June 2019

Page 1

Vol. 44, Issue 8, 28 pages

Friday, June 7, 2019

PAC Ribbon Cutting on A3

photo by katheryn yoo/falconer

I have never liked math. That has always been a source of conflict with my parents, especially since both of them work in STEM fields.

A2 Follow the Falconer On Social Media!

Personal Perspective, A9

A19

A27


news

A2 the falconer

Katie Flint

STAFF WRITER “A Tale As Old As Time,” the 2019 junior-senior prom was held at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel on May 25. This year’s prom decorations, inspired by Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” reflected the theme with the glowing lanterns, flashing lights, flower vases,

vintage teapots and rose petals scattered on the floor. “We decided we wanted to play more into the idea behind old France with the decorations rather than the Disney aspect and so that’s why we chose ‘Tale as Old as Time’ as the theme,” ASB junior class president Addison Gonzales said. Planning for prom started last summer and ASB thought of potential prom themes

like the 1920s, but when that idea was snagged by the cheer team as the theme for Formal, ASB went with “A Tale as Old as Time.” “My friends and I were looking at Pinterest photos and she saw something that was ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and we were like ‘That could actually be really cool,’” Gonzales said. The dance was chock-full of activities

photo by katheryn yoo/falconer

TALE AS FUN AS headphones as part of

PROM: Khoa Le (12), Daniel Chang (12), Jason Li (12) and Ryan Park (12) wear the “silent disco” and enjoy their time at their last prom dance as high school students.

Dhathry Doppalapudi

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR A tree in the second row of the student parking lot fell over, damaging several student cars on May 15. A branch of the tree hit Sam Cofini’s (11) car. “It made a dent in the hood and when it fell off, it left a huge scratch from the hood to the bumper,” Cofini said. Gia Aguiar’s (11) car was also damaged by the tree. “The hood and the very top of the car are dented in,” Aguiar said. “The whole bumper on the right and the light are completely crushed.” Angela Liu (12) also sustained damage to her car. The students were all pulled out of class after the tree fell and told that they would need to go down to the parking lot to move their cars. “I was so confused when they told me that a tree had hit my car, and I went to the parking lot and saw that the tree was on top of a few different cars, but it was mainly stuck to mine,” Aguiar said. “This big tractor came in and picked the tree up and let me slide my car out from underneath. Everyone else was able to just move away except me.” Immediately after the tree fell, administrators and campus supervisors were sent to ensure that people stayed away from the site. “We immediately called our district grounds crew to come over and remove the tree and cut it up,” Principal Rob Coppo said. “Then, we looked at what cars were damaged and contacted those individual students to have them come out and follow up with their insurance companies.” The school’s insurance will cover the costs of repairing the students’ cars. “We got an estimate the other day, and it’s going to cost $5,300,” Cofini said. “We just had to fill out a form and get the

estimate, though, and the school is paying for it completely.” On May 31, another tree fell in the senior parking lot. Jose Reynoso, a campus supervisor, found the tree. “It was actually me who found both of the trees. I was in the parking lot when they fell,” Reynoso said. “The first time, there were some cars damaged; in the

second time, luckily, there weren’t.” He said the problem is the type of tree. “Sometimes when they choose trees, they don’t think long term what will happen,” Reynoso said. “These particular trees, with all the rain that we got, don’t have a strong base. So they grow really large and they get saturated and rotten in the middle, and then they split and fall.”

june 7, 2019

like taking pictures in the glowing balloon photo booth, eating in the private banquet hall and dancing under a transparent canopy with a glowing strand of fairy lights floating on top of them or in the popular silent disco. The location also included a balcony that overlooked the ocean where students could dance. “Everybody’s favorite part is always the silent disco, which is why we decided to do it again this way,” Gonzales said. Students voted beforehand for Prom King and Queen, who turned out to be Kevin Caballero (12) and Rehanna Fikre (12), crowned at the dance. The DJ played mostly hip hop tracks with the occasional throwback song to fill the dance floor. Other students enjoyed the pizza, cakepops, sliders and fried macaroni bites. “We got to pick five food options from the hotel’s list of things,” Gonzales said. The event was popular; ASB ended up selling 650 tickets to students and guests. “I want to make special memories with my friends, and it’s a good opportunity for everyone to dress up,” Julia Lee (11) said. The ticket prices for the first week of ticket sales were $60 with an ASB card and $65 without. Then in the following weeks, the prices rose to $70 with an ASB card and $75 without. Because ASB sold around 650 tickets, their budget was $30,000, and as with many previous dances, the goal of the dance was to break even. The two biggest expenses for the dance year were the venue and the DJ, and the event is mostly student-planned. “The Hilton Bay Front was the biggest expense … the last couple of years, the kids have really been into being somewhere close to the water,” ASB adviser Matt. Livingston said. The next dance hosted by ASB will be the senior dance during senior week on June 10 from 8:30 - 10pm at Party Pals. The theme is “Snow Globe.”

What will happen to the remaining trees in the parking lot is not certain yet. “It just has to do with the kind of trees that they select for the landscaping in the future,” Reynoso said. “[They need to choose] ones that will hold up better, and they’re thinking about [what to do] now, going forward, with the weather we’ve had.”

photo by angela liu/falconer

A TREE-CHEAROUS CRASH: A fallen tree rests on a student car in the back parking lot. Students whose cars were affected were pulled from class and encouraged to contact their insurance companies, while TPHS administrators had the tree removed.


news

tphsfalconer.com

the falconer

A3

architects and in 2008 the first blueprint was created. The second blueprint was made in 2013 and construction finally began in June 2017. In the PAC, drama, dance and music classes have new classrooms with more seating, better lighting and better acoustics to improve student’s practices and performances. The PAC also can accommodate a guest speaker with its 30- foot projector screen. “This [PAC] is built to be a black box theater; it’s got the lighting, has the

Katie Flint

STAFF WRITER

TPHS opened the brand new performing arts center after 12 months of planning and 17 months of construction. Board members, district and TPHS staff, architects, construction workers, parents, alumni and students gathered to watch as theater director Marinee Payne and friends cut the ribbon, signaling the official opening of the new PAC. Principal Rob Coppo, Superintendent Dr. Robert Haley, SDUHSD board president Beth Hergesheimer, Associate Superintendent Tina Douglas and Payne took the opportunity to share their experiences with the arts and thank the community for supporting Prop. AA. Payne, who has been an advocate for the construction of the PAC since 2005, described to Claudia Granada (11) the crowd that the PAC was her dream and she STUDENT watched for months as it became reality. electrical power and has the sound system After the speeches ended, the crowd was and all the bells and whistles that go with divided into groups of 15 or 20 people to it. The band and dance rooms are all brand tour the PAC. new, all enhanced. Technologically and Drama productions were held in the acoustically, they’re really, really welllecture hall for the first 10 years of the engineered,” said Mike Coy, SDUHSD program. Then, a metal workshop was chief facilities officer. converted into the current black box The first show performed in the PAC theater which was used for the following 30 was the drama department’s “Lord of years. In 2005, talks began with Payne and the Flies”. On June 3 at 7 p.m. the music

department had shows for the wind ensemble, orchestra, jazz band and on June 6 at 7 p.m. for the Guitar Ensemble, Choir and select chamber groups. The response from the students and staff is positive. “I’m very excited that this is opening. I’m very excited about the fact that this school is going to have a professional building where everyone involved in arts can come together,” Claudia Granada (11) said. “Before, I felt like it was a little bit separated.” TPHS music students also expressed gratitude for the new venue. “Any sport has their own practice area

and everything. But, for the arts and stuff, we’ve never had our own area of work … having your own space to work in is a component to help you grow,” Alina Ho (11) said. “It’s nice because now we have our own place to showcase our hard work.” The ribbon-cutting ceremony was an emotional time for Coppo, a former TPHS student and leader of the TP Players. “It was really amazing to see the community do something this incredible for a school that has deserved it for 40 years,” Coppo said. Other projects to improve TPHS are also in the works, like a possible eatery that would replace the black box theatre.

encourage reading throughout the areas surrounding TPHS. “We’re [making these libraries] to encourage reading,” Lin said. “We also really wanted to get education and reading to kids during the summer.” Inspiration for their project struck when the company Lin’s mother works for began to give out Ashley Lin (11) grants to people STUDENT who wanted to make a positive impact on their communities. “[My mom said] they could give us $250 to start a project, and then we could use

that money to put it towards supplies and raising more money,” Lin said. Lin then shared her idea to create the project with Lennon, who wanted in on the project. “ [ T h e project] was so interesting to me,” Lennon said. “I had never thought to do something like this before, and when [Lin] brought it to my attention I was extremely interested.” Lin and Lennon have been working on the project since March and hope to be

done with the construction of the physical libraries by Lin and Lennon in late June. “We’re currently talking to the city of San Diego and deciding right now about where we can place [the libraries],” Lin said. “They’re just going to be like in public areas like neighborhoods and parks.” To fill the libraries with books, the two have worked with science teacher Brinn Belyea to run a book drive at TPHS. “[Ashley and Ana] have really taken charge,” Belyea said. “They’ve also gotten help from Mr. [Jonathan] Tater to build the bins where you can drop off and pick up the books. It’s a great idea.” Lin and Lennon are looking to begin a chain reaction with the project. “I just hope that kids enjoy reading and they find new kinds of books, and that people come up and they see it and they want to build one or two more.”

I’m very excited for the fact that this school is going to have a professional building where everyone was involved in arts can come together.

Bea De Oliveira NEWS EDITOR

Juniors Ashley Lin and Ana Lennon are working to construct mini “give-and-take libraries” to be placed throughout Del Mar to encourage reading. The mini borrowing libraries will be built of wood and filled with books that have been donated from the Del Mar Library, as well as from TPHS students. They will be painted in various colors and shaped like a rectangular bookshelf with a triangular roof. Once the libraries are put into place, anyone will be able to take books or place new ones onto the shelves. Borrowing libraries like the ones Lin and Lennon have planned are already in the Solana Beach neighborhoods and some other local cities. As a whole, the project was meant to

photo by katheryn yoo/falconer

MAKING AN IM-PAC-T: The TPHS and SDUHSD faculty prepare the cut the ribbon and officially announce the new Performing Arts Center complete and open to the public.

I just hope that kids enjoy reading and find new kinds of books.

Student special Free fountain drink and chips with purchase of burrito with student id

Catering for offices, schools, and homes (619) 952-7468 photo courtesy of ashley lin and ana lennon

CONSTRUCTING READERSHIP: Mini borrowing libraries in the process of being built by Ashley Lin (11) and Ana Lennon (11) to be placed around TPHS areas.


news

A4 the falconer

American Invitational Mathematics Exam Qualifiers

Annual 16th All-USA High School Japanese Speech Contest Winner s new

Daniel Cai (9) Jeha Chung (12) Torrey Duan (10) Benjamin Hong (10) Saeji Hong (10) Jerry Huang (11) Lucas Liu (10) Sumith Nalabolu (11) Eric Oh (11) Ananth Rao (12) Jeff Ren (10) Giaccomo Rizzo (9)

june 7, 2019

Zane Adlam (CCA)

Published Wolfram Mathematica Demonstrations

USA Math Olympiad Qualifier Sumith Nalabolu (11)

USA Junior Math Olympiad Qualifiers Lucas Liu (10) Jeff Ren (10) Giacomo Rizzo (9)

Charles Bao (12) Jade Babcock-Chi (12) Joshua Golden (12) Farhan Hossain (12) Maxine Sy Chu (12) Elliot Kim (12) Justin Lee (12) Edwin Lim (12) Will Lutz (12) Kunal Singla (12) Spencer Shroff (12) Maxine Sy Chu (12) Raymond Yang (12) Emily Zhang (12)

Freshman Academic Team North County Academic League Champions Rose Anderson (9) Jasmine Criqui (9) Ariana DiDomenico (9) Varun Dutt (9) Enoch Huang (9) Albert Jen (9) Johnavon Kim (9) Aashish Krishnan (9) David Lee (9) Thomas Steiner (9) Dylan Thomas (9) Grant Tucker (9) Satya Vargas (9) Alice Yu (9)

Music Teacher’s Association of California Goodlin Competition Sara Maxman (10) Laura Yu (12)

Colette Chiang

FEATURE EDITOR The TPHS Scholarship Fund awarded $44,500 in scholarships to seniors at its 32nd annual ceremony at Pacific Trails Middle School on May 22. The event began at 6:30 p.m., and guests enjoyed an assortment of appetizers before finding their seats. Sandy Parish, the founder of TPHSSF, began the ceremony with a speech, announcing that in its 32 years, the organization has awarded $1 million in scholarships. She was followed by a speaker who had received the Lamborghini Memorial award last year, Molly McGuerty (‘18), and Principal Rob Coppo, who jokingly thanked TPHSSF for starting the program the year after he graduated. Fifty-one students received scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000 this year in three categories: scholarships, business/ community awards and memorial awards. Within each category was a range of different scholarships, such as the Principal’s, Falcon Science Stars and Falcon Dance Arts awards. The first scholarship presented, the Principal’s award, was given by Coppo to Morgan Schreiber (12) and Shannon Brownlee (12) for their academic and campus life achievements. “I was definitely surprised because they didn’t let us know what award we were going to get until the ceremony when we showed up,” Brownlee said. “I also didn’t expect Mr. Coppo to give a speech about me; it was very, very sweet and I was honored.” In addition to recurring awards such as the Principal’s award, there were new scholarships as well, like the one given to Sophia Chen (12) by the Boston-based company, Fish & Richardson. “Receiving this new scholarship was a surprise and also a huge honor, and it will, more than anything, encourage me to pursue my passions in science and reach out to the company’s women in Boston,” Chen said. Jordan Naughton (12) received the Kit Moffett Memorial award, in honor of the late TPHS English teacher Kit Moffett. The award was presented by four of Moffett’s

English department colleagues. “Receiving this award was surreal for me,” Naugton said. “I was so incredibly honored to receive this because it’s not just a random name; it’s hers. It feels like another connection to her, and I’m so grateful for it. I miss her so much … and I hope it would have made her happy.” The scholarships are made possible by donations from alumni, families and businesses, as well as extensive fundraising by the TPHSSF Board Members, and are limited only by “when the money will come to an end,” according to Joyce Dalessandro, longtime SDUHSD School Board member. In order to qualify for a scholarship, students submit applications that include work experience, a teacher recommendation, resume of school, community involvement and an essay, which this year, asked students what historical event they would like to have witnessed. The board then, without knowing the students’ names, reviews the applications and selects students to interview. Lastly, they award the scholarships. Some applicants are particularly wellsuited to certain awards, like a dancer receiving the Falcon Dance Arts award or a surfer receiving the Hansen Surfboards award. Others are given according to who the board thought was the best fit in a category after reviewing the applications. With all awards, however, the purpose of the ceremony was to “raise as much money to give scholarships to kids who have demonstrated so much interest in school,” according to Dalessandro. After being called up on stage and taking a photo, award-winners also received a letter that disclosed how much money their scholarship awarded, and a reminder, if applicable, to write a letter to thank the sponsor of the award. The board encourages current juniors to apply for a scholarship starting in February 2020. In the meantime, they will resume the work and fundraising that makes the ceremony possible. “I’m really choked up right now,” Dalessandro said. “We have worked so hard to put the ceremony together, and seeing how well it went, as it does every year, motivates us to work harder for the next year.”

photo by anna jeong/falconer

THE PRINCI-PAL AWARD: Morgan Schreiber (12) and Shannon Brownlee (12) received the Principal’s Award from Principal Rob Coppo at the TPHS Foundation Scholarship Fund Awards.


news

tphsfalconer.com

Esther Choi

FEATURE EDITOR The TPHS Math Open House was presented to parents and students on May 28 in the Learning Commons. An event hosted annually by math teacher Abby Brown to display and present math-related projects by students, the Math Open House, is a tradition that was started 20 years ago when Brown began

teaching. For anywhere from 3-5 months, students work on projects, choosing to explore further topics they were introduced to from class or to apply to real-life situations. Some of the topics for this open house included San Diego real estate pricing, neural networks, art and math theorems, to name a few. “Math Open House is the culmination of our year’s work,” Brown said. “We do

the falconer

presentations in class all the time. So this is really the students’ opportunity to give the final presentation. But rather than presenting to the class, they present to their family and friends and other community members.” Another unique aspect of the projects besides the variety of topics is the collaboration and teamwork that went into research and learning. It isn’t rare for students to help each other while working

A5

“My project was an exploration of [Wolfram] Mathematica’s new software update, which allows for it to be interfaced with the new Unity engine,” Brownlee said. As one of the two organizers of the event — the other is Emily Zhang (12) — Brownlee was in charge of managing ­ the budget for decorations and food and deciding the placement of the tables, among other duties. Three classes participate in the showcase: Calculus CD, Linear Algebra and Advanced Topics in Mathematics. Of the latter two, computer science Wolfram Mathematica specifically is the primary focus, while Calculus CD is centered more around calculus, although all classes are taught computer science. Because the linear algebra and Advanced Topics math classes at TPHS focus a lot on computer programming, the projects from those classes reflect that. The event is also a way to facilitate discussion between students and experts on their topics. “This year I felt more than usual we had parents with technical backgrounds discussing the projects with the students and asking them good questions,” Brown said. Regardless of whether or not parents can understand the topics, the Math Open House is an engaging and interactive way to share an aspect of students’ lives at school with their parents. “Other parents have the opportunity to learn more about what their kids or their children’s friends are studying at school,” Brown said. “I always get really positive feedback from the parents about the event.”

This is really the students’ opportunity to give the final presentation. But rather than presenting to the class, they present to their family and friends and other community members. Abby Brown

MATH TEACHER

MATH IN YOUR AREA: Michael Huo (12) explains how he used neural networks to identify different faces in videos and shows the network in action on a projector.

photo by anna jeong/falconer

Jacey Yang (12) performs at the TPHS Chamber Concert in the new Performing Arts Center.

on their separate presentations. “Neural networks is one of the bigger topics [in the Math Open House], so we asked some of the kids that are really good at [neural networks] to help us jumpstart our project,” said Jade Babcock-Chi (12), who collaborated on a voice recognition project with William Lutz (12). “And using their help and what we learned in our advanced topics class, we could kind of create our own.” Math Open House student coordinator Shannon Brownlee’s (12) project incorporated elements of computer science that she learned both in and out of class.

JUNe in photos

photo by anna jeong/falconer

Seniors are awarded a total of $44,500 by the TPHS Scholarship Fund held on May 22.

photo by angela liu/falconer photo by katheryn yoo/falconer

photo by anna jeong/falconer

Two trees that inexplicably fell on separate days damaged parked The TPHS staff and SDUHSD officials celebrate before the ribbon-cutting Daniel Maas cars in the TPHS student parking lot. ceremony to officially announce the opening of the Performing Arts Center. pendulums to

(12) explains visitors at

his the

project Math

about Open

inverted House.

photo by dhathry doppalapudi/falconer

The TPHS class of 2019 comes together to hang out and celebrate their upcoming high school graduation during Falcon Futures day before separating to go to their respective colleges.


art by kristen ching/falcon artist

On April 21, 2019 the Supreme Court will begin to hear a case involving the Trump administration’s addition of a citizenship status question on the 2020 census.

Neha Pubbi

STAFF WRITER The Trump administration has proposed a citizenship question to be asked on the 2020 census. The question will elicit better data for the U.S. Census Bureau, therefore better distributing funds and resources. “The Census Bureau’s mission is to serve as the nation’s leading provider of quality data about its people and economy,” a Census Bureau spokesperson said. The inquiry about citizenship would fit into the category specified by the U.S. Census Bureau of data about Americans. The purpose of the census is to gather information and data about American residents, which includes immigrants, here illegally or otherwise; therefore, the question of citizenship should reappear on the 2020 census. The number of U.S. citizens per state versus non-citizens is an important number the government needs to know because it can change the number of representatives per state in the U.S. House of Representatives. The poll would give the government more accurate numbers of residents in a state, thereby altering the numbers of seats allotted per state. Currently, the congressional districts are drawn based on the 2010 census, which didn’t include the citizenship question. Some might argue that the question is already on the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. This survey, on average, collects data from 2.6 percent of the population each year, which is not large enough of a sample size for an accurate representation of American residents. In order to have a larger sample size the poll needs to be asked on the mandatory census, which will result in a better and more precise estimate of citizens. Also, it is important to note that this question’s appearance on the

census is not new; it appeared on the census consistently from 1850 to 1950. The query was removed in hopes of receiving more responses, which it did after the change, as the question was a deterrent to undocumented immigrants when they were taking the poll. The argument against adding the question is that in our current political environment, it will result in fewer responses, as immigrants — specifically undocumented immigrants — are afraid of their responses being used for deportation purposes. But regardless of whether the voter is a legalized citizen or not, it is illegal to share information such as citizenship status from the census with immigration agencies or law enforcement. Therefore, the response to the citizenship question would not have serious consequences or result in deportations, which is what would hinder immigrants from completing a response. The Census Bureau has claimed the data collected is solely for statistical purposes. Also, the poll does not ask if the person is in the U.S. without authorization or with it. This displays how the question’s purpose is not to scout for illegal immigrants, but to provide crucial data that can, for example, serve as a confirmation of votes during elections. The statistics and data the question would potentially collect could make or break an election by validating votes. The citizenship inquiry is not just to see how many people are not citizens, but also how many are. The question would provide an accurate number of how many citizens are in a district, allowing government officials to see the percentage of residents that vote in that area. If that percentage is low, it can be assumed that there are overly strict voter identification laws in that district. This process can be focused on areas where minorities make up a large portion of the population to ensure they are not barred from voting by harsh voter identification laws, thereby better enforcing the Votings Right Act. The citizenship question has been used before in our country’s history and is well within the right of the government to ask on the 2020 census for data and statistical purposes.

The following question was posed in a Public Religion Research Institute poll

Would a citizenship question on the census hurt the country and obscure the data?

76%

24%

*1,500 people from across the country were surveyed

Every decade, the U.S. distributes a national census in order to properly estimate the country’s population, as well as the statistics on age, sex, household composition and working status in the country. For the 2020 census, the Trump Administration has proposed the addition of a question on one’s citizenship status. The Supreme Court, now with a conservative majority, will be in charge of deciding whether or not the question will be included. In an era of increased focus on illegal immigration and deportation, the purpose of including a citizen question on the census is highly suspicious. The U.S. Census Bureau has stated that the purpose of the question is solely to gather accurate demographic information on the population. However, New York’s U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman, the judge for the first major trial regarding the addition of the citizenship question, stated that the reasoning provided for this addition was inauthentic and that the bureau held ulterior motives, especially considering adding this question would be expensive and ineffective. The inclusion of it could be detrimental to the census as a whole, since it may yield inaccurate information because concerned immigrants who are in the country without authorization will likely not self-identify. This would skew the results on population and affect certain states’ political representation in the House of Representatives and Electoral College. The national census included a question similar to the one proposed in 1950, but this question asked foreign-born residents if they had been naturalized, to which they could respond with yes, no or that they had been foreign born to American parents; today’s addition asks a more blunt, “Are you a citizen?” The newer phrasing is particularly important given the U.S.’ new environment. Today’s data reports around 11 million unauthorized immigrants live in the U.S., according to the Migration Policy Institute, a non-partisan immigration research and analysis institute. This higher number of illegal immigrants and tense political climate birthed policies that make it harder to stay in

Vlada Demenko STAFF WRITER

the country. Considering the higher percentage of people having to worry about possible deportation, it is only natural that many would either lie on the census, not account for undocumented family members or avoid taking it out of fear of being revealed. The potential misrepresentation of population directly affects the House of Representatives. If there were a large population of illegal immigrants in a border state like California, many would be unaccounted for, leaving California with inadequate representation in the House. This clearly creates more harm than good since misrepresentation alters the power of states in Congress and decreases a state’s federal funding, also determined by census data. Also, the citizenship question is included on other surveys by the U.S. Census Bureau. For example, the American Community Survey is an annual survey distributed to over 3 million Americans. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, it gathers more data about “jobs and occupations, educational attainment, veterans, whether people own or rent their home, and other topics.” This not only includes the question of citizenship status, but also and more importantly, has no effect on House representation. The inclusion of this very direct and potentially dangerous question on the 2020 census is not just unnecessary but harmful to both political parties; left states like California and right states like Texas or Florida are affected in Congress. While legally the U.S. Census Bureau cannot disclose citizenship status to other government entities like the CIA or ICE, it is not unreasonable to suspect that might happen, especially in the current political climate surrounding immigration.


tphsfalconer.com

Maya Satchell

STAFF WRITER Two months ago, the (redacted) Mueller report was released to the public. President Donald Trump, his administration, and nearly all of the Republican members of Congress, along with William Barr, Trump’s (personal) Attorney General, have been saying and tweeting that the report “totally exonerated” the president and his campaign of colluding with the Russians or of obstructing justice. “Case closed,” said the Republican leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell. Not exactly. In the first place, the report provided lots of evidence that Trump’s campaign was all too happy to accept help from the Russians in order to help Trump get elected. Even if the criminal charge of conspiracy could not be proven to the legal level necessary to charge, there were too many meetings with Russians that continued far into the campaign season. It is a real stretch to say “case closed” with regard to collusion. Regarding obstruction of justice, over 1,000 former federal prosecutors (both Republican and Democrat) have signed a document testifying that the Mueller report has evidence of more than ten instances that would lead to the president being indicted for obstruction — except that, as Mueller himself said in his press conference last week, as a sitting president, Trump could not be indicted in accordance with Department of Justice tradition. Over the past two months, the Democrats in both chambers of Congress have begun regular (not impeachment) investigations based on the Mueller report. These investigations have subpoenaed the complete and unredacted report, underlying evidence for the report and Trump’s tax and business records. So Trump and his lawyers (including William Barr) have decided not to cooperate with these subpoenas. So even though the congressional Democrats are trying to investigate the president, it looks

Daniel Kim

SPORTS EDITOR Felix Kjellberg, more commonly known as PewDiePie — the formerly most subscribed to YouTube channel — had its top spot threatened by a new Bollywood channel, T-Series. After releasing a music video titled “Congratulations” on March 31, PewDiePie sparked a “Subscribe to PewDiePie” movement to keep his channel at the No. 1 spot. Eventually, PewDiePie made the right decision to release a video on April 28 to end the meme along with all its horrifying side effects. On the flipside, the viewers should give PewDiePie the respect he deserves rather than focusing on the negative side effects that were completely out of his control. In one of his most recent videos in which he made an official apology and ended the competition, Kjellberg explained that he initially thought that the meme would last a week and come to an end. After seeing popular YouTube channels like MrBeast, Saimin Says, Logan Paul and Grandayy find innovative, positive ways to spread the message, he decided to support the movement and promote friendly competition with T-Series. In the process, he created two diss tracks to further expand the movement’s boundaries.

opinion

like the courts will have to decide what the next steps will be, which usually means long delays as the courts consider each appeal. So are the Democrats going to begin an impeachment inquiry? After all, Mueller report all but suggested in his press conference they do so, and their regular investigations are being stonewalled. The Democrats are the majority party in the House, which is the chamber of Congress that has the right to begin an impeachment inquiry. Day by day the numbers of congressional Democrats calling for the opening of an impeachment inquiry rise. In addition, a Republican representative from Michigan, Justin Amash, has called for the launch of an impeachment investigation. Yet many moderate Democrats and leaders in the Democratic party still haven’t called for an impeachment inquiry. I understand why some Americans and Democratic leaders would be wary of starting the impeachment process. As of a May 9 Reuters poll, only 45 percent of Americans think that Trump should be impeached. And the last time a Republican House voted to impeach a president, namely Bill Clinton, the public backlash against Republicans was incredible. So ahead of the crucial 2020 election, some may fear that proceeding with the impeachment process would be seen as divisive and energize Trump’s base. Another worry is the limited amount of time to complete the investigation before the 2020 Presidential elections, and that even if the investigations were finished in before the 2020 elections, the Republican-controlled Senate would not vote to convict the President, and Trump would remain in office. What needs to begin is a formal impeachment inquiry, which is not the same thing as impeachment. An impeachment inquiry would involve calling witnesses to testify, requesting documents, and holding hearings to consider the evidence. As happened in the Watergate hearings, this is a chance for the public to hear the evidence itself, instead of on a cable news show or on Buzzfeed, and to be persuaded whether impeachment is the right thing to do or not. A formal impeachment process provides the legal weight and resources for Congress to demand and obtain the documents and to call for the witnesses needed for it to provide full oversight of the executive branch. Proceeding with a formal impeachment inquiry would the investigations and may actually lead to most

reliable information for 2020 voters. Some Democrats are also concerned that the impeachment process could divide the country further, or could make Trump’s base even more energized than they already are. These are nonissues. The country is already really divided — an impeachment process cannot really make things any worse than they already are. And Trump’s base will cast their vote for Trump, even if he shot someone on Fifth Avenue. However, an impeachment process is the best way for independents and moderate Republicans to learn for themselves why this president needs to be removed from office. And the Democrats who voted during the 2018 Blue Wave voted in Democrats so that they could use their legislative power to hold this president accountable. Right now, if those voters see the Democratic

For a couple months, the “Subscribe to PewDiePie” movement had many positives. New YouTube channels grew thanks to the movement, and supporters of PewDiePie donated money to charity and public organizations throughout the world. While the meme was peaking in productivity, very few people discussed the competition between PewDiePie and T-Series. But the peace did not last long as fans started to take extreme paths to garner recognition from their favorite YouTuber. Right before declaring the “Subscribe to PewDiePie” meme over, Kjellberg pointed out that when 90 million people are riled up about something, you’re bound to “get a few degenerates,” and he was right. The Christchurch shooter in New Zealand was revealed to have exclaimed “Subscribe to PewDiePie” before killing 51 people in the tragic incident. Another instance was when a fan of PewDiePie wrote the same message on the World War II Memorial in Brooklyn. Kjellberg intended the “Subscribe to PewDiePie” movement to spread and get more people involved in the community, but a handful of fans were creating even bigger problems. Kjellberg decided to end the movement to discourage them from making more poor decisions, which was the right decision to make for the safety and sanity of both his fans and the community around his fans. On the other hand, the community’s response to PewDiePie’s apology was intolerable, blaming him for factors over which he had little to no control. As if his innocently formed movement indirectly leading to such tragedies was not enough to stress Kjellberg out, people began to accuse PewDiePie of having direct affiliation with these crimes. In order to avoid these rumors from spreading further,

Kjellberg shut down the movement as quickly as possible and explained his honest position on all of the crimes. As a human being himself, Kjellberg felt shameful that his actions even indirectly led to such immoral responses and he was sincerely disturbed and disgusted by them. From his perspective, he started the movement to motivate creators with innovative ideas to spread his name and their own throughout the YouTube and wider world. Despite PewDiePie trying his hardest to prevent any more tragedies by ending the movement and donating money to vandalized public landmarks, the internet community continued to spread rumors about the channel, which was definitely not the proper nor the fair reaction to his efforts. Although Kjellberg should not necessarily be praised for how he potentially triggered several fans to commit crimes, his swift response to the actions of a few fans with poor judgment and ill intent has to be appreciated. Also, his move to neutralize the consequences of that poor judgment and his ability to lead, possibly, the largest internet movement ever deserves some respect from the community. Rather than

the falconer

A7

an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. Even without the impeachable actions outlined in the Mueller report, Trump already has violated his oath. He has threatened the separation of powers and the rule of law. He has failed to uphold the equality of all Americans. He has attacked the free press. And, according to the Mueller report, he has committed at least ten acts of obstruct of justice. Not all impeachable acts are violations of criminal statutes, and not all criminal offenses are impeachable acts. An impeachment inquiry is supposed to determine if Trump has committed acts that attempt to undermine the government, the rule of law, and the Constitution. “High crimes and misdemeanors” are actions whereby the president has not fulfilled his or her duty as outlined i n their job

art by sam mathe/falcon artist

House not doing their constitutional duty to be a check on the executive branch, they may not turn out in force to support a Democratic candidate in 2020. Pelosi’s worries about the voters’ reaction, after the impeachment of Bill Clinton and the backlash Republicans received as a result, as a reason to justify not proceeding with beginning an impeachment inquiry of Trump is a case of comparing apples with oranges. Bill Clinton’s lies to cover up an affair were shameful, but they did not threaten American democracy. Clinton’s behavior was a disgrace to the office of the Presidency and to this nation. Trump’s behavior is an outright abuse of power. When Trump was sworn into office as the 45th President of the United States, he took

description, which can be found in the Constitution. The mechanism to investigate and to assess whether the President should keep his or her job is the impeachment process. This is not a radical idea — most people understand that if you want to keep your job, you need to do well on a job review, and it is Congress’ job to review how well the president is doing. If no impeachment inquiry were to take place and the House does not act to impeach the president, will Trump’s behavior be the new bar? Or will our representatives choose to defend our Constitution and fulfill their duties to address the many ways in which Trump has failed to fulfill his duties as the President of the United States?

scrutinizing the channel for being the cause of a handful of problems, people should hold in high regard the innovations sparked by the movement and the efforts by the creator to counter the negative effects of the meme. By clearing up the controversy, PewDiePie possibly saved further damage and mayhem by obsessive fans. The internet community seems blind not only to Kjellberg’s achievements as a YouTube influencer but the lighthearted and good-natured motivation of his competition with T-Series, who, by the way, has since surpassed PewDiePie in subcribers. Kjellberg did his best to rectify a bad situation not of his own making.

art by amrita moturi/falcon artist


opinion

A8 the falconer

The College Board recently announced a new feature it will provide to college admissions officers: an “adversity score.” Formally called the Environmental College Dashboard (ECD), the “adversity score” will be a number that is supposed to represent the socioeconomic struggles faced by the student. It will be given to 150 colleges during the 2019 admissions season and more widely in 2020. On a 0 to 100 scale, the ECD takes into consideration 16 factors of the area in which the student lives and 15 of the high school the student attends, including the median family income, poverty rate, percentage of families that are single-parent, rent as percentage of an income, percentage of adults with less than a 4-year college degree, unemployment rate and the average AP test and SAT score. It is important to note that neither the race of the student nor their individual households are factors. All students living in the same census tract or neighborhood, and attending the same high school will have the same “adversity score.” Admissions officers are meant to use the score to see students’ SAT scores context and rely less on assumptions about the socioeconomic status of the student. But although the College Board portrays the ECD as a way to level the playing field for students at a socioeconomic disadvantage, there is just no way that a number can reveal the challenges that a student may face. A student’s disadvantages in life cannot be accurately represented by just their socioeconomic situation. A person cannot be defined by the area where he or she lives or goes to school. The factors that go into the score are far too limited and are not accurately representative of a student’s privilege or lack thereof. Two students may live in the same area and go to the same school, but one might have issues that are not taken into account by the ECD, like mental health, home life and social life. No two lives are the same, and the score does not show the complexities of people that may put them at a disadvantage. Furthermore, the score will not always be accurate to a student’s specific situation. For example, a student who lives in a lowincome area but comes from a well-educated family with a high income will be seen as

more disadvantaged than he or she actually is. Similarly, a student in a wealthy area or attending a wealthy high school might come from a less educated family with a low income and would be put at a greater disadvantage by the “adversity score.” There might be a student in a well-off area with a good school district, who lives in an apartment and whose family is barely getting by. Using the score risks giving students an advantage or disadvantage that they do not deserve. On an emotional level, it’s difficult to understand the idea of assigning a number to and quantifying a person. It’s dehumanizing. Reducing a whole, complex human being to a numerical value feels unethical. But most importantly, the “adversity score,” once implemented, will be a way for the College Board to ignore the major problem with the SAT. It is well known, especially in light of the recent college admissions scandal, that wealthy families have their ways of bending the rules when it comes to the SAT and college admission. And even if families are not cheating, wealthy students can afford to train for the SAT through expensive and rigorous tutoring and test prep courses. Other students who come from low-income families do not have these opportunities available to them and are therefore set up to score lower than more affluent students. Students in the top 5 percent of income on average score 388 points higher than students in the bottom 20 percent. The SAT is supposed to be an aptitude test that reveals how successful a student will be in college, but time

june 7, 2019

and time again it has proved that it does not measure that at all. If certain students are at a disadvantage from the start, the SAT completely fails to serve its purpose. To fix this, one of two things needs to happen. Either the SAT needs to be removed from the college admissions process completely or

t ar

by

g un yo

e/

le

on lc fa

ar

tis

underprivileged students need to be provided with inexpensive or even free test prep that will actually level the playing field. The implementation of the ECD will allow the College Board to stop working to reduce the inherent inequality of the SAT. It will serve as an excuse that the College Board can use to claim that they have done their part. Although the intentions behind the ECD are wellmeaning, this is a shallow solution to bridge the gap for disadvantaged students and will ultimately cause more harm than good. Incorporating the “adversity score” into college admissions will allow people to ignore the real problem.

t

se

Wyatt Krys (9) I think everyone should not be put into colleges based on their race or ethnic background. I think it should be based on how smart they are and what they can do for the college.

Christiana Braswell (10)

Brian Pacula (12)

Cailin Thang (11)

Some people with a lower socioeconomic background don’t have the same level of schooling as the people here at Torrey Pines who can be very wealthy. I think it would level out the playing field pretty well.

It wasn’t necessary for College Board to do this at all. Colleges have been unofficially doing this for years. So I don’t know if they needed to make a rule about it, given colleges have been doing that for such a long time.

I think it would benefit some people who don’t have as privileged backgrounds and don’t have the same privilege as most of the kids here. It’s still not enough to level the playing field.

Editors-in-Chief

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

3710 Del Mar Heights Road San Diego, CA 92130 PHONE: (858) 755-0125 x2245 FAX: (858) 523-0794 E-MAIL: falconer.ads@gmail.com WEBSITE: www.tphsfalconer.com

The Falconer is the student newspaper of Torrey Pines High School. Its content, which is the responsibility of the Falconer staff, is not subject to administrative approval. Unsigned editorials represent the opinions of the staff, while opinion columns represent the writer’s perspective. Advertisements do not represent endorsements. The Falconer, an open forum, welcomes signed letters or guest editorials on pertinent issues from the TPHS community, which may be submitted to room 102, via email at falconer.ads@gmail.com or to Mia Smith’s mailbox in the administration building. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Assistant Editor-in-Chief Public Relations News Editor Opinion Editor Feature Editors Entertainment Editors Sports Editors Copy Editor Photo Editor Adviser Staff Writers:

is it spongebob? bat signal kai who deee Olive i quit is this ok Leather jacket jerry springer sorry shister!! nintendo switch reb putin is this you whiteboard ma hood burrito I’ll be back Lisa <3

adult diaper mixed race airpods ronald mcdonald gucci belt New York Times ifyouneedmecallme Photographers: arda’s b*tch subscriptions pink homework Artists: Kristen Ching Sam Mathe Amrita Moturi Seyoung Lee Amy Ge


opinion

tphsfalconer.com

Kevin Song

STAFF WRITER Many students’ lives follow the essentially identical linear path from school to college to job to retirement and, ultimately, death. Has anyone ever included in those lessons and experiences, encouragement to shake up the system? Have Mom and Dad ever taught you to question their authority? Do school teachers inspire their students to question what they’re being taught? No, and that is precisely the problem with the next generation. Class rankings and valedictorians should be removed since they reward conformity and compliance, values that are not relevant once students leave school and enter the real world. Thankfully, some schools across the nation including TPHS have already removed class rankings and valedictorians, and are on the right track towards a healthier learning environment for students. Ranking students encourages students to think in a shallow manner, causing them to sacrifice individual pursuit of knowledge for mastery of teacher-distributed material that may not be of personal interest or relevance. That completely defies the purpose of education, which is to equip students with the knowledge and tools necessary for a successful future. Many of the negatives that come with modern education — cheating, stress and

sleep-deprivation, among others — share the root motivation of maintaining high grades. Students have come to prize the “A” grade over deep understanding in many cases, which translates directly to their future careers and endeavors. Many students will go on to prioritize gaining approval from higher-ups over discovering personal interests in a job, and that directly threatens society, since, once there is no “higher-up,” or leader, to guide the flock, who will they follow? Class rankings and valedictorians also increase the perceived gaps between students of different achievement levels, since, typically, a small group of overachievers battles it out over marginal differences in GPA, while another group of underachievers is constantly given the message that they’re not good enough. That stratifies students into clearly delineated “intelligence” groups, creating problems with classroom dynamics since students feel alienated from each other in an environment that should foster collaboration. Sure, vying for the title of “valedictorian” may create unhealthy competition between students. But, more significantly, the very title that was created to bolster academic excellence may very well contribute to an overall loss of academic interest and pursuit. The current grade and valedictorian system doesn’t reward students that are innovative, passionate, artistic or collaborative. It simply rewards those that are reliable and hard-working, those who are able to memorize pertinent information and then toss it out for something new. In short, schools reward students who are self-disciplined, compliant, and do exactly as they’re told. But is that what the world needs? In a study conducted by Karen Arnold, a researcher at Boston College, 81 valedictorians and salutatorians were tracked beyond their high-school and college years. Although it is true that nearly 90 percent of them landed

jobs in their respective fields, none of them went on to become leaders or visionaries in the community. In fact, many valedictorians admitted to being the most hardworking kid in class rather than the smartest. Additionally, in such competitive, highachieving schools, the practice of selecting a single “best” student is very difficult, with candidates for the title set apart by marginal differences. Picking a valedictorian from such a large selection of the student body usually presents more problems than it is worth since so many students are eligible for the title, and the factors that go into narrowing down the pool can become questionable. What sets apart two students with the same sky-high GPA and extracurriculars? Teacher recommendations? Behavior? There is too much gray area for what is factored into the decision and what is not when students are so identically excellent. The competitive nature of TPHS is precisely why the school removed class rankings. “When you can only have one valedictorian, then roughly 600 other people are left out,” Principal Rob Coppo said. “Of those 600, 400 of them will probably be eligible for it.” Coppo also sees class rankings as a source of unnecessary stress for students. “I’m not a huge fan of ranking students,” Principal Rob Coppo said. The criteria are flawed ... so [ranking students] is something we did away with to reduce the academic pressure on kids. The world, unfortunately, does not need any more rule-followers than it already has. It needs rule-breakers, passionate voices and revolutionaries. It needs influencers, advocates and creative minds. In short, it is in need of leaders. The current education system rewards the reverse, conformity, ignoring aspects like passion that are, arguably, astronomically more important in real life. While it is true that

the falconer

A9

most valedictorians settle down with jobs and families to a quiet life, that is also the problem: they settle into the system as they have been taught to. Unfortunately, the world has an abundance of passive people — and progress is rarely the result of being passive.

art by amy ge/falcon artist

FARHAN HOSSAIN Falconer Editor-in-Chief Farhan Hossain shares insights on his mom, AP Calculus teacher Mrs. Chowdhury, and his struggles with math. I always forget I have things to print until right before I go to bed. I’m unable to muffle any of the whirring noises, so I stand nervously next to the printer, afraid the whole house will wake up. My favorite thing about my nightly ritual, however, is getting to read an essay taped above the printer. It appeared in December without any notice: an unsigned college essay, written by one of my mom’s students, extolling the mind-opening and life-changing nature of her Calculus class. I can’t help but giggle as I read it. The essay revolves around the derivation of a Taylor expansion series (whatever that means). Through math, the author wrote, Mrs. Chowdhury “reveals the beauty that awaits me on the other side.” I find the writing unbearably mediocre and cheesy — and yet I never fail to read it when my papers are printing. I think because more than anything else, it stands in sharp contrast to my experience in my mom’s class — I would struggle to pay attention, before giving up and sketching different designs for Falconer pages in the margins of my notes until I finally fell asleep. Beginning with the TPHS student-run speech and debate program I joined in middle school, I have been approached by countless students who have wanted me to know how much my mom’s class has meant to them. Their comments, genuine and overflowing with gratitude, have always made me feel uncomfortable and guilty for not having the same experiences with math. I have never liked math. That has always been a source of conflict with my parents, especially since both of them work in STEM

fields. Math has always been forced upon me, something I learned to fear. If I did not master math, my parents warned, I would never achieve the upper-middle class lifestyle and financial stability I was accustomed to. I, however, have always understood their intentions. My parents, like so many other Asian-American immigrants, achieved the American Dream, despite its rapid weakening and increasing exclusivity, because of their focus on education. After all, both of their fathers, my grandfathers, were professors in Bangladesh. Because of this, I have always used my mathematical abilities as a measure of intelligence and a proxy for self-worth. When I entered TPHS, however, I found it harder to keep up with increasingly demanding coursework and students. I enrolled this year in Calculus C/D, even though I knew full well I would hate it, because I felt as if my life depended on it. I studied for hours at the local library leading up to the first test, and I stayed up until 3 A.M. the night before, only to blackout on the day of. I remember crying mid-test because I momentarily forgot the derivative of tan x (It’s sec2 x, in case you were wondering), and walking out of the class drowning in a pool of self-despair. I ended up getting a 66% and dropping the class. I have spent so much time during these past four years trying to live up to the standards of my mom’s most accomplished students — people who she never fails to remind me study harder and smarter and longer than I do — to the point that I have resented my natural inclination toward the humanities. In the

photo by anna jeong/falconer

absence of a math class this year, however, I’ve realized that I cannot use the subject to define who I am. That’s not to say that I have triumphed over my academic insecurities. I spent much of the last two months in a state of limbo after being waitlisted at UC Berkeley. I obsessively scoured forums on College Confidential, clinging to any rumors about decisions. I wrote emotional emails to admissions officers. I ignored repeated requests from the rising seniors on the Falconer to fill out the online College Map form. I have now been accepted, but I fear using the school as a label to define myself, as well as falling back into the same toxic mentalities. Right after my freshman year, I will once again have to overcome another selective admissions process, this time to enter the Haas School of Business. I don’t expect to easily find a work-life balance in college, but I’m determined not to overthink every upcoming decision or add to

my never ending to do list. Between the end of the school year and fall orientation, my only goal is to worry less. I embraced this mentality during my recent visit to the mosque for Ramadan, a Muslim holiday. Typically, the mosque is an awkward place for an atheist like me. The rest of my family is not that religious either, but I hate having to pray. Muslim prayers consists of a confusing pattern of standing, kneeling, sitting and facing the ground. I’ve never learned the steps, so I mirror the movements of everyone around me in deep paranoia of being caught and publicly labeled a copycat. This year, however, I skipped prayers to hide behind the mosque playground and watch a compilation of Meghan McCain screaming on “the View”. I could have forced myself to get through it if I really wanted to, but it’s nice not wasting time being unnecessarily stressed.


June 14 is inching closer, and while there are still many things to look forward to, like Senior week and graduation, the fact most seniors now have to face is that their high school experience is over. Last August, seniors around the country realized that it was their last first day of high school. Now with the end of the year rapidly approaching and senioritis at an all time high, the class of 2019 can not wait to graduate TPHS and follow their passions. They also have to acknowledge that they will never again experience special high school moments like school dances or football games. Throughout the four years they’ve been students at TPHS, they have gotten to know it inside and out, and whether they’d care to admit it or not, the campus has become a second home to them. With college on the horizon for the majority of graduates, seniors now share mixed emotions as a new chapter of their lives begins. Whether going to college, searching for a career or taking time off to relax and pursue individual passions, the graduating class of 2019 will be breaking the routine they created at TPHS. They will be diving into a completely new world and will have to adapt accordingly. While these are things all students face on the path to adulthood, college demands a new level of bravery, responsibility and determination in the face of obstacles that arise with adulthood. But, there are also amazing things that come from college. Courses make students re-evaluate their perspective of the world and many make lifelong friends and connections for their career. Also, college is a time for self reflection and helps students become more independent and unique individuals while they spend time away from family and the status-quo that developed during high school. So, as June 14 draws closer and closer, seniors have the summer to relax, reflect and ready themselves for the college experience ahead.

McKenzie Steiner (12), who will attend the United States Air Force Academy, already has her future mapped out, including the life she expects to lead following her years in the Academy. “I’m going to spend five years in the military, and [after that] I want to do intelligence,” Steiner said. “My big plan is [to] go to the CIA after that.” Steiner said attending the Academy is an opportunity to pursue her true passions despite being pressured to pursue other disciplines throughout her life. “I’ve been told my whole life, ‘You’re going to be an engineer,’ and I can’t do calculus,” Steiner said. “Then I was looking at alternate majors, and military science was something I thought I’d be good at because I’m good at chess and risk-reward factors.” But, like many seniors, Steiner also feels somewhat apprehensive about the newfound responsibility that graduating from TPHS will bring. A major aspect, she says, is the possibility of having to live alone, away from family. “I don’t want to live alone,” Steiner said. “I need a roommate because I’m not great at taking care of myself. Also, I get lonely, and I don’t go out unless someone invites me.” Steiner is excited to enjoy new experiences though, since she will be moving out of

her house. “I’m going to get more freedom because my parents aren’t going to always be tracking me or asking what I’m doing, and I get to make more choices,” Steiner said. These mixed emotions are shared by many of Steiner’s peers, like Sophia Chen (12), who will attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the fall. “I will definitely miss being with my parents, but at the same time I’m excited for the freedom of college and being able to have a taste of adulthood,” Chen said. As a computer science major, Chen knows that college will be challenging, but she feels excited to take it on. “College will be very academically rigorous, but I embrace the challenge,” Chen said. “I’ll try my best and whatever is the outcome will be the outcome.” Like Steiner, Chen sees college as the next step in her life to explore creative avenues and pursue her passions. “College is place with infinite opportunities,” Chen said. “We just have to be brave enough and tenacious enough to find them.” Other schools in the district, like CCA, also give opportunities for their students to bridge the gap between high school and college. Aadil Rehan, a senior at CCA who will attend UCLA in the fall, said his high school experience has prepared him for college. “I believe it’s prepared me extraordinarily well in terms of academic rigor and balancing multiple priorities,” Rehan said. “Not to mention, it has helped me handle stress.” Like everyone, though, Rehan is anxious for the responsibility that comes with leaving home. “It’ll be my first time having to do fun stuff like file taxes and pay rent,” Rehan said. “That being said, it will be nice to be taken more seriously.”


tphsfalconer.com

feature

In recent years, the race for college admissions has become increasingly more strenuous. Factors like the changing opinions and expectations surrounding college and the highly competitive job market out of college has changed how students apply and the amount of pressure they place on themselves. As a counselor who guides students on a day-to-day basis, whether it be to set academic goals, work through personal problems or simply chat it up, Jennifer Magruder has noticed a significant disparity between her transition out of high school and students’ transitions

today. “There definitely wasn’t as much pressure back in the ‘90s,” Magruder said. “Now, I think there are a lot more factors that are unknown, so that creates stress in the spring, especially with the waitlist … back when I graduated, it was more cut and dry, but now, it’s a complicated world with lots of options, more options than there were.” Despite this difference, though, she relates to the sentiments of current seniors as she looks back at her experiences. “I felt sad to leave my friends but excited for the independence, moving away from home and meeting new people,” Magruder said. “So there were mixed emotions. But there was some sadness. I cried at my high school graduation.” TPHS counselor Sally Gervasini, who attended college out of state, related to that sensation, particularly connected to the emphasis on independence. Gervasini reflected on how living in a different state from her family was intimidating, it ultimately strengthened her. “ T h e first semester is difficult for anyone; it’s a different time in your life, it’s a different change,” Gervasini said. “I think, for me, [going to college out-of-state] was healthy in the fact that I couldn’t just go home. I had to really work things out. I had to make it through because I wasn’t close enough where I could just get in my car and drive home.” Unlike the counselors, Jennifer Magruder Principal Rob Coppo was in a rush to get out of high school. TPHS COUNSELOR “When I left high school, I was sort of glad to be done and moving on to the next phase,” Coppo said. Looking back on the moment as an adult, Coppo has changed his tune. “Now I give students advice about really enjoying the end of high school in particular, and making the most of it because it is a unique time,” Coppo said. Now, having grown up and settled into adult life, the counselors admit that adulthood was not exactly what they had expected it to be as high schoolers. “[By age 26] I pictured myself married and with a career, probably pregnant or babies coming, house, white picket fence, you know, that kind of traditional suburban [life] … and it was nothing like that,” Magruder said. “The reality was, I was just starting out.” Looking from the outside in, as an adult looking back on childhood, Gervasini can relate to her surprise at the reality of adulthood. “I think I thought it was going to be easier, because I was independent and it was just me making the decisions,” Gervasini said. “But I didn’t realize … how many important decisions you would be making on a daily basis.” Working closely with students daily, the counselors get a more holistic view of the student body, and they believe that whatever path TPHS students take, they will always be prepared. “All of the graduates who come back to me, regardless of if they’re at Cal State, San Marcos or Harvard, say that ‘Torrey Pines prepared me,’” Magruder said. Gervasini shares similar experiences with TPHS alumni. “Our students have always come back saying, ‘Oh, my gosh, even some of my classes were harder in high school than they were in college,” Gervasini said. “All of you guys are such great students and willing to do the work and rise above, so I think that speaks a lot of you.” In fact, Coppo sees TPHS as a place where students can see their possibilities beyond college. “My focus is on ... working to prepare students not just to get into college, but to be successful beyond college, to prepare them to adapt … and be more creative with their options,” Coppo said. Although the high school experience is coming to a close for the class of 2019, their one-way tickets into adulthood are only a beginning, not an end.

[By age 26], I pictured myself married and with a career, probably pregnant or babies coming, house, white picket fence … and it was nothing like that.

the falconer

A11


feature

A12 the falconer

june 7, 2019

Leaving the Nest Some words of advice for the Falcons taking flight.

1

3

GET INVOLVED

rOOMMATES AREN'T EVERYTHING

“Involve yourself as much as you can. Seek out clubs to be a part of the culture, system and community to be more connected.” - Kristen Cullen TPHS English teacher

2

“If your roomate isn’t your friend, that’s also a part of life, to being able to just adjust ... you kind of get to see what it’s like being with someone who might not be someone who is your friend, but it all still works.”

try new things “Think about how you want to spend the summer before college ... switch it up and do something different! - Jennifer Magruder TPHS Counselor

- Sally Gervasini TPHS Counselor

5

MAKE AN IMPACT “It’s not about which college you go to, it’s about what you do there.” - Sophia Chen (12) TPHS

4

6

BE RESPONSIBLE

WORK HARD

“Treat your college day like a work day, nine to five. Relax in the evenings, but do your classwork and homework during the school day.”

“Work hard because hard work overcomes many obstacles.”

- Greg Balden TPHS Spanish Teacher

- Angela Willden TPHS Chemistry Teacher

7

be passionate “If all you’re focused on is getting into a good college, you lose sight of what makes life interesting ... focus on what it gives you inside rather than what it puts on paper for you.” - Rob Coppo TPHS Principal


tphsfalconer.com

advertisement

the falconer

A13


advertisement

A14 the falconer

@tphsfalconer @tphsfalconer

C ONER L A F .C HS

tphsfalconer

OM

TP

follow the Falconer to keep up on school news

june 7, 2019

@TPHSPORTS @Falconertphs Are you struggling to get a good grade in one of the following classes? High Bluff Academy still has room for some second semester classes. Subject

TPHS Period

CCA Period

Teachers

Biology Chemistry Physics Physics Int Math 1

2 1 6 2 6 2 6 2 1 1 6 1 7 2 7 6 6 1 6 7 1 2

1 1

Dr. Will Anderson George Humphreys George Humphreys Colin Green Lori Davidson Lori Davidson Tom Kolstad Tom Kolstad Colin Green Tom Kolstad Oscar Otanez Aubri Almendariz Adriana Garcia Adriana Garcia Dr. Will Anderson Geoff Stevens George Humphreys Geoff Stevens Adriana Garcia Colin Green Oscar Otanez Oscar Otanez

Int Math1Honors Int Math1Honors Int Math 2 Int Math 3 Intro to Calculus Statistics Spanish 1 Spanish 2 Spanish 3 Environmental Science AP Human Geography

AP Chemistry AP U.S. History AP Spanish AP Physics 1 AP Calculus AB AP Calculus BC

1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1

Small class size allows for individualized instruction

12707 High Bluff Dr., Suite 150 San Diego, CA 92130 (858) 509-9101


For a restaurant that demands a $40 fee per diner to access the complete All-You-Can-Eat menu, Prime Grill does a great job preparing meat for customers to cook on the do-it-yourself grills at each table. Then, the staff grabs the money, clocks out and leaves the rest up to you. While the premise of Korean BBQ (KBBQ) is that diners can cook the meat themselves, that still doesn’t warrant the restaurant’s lack of service. Inside the restaurant, despite several clean, vacant tables, I still had to wait to be seated. To further frustrate me, there was another wait for the banchan, or side dishes, to arrive. But, the banchan, which included kimchi, bean sprouts and radish, all tasted excellent, and I quickly forgot about the wait. To start off, I ordered the kot sal, a boneless short rib, which arrived at my table swiftly. At medium rare, it was very soft and juicy, and the perfect balance of meat and fat made it almost melt in my mouth. I moved on to the samgyupsal, or grilled

pork belly. It took much longer than the kot sal to arrive, but, once again, its quality made up for the wait. Although it was tougher than I like, the meat’s savory, smoky flavors paired with the crispy texture were delightful.

photo by katheryn yoo

Finally, I ordered the ribeye steak, which tasted like a traditional American steak, but juicier and more tender. Overall, the quality was good, but the poor service was problematic.

After struggling to find parking in a crowded lot, I entered Tsuruhashi Japanese Barbeque, which was quite small and only able to seat about 30 customers. Luckily, there was no line at the usually crowded restaurant. Boasting a traditional Japanese interior with intricate wooden flooring and walls, the restaurant was packed and noisy but cozy at the same time because of its small size. When we arrived, the waitress walked us to a table for four that was separated by a wooden board in the middle to seat customers that came alone or as a pair. Depending on your preferences, ice water and hot tea are provided for free with your meal. The table was set up with a napkin, utensils, tongs, two sauces — one red and one brown — and a hand wipe for each person. The red one, which I enjoyed more, tasted sweet and salty, like soy sauce, while the brown one was spicier. Since customers are able to grill the meat on their own, you can enjoy the different types of meat however you want it cooked, whether it be rare, medium rare or well-done.

Surprisingly, Mongolian barbeque does not have much of a reputation in San Diego, or at least it doesn’t in my personal experience. I only found out about this cuisine after spending a night going through Wikipedia pages, learning about Mongolian culture (I was bored and interested in world history). I stumbled upon a style of barbeque I had never seen before: you select meats, vegetables and sauces and then hand off your bowl to a chef who grills your meal in front of you. On the outside, Stir Fresh looked like nothing special. It mirrored the aesthetic of the Souplantation next door, so I was curious if the food would accompany the bland exterior or turn this place into one of those favorite “hole in the wall” places everyone has. With little to no expectations, we walked in to find a buffet-style assortment of frozen meats and vegetables, which were accompanied by gallons of different sauces. The set-up piqued my interest, since I’ve always been a fan of buffets and decided to come here solely because of the promise of a buffet-like experience.

Before I asked for any meat, I ordered steamed egg, but it didn’t show up, even after my samgyupsal arrived. The tables had call buttons, but they didn’t seem to work, so I flagged down a waiter to confirm my order. 20 minutes later, I received my steamed egg from a different waiter, who simply set them on my table and scuttled off. Not 10 minutes later, though, I was given a second bowl of steamed egg. Of course, I was happy to take it, but the system was disorganized and unprofessional. Throughout the night, it was hard to contact staff, since the button didn’t work — either that, or they were simply ignoring me — and they felt severely understaffed and overworked. I actually felt apologetic flagging waiters down, since the few I saw were always rushing around with flushed faces. Overall, Prime Grill could improve its service to back up its high-quality food, but it definitely lives up to its name as a “prime” location for KBBQ. by Kevin Song

The three types of meat I tried were the Premium Fresh Beef Tongue ($13.95), the Kobe Boneless Short Rib (Gold) ($17.50) and the Prime Boneless Short Rib ($12.95). Though beef tongue may not be familiar to everyone, it is very approachable at

photo by katheryn yoo

Tsuruhashi. Dipped in the red sauce, it melted in my mouth. Soon after, the Prime Boneless Short Rib arrived. Much thicker than the beef tongue, the ribs took a bit longer to cook. Despite the

One immediate observation I made was the extensive number of ingredients provided, including a wide array of vegetables and 12 different sauces to choose from, as well as a guide for which sauces compliment which

photo by anna jeong

foods. The selection made me feel like I was getting my money’s worth, which is hard to say for many places in San Diego. For $12 I had an all-you-can eat experience that allowed me to chose exactly what went into my bowl.

thicker shape and texture, the short rib was also tender and had a slightly sweeter, heavier taste than the tongue. After clearing the prime short ribs, we got the Kobe Short Ribs (Gold), which was my favorite of the three. It comes with a small plate of lemon juice for dipping. Of the three, the Kobe ribs were the thickest, tastiest and easiest to eat, and the mix of the sweet and salty flavor of the sauce along with the lemon juice was fantastic. Although the quality of the meats is definitely top tier, the restaurant is pricey. At $10.75 to $17.50, most of the serving sizes for each order of meat provided only seven to nine pieces. But even with the expensive prices, I would definitely come back to eat Japanese barbeque here. Despite the high prices, Tsuruhashi boasted a fresh selection of meat that most patrons would enjoy. Even if it sounds a bit strange, definitely give beef tongue a try. You will be pleasantly surprised. by Daniel Kim

After deliberating, I chose to put beef, carrots, onion, noodles and a combination of teriyaki and soy sauce in my bowl. From there, he dumped the contents onto a large, circular grill in the center of the restaurant and moved the ingredients around the outer edge of it, making sure to fully cook the meat first. After a short five minutes of clanging spatulas and loud sizzling, the chef handed me back my meal. The ten scoops of sauce they recommended to top my bowl with particularly helped the beef and onion taste like a traditional stir fry. I ended up going back for another plate, this time with chicken and mandarin sauce, as did my friends. The ingredients’ diversity and quality made each dish unique, yet just as good as the last. I strongly recommend Stir Fresh to anybody who wants to eat a lot on a smaller budget. Not only was I impressed by the variety and cost, but I also found myself fascinated with the entire process of creating my meal. by Vlada Demenko


entertainment

A16 the falconer

Shortly after 9 p.m. on May 16, it happened. I checked Instagram to find my feed flooded with stories and posts of Tyler, the Creator’s newest album, “IGOR.” Tyler had tweeted about an hour prior, cautioning listeners, “Don’t go into this expecting a rap album. Don’t go into this expecting any album. Just go, jump into it.” Since “IGOR” is his first album since the amazing Flower Boy, which he released in 2017, I had high expectations, but after reading his admonishment I cleared my mind of any previous assumptions and clicked on the first track, “IGOR’S THEME.” The first 22 seconds of “IGOR’S THEME” are just a continuous buzzing noise. Drums and some off-key vocals join in later, completing the sound and giving it the classic Tyler vibe. The blend of those different musical factors is so confusing but makes perfect sense. They are messy, but work together perfectly. The next track, “EARFQUAKE,” featuring Playboi Carti, was undoubtedly one of the best on the album. “Don’t leave, it’s my fault,”

In her new album, “Dedicated,” Carly Rae Jepsen tries to bring back the ‘80s but fails to meet the high expectations of her listeners. Jepsen is most well-known for her 2012 pop hit single, “Call Me Maybe.” In “Dedicated,” she successfully tried to tap into her emotions more than in her earlier music. The songs have more underlying techno beats, gearing the album toward the music that is popular today. Jepsen extensively uses an overly breathy falsetto throughout the album. This is best seen in “Julien,” the opening song, “No Drug Like Me”, “Now That I Found You” and “Want You in My Room”. The chorus in “Julien” is catchy, but everything else is a blur. The song is essentially a mix of techno beats mixed with a ‘80s style and pop, which Jepsen should have fully committed to or not included at all. There are simply too many sounds in the track, making it confusing to listen to. “Want You in My Room” is one of the tracks that heavily incorporates ‘80s beats, along with “Julien.” The song mimics “Staying Alive” by

Tyler pleads over and over, accompanied by a cheery and calm synth beat. Depressing lyrics contrasted with a lighthearted

instrumental is a pattern among many Tyler songs. Carti’s verse, like most of his songs, is

the Bee Gees, but sounds like a badly-done knockoff version.

The next song in the list is “Everything He Needs,” which can be best described as elevator music. Jepsen’s overly breathy voice dominates

Even after listening to all 18 tracks three times through, I still can’t seem to remember a single chorus or lyric from the album “Father of the Bride” by Vampire Weekend. The first time I tried to make it through the album, I listened to the first three songs, almost turned it off and went back to see if I had gotten the name of the artists or album wrong. The second and third listen were significantly better; I tried to grasp the purpose and theme of the album and successfully listened to each of the tracks all the way through. In “Father of the Bride,” Vampire Weekend attempted to create an album to serve as a commentary on the world and the disunity between all segments of societies today. Songs with titles like “Unbearably White” and “Rich Man” are sprinkled throughout the album and try to give deeper meaning to a group of songs that are altogether completely forgettable. The band attempted to create a ‘life changing’ album with song titles that were easy to see through. The album begins with “Hold You Now,” featuring Danielle Haim from HAIM, which is

june 7, 2019

indiscernible unless you look up the lyrics. His voice, however, is angelic. My only complaint would be that Carti’s verse is too short. Other highlights of the album include “I THINK,” “PUPPET” and “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?” There were some songs that I wouldn’t add to my playlists, but none that I actually dislike. Despite Tyler’s implication that “IGOR” wouldn’t be what we expect, it was somehow exactly what I expected. Like Flower Boy, it does not fit into any one specific genre; rather it is an effortless collection of rap, R&B and pop. Tyler has a way of being unorganized but so methodical at the same time. At first listen, his music seems like it should be horrible — the singing is off-key, the music and singing don’t match, he randomly switches between rapping and singing — but somehow it works. And although it doesn’t quite reach the genius level of Flower Boy, “IGOR” was good enough to successfully uphold Tyler’s reputation as the king of anti-pop. by Dhathry Doppalapudi

the beginning until her chorus, which relies on snapping and a cheerful melody, takes over. The song itself is mediocre. The ninth song in the album, “Too Much,” is probably the only song I would seriously listen to. Progression in the song leads to a catchy and memorable chorus, and the beats in the background are more trendy and also make the song more appealing through their catchiness. The track is the most memorable by far in the album. Near the end of “Dedicated” is the song, “Feels Right.” This is the only song with a featured artist, the “Electric Guest,” a music group that specializes in indie pop and indietronica. Jepsen ‘s vocals are balanced and tasteful throughout the song, and the chorus is catchy, but the rest of the song sounds too similar to 2010s pop for my taste. Jepsen forces the ‘80s into “Dedicated” and the songs’ pop, techno beats and ‘80s influence all conflict with each other, leaving the album sounding too busy. by Neha Pubbi

notably similar to Bob Dylan’s style. Like many tracks on the album, the song focuses on love and marriage. Inserted in the middle of the song is a

Melanesian choral song, which is placed to provide an interesting and foreign melody, but frankly feels as though the band is trying too

hard to diversify their music. Lead singer, Ezra Koenig and featured solo artist Haim sang many of the songs of the album together and create a conversational back-andforth throughout songs such as “Married in a Gold Rush” and “We Belong Together,” which focus on the struggles of a couple in love (big surprise there). Taking a break from the slow and overdone guitar melodies, “Sympathy” provides a breath of fresh air. Koenig begins the song by stating “I think I take myself too serious / It’s not that serious,” and is immediately joined by an intense guitar solo. The song functions as a relief from the other tracks on the album with flamenco style beats as well as a fast-paced rave conclusion. I shouldn’t have been so happy with the break in the album, but it was necessary. Vampire Weekend tried too hard to put meaning into their album, ending up with a series of tracks that do not only disappoint, but all sound exactly the same. by Bea De Oliveira


tphsfalconer.com

entertainment

the falconer

One day as I was scrolling through my Twitter feed, I came across of these things possible, then they should be challenged by someone a tweet with a colorful photo of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), who will. the U.S. Congresswoman from New York’s 14th district, standing As the film follows the four women candidates, they are humanized. beside three other confident-looking women. Being an admirer of I am accustomed to seeing Ocasio-Cortez in the House looking fierce inspirational female leaders, I clicked on the tweet, an ad for the and invincible as she debates Republican House members twice her Netflix documentary “Knock Down the House.” age. However, this film made it clear that even seemingly superhero This film, directed by Rachel Lears, follows the campaigns of four leaders and activists struggle and cry and feel nervous and fearful. women who ran for positions in the House and Senate during the 2018 Although I am a huge fan of this documentary, there are a few midterm elections. The filming of each of the campaigns began before weaknesses or omissions that I wish the director had addressed. Even any of the four candidates or their though the funds for “Knock Down the election outcomes were known. House” were limited, I would like The four female candidates to have seen a more even handed featured in this film are Cori Bush, portrait of all four candidates. AOC Amy Vilela, Paula Jean Swearengin has an extremely riveting story, and AOC. All the women were but her story is no more important recruited and endorsed by Justice than those of the other candidates. Democrats and Brand New Furthermore, if the film was meant Congress, organizations that to be a call to action, at the end of support Democratic, nontraditional the film I would like to have been candidates running to remove offered options whereby I could try establishment Democrats from to make a difference. office. Even though many of the I also would like to have been candidates endorsed have never better informed about how the run for elected office, they generally incumbent Democrats had become are far more representative of supporters of the status quo in their the working-class constituents in communities, instead of remaining their district and want to fight for passionate about serving the voters. solutions to the issues that the That kind of information would HOUSE VICTORY: Ocasio-Cortez finds out her campaign was successful help us all become more informed incumbent Democrat official has not addressed, mostly due to his or her and becomes New York’s 14th congressional district representative (ABOVE). voters in our own districts. So if indebtedness to corporate donors. we don’t see the changes we want While the film does feature four candidates, a large focus of the to see in our communities, we could support a candidate who wants film was on AOC because the filmmakers were based in New York to make those changes, or maybe, some day, become that candidate. by Maya Satchell City. This film left me awestruck at the immense passion and efforts all these candidates and their supporters brought to their missions, and also frustrated, as it opened my eyes to the kind of corruption and injustice that still prevail in our 21st century democracy. For everyone, including myself, who were thrilled with the 2018 blue wave, I learned about the 79 progressive candidates endorsed by Justice Democrats and Brand New Congress who ran to “primary” incumbent, establishment Democrats in the House and in the Senate. When I first heard of those organizations, I thought that their efforts would only waste funds and further divide the party. However, after watching “Knock Down the House,” I understand how essential it is to have competitive Democratic primaries with progressive candidates running against incumbent Democrats who do not, and perhaps never did, fight to create solutions for the problems their constituents are facing. When Cori Bush ran in 2018 to represent the first district of Missouri, (the district that includes Ferguson), her district had been represented by African-American Democrat William Clay, and then his son Lance Clay, since 1969. The two Clays, backed by corporate and union donors, had controlled that district seat for 50 years — 50 years! In AOC’s district, the incumbent Democrat Joseph Crowley was the fourth ranking Democrat in the House, and had not faced a primary challenger in 14 years. Over his two decades in office, he represented his real estate and Wall Street backers rather than his constituents in the Bronx and Queens. The viewer also learns through the documentary the real life and death issues faced by regular people, whose lives and regions are rarely represented on TV. As the film follows Amy Vilela’s campaign in Nevada District 4, we learn that Vilela’s daughter was one of 45,000 Americans, according to the American Journal of Public Health, who die every year in hospitals after being turned away for not having insurance. In addition, as the film accompanies Paula Jean Swearengin in her campaign against Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, the viewer glimpses the horrific effects of the coal mining industry on the health of the people of West Virginia. All four candidates were fighting for policies such as universal medical care, clean water and air, safe streets, good schools and jobs that pay a living wage — policies that should be rights, not privileges, for all Americans. And even if the incumbent is a Democrat, if he or she is not working to make all

A17



tphsfalconer.com

advertisement

the falconer

A19


Brandon Raimo

STAFF WRITER The San Diego Mustangs, a local 18 and under rugby team that features many players from TPHS, finished fourth in the country at their level in the Boys’ High School National Championship. The team is comprised of players from eight high schools in San Diego , including 13 players from TPHS. Many of these players played on the TPHS rugby team, which finished undefeated in a nine-game schedule, outscoring opponents by an average of 38-11. This season, the Mustangs were invited to the annual Boys’ High School National Championship tournament in Salt Lake City, where they were ranked photos courtesy of andrea clark as the worst out of eight attending RUGBY SCRIMMAGE: The Mustangs, the rugby team which includes many teams. This meant that they were matched up against Granite City, the TPHS players, restart the play through a scrum for possession of the ball. team that was ranked first and heavily TPHS. TPHS players Luis Gutierrez Noboa (12), Cade favored to beat the Mustangs. Despite being outmatched on paper, The Mustangs Caulfield (11), and Colby Mead (11) also played key roles in scored two tries and jumped out to an early 14-5 lead with the victory, each converting tries to put them in position to about half of the first half gone, but Granite City scored win the game. After the win, they moved on to play Royal Irish, who was a try and cut the deficit down to two by halftime. After also favored heavily, but unfortunately they were unable to halftime, it looked as if the tables had turned back in Granite City’s favor and that they would pull out the win repeat having a excellent performance against Granite and against the Mustangs. They scored two consecutive tries, lost. The loss meant that they were unable to move on in and nineteen unanswered points, giving them a 24-14 lead, the tournament and grab first or second place, but still had the largest margin for either team in the game. But, the the opportunity to place third. In the third place game, they underdog Mustangs refused to go away and brought it back faced the Charlotte Tigers, who had lost heavily to Back to a two-point game with a converted try. But they were Bay and were more evenly matched to them, but they again unable to grab the lead, and with just a few seconds left, lost to the higher seeded team. Despite the loss, they still managed to place fourth in the they seemed to be on the brink of elimination. Their last chance of victory lay in a kick for points from the 50-yard nation, an incredible feat for the team that was originally line, a nearly impossible shot. The Mustangs’ Oren Cargill ranked last in the tournament. Their win against Granite (12) attempted the kick, and made it against all odds, City showed that the Mustangs are no joke, and that they deserved to be at this highly prestigious tournament. There clinching the upset win for the Mustangs. “At first I was nervous, because it’s everyone’s dream to seems to be no doubt that this team will be back at this have a moment like that, and luckily for me I got into that tournament, but it will be hard for future teams to have a position and I made the kick,” said Cargill, who attends win like the one against Granite City.

Brandon Raimo

STAFF WRITER

and owned by television producer Charlie Ebersol, son of XFL co-founder Dick Ebersol. While Ebersol proved to be a capable leader, he was not able to keep up financially and was forced to sell the league. The new owner, Dundon, frequently clashed with other important members of the AAF and never managed to take control of the league Dundon’s $250 million investment in the league was able to keep it running momentarily, but because the league was hardly profiting at all, it failed miserably and Dundon lost about $70 million as a result. The AAF also fell off course because of the lack of attendance at their games. Other than the San Antonio Commanders, who averaged about 27 thousand fans per game, the league struggled to gain fan interest. Most teams, especially those in smaller markets, barely managed to sell ten thousand tickets per game. The season reached a low point when the Birmingham Iron hosted the San Antonio Commanders in a game that drew a measly crowd of 6,539, in a stadium that seated up to 71,594. The AAF was not able to gain traction because most of their teams were based in small markets, such as Birmingham or Salt Lake City, which both amassed an average attendance of less than 15 thousand. As a result, they weren’t able to get large numbers of fans to come to or watch the games, resulting in a quick downfall.

The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was announced on Mar. 20, 2019. Eight teams, one based in San Diego, were formed to join the league. The first games were held on Feb. 9, 2019, with the San Antonio Commanders edging out the San Diego Fleet 15-9 and a 40-6 drubbing of the Atlanta Legends by the Orlando Apollos. Just nine days later, the league was struggling to pay the players and only stayed afloat because of a $250 million investment from hockey team Carolina Hurricanes majority owner Tom Dundon. On April 2, 2019, the AAF announced that they were suspending operations indefinitely. Fifteen days later the league filed for bankruptcy and officially folded, leaving many with questions as to how this league went downhill so fast. The league had started strong; their debut game on CBS amassed 2.9 million viewers, and the average attendance for Week 1 was just above 19 thousand. But, their success rapidly dropped, as they were not able to reach above 1 million viewers after Week 4, and their average attendance dipped to under ten thousand. The reason for the declining viewership was simple: the AAF did not have enough talent to keep viewers interested. Rosters were mostly compiled of former college players who weren’t able to catch on in the NFL, as well as a few former NFL players that weren’t good enough to maintain their spot. Players such as Jayrone Elliott, Garrett Gilbert and De’Vante Bausby were all below average players in the NFL, but were regarded as stars in the AAF. Despite this, the downfall of the AAF was not entirely due to the lack of talent. The league probably could have stayed afloat with their level of talent; the problem lay in the ownership of the photo from awfulannoucing.com league. It was co-founded

Daniel Kim

SPORTS EDITOR On June 1, the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League, a tournament between Europe’s most prestigious soccer clubs, came to an end with Liverpool defeating the Tottenham Hotspurs in Madrid 2-0. This year the Champions League experienced several expected outcomes and upsets throughout the tournament, which resulted in the final match between the two English club teams. Based on the results this year, soccer fans can expect a better year for some teams in next year’s tournament. The tournament begins with the group stage, in which 32 teams compete in eight groups of four to determine the top two teams in each group and form a bracket of 16 for the knockout stage. The teams compete in six games, two of which are against every other team in the group. They are then ranked by their record. After the group stage, teams are organized into a bracket of 16 teams who play two games against each other and total the goals to determine the winner, except for the finals, in which only one game is played to determine the winner. The group stage played out nearly exactly how I expected it to, with every club from the English Premier League qualifying for the knockout stage. Additionally, every notable Spanish, German, Italian and French soccer club ranked within the top 16, including Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain. These teams rarely ever don’t make the knockout stage for the Champions League, and I expect them all to return next year for a chance to become the best soccer club for the year. Since these clubs all have large, dedicated fanbases, they are usually able to pay massive sums for the most prestigious players, making them easily able to qualify to the next round. On the other hand, I noticed a couple teams in the knockout stages that I never would have expected to make it pass the group stages: Schalke 04, Ajax and Porto. Ajax, although known historically as a successful team in the Champions League, had to play even in the play-in stages to qualify for the group stage. Despite ranking so low that they were forced to play in to the Champions League this year, Ajax performed well, just barely losing to Tottenham in the semi-finals 3-3 in a tie-breaker by scoring more away goals. At the same time, the divisions these teams were in did not feature as many big names, so it was not completely out of the unexpected for this year. If they have more luck in the draw determining the eight groups, teams from renowned leagues like Inter Milan, Napoli and Valencia should have no trouble qualifying to the knockout stages next season because they have lots of depth and talent on their rosters but were simply unlucky in the draw. While the group stage carried few surprises for the viewers, the knockout stage was quite the opposite with several contenders being eliminated early on. Ajax beat Real Madrid 5-3 in the first round, and Porto barely beat Roma 4-3. In a competition against one of the favorites to win the entire tournament, Ajax shocked me when they beat Juventus 3-2 in the quarter-finals. Although every tournament is bound to have upsets, to me, Ajax’s success up to the semifinals was rather shocking. The remainder of the tournament followed my expectations, with last year’s runner-up Liverpool overcoming Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspurs in the semi-finals and finals, respectively, to become the best soccer club in Europe in 2019. Although many doubted the Hotspurs, they defeated Bortrussia Dortmund 4-0, Manchester City 4-4 in a tiebreaker and Ajax 3-3 in a tiebreaker to advance to the finals as the runner-up for the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League. Based on how the tournament has played out this year, Liverpool and Tottenham will likely qualify to the semi-finals next year along with the popular Spanish club Barcelona and Italian club Juventus. Key players like Liverpool’s forward Mohamed Salah, Tottenham’s forward Son Heung-Min, Barcelona’s forward Lionel Messi and Juventus’ forward Cristiano Ronaldo will perform even better than this year. The 2018-19 season had many upsets, but next year, I think that there will be a handful of dominant teams that will not allow any upsets on them.


sports

tphsfalconer.com

As a nationally-ranked Eshan Talluri (12) serves his dream college. It was nationals, in the semi-finals. Eshan Talluri (12) can see the moment clearly, looking back, but at the time, nothing mattered more than focusing on the ball. He was playing doubles, and the national semi-finals were deeper into a tournament than he had gone before. He was also the most nervous he had ever been. “It was 6-5 in the third set, and I had the match point serving,” Talluri said. “We were just playing a point ... and I kind of just, I don’t know, hit this one shot, this lob.” In that moment, adrenaline up, nerves suddenly gone, arm stretched back, Talluri brought racket to ball and delivered the winning shot, creating one of his fondest memories on the court. His love of tennis began when he was exposed to it at five, by an athletic, family of tennis players. Aside from tennis, Talluri also played football, basketball and soccer, but ended up enjoying the racket sport the most. “Tennis is a lot harder in a sense because it’s an individual sport,” Talluri said. “It’s just you out there. And I think tennis is like a microcosm of life because you learn a lot of life lessons on the court.” One of those lessons is how to deal with defeat, especially in games with immense pressure and high stakes. “Honestly, the disappointment of working really hard and giving everything you have and just losing hurts,” Talluri said. “And there’s a lot of sacrifice as well. So like a lot of time on the weekends you don’t get to go and hang out with your friends because you’re going to L.A. and playing in tournaments.” Being on the TPHS varsity tennis team for his freshman, sophomore and senior year, having taken his junior year off to compete nationally and focus on school and recruitment, Talluri also practices five times a week for at least two hours each, in addition to team practices and matches. And, as a nationally-ranked player, tennis is not just a year-round sport for Talluri — it is his lifestyle. “I’ve just been playing my whole life,” Talluri said. “It’s hard. I can’t see myself doing anything else; if I don’t play tennis, I have too much free time in a day.” He can even appreciate the disappointments that have come with tennis, where he has learned a lot about himself and the way he deals with ups and downs. “I’ve played so much tennis that I know which moments are big points that can shift momentum, so I want to get tight with that,” Talluri said. “I’ve just been focusing on living in the moment and leaving everything on the court. I mean, losing sucks, but that’s why you play as hard as you can to win.” And finally, after years of wins and losses, Talluri’s ultimate win arrived, not in the form of his third

CIF and state championship win, a trophy or a new ranking, but in another national finals match that attracted the attention of the tennis coach at

the University of Texas at Austin, who reached out to him over the summer of his junior year. “My dad actually went to UT Austin,” Talluri said. “It’s always been a school I wanted to go to, and tennis-wise, they’ve always been a bit of a reach for me just because it’s a very good program. So when they ended up offering me [admission], I was just like, ‘That’s perfect; that’s my dream school.’” While he will be playing Division 1 tennis at UT Austin, Talluri is not looking to become like his favorite professional players Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic, but instead is ready to pursue business finance. “I don’t really have the aspiration to [go professional]; it is just such a tough lifestyle,” Talluri said. “My whole thing with tennis has been trying to get into the best school I possibly can and having a great experience.” In the meantime, he is focusing on getting mentally prepared for college. “You’re going to be playing guys that could be four years older than you and it’s going to be tough,” Talluri said. “So I’m trying to get mentally prepared and match-ready.” It is going to be a fun, exciting time for Talluri, one that will be very different than his SoCal life and his formative experience on the TPHS tennis team. But looking forward, Talluri is ready for this change; college brings his next journey and tennis matches. And whoever and whatever comes his way, he is ready to serve. by Colette Chiang

the falconer

tennis player, his way into

A21


A22 the falconer

Esther Choi

FEATURE EDITOR The International Amateur Athletic Federations (IAAF) has been regulating and setting the standards for track and field competitions around the world since 1912. Despite its long history, its most recent ruling against female athletes has caused controversy in sports, politics and even the medical community. But the IAAF regulations against female athletes are not new. As early as the 1940s, female athletes were required by the IAAF to bring medical certificates to competitions to verify their sex due to rising social concerns about female participation in sports. And later, in the ‘60s, the practice of “genital checks” before competitions became popularized when countries like the Soviet Union were not trusted by the U.S. to create reliable certificates. A less humiliating chromosome test was later developed to replace those checks. The most recent IAAF regulation, created in 2018, targets female athletes with DSDs, or differences of sexual development. One such DSD occurs when women have higher naturally occurring testosterone levels than the vast majority of cisgender women. The ruling sets an upper limit on testosterone levels in females who compete in track and field and intends to make the playing field more equal, as higher testosterone levels could be an unfair advantage. There is a clear and significant performance gap between male and female athletes, and testosterone, a hormone naturally produced in all bodies regardless of gender (although males produce more of it), has been identified as one of the components that gives male athletes a biological advantage over some female athletes. Britain’s Lynsey Sharp, who placed 6th in the 800 meter

sports

race at the 2016 Rio Olympics and lost to South Africa’s Caster Semenya, who won first place, felt disadvantaged due to the fact that female athletes with naturally occurring higher than usual testosterone levels could have a competitive advantage. Ross Tucker, professor of exercise physiology at the University of Free State in South Africa says studies show typical male levels of testosterone give males a performance boost of about 10 to 13 percent over women. Tucker thinks Semenya competes with women at an advantage. Sharp, in particular, has spoken about how the competition was unfair and biased in favor of Semenya from the start. The issue has been further complicated by Semenya’s challenge to the IAAF, which was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). As a female athlete affected by the newest regulations, she will be unable to compete at the international level unless she undergoes hormone treatments or surgery that would physically to lower her testosterone levels. In addition, even if Semenya and other athletes wanted to undergo t h e s e

changes in order to compete, under the Helsinki Accords, “medical treatment for the sole purpose of altering the performance in sport is not permissible,” according to the World Medication Association (WMA). That the IAAF advises those athletes to go through medical changes despite it being prohibited for competition is unprofessional and confusing. The word “altering” does not stipulate that it is meant to be synonymous with “enhancing.” But the IAAF has a history of ignoring these professional and ethical guidelines. Even the scientific study they used to support the 2018 regulations has been proven to be inaccurate and shows a lack of integrity. Conducted by researchers Bermon and Garnier in 2017, the study the IAAF used was disproved by another study in April 2019 that had access to the original data. The IAAF study had significant data errors, such as the duplication of data and falsified information. About 33 percent of the data points were problematic, and multiple researchers and scientific journals have criticized the British Journal of Sports Medicine for publishing the study. Furthermore, prohibiting f e m a l e athletes like Semenya from participating brings

june 7, 2019

another issue into play: politics. One reason Semenya’s case has garnered so much media attention is that the IAAF, even though its explicitly saying the opposite, appears to be invalidating female genders based on biological composition; and its history of policing the line between gender and sex despite scientific evidence contrary to their decisions does not help. Semenya is also an icon and source of inspiration for girls around the world. As a black, lesbian and female athlete, she has faced her fair share of discrimination, but in South Africa, is seen as a hero, winning significant awards from her home country like the Order of Ikhamanga and Most Influential Young South African. Despite all of this, the situation remains muddled. It’s unclear what to do when athletes like Sharp depend financially on their overall performance in races, and the competitive advantage that those like Semenya have over them is unfair, hindering those who may have worked just as hard or need the money. But one thing is clear: the IAAF cannot be depended on to impose those regulations and enforce competitive equality. It has, time and time again, shown a disturbing history of disregarding bodily autonomy and policing the line between gender and sex, especially when it concerns women, and giving it the power to do so again sets a dangerous precedent for other sports organizations around the world.

photos courtesy of IAAF


tphsfalconer.com

sports

Katie Walling varsity softball may 21, 3:55:30 pm camera: canon eos rebel t6 lens: canon EF-S 18-55mm iso: 100 exp: 1/800 f/stop: f/5.6

Photo by Katheryn Yoo

the falconer

A23


backpage

A24 the falconer

Most Likely To Start a Cult

june 7, 2019

Most Likely To Fix Climate Change

Most Likely To Take a Vow of Silence

Most Likely to Actually Become a Journalist

Class Clown

Most Likely To Become an Instagram Model

Most Likely To Become Famous

Most Likely To Become A Priest

Best Bromance

Most Likely To End Up in a Full Body Cast

Dear Seniors, Thank you so much for your time on staff! We’ve made a lot of memories together (and collected lots of blackmail for the future). These last few years of hard work and long nights have paid off for you and we are so proud of you all! We will miss you more than you know. :) All our love, Mia’s chickens


PEANUTS © Peanuts Worldwide LLC. Dist. By ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.


focus

B2 the falconer

june 7, 2019

focus

tphsfalconer.com

the falconer

Dartmouth College Kristin Bitter University of Washington Allie Alston Nina Mao Eiden Brewer* Hannah Newville Liam Conley Ryan Park Sage Davis Mike Schreiber

University of Michigan William Alter Ben Jackel Jensen Gutzwiller

University of Portland Lauren Beckwith Carter Greenman Willamette University Carlos Cortes

Boise State University Stephen Singler

University of Wisconsin-Madison Shayna Leeds Olivia Schaffer Kate Milmoe

Brigham Young University Mariel Alexander Jake Nelson Emilee Fox Sydney Willden

University of Colorado Boulder Jade Babcock-Chi Luke Evans Chloe Balsiger Nicole Foley Soleil Belton Ashley Kent Valeria Caballero Hasti Khaksari Ryan Crean Carly Larkin Aaron Deitz Cole Singer Charlie Donner

Utah State University Grant Crockett

United States Air Force Academy Spencer Adam McKenzie Steiner Shad Bruce

University of Utah Bradley Lienhart

Kisaki Nakatsukasa

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Rebecca Shin

Western Michigan University Max Lidl Michigan State University Frank Acierno Hannah Leibowitz University of Chicago Jason Heine Leopoldo Speidel Indiana University Madison Chandler Emily Fitzner Seren Kremer

Christy Lam Mackenzie Miller

University of Notre Dame Marco Napolitano Washington University in St. Louis Jacob Li

Purdue University Eric Jang

Malika Kapadia

Case Western Reserve University Travis Snider Denison University Mario Reifschneider University of Tokyo Sam Chen

Maastricht University Emma Hakenesch

Haley White

Boston University Anika Brahmbhatt Connor Brashears

Maggie Choy Tarkan Taboglu

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sophia Chen David Vapnek Spencer Shroff

Montana State University Chris Burdick Duke Fitch

University of Oregon Kate Ackell Jack Rogaski MaryKate Crabtree Raymond Sanchez Brynn Davidoff Chloe Stevenson Tucker Drawdy

Boston College Antony Liao

Ohio State University McKenzie Schubat Marc Westburg

Northern Arizona University Caleb Craig Jordan Mashike

Tufts University Mason Kohn Colgate University Alex Pistorius Cornell University Brian Pacula Manhattan School of Music Laura Yu New York University Yasmine Elasraoui Morgan Schreiber Amy Lee Syracuse University Mathieu Barthelemy Malia Riviere Cassie Gonzalez Leo Silverman

United States Naval Academy Sofia Beyer Rhode Island School of Design Alice (Dawon) Yang

Yale University Atarah Anbar

University of Alabama Lindsey Klein Auburn University Grace Hollingsworth

Baylor University Caleb Jackson Rice University Ajay Kumar Southern Methodist University Alex Brown Nathan Pupko Ginsberg Bennett Prag Texas Christian University Nina Budano Alexa Patterson Lauren Gilly Casey Thatcher Ashlie Hill Cade Yarbrough Christopher Kanner University of Texas at Austin Ted Merrifield Eshan Talluri

*From Israeli Pre-Military Program PEANUTS © Peanuts Worldwide LLC. Dist. By ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Williams College Elliot Kim

Brown University Porter Hollen

University of Arizona Cat Crister Natasha Plashkes Rebecca English Maya Shukla

University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Katherine Shofran

Wellesley College Emily Zhang

United States Military Academy, West Point Emma Richards-Smith Willie Zhang

Miami University Ella Chambers

Arizona State University Nick Pauley Alex Sherlock

Northeastern University Jeremy Chung Camryn McAllister Jacob Frueh

Georgetown University Amanda Yen

Presley Simo

George Washington University Jennifer Cook Brianna Vaughan Valentina Perrone Brandon Teren

University of Mississippi Lexi Friedman Lousiana State University Lucy Thorburn Tulane University Zane Atiya

Berkley Sayre

University of Miami Alexei Serguienko

Pennsylvania State University Macall Peed

University of Tampa Alex Walling

Bucknell University George Rump Villanova University Julia Ramsey

attention seniors! The Falconer has spent weeks soliciting the post-high school plans of all seniors. The college map includes the information provided to us by the May 24 deadline. The Falconer is not responsible for reprinting the map on account of anyone who missed the deadline and did not submit their plans or submitted any spelling errors. Some colleges may not be in the correct geographical location due to space constraints. However, all college submissions received by May 24 are printed on the maps.

Elon University Mikayla Azcue Clemson University Conner Dunham

Elyse Rosenblatt

B3


B4 the falconer

focus

june 7, 2019

Academy of Art University Julio Rianzares

Mira Costa College Ben Foltz

California Institute of Technology George Wythes

Miramar College Duy Nguyen

California Lutheran University Jason Grindle

Palomar College Hans García Ross

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

San Diego Mesa Community College Maleea Schlager Sophia Moinzadeh

Lauryn Coy Will Daniels Kendra Ham Delaney Jacobs Jordan Lee Daniel Maas

Luke Mikolajewski Emma Roberts Ben Schlesier Paige Shields Mohab Wahdan

California State University, Chico Paige Lendrum California State University, East Bay Ladaecia Page

Judah Thiem

San Diego State University Julia Allen Jake Hydo Kimi Best Reagan Johnson Morgan Blitz Matt Miller Tori Brown Kat Pham Isabella Collins Rebecca Sass Malia Douglas Ryan Walsh Siena Fischel Mira Wittenberg Nadya Gorelov Josh Ziegel Cole Green

University of California, Davis Alison Appelgate Jackie Walker Amelia Cho Daisy Waters Tania Ramirez Briani Zhang Natalie Stafford University of California, Irvine Minju Kim Matthew Sah Yu Hsuan Lee University of California, Los Angeles Cristian Aragon Max Orr Brigitte Bonebrake Raman Panchal Nathaniel Chen Kishan Shah Eve Gross-Sable Helen Struble Michael Huo Jacey Yang Matthew Jiang Alyssa Yeh Paul Lee University of California, Merced Eileen Blanchard Jazmyne Pritchett Justin Brizuela Vivian Seto

California State University, Fullerton Gabi Cary Luis Rocha

San Francisco State University Chen Abergel Brian Chang Marcos Altbaum Peyton Hall

University of California, Riverside Shannon Li Kevin Wu Dustin Luu

California State University, Long Beach Kai Johnson Isaac Rodea Artie Nazarov

San Jose State University Steven Huang Seongju Kim

California State University, San Marcos Sarah Sutton

Austin Wang

University of California, San Diego Rohit Ahuja William Lutz Brenda Bazaldua Matthew Myrhum Yury Bukhradze Likith Palabindela Rachel Doron Bryce Pope Sara Doron Eric Rasmussen Kian Eftekhari Kashika Rathore Josh Golden Adory Vo Daniel Ju Schuyler Voss Gloria Kalt Emmie Yao DaeYong Kim Audrey Yeh Mandy Lee

Chapman University Mira Ananthanarayanan

Jenny Epstein

De Anza Community College Jamar-Islem Stringfellow Loyola Marymount University Amber McCorkle Aviva Schwaiger Menlo College Gavin Haley

Santa Clara University Emma Reeves Scripps College Meghana Garcia Sonoma State University Rubie Wexler Stanford University Kira Crage Lauren Grove

Angela Liu

University of California, Berkeley Tess Alwan Stephen Martindale Lindy Byrne Carson McNealy Ayush Desai Jordan Naughton Brian Driscoll Lindsey Ren Dawson Hill Devyn Solo Farhan Hossain Maxine Sy Chu Kahyun Koh Emilie Tu Khoa Le Arda Ulug Justin Lee Kaan Ulupinar Edwin Lim Joanne Wang Tommy Liu

University of California, Santa Barbara Allie Alston Gaby Nguyen Charles Bao Natalie Nguyen Zach Brumm Gabrielle Plewe Steven Chang Keyan Roshan Leah Coffin Sawyer Simo Taylor Crouch Andrea Yoon Nico Johnson University of California, Santa Cruz Daniel Chang Alexander Renner Melissa Low University of San Diego Hilda Conde Tali D’Ercole Alexis English

Wendy Mendoza Maria Sol Griffin Savanna Walter

University of Southern California Shannon Brownlee Avery Hamilton* Alena Cardwell Lily McNeely** Rehanna Fikre Rileigh Sullivan

*Trojan Transfer **Trojan Transfer from American University of Paris PEANUTS © Peanuts Worldwide LLC. Dist. By ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.