Falconer - February 2015 by TPHS Falconer

Falconer The Torrey Pines High School

Thursday, February 12, 2015 | Vol. 40, Issue 6, 28 pages | San Diego | www.tphsfalconer.com

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PHOTO BY GRACE BRUTON/FALCONER

INCREASED STUDENT VAPE PEN USAGE AT TPHS by Maya Parella and Caroline Rutten Student vape pen usage has recently increased at TPHS, raising concerns among staff and administration. Vape pens, short for vapor pens, are electronic smoking devices that heat nicotine, ﬂavored juices, marijuana oil, or some combination thereof, in a chamber, providing users with various effects. The level of nicotine and marijuana in the vape pen can vary, depending on the user’s desire. Because of their variable substance capability, vape pens and their use are illegal on school grounds, and they are considered drug paraphernalia. Even at the legal cigarette-smoking age of 18, students can still be ﬁned or arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia. “Vape pens are drug paraphernalia because anything can be put into [them],” Principal David Jaffe said. “It’s illegal to smoke anything on campus. If [the vape pen] was the sole thing the student had, it would be paraphernalia on campus. If they had [a substance like] marijuana then it

would be [accounted for separately].” As an alternative to traditional cigarettes, vape pens have gained considerable popularity among adolescents, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control. TPHS student Stephen* began using a vape pen less than four months ago after he started working at a vape shop. Stephen said that he chose to smoke primarily nicotine in his vape pen since marijuana requires speciﬁc “juice and wax concentrate” that is “less efﬁcient.” According to Joe Olesky, a counselor for the San Dieguito Union High School District’s Recover Education and Alcohol and Drug Instruction (READI) program, the popularity of vape pens is caused by their accessibility and ability to be easily hidden. “Students are [smoking vape pens] in classrooms, in the bathrooms and in their cars because they can put them in their pockets,” Olesky said. “Vape pen stores are

New science classes offered for 2015-2016 school year By Tasia Mochernak NEWS EDITOR

TPHS will offer new courses “Intro to Engineering” and “Anatomy and Physiology” for the 2015-2016 school year. According to Principal David Jaffe, the classes are part of an initiative to create “pathway-type programs [at TPHS].” The programs are “career-oriented pathways that students can explore [by taking] classes and being involved in activities that promote ﬁnding a career that they might like,” according to chemistry and physics teacher Brinn Belyea, who will teach the Intro to Engineering class. “At the end of the pathway, there will be an internship or some capstone class that will give students certiﬁcation that they can use in a working world,” Jaffe said. “This allows students to develop an interest in something and show it on a transcript, and apply to a college for a particular major or some major around that coursework.” Anatomy and Physiology is a course already offered by the SDUHSD,

see CLASSES, A2

popping up everywhere and that has us very concerned.” Stephen uses his vape pen every day, often on school grounds during lunch and in between classes. Vape pens are also attractive to students because the juices are available in a large variety of ﬂavors, according to Assistant Principal Robert Coppo. Due to the increased use of vape pens, TPHS administration has begun to notice the growing trend on campus. Assistant Principal Garry Thornton apprehended a group of students using vape pens in a car before school. However, Thornton believes that student drug users are the “outliers” of the TPHS population. “I don’t think we have kids on every corner that are using drugs,” Thornton said. “[But] we do have kids that use drugs. Again, it would be naive to say nobody uses them here ... it is not ignored by us.”

see VAPE, A3

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All my years of training, all the dates I didn’t go on — everything was wasted in this cruel moment. David Jaffe See Falcon Tries, A23

opinion.......................A6 feature.....................A11 a&e..........................A15 sports......................A19 backpage.................A24 focus.........................B1

Garden of Hope cleaned up by NHS By Lily Nilipour & Maya Kota STAFF WRITERS

The Garden of Hope, located by the B building, will be cleaned by the National Honor Society and the California Scholarship Foundation in the coming months and later renovated to honor cancer victims and survivors. “We’re [first] planning on fixing up what’s already there,” NHS President Rocky Maas (12) said. According to Matt Chess, psychology teacher and adviser to NHS and CSF, club members will undertake the cleanup “within the next month,” but final renovations will be carefully planned. “We’ll try and get 40 to 50 kids out there,” Chess said. “We’ve got all the bags and the gloves [already], so we’ve taken that step.” The Garden of Hope plaque commemorates Janice Pai, a student who lost her battle with cancer in 2003. It also mentions dedication to

“the prevention and awareness of teen suicide.” The garden was kept up until the 2008 economic recession. “The [recession] left ... public high schools resource-short,” Chess said. “The Garden of Hope [was] no longer tended to since we just didn’t have the manpower.” The garden has become overrun with weeds. Additional renovations to the garden are being planned, according to Chess. After cleaning, NHS will gather plan proposals for the area, organize funding and ﬁnally carry out the planned renovations. Ma predicted that they will require funds from NHS, but no estimate for the costs has been made. According to Ma, the renovations aim to unify the school. “A lot of people were affected by the deaths, so it would be nice to honor them,” Ma said. According to Chess, the Garden of Hope renovations are part of others, including renovations to the Bio Garden and B building.

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CLASSES continued from A1 and will provide “a new opportunity for a third year of lab science [besides biology and chemistry],” according to Jaffe. Intro to Engineering is a new class that was proposed by Belyea, who wrote the curriculum for the course and has submitted it for University of California course credit approval. “[TPHS] has to submit [the engineering class curriculum] as a pilot to our district,” Jaffe said. “[The SDUHSD] will generally approve a pilot [curriculum for a class] for two years, and then we have to prove after the two years that it’s a viable class and that kids will take it.” According to Jaffe, Canyon Crest Academy has had an engineering program offered through Project Lead the Way since 2004, but “[TPHS] can create an engineering program that is more speciﬁc to who we are as a campus, and we can use our parent population to help develop the program” instead of attempting to duplicate CCA’s program. “For engineering, I had folks say ‘We do robotics, we have all these programs that are after school, but why not incorporate them into the school day?’” Jaffe said. “[This] was one of the catalysts behind [creating the engineering class].” According to Belyea, the engineering class will consist of projects and write-ups, but will not have any tests. “It seems a lot more focused on practical application rather than education in a vacuum, and that is something I appreciate,” said Nithin Krishnamurthi (11), who is considering taking Intro to Engineering next year.

According to biology teacher Lindsey Olson, who will teach Anatomy and Physiology next year, the course will provide anybody who is interested in the health field or professions an opportunity to take a science course that is not necessarily an AP class. “We will be looking at all the body systems, not only figuring out the anatomical structures of the systems but also how those pieces work together for the physiology part of the course — how systems interact together to maintain the whole body’s homeostasis,” Olson said. “It’ll be a combination of dissections and applications to the actual physical processes … There will be a lot of lab work, [with] health professionals hopefully coming in and maybe field trips like going to see a cadaver lab.” Kristina Rhim (11) plans to take Anatomy and Physiology after taking AP Biology this year. “I’m thinking about studying [biology] in college, so this might be a good opportunity to do handson practice for what I will be doing in the future,” Rhim said. In addition to the new classes, AP Physics II will be available as a course for the 2015-2016 school year. According to Belyea, the College Board added material to the AP Physics B course and split it into AP Physics I and II. “Since nobody took AP Physics I last year, we didn’t offer AP Physics II this year,” Belyea said. “We have to offer the class next year to complete our AP Physics program.” Jaffe said that pathway programs and classes will eventually be created in all subject areas “organically.” Ideas for new classes can be proposed by subject departments chairs, parents and students.

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First Purple Ribbon Week held at TPHS By Irene Yu and Kevin Chih STAFF WRITERS The ﬁrst Purple Ribbon Week was held by the Relay for Life club from Jan. 28-30 to raise awareness for cancer and promote Relay for Life, an overnight fundraising event hosted by the American Cancer Society that will take place on March 6. “We’re fundraising for the American Cancer Society, which puts on programs for people who have cancer or are affected by it,” club adviser and math teacher Alexa Scheidler said. At Relay for Life, ceremonies are held honoring the people who are either suffering or have fallen from cancer. “We constantly have a member walking the entire time,” Scornavacco said. “Cancer never sleeps, so neither will we.”

To interest students in the Relay for Life event and Purple Ribbon Week, club president Zac Scornavacco (10) and vice president Natalie Schugert (10) set up an informational booth about cancer in the media center. “If someone were to come up to our booth, we would be able to answer and give them statistics [about cancer],” Schugert said. In addition to setting up the booth, members of the Relay for Life club hung up purple ribbons across campus. “Purple is the color of the American Cancer Society, and that’s who puts on Relay for Life,” Scheidler said. “We haven’t done [Purple Ribbon Week] in the past, and, overall, it’s getting more people interested [in Relay for Life].” Initially, the Relay for Life club had only 18 members, but it gained 40 more throughout the

week. Hoping to raise additional money for the American Cancer Society before the Relay for Life event, the club held a fundraiser at Souplantation on Jan. 29. “We had 115 people show up for [the fundraiser],” Schugert said. “It was wonderful [and] we ended up making $270.” The club has raised about $1,760 out of its goal of $5,000, with members contributing around $100 each through collected donations. Although Purple Ribbon Week was new to TPHS, the Relay for Life club has already existed for three years. “Last year, [Relay for Life] was not successful,” Scornavacco said. “This year we took initiative and got [the club] on the right track.” Members of the club look forward to the event, which will be held in the TPHS gym.

PHOTO BY ROBBIE JOHNSON/FALCONER

PURPLE RIBBON RUN: Members of the TPHS Relay for Life club provide information about cancer prevention and encourage students to sign up for the American Cancer Society fundraiser.

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VAPE continued from A1 According to Jaffe, drug issues, like vape pens, are community issues since “there are students at [TPHS], and every single high school, [who] do drugs.” Students caught using or in possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia have the option to attend a two-day READI program instead of incurring a five-day suspension, according to Jaffe. Subsequent offenses are punishable with alternative measures such as expulsion, depending on the situation. The READI program educates students on the consequences of drugs and alcohol on their “brains, bodies, relationships and future opportunities,” according to Olesky. Vape pens have recently become a more popular topic in the READI program. “I’m an ex-Drug Enforcement Administration officer … and one of things we used to joke about was ‘Wait until they liquefy [drugs],’” Olesky said. “Now everything is liquefied, and vaping is not going anywhere. Now it has grabbed a whole new younger generation … We have to research these things and plan for them. We have to be proactive, not reactive.” While vape pens do not contain tobacco, the addictive nature of their potentially high nicotine levels is of primary concern to Olesky. “You’re not putting 4,000 lethal chemicals in your body [like you do when smoking cigarettes], but you’re still [inhaling], as we call it, ‘The Big 12,’” Olesky said. “You can still smoke 12 horrible carcinogens, and the vegetable glycerin [in the juices]

is antifreeze. You’re getting addicted to nicotine, which causes many [adverse] health effects. If you’re hitting it a few times a day at 26 mecagrams, that’s equal to 4 packs of cigarettes.” Stephen has felt the addictive qualities of vape pen nicotine, but “doesn’t really want to quit.” According to NBC News, “nicotine on its own is a relatively harmless, though addictive, stimulant, but there is not any data on the long-term use of vaporizing.” Similarly, according to the Teen Therapy Center, a counseling center in Woodland Hills, Calif., the exact dangers of vape pens are inconclusive due to “insufficient scientific studies done on them.” According to Olesky, negative effects stem from marijuana use in vape pens as well. “We see a lot of problems with serotonin and dopamine levels [in vape pen users],” Olesky said. “New studies show IQ levels going down permanently.” Unhealthy ramifications of vape pens are a primary concern of administration, according to Jaffe. “My job is to help create an environment where it’s safe emotionally, intellectually and physically for students to learn,” Thornton said. “If vape pens interfere with a student’s capacity to focus and learn or with others’ ability to feel safe … then it becomes an issue.” Eric*, who uses his vape pen frequently, does not use nicotine because he “does not want to be addicted.” Instead, the different flavors of juice attract him to vaping. “Obviously anything you inhale will not be necessarily good

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for you, but it’s not as bad for you as other [harsher] drugs,” Eric said. “[Nicotine and the juices] are not on the same scale. They are not deadly.” Still, art teacher Julie Limerick said she thinks vape pens are contributing to schoolwide drug and addiction problems. Limerick recently had a student taken away by ambulance due to a drugrelated incident not involving vape pens.

“I think that [vape pens] are a growing problem,” Limerick said. “We have to educate … what [drugs] can do to your mind and how students can become addicted at a really young age. You don’t know whether you’re an addict until you try something.” Oleski believes staff training and school-wide communication are the ways to combat vape pens use among students. “We have talked to parents to

get them up to speed with what kids are doing,” Oleski said.” We also train the teachers and the administrators. We all have to work together as a team. This is not a quick ﬁx ... We can’t close an eye to vape pens anymore.” According to Jaffe, administration plans to discuss measures to prevent a further increase in vape pen use. *Names changed to protect identity.

PHOTO BY GRACE BRUTON/FALCONER

[MOD]EL STUDENT: A TPHS student begins to burn the coils and cotton within a mod. Vape pens have recently gained popularity among local adolescents, raising districtwide administrative concern.

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TPHS Cheer hosts Winter Formal at Broadway Pier By Caroline Rutten PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER TPHS cheer hosted the “Emerald City”-themed Winter Formal on Feb. 8 at the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier in downtown San Diego. “This year’s formal was definitely a success,” varsity cheerleader Kailee Brashears (12) said. “There weren’t any major fiascos. It was one of [late ASB adviser Scott Chodorow’s] favorite events, and while it was difficult to not have him here, I believe he would be very proud.” According to Brashears, 737 tickets were sold, the “largest number ever.” Senior cheerleaders decided on the “Emerald City” theme last summer, according to ASB adviser Brad Golden. “We had been throwing around the idea of the ‘Wizard of Oz’ theme previously,” Brashears said. “We were told that the building on the Broadway Pier tints green when the sun goes down, and we realized ‘Emerald City’ was a perfect theme.” According to Luc D’Arcy (11), the theme was “pulled off well” and was appealing to students since “everyone knows the ‘Wizard of Oz.’” Cheer parents planned and organized the event. Monica Burnett was in charge of “developing all aspects of decorating the event.” Burnett said that entertainment at the dance included “photo booths, two oversized screens in the dance floor area projecting ‘The Wizard of Oz’ movie, candy and

popcorn.” In addition, a person dressed up as the Wicked Witch of the West opened the curtains for the disc jockey and the TPHS varsity dance team performed. The dance took place at the Broadway Pier instead of the Hall of Champions, where it had been held the previous two years. “We like to change the venue every two years to keep the event fresh and create a fun, new experience,” Burnett said. Students were not separated in the Port Pavilion like they had been on the multiple levels of the Hall of Champions. However, D’Arcy said the Hall

of Champions allowed more room for students and was more “versatile” than the Port Pavilion. While designated parking was not readily available for students, it did not pose a huge problem, according to Burnett. “There were several parking lots within a short walking distance across the street,” Burnett said. “The metered parking just outside the property was free starting at 8 p.m., and the parking lots were very open given the fact that we are not in the heart of downtown.” The next TPHS dance, Prom, will be held on May 23.

PHOTO BY ROBBIE JOHNSON/FALCONER

PARTY AT THE PIER: Attendees grab snacks at booths in front of the dance ﬂoor. Winter Formal was held on Broadway Pier downtown.

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TPHS students nominated for Global Leadership Conference By Alice Qu A&E EDITOR The Global Leadership Connection, an annual youth leadership conference, awarded Ellese Nguyen (11) a $250 scholarship and all-expensespaid trip to Washington, D.C., and Kate Betts (11) a $100 scholarship, at the University of San Diego on Feb. 8. According to its website, the GLC “brings together youth leaders dedicated to ethical conduct, academic excellence and compassionate service.” Twenty TPHS juniors, 10 male and 10 female, were nominated by teachers and counselors to attend a 2-day conference on Jan. 29 and Feb. 8, and were required to ﬁll out applications. According to counselor Chanelle Lary, TPHS liaison to GLC, students were chosen because they are “strong academically and have shown leadership qualities.” Students nominated from other schools in San Diego County also attended the conference, where nominees listened to motivational speakers and participated in leadership and team-building exercises. “There was an eye surgeon [who is] the only full-time humanitarian eye surgeon in America, and he gave a talk that was pretty inspiring,” nominee Tanvi Shinkre (11) said. “The lady who coordinates [the conference], Carole Harder, also spoke.” Nominated students were excused from school to attend the Jan. 29 conference, which lasted from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. “It’s only offered to juniors because it’s ultimately for

scholarship money, and junior year is the time that students start looking ahead at college planning and scholarships,” Lary said. “It’s at no cost, it’s an excused absence from school, it’s a great opportunity because of the networking you can do with other kids from around the county, and you get the opportunity to win lots of money for scholarships.” Interviews for scholarships were held on Jan. 31 at USD. “Two of the Global Leadership Connections staff ask questions about your leadership accomplishments and your passions in life, and the interview process is one part of the decision as to who gets the scholarship and who doesn’t,” Shinkre said. Four students each from San Diego, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles won the scholarship and trip to Washington, D.C. in October, including Nguyen, while other students received smaller scholarships. “When they go to Washington, D.C., [one person will be] nominated as the youth leader of the year and will receive a $1,000 scholarship,” Lary said. Fifteen additional scholarships will be awarded to cover some tuition costs at a college of the students’ choice. “I didn’t think I would win because I knew there were a lot of people there who were a lot smarter and probably more qualiﬁed than I am,” Nguyen said. “But I worked really hard, so I’m really grateful that I won. I don’t know who nominated me, but I’m really thankful that they did and that they believe in me.” According to Nguyen, students will tour the monuments and White House, and will meet members of the U.S. Senate.

One Paseo mixed-use project leads to protests and controversy By Maya Parella STAFF WRITER One Paseo, a mixed-use project in Carmel Valley, has raised significant controversy in the community over its possible negative impacts. The project, which has been in progress for over six-and-a-half years, will feature 23 acres of office, residential and retail space along the southwest corner of Del Mar Heights Road and El Camino Real. Its construction will cover the last significant open parcel of land in Carmel Valley. “Carmel Valley is a very wellthought-out community,” said Jeanne Kim, the public relations coordinator of One Paseo developer, Kilroy Realty. “When they planned the community, they made sure that they zoned out certain areas. What is zoned here in El Camino Real is a lot of offices. About six years ago, we talked to the community and asked [whether they wanted the space to be something other than offices].” Kim said Kilroy Realty values the community’s voice and has worked to compromise on the project. Kim said she goes out into the community on Saturdays, asking local residents what they would like to see from One Paseo. “A lot of families have said they need more entertainment options for their kids,” Kim said. “The

Highlands Town Center, with the exception of the water fountain, is geared more toward adults.” According to Kim, the aim of One Paseo is to bring muchneeded entertainment for children through grassy, parklike areas and a bowling alley. Despite the advertised grandeur of One Paseo, opponents, many of whom are part of an organization called “What Price Main Street?”, argue that the project will bring excessive traffic to the community, especially along Del Mar Heights Road. In recent weeks, demonstrators have stood along Del Mar Heights Road, holding signs protesting the One Paseo project. “It all sounds fine, except the fact that it’s 1.4 million square feet of construction, which is way more than the zoning commissions here have approved,” said a picketer who wished to remain anonymous. “It’s going to cause a lot of traffic in the area. It’s a project way too dense for a suburban area.” Jessi Walker (10) worries that One Paseo will affect traveling through Carmel Valley and cause an influx of newcomers to the area. “I am against it, as it is currently,” Walker said. “It will probably make the traffic really bad … and completely overcrowd Carmel Valley. Also, it’ll probably increase the student population at the school. I personally don’t

want TPHS to get any bigger than it already is.” Similarly, Jack Frimodig (11) is concerned about the decreasing amount of open land. “I think it is pretty sad because there are fewer and fewer places around Carmel Valley that haven’t been built up,” Frimodig said. “When I go on runs with my cross-country team now, there are a decreasing number of places without houses and shopping malls.” However, Kilroy Realty incorporated a shuttle into the project plans in an effort to

combat the traffic problem. “Right now, there’s no public transportation in Carmel Valley,” Kim said. “Until we get public transportation, Kilroy will privately invest for a shuttle.” Kilroy Realty also plans to improve the traffic lights along Del Mar Heights Road and along El Camino Real to Valley Center Drive, which will help move traffic more smoothly, Kim said. “Right now, as it stands, we are very confident in this one,” Kim said. “This is the plan we want to go for, but depending on what kind of guidance [the

City Council] has, we will have to make adjustments and ﬁgure [planning] out.” Construction on One Paseo will begin in late 2015 if Kilroy Realty gets authorization from the San Diego City Council. Opponents of the development can attend a public meeting and voice their opinions before the Council. “We’re hoping ... residents from Carmel Valley that are opposed to the scale of [One Paseo] will be heard,” the protestor said. The meeting will be held Feb. 23 in the City Council Chambers in downtown San Diego.

PHOTO BY ERIC CUNNINGHAM/FALCONER

DEL MAR HEIGHTS DEMONSTRATION: A One Paseo opponent who did not want to be identiﬁed protests on Del Mar Heights Road. Construction will begin in late 2015 if the San Diego City Council approves.

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PRO By Maya Parella STAFF WRITER

Every 10 minutes, another candidate is added to the national waitlist for organ transplants, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Since most organ donations happen after the deaths of registered donors, a donor’s organs are often inaccessible for years. Unfortunately, this creates a huge gap between donors and recipients. Considering the thousands of deaths that occur each year due to the lack of nonvital transplant organs available, it seems obvious that legalizing organ selling would be a reasonable solution. Around 4,300 people die annually while waiting for a kidney transplant, according to the National Kidney Foundation; 1,500 more are lost each year waiting on liver transplants, according to the American Liver Foundation (donation of partial livers can lead to successful transplant). Even so, the National Organ Transplant Act prohibits the sale of organs, life-saving or not. The distinction between “selling” and “donating” represents a crucial aspect of the organ donation discussion. Donating is considered more positive as it suggests a heroic sacriﬁce that saves lives; selling carries a more negative connotation. The sale of organs is often misconstrued as a way to make quick cash — but it is more than that. It is part of human nature to want to help others, and selling one’s organs to those in need is a good way to contribute to society. It should be noted that removing

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The 1984 National Organ Transplant Act made organ sales illegal in the U.S. Repealing the legislation would allow individuals to sell their own nonvital organs. organs for sale is exponentially more dangerous if it is not done under medical supervision. Likewise, for those in need of unavailable life-saving organs, for whom buying illegally harvested organs is an option, undergoing an illicit transplant procedure greatly increases the chance of death or other bad outcomes. Legalizing organ sales could eliminate this black market danger once and for all. Selling organs as a governmentsanctioned practice would ensure that the harvesting is done safely and by licensed medical professionals. Legalization would also require organ sellers to meet the same medical protocols currently in place for testing the health of the harvested organ. Prices for organs should be dictated by the National Institutes of Health, ensuring that costs stay within a reasonable range and not dictated by sellers. Since organ need varies from person to person, organ prices should not be ﬂat rates but priced on a case-by-case basis. Banning organ sales also suggests a lack of concern by the government; if the government’s main duty is to protect public safety and health, then there should be a law that facilitates more organ transplants, not one that inhibits them. Still, the potential unfairness of organ selling is a problem. The wealthy would have the upper hand if organ sales became legal — exacerbating healthcare problems many Americans already face. Consequently, those unable to buy organs grow sicker and more bitter. But it is also unfair to criticize a wealthier person’s purchase of a lifesaving organ simply because they have the money to acquire it. True, the United States has a dreadful history of placing greater hardships on the less fortunate, but organ selling still holds the potential to save people, which is the entire point. If selling organs could save even one life it is worth doing; it is still one less casualty.

We asked you...

Should people be allowed to legally sell their own nonvital organs for transplant?

69%

31%

YES

said

There are many government policies that could increase the supply of transplantable organs, but creating a legal market for organ sales is probably the worst option. Although such a policy could certainly save lives, the commodification of the human body is a steep price to pay. The system would disproportionately benefit patients who can afford the costs of live donor organs. When patients compete for the same organ, the bidding war will favor the wealthiest recipients. An organ market could jumpstart a trend in which people in lower-income groups are incentivized to give up organs, but lose out to the rich in the search to acquire them. The status quo already favors the wealthy. According to the Wall Street Journal, rich patients find it easier to arrange for transplants in the underground medical sector, use legal loopholes to advance on the waiting list, or travel to foreign countries as “transplant tourists” to acquire organs. Attempts to reform the organ procurement process should make the system more fair, not less. In fact, a legal organ market would disproportionately benefit sellers with, for example, rarer blood types. The beneficiaries in an organ market would be not the poorest sellers, but the winners of the natural lottery. Proponents of organ markets argue that everyone should have the “choice” to use their body as they see fit. But the entitlement to sell does not alter the relational freedom of the poor; they are still entirely subject to the whims of the more fortunate. After all, the extent to which the market solves the organ shortage is the same extent to which organ prices will see a race to the bottom. This has occurred in Iran, the only nation with a legal organ market. According to the World Health Organization, live donors often suffer from psychological harm and medical complications. Unfortunately, lowerincome, less educated vendors have

CON By Varun Bhave NEWS EDITOR

the least ability to make an informed decision or receive the follow-up care they might need. The raw utilitarian argument for organ markets would be more persuasive if there were no other ways to increase organ donation. Many nations, like Spain, Austria and Belgium, have implemented an opt-out system; consent is presumed for cadaveric donors unless potential donors indicate otherwise. Crosscountry studies by researchers Alberto Abadie, Sebastien Gay and Giacomo Neto have found opt-out systems raise donations signiﬁcantly. Israel’s “priority rule” system, in which committed donors are given priority on waiting lists if they need transplants, has also been an effective incentive. Some researchers, like Aaron Spital, have even proposed conscripting organs from the deceased. None of these options are without controversy, but all reduce free riding on donors by recipients and are more egalitarian than an organ market. The problem with an organ market is less about the incentive — the government paying cadaveric or live donors is not entirely unethical — and more about the inequity. It would be repugnant to place the less welloff, by no fault of their own, at a structural disadvantage. Rather than experimenting with an alternative whose efﬁcacy is relatively untested, the United States should implement a system that preserves the altruism of organ donation while ensuring lives are saved.

opinion

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STAFF EDITORIAL: FOOTBALL AS A COLLEGE MAJOR A football major would benefit both players and the credibility of college sports programs. It is no secret that, in order to keep athletes on a team, some schools inflate grades in classes athletes are failing or do not have time to attend. Instead of having athletes enroll in a major that requires them to take classes in which they do not actively participate and which they barely have time to attend, sports majors would have a curriculum that pertains to the sport. A football major might include classes like nutrition and physiology, which interest and benefit athletes. Class attendance would increase and athletes could be given responsibility for their own grades. Majoring in football would then be just as legitimate as majoring in computer science, especially if it required that the student play for the college team in order to take the major. Then, the specialized major would benefit both athlete and team.

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Sophie Nauss (9)

Jonathan Wang (10)

You won’t have that much knowledge going further [if you take a football major]; you might not be as smart.

Only a fraction of those who play college football end up playing in the NFL, and those who do not make it to the professional ranks have to find jobs elsewhere. Obviously, someone with a degree in football is unlikely to be hired as an accountant or a chemical engineer. But rather than limiting students to a career as a football player, having a football degree could open up opportunities for jobs as coaches, sports analysts or athletic trainers. The same is true for theater students; not all students who major in acting go on to become professional actors, and those who do not follow that path usually take up other professions that are associated with film or the theater. The creation of a football major could also contribute to a more positive perception of the college recruitment process. Non-athletes might find it unfair that their classmates who do not perform as well academically are recruited

to top-ranked schools. Having a sports major could justify being recruited to such a university. Enrollment in football classes, in which they are not taking the spots of their betterqualiﬁed classmates, might soften the harsh view that they do not belong at their schools. Being a football player is a professional career path, not just an extracurricular activity. Students should have the right to a relevant education while pursuing their passion.

ART BY ANNA LEE/FALCONER

STUDENT VOICES

I think it’s okay [since] they already have all these activities and they put a lot of money and support into football.

Do you think that universities should offer football as a major?

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If football is a major, then every sport has to be a major [or] that’s not really fair. There’s no standardized football.

Eli Appelgate (11)

Soﬁa Schugar (12)

HehE... why don’t you see for yourself?

Hey kid ... Do You wanna buy?

Falconer

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. Advertisements do not necessarily represent the newspaper’s viewpoint. The Falconer, an open forum, welcomes signed letters on pertinent issues from the TPHS community, which may be submitted to room 102, via email at falconer.ads@gmail.com or to Mia Smith’s mailbox in the administration building. Letters may be edited for length and grammar.

the strip

What is it, mister vaccine?

The Torrey Pines High School

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[Football] should be a major because [if the players are] going to college and aren’t going to class, what’s the point?

by carolyn chu

College sports like football and basketball have been immensely popular for years, and playing such sports is now regarded as a part-time or full-time job for many athletes. For most, the main purpose of going to college is to get a degree, but for some college athletes, it is to ﬁnd a way into professional sports. College athletes can spend upwards of 40 hours per week on their sports, leaving less time to attend their classes or study for their majors, especially if schedules conﬂict. Since student athletes may already put more time into this “extracurricular activity” than into their majors, why not create sports majors? Logically, availability would depend upon the popularity of a sport — creating a major in which only two people are interested would be pointless. Following that logic, football, a sport with many team members, should be able to have its own major.

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A8 the falconer

opinion

february 12, 2015

Prevalence of Charlie Hebdo attack in papers is justified By Maya Rao COPY EDITOR

Media coverage of the Paris terror attacks was inescapable. CNN played its footage on a constant loop, passing off old information as new. The New York Times and the Washington Post published several lengthy articles, written in a hand shaky with shock and disbelief. Social media was overrun with “#JeSuisCharlie,” commemorating the Jan. 7 attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, as well as its counterparts, “#JeSuisAhmed,” for the Muslim guard who was killed guarding Charlie Hebdo’s offices, and “#JeSuisJuif,” for the attack on the Jewish market two days later. The entire world mourned and watched celebrities and others tote signs, pin pins and campaign for press freedom. Meanwhile, in Baga, Nigeria, lay a largely ignored tragedy: 2,000 citizens were massacred by Boko Haram fighters on Jan. 3, four days before the Charlie Hebdo attack. When people learned that the coverage of the attacks in Baga had been forsaken for those in Paris, they were outraged. Soon, these two catastrophes were woven into a fierce commentary on race. Of course, media outlets are

at fault for not covering Nigeria. After all, the job of journalists is to bring problems to the global consciousness, but the lack of coverage is more a commentary on emotions than anything else. News organizations did not have any ulterior motive for failing to cover Baga as extensively as Paris — they are not inherently racist, as many claim — but rather, they took an issue that shook the community in which they lived and reported it constantly, so that other people would mourn the tragic loss. Corporations are sometimes imagined as vast compounds of unfeeling steel, inhuman and powerful and incapable of empathy. But corporations are not built out of metal: They are made of people. And as people, we have a certain bias in favor of members of our own community — we would like issues of interest to us to be brought to the world’s attention. When the writers and cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo were killed, the journalistic community was aghast. Here were the champions of free press shot down in a country that supported free press. Here were members of their community, who believed the things which they believed, who published articles that were more than controversial, who upheld the values for which journalists fight and die. And here were the bodies of those people — cold, dead and bloody on the office floor. The journalistic community did not report the deaths of 11 people at Charlie Hebdo; they reported the deaths of their own. Paris is a hub of journalism. Agence France-Prese, one of the

PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE CAROLINE RUTTEN The Falconer public relations manager explores the heights she can reach despite her short stature.

largest and oldest news organizations in the world, is headquartered there. Thousands of journalists from hundreds of media outlets work in and around Paris — there is no shortage of reporters. Baga, on the other hand, is remote and difﬁcult to reach, and virtually no journalist tied to a major organization is embedded there. The French government is wellorganized; the Nigerian government is broken and corrupt. Paris is a popular destination for tourists; Baga can barely be called a popular city for villagers. Parisians are known to the world for their reﬁned taste; people

writers and artists was unparalleled. They were highly-respected national ﬁgures. They were the French Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart, characters beloved by people throughout France. Race is a hot topic in the United States at the moment, with the cases of Michael Brown and Eric Garner still fresh in our minds, but that does not mean it is the root of every issue. The journalism community covered Charlie Hebdo so extensively not because it hates Africans, but because it loves its people — how is that a sentiment that anyone can decry?

ART BY CAROLYN CHU/FALCON ARTIST

Measuring my height became a weekly routine: feet against the wall, pencil in hand, hoping to grow just an inch more. I remember the genuine shock and happiness when I extended the measuring tape to 5 feet — only a year and a half ago. Ever since elementary school, when I was known as “Elf,” my height has been one of my deﬁning traits. Now, having grown only one inch since that momentous day, my small stature has sparked inevitable jokes and questions (yes, I can reach the pedals when driving; yes, I’m aware that your little brother is taller than me; and yes, I know I am a convenient armrest). As I have gotten older, I have learned not to take offense. After all, it’s important to be able to laugh at yourself. I have come to embrace my short stature and I now view it in a positive light — airplane seats are not too cramped and uncomfortable, I can ﬁt into small spaces and I am a master at limbo. My height can be pretty useful.

[My appearance is] the perfect formula for, well, the stereotypical dumb blonde.

PHOTO BY ERIC CUNNINGHAM/FALCONER

from Baga are generally unknown. And while the massacre of 2,000 people will always be newsworthy, it had the misfortune of occurring the same week as Charlie Hebdo, and was thus relegated to the back pages of both the press and Internet, if articles were published at all. In fact, the attack on the kosher market on Jan. 9 was covered mainly because it took place in Paris two days after Charlie Hebdo; otherwise, it may have been written into a simple footnote on the 17th page of The New York Times. The celebrity of the Charlie Hebdo

In seventh grade, I went to sleep-away camp for the ﬁrst time. I was nervous to be in a new social environment, without any friends with whom to spend time or ease my nerves. While waiting for the bus that would take us to the campground, I saw a girl who was just as short as me among the group of campers. Our equally small ﬁelds of vision met, and she walked up to me. We immediately bonded over our tiny frames, and soon became the “fun-size friends” for the duration of camp. While our friendship was founded on a cheesy play-on-words that sounded like a

phrase on a candy wrapper, my camp experience would not have been as enjoyable if I wasn’t able to bond over my height. I have come to the conclusion that there is an inherent bond between short people that I’m grateful to be a part of.

Being someone who is constantly reaching for near perfection ... It is frustrating when others don’t respect you. However, being small does have its shortcomings — pun intended. I had my 5-foot-7-inch friend accidentally punch me in the face in middle school. I only came up to the middle of her arm, so when she turned around to greet another friend, her fist collided with my cheek. While she was apologizing profusely, I had an ice pack pressed against my face; it was one of the first times I felt completely overlooked. Maybe incidents like this are the reason that I have developed an opinionated and passionate personality — I try to stand out despite my stature. But I still am not taken seriously, partly because of my height. Add that to the fact that I have long, sandy-blonde hair and a “bubbly” personality, and I’m the perfect formula for, well, the stereotypical “dumb blonde.” When I’m frustrated or when I attempt to be authoritative, it’s often perceived as “adorable.” Being someone constantly reaching for nearperfection, it is draining when peers are shocked by my grades or tell me to “calm down” if I am fired up by a political topic. It is frustrating when others don’t respect you because of your appearance. I had a disagreement with a fellow staffer a few months back when we couldn’t decide how to

start an article we were writing together. After defending each of our differing opinions through heated messages on Google Documents, we finally compromised on our lead. I later apologized for perhaps coming across as too bossy or overbearing. Expecting a simple “no worries,” I was told that even though I may not appear to be traditionally “intelligent” or “opinionated,” he respected how I stood by my sentiments. He told me that more people needed to share those characteristics. That unexpected compliment was one for which I am still grateful. It was a rare moment in which I felt respected despite my physical appearance. Thanks, Austin. Being vertically-challenged has made me defiant. I challenge outward judgments and resist conforming to the stereotypes associated with my appearance. It would be a shame if I set my personal expectations in proportion to my height; I would be wasting myself for the sake of my visible qualities. My small stature does not define the big heart, big mind and big goals I possess.

It would be a shame if I set my personal expectations in proportion to my height. While I can defy the outward implications of my short and bubbly nature, I can also embrace the reality of being short. In order to be authentic, I must accept my entire self — both internally and outwardly. My 61-inch build is not a reﬂection of my whole personality, but a part of me that I appreciate. As I grow as a person, I will continue to reach new heights, despite my lack of vertical authority. Pun intended.

opinion

tphsfalconer.com

the falconer

Iggy Azalea is appropriating black culture By Lily Nilipour STAFF WRITER

Australian hip-hop artist Iggy Azalea may, at ﬁrst glance, seem to be promoting her own individuality. After all, Azalea is one of the few successful white female rappers in a music genre dominated by black artists, and her song “Fancy” recently occupied the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100. However, despite her sudden rise to fame, there is another side to Azalea — one that is embroiled in accusations of racist remarks and involved in vicious feuds with other artists over her outright lack of authenticity and appropriation of black culture. Azalea was 16 years old when she moved to Miami in 2006 to pursue a career in hip-hop. She rose to fame in 2011 with the release of her song “Pu$$y.” Since then, Azalea has become somewhat of a household name — yet much of her music and style is the blatant and unapologetic imitation of another culture. Hiphop and rap have their roots in movements that empowered AfricanAmericans and are considered by many to be integral parts of black identity and culture.

It should be impossible to have racism in such a powerful genre of music, but amazingly, Azalea deﬁed those unwritten rules. Over the years, Azalea has posted many offensive tweets about African-Americans, as well as Asians, Latinos and Native Americans. In her song “D.R.U.G.S.,” she refers to herself as a “runaway slave master.” Not only is this demeaning to African-Americans, it also shows Azalea’s ignorance of the culture in which she works. Azalea has an obligation to monitor what she says and educate herself on the history of the genre. By being publicly racist, she fails to acknowledge the foundation and purpose of hip-hop, thus disrespecting the genre as a whole. Besides Azalea’s racism on social media, she also raps with a fake black accent, which draws much ire from other hip-hop artists, especially rapper and singer Azealia Banks, who accused Azalea of cultural appropriation on Twitter. The fact that a black artist criticized Azalea’s behavior should have been enough indication that she needed to reassess her behavior. Instead, in an interview with Vanity Fair, Azalea claimed that accusations of black appropriation by white rappers were unfair and that she is getting blamed more than other white rappers simply because she is female. However, her gender has nothing to do with the attacks on her lack of authenticity. Other white artists in hip-hop, like Macklemore and Eminem, have not adopted fake accents; they have their own distinct styles. They also

understand the history and culture of the genre, while Azalea, when considering her racially derogatory comments, clearly does not. For example, Macklemore’s song “White Privilege” even brings attention to appropriation of black culture by white rappers and the history of the genre: Its lyrics state that “hip-hop started off in a block that I’ve never been to/to counteract a struggle that I’ve never even been through.” “Just because there’s been more successful white rappers, you cannot disregard where this culture came from and our place in it as white people,” said Macklemore in an interview with New York’s HOT 97 radio station about cultural appropriation of hip-hop by white artists. “This is not a culture that white people started. I do believe that as much as I have honed my craft and put in years of dedication into the music that I love, I need to know my place” he said. Hip-hop and rap have evolved and should include people of all races, but Azalea has no excuse for ignoring issues inseparable from the genre itself. Whether her actions are a result of carelessness or a lack of awareness, Azalea needs to realize that she is only deepening an already tense racial divide. In order to eradicate racism, everyone must work together; nothing changes if people refuse to cooperate. And if Azalea stops appropriating black culture, both she and the hip-hop community will be able to instead focus on what should be most important to them: the music.

ART BY TERESA CHEN/FALCON ARTIST

Obama is right in planning to veto Keystone Pipeline By Amanda Chen STAFF WRITER

In his 2006 State of the Union address, former President George W. Bush famously proclaimed that America was “addicted to oil.” Nearly a decade later, and despite numerous advances in clean energy technology, his words still hold true. This time, the controversy over fossil fuel extraction manifests itself in the Keystone XL pipeline, a piping system that, if completed, would transport 830,000 barrels of petroleum per day from Canada to reﬁneries and ports on the Gulf Coast for international exportation. The bill, which calls for an extension of an existing pipeline that ends in Nebraska, has already passed through both houses of the Republican-controlled Congress, and in response, President Barack Obama has threatened to veto the bill. It is in everybody’s best interest to prevent further development of Keystone XL. The idea that the consumption of fossil fuels negatively impacts the environment is already a polarizing topic, but what makes Keystone XL particularly subject to controversy is that it transports petroleum from oil sands, an unconventional energy source that, according to a report issued by the U.S. State Department, produces 17 percent more carbon emissions than conventional oil and requires signiﬁcantly higher levels

of water and energy to extract. Bitumen, the type of oil extracted, is also more difficult to transport than conventional oil, often causing pipes to leak and pollute local waterways. Furthermore, the Albertan tar sands are located beneath one of the world’s most intact ecosystems: the Canadian boreal forests. These forests not only play an integral role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, they are also inhabited by a variety of species. However, drilling has decimated these areas, reaffirming the fear that humans now have the technological means to destroy every last square inch of wilderness left on Earth. It is time to revise the United States energy policy so that the environment is no longer commodified in a way that condones the impenitent exploitation of it. Reducing the United States’ dependence on nonrenewable energy sources should, in turn, facilitate a gradual transition to sustainable energy. As one of the worst offenders in carbon emissions per capita, as well as a major political power, the United States should lead by example — the United States can move to embrace sustainable energy by refusing to sign Keystone XL into law. Alberta is home not only to the tar sand extraction sites, but also a multitude of indigenous tribes. In addition to facing forced migration from their homelands, these people have seen huge spikes in fatal illnesses due to their close proximity to drilling operations. In fact, according to Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, in Fort Chipewyan, a small lakeside settlement in Northern Alberta, cancer rates are 30 percent higher than normal. Tribes living along the existing Keystone pipeline in the United States have also expressed opposition to its

extension, declaring that Keystone XL is an act of war against their people. Even more today than in the past, indigenous identity has become linked with the preservation of the native people’s lands, as it remains one of the few ways to keep the heritage of their cultures alive. Any action taken by the U.S. government that would further undermine the existence of these indigenous peoples, including the exploitation of their land without consent, would constitute yet another act of racism and oppression committed by the United States against indigenous

peoples. Our condemnation of the Holocaust and other forms of abuse against particular races perfectly sums up American hypocrisy — we are doing the same in our backyard. The voices of indigenous peoples have historically been silenced by American foreign and domestic policy; however, a veto of Keystone XL can assist in the preservation of indigenous culture and possibly even promote greater representation of these groups in future political discussions. On the surface, the proposed immediate economic growth may seem extremely attractive to any American who witnessed the stock market crash and global recession of the recent years. According to the

State Department’s environmental review of Keystone XL, its construction would create roughly 42,000 new jobs in the United States over two years. However, pipeline builder TransCanada estimated less than 100 of those jobs would be maintained after construction was finished. The only substantial, longterm economic advantage evident would be Keystone XL’s potential $3.4 billion contribution to the U.S. gross domestic product, according to the same report. But this benefit comes at the cost of unquantifiable and irreversible damage to the environment and native peoples that the project would rapidly accelerate. Obama should use his presidential veto on Keystone XL in order to ensure ecological sustainability and preserve indigenous cultures for not only those living today but for many future generations to come. It is time to stop promoting economic growth at the expense of the health of the environment and human rights.

ART BY TERESA CHEN/FALCON ARTIST

A10 the falconer

february 12, 2015

Sreeganesh Manoharan (11) grew up on the outside looking in, in some sense. Whether it was listening to a story about somebody’s younger brother or playing a game that involved pairing up with siblings, Manoharan often felt excluded from childhood experiences. “As an only child, I was used to playing sports with other people and not with my siblings, as others do,” Manoharan said. “When [my friends] did talk about [their siblings], I felt really left out and would often try to change the subject.” Manoharan attributes his self-proclaimed childhood “awkwardness” to his limited social interaction prior to starting school. He remembers himself in ﬁrst grade, not talking to anyone and not having any friends. “I was always the shy one,” Manoharan said. “I feel like having siblings would have improved my social interaction with other people from a younger age.” However, according to Adriana Molitor, a University of San Diego professor who studies the social and emotional aspects of child development, having a sibling is not necessarily conducive to the development of adequate social skills. “There’s the myth that only children are suffering if they’re not part of a larger family,” Molitor said. “[However,] only children actually fare pretty well.” Yardyn Shraga (12), for example, is Kamaya Jane’s only child. Although Jane grew up with two siblings herself, she believes that happiness within a family depends on the family dynamics and not the number of members. “I grew up thinking I would have two children, but life doesn’t turn out the way you think it’s going to,” Jane said. “All of my focus went into [Yarydn]. I wasn’t as distracted as other parents because I didn’t have to split my time between children.” Jane has always been the one to help Shraga through the ups and downs of her adolescent years. Without an older sibling to assume the role of an at-home therapist or guidance counselor, Shraga developed a close relationship with her mother at a young age. “My mom’s been involved in my life a lot,” Shraga said. “[Being an only child] made me appreciate certain things my mom has done a lot more.” However, unlike Manoharan, Jane recalls a young Shraga quickly making friends and learning to share with others, even without the presence of an annoying little sister or a cool older brother across the hall. “I think [being an only child] has helped because I’m able to converse with a range of different people,” Shraga said.

“A lot of [only children] I have met don’t seem to have a problem [with social interaction].” According to Molitor, only children can greatly beneﬁt from the undivided attention and responsiveness they receive from their parents. “Getting your parents’ undivided time is a good thing for any child, and only children beneﬁt the most because they don’t have to share it,” Molitor said. Despite increased amounts of attention, Molitor believes that parents do not place more pressure on only children. Shraga feels otherwise, however, as she believes her mother’s exclusive attention makes her feel like she is “under a microscope.” Manoharan tends to agree. “[My parents] are always cautious of what I do; they’re always putting in a lot of effort to keep me safe,” Manoharan said. “I feel that parents who only have one kid tend to be stricter.” Similarly, Jane remembers once being told by her daughter’s preschool teacher that she was “too strict with her daughter.” Although Jane does not consider herself a strict mother, she has made sure to establish with Shraga that she will always be her mother but not always her friend.

All of my focus went into [Yarydn]. I wasn’t as distracted as other parents because I didn’t have to split my time between children. Kamaya Jane

�� Today, both Shraga and Manoharan have grown accustomed to not having siblings. Shraga has even thanked Jane for not having other children. “Sometimes I used to see siblings run around and hang out with each other, but I really like being an only child,” Shraga said. “I’ve always had my own room, my own space, and I’m not sure that’s something I would have if I had a sibling.” Manoharan too, believes school has allowed him form sufﬁcient and close friendships with people who “really care for him.” Though in the past Manoharan constantly yearned for someone to share his childhood experiences, he now recognizes that solitude does not necessarily equal loneliness. by Amanda Chen and Irene Yu

A12 the falconer

feature

A boy sits with unblinking eyes in front of a screen for seven or more hours a day, doesn’t go anywhere without an electronic device in his pocket and has more virtual conversations than face-to-face ones. The boy represents the prevalence of technology in humans’ day-to-day lives, and possibly demonstrates its overwhelming influence on those of future generations. After all, the boy used his first touch-screen device when he was six months old. “Devices remove us from focal reality … because you’re not immersed in the sensory environment that you’re existing in,” said Charles Thorpe, professor of sociology at the University of California, San Diego. “Your mind is separate from that, as it [is not just] watching what’s in front of you, but [also giving] you data about what’s in front of you.”

We shouldn’t focus more on preventing technology from developing; rather, we should focus on still being able to maintain personal interactions. Ivy Gong student

According to a study by advocacy group Common Sense Media in 2014, 38 percent of toddlers under the age of two use smart devices — a figure that has increased by 28 percent since 2011. “[My children] are far more advanced with technology than I am at this point,” said Kristen Monge, former TPHS English teacher and parent of three. “My seven-year-old has an iPod Touch, and he just made a movie trailer with it.” Monge has watched her children, now at three, six and seven years old, quickly grow up with today’s technology. When they first saw her husband and her listening to music on devices, for instance, they soon wanted iPods too. “[Children] see that their parents are using [phones], so it’s all they want,” Monge said. “You can set them in a room full of toys, and all they want is a phone and to push the buttons.” Although Monge regrets that harsh New York winters prevent her children from being active outdoors, she believes fighting technology is a “losing battle,” and using it in moderation is better than trying to eradicate it.

The boy has heard stories of children playing with paper airplanes and building pillow forts in the past, but interacting with the screen in front of him is the only entertainment he knows.

february 12, 2015

Continual advancement of technology inevitably replaces certain forms of entertainment and interaction, according to computer science teacher Richard Robinette. “[When I was a kid], there was nothing like [iPads] that could capture my attention for hours,” Robinette said. “When I was six years old I couldn’t do anything for six hours at a time. Any kid [today] can sit at an iPad for six hours easily.” According to Thorpe, the use of smart devices by young children can be credited to them being marketed as “educational toys,” when they are really “hypnotic devices to keep children occupied when the parents are busy.” Thorpe said the use of technology at such a young age is inappropriate and suppresses creativity. “Kids need to daydream; it’s how we develop our imagination, how we develop our consciousness, how we actually understand ourselves,” Thorpe said. “In daydreaming, you’re getting an unconscious level [of thought] that contains things we exclude from everyday consciousness but [are] important to get in touch with.” The increasing number of young children using smart devices has prompted global response. According to CNN, in Taiwan, new legislation prohibits children under two from using iPads or any other sort of electronic device. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that technology use “be avoided” for kids under two, children 3-5 should be limited to 1 hour per day, and older children should limit their screen time to a maximum of two hours per day. Yet, in the U.S., most children exceed the recommendation by three to five hours, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. According to Thorpe, technology is so addictive because it entertains with little or no effort. “The device provides pleasure without pain,” Thorpe said. “The computer allows you to access whatever you want with the push of a button, and you don’t really have to exert yourself to get the goods; whereas in life, if you want something you have to exert yourself to get there.” Technology enthusiast Dane Malangone (11) thinks children are being introduced to technology too early. “They’re losing out on social aspects [of life] where you actually meet someone, not just text them,” Malangone said.

Not seeing a need to communicate with other people in person, the boy spends more time with a screen than with human beings. Extensive time in front of the screen has inhibited the boy’s ability to read facial expressions. A study by University of California, Los Angeles professor Patricia Greenfield isolated a group of 51 sixth graders from technology for five days while allowing another group of 54 students unrestricted access to electronic devices. Both before and afterward, the students were given videos and photographs and asked to read the emotions in the images. Those who went technology-free increased their abilities to read facial expressions, while those who kept their devices did not improve on the number of errors they made in identifying emotions. “[In] dealing with another human face-to-face, you can look into their eyes, you can see whether they’re being honest,” Thorpe said. “But we interact on messenger, and we say, ‘Yay, that’s great,’ and we put up a smiley face emoticon, and it’s a much more simplified form of emotional communication.” In the future, people may not even need to be able to interpret emotions. Robinette thinks that

The Falconer takes an in-depth look at the problems students and their families face in paying for college.

ART BY MYLES HAMILTON/FALCONER

Loans, grants and scholarships overwhelm students and parents. Here we break down how college applicants can beneﬁt from the most common forms of ﬁnancial aid.

These loans are usually the cheapest option for borrowing money. They come in two forms: subsidized and unsubsidized. All undergraduates are eligible for unsubsidized, but only students who demonstrate ﬁnancial need can receive subsidized loans. Both types have annual interest rates.

Grants are money offered to pay for college or career school. Some notable grants include Pell Grants and Academic Competitiveness Grants.

receive federal grants. These loans are issued to lowincome students to help cover education costs. No interest is charged while the student is in school. A ﬁxed 5 percent interest rate is charged when the student enters the repayment period nine months after graduation.

of ﬁnancial aid applicants below the poverty line got an average loan of $7,000.

The United States Department of Education provides around $100 billion in government ﬁnancial aid (loans and grants) to students in colleges and universities across the nation.

State-funded grants provide approximately 16% of the total grant money that is available to students In California.

These scholarships are obtained by filling out the Free Application for the Federal Student Aid form. Some schools also require a College Scholarship Service Profile. The number of students submitting FAFSA forms has increased by 18% in the past five years.

These scholarships are available to residents of a speciﬁc city or geographic area, i.e. The San Diego Foundation, through individual donors and community, corporate and education partners, awards scholarships to students in San Diego.

$3 billion: Net worth of athletic scholarships awarded every year. 82% of college costs of all scholarship athletes are not covered by their athletic scholarships.

*Information provided by Forbes, US News and World Report, FAFSA.com, scholarships.com and the San Diego Foundation

Most TPHS students are familiar with the American system of payment. Here, we explore the various ways that other countries handle college costs.

College education in Denmark is free; it is considered a right for the people and an investment for the government.

In France, a college education averages US$585 per year, only 2.83 percent of the median income of US$20,660.

College is extremely affordable in Mexico, where tuition costs average US$5,077 per year and affordability is 110%.

College tuition is nearly free for US students in Brazil, with only minor registration charges. Brazil is a good option for exchange students who want an international experience.

*Information provided by Business Insider and TIME

Tuition at Chinese universities averages about 40,000 yuan (US$6,401) per student. Student debt totals more than 8.1 billion yuan.

Tuition costs are very low in Canada, around US$5,974 per year. The number of American college students in Canada rose 50% in the past decade.

In India, the cost of an average public education is US$50 per year, while private universities can cost anywhere from US$300 to US$40,000.

In September 2000, Scotland got rid of all tuition costs and maintenance grants were restored in September 2001.

Australia is one of the most expensive countries in the world for students, with the annual average total college cost at US$38,516.

The average education cost in Germany is only US$933 per year, making its higher education system one of the most affordable in the world.

ART BY MYLES HAMILTON/FALCONER

with educational consultant

If we’re talking about financial aid, the best way is for the students or the parents to fill out the [Free Application for Federal Student Aid] by going to the government-owned What do you think is the website [https://fafsa.ed.gov/]. They have best way to get financial scholarships that are listed on Naviance. aid for college? [Students can] also look at outside websites. And don’t forget the college’s own scholarships, [which] are usually dependent on students’ GPA, a major that they’re planning on pursuing or any other criteria that the [university] may have. So don’t forget to also look at the university's website, they would also have specific scholarships.

Sometimes they do. In some situations, parents may not be able to fund a student’s education, in which case loans would have to be taken out, but the interest rates might end up being Do tuition costs deter overwhelming. Students often can go a community students from attending college for two years, and ... ﬁnish off their last two college? years at a four-year university. If the students feel that it’s something that’s going to put a burden on their family, some students ... go straight to work, hoping that they’ll go to college in the next few years, but other students have collected all the money that they can and then decide to go to college. So it can differ, but it depends on what the student wants to pursue. I guess some careers require you to have a college education but [for] some you just need a certiﬁcate, or if they have some skills that might allow them to go into other jobs like a mechanic.

I think since many careers require a college education, families might start saving earlier. There’s lots of different ways, like opening up How does the rising mutual funds. Families will most likely start saving ahead price of college play of the curve, [but] sometimes unfortunate things like into this? stock market crashes ... do happen. So it’s very important that families do ﬁll out the FAFSA, especially because there are no guarantees. It’s also important for students to explore colleges that aren’t the top 100, because there’s over 4000 colleges in the United States itself, and many of the colleges are looking to give loans, and it’s not necessarily only for the students with a higher GPA. As long as students are willing to go out of their comfort zone and go to maybe a school far away, they should be ﬁne.

Depending on what the student’s major is going to be, I don’t believe that families should sacriﬁce their livelihood for that. But at the same time, I think it is worth it as long as it is a career ... where the What advice would you student is earning enough money to where [he or she] give a student or parent can pay off the loans. I don’t think [students] should struggling to pay for college? hesitate to take out loans, as long as [they graduate with] a major that will allow them to pay it back. Keeping their mind open to other colleges is going to be the key, if they’re strapped ﬁnancially.

ART BY MYLES HAMILTON/FALCONER

tphsfalconer.com

already humans “tend to avoid uncomfortable social [interactions],” for example, breaking up in a text instead of in person, and that technology gives them the “ability to be entertained without forcing them to be social.” Thorpe thinks that, for many, the screen serves as a substitute for social interaction and that there is a “certain detachment from people” that comes with using only virtual communication. To Thorpe, the inability to identify non-verbal cues in conversation is dehumanizing. “If you’re focused on a screen, then you’re not focused on people,” Thorpe said. “The ability to really read facial expressions is also about understanding the other person and empathizing with them … which is a really important part of what makes us human — the ability to put ourselves in the place of the others.”

The boy is constantly able to monitor the fluctuation in the number of friends he has. He lost two last week, but he is not too worried since he added a new one yesterday. In a world where technology dominates interpersonal interactions, relationships could disintegrate, according to Thorpe. People may stay in their rooms or offices, only talking to people over messaging or social media, never even seeing them. Robinette has noticed that handheld devices contribute to a weakened sense of community, as they divert individuals’ attention from each other and command all focus. Nick Beyer (10), like many other teenagers, is a regular user of social media. However, according to Beyer, his younger sister uses social media to an extent beyond simple texting and occasionally posting on Instagram or Facebook. At 13 years old, Beyer’s younger sister has around 1,750 Instagram followers and interacts more with virtual Instagram users than her actual friends, Beyer said. “I’ve already started to see my sister lose social skills, and she is not really close with any of [her friends].” Beyer said. “I feel like she doesn’t really get to know them personally.” According to Thorpe, technology can introduce more opportunities for people to hide from reality in the illusion of the online world. “It’s so much easier to withdraw from the world, to withdraw from all the complicated questions [because] they’re a really frightening aspect of the real world,” Thorpe said. “People would rather not care; it’s easier not to care, and it’s such a perfect way for not having to care, to withdraw from the real world into these kinds of virtual computer Internet worlds.” Beyer, who does not use social media anywhere close to the extent that his sister does, has still detected its negative impact on his own social interactions. “I find myself on my phone or texting while in a conversation with another person,” Beyer said. “If I didn’t have my phone, I’d pay much more attention to the conversation.” Mobile phones have become s t a n d a r d for most Americans’ everyday lives, and, if used excessively, can be distracting

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and seriously addictive, according to Monge. A survey by Lookout, a mobile security app maker, showed that 58 percent of smartphone users don’t go one hour without checking them, and 73 percent of people feel panic when they misplace their phones. Monge, however, considers misplacing her phone somewhat “liberating.” “Once you break free from the initial, ‘Where is it?’ and then [go for] a day or two without a phone, [you are] able to just focus on what’s around, and it just feels really good,” Monge said.

As the boy gets out of his chair, he is unable to stand up straight and it hurts to stretch his neck. “Text neck,” according to the Washington Post, is one of the most common and severe results of a combination of poor posture and an overuse of handheld devices. As a person’s neck bends forward and down to maneuver his or her phone, the weight on the spine gradually increases. Slowly, the spine bends, weakening the ability to stand straight. Smartphone users spend an average of two to four hours per day bent over reading texts and checking social media sites, resulting in 700 to 1400 hours per year of substantial physical stress on their spines.

I think people tend to avoid uncomfortable social things anyway, and technology gives them the ability to be entertained without forcing them to be social. Richard Robinette teacher

Beyer noticed physical problems rooted in technology use, and if he’s “at home and on the computer all day,” he’ll “definitely notice some back or neck issues.” Additionally, diagnoses of childhood obesity, some psychological problems, coordination disorder and developmental delays, especially physical ones, can be associated with technology overuse, according to Cris Rowan, a pediatric occupational therapist. Ivy Gong (11), an avid user of Tumblr, Facebook and Instagram, thinks it is nearly impossible to put a stop to the continued evolution of technology, but some control is needed to limit overuse. “We shouldn’t focus more on preventing technology from developing; rather, we should focus on still being able to maintain personal interactions,” Gong said. “[We should] help students and adults be able to have that communication and interaction with each other, while, at the same time, maintaining our use and our access to technology.”

Starting to feel tired, the boy closes his laptop and attempts to go to bed. However, he is so accustomed to the bright light of the screen and virtual interaction that he is unable to fall asleep, and eventually gets up to open his laptop again.

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PEER ASSISTANT LISTENERS Each month an anonymous PAL pens this column to offer help to all Falcons. With TPHS students juggling competitive sports, rigorous academic classes and after-school activities, sleep often becomes the last of our priorities. With some students taking up to three AP classes a day, the hours spent on homework add up to as many as six a night. Factor in two hours for sports practices after school, extra hours for clubs, community service and other passions, as well as time for dinner and family, it is almost impossible to get the necessary amount of sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, our bodies cannot function properly and our mental health can be negatively impacted when we don’t get enough sleep. One PAL reveals that homework kept him up until 2 a.m. every morning last year. “It finally took its toll because after a week or two I started to act differently, getting in fights with family and friends — the lack of sleep ultimately chang[ed] my personality,” the PAL said. His family finally confronted him, telling him that they felt that his lack of sleep was affecting his relationships, and he needed to make the necessary changes in his schedule to ensure he would have enough time for a healthy amount of sleep. “I was irritable, constantly exhausted, and still never seemed to have the time to do everything I needed to,” the PAL said. But his parents’ intervention turned out to be just the wake-up call he needed — the extra sleep has had tremendous positive impacts on his life. “I found that even when I slept more, I gained more time during the day because it made the time I had more meaningful.” The PALs recognize that there are several activities in a high school student’s life that demand a lot of time, but ultimately, a full night’s sleep matters most. The PALs’ Healthy Living Week in April aims to teach students about the importance of taking care of their bodies and the benefits that a full night’s sleep can bring.

february 12, 2015

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Since childhood, Andrew Rim (11) has been immersed in music. He has a “very musical family” and began playing the cello when he was only 5 years old, following in the footsteps of his family members. Rim’s mother studied contemporary music in college, so “she was the ﬁrst one to inﬂuence [his] passion for music.” “My father plays guitar, my mother plays piano, my aunt studied organ at the Manhattan School of Music, my cousin is currently an international-level cellist, and we have many more [musicians] in our family,” Rim said. “Having this family background of so many different types of musicians really spurred me to also have a passion for music in many ways, not just cello but also guitar and singing.” Rim also has two younger brothers who play instruments — his secondyoungest brother plays violin and bass guitar, while his youngest brother plays viola and drums. The brothers spread their love of music through private trio chamber groups and their church praise team. Rim’s passion for music stretches beyond purely enjoyment. Rim attended the Juilliard Pre-College Music Program from 7th to 10th grade, when he and his family still lived in a suburb of New York City. According to Rim, the program was “a music school that [he] attended every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m..” “I studied things such as orchestra, chamber music, music theory, ear training and chorus, and basically engulfed my Saturday with music,” Rim said. Rim has also participated in local, national and international competitions, where his enthusiasm and talent have earned him prestigious awards. “Most notably, [I competed in] the Young Tchaikovsky

Moving from New York’s prestigious Juilliard Pre-College Music Program, Andrew Rim (11) continues to pursue his musical interests at TPHS.

Competition held in Geneva, Switzerland,” Rim said. “I also won first place in two international competitions at Carnegie Hall, one for solo cello and another for a quartet.” When Rim moved to San Diego for his junior year, he said it was “really hard to find something, a school or musical education, at as high a level as Juilliard, in San Diego.” Despite the diminished intensity of his musical education, Rim is still highly involved with music, playing for the TPHS school orchestra, where he is first chair cello, the San Diego Youth Symphony, a private chamber group and the church praise team. Rim also does “private community service work where [he] performs in hospitals for charity.” According to Rim, it is sometimes stressful to juggle school and music with the workload of junior year. “It’s definitely a lot more stringent and tense [at TPHS] in terms of academics because they really push you here,” Rim said. “In New York, it was a lot easier because you weren’t allowed to take AP classes until junior year, but here you have so many opportunities to take various types [of classes], even during freshman year.” However, Rim’s unrelenting practice pays off when he is “able to perform what [he has] been working so hard on in front of a lot of people and show them not just the music itself but what it means and how it can affect people’s lives,” which is his “most favorite part of being a musician.” Although he does not plan to pursue a college education at The Juilliard School, Rim hopes that he can either double major or minor in music and inspire future generations of his family, just as his parents, aunts and uncles inspired him. by Tasia Mochernak

PHOTO BY AVERY SPICKER/FALCONER

Applications are due online at TPHSSF.org between Feb. 13 and Mar. 13!

Pick up the phone for “Better Call Saul” Finally, the time has come. The moon is in its proper phase. The planets are aligned. The Earth’s axial tilt is precisely 23.5 degrees. It is time to return to scenic Albuquerque and be reacquainted with Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) — or, Jimmy McGill, his former self. “Breaking Bad” fans may remember Saul as the beloved comic relief and sleazy lawyer who, mostly unwillingly, saw Walter White through his transformation into a sociopathic, crystal meth-manufacturing murderer. But six years prior to the events of “Breaking Bad,” Saul isn’t a polished crook with a mock allAmerican office. Instead, he’s “James” McGill, a struggling attorney who’s tired of working public defense cases. And, really, you can’t blame him — is $700 really enough compensation for defending three “knuckleheads” who broke into a funeral home, decapitated a body and then sodomized the head on video? The answer is “no” for Jimmy. Seeing the humble, pathetic beginnings of Saul is quite entertaining. The knuckleheads’ trial is so unglamorous that it’s hard not to be amused, and the tantrum Jimmy throws after confronting his brother’s business partner is hilariously sad. But then comes the “black” part of the show’s black comedy. Jimmy’s cramped office in the back of a Vietnamese nail salon, which doubles as his house, is depressing. His legal fight for his elder brother Chuck McGill’s (Michael McKean) proper share in the law firm Chuck created is futile and disheartening. In fact, most interactions with his brother are the same: Chuck’s mental illness drives a noticeable wedge between them. The gloomy scenes were not only welcome, but also done in a way that showcases Jimmy’s human side. Jimmy/ Saul is not the two-dimensional scumbag that he was in “Breaking Bad”; he’s a real person, brought to life on the T.V. screen through his rise and inevitable fall. And I really mean inevitable. In true “Breaking Bad” fashion, AMC’s “Better Call Saul” starts with a flash-forward to paranoid and downtrodden Saul’s postHeisenberg days, in which he works at a Cinnabon in Omaha. “Better Call Saul” uses many of the same techniques as its predecessor, and makes no apologies about it. Say hello to point-of-view shots, tense silences and schemes gone horribly wrong. Visually, it feels exactly like watching “Breaking Bad.” It would be interesting to see “Better Call Saul” develop a unique style of storytelling — then again, what works, works. The black-and-white opening sequence, free of any dialogue other than Saul’s VHS tapes of his old TV ads, is appropriately atmospheric, and the electro-pop that plays during a not-quite chase sequence is pure fun. And then comes those infamous desert shots from “Breaking Bad,” with the gorgeous, oppressive sky looming over drug dealers and hapless skater twins. Said skater twins are two of several new characters. They seem like dopey comic relief at first, but ultimately lead to the introduction of Tuco Salamanca (Raymond Cruz), the loud, crazy meth dealer from “Breaking Bad.” Except, he’s not so loud now — just crazy, and way too

enthusiastic about Colombian neckties. “Better Call Saul” takes full advantage of its opportunity to explore some of the less fleshed out characters from “Breaking Bad,” including Tuco. We get to see him taking care of his grandmother and making silent, terrifying threats, instead of shouting a lot while high on meth. And then there are the glimpses of Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) working as a parking garage attendant. I will probably never recover from how thrilled I was to see Mike again. He immediately brings back the dry wit, too: “Gee, that’s swell. Thanks for restoring my faith in the judicial system,” he says when Jimmy declares that he’s a lawyer. The new characters of “Better Call Saul” have their own merits, of course — particularly Nacho Vargas (Michael Mando), who is more than just one of Tuco’s cronies. Sharp and dangerous, Nacho might be Jimmy’s gateway into the world of drug-related crime and even more moral ambiguity. “I’m a lawyer, not a criminal,” Jimmy says to Nacho. You just wait, Mr. McGill. A lot of the show’s virtues aren’t apparent until the second episode. So if “Uno” doesn’t manage to reel you in, then be prepared: “Mijo” forcibly drags you in whatever bloody, suspenseful and totally awesome direction “Better Call Saul” is headed in, seamlessly transitioning from black comedy to intense drama. Even then, it still has comedy. Jimmy negotiating Tuco down from skinning the skaters alive to breaking one leg each is pretty funny, if you disassociate yourself from the terror of the situation. While I can’t say that “Better Call Saul” will be a chilling masterpiece like its predecessor, it still satisfies the “Breaking Bad” fix fans are looking for. And if you haven’t seen the original series, “Better Call Saul” stands well on its own. Returning to Albuquerque isn’t just a little detour; it’s a whole other stop, and somehow, while there, the sun and stars shift so that the universe suddenly revolves around “Better Call Saul.” Am I being melodramatic? Yes. But I really missed the world of “Breaking Bad,” okay? By Anna Lee

PHOTO COURTESY OF URSULA COYOTE/AMC

New and Returning TV Series

PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC

TEXT BY ANNA LEE

Fresh Off the Boat

How to Get Away with Murder

The ﬁrst Asian-American sitcom in 20 years, “Fresh Off the Boat” follows the Huang family as it experiences a major culture clash with a predominantly white community after moving from Washington, D.C. to Orlando. There, patriarch Louis (Randall Park) opens a Western-themed steak restaurant. Some family members thrive; younger brother Emery (Forrest Wheeler) gets a girlfriend within a day. But eldest son Eddie (Hudson Yang) struggles. The writing, like Eddie’s new situation, is sometimes awkward. Jessica (Constance Wu), the mother, stands out the most, with each of her lines conveying an admirable level of snark. Although the show can be trite at times, some scenes are incredibly relatable — to all immigrants, not just Asian-Americans — and therefore hilarious. “Fresh Off the Boat” debuted on Feb. 4 and will have 13 episodes.

“How to Get Away with Murder” follows ﬁve law students and their brilliant criminal defense professor, Annalise Keating (Viola Davis), as they ﬁnd themselves in the middle of a murder plot that could very well ruin them all. Although the producers are still striving for that delicate balance between plot advancement and proper character development, “How to Get Away with Murder” has proven to be tremendously suspenseful and engaging: It offers murder mysteries within murder mysteries, all topped off with scandalous romantic entanglements. Even if the excessive melodrama is off-putting at times, Davis’ impressive and nuanced performance more than makes up for it. Annalise is a powerful character with all the ridges and rough edges of a real, ruthless lawyer, as well as a fragility that makes her human. The show returned from its mid-season hiatus on Jan. 29 and will have 15 episodes.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC

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The Darrell Hammond Project The cliché of the sad clown is one of those stereotypes that is deeply-rooted in truth. Call it biology or psychology or coincidence, but the greatest comedic geniuses are often those who battle the darkest inner demons, as evidenced most recently by the suicide of the much-beloved Robin Williams. There is something undeniably compelling about the macabre irony of a depressed comedian, and “The Darrell Hammond Project,” Darrell Hammond’s one-man stage adaptation of his memoir, examines this irony through the razor-sharp lens of humor, nostalgia and painful retrospect. In doing so, Hammond constructs an intensely, devastatingly personal portrait of mental illness that is perhaps unprecedented in its balance of humor and pathos. In the interest of full disclosure, I should admit at the outset that I am a huge fan of Hammond’s, and was prepared to enjoy his show even if it was just 75 minutes of impressions. Hammond is something of a comedy idol; his 14-year stint on “Saturday Night Live” is the longest in the show’s history, and his impressions of Bill Clinton, Sean Connery and Dick Cheney were as much perfectly executed comedy as they were cultural touchstones. Basically, Hammond’s reputation precedes him. Which makes what he has done with “The Darrell Hammond Project” all the more impressive; instead of coasting on his star power and compiling a show of his greatest hits — as is par for the course for many retired comedians looking to sell tickets — Hammond took a great risk, delving head-first into aspects of his troubled life that were anything but funny. Staged in the black box Potiker Theater at the La Jolla Playhouse, the sparse set, consisting simply of a round table and a wall of childhood mementos, allows Hammond to fully occupy the space in a way that feels very much as if we are inside his mind. The sound and light design, directed by the Playhouse’s artistic chief Christopher Ashley, provides a complete palette of synesthetic immersion. Each impression he does, Hammond reveals, has a specific color that he has to “feel” in his mind in order to perform — Porky Pig, for example, is a light green. As Hammond slips effortlessly in and out of impressions, the stage lights flash in brilliant Technicolor, allowing the audience full access into Hammond’s psychological artistic process. When Hammond recalls his childhood trauma, the stage is bathed in an oppressively bright red. Hammond’s famous Bill Clinton is orange, and

George W. Bush is a blinding yellow. When he speaks as himself, tellingly, the stage lights remain off. “I don’t have a color,” Hammond explains. This type of quiet revelation characterizes the show. Instead of beating us over the head with the hackneyed self-diagnosis that often plagues monodramas about “damaged” individuals, Hammond lets the audience draw its own conclusions about his psychosis. That he can so completely impersonate other individuals because of his own anxiety and self-loathing is one of the many candid admissions Hammond subtly transmits through supremely-crafted jokes and monologues. But it is probably inaccurate to call Hammond’s performance a monologue, when such a diverse cast of characters flicker on and off stage through Hammond’s impressions, from his mother and father to a hooker named Tara to Lorne Michaels and Regis Philbin. All of these characters are fully realized, but exist on the periphery of the production’s larger impetus. Early on in the play, Hammond pulls out his psychological evaluations from cardboard boxes. The imagery is reminiscent of detectives poring over criminal case documents, and when Hammond lays out on the round table the cornucopia of pharmaceutical drugs he has taken over his lifetime, it is with the efficient solemnity of a medical examiner conducting an autopsy. The message is clear: something has perished here, but the cause of death is murky. This is the central mystery of the play, summarized by a question Hammond poses in the first 10 minutes: “Why did I wake up every single day of my life thinking something terrible was going to happen to me?” Around this question Hammond constructs his alternately hilarious and tragic autobiographical history, starting with his difficult childhood and career in comedy and ending with his downward spiral into mental illness. An answer to his question is found eventually in an intense crescendo at the climax of the play, but by the time we get there, we are too busy experiencing the dual catharsis of comedy and tragedy to notice. We are either laughing or crying; it is impossible to tell which. Perhaps Hammond is trying to tell us there is little difference between the two. By Charu Sinha

PHOTO COURTESY OF JIM CARMODY

tphsfalconer.com

arts & entertainment

To show, to teach, to inspire, maybe even to bore — this is, generally, what we think art museums do. Less frequently, perhaps, we think “to shock” or “to scare” are also legitimate functions of art. In “Cognitive Camouflage,” an exhibit on view at A Ship in the Woods in Solana Beach until Feb. 21, the art does just that. The exhibit questions social anxiety in today’s culture, the things that make us uncomfortable, sometimes in a chilling, effective, send-shivers-up-your-spine way. In a way, the gallery — no, art “retreat,” really — is its own “odd man out” compared to traditional museums or galleries. There are no sterile white walls, no perfect hanging arrangements. A Ship in the Woods is not a museum, but it seems that’s the term that comes closest to describing it. Even its alternate spelling — WSOHOIDPS — with the word “SHIP” hidden between “WOODS” — is clever and coy, much like the art it houses. Ship is simply a place for art, and the art is everywhere — hanging from the ceiling, above the fireplace and in an artist’s bedroom. Lissa Corona’s piece “Swipes,” right next to the brick fireplace, is the first of many that seem to engage the viewer directly. It has a simple setup: a video piece played on a tabletop-sized Sony Trinitron TV set, plugged into a vintage Yamaha GA10 amp. The artist smiles on the screen to start, as if getting ready to pose for a picture, but a loud crack soon interrupts the pleasantry as an offscreen hand slaps the artist across the face. She continues to smile. Another slap. More smiling. Another slap: This time, her nose is bleeding and her lip is split. Yet more smiling. The hand grabs her jaw and shoves her face around. Okay, looking away now. It’s something about her being okay with it, being able to hide any pain, that works. It’s unnerving, but absolutely clear what

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Corona is saying with her never-breaking smile about withstanding trauma and maintaining a facade in daily life. The art in “Cognitive Camouflage” is not “fine,” nor does it seem “prepped” for museum display — though this isn’t to say that it isn’t good. The art seems rough and hand-crafted and, most of all, personal. Sometimes, it’s almost too much information, like the viewer is being exposed to each artist’s life — and his or her own life — in each separate piece. With pieces in the living room titled “Bowing” and “Fetal,” Scott Shoemate transforms everyday wooden chairs into tortured, though strangely inanimate, objects. The chairs are smooth and the grain refined, but the seat is bent up, the legs contorted. Perhaps the chair is writhing in pain after being sat in all day, used without any thought or appreciation. At some point, the line between art and life began to blur, so I stepped out on the back deck — which did feel like being on a ship — and was surprised to see stairs to a lower level. In a guest house are two pieces by Margaret Noble. The first consists of a rusty iron chair in front of an equally rusty card file drawer. Titled “Index of Fear,” the piece is essentially made up of 35 minifolders the viewer flips through, each with some sort of document or artifact cataloguing a fear. The open package of a pregnancy test, an IRS notice to seize property, a stained index card on which the word “IMPOVERISHED” is scrawled. Pieces of cardstock that have tiny speakers with glued-on buttons to press are also in the drawer. The sounds range from shrill telephone ringing to harsh barking, and they continue to resonate even as you move on to the next file. The piece makes you feel a confusing slew of feelings — some viewers laugh at others’ fears, and some relate, but others do not — “Index of Fear” is a fairly comprehensive compilation of what fuels human anxiety, and seeing to what we each connect is somewhat eerie. The second, “Head in the Sand,” is an interactive light and sound sculpture, and to start, I had to put my head in the wooden box and wait. The LED lights were almost too bright, the grating, crescendoing music seemed like the build up to a jump scare, and I had to fight the urge to stop and check behind me. Perhaps the highlight of the night was Rhodopsin, a project done by WSOHOIDPS in collaboration with Salk neurobiologist John Reynolds, sound artist Greg Smaller, California Institute of Technology lab manager Daw-An Wu and the Paradox design team from the NewSchool of Architecture and Design. On permanent view at Ship, but activated only on opening nights, Rhodopsin is an experience more than an art piece. Viewers, or rather, participants, are led into a dark hallway where the door is shut and they are immersed in darkness for 10 minutes. Then, they’re led into a square room where the piece starts. Beginning with calming, ambient music, the soundtrack gives way to a bright white flash from the light in the ceiling. The image the viewer sees at that moment, for three microseconds, is imprinted in his or her brain; essentially, the viewer ends up seeing holographic images and shadows of the other people in the room in the pitch black. So for the next three flashes, people can move, jump, dance — and see whatever image they had when the light went off in their heads, almost as if their eyelids were transparent. Experiencing it is one thing, but describing it is nearly impossible, unfortunately. Walking out of Rhodopsin, a voiceover thanks the participants for taking part in the light installation. “Let’s try that again,” people shouted. Maybe, just maybe, there’s something to add to that list: “to excite.”

PHOTOS BY RJ BROOKS/WSOHOIDPS AND GRACE BRUTON/FALCONER

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2015 *Information from The HufďŹ ngton Post

Falcons defeat Westview 67-48 By Fernando Stepensky

By Irene Yu STAFF WRITER Girls basketball (16-7) beat Westview High School (19-4) 67-48 at home on Feb. 6. Starting the first quarter off with a onepoint difference, the Falcons focused on their defensive play by being aggressive throughout the game. “So far we’ve had a really great, competitive and successful season,” head coach Denise Bennett said. “These girls work hard and play together. I have full confidence in my team.” Even though Westview started off strong, with a high percentage of points per possession, the Falcons’ successful free throws and key steals ended the first quarter up 19-18, with guard Madison Lombard (12) scoring a last minute three-pointer. “The score was close, but it was just because [Westview was] hitting some tough shots,” shooting guard Meghan Voss (10) said. “We’ve beaten them before, and we were confident we could do it again.” Guard Christina Ellis (12) led the team with five steals, allowing the Falcons to pull ahead 35-30 in the second quarter. “We’ve definitely improved,” guard Ayli Tulberg said. “Our defense [was] a little off at times but we [were] really meshing well together this game.” Improving their defensive play with a successful full-court press, the Falcons took advantage of Westview’s missed shots and increased their rebounds, ultimately increasing their lead to 49-38. “We’re in a very tough league, and I think we did well in the first half,” Westview head coach Bob McHeffey said. “In the second half [TPHS’] talent really showed. We have to work on executing better at all times.” Leading the team in the third quarter, forward Sierra Campisano (11) scored 6 points, but it was Ellis’ steals that led to a deflated Wolverine defense and 5 more points for the Falcons. “Even though the score seemed close in the beginning of the game, we knew as long as we kept [playing well] and getting steals to frustrate the other team we could get the win,” Voss said. Leading by 20 points by the middle of the fourth quarter, the Falcons secured their win with constant scoring and a total of 10 steals. Campisano and Tulberg led the team, scoring a total of 13 points and ending the game 67-48. The Falcons had already played Westview two other times this season, and,

PHOTOS BY AVERY SPICKER/FALCONER

FAST BREAK: Madison Lombard (3) sprints past a Westview player on a fast break on her way to a layup (TOP). Sierra Campisano (52) shoots a free throw after being fouled (BOTTOM). with this win, the Falcons are undefeated against them. “I thought we played really well as a team, and considering that they were tied with us for their record in league, it’s a really big win for us,” Voss said. Bennett predicts that the rest of the season will be a success. “I expect nothing but competitive games going forward,” Bennett said. “We can’t underestimate anyone that we’re going to be playing. Our goal is just to continue to compete every game the best we can.” The Falcons are hoping to clinch the league title by improving their defensive play

and getting familiar with their opponents’ strategies. “I’m looking forward to developing our defense for the harder teams that we’re going to play,” Tulberg said. “I’m also excited to see everybody just working as a team and scoring points.” Ellis said that it is important for the players to continue working together. “We played great together, and it was a lot of teamwork,” Ellis said. “I feel that we can go far if we keep playing like we are.” The Falcons hosted Mt. Carmel High School (6-13) on Feb. 11, after the Falconer went to press.

Falcons past and present grabbed headlines this month, and congratulations are in order. Jacob Alsadek (‘13) was named a USA Today Freshman All-American as the lone, albeit redshirt, freshman offensive lineman on the Arizona Wildcats football team. Alsadek, who started at right guard for 10 games, helped lead the way for running back Nick Wilson, who rushed for over 1,000 yards. It is great to see that Alsadek, who was on the 2012 All-Palomar League First-Team, has continued to impress in college. Marek Sullivan (12) was named the UT San Diego player of the week, just as TPHS Basketball was voted No. 1 in San Diego County. Sullivan’s award was well-deserved, after he posted a double-double against Mt. Carmel. More importantly, Sullivan hit 14 points in the home rivalry match against La Costa Canyon High School, which was No. 1 at the time. The last U-T poll had the Falcons ﬁrst followed by Foothills (San Marcos) High School, LCC, San Marcos High School, Army-Navy Academy, and El Camino High School. The regular season may be about to wrap up, but there is no question whether or not the Falcons will be looking to the CIF title and the state title as well. National Signing Day also took place last week, and athletes across our sports landscape committed to top academic and athletic universities around the country. Looking past the commitments to San Diego State University, Bates College, Princeton University, University of Chicago, and many more from our senior class, juniors have also committed. It is clear that the Falcons’ recognition of highachieving student athletes will continue for years to come. What I liked about the committed athletes this year was that they picked the colleges that best suited them. Being on varsity tennis for two years now, I have seen the recruiting process many times because we have always had a number of ranked and highly sought-after players. There have been commits that seemed like they made more sense for the school than for the player, but I am hard-pressed to ﬁnd an athlete this year who didn’t commit for the right reasons. Whether it was wanting to make an immediate impact on the team, going to a school with strong academics, or just being in a town where they would be happy, I am truly pleased with this year’s athletic commitments. I can’t remember a month at TPHS with this much individual and team success. The rising talent is equally impressive and will keep the Falcon tradition of athletic excellence alive across all sports.

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Boys soccer annihilates Westview 10-2

Wolverine was given a yellow card, providing the Falcons with a penalty kick. The Westview goalie COPY EDITOR failed to block Booth’s shot, bringing the score to 5-1. “It was another opportunity to score, and I went Boys soccer (14-4-4) crushed the Westview High there confident, took it, and it went in,” Booth said. The Falcons scored two more goals in quick School Wolverines (4-11-2) 10-2 on Feb. 6 when forward Asher Booth (12), left forward Matt Botsford succession — one by Botsford, who ran straight to (12) and right midfielder Bailey Buckley (12) scored the goal, unhindered by the Wolverine defense, and two goals each. Right midfielder Allen Katz (12), left one by Copp, who headed the ball into the net. By wing Blake McAtee (12), defensive midfielder Peter then, the score was 7-1 and the Falcons had taken Copp (11) and center midfielder Drew Young (10) complete control of the game. Twenty minutes into the second half, Young took each scored one. “We started scoring early and dominated the the ball and ran it to Westview’s side, weaving in and out of players without hesitating or slowing whole game,” goalie Dan Bessudo (11) said. Booth had a shot on goal blocked only 30 seconds down. Though his run did not result in a goal, it into the game, and a minute later McAtee scored put enough pressure on Westview’s defense to send the first goal of the contest after intercepting the Wolverine head coach Martin Coughlin scrambling ball. Westview bounced back quickly, driving the to make more substitutions. Even as Westview tried to ball toward the Falcons’ side and stay in the game, sparing no pressuring their defense, but opportunity to rush onto TPHS’ six minutes into the first half, half of the field, the Falcon the aggressive play earned the The passing was very defense held the Wolverines at Wolverines a yellow card. The Falcons capitalized on Westview’s precise, the movement bay. No goals were scored until second half’s 27-minute miscue, and Booth headed the was very good, the mark, when Westview kicked the ball past their goalie four minutes later. the teamwork was ball past substitute goalie Paul (9), bringing the score to “We went out and got some excellent. Bartlet 8-2. early goals and really put this The last three minutes of the team away nice and quick,” Booth -Andy Hargreaves match featured goals from Young said. “Every game I go out and ... TPHS Head Coach and Katz, bringing the final score [try to] be in the right place at the to 10-2. right time and have that chance According to Coughlin, Westview’s strategy to just put it away.” Though the game seemed to be shifting in favor of against TPHS was to “work hard, dig deep and play the Falcons, the Wolverines refused to give up and as well as [the team] could.” Coughlin conceded that finally scored 14 minutes into the first half, shooting Westview “just got beat by a better team.” “[The Falcons] couldn’t have performed much the ball above Bessudo’s head to make the score 3-1. For most of the first half, the game was better,” TPHS head coach Andy Hargreaves said. concentrated in the center of the field, but a few “The passing was very precise, the movement was players managed to break through. Botsford had very good, the teamwork was excellent, and nobody two shots on goal and McAtee had one, but it was was trying to be an individual.” Bessudo said that the team will “keep winning” ultimately Buckley who scored with an assist from Jagger Havlik (12) with two minutes left, ending the this season, and has a “good chance at winning the league and going far in CIF playoffs.” half at 4-1, Falcons. TPHS played Mt. Carmel High School (6-9-1) on The momentum shifted again to the Falcons’ side two minutes into the second half, when another Feb. 11, after the Falconer went to press.

By Maya Rao

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photos by grace bruton/falconer

Down the field: Blake McAtee (10) dribbles and competes for possession (ABOVE). Liam Kelly (6) sprints past an opponent (BELOW).

Girls soccer edged out by Wolverines 1-0 By Amanda Chen STAFF WRITER

Girls soccer (10-4-4) lost to Westview High School (9-8-2) 1-0 at Westview on Feb. 6. The game opened with a series of aggressive offensive plays by the Wolverines and good footwork on the Falcons’ side. “We kept them out of our end and we did a pretty good job holding on to the ball in the first half of the game,” Westview coach Peter Stogsdill said. Fifteen minutes into the first half, Westview player Grace McLeod followed up on a teammate’s long, high shot, kicking it into the goal, which goalkeeper Veronica Romines (12) was unable to block. “Our goalie is a great goalie and she just

mishandled that one,” head coach Martyn Hansford said. “Defense didn’t back her up ... they should’ve [defended] her [more].” Stogsdill said that the goal was “pretty fortunate” for the Westview team, as was a goal in the Falcons’ Jan. 21 loss to the Wolverines, an outcome Stogsdill had hoped to repeat. In the second half, Hansford made a change to get more control of the ball by shifting defender Gianna Montini to midfield. “[Our formation] wasn’t working the best for us because it gave in too much ball at midfield,” Hansford said. “At halftime we went back to our usual back three.” The Falcons entered the second half energized and immediately put the Wolverines on defense. “The first half wasn’t our best, but we were winning most of the balls in the air,”

captain Lucy Ferrari (12) said. “We weren’t at the top of our game in the first half. In the second half, we came out a lot better, and we shut them down.” Despite several near misses and a strong showing in the second half, the Falcons did not manage to score, giving the Wolverines the win. “Our strategy against Westview, like it always has been, is to [avoid getting] behind if we can, which didn’t work out quite the way we wanted it to tonight,” Hansford said. According to Ferrari, the two schools have developed a fierce rivalry. “I think in the end they wanted it more than us, and we kind of underestimated them,” Ferrari said. Midfielder Christina Bragado (11) attributes the Wolverine win to the intensity and passion with which they

played, but she praised her team. “We held our composure well and kept fighting to the last minute,” Bragado said. “I think this will make us go harder on our next game.” According to Hansford, with players’ club commitments, injuries, illnesses and college visits, one of the team’s biggest challenges this season has been maintaining a consistent lineup. Despite issues with the lineup, Hansford was pleased with the team performance. “We don’t need to reinvent the way we play. We’re a good team,” Hansford said. “We play good soccer, but the one thing we haven’t done as well this year is score as many goals.” The Falcons played at Mt. Carmel High School (5-11-3) on Feb. 11 after the Falconer went to press and will play Poway High School (9-5-2) at Poway on Feb. 13.

CRISSCROSS: Eva Buechler (7) tries to reverse field to get past a defender (LEFT). Allie Omens (17) prepares to cross the ball to her awaiting teammates (RIGHT).

photos by eric cunningham/falconer

tphsfalconer.com

DAY IN THE

LIFE

The Falconer proﬁles basketball star Sierra Campisano (11), who recently committed to the University of Oregon.

Breathing heavily, Sierra Campisano (11) glances at the clock as it counts down the seconds to the end of the game. On defense, Campisano jumps to block the opponent’s last shot as the final buzzer sounds, signaling a Falcon win. The crowd rises to a standing ovation, congratulating the team, and among it stands Campisano’s greatest influence and strongest supporter — her mom. “My mom played Division I basketball, so she was a huge basketball person, and she taught me how to play when I was younger,” Campisano said. From a young age, Campisano’s dream has been to play Division I basketball in college — a dream now fulfilled with her mid-January commitment to the University of Oregon team. “Ever since I was really little, like since kindergarten, when anyone asked what I wanted to do I said ‘I want to play Division

sports I basketball in college,’” Campisano said. “I started getting really serious about it in 7th grade and started doing extra workouts.” Through her participation in club basketball and in showcases, such as the Check Me Out SoCal Showcase, Campisano has been noticed and recruited by many colleges across the country. “There are certain days [when] colleges can come see you, which start in July,” Campisano said. “You go into really big tournaments and all the coaches fly in and look for players with talent.” Earlier this year, Campisano narrowed down the college offers she was considering to five: University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Stanford University, University of Colorado Boulder and University of Nebraska. She ultimately decided to commit to the University of Oregon because it was a “perfect fit.” “They just got a new coaching staff,” Campisano said. “The [basketball] program wasn’t really good in previous years but one of the best coaches in the nation moved there and I really just believe in his mission. And I went up for a visit and I just felt so comfortable there, and I just really believed that Oregon can be one of the top.” Campisano said that being committed to college as a junior in high school is a “huge weight off her shoulders.” “Now I can focus on high school basketball, which is my favorite, and hopefully get that CIF championship,” Campisano said. Campisano also received a lot of attention outside of college recruiters when she was nominated as both a Player of the Week and a Player of the Month in the San Diego Union-Tribune. “It’s just such a big honor [being nominated] because there’s not a lot of athletes that get chosen and there are a lot of athletes in San Diego and they’re all really talented,” Campisano said. Campisano’s talent in basketball comes from her dedication to practice. Having been a part of the TPHS Varsity Basketball team since her freshman year, Campisano actively participates in school practices as well as in her own individual practices. “We have high school practice every day except Sundays,” Campisano said. “But I go in and work out on my own with my personal trainer a lot more often than that so many days a week I’ll practice twice a day.” According to Campisano, if the opportunity comes up, she would definitely pursue basketball after college. Regardless of whether or not that happens, Campisano wants to do something in the future that is related to what she loves — sports. “I’m going to go for broadcasting communication [in college] — some kind of journalistic or sports related thing since I want to stay in sports — and then I’ll probably double major in that and education,” Campisano said. Standing tall at 6 feet 3 inches, Campisano has a lot ahead of her. And though in 2016 she will be playing proudly for the Oregon Ducks, for now she stands proudly amidst the applause and cheers, hoping to continue to win games this season and next, to keep alive her hope of winning a CIF Championship. By Sarah Kim

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PHOTOS BY ROBBIE JOHNSON/FALCONER

OREGON DU(N)CKS: Sierra Campisano, averaging 23.7 points per game, pivots toward the basket and jumps to sink another shot.

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f/stop simon ilko varsity boys soccer feb. 6, 6:30:32 p.m.

camera: canon eos 5d mark iii lens: canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM iso: 4000 exp: 1/320 seconds f/stop: f/5.6 by grace bruton

february 12, 2015

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FALCON TRIES: NINTENDO 64 BY DAVID JAFFE It was a typical sunny day on our TPHS campus when I was eavesdropping on students’ conversations while strolling about at lunchtime. It’s part of the job – to be the eyes and ears of important, if not clandestine, student exchanges. On this particular day, I couldn’t help but intrude on a conversation between a few students discussing my life’s greatest passion. No, not my children or my career in education, but the cutthroat sport of video gaming. Fernando Stepensky and his friends did not balk at my intrusion into their conversation, but did exchange a sympathetic glance as I tossed out a few of my gamer nuggets. Clearly, they had not heard the rumors of Mr. Jaffe’s mad skills. Feeling a bit indignant that my reputation hadn’t preceded me, I jumped at Stepensky’s suggestion to participate in a gentleman’s challenge someday soon and walked away. I hadn’t made it back into my office before Stepensky extended a smacking e-vite to battle. “Ok, when am I creaming you in MarioKart and Super Smash Bros on the Nintendo 64?” My eyebrows rose at the brass of this grasshopper. “You have the hubris of a young man,” I responded. “You assume an old man has lost his skills. I accept your challenge.” Like any fledgling player, Stepensky was eager to get in the last word — even if it was followed by a cutesy emoticon. He wrote “You pick the time, date and place and I’ll show you how to play Mario games correctly ;)” There was no time to waste; I needed to find a highly-trained wingman to back me up on the challenge. I sifted through my TPHS staff, and interviewed only the best and brightest of gamers. Mike Santos, after passing a series of intense tests, stood out amongst the hundreds of applicants. He spoke fluidly in “gamersese” and submitted an impressive resume of video gaming wins and expertise. It was decided. Santos would be the Goose to my Maverick — that’s a “Top Gun” reference for my young readers. On Friday, Feb. 6 at 1:00 p.m. in the journalism room, the challenge began. A quick glance around the room revealed a vintage Nintendo 64 — it was an advantage for the elder players to use their familiar technology, I suppose. On the wall, hoisted eight feet above the ground, was a true handicap for the recently myopic: a 32-inch TV. Despite my years of experience, I was strangely nervous. I wondered if the time I took away from the remote controller to raise my young had taken a toll. Santos also appeared slightly twitchy. Had I picked

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Principal Jaffe teams up with Assistant Principal Santos to take on Sports Editor Fernando Stepensky and his best friend, Simon Ilko in Nintendo 64.

the right man, or was his twitchiness attributable to his seven straight sleepless nights due to his newborn baby? I began hedging. I felt compelled to reveal a recent injury. My fourth digit was paralyzed and droopy due to a football accident and was further exacerbated by the sub-par controller not being ergonomically correct. Stepensky and Ilko were composed, albeit a touch overlycompassionate, to my woes. However, I was all too familiar with seasoned sand-baggers and their thirst for blood. Let the games begin. Mario Kart was our first choice. I strategically selected Donkey Kong as my character in a psychological attempt to intimidate with the iconic and indomitably muscular digital ape. I have no words to describe what happened next. Within the first five seconds I crashed into a wall and died. Horrified and afraid, I attempted to divert attention via irritation. I began to chatter incessantly. Santos gave me a long glare that begged for my composure. Stepensky and Ilko, not taking their eyes off of the TV screen, asked, “Mr. Jaffe, are you going to talk the whole time?” Before I could respond, I’d lost the first game. Devastation swept through my body. It was then I remembered something Athene, who is ranked as the world’s best gamer, once told me — “to stay ahead of the game, you have to keep your head in the game.” And so, I dug deep. Indeed, my old skills returned and my confidence soared. My Jedi reflexes were back as I rushed into second place. With building confidence, we transitioned into Super Smash Brothers. Santos let out a cheer when we won the next match. At this point, I may have erupted into an embarrassingly childish — yet satisfying — victory dance. Buoyed by our previous win, I was confident we had it in the bag. Alas, fate smiled on youth and Ilko proved to be the best man, taking the title. Feeling like the Devil Who Went to Georgia, I laid down my controller. Yes, I’d gotten a win, but accepting even one defeat had humbled me. How could this have happened? All my years of training, all the books I didn’t read, all the dates I didn’t go on — everything was wasted in this one cruel moment. The competition ended, and it was time to go back to running the school. I looked back at the two boys only to catch a gleam in each of their eyes. I saw a bit of myself in them and thought: They’re so lucky.

PHOTOS BY GRACE BRUTON/FALCONER

GAME!: Principal Jaffe and Assistant Principal Santos run through an emotional gauntlet.

The Falconer is excited to bring you, our loyal readers, our February issue. We would say we couldn’t have done it without you, except we definitely did it without you.

A MESSAGE FROM THE TPHS ADMINISTRATION Happy second semester, Falcons! Only 119 days until the end of the year, when we don’t have to tolerate your greasy, acne-ridden, angst-filled presences for two blissful months, in which the words “Yik Yak” will neither be spoken nor thought of. Not that we’re counting, or anything.

How to Pay for College: A Definitive Guide This issue, we outlined the different ways students can pay for college in our Focus section. However, if you are still confused about or frustrated with your payment options, or are just unsure of how to approach student loans, we have compiled several alternative methods for you to consider: 1. Organ “donation”: If you think about it, having two kidneys is just an unnecessary hassle. Why waste all that internal abdominal space on a superfluous second kidney, when you could quite easily profit with the simple help of a PayPal account and a goateed back alley surgeon named Mikey. One kidney pays for: one Psych 101 textbook. 2. Human being “donation”: The logical extension of organ donation is donating a full human being, organs and all. Sit down all of your immediate family members and tell them that, frankly, if they cared at all about your higher education, they would allow themselves to be sold into the human trafficking industry in order to finance your private school tuition. One midsized human being pays for: first year meal plan. 3. Part-time job: All you lazy, coddled millennials haven’t done an honest day’s work in your life. Back in the old days the men were real men,

who worked hard on the weekends to pay for their $50-per-year college costs. Simply ﬁnd a job at a decent place of business, like a bookstore or a Blockbuster, and stop complaining! Neither bookstores nor Blockbusters exist anymore, but one year’s worth of work at a minimum-wage job pays for: 1/4000 of a college semester. 4. Gambling: After being saddled with mountains of interest and pursued relentlessly by loan sharks, you may want to consider taking up a casual interest in gambling. Sure, you’ll lose a couple thousand times, and you might feel yourself slipping imperceptibly further into the cold, clammy hands of debt, but if you win this next round, you could pay back all of that and more! And you could ﬁnally get a hot

meal, and maybe even an apartment, and — oh, oh. So close, but not quite. Maybe on the next try? 5 straight days at a slot machine pays for: McNuggets after trip to bail bonds office. 5. Blackmailing the financial aid office: Hear us out. If you have exhausted every other financial aid option, blackmail might be your best bet. Stake out the financial aid office with hidden microphones and cameras. Gain the trust of all those who work there. Befriend a hacker. Mine the trash bins for incriminating credit card receipts. Gather their secrets and exploit them. One extramarital affair pays for: two semesters abroad in Europe. 6. Couch cushions: Have you checked under them? There must be some change under there.

What is this ... where’s the screen? -You, probably On Reading a Newspaper