on July 2. Botkiss is also playing in the Adrenaline AllAmerican Game in June, which is similar to the Under Armour game, but with players chosen from only the western half of the U.S. As Botkiss approaches the end of his high school career, the memories made while on the TPHS team, and especially those from the 2016 season, have been part of the “greatest lacrosse experience.”

“There are 14 [seniors], so it’s really our team,” Botkiss said. “We led it, we made really big decisions for the team, so just having that whole power and responsibility was really awesome. It led our team to do really great things.”

Botkiss credits his success in lacrosse to the coaches at TPHS, who have taught him “discipline” and “selflessness,” along with the sacrifices and work that are necessary to constant improvement.

“My coaches here at [TPHS] have been a huge part of my life … and they taught me everything on the field,” Botkiss said. “Ever since my first day of freshman year, they’ve taken me under their wing.”

Transitioning from his high school team to his college team, Botkiss will face new environments, experiences and decisions at Harvard — even his current major, economics, is still tentative. But, if there’s something that will carry on through the next stage of his life, it’s his dedication and passion for lacrosse.

by Anvitha Soordelu and Lily Nilipour

PHOTO BY ERIC CUNNINGHAM/FALCONER

A22 the falconer

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f/stop

charlie pope track and ďŹ eld may. 28, 4:40:29 p.m.

camera: nikon d600 lens: nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED iso: 400 exp: 1/640 seconds f/stop: f/5.3 by alderik van der heyde

june 3, 2016

tphsfalconer.com

FALCON TRIES: ARCHERY

by Avery Spicker PHOTO EDITOR

Photo editor Avery Spicker (12) upgrades from her brothers’ bows made of tree branches and pieces of yarn to a professional bow at Performance Archery.

sports

the falconer

Up until this month, I had never done archery before. I had never wielded a bow or been near any sort of shooting range, and I was definitely worried about my abilities as I drove over to the archery range. I have two younger brothers, so, sure, we had plenty of bows and arrows around the house before.

But, flimsy toys made of tree branches and string were nothing compared to what I shot when I went to Performance Archery.

I was quickly greeted by one of the archery instructors who began to show me the ropes.

We started off practicing with just the arrow. My instructor told me to secure the arrow between two of my fingers and pull it back with my other arm.

This exercise was an introduction before actually using a bow, which allowed me to practice aiming and holding the arrow steady.

After this exercise I was convinced archery would be a walk in the park — but, I was soon to be proven utterly wrong. Archery takes immense upper body strength and, while I have played tennis for the last six years of my life, nothing except, perhaps, lifting 50 pound weights every day could have prepared me for actually flexing a bow.

For one thing, the bow was far heavier than I expected. I especially had trouble when tasked with balancing on one foot while I cocked the bow. At first, I was uncomfortable with the stress of the bow and would quickly shoot because I could not pull back and hold the bow for very long. My arms were definitely sore after shooting the first round of arrows.

After a few tries, though, I felt myself getting the hang of it, as the arrows seemed to move in more accurate paths toward the target.

But, as I went over to the target to investigate my progress, I realized I had grossly overestimating my shooting abilities; rather, I could not have been more disillusioned. My shots were so far off from the center that two of them did not even make it onto the target.

What I thought had been my arrow was actually a piece of the red target hanging over onto the yellow. Not only did I have bad aim, but my eyesight was also clearly struggling.

Thankfully, my instructor assured me that, unless someone was standing off to the side, it was pretty hard to see where the arrows go.

After this private instructional time, I joined a beginner class with a variety of other archers. I was amazed at the wide range of ages that are able to participate in archery.

Some participants at the lesson were also beginners who seemed to be just picking up the sport. The others were struggling as well and seemed to just be practicing to get the arrow to

A23

land in the center of the target. The fact that I was not the only person just learning how to shoot was very reassuring. It is a sport that anyone can pick up — with time, of course.

After this class, I went over more basics and practiced shooting again. I once again was having trouble determining whether or not the arrow was actually sticking to the target, but, much to my surprise, I eventually landed a bull’s-eye: my single success of the afternoon.

Something that particularly stood out to me about archery was the need to continually adjust my aim. At first, this seemed a little odd — I was aiming the arrow toward the ground — however, once I did this and readjusted, the arrows I shot hit the target much more frequently.

I left Performance Archery with sore arms; I had no idea before how strenuous archery was. But, despite my initial struggles with even seeing the path of my arrows and holding up the bow, archery is surely a sport I would try again. Maybe next time, I could make a few more bull’s-eyes, and walk away with arms a little less exhausted.

Archery takes immense upper body strength and, while I have played tennis for the last six years of my life, nothing except, perhaps, lifting 50 pound weights every day could have prepared me for actually flexing a bow.

PHOTOS BY ALLY JENSEN/FALCONER

[ARROW]DYNAMIC: Photo editor Avery Spicker loads the arrow into her bow before aiming to shoot at the target in front of her.

Falconer Seniors 2015-16 Torrey Pines High School

Tasia Mochernak

Grace Bruton

There’s nothing we’ll miss more than Tasia (also known as Putin’s brother) and her energizing aura, defined by her constant bandeau-adjusting and bellows for news stories that may or may not exist. In all her fame and glory, the young Russian has never failed to impress with her excitement for “4/20,” despite her decidedly clean lifestyle, and will be remembered most for her phone calls in Russian and her spicy tennis bod. Spasibo for everything, Tas.

We’ll no doubt miss the girl that brings everyone huge bowls of orzo salad to layout. With the ability to draw the straightest lines, have handwriting better than any font we spend hours looking for online and take absolutely phenomenal photos, Grace Bruton is the only person that will be able to get away with continuously laughing at her own jokes.

Sarah Kim If you know Sarah, you’ll know that “surfing” Jhameel live streams and iPhone-ography have come to occupy much of her time, time that most people spend at school. When she’s not documenting her latest meal, you can find her at your local Starbucks, probably designing, probably drinking some form of green tea. Her superhuman eye for design and willingness to create half the paper’s content at the eleventh hour is truly what allows us to put out the paper each month. Oh ykimsn, (we still don’t know what that means) what shall we ever do without you next year?

Sarah Chan Amidst all our antics we could always rely on Sarah Chan to be calm and collected. Perfection knows no other name; even when she sweated and labored at the gym for Falcon Tries, any pictures of her once again turned out flawless. Spotted 50 percent of the time with Murray and 50 percent of the time sporting the newest Snapchat filter, Sarah nonetheless put us all to shame and sold about 99 percent of this year’s ads. But, no one will miss her more than her dog Leo and his 2,500 (and still going) Instagram followers on @leothechow.

Alice Qu Our sentiments here at Falconer often do not align with those of the senior class: Alice Qu is no exception. With nothing left to lose, the real Qu bared her true colors this year: her competitiveness and determination to eliminate ALL threats to her coveted prom ticket. Still, we will miss her heated anime discussions with Anna, her “qu”-teness, and all her contributions to the paper, despite how much she repeatedly insists that she won’t do anything because of “college apps.”

Austin Sun Zhang Who could forget about the one and only Austin Zhang with his infectious and somehow always prevalent optimism and relentless country singing?

Not only did he survive being literally the only male writer on staff, but we must also commend him dealing with the emotional pain of getting rejected as the role of “slutty dog” or Jeb Bush’s long-lost ethnic cousin. His incredible talents, which include taking an hour and a half to transcribe a single threeminute interview and eating seven pieces of pizza in a single sitting, will be remembered fondly as we sit in the lab at 11 P.M. next year wondering, “Why the hell is it so quiet in here?”

Michael Lee Who will be there next year to not take photos? We’ll miss you.

Maya Rao We’ll certainly find ourselves wishing for one of Maya Rao’s legendary opinion pieces next year, along with her obsession with “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and “Downton Abbey” and her horrified fascination with “Bride and Prejudice.” Congrats to her for securing a legacy of Maya editors, and may she always have an imaginary quiz bowl trophy to carry around.

Avery Spicker No one will be missed more than Avery Spicker (but really though, please don’t leave, we need you to contain the photographers, we’re begging you.) She somehow is the only human that can pull off neon sneakers, printed leggings and a signature Tiffany heart necklace in one ensemble, making her not only fashionable but also a goddess when it comes to sending out subscriptions to our expansive audience.

Carolyn Chu Years of being an amazing Falconer artist paid off for Carolyn Chu when she became the one and only art editor ever to be on staff and consequently dominated the opinion section with last-minute drawings and comics.

Caroline Rutten How will we get through layout without Caroline going on coffee runs and being our personal deejay? Even though we might seem relieved, we’ll forever miss her reiteration of Vines, personal dilemmas and life stories.

Eric Cunningham Your love of jazz, funk and Patagonia will be greatly missed. And, even though you weren’t actually enrolled in the class, we’re glad you were able to bless us with weird variations of oranges and constant distraction.

Anna Lee All hail Chief Anna, mighty leader of the Falconer with her trusty dog Red always at her side (in the pictures on her phone)! Although we can never tell whether this legend is screaming our names into our ears with love or hatred (it’s probably hatred), Anna no doubt brought something very special to this staff with her designer flip flops and her, well, interesting pants, to say the least. If not exploding in identical laughter with Sarah Chan in the lab, geeking out over D&D and Star Wars with Austin or watching hours of anime with Alice, our EIC could be found composing dark poetry that left us all questioning her sanity.

wwwww

the falconer college map 2016

TO INFINITY

BEYOND

Where will your story take you next?

Seattle University

Micaela Roy

Katerina Krautheim

*transfer from School of Field Studies in Peru

University of Puget Sound

Brigham Young University- Idaho

Alex Dyson

Frankie Canseco

University of Washington

The College of Idaho

Jessica Lan Cailin Onosko

Tristen Alesi

Aashni Purohit

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Bucknell University

Julie Marks

Carnegie Mellon University

Hayley Pogue Jack Sampiere

University of Michigan Chase Fanning

Washington State University

Drexel University

Jonathan Kim

Chase Rowe

DePauw University

Whitman College

Grayson Honnen

Inesse Hanna

Duquesne University

Isabella Blanco

Indiana University Bloomington

Lewis and Clark College

Peter Copp Simon Dinkin

Colorado State University

Liora Gonicman

Emily Belshin Ted Dhanens Dominique Gattuso

Oregon State University Nick Williams

Aaron Chopra Phoebe Coffin Trent Crabtree Luc D’Arcy Ryan Daly Olivia Fuller Ashley Johnson

Sawyer Sheppard

University of Oregon Blake Arnold Sierra Campisano Grant Chelf

Lauren Lechtner Connor Newton Olivia Savage

Brigham Young University Gabrielle Aros Timmy Jafek Will Livingston

United States Navy Kaelie Drago

Trey Guitteau Savana Lendrum

University of Colorado Boulder

Portland State University Chloe MacIntosh

Middlebury College

Maddi Nelson Hayley Shumway

Justin Trenkle*

University of Colorado Colorado Springs Matt Hadley

Sarah Rietman

University of Northern Colorado Lucy Harris

*Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen

Michael May Lucas Perry Noah Richardson Christian Shearer Dean Shearson Hunter Smith Alyssa Stevenson

Elana Roberts

Adam Katz Caden Kelley

Lehigh University

Purdue University

Isabella Tessitore

Andrew Cole

McGill University (Montreal) Eve Lambert-Fliszar

Omid Ahmadian Brynn Buechler Maddison Curtis Enzo Flores Katie Gitre Zach Hewitt Dani Jackel

Alex Li

Panamerican University

Wesley Thatcher

Josh Sidney

Columbia College Chicago

University of Pennsylvania

Gap Year Dan Bessudo* Alex Derechin

Lila Flowers** Emma Gunnarsson

*transfer to New York University **signed with DNA Model Management NYC

University of Edinburgh Colleen Gibbs

School in Brazil Giovanna Santos

School in Finland

Kate Betts Antonia Caicedo Sterling Conner Steven Hickman Stefanie Ho Harry Holcomb

Loyola University Chicago

Ohio Wesleyan University

Alexa Hozouri

Northwestern University Eric Cunningham

University of Melbourne University of Victoria Brian Wright

Steven Heller Macy Simon Lauren Hornbuckle Caroline Lidl Collin Nakagawa Chandler Pike RJ Putegnat Nick Wilcox

Spencer Small

Mai Saito

University of Iowa Trent Katz

Western Kentucky University

Youssef Elmokadem Joseph Kuo

Christina Bragado

Israeli Defense Forces Sheer Savion

Holy Angel University

University of Alabama Blake Capozza Taylor Cassar Gaby LeRose

Isabel Palmer Jena Rasmussen James Taylor

University of Mississippi Mallory Smith

Louisiana State University Avery Spicker

Tulane University Wasef Atiya

Alyssa Levine

Marc Hansen

Texas Christian University Collin Alston Kate Crabs Michael Jasper

Hannah Schraeger Ben Spitters Zach Thomsen

University of Texas at Austin Ann Perkins

y s ma t e g e coll rrec o e c m e So th on e in c locati t b t i no no raph e is geog se ther ut, the u .B beca space all the gh . is: enou news on here good es are g colle

Jillian Strockis

Hee Joo Kang Karissa Ly

Halleh Radvar

Brandeis University

Beau Botkiss Russell Reed

Michelle Zhao

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Stephanie Hu

Francisca Vasconcelos

New England Conservatory of Music Northeastern University

Rochester Institute of Technology Christopher Butler

United States Merchant Marine Academy

Geon-Woo Lim

Everett Tu

Smith College Kathie Li

Emily Zhi

Tufts University Michael Lee

Shannon Yogerst

Raymond Skaggs

Wellesley College

United States Military Academy

Rose Yang

Nikita Pereverzin

Andrew Rim

Rylie Pope

Auburn University

Boston College

Adrian Liao

Vassar College

Texas A&M University

Connor Hansen

Franchesca Ira Flores

The Ohio State University

Henry Alter

Texas Tech University

Linnea Norta

Opal Issan

Pratt Institute

Eli Rubenstein

University of Chicago

*transfer to University of Texas at Austin

Sam Parkes

Kristina Rhim Alyssa Rodriguez Gaby Silva Jonas Szajowitz

Parsons School of Design

St. Edward’s University

Pranav Chandramouli*

Katerina Alvarez Antoripa Dey Jack Heller Cooper Lay

Josh Sherman

Luke Talman

Harvard College

Anais Mathes

Christina Park

Ana Abello

Babson College

Noah Ayers

Jensen Cameron

Southern Methodist University

Cole Thomas

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Swarthmore College James Rutledge

Serena Mueller

Boston University

Jesse Giordano

Valparaiso University

Courtney Robinson

University of New Hampshire

Doreen Gong

Hunter College

New York University

Baylor University

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Lauren Chan

Jackie Weinrich

Grace Bruton

David Heller George Heller

Fordham University

Lilah Cook Lexi Kaplan

Washington University in St. Louis

Jorge Beltran

Brandon Zhang

Pennsylvania State University

University of Notre Dame

Michael Caylor

Sophie Linden Max Lyle Emery Mares Alec Packer Shannon Swindell Brady Waldal Alejandro Zavala

Cornell University

Marist College

Noah Pao

University of Kansas

University of Arizona

Nathan Lian

Jamie Wisnia

Hersh Gupta

Elliot Couvignou Peter Dragovich

Northern Arizona University Skyler Heimer

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Benny Ruffolo

Abhi Chakraborty Christina Li

Jumin Lee

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Arizona State University

Lafayette College Carly Kutschke

Cindy Hu

Chaminade University of Honolulu

Sammy Cirino

Columbia University

Max Spencer

Virginia Commonwealth University Nicole Morris

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Claire Busby Meaghan Donnelly

Murray Kim

Williams College Brown University Min Jean Cho

Rhode Island School of Design Peter DeFrancesca

Tiffany Kang

Fairfield University Max McGuire

Wesleyan University Danny Heimler

Duke University

Princeton University

Belanie Nagiel

Milena Chakraverti-Wuerthwein Casimir Kothari

North Carolina State University

Rutgers University

Brandon Nahum

Brian Tae

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Georgetown University

Greer Moseman

Allie Omens

Emory University Kaitlyn Iwanowicz

Youngho Yun

The George Washington University Nicholas Iftimie

Johns Hopkins University

University of Miami Hyun Jo Jeong Hunter Snyder

Blake Djavaherian Sarah Trissel

Agostina Waisfeld

Darren Edmonds

Walter Zhao

University of California, Davis

ArtCenter College of Design

Pepperdine University

Sarah Kim

Marissa Woytowitz

California Institute of Technology

Pitzer College

Alex Krotz

California Polytechnic State University, Pomona

Point Loma Nazarene University

Yael Flores Sydney Ghazarian

Pomona College

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Carly Auerbach Jack Becker Luke Braun Hana Chitgari Gabriela Enriquez Duncan Eshom Chase Heenan Sarah Hughes Kelly Huppert Martin Kamme Ann Caroline Kaseberg

Julia Kelley Michael La Jialin Li Madeleine MacConnell Greg Matus Rylee Miller Tony Moore Louisa Nickerson Lori Purcell Sophia Tamrazian Jake Wheeler

California State University Maritime Academy Noah Carter

California State University, Fullerton Brody Ferretta

California State University, Long Beach Ali Doudar

Raechel Lawhon

California State University, San Marcos Scott Archibald

Gabriel Esquer

Max Besser

Binying Huang

San Diego State University Zachary Lang Steven Mason Matthew Miller Emre Ozkan Thomas Stearns Sean Sullivan

San Francisco State University Alexandro Aguilar Justin Aliamus Michael Brown Henry Hager Eliz Ismailoglu

Sierra Jones Brooklyn Morales Pearl Theodosakis Lior Troianovski

San Jose State University Dana Chapin Cameron Cooper Grant Forbes

Jake Mendelsohn Ronan Reeves Alex Stromitis

Santa Barbara City College Matthew Feeler* *transfer to University of California, Los Angeles

Santa Monica College Sara Esmaili* *transfer to University of California, Los Angeles or University of Southern California

Chapman University

Sonoma State University

Miles Arnold Don Bingham Zina Gorin

James Atkinson Amanda Chatfield

Amanda Reeves Larsen Schlachter

Sarah Tran

Madeline Ley Alexander Hubbard Daniela Montesinos Mina Siry Alex Zarazua

*transfer to University of California, San Diego

San Diego Miramar Community College Aaron Balutch

Occidental College Junepyo Lee

Warren Zhang

Otis College of Art and Design Nick Hand

Palomar College Jackson Strong

Pasadena City College Jake Rubin

Lauren Zhu

University of California, Berkeley

MiraCosta College Jae Hwan Choi* Kassra Daneshmir Dina Dowlat Evren Guclucan

Kristi Rowe

Stanford University

Mesa College

Nicole Anderson Valerie Arnett Victoria Austin Christina Baek Chelsea Barrows Bryan Chen Abishek Chozhan Carolyn Chu Pedram Doroudchi Ivy Gong Samantha Griffith Jason Helali Isabella Hoang Corey Hu Jacob Jia Gabi Jimenez Michelle Ju Catherine Jung Aidan Kahng Sheyda Khonji Nithin Krishnamurthi Edwin Li Jiayue Li Jiayong Li

Jada Anderson Roger Cheng Elizabeth Haddad Eric Luo

Christi McKnight Jialei Pei Catherine Yuan

University of California, Los Angeles

Katherine Lauerman LeeAnne Broadfoot Kaylee Clark Zeynep Demiralp Emily Evans Ryan Fargo Justin Kon

Shayla Nikzad Charlie Pope Jacob Roll Caroline Rutten Jo-Anna Sfeir Oona Vanhatalo Todd Yan

University of California, Irvine

Sam Gorcey-Biblowitz

Edgar Vergara David Yurovsky

Brittany Black Christy Collins Farah Farjood Amal Gebara Lamb Jason “JJ” Hsu Henry Liu Emily Marks Kimberly Martinez

Kenneth Lin Chris Lu Jacob Mammen Kiana Moi Keyan Nasseri Ellese Nguyen Jake O’Neill Eshaan Pathak Andrew Plewe Alice Qu Maya Rao Tanvi Shinkre Pina Simone Arun Sundar Michelle Temby Eugenia Tzeng Vasu Vikram An Wang Andrew Wang Alec Willerman Edric Xiang Rebecca Yeap Sijia Zhang

Joshua Buttery Austin Edwards Michelle Hao Jeffrey Huang Anna Lee Christine Li Derek Lore

Tasia Mochernak Eli Pazol Savvy Simo Tianze “Tony” Tan Aakansha Tyagi Derek Xu Matthew Zimmer

University of California, Riverside Eli Appelgate Jack Frimodig Keyian Govari Jason Ji Nadine Kadri

Justin Le Michelle Paamoni Brian Roke Amir Shabani Pratik Varade

University of California, San Diego Amy Bennett Bofan Chen Sofia Davis Noah Inada Shelley Lee Sreeganesh Manoharan Sarah Murphy

Adam Navigato Shaya Parsa Mikaila Reyes Romteen Sedighi Andrew Tao Austin Sun Zhang

University of California, Santa Barbara Eva Abello Michelle Ahn Dylan Bona Debbie Choi Leah Ding Kaili Emery Jakob Froehlich Sammy Johnson Kenn Lee Agnieszka Letts

Hannah Lewry Emily Lu Michelle McKee Ryan Moazzam Jared Rosen Jordan Shen Kenneth Shen Ara Suhadolnik Tom Worman

University of California, Santa Cruz Aaron Bellach Kenan Bouzida Kaitlyn Garber Diego Majewski Nolan Mitschke

Ryan Parker Steven Suh Marcus Tom Stephanie Tumay Jeff Zhang

University of San Diego Luis Cortes Laura Feinstein

Chelsea Lloyd Natasha Mouannes

University of San Francisco Grace Hatakeyama Nathan Huynh Victoria Sclar

Haley Younkin Hanrui Zhang

University of Southern California Pooja Bisarya Ryan Bramlett Jacob Burgess Sarah Chan Delaney Douglas Kevin Fry Myles Hamilton* Eric Hu Divya Mohan

Andre Nordan John Ramsey** Gia Silahian Lauren Sinasohn Amanda Stewart*** Michael Stewart Jessica Yang Derek Ye

*Trojan Transfer plan **transfer from Richmond, The American International University in London ***transfer from the American University of Paris

Westmont College Nathan Chen

DISCLAIMER: The Falconer staff has spent weeks soliciting the post-high school plans of all seniors. The submission deadline was May 25. These maps include the information provided to us by that date. The Falconer is not responsible for reprinting the map on account of any errors.