Falconer February 2020 Issue

Vol. 45, Issue 5, 24 pages

Friday, February 21, 2020

A Night Above

the Clouds FORMAL on A2

photo by anna jeong/falconer

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Kevin Song

FEATURE EDITOR Daniel Liu (12) was named a Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS) Scholar in early January for his project entitled “Adversarial Point Perturbations on 3D Objects.”

With 1,993 applications this year, Regeneron STS is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.

Every year since its conception in 1942, it has recognized the nation’s top young scientists for their outstanding research skills, commitment to academics and and innovative solutions to real-world problems; the top 300 applicants are named Scholars. Of those 300 Scholars, 40 finalists are then announced.

“To participate, you need to have done a research project, usually ... in the summer between junior and senior year,” Liu said. “You undergo an application process

[similar to the college application process], so you write essays about yourself, other aspects, and your extracurriculars.”

Liu’s topic, artificial intelligence (AI), is commonly seen, but what he believes separates his work from others in his field is his focus on security, which is not commonly researched.

“I looked at how to attack artificial intelligence,” Liu said. “For example, if you have artificial intelligence to identify stuff on the street for self-driving cars, we can modify objects on the street [to force] the artificial intelligence to make wrong predictions. That’s kind of dangerous.”

Liu conducted his research at the UC San Diego Su Lab, led by Assistant Professor Hao Su. Because the lab is affiliated with the UC San Diego Department of Computer Science and Engineering, it had advanced computer programs that allowed Liu to visualize such situations in 3D, “I did my research in 3D,” Liu said.

“The lab I worked with … specializes in 3D

photo by ariana huang/falconer

Srishti Thapar

STAFF WRITER The TPHS annual Winter Formal, this year themed “A Night Above the Clouds,” was hosted by the cheer team on Feb. 8 at the House of Blues from 8 p.m to 11 p.m.

The cheerleaders took a couple of weeks to decide on the theme.

“A lot of us seniors really liked Greek mythology and we liked the idea of clouds and the colors of a starry night,” Victoria Prouty (12) said.

The over 700 tickets sold, priced at $50 with an ASB sticker, $55 without and $60 for guests, surpassed last year’s sales. The dance is one of the biggest fundraisers for the cheer team.

“Overall, [coming up with the theme] was a pretty long process … the parents help a lot with it, but brainstorming took a while … especially since this year is 2020, so a lot of people wanted to do the roaring 20’s, but we couldn’t do that because it was last year’s theme,” Stella Bruce (11) said.

The cheerleaders and cheer parents decided to hold the 2020 Formal at the same venue as last year because the House of Blues is safe for students, and HOB management worked well with Formal organizers last year.

“If it works and it’s a good location and we can get that date … then let’s go back to a place where they had fun, rather than rolling the dice at someplace that they might not like as much,” Principal Rob Coppo said.

As party buses and limousines arrived at the entrance of House of Blues, hundreds of students formed a line.

After getting their bags checked and bodies scanned at the entrance, there was a balcony in the House of Blues where students could drop off their bags. Looking down from the balcony, there was a clear view of the stage, which had alternating colors that illuminated the room.

Down a few flights of stairs, students lined up for the photobooth, with a variety

of props like Viking hats and signs with fun catchphrases, as well as an eight-person foosball table.

There were jumbo chocolate bars and Ring Pops. Decorated around the candy stations were cotton clouds and mini “ancient” Greek pillars, some scattered with laurel wreaths and strands of gold.

Students could take a break after

Be prepared to let it get loud and drink a lot of water before because it gets loud and hot. Don’t hold back. If you’re going to get weird, get weird.

artificial intelligence stuff.”

The research Liu conducted for submission to the 2020 Regeneron STS is not his first. The inspiration for his research project came from previous research he also conducted at the Su Lab. “The project I submitted to the competition was stuff I learned from my first research [with the lab] a year before,” Liu said. “ I was like, ‘Oh, I can explore this specific area that I didn’t have time to do before.”

february 21, 2020

Admittedly, Liu did not always love research; it wasn’t until he continued conducting more research that he discovered his passion.

“At least in the beginning I didn’t like research — I liked to just create random stuff, [like] programming stuff,” Liu said.

“But then, I tried out research in biology plus computer science, or bioinformatics … after my ninth grade year ... and I didn’t really enjoy it at first. But then later, I was like, ‘No, actually, it’s not that bad.’”

Liu’s favorite part of the research process is when it culminates in findings and a report.

“I like presenting [my research],” Liu said. “[Also], writing papers to bring all my ideas together is fun.”

Because Liu initially disliked research but later discovered that he enjoyed

it, he understands that the initial dive into research can be most intimidating; however, he encourages all prospective researchers to be willing to take a risk.

“The difficult part is actually taking the leap into doing [research],” Liu said.

“Once you take the leap ... it’s easy to get opportunities. The main concern most people have is [that they] don’t know enough. But, you don’t need to know a lot, since research is specific and you just need to know stuff in that very specific area.”

Liu also encourages students to be assertive in their attempts to pique the interests of possible mentors and labs.

“Just email anyone, and don’t be afraid of asking,” Liu said. “The worst thing that can happen is that they’ll turn you down, and the best thing that can happen is a lot of stuff.”

Although Liu sees a lack of interest in science fairs at TPHS, he said there are plenty of opportunities TPHS students don’t take advantage of.

“In this local area, there are a bunch of science fairs,” Liu said. “They’re mostly dominated by CCA, but I feel like Torrey Pines people should know about them.”

According to Liu, the most popular are the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair (GSDSEF), the California Science and Engineering Fair, and the Junior Science and Humanities Symposia (JSHS). Each of these local competitions also feed into national and international contests for each region’s top entries.

“The end goal for most people would be the International Science Fair,” Liu said.

“It’s around like almost 2,000 people from all over the world.”

All in all, Liu sees research competitions like the ones he named as pathways for students to explore their interests.

“It’s competitive … it’s very competitive,” Liu said. “But, it’s a good opportunity to just try your hand at research.”

That room was also a station where attendees could relax and grab some goodies from the candy bar or rest their feet after dancing.

Halfway into the dance, the heavilypromoted balloon drop, composed of white and gold balloon to follow the Greek theme, was released.

Students compared this year’s Formal to past years’ dances.

“Last year’s [Formal] was more fun because we were freshmen and we went with a smaller group,” Munce said.

Other students felt that their experience

was relatively similar to that of last year’s Formal.

“So far, it’s pretty similar except it takes so long for us to get in. This venue is particularly slow,” Renner said.

Students advised their peers who have not yet attended Formal to prepare and enjoy themselves.

“Be prepared to let it get loud and drink a lot of water before because it gets loud and hot … don’t hold back. If you’re going to get weird, get weird,” Renner said.

The night ended with guests leaving around 10 to 11 p.m.

It’s competitive... But, it’s a good opportunity to just try your hand at research.

Daniel Liu (12)

REGENERON STS SCHOLAR

Mia Renner (11) STUDENT

dancing hard in the mosh pit by munching popcorn and refresh themselves with cups of pink lemonade or water.

Students appreciated that they could dance their hearts out in the mosh pit.

“I like hanging out with people and my friends and being able to goof off and sing and dance and not be judged for it,” 3-time attendee Mia Renner (11) said.

Others simply appreciated the selection of music. “[I enjoy] the songs that they play and how hype everyone gets during the fun songs,” Brooklyn Munce (10) said. “The song I liked the most was ‘My Type.’ That’s always a fun one that everyone dances to.”

Those who wanted a break from the music could go to an adjacent room with casino games like blackjack, roulette, poker and craps.

photo by anna jeong/falconer

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tphsfalconer.com

Miki Vogel

COPY EDITOR Fourteen students from Kyoto Women’s High School in Kyoto, Japan spent Jan. 31 to Feb. 7 joining TPHS students in classes and exciting activities throughout San Diego.

The exchange program was brought to TPHS four years ago by a Japanese National Honor Society member.

Participating Kyoto students improve their English proficiency in order to fulfill a requirement to graduate at KWHS. This year, four San Diego schools — TPHS, Canyon Crest Academy, Hilltop High School and Eastlake High School — participated in the study abroad program and hosted different groups of KWHS students.

TPHS Japanese teacher Sato Umabe has continued to successfully coordinate a hands-on and informative week for both TPHS and Kyoto students.

“I try to provide an authentic experience for both Torrey Pines students and the Kyoto girls and have them be connected,” Umabe said. “I want to give them the opportunity to communicate with each other in two different languages.”

JNHS hosted a welcome party at Moonlight Beach following the Japanese students’ arrival on Jan. 31. Yoshino Nobara, a Japanese language arts teacher at KWHS, joined her students as the adviser for the trip.

“I got to relax and have a wonderful time with my students at Moonlight Beach,” Nobara said. “Ms. Umabe prepared

Colette Chiang and Piper Levy

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND STAFF WRITER Aeries was shut down on Jan. 30 due to a vulnerability in the system, resulting in SDUHSD working closely with the San Diego Police Department and the San Diego County Office of Education to investigate and resolve the issue.

In a statement sent by superintendent Robert Haley on Jan. 30, SDUHSD “discovered potential security issues” and temporarily disabled outside access to Aeries “out of an abundance of caution.”

He was very clear that Aeries was the only system impacted.

“The timing is very tricky at the end of the semester with grades due and college applications and transcripts that have to go out,” Principal Rob Coppo said.

The statement from the district was

everything and her students were so helpful.”

Students were able to experience various sides of American culture while visiting hotspots around San Diego. A host and JNHS member, Eric Li (12), spent time in La Jolla with his exchange student.

“There was a day we went to UTC and then Convoy,” Li said. “We went to the AMC and watched a movie, which was really fun. We had a whole group of host families with us.”

The exchange students also joined

Japanese language,” KWHS student Miyu Murayama said. “I was able to properly challenge my language skills.”

Near the end of their week-long trip, the Kyoto students presented Japanese culture, including toys and anime, to a lecture hall of TPHS students and staff.

“I loved the Torrey Pines students. I was shocked at how the students were so active and independent,” Nobara said.

“They were so kind and helpful to myself and other teachers.”

Spending a week in California, TPHS

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and KWHS students experienced the difficulty of language barriers and the wonderful opportunities of cultural exchanges.

“It’s hard to communicate. [My exchange student] is really loud around the Kyoto girls, but when she’s in the house, it gets quiet,” Li said.

The KWHS exchange students left TPHS on Feb. 7 and toured around Los Angeles until Feb. 11. Next year, Umabe hopes to continue the study abroad program with KWHS.

I loved the Torrey Pines students. I was shocked at how the students were so active and independent. They were so kind and helpful to myself and other teachers.

Yoshino Nobara

KWHS LANGUAGE ARTS TEACHER TPHS students in their classes, including Umabe’s Japanese courses.

“It was surprisingly really hard to teach Ms. Umabe’s students my own

the only information provided to both staff and students, causing some confusion for teachers.

“My first knowledge that anything was going on — I didn’t know that it was hacking by a student or anything like that — came from the email from the district that said Aeries would no longer be available to teachers at home,” TPHS chemistry teacher Angela Willden said.

As a result of the shutdown, students were only able to access their first semester grades while on school wifi, which, according to Lauren Um (11), was frustrating.

“It was right after finals, so we were all worried about our grades,” Um said.

Teachers were given two day extensions to submit first semester grades, and history teacher Colin Cornforth “waited a little bit longer [than he] typically does to put in final grades” due to his uncertainty

photo courtesy of sato umabe

of Aeries’ safety.

On Feb. 10, Haley sent out another statement, which included that “the district technology department has made the necessary enhancements to the Aeries system and has reopened” the portal, and transcripts were then released.

Meanwhile, students have been speculating about the cause of Aeries’ shutdown, the most prominent being the rumor that “someone hacked into Aeries to change someone’s grades,’’ according to Um. One student claimed to have noticed a shift in her grades about a week before the shutdown.

“It was like two weeks before finals and [my grades] went down from low A’s to high B’s [even though no new grades had been entered],” Susan Scott* said. “I was talking to Mr. Cornforth about it for the whole week … trying to figure out what

was wrong until [the issue] went to the district.”

Cornforth began to “suspect something” as a result of his conversation with Scott.

“A discussion with an admin team began to reveal the full severity of what was happening,” Cornforth said.

But specifics regarding the cause of the shutdown, future precautions and the investigation are currently unavailable.

“Because this is still an on-going investigation, there is not much information I can share,” Tina Douglas, SDUHSD Associate Superintendent of Business Services, said.

Though little information has been released to the TPHS community, according to Coppo, the district’s next step will “depend on the investigation and how it plays out.” *name changed to protect student’s identity

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Jasmine Criqui and Micah Levy STAFF WRITERS

A new SDUHSD student connectedness program, a bimonthly 30-minute long period, will be implemented in the 202021 school year for classroom activities unrelated to the state curriculum. The program will accompany other changes to the schedule, such as the creation of a daily zero period.

“The goal is to have a time in the day when we can focus on things like safety, TPTV, the Falconer surveys, where to find stuff and just general student connectedness things,” Principal Rob Coppo said.

The district used feedback from teachers, student representatives from all ten district school sites and information from the student summit to come up with drafts of how Student Connectedness could work.

Esther Choi

ASSISTANT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Internet Safety for Everyone (ISAFE) is a student-led, off-campus organization focused on combatting the spread of Internet disinformation, misinformation and cyberbullying.

Currently the club has five members, two of whom are TPHS seniors. Stefan Prestrelski and Samuel Jafek, the president and vice president of outreach for ISAFE respectively, co-founded the organization with three other students near the end of their sophomore year in 2018.

Since then, they, along with juniors Samantha Prestrelski and Alex Chen from Canyon Crest Academy and sophomore Zoe Lee Greenblatt (10) from Cathedral Catholic High School, have held weekly online meetings and video calls.

When they first convened, there was a period of organization and education, as the members had to research, prepare and create their website, which was created

by Samantha Prestrelski, before starting to attend events and hold educational workshops at local venues.

“We didn’t really know anything so there was a long period where it was just us reading and setting up the website before we could do anything,” Jafek said.

Their first official workshop was held after school ended in June, when the organization co-hosted a panel discussion for the Autism Society in San Diego with another independent speaker.

“We talked about different ways that you could be more aware of your child’s needs and be able to keep them more safe online,” Jafek said.

The speaker from the Autism Society workshop, Jon Moffat, is from Cyber Education Consulting, a technology education service that gives presentations in the Del Mar area about cybersecurity and protecting oneself from Internet dangers.

The program has suffered from miscommunication between students and teachers about its purpose, with many mistakenly believing it to be a group therapy session. Coppo assures that this is not the case.

“Some teachers and some students have seen this as ‘Oh, this is going to be like a Challenge Day but every other week,’ and that is not the point of this time,” Coppo said. “I don’t think you can separate student connectedness from mental health, but it’s not specifically SEL mental health time.”

Many students who have heard that this policy is a “social-emotional learning” one are uncomfortable at the thought of sharing personal information in front of peers.

“I don’t know that a group setting would be the best environment for each individual student’s mental health,” Krista Lambson (10) said. “I think that some kids definitely

“When it comes to technology, Internet safety is the most important aspect of it to me,” Moffat said. “... We’re creating all this content about our lives, and we’re putting it out there not thinking about how it’s going to be used in our future.”

Normally the people we’re giving the workshops to are more informed [afterwards].

Stefan Prestrelski

PRESIDENT OF OUTREACH They held another workshop at the Carmel Valley Library for elementary to middle school-aged children and parents and with the Girls Who Code organization at Canyon Crest Academy.

“We went over popular social media and how to set up privacy settings and what some things you should look for are,” Jafek said.

Prestrelski created ISAFE after a cyberbullying incident he faced in his sophomore year that raised his awareness about a lack of education about Internet safety.

“Some of my friends shared the same concerns I did … so my sister [Samantha Prestrelski] and I came up with this idea … and that’s how we started the organization,” Prestrelski said.

The students say their efforts have made a positive contribution to the local Del Mar community.

“Normally the people we’re giving the workshops to are more informed [afterwards],” Prestrelski said. “I feel that we’ve also become a bit more informed on

It could be a game, it could be a puzzle, it could be some sort of activity that’s just really a break from school that allows you to calm down a little bit.

Matt Chess

TPHS SOCIAL SCIENCE TEACHER feel more comfortable talking to a trusted adult or peer one-on-one.”

The student connectedness policy will also keep students informed of counselorrelated resources, especially those possibly

the trends and what people should look out for.”

Their reach has extended beyond San Diego as well.

“A Girl Scout troop from somewhere in the Midwest sent us an email to say, ‘We were doing our cyber safety merit badge and we found your website; we thought it was super helpful,’” Jafek said.

Four adult coordinators, also parents of the students in the organization, assist in big picture problems and coordinating events.

Tracey Yeo, the main coordinator and mother of the president, Stefan Prestrelski, and vice president of technology, Samantha Prestrelski, has been with ISAFE every step of the way. As someone with decades of experience in product development consulting and biomedical research, Yeo brings experience and advice to the table.

“I give them feedback … when they come to me for help and also before they give a big workshop … [such as the one] for the Autism Society,” Yeo said.

As a parent, Yeo is grateful for an

photo courtesy of stefan prestrelski

february 21, 2020

necessary throughout their high school career.

“Personally, I think that talking one-onone with a counselor is a bit intimidating, although I do appreciate the privacy and confidentiality,” Lambson said.

Because the policy is not social-emotional learning, students will be informed of other counselor-related resources to support students’ mental health, including emotional aid programs, pathways and high school and college information.

Teachers will not receive additional compensation for their participation in the program because it will be considered part of a normal work day, but they will be given the flexibility to choose how to run the 30-minute program.

“It could be a game, it could be a puzzle, it could be some sort of activity that’s just really a break from school that allows you to calm down a little bit,” said Matt Chess, a TPHS social science teacher and member of the Social Emotional Learning Committee.

Coppo agrees with Chess that the new program will allow students to get some relief from their personal stress. Although the program is a new one, Coppo hopes that both students and teachers will make good use of the student connectedness time.

In an email to the staff, Coppo said, “Students from all schools in the district shared that the pressure they are under at home, in school and in their social groups, is significant, and they need opportunities to share their voices, decompress and connect with each other in a supportive environment.”

The direction in which the studentconnectedness program will lead TP staff members and students is still unclear but many are willing to embrace the new program.

“I think that everyone will just have to see how this goes and view this as kind of a trial-run,” Lambson said. “If we have to adjust, we will adjust.”

opportunity to educate others about the Internet and social media. “[Parents] don’t really know much about social media, [such as] the most updated stuff or video games,” Yeo said. “We were talking with a lot of other parents and they feel the same way; they really want to be involved and help the younger kids but there’s really not a lot of information out here.”

ISAFE members have future community events on the calendar, like a presentation at Carmel Valley Middle School and helping local Girl Scout troops receive their Internet safety and computer usage badges.

Two of the five members of the club are set to graduate in June but plan to recruit their replacements.

“Sam [Jafek] and I will probably still help out even when we’re in college, depending on how much time we have, because it’s still something that means a lot to us,” Prestrelski said.

(Learn more about this organization at www.isafesd.org.)

S

In a study conducted by UCLA’s Institute of Environment and Sustainability, the researchers posed the following question to a random sample of 1,117 California residents: Are you concerned about limited access to the coastline due to inexpensive transit and overnight accomodations?

62%

38%

YES

NO

answered

art by amrita moturi/falcon artist

answered

Residents of Del Mar will vote on Measure G on March 3, which, if passed, will allow the Marisol Specific Plan Initiative to go forward and build the Marisol Resort on the 16.5 acres above the Dog Beach bluffs.

Vlada Demenko

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR March 3 marks more than just the California primaries; this year, on ballots across Del Mar, residents will vote on Measure G, which is a project that aims to build a resort called Marisol.

The local ballot measure states that, if approved, Marisol would be built on North Bluff Preserve, north of Dog Beach and include “65 guest hotel rooms, 31 villas and 22 affordable housing units.”

It’s important to note that this measure was put on the ballot through a citizen’s initiative process. In other words, the people of Del Mar petitioned for this measure, rather than city officials.

It’s clear that this measure will be beneficial for both tourists and locals, based on the use of this land for public interest, the money the city will get back from taxes, as well as the plan’s aims to minimize environmental impact of the project.

Currently, the bluffs are an accumulation of barren soil and sand that sharply drop off into Del Mar North Beach. Part of Measure G states that a “loop trail amenity to be dedicated to the City, for passive recreation and walking purposes” would be built as well, allowing tourists staying at the resort to discover the neighboring beaches.

The amenities will be open to the public,

so the addition is not just a resort, but a restaurant, spa and new outdoor setting that bring in more local jobs and give residents new places to relax and experience.

Reportedly, Measure G is also a public alternative to a previously proposed measure the would turn that area into gated estates.

Unlike the previous proposal, the resort will allow public access to the beaches, not just a select few.

The resort will have 22 affordable housing units, when the Del Mar Municipal Code only requires six. This is particularly impactful considering the affordable housing shortage in San Diego.

Marisol would also, according to the resort developers, pump $4.5 million into Del Mar through several types of taxes. This money would go to helping the community through street improvements and other public projects as well.

The opposition to the resort’s construction worry that the development will harm the surrounding environment. Some believe the beaches next to the resort will end up dirty, and that the bluffs are too fragile, as they are naturally eroding from the ocean.

While the bluffs would be partially built over, a large part of the project is actually trying to keep the environment healthy. Not only will some of the budget go to forming and enforcing a Beach Nourishment Plan, which alleviates the concern locals may have about the new accessibility to the beach, but the resort will also have a budget dedicated to conservation of the bluffs. As stated by the direct ballot argument in favor of Measure G, “As a result of extensive geotechnical studies, large setbacks will be in place, along with runoff diversion to reduce bluff erosion,” so bluff erosion would be closely regulated.

While a new project can feel irritating considering the amount of construction we get, Measure G is more than just another traffic-inducing plan.

On March 3, the city of Del Mar will vote on Marisol’s Measure G, which will allow for the development of a luxury resort on the bluffs at the north end of Del Mar near Hwy 101.

While Measure G may sound like a great addition to the city of Del Mar, its overlooked consequences on the environment make it clear that Measure G will negatively impact the majority of people living in Del Mar and in neighboring Solana Beach.

What once was a serene, low-density residential space will quickly turn into a busy commercial destination with the Marisol project. Existing bluff protections restrict development to 106,840 square feet with 14 to 26-foot heights, according to the City of Del Mar, but Measure G allows the development buildings with a fourfold increase in height, mass and bulk. Solana Beach residents will lose their beautiful view of Del Mar’s renowned beaches with these buildings in place.

With the construction of the resort comes the need for 408 parking spaces. The parking structure will be excavated underground to accommodate the buildings.

Because the Del Mar North Bluff is already disintegrating from natural erosion, underground excavation will disrupt the stability of the bluffs. Last August, three people were killed during the construction of a hotel on a bluff in Leucadia when an adjacent bluff collapsed.

Storm and irrigation water will likely be flushed into the lagoon, further magnifying the plan’s effect on the environment.

Developers have brushed off these concerns, promising that storm drains will slow the erosion process in an environmental report made in response to protests. In response, Del Mar Councilwoman Terry Gaasterland called the environmental report “a fuzzy document, based on assumptions and projections.” The final report is also unlikely to be finished before voters go to the polls in March, leaving voters poorly informed about these consequences.

Amy Ge

STAFF WRITER Even more concerning is the fact that the city will have little to no say in the development of this project if this developer-written initiative passes.

Voter approval of the ballot initiative would lock in significant aspects of the project such as the size, layout and design of the buildings with no input from the City Council.

We should not compromise on safety, especially when the only pro to Measure G is the fiscal benefit to Del Mar. This new tourist attraction will undoubtedly bring in money in a variety of new taxes.

However, the projected $6 million in revenue is based on unrealistic assumptions and is inconsistent with Del Mar hotel tax records, according to the Official Opposing Ballot Argument sent out to all voters in Del Mar. In addition, Solana Beach will not benefit from the resort but will shoulder the vast majority of the traffic, and Solana Beach residents will not get to vote on the measure.

When we are going to stop destroying our environment in exchange for economic benefits? Del Mar’s environmental health is not for sale. This initiative establishes a dangerous precedent for the development of Del Mar as a whole as there is no line preventing developers from replacing all of Del Mar’s natural beauty with commercial development.

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Unintended impacts of the SONGS decommission

Katie Flint Built on 84 acres of land leased from the U.S. Marine Corps Camp Pendleton, the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Stations (SONGS) has been part of San Diego County skyline since its construction began in 1968.

The biggest nuclear generating station in Southern California was SONGS until 2013, when the Southern California Edison informed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that it had ceased operations.

For such a monumental part of San Diego County, the regulators and commissioners should have taken more steps to increase efficiency in the shutdown of the plant.

Progress has been slow, but finally, seven years after the shutdown, SONGS began the dismantling of the plant in the beginning of February, after Southern California Edison, the primary electricity supplier for southern California that is in charge of running SONGS, is able to move forward in the dismantlement of the plant because California Coastal Commission unanimously approved the Coastal Development Permit in October of 2019.

It will take eight to ten years for the dismantling of SONGS to be fully finished.

Although it is the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Department of Energy’s responsibility to provide permanent nuclear waste storage spaces, similar to the proposed Yucca Mountain, they have failed to provide such storage spaces, and the burden of storing

the waste has fallen on the shoulders of the California Coastal Commission.

California Coastal Commission had a decision between storing radioactive material, which can take hundreds of thousands of years to stabilize in a temporary facility, or continuing to store the waste on site and dealing with the side effects. This is a lose-lose situation.

And even more problematic, due to lack of leadership from the federal government, local groups, including the California Coastal Commission, have been wrongly tasked with overseeing this complex project. Despite their lack of expertise and time constraints, the California Coastal Commission chose, for the better, to transport the waste from SONGS. The leadership is only weakened as Southern California Edison was also tasked in overseeing parts of the process. The role that Southern California Edison is playing has caused much worry amongst public and environmental groups after the Coastal Development Permit was passed, giving an okay to Southern California Edison to start the decommission.

The problem is this decommission would leave behind “significant amounts of foundation, footings, and other existing material in place,” according to the California Coastal Commission in the report of the development permit. This would lead to exposed structures and pose risks to public health risks and the marine ecosystem.

Biologically, marine life will only be hurt from this decommission. According to studies looking at radioactivity in tuna after the Fukushima accident, when creatures intake material that is exposed to radioactivity, they develop a long-term risk for cancer.

Although the decommission is supposed to create 600 jobs, Southern California Edison shows it is unfit for this big challenge because of their past record.

For example, in March 2019, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission released a report detailing how Southern California Edison was fined $116,000 for an incident in August of 2018 where a canister being transported to a storage

facility was left unsupported except for rigging and lifting equipment.

The report highlighted that Southern California Edison had failed, “to establish a rigorous process to ensure adequate procedures, training and oversight guidance.”

In 2012, an investigation found damage to hundreds of tubes inside of brand new generators that led to the plant closing.

Public distrust for Southern California Edison’s should only worsen because Southern California Edison has taken steps to reduce emergency measures, such as creating cooling pools, and to prevent a possible disaster.

Southern California Edison officials argues it is more dangerous to return a damaged storage canister to a cooling pool because it increases the employees’ exposure to radiation.

According to Southern California Edison, a safer solution would be to repair the canister with a metal overlay or to place it in a labeled

container to be transported somewhere else.

All of the different and conflicting variables that are working to ensure safety in the dismantling of such an important monument only show the need for the federal government to play their role in guaranteeing safety in the dismantling of and the transporting to permanent nuclear waste storage sites.

This is not a local issue. The lack of research and funding into permanent nuclear waste storage facilities by the federal government is affecting many states across the U.S. and cannot be dealt with only by local organizations like California Coastal Commission.

The federal government has a responsibility to their citizens and they are failing.

As with many environmental issues, SONGS lacked advanced planning of deposing of nuclear waste and only thought about the short term gains that come from nuclear power — and this should be an example for all.

Iowa proves our domestic election security is at risk

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Daniel Kim NEWS EDITOR On Feb. 3, the Iowa caucuses spread chaos and confusion as it was announced that the results had been delayed because of a faulty smartphone app for reporting the final counts.

As a result of this incident, the sovereignty of every individual’s vote was put into question, along with the tech issues regarding the election process. In the status quo, the voting system is greatly flawed, and the security of every individual’s valuable vote is lacking privacy and even subject to change unexpectedly.

One large issue with the current voting system is the implementation of .com domains for voting, rather than .gov domains. The first one is for commerical purposes while the latter is strictly for U.S. government entities, but these elections are not taking advantage of the country-specific top level .gov domain. Census statistics, Congressional hearings and Supreme Court rulings would be included in sites with the .gov domain. On the other hand, the widely used .com domain is generally for commerical purposes and can be purchased and used by all with internet access, greatly reducing the security of these sites.

The Associated Press revealed that at least 40 states in the U.S. use voting machines that are at least 10 years old for elections. Obviously, with the use of technology nearly as old as the first smartphones, each state has its own unique flaws to their voting procedure.

In South Carolina, an election official witnessed calibration issues, or errors between the touch screen and input systems, causing the machines to change people’s votes.

Voters would tap on their preferences, but the machines would detect a different input and mark a different option as selected. Richland County Elections Director Rokey Suleman reported that voters would touch their desired candidate, but the machines would choose the representative above or below their choice.

Similar situations arose in Texas and Georgia in 2018, as votes were both deleted and switched to favor Republican senator Ted Cruz over Democratic representative Beto O’Rourke.

With so much room for error, the electronic voting system was suggested to be changed to paper ballots, so votes can be verified in case of hardware and software failures. But, paper ballots present their own concern, especially evident after their introduction to Pennsylvania in November 2019.

Republican Ronald Smith received complaints from voters that there was an extreme lack of privacy, as voters could see others filling out documents and submitting ballots with no protection from outside witnesses. Associate Professor Nick Anspach of York College of Pennsylvania shared his opinion that poll workers should not be able to see the electors’ paper ballots, and using the traditional method fails to protect the anonymity of the vote.

By providing increased cybersecurity funds to the protection of these votes, the federal, state and local governments can implement blockchain to secure not only every individual vote, but the records and results of the ballots.

Blockchain is a list of records linked together through cryptography, commonly used in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

Catherine Hammon, digital revolution knowledge lawyer at Osborne Clarke, clarified that blockchain allows for data to be locked down and incredibly difficult to change. The downside to cryptography, like blockchain, is that the information can not be easily revised, but in elections, making information and records permanent should not be as big a concern.

In 2018, when Sierra Leone’s presidential elections took place, the Western Districts implemented a blockchain system. Having

the voters fill out paper ballots, the votes can be manually updated onto the blockchain network, making the records nearly permanent and protected from potential hackers. The app, developed by a start-up called Voatz, employs blockchain technology to ensure votes are verified and stored on multiple, geographicallydiverse servers. By saving the data on multiple servers, the information is less likely to change because it would require a security breaching of all the servers, rather than one individual server.

The final addition necessary for a safe voting environment is risk-limiting audits, which are random samples to ensure that the overall vote and the samples are not significantly different.

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, chief technologist of the Center for Democracy and Technology, writes that the risk-limiting audits are the equivalent of the secret ballots,

providing statistical assurance of the final tally by examining a random subset of votes. If the security has been breached, the polls are able to quickly identify a major discrepancy and retally the votes individually to determine how drastically the ballots have been affected by an unknown outside source.

Rather than only implementing methods to prevent election hacking incidents, there must be the inclusion of post-election safeguarding elements to ensure that no votes are falsely tallied or changed. By doing so, the U.S. voting system will never have to deal with another delay like Iowa by failing to make precautionary measures against potential outside hackers.

art by lesley moon/falconer

opinion

A8 the falconer

february 21, 2020

Closing bathrooms compounds vandalism problem

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Recently, the girls’ bathrooms at TPHS have faced serious vandalism, causing administration to temporarily close the bathrooms down. While their intentions were good, the administration did not approach this issue correctly.

Vandalism is illegal, but closing the bathroom is a temporary fix that only forces students to dangerously hold their bladders for an unsafe amount of time. Similar to vaping or procrastinating, it is a temporary fix that increases your future problems. Closing the bathrooms may help the administration accomplish their current goal of lessening the amount of vandalism in the bathroom in this moment, but it creates the problem of extraordinarily long lines, forcing students to hold their bladder through break periods. This not only discomforts students, but also poses serious health concerns.

Bathroom lines — especially for girls — pile up very quickly to begin with, so shutting down restrooms makes the lines bigger. With less bathrooms available, students have less options, which in the end causes more students to go to each individual bathroom, making each line significantly longer.

Vandalism has always been prevalent at TPHS; bathrooms — the men’s and ladies’ room,

keep at least one open.

Whatever the reason may be, it is not large enough to force hundreds of students to wait in excessively long lines or hold their bladder for a dangerous amount of time. It is great that the school council is giving an effort to improve the quality of its bathrooms, but closing them down during school is not the right approach.

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bigger problem than vandalism.

Lastly, the sinks have many malfunctions.

Like I mentioned, there is always gum in them, but that is the least of the issues. Some sinks release very little water, and the soap dispensers are either broken or out of soap more than half the time. Maybe the girls’ restroom is the same, but I feel like it is hard to be less sanitary than the boys’ bathrooms at TPHS. In fact, in the mens’ room outside of the locker room, there are about 10 water dispensers attached to one sink; some dispensers are almost out of water, and there is one dispenser that is broken and squirts water in multiple directions, soaking your entire face and arms no matter what angle you wash your hands from.

Long story short, while I do not think closing any restroom is the best approach, I think the mens’ room could use more maintenance than the ladies’ room.

Some may think that closing restrooms down for maintenance is a good idea to help improve the restrooms’ conditions. But, there are two flaws with that reasoning. First off, the school could repair bathrooms not only before and after school, but also during class periods, since the restrooms are practically empty at that time. Secondly, I fail to see the major issue with vandalism; yes, it is illegal, which is why I think they should do their best to prevent it.

But what is so threatening about leaving the vandalism there? At the end of the day, it is simply an ugly, or sometimes even impressively pretty, design on a wall or a single stall.

From what I have heard, the vandalism is nothing too serious.

There are disturbing images and writing, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Most TPHS bathrooms face vandalism, but it is against the law to not have enough bathrooms available, so TPHS is required to

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walls and even classrooms serve as evidence. If you look at nearly any wall on campus, there will be some type of vandalism, whether it be writing or an often disturbing image, and on textbooks and desks, there are always doodles and writing all over. There is also a lot of gum under most desks, as well as tape, stickers and other strange items on the bottom. But, the school does not have a reputation of closing anything down because of it. The girls’ bathroom should be no different, especially considering the vandalism causes very little actual harm.

I do not support closing down bathrooms under nearly any circumstances, but if anything, the boys’ bathroom could benefit more from a temporary shutdown. First off, the lines are typically shorter than that of the ladies’ room, so the new lines would not be nearly as chaotic with several restrooms unavailable. In addition, while I do not know the degree to which the ladies’ room was vandalized, I feel that I can safely assume that the mens’ room is just as, if not more vandalized. Almost every stall, wall and sink is covered in graffiti.

Also, the only problem with the girls’ restrooms is vandalism, but the mens’ room has something worse: broken stall locks. TPHS has made an effort to repair this issue over the last year, but there are still many stalls without a functional lock; anyone has the ability to walk in on someone doing their business. (Although, I do not support doing your business in the disgusting school restrooms to begin with.)

Another issue with the mens’ room is the litter in nearly every urinal. By fourth/fifth period everyday, almost every urinal is filled with gum (the sinks also have this problem), small wrappers, massive empty bags of chips and often times stuff I cannot even confidently identify. One time, I saw a urinal with at least six pieces of gum in it. This poses a serious issue, as it can flood the bathroom, and I feel that is a

BEA DE OLIVEIRA Managing Editor Bea De Oliveira discusses how her loud voice and unique laugh have empowered her to be unafraid of voicing her ideas in and out of the classroom.

ANOTHER SENTENCE HERE If there’s one thing anyone who has ever had a class with me knows, it’s that I have an extremely loud voice. Despite being 5’2” and having the body mass of a prepubescent girl, I was miraculously given the vocal cords of an opera singer without the ability to match pitch.

Not only can I speak at the volume level of a grown gorilla, but my condition has come with a (frankly hilarious) side effect: a laugh that cannot even be adequately described on paper.

Some have called it a cackle. Others, simply a screeching sound that comes out of my mouth.

But, in an attempt to express it adequately on paper, it is like an EEHHEEEHHEEAAHH. A piercing combination of a witch’s cackle and a hyena.

With both the laugh and voice, it is not simply that I have the ability to project my voice at 180 decibels, but it’s that I never know how loud I am when I’m speaking. The word ‘whisper’ is in my vocabulary, but only theoretically, because I have never been able to put the concept into practice.

It has, on some rare occasions, come in handy.

Losing my parents at COSTCO on a Saturday evening (prime hour), public speaking in class, and that one time I got lost at Disneyland while on an outing with my summer camp at age 12 — the shear volume of my voice provided a safety net I could always fall on in times of distress.

But in class, it has always posed an issue.

The phrase ‘speak quietly amongst yourselves’ has never been executed with success. That awkward moment when the class gets silent and someone says something ridiculous mid-

conversation… yeah, that would be me. I’ve seen students, with similar characteristics called “annoying” and “obnoxious” by fellow classmates. Why is it that we can’t just be quiet?

Or stop sharing our opinions? And although no one has ever said any of those phrases to my face, I can imagine that the thought has entered my fellow classmates’ minds more than once over the past four years.

Now, as a simple defense for all of the loud people out there, many of us were simply born like this. No, we don’t go home and train our voices every night. We don’t repeat phrases in different tones to see the loudest pitch we can achieve. It’s simply that we’re unafraid to speak our minds and have been given the voice in which we can freely do so.

And because anyone could always seem to hear me from across the room, no matter how much I tried to ‘whisper,’ I learned to be comfortable with sharing my life. There’s nothing I could hide, even in what I thought was an intimate conversation that apparently everyone and their mothers could overhear, so I decided to become an open book. Did I faceplant down the stairs more than once last year? Totally. Have I gotten both a speeding ticket and a red light ticket? Yes, but I don’t have a point on my driving record (yet).

I took time to observe how those around me use their voices. How politicians, actors and activists use their voice to stand up for what they believe in. And I have found that I have been lucky to have the voice I was born with, no matter how loud.

In being open, I’ve noticed that others seem

photo by sam mathe/falconer

to open up when around you, feeling free to share their opinions and interesting tidbits about their lives. My voice has worked as a tool of inclusion. I’m not afraid to include others in conversations, taking the time away from my voice and adding in those of others.

Coming from someone with an intense cackle and a voice that can be heard from miles away, the best way to make your voice count is to 1) simply use it and 2) use it to speak about what you care about. Your voice can be used to bring people together and even foster debate, which in turn fosters growth.

So use your voice. Talk with your teachers

and mentors about what interests them. Spark conversation in class over debated topics. Make new friends from Mexico at Disney while you’re lost in the middle of the Jungle themed area.

Go and let your classmates know what you think. Show them that you care about climate change, robotics or the new season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Your voice is a conduit of your self-expression. Open up and the world will begin to open up to you. Just make sure to learn how to whisper; I’m not the most loved in a crowded museum.

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A9

Bill 889 is a positive step in the broken justice system according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Although someone is technically an adult at 18, they are still treated as minors. At the age of 18 or 19, they can’t rent a car or buy alcohol — typically “adult” responsibilities — so it is unfair to send them to a prison meant for adults. The reason we treat 18 and 19 year olds differently from other adults is because mentally, they are different. According to research from the University of Rochester, studies show that the human brain fully develops by the mid-20s. Youth convicts at the age of 18 still have underdeveloped brains in parts of their frontal lobe, meaning they don’t have the reasoning and judgment of an adult. When a teenager makes a decision to do something illegal, while they do know it is wrong, they do not have the cognitive ability to fully understand the repercussions of their actions.

Unfortunately, the age restriction varies between states. In California, anyone under 18 can be tried as an adult. This policy is worse in other states; in Georgia, Wisconsin, Texas, Missouri and Michigan, 16 year olds can be tried as adults, highlighting the need for a national movement to raise the age and protect immature juveniles from being charged as adults.

The California bill raises the age of adult prosecution under 20. Currently, there are exceptions to the age limit of 18, such as murder and rape.

However, exceptions are unfortunately made for smaller crimes as well, defeating the purpose of an age limit. Hopefully, in future legislation, these loopholes will be closed — and exceptions will be made when necessary.

In addition to affecting 18 and 19 year olds, the bill would put a stop to adolescents being tried as adults due to discrimination and personal biases through the manipulation of an often unjust system.

SB-889 is vital to protect 18 and 19 year olds from adult prosecution, and Senator Skinner says it best: kids should be treated like kids.

Over the course of 2018, over

minors (under 18) were arrested on felony charges in California.

According to data from the California Justice Department and the Juvenile Justice Center,

is the maximum age of juvenile court jurisdiction in 45 states.

I support the bill. Obviously, if you murder somebody, you should be tried as an adult, even as a kid Seventeen should be the lowest age you can be tried as an adult.

Ali Filler (9)

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California State Senator Nancy Skinner recently introduced SB-889, which, if passed, will raise the age to be tried in adult court versus juvenile court from 17 to 20 years old. In most states, 14 is the youngest age someone can be tried as an adult.

SB-889 is a needed reform to support youths charged with crimes. Being tried under juvenile law allows the accused to be sent to juvenile detention, which provides more reintegration and rehabilitation compared to the adult prison system and shields a young offender from the brutal violence and corrupting influence of adult prison. Through the juvenile reentry program, the teenager adjusts better to life outside of prison after they serve their sentence, offering the teenager a second chance to be a responsible citizen.

According to the NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, two-thirds of prisoners reoffend. Additionally, a study conducted by Columbia University found that 76 percent of 15 and 16 year old robbers prosecuted in criminal court were rearrested, as compared with 67% of those processed in juvenile court. Hence, juvenile detention results in less reoffending than the alternative, adult prison. In fact, if a juvenile goes to adult court and prison, there is an 82 percent chance he or she will be rearrested, according to the American Bar Association, one of many reasons a teenager should go to a detention center catered toward them. While current rehabilitation programs in prisons need more support and funding to help reduce the number of released convicts, it is important that juveniles be better reintegrated into society to a lower chance of re-offending.

The most obvious reason is that if an 18 year old was sent to prison, they would be living with adult inmates who are physically and mentally more mature than they are, leaving them at a higher risk of being assaulted or taken advantage of. Furthermore, sexual violence is a traumatizing experience common in prisons; in 2015 alone, there were 24,661 claims of sexual assault and misconduct,

Seventeen or eighteen is old enough because parents give their kids responsibilities and power, and these kids have to learn how to use it, and if they don’t use it properly, then it’s their fault.

Aaron Shi (10)

I have nothing against the bill, but there should be exceptions for crimes like rape. This law should be nationwide, so there are no differences for kids in different states.

Kendall Katz (11)

A10 the falconer

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Delaney Kuepper (10), devoted vintage thrifter and sustainable fashion advocate, sells her modified and colorful thrift finds to the fashion conscious on her Depop page while rocking her unique and environmentally-conscious style at TPHS every day.

Style is subjective, and while many opt for the “fast fashion” route and buy clothes from trending stores, Delaney Kuepper (10) chooses to wear sustainable clothing from thrift stores to help the environment and be a fashion inspiration to others.

Kuepper has been interested in fashion as a means of expressing herself for as long as she can remember. While she has always looked to her mom, vintage magazines, Pinterest and Urban Outfitters for fashion inspiration, she doesn’t rely solely on inspiration to influence her choices.

“I base my style on the clothes I find in the thrift store,” Kuepper said.

Kuepper is an avid thrifter, and she enjoys buying vintage clothing that is both affordable and in the practice of thrifting.

“I love thrifting because I feel like thrifting has allowed me to hop on trends that more expensive, consumer-based stores copy,” Kuepper said.

While Kuepper usually combs the racks of thrift stores for herself, she also often finds clothes she can revive and sell on her Depop page, a social shopping app that allows people to buy, sell and trade new and used clothing.

“I think it’s a good way to support sustainable clothing because I am reselling used clothes,” Kuepper said, “I am basically recycling my clothing in the fashion community.”

When Kuepper finds an article of clothing that needs some new life, she “styles” the clothing to make them more fashionable.

“I’ve sewn clothing, I crop a lot of T-shirts, I custom-paint my jeans, I’ve added patchwork to my jeans, and I’ve embroidered, distressed and hemmed jeans,” Kuepper said.

Kuepper is known around TPHS for her fashion sense and often stands out in the crowds; however, she has learned to love her individuality and continues to try out new styles to further explore the depths of the world of fashion.

“Some days I like to go for a feminine look with a dress, but other days I switch it up and go for a more edgy look with darker shades and combat boots,” Kuepper said.

Kuepper doesn’t really have a say in sticking to certain clothing brands because thrift stores only have what people have donated or sold to them. Fashion allows her to express her creativity and values.

“If I am wearing a really cute retro outfit, I am bringing back old styles, and I think it’s cool that I get to express my interest in vintage fashion,” Kuepper said.

Her open-minded fashion sense gives her a reason to spark conversation and connect with others.

“I feel really confident if I am wearing a cute outfit, and I make connections with people who wear similar clothing,” Kuepper said.

Even though she always receives compliments on her outifts, Kuepper tends to go out of her comfort zone more often outside of school because she feels that TPHS students’ styles don’t have much variation.

“At the moment I feel like there is not much diversity in the fashion community at our school,” Kuepper said, “I think that more people at school should put themselves out there more.”

There is not a particular fashion community in San Diego, but rather a community of sustainable-clothing advocates, according to Kuepper.

“At TPHS, many people aren’t informed about the impact thrifting can have and how great it is for the environment,” Kuepper said, “At schools like SDA, people are supporting the earth by wearing sustainable clothing.”

The effort she makes to do her part in mending the effect unsustainable-clothing consumerism has had on the world on her day-to-day basis causes Kuepper to consider herself a sustainableclothing advocate.

I think there are a lot of different sides of fashion,” Kuepper said, “You can either rely on fast fashion and buy clothes for super cheap, or you can go to thrift stores and buy unique, used clothing for super cheap.”

And, Kuepper is continuing to develop new ideas to pursue her passion for fashion.

“I’m thinking about starting my own hand-sewing company over the summer,” Kuepper said.

She advises people to reevaluate where they are shopping and to explore new types of fashion that may be outside of their comfort zones.

“My recommendation is that more people should spend time thinking about where to purchase their clothing,” Kuepper said, “Society should branch out fashion-wise and try to wear sustainable clothes that support the environment,”

by Mirabel Hunt and Micah Levy

photo by anna jeong/falconer

A12 the falconer

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february 21, 2020

From ‘80s bootleg jeans to camo Lululemon leggings, TPHS students find ways to express themselves, with their clothes that set themselves apart (or not) and manifest their creativity. While some consider themselves trendsetters, others acknowledge that they are content to fit into a category they feel comfortable in.

Trends come and go, but there will always be a unique, creative person ready to make a new one, while the rest of the herd follows the leader.

Currently, some trends include the lax “not trying” look, which in reality costs over $200. This outfit must include Air Force 1s, Lululemon leggings, a Champion hoodie and a Louis Vuitton bag. Usually defined as “basic,” most TPHS girls fall in this category.

A smaller portion of the student population is the not-so-basic SoCal preppy boy. He’s wearing khakis, a quarter zip and a Gucci belt to top it off. Holding his binder in one arm, he saunters onto campus in his Vineyard Vines and sometimes even in a cardigan, turtleneck or sweater. That group of boys enjoys looking welldressed and put together, and one particular TPHS boy really personifies this style by dressing to impress everyday.

“School is your job at this point in your life,” Max Gouvalaris (11) said. “So why not dress like you’re going to work?”

Certain groups of students use fashion as a way to create clubs, friend groups or just to have fun, like how some TPHS male students have created Friday Drip Day. “Friday Drip Day is a group of guys that decided to wear suits and ties to school every Friday for no particular reason except that they wanted to,” Gouvalaris said.

Along with the SoCal preppy boy, there is also the SoCal preppy girl. She wears a mixture of athleisure wear if she wants to be comfortable, or goes with the more professional knit sweater with jeans. A good example of this style is a junior who embraces the two halves of her style.

“I like to be comfortable, dress up and have fun with what I’m wearing,” Erin Poe (11) said. “And it shows that I can be comfortable but also look put-together and organized.”

Dressing up in high fashion is the last concern of the surfer boy who rolled out of bed and put on the closest thing in his closet. This could either be sweats with a sports team hoodie or denim jeans with a Rip Curl T-shirt. However, this style still expresses their care free or “go with the flow” attitude according to Dalton Beeler (11).

For the grunge girl wearing her leather jacket, it’s not solely about the outfit, but

I feel like my style is a reflection of my personality. It’s really colorful; for example, I like to have colorful shoelaces because I feel like I’m a very bright and happy person.

Olivia Schroeder (10) TPHS STUDENT

about how her style makes her feel more confident. Brynn Wyandt (12) was seen in the parking lot wearing her leather boots flaunting the grunge style, characterized by an intentional disheveled look.

“If I wear an outfit that I hate, I just feel horrible, and I just want to go home and change,” Wyandt said, “So, if I’m wearing an outfit I feel really comfortable in, I’m super confident and it puts me in a better mood. It depends on my mood when I wake up, and I feel more grungy with my leather jacket. My style really affects my confidence.”

However, it’s hard to miss the hippie ‘70s and ‘80s girl with her bright bandana, shoelace belt and flared pants. Almost from out of an old TV show, she embodies everything old-fashioned but brings it into the 21st century. The style that has just been revived has been adopted by many students, including a sophomore who loves her new look.

“I feel like my style is a reflection of my personality. It’s really colorful; for example, I like to have colorful shoelaces because I feel like I’m a very bright and happy person,” Olivia Schroeder (10) said. “I can kind of dress based on how I’m feeling. If I’m not feeling great, I won’t wear something as colorful as I would if I were feeling happy.”

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Schroeder’s layered shirts and colorful shoelaces let everyone know in the room that she is outgoing without her even having to say a word; she expresses her opinions and emotions literally on her sleeve for the rest of the world to interpret, letting people know the way she is feeling that day by playing around with colors, designs and accessories.

Not only does fashion give Schroeder an outlet for her feelings, but it also helps her find people that share the same passion for fashion.

“I like to share an interest in fashion with my friends. I just feel like I like to make friends with people who have good style,” Schroeder said.

This natural attraction to others who dress the same way we do creates a variety of niches on campus. Friends inspire and draw inspiration from one another, causing a tendency for groups of friends to wear the same types of clothes. In fact,

“I wear a lot of clothes that are ... different than what a lot of people wear. Most people wear Brandy Melville or Urban Outfitters, so I try to steer away from those types of stores and try to form my own style rather than following other trends.”

Scarlett Sprague (9) TPHS STUDENT

you might even see two best friends accidentally twin one day.

The trendsetters and fashion icons have a big impact on their friends’ fashion choices, from motivating them to try a few new things to helping them create an entirely new wardrobe. “[My friends] haven’t changed my style, but I’ve definitely changed theirs,” Wyandt said. “I definitely think that I’ve influenced their style and them becoming more fashionable.”

After you see the $200 outfit, you can appreciate the person who spends no more than $30 on her whole look. Instead of spending a mini fortune on their wardrobes, thrifters fill their closets while spending close to nothing.

“I wear a lot of clothes that are thrifted and things that are different than what a lot of people wear,” Scarlett Sprague (9) said, “Most people wear Brandy Melville or Urban Outfitters, so I try to steer away from those types of stores and try to form my own style rather than following other trends.”

Thrifty fashion helps Sprague separate herself from the pack and allows her to display her laid-back and relaxed personality. She would never be seen wearing the Brandy Melville tanktop that 20 other girls are wearing at any given time.

Sprague’s graphic tees featuring images of old bands make her seem cultured, and her vintage style makes her seem like she isn’t trying that hard. While Sprague is laid-back, she also takes risks with her outfits. Her purple pants allow her to show her brave personality. Unfortunately, not everyone can rock purple pants. Lots of people wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing outfits like Sprague’s, but she is pushing the boundaries.

Everyone can recognize the E-Girl standing out in the crowd of hoodies. You know so much about her without even talking to her. With her dark clothes, dark nail polish and liberal use of jewelry, she sends a clear message that says, don’t mess with me. It’s not only a clothing choice, but it’s also a lifestyle. Similar to all of the trends above, she is expressing herself, her likes and her dislikes, by wearing whatever she wants, even if some people think it’s “goth.”

Although for some people, fashion is only a concern at the beginning of the day when getting ready, for some TPHS students, fashion is a part of their dream future careers.

“I think I have done a lot in my life for fashion,” Poe said, “My internships and work have been based primarily on fashion, so it’s definitely gotten me a little bit further in deciding my career choices.”

Regardless of the dozens of trends and styles, one aspect remains constant: TPHS students don’t want to look like they care. A crucial part of fashion at TPHS is not letting people know that you put any thought into your outfit. The reason behind this culture is unknown; other schools such as La Costa Canyon High School celebrate students who put a lot of thought into their outfits and openly embrace this effort, even if it means wearing heels to school.

“As an LCC student, I believe that we try our best to put effort into our outfits every day, making sure we look our best,” LCC student Christine Marabella (11) said. “On a regular school day, I’ll wear black jeans, a crop top, a jean jacket with my hair up and necklaces and earrings. I think that students at Torrey don’t put as much thought and effort into what they wear, based on what I’ve seen.”

However, it seems that TPHS will always remain a high school where fashion and style is a subtle way to express your true self and nature to the people on campus, while also separating the trendsetters from the trend followers. For now, the student population is left anxiously waiting for the creation of another trend.

Do I spend 30 minutes every day deciding my outfit? That’s a secret I’ll never tell. XOXO.

photos by lesley moone and piper levy/falconer

A14 the falconer

Jackson Huston (12) calls out to his brother, Logan Huston (10), as he walks through the halls of the B Building, to come into room 9. Inside teacher Don Collins’ classroom, there are three long tables creating a space similar to one for a Socratic seminar. Almost all of the 40 or so chairs in the classroom are occupied by black students at TPHS, all of whom are coming together for the fourth meeting of the first ever Black Student Union (BSU) at TPHS. At the beginning of the 2019-20 school year, Keari Jones (12) and Ayana Johnson (9) formed the BSU to provide a space for black students to come together and share their experiences at TPHS. “I felt it was important to start [a black student union] because I thought black kids at TPHS should have a place to go where they feel like they’re all one instead of feeling different, or feeling like they’re out of place, feeling like someone’s always staring at them,” Johnson said.

The black students at TPHS have diverse origins, ranging from roots in Philadelphia, the Midwest, Spain, San Diego, Morrocco and Nigeria.

All of this goes to show the richness of the black community at TPHS. They may be small in numbers but they are full of culture — the BSU provides an avenue for these students to have their voices heard.

According to the California Healthy Kids Survey from 2018-2019, each class (grade) at TPHS had a black population of 2 percent or less. There is a margin of error associated with this statistic, as it does not account for mixed students who make up a significant portion of the data.

Nonetheless, being such a minority population, black students have garnered a unique experience at TPHS. While none of the black students interviewed described experiencing outright racism at TPHS, all of them had stories about feeling like there was an invisible barrier between them and their non-black fellow students.

“Sometimes when I’m in class and we’re reading a book about slavery or a book where the n-word comes up, people don’t want to read that part of the book because they think we’re going to be upset,” Jones said.

In addition, many black students have come across bothersome experiences regarding their hair.

“I’ll be talking to someone, and they’ll say, ‘Oh I did this to my hair, why can’t you do that to your hair?’ And it’s because black hair doesn’t work that way,” Huston said.

Johnson, who started the school year sporting long braids, said students reacted to her hair with confusion.

“There were instances when I had braids and they’ll ask ‘Oh, did you cut your braids off? Is that your real hair?’ I know they’re not trying to be racist or anything, but sometimes it makes you feel weird because it’s not something you can really change,” Johnson said.

Black students can sometimes feel isolated when they have these experiences.

The BSU has provided a space for them to relate to each other and feel less alone.

A big reason that Johnson believes having a BSU is valuable is because it gives black students the opportunity to

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february 21, 2020

have a community to share their experiences.

“I feel like people look at us and think, ‘Oh, there’s that one black person’ and then they try to make jokes thinking it’s funny because there’s not a lot of us here. I think they kind of think that they can overpower us, which shows the importance of starting this black student union,” Johnson said.

One of Jones’ and Johnson’s biggest hesitations about starting the BSU was the worry that people would be too fearful to show up.

“I didn’t know how it would play out. I thought that people thought it would be stupid,” Johnson said. “I think it’s hard enough already to fit in, so I thought other AfricanAmerican kids would think, ‘Why now would I have to step out of place? Why would I put that label on myself, and take a break from my white friends to say ‘I’m going to go to the black student union.’”

Johnson, who had wanted to start a BSU since middle school, agreed that fear of further isolating themselves was a major concern of black students when they considered joining the club. Creating a distinct group and officially putting a label on themselves was intimidating for some students.

However, they felt it was important to have such a club on campus, and they took the steps needed to soften the labels and foster unity rather than be a polarizing force on campus.

“We went around asking people if they’d be interested in a black student union, and some of them hesitated. I felt like they would think they were already a target; why should they be a bigger target? And the whole point is to bring people together, not create a bigger target,” Jones said.

All of their worries seem to have been for naught, as the BSU now has a growing membership of around 30 students.

The club is advised by Collins, the teacher who encouraged Jones to found the club in the first place.

Club meetings typically include planning various upcoming community service events, as well as Socratic seminar style discussions where students can talk about being black.

That dialogue about being a black student has only strengthened the connection between the limited number of black students and has elevated the level of black pride at TPHS. “At Info Night, when all the eighth graders walked through, we were there, along with a couple of future black students. And you could see them reading [our sign] with their parents,” Johnson said.

She recalled seeing a number of future black students and offering a warm welcome to them in this new environment.

As the number of black students begins to grow, the BSU hopes to expand its numbers and continue playing a larger role on campus, helping new black students and fostering unity among all students on campus.

photos by sam mathe/falconer

A15

LoFi hip-hop is a music genre that has emerged over the past few years, usually listened to by adolescents concentrating on studying with relaxing music in the background. Notably, “lofi hip hop radio beats to relax/study to” is a YouTube radio station that has accumulated millions of views since its creation in August 2018 and has become a cornerstone of many high school and college students’ study sessions. This soothing YouTube playlist is easily among the most shared and well-known stream among students — even the relaxed anime girl used as the backdrop for the stream is instantly recognizable.

While those who listen to the calming songs say they help with concentration, whether research bears that out should be investigated.

The University of Maryland found that study participants who listened to calming music had better results on math tests than participants who listened to stimulative music, yet slightly worse than those who listened to no music at all. Those results showed that music can distract and negatively impact cognitive processing.

But, if this is true, why do so many stand by their choice to play music while studying?

Although students may sometimes feel less concentrated with it, there is also evidence that actually links studying with music to an increased level of concentration.

A study by the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina analyzed functional MRIs, which measure brain activity by detecting changes associated with blood flow, in 21 participants, who were told to listen to their favorite songs. They found that the area of the brain responsible for empathy and selfawareness was activated while the individuals listened.

They also discovered that music can alter connectivity in auditory brain regions responsible for memory and social emotions.

Baroque music, in particular, which generally has 50 to 80 beats per minute, is especially effective for use while studying since it “stabilizes mental, physical and emotional rhythms,” creating strong focus and concentration, according to Don Campbell in “The Mozart Effect.”

This enhanced connectivity in regions of the brain related to memory and emotion may offer an explanation as to why a student’s performance in testing or homework may improve after listening to music.

“Music allows me to get more done,” Yuma Can (10) said. “I keep focused on the work itself. I don’t tend to stray away because I don’t hear other noises from somewhere else.”

Yasamin A njom shoaa (12) also frequently listens to music, especially when she needs peaceful background music while studying for tests. But, she keeps her music volume relatively low because anything too loud can distract her. Music acts as a stabilizer for when she has to review information for long periods of time.

“I love listening to music as much as possible – while working on schoolwork or even washing dishes.

I feel deprived of something important if I do not have music, even if it is only for a short period,” Anjomshoaa said. There are also indications that music can positively influence both test anxiety and test performance.

As participants in a Texas State University study, undergraduates listened to either calm or loud music five minutes before a math test. As it turned out, compared with those who listened to loud music, those who listened to calm music had lower heart rate and higher test scores.

Although listening to relaxing music reduces stress and test anxiety for her, Anjomshoaa recognizes that this is not the case for all students.

“It’s only for a certain type of person. There’s a lot of people who can’t multitask, and listening to music while studying becomes too much for them,” Anjomshaa said.

Not only can we definitively show the benefits of music in academics, it’s clear that music has been helpful at least for the millions of “lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to” listeners. Such a large network of people only goes to show the power music can have, particularly with students.

by Miki Vogel

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When I decided that the theme of the food reviews for this issue would be vegan remakes of typically non-vegan food, people around me were already shouting their favorite vegan photo by seyoung lee/falconer restaurants. Just like certain old movies or Ariana Grande, this style of eating seems to have a cult following. For whatever reason, my mind usually connects vegan food to the flavor of something not tasting normal, so I never quite understood the hype in SoCal. However, while Plant Power Fast Food had its fair share of faults, I began to understand why people enjoy the unique flavors of vegan food.

My friend recommended we go to Plant Power, where you can get vegan sandwiches, burgers and desserts. I was skeptical — I had eaten a vegan burger before, but an entire vegan burger restaurant?

On the plus side, it is in Encinitas, which is one of my favorite parts of San Diego, so this place was starting off on the right foot.

When we arrived, I was surprised to find a shop that has two parts kitchen and one part lobby. It was actually very cute, and the seating outside was clean, which I appreciate.

I ordered the classic “Cheeseburger” ($7.95) because it’s essentially the foundation for all the signature burgers on the menu, so if they made this one well, I can draw some conclusions about the quality of the whole menu. I also picked up a slice of New York “Cheesecake” ($5.49) because I love non-vegan cheesecake and it sounded like it would taste like something I’ve never had before.

The burger looked like any typical cheeseburger; the only difference was that it was double the price. The confusion came after I bit into it: it wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t sure it was good either. My opinion swayed back and forth, but ultimately, I decided to describe the flavor as a middle ground called “weird.” The one thing I’m really certain about was that it didn’t taste like a typical burger, which, in this case, isn’t bad because I was able to taste something unique and new.

The cheesecake evoked the same reaction, only slightly more negative. It was fine; I just wished I had spent $5.49 on an actual piece of cake instead.

I also tried the “Chicken” Sandwich ($8.95) that my friend bought. It had the same hint of “weird” flavor, but it resembled the flavor of a chicken sandwich much more, so if you’re looking for a healthier substitute, this is the sandwich to go with.

While my experience with Plant Power Fast Food yielded some mixed reactions, I think it was ultimately positive because it gave me a new perspective on why people enjoy vegan food so much. We become used to going to the same restaurants and eating the same dishes.

With vegan food, the flavor is incredibly unique and allows people to branch out in terms of flavor.

Would I go back to Plant Power? I’m not sure, because as far as I’m concerned, meat will always reign supreme, but I would recommend this place to anyone interested in trying something new.

by Vlada Demenko

Not only had I never been to an allvegan restaurant, I had never even tried vegan food prior to taking on this review.

So, on a Sunday afternoon, as I drove up the winding roads of La Jolla to Trilogy Sanctuary, I was not sure what to expect.

Tucked away on crowded Girard Ave., Trilogy Sanctuary draws customers in with its yoga studio classes and an outside-venue, rooftop restaurant that boasts of beautiful views of the ocean.

Unfortunately, I went on an overcast day, so I was unable to enjoy the full rooftop experience, but on more sunny days, yoga enthusiasts can enjoy delicious food and try out an aerial silk class in the studio below.

Stepping off the elevator and into Trilogy Sanctuary, any disappointment I had about the weather faded.

I walked past the students working on their homework, a businessman on a conference

call and friends catching up over a healthy meal to the counter with a wide selection of dishes ranging from acai bowls to cauliflower buffalo wings.

I ordered, from their vast menu, the Cali Tacos ($13.90), corn tortilla tacos filled with sautéed mushrooms, sweet potatoes, grilled onions, red bell peppers, kale and a drizzle of chimichurri sauce because I was interested to see a vegan adaptation of classic Cal-Mex cuisine.

Though I didn’t like how high the price was, it was expected because they use high quality ingredients.

When I sat down, I noticed the rustic red bricks that covered the walls, the menus craftily written on chalkboard menus, the homemade art that decorated the space and the beachy views of La Jolla from the big windows.

In less than five minutes, my tacos were delivered to my table, piping hot; the quick service was impressive.

The plate was colorful and visually appealing and looked like it was straight out of an Instagram post, so I was excited to try it.

The first bite was kind of disappointing; the tacos were not as flavorful as I thought

they would be. Still, they were hot, filling and healthy, And while the dish I chose was bland, I was not able to try the entire menu and am sure there are more savory options.

What saved the meal was a side salad with shredded beet and sweet potatoes topped with a delicious tangy dressing.

While the Cali tacos were messy, I was prompted by a cute sign to be environmentally conscious and save a napkin.

Overall, I had a great time trying something new and would love to go back to Trilogy Sanctuary on a sunny day to try more vegan options if I am in the La Jolla area.

This restaurant seems like a perfect place to watch the sunset over the La Jolla cove or spend an afternoon with friends studying.

by Katie Flint

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Whether it’s for the environment, religion, philosophy or it’s simply a personal preference, Impossible “meat” is slowly gaining ground in the meat industry.

Immediately as I stepped into The Melt, I was bombarded with the smell of fresh burgers and fries (not that I was complaining).

To my left were two self-serve kiosks, both unoccupied, which made sense considering there were at most around 15 people sitting and eating.

Behind the sparkling lights was a giant painted circleshaped sign of the restaurant name against a white brick wall.

The color scheme is orange, white and brown, and the restaurant looked clean and had a modern style.

All the furniture was fairly simple, nothing that stood out.

My only complaint would be how close my

table was to the couple next to me. I got up to get my fries and had an extremely hard time scooching out of my chair. It made things very awkward; I was worried I would accidently hit the people behind me.

I walked to the “order here” line and asked for their new Impossible Melt Burger on gluten-free bread ($12.79), which to my surprise, didn’t cost extra. The Impossible meat patty itself was $5. I was told I could get it on the Spicy Mission Melt Burger, Swiss ‘n’ Shroom Melt Burger, but I stuck to the Melt Burger. The burger was $12.79, which I found very expensive. Some quick math showed that some bread and cheese was $7.79.

I didn’t wait long for my food before the buzzer I was sent back with began to go off, and I eagerly picked up my burger with a half pickle on the side.

The first bite was mesmerizing. The soft, chewy texture of the bread (I would come back for just the gluten-free bread) combined with the warm bite into the patty gave me a glimpse of heaven. Every once in a while, I would taste the crunch of diced pickles and jalapenos, which made the burger exponentially better.

Napkins were my best friend during this burger — the grease from its fat (coconut

and sunflower oils) was unprecedented — but I didn’t mind.

Once I had devoured most of my burger, I tried the “naked fries,” which weren’t so naked, covered in a light green seasoning called “melt spice.”

I thought the burger was good, but little did I know the fries would hit it out of the ballpark. Normally I need ketchup to make fries taste good, but I found myself wanting them plain because of their sheer tastiness.

Beef patties tend to leave me feeling stuffed and bloated. Although I don’t eat too many burgers, I’m happy to have a tasty alternative that leaves me feeling good!

After my exquisite experience with an Impossible Burger at The Melt, I will continue to look out for many more “meat”-free options like it.

by Srishti Thapar

Currently, I am in the process of transitioning to be fully vegan. On this journey to eat more sustainably, I have discovered various protein- and nutrient-rich foods that I was unaware even existed. In this process of eating less meat and less dairy, I have come to love many vegan foods. I can say with confidence that the vegan food I tend to eat is delicious, and I do not see myself ever going back to eating more meat.

With this said, my expectations for restaurants featuring vegan food options is fairly high. I do not believe that just because something is vegan it must lack flavor. If the vegan food I make at home can taste amazing, there is no reason that when I go out to eat vegan food it should be subpar.

Lotus Cafe met and exceeded my rather high expectations.

From the beginning of my experience I was impressed. One of the reasons I hesitate to

drive to Encinitas for food is how difficult it is to find parking near downtown. However, Lotus Cafe has its own parking lot, which completely eliminates the hassle of parking.

Although I do frequent such places which many times have vegan options, Lotus Cafe is a breath of fresh air in the health food restaurant world. The restaurant is bursting with color and almost has a “local diner combined with Indian family restaurant” feel. The walls are covered in art inspired by the owners’ travels to India and Nepal.

Furthermore, there is both indoor and outdoor seating, and many of the tables inside are wooden booths, similar to those old— fashioned diners.

Their menu is massive, with a multitude of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free options.

For an indecisive person such as myself, the extensive menu can be a bit overwhelming, but part of what makes their menu so long is the fact that breakfast is served all day, which is always a plus.

The menu has a wide variety of types of food, ranging from curry, grain bowls, salads, pasta, sandwiches, vegan cupcakes, and much more.

I decided to order from the breakfast

portion of the menu, and I got the tofu scramble with potatoes and vegan sausage ($10.95).

Their menu is not only very diverse, but they also are very customizable.

For my order, I had a choice of regular or sweet potatoes, a choice of which two vegetables I wanted in the scramble and a choice between included vegan sausage or bacon. As a slightly picky eater, I truly appreciate the flexibility in their menu.

Everything in my meal tasted absolutely amazing. The tofu was bursting with a smokey and slightly spiced flavor, the potatoes were crispy and well seasoned, and the veggie sausage tasted just as great as the chicken sausage I used to eat for breakfast when I was younger.

After such an incredible experience, I will for sure be returning to Lotus Cafe very soon.

by Maya Satchell

A19

Nolan Ezzet

STAFF WRITER

Girls basketball breezes past Carlsbad PHOTO USED BY PERMISSION OF ANNA SCIPIONE

Mirabel Hunt

STAFF WRITER TPHS varsity girls basketball (14-10) defeated Carlsbad High School (19-7) 5339 on Jan. 31 at home.

“We started off passing the ball around and making sure that everyone was getting involved and putting pressure on them and not letting them get in,” Varsity Coach Morgan Overman said.

The Falcons came out early in the first quarter thanks to their strong defense, making it difficult for the Lancers to shoot. They ended the first quarter by 8, 17-9. The second quarter started strong for the Falcons with two free throw points by Isabel Ascensio (12) helping them further secure their consistent 10-point lead.

After TPHS took possession from Carlsbad, the Lancers fouled Rory Hetrick (11), leading her to score two free

throw points. After TPHS suffered a foul penalty, Paola Ramirez (11) stole the ball and scored, sealing the first half with a score of 26-18.

Beryl Dannis (12) started the second half of the game with possession, scoring soon after. While the Falcons missed several three-point shots, the Lancers scored a three, cutting the TPHS lead to 3026. After this point return, a timeout was called by TPHS. Post-timeout, the Falcons quickly regained their stride as Dannis finally sank a clean three-pointer following great dribbling technique. TPHS was able to better attune their shots as Dannis and Sydney Taylor (11) scored on assisted layups, bringing the score to 37-29.

Although TPHS’s aggression led them to their powerful lead, their passing definitely contributed to their win.

The teams went into the fourth quarter at 39-29. The

PHOTO USED BY PERMISSION OF ANNA SCIPIONE HUSTLE POINTS: TPHS guard Keila Teruya (11) looks to get in position to grab a rebound from a missed shot.

PHOTO BY KATHERYN YOO/FALCONER GETTING BUCKETS: Center Izzy Ascencio (12) of the Falcons prepares to attempt a free throw during the game against Carlsbad.

Falcons did not leave their intensity in the 3rd quarter as Cami Kangleon (12) scored on a rebound after multiple missed shots by her teammates in the beginning of the fourth quarter.

After Carlsbad’s first timeout of the fourth quarter, Dannis made a fast break to the basket, increasing their score to 43-31. Carlsbad’s nerves may have gotten the better of them as they missed two free throws and were more openly aggressive, eventually scoring one free throw after numerous TPHS fouls. After another free throw point by Hetrick, Carlsbad called a timeout with only two minutes remaining, while the Falcons still held an over 10 point lead at 45-33.

Post-timeout, Dannis pulled down to rebound a missed Carlsbad shot, leading to two clean free-throw points scored

by Keila Teruya (11). With only 1:31 left in the game, Carlsbad managed to score two layups, bringing their score up to 37 points. Dannis, Hetrick and Ascensio scored free throws for a total of four points, increasing their lead to 51-39. In the last five seconds, TPHS finished it off with a layup thanks to a

whole-team effort, 53-39.

The TPHS win against Carlsbad was a turnaround from the first game they played against them on Jan. 14 when they lost by only one basket.

“It was a revenge game for us. We were at home and we really wanted to prove to them that this was our game,” Teruya said.

While the Falcons made great improvements in the game, especially on their defense, they are always critiquing themselves to better their game and grow as players.

“We’re gonna work on playing as a better team and running our plays all the way through because sometimes we only run them through a little bit or put up shots that don’t go anywhere,” Rebecca Cole (11) said.

Their motivation and hustle to come back against Carlsbad allowed them their victory.

“Coming away with a victory was a highlight, [with] everyone involved offensively and giving a great overall team effort,” Overman said.

Girl’s basketball closed out the season losing to rival LCC 38-43 on Feb. 13.

Antonio Brown was once a sixth round NFL draft pick and wide receiver from Central Michigan University, but he would later go on to be one of the best wide receivers in NFL history, shattering records left and right. Within the last year, Brown has arguably caused more controversy than any athlete in history, and his downfall is outrageous.

What caused the downfall is unclear. Some speculate his actions stem from developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) from Vontaze Burfict’s notorious blind-side hit. Others think he was always a sociopath, but did a great job hiding it for most of his career. Nonetheless, the number of news headlines surrounding Brown is through the roof, and most of them came in less than a year.

After being traded to the Oakland Raiders, Brown got jealous of teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster being named the 2018 Steelers MVP and publicly called him out. He then contracted frostbite during the off-season because he did not wear proper footwear in a cryotherapy chamber.

As if the media was not buzzing enough, Brown complained that he was forced to wear a safer helmet. He filed a grievance, which was rejected, and then threatened to retire over it. He was monumentally upset about being forced to be safe and filed another grievance, only for it to be rejected again.

Soon after, his former trainer accused him of raping her three times, and Xenith and Nike retracted their endorsement deals with him.

Text messages were made public, in which Brown “intimidated” the trainer after she made the rape allegations against him. Because of this, the New England Patriots released him into free agency just one week after signing him.

He quieted down for a week before he quickly found a way to attract more (bad) attention to himself by publicly asking for help on his English essay.

Brown tweeted, “My English paper do by tonight 12am need a prof reader make sure As and Bs.” I shure due feel bad 4 his english teecher she must bee up set.

On Jan. 13, Brown streamed via Instagram Live him screaming at the police in front of his children for several minutes. Brown dropped 14 f-bombs in the first 21 seconds, according to CBS. Later, Brown and his new trainer, Glenn Holt, assaulted a delivery truck driver who was delivering some of Brown’s items that had been stored in California to his house in Florida.

Brown locked himself in his house to hide from the police, until he finally turned himself in. On top of that, the Hollywood (Florida) Police Department claimed that Brown is facing one count of “burglary with battery, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and criminal mischief.”

If Brown was not an NFL star, I believe he would be in prison. He has been involved in more incidents than the ones listed here, but I feel that the ones in this article are the most significant. Nonetheless, Brown is a very talented receiver who has been in an endless heap of trouble. I hope he gets treatment and can become stable again, but his downward spiral this season was outrageous.

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Karly Reeves (11), committed to Santa Clara University, had the opportunity to play on the U18 national soccer team against teams from around the world.

As the girls began to assemble and take their places ahead of a corner kick, Karly Reeves (11) looked back at her coach for direction. Without any indication of where to go, Reeves decided to take the risk and position herself to score rather than to defend, as she normally does. It was this risk and this instinctive choice by Reeves that allowed her to score her first goal for the U18 women’s national team.

Last October, Reeves attended a USA soccer youth training camp. She and her fellow athletes at the camp were selected by USA soccer recruiting coaches who traveled to various showcase soccer tournaments across the country to find about forty players, all of whom would be invited to their training camp in Florida for the Youth National team.

The Florida training camp serves as a form of tryout for the U18 women’s national soccer team. After attending the training camp in Florida, Reeves was selected as one of the 20 young women to represent the USA in the U18 division and to compete against other top level players from teams around the world at a tournament in Florida, which took place over the first weekend in February.

“It was all kind of surreal to be there in that position. Wearing the USA jersey, playing in the stadium in front of hundreds of people — it’s at that moment when you’re like, ‘Wow this is crazy,’” Reeves said.

Although Reeves has become a highlyskilled incredible soccer player, her heart wasn’t always set on soccer. She started playing soccer at age eight and only decided to focus on soccer rather than basketball during her freshman year.

“I always knew I couldn’t continue splitting my time between the two sports. I thought I could go further in soccer … and I’m a little short for basketball,” Reeves said.

Reeves’ choice of soccer was made easier by her older sister, as they play the same position, center back defender, a role Reeves truly enjoys, at the same local soccer club.

“It feels good to be on defense and to feel as if you are kind of in control of the whole shape of everyone else in front of you on the field,” Reeves said.

As a center back defender, she does not frequently have the opportunity to score goals, but Reeves still believes that “defense wins championships.”

Reeves proved herself right when she helped her team secure two wins against the U18 teams from China and Norway. And Reeves didnt not only contribute to those games on defense; she also scored a goal in both.

photo by lesley moon/falconer

“I never thought I would have the chance to score because as center back I don’t usually get a chance to do so,” Reeves said.

Despite her initial hesitation after looking back at her coach and receiving no signal, Reeves set herself up in a position to score the first goal of the game.

“Scoring in the first game against China was just so surreal. I just kept thinking to myself, ‘Did that really just happen?’”

Reeves said.

After beating China (2-0), Reeves’ and her team’s success continued after they crushed Norway 5-0; Reeves again contributed to the team’s total of five goals with a goal herself.

Ahead of the final game in Florida against the Netherlands, Reeves was unexpectedly chosen to be team captain.

“Our keeper usually is captain because she is a neutral player,” Reeves said. “But she wasn’t able to be in the last game against Norway, and it was super cool when they suddenly chose me to be captain.”

Reeves had an “unbelievable” experience competing against some of the best players from around the country, but she loves her hometown team, too.

“I love my Surf team and playing with all of my teammates here in San Diego,” Reeves said.

But, she soon will have another team. Following her time at TPHS, Reeves will take her soccer skills to the Division 1 soccer team at Santa Clara University.

Reeves is excited to go to a school in California where she can still be somewhat near to the beach and a school where “[she] really likes the people, the coaches and the school community.”

For Reeves, although playing soccer is partially about scoring goals and winning games, the best part is “having a place every day to break from school and life and to just have fun playing with my team.”

For many athletes playing on a team is one of their favorite parts of their sport — but few athletes are like Reeves and can say that they have played on a team while wearing the USA jersey.

by Maya Satchell

A21

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A22 the falconer

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MAMBA MENTALITY

33463

CAREER POINTS (4th most all time)

2

FINALS MVPs

(TIED 6th most all time)

81

18

POINTS IN ALL-STAR GAME SELECTIONS ONE (2nd most all time) (2nd most all time)

PHOTOS FROM UPI AND VOGUE

5

NBA TITLES

(TIED14th most all time)

Information from Basketball-Reference.com

Shorten the NBA season to prevent load mangement Daniel Kim

NEWS EDITOR Steve Kerr, coach of the Golden State Warriors, received an email in 2015 from a family of fans who drove all the way to Denver from South Dakota in hopes of seeing their favorite NBA players on the court, especially star guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

The email’s purpose? The family was disappointed to discover that four of the five starting players for the Warriors would not be playing that evening, including Curry and Thompson along with starting small forward Andre Iguodala and center Andrew Bogut.

Recently, 2019 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard has been the center of attention, not only for his talent but also the number of times he has sat out games. Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers once reported that Leonard was “healthy” for the Nov. 7, 2019 matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, only to load manage the star hours later, incurring both a $50,000 fine and a widespread debate within the NBA community regarding the benching of star players. Fans were devastated to show up to watch Leonard play but find out that he would be sitting out the night.

Load management, in simple terms, is the preservation of a team’s best players for the most important moments of the season, especially the playoffs. This recently popularized strategy has prompted a fierce debate between the fans who want to see their stars on the court and the management that wants to protect its talent for a playoff run.

In order to solve the issue of load management, the NBA should look to the NFL as an example and both decrease the number of games in the regular season and spread out the matches throughout the year to prevent load management from ever occurring.

Currently, the NFL has a 16 week regular season with one game per week,

so the importance of winning each game is much greater when compared to the 82game NBA season. Knowing that football is a rigorous sport, the league provides one week-gaps between games and even bye weeks for players to recover. Unable to afford to lose any games, NFL teams never load manage their players and rather sometimes even forcefully start some injured starters for a chance at the playoffs. By following this model, the NBA can decrease the number of games and spread the season out, so teams are less willing to load manage players because each individual game weighs harder on the team’s chance at making the playoffs.

Also, players will be able to recover from games more effectively without feeling the physical pressure of back-to-back games.

Even NBA players feel that the season is too long, decreasing their motivation for each game. Damian Lilliard, star point guard of the Portland Trail Blazers, said in 2013, “Of course, if there were less games, I’d be able to play at a higher level because I wouldn’t have to play as many games.

I’d have more energy and more bounce to my step if I wasn’t out there so much.

Sometimes you can be worn down.” Even when Curry and Thompson sat out against the Denver Nuggets, the Warriors had five games that week, wearing out the starters who played in the last four contests and ultimately forcing them to sit out the fifth one.

The only method to prevent load management is to discourage it at its core, which its purpose is to protect the star players from injury due to fatigue.

One anonymous NBA owner said, “It’s a holistic problem. A holistic approach needs to factor in how you can reduce fatiguerelated injuries. The number of regularseason games may be a part of that, but practices, the preseason, workouts, sleep, nutrition and travel are also significant factors in causing fatigue-related injuries.”

By forcing teams to give their one hundred percent effort in every individual game,

players and coaches will realize that the risks of losing one more game is much greater and will not need to adhere to load management as badly.

Outside of the season schedule, there are other factors in injuries of NBA players, including increased off-court work. In order to be in peak shape longer and extend their careers, NBA players have focused more on off-court work than ever, allowing for older players like Vince Carter and Pau Gasol to play at relatively strong levels even in their late 30s and 40s. Since conditioning is

developing into a greater focus of the NBA players, they are more subject to early fatigue, sitting out games in fear of injury.

By accounting for that increased off-court work, a schedule reduction would allow for players to manage their own health better and compete in every game.

By weighing more on each individual match and reducing the schedule or spreading it out more, both NBA teams and fans can be satisfied with a healthy roster and the ability to watch their favorite players shine on the court.

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Mike Cava

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february 21, 2020

California’s Democratic Primary is fast approaching.

On March 3, choosing who deserves your vote can get confusing. The Falconer guide will help you get to know each of the candidates a little bit better, whether you’re one of the few seniors eligible to vote by then or a student who just likes to be politically aware. Happy voting!

by Dhathry Doppalapudi

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U.S. senator from Vermont, Sanders promotes radical socialist ideas that will corrupt the weak minds of America’s youth! Imagine supporting free healthcare for all and reducing student loan debt... who in their right mind would support this maniac? But in all seriousness, if elected, Sanders would be the oldest president in U.S. history. Maybe the “bern” he’s feeling is from his ailing heart...

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U.S. senator from Massachusetts Warren may seem like a typical Karen straight from the hills of Caucasia, but she is actually a direct descendant of Pocahontas!

Just kidding, but with her unconfirmed 1/32 Cherokee ancestry, she could be not only the first woman president, but the first woman president of COLOR!

Former vice president and everyone’s (least) favorite uncle, Joe Biden is looking for a way back into the Oval Office, but this time without his BFF Barack.

Perhaps the only thing more uncomfortable than his invasions of personal space is the way his fluorescent dentures don’t fit in his mouth.

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Mayo Pete Boo de Judge probably looks oddly familiar, and we know why. You’re being reminded of the mayor of Dr. Seuss’ Whoville! Aside from his cartoonish looks, Buttigieg, who would be the youngest president ever elected, somehow is most hated by the youth. His cringey attempts at connecting with us through social media and dance trends have only made him seem like more of a Boomer.

With a net worth of nearly $63 billion, Bloomberg feels a strong connection to the average American. He has funded his entire campaign himself, pouring over $350 million into it and making sure that everyone sees his ads. Everywhere.

All. The. Time. Maybe we should just let him win so we don’t have to see them anymore.

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Wait... who are these people?