Falconer May/June Issue 2022

Vol. 47, Issue 8, 24 pages

Friday, May 27, 2022

GSA promotes queer visibility and support

Ward v. Board

Jasmine Criqui

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

PHOTO BY COLE FROST/FALCONER

DIVISION IN THE DISTRICT: Community members filled a board meeting room at the SDUHSD office on May 19, voicing concerns about Supt. Cheryl James-Ward’s status in the district. Some called for Ward’s resignation, while others pushed for reinstatement and for Allman

Community and mixed over Jacob Zhang and Cole Frost

NEWS EDITOR AND STAFF WRITER

The SDUHSD Board of Trustees reached a stalemate with a 2-2 vote regarding Dr. Cheryl James-Ward’s status as superintendent on May 19 amid a backdrop of unprecedented tension within the district, according to an email from Trustee Michael Allman that was obtained

by Mali Woods, the president of Encinitas4Equality. The vote was not publicly released by the board.

Ward’s future as superintendent may remain in limbo until the board decides by majority vote to either terminate her employment or reinstate her work responsibilities.

board Supt.

She currently remains on administrative leave.

After she made remarks that correlated Asian-American students’ academic success to high socioeconomic status, the board placed James-Ward on administrative leave in a controversial 3-1 vote on April 20 that was supported by SDUHSD board president Maureen Muir, Allman and Clerk Julie Bronstein, and opposed by Trustee Katrina Young. James-Ward intends to file a lawsuit against the district if she is terminated, which she hopes to drop if reinstated. She retained counsel when she was placed on leave.

“My goal is not to sue, but to return

members James-

as superintendent and do the work that I set out to do,” she said.

Ward claims that the true reason she was placed on administrative leave was not as a result of the community outrage stemming from her comments, but as a form of board retaliation for a complaint she filed against Allman on March 10, 2022.

“There are things in the complaint that he does not want to see come to light,” Ward said.

Ward declined to comment on the details of the complaint.

Ward’s controversial statements originated from a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training meeting on Continued on A2

TPHS kicked off its celebration of Rainbow Week on May 16 thanks to the efforts of the TPHS Gender Sexuality Alliance, which began prepping for the festivities in late March.

Each day of Rainbow Week started with morning announcements that contained snippets of LGBTQ+ history, with topics like the Stonewall Riots and activist Marsha P. Johnson. Each announcement also featured a “pride anthem,” or a song that the LGBTQ+ community has widely claimed as its own, such as “YMCA” by the Village People and “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga.

“Primarily, [Rainbow Week] is an effort of visibility,” GSA member Kieran Pearson (12) said. “It’s to show that there is a safe space on campus for all those people who might be part of the community, but not out yet. And for allies as well, to show that there are people at the school working for positive change.”

To help accomplish this, the GSA worked together on posters to hang around the school. The largest are in the B building (reading “Pride” and “Love is Love”) and hanging above the quad (reading “Rainbow Week”). GSA President Alice Yu (12) estimates that there are around 10 to 15 other smaller posters scattered around campus.

Another GSA project was to decorate the ceiling of a hallway in the B building with rainbow streamers, the same one used for ASB’s “Hallway of Lights” in December. However, students walking down the hallway after school on May 16 may have noticed many of those streamers on the ground.

“Ever since sophomore year when I was putting up posters to broadcast GSA, there’s always been people ripping down and stepping on them,” Yu said.

Undeterred, the GSA returned Tuesday morning to replace the fallen streamers.

“I think a lot of times it was underclassmen just goofing around, I didn’t really see anyone have malicious intent,” Pearson said of the streamers.

“Overall, I think there was a pretty decent, positive response. And it was pretty cool to see.”

Rainbow Week ended on May 20 with a 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. screening of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” in Haley Luke’s room.

Lukes stepped in when GSA adviser Lars Trupe was unable to supervise.

“The atmosphere and turnout were really great,” Lukes said. “Everyone had food and left in a great mood.”

Next year, GSA’s president will be Brock Brown (11), who is set to organize Rainbow Week in 2023.

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Ward

continued from A1

April 11, when Allman asked, “Do we know why Asians do so well in school?”

“I can tell you part of that reason,” James-Ward said. “Here in San Dieguito, we have an influx of Asians from China, and the people who are able to make that journey are wealthy.”

Her comments drew immediate criticism from members of the SDUHSD community. A prominent voice in the criticism has been the nonprofit organization Californians For Equal Rights. The group opposes DEI training, critical race theory, ethnic studies and affirmative action.

James-Ward believes her comments should not have resulted in placement on leave because DEI training meetings should be a space for “open discussion.”

“You really have to dig deep and … not be afraid that you’re going to be crucified for asking a question,” JamesWard said. “You should be able to have some back and forth.”

After being placed on leave, JamesWard says the board offered a buyout of approximately $300,000 to end her complaint against Allman and resign as superintendent, which she refused.

James-Ward went on to call out Allman and Muir for their roles in the controversy surrounding her April 11 comments.

According to James-Ward, Allman has been trying to fire her “for some time.” That stemmed from disagreements over district decisions, James-Ward said.

She added that Muir and Allman are “closely aligned” with each other and have been challenging her “to do things she finds unethical.” She noted that Allman has openly spoken about wanting to fire her on his Facebook page.

“You can go back to Allman’s Facebook page and you’ll see where he talks about trying to fire Dr. Ward,” James-Ward said.

James-Ward claims that the question asked by Allman during the April 11 DEI training was a “trap” to oust her from her position.

“Throughout that whole meeting there were traps. And I don’t even know why I jumped into that trap.” she said.

Allman was not alone in his attacks, James-Ward said; Muir “poked” at her in the meeting, asking questions that countered the purpose of DEI training. “[The purpose of the meeting] was to understand who we serve, to look at our data, and to see what we need to do to serve our kids better, not to poke and beat up on people,” James-Ward said.

Muir countered James-Ward’s claim, citing that Allman’s question was not directed at James-Ward specifically.

“Mr. Allman asked the moderator a question, and Cheryl answered the question without being asked,” Muir said in an email to the Falconer.

James-Ward also suspects Allman pressured Bronstein to vote against her.

“It is my opinion that he was somehow behind pressing Ms. Bronstein to place me on leave … because as they were coming from a closed session, Ms. Bronstein apologized to me for having to place me on leave,” James-Ward said.

Bronstein declined to comment on her vote to place James-Ward on leave.

Allman chose not to speak on James-

news Ward’s claims. ‘[I]it would be unethical and unprofessional to speak about any of these items until the investigation is complete,” Allman said in an email.

When she was first appointed superintendent in November 2021, James-Ward said her relationship with Allman and Muir was not tense because they “thought that I would do whatever they wanted me to, that I was going to be their puppet.”

Tensions began rising after she prevented Allman from enacting plans she saw as unethical, according to Ward.

“In every instance, I said, ‘No, we can’t do that,’” she said. “‘No, I’m not firing that person. No, I’m not moving that principal. Yes, we’re moving forward with Ethnic Literature.’”

One source of disagreement began in December 2021 when Allman wanted to have a voice in student suspensions.

“We had a board meeting around student discipline, and his goal there was to have a say in suspensions,” James-Ward said. “That’s not the role of the board. The Ed Code is really clear about that. That’s the role of the school leadership and principals ... and the superintendent.”

James-Ward believes that Allman’s motive is to “to change board policies, so that he can do the role of the superintendent or supersede the role of the superintendent as a board member.”

To achieve this, James-Ward said Allman sought to influence fellow board members by sending fake emails under multiple aliases such as “Al Sherr,” “Anne Snyder” and “Kathy Jones.”

“I know they’re fake because they talk about things that come from closed session,” James-Ward said. “When I say something, do something that Allman doesn’t like, I can tell you almost within an hour or two, a fake person is going to turn up. And, without a doubt, they show up.”

After she filed her complaint against Allman, James-Ward said a person named “Al Sherr” contacted her via email to arrange a meeting between his lawyer and James-Ward’s lawyer.

“Why in the world would my attorney need to meet Al Sherr? And why would Al Sherr even think I had an attorney?”

James-Ward said. “He wouldn’t. Unless he was someone else … that person being Michael Allman.”

Allman declined to comment on James-Ward’s remarks.

James-Ward said the fake emails coupled with actions by Muir and Allman were emotionally exhausting for her and the other board members.

“The stress was choking the life out of me. They kept coming with so many different things,” James-Ward said.

She cited times Young cried at board meetings because “Allman and Mo constantly beat [Young] down.” Young confirmed she has been reduced to tears by the animosity toward James-Ward

by Allman and Muir.

James-Ward said Bronstein also had to endure some of the same “constant attacks” from Allman and Muir.

Bronstein declined to comment. “[Muir and Allman] are treacherous, particularly Michael Allman. he’s a master manipulator. And he’s deceitful.

And he’s dangerous,” James-Ward said.

Muir denied James-Ward’s claims and said Young did not cry at a board meeting because of behavior by her or

May 27, 2022

A CELEBRATION WITH MEANING: The TPHS GSA decorates campus with posters during Rainbow Week. The club strives to bring inclusiveness and increase awareness at TPHS.

PHOTO BY COLE FROST/FALCONER

MALI WOODS, president of the organization Encinitas4Equality, speaks outside of the SDUHSD office. Community members like Woods have been pushing for Allman’s resignation, citing harrassment of students and parents, and disrespectful behavior in board meetings.

Allman.

“Trustee Young is a strong individual who is not afraid to voice her policy opposition or positions. Cheryl’s … statement is silly,” Muir said Controversy surrounding the status of James-Ward and Allman in the district has not been limited to the board room. Many community members have voiced concerns and anger regarding board decisions and dynamics.

As the events following JamesWard’s comments on April 11 played out, CFER began sending out calls to the public to “Stand Up to Superintendent Cheryl James-Ward’s Inflammatory Bigotry Against Chinese Americans and Merit.”

James-Ward believes that “CFER is doing work for Allman.”

Frank Xu, the president of CFER, said he does not have a “working relationship” with any school district, but acknowledged he is endorsed by both Muir and Allman in his run for the Palomar College Board.

“Our goal is to expose the harmful comments, not just from James-Ward, but from the DEI training itself,” Xu said. “We send out action alerts and news in a press release to get the attention from media, from parents, community members and all the other actions are taken by [the community].

This incident actually gained national attention recently.”

Many of the current conflicts were in evidence at the May 19 board meeting as district residents voiced their opinions on the ongoing situation in a heated public comment session. Insults were exchanged as supporters and opponents of James-Ward clashed.

“It never used to be like this,” former SDUHSD board member Beth Hergesheimer said.

When the board transitioned to closed session, community members moved to the front of the district office, where both sides rallied in front of the

media.

Ayana Johnson (11), founder of the TPHS Black Student Union, spoke about her experience as a Black student. “[The board members] are uncomfortable with these conversations, and that’s the issue, you have to get uncomfortable,” she said. “Every minority has been uncomfortable in their life. But that’s how we move forward.”

Opponents of James-Ward spoke on her lack of integrity as a superintendent.

“What we saw with Ward was a lack of moral integrity, a lack of consistency, and a lack of honesty. She’s allowing the school district to plummet,” disrit parent Isabelle Qin said.

Many pushing for James-Ward’s resignation were unaware of the ongoing battle between Allman and her.

“We don’t know enough about the history of Allman and Ward,” Chuck Shen, a parent advocating for JamesWard’s removal, said. “So we don’t have much comment. But we really appreciate that Allman voted to put her on administrative leave.”

“I don’t know much about Allman or the other trustees. My purpose here is Ward,” Yu Li, another district parent advocating for Ward’s removal, said.

Leah Tsao, an Asian American supporter of James-Ward, believes that Allman is using James-Ward’s comments to manipulate the public.

“Allman has you taken for a fool.

He’s using you, do you understand that?” she said to those advocating for James-Ward’s removal at the May 19 board meeting.

James-Ward hopes to be reinstated as the SDUHSD Superintendent. If she returns, she plans to continue expanding DEI training and ethnic studies, while ensuring that current board policies stay in place.

“The board placed me on leave,” James-Ward said. “And I intend to return.”

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San Diegans gather to protest restrictions on abortion Regan Guirguis

STAFF WRITER

On Saturday, May 14, a number of national organizations arranged women’s reproductive rights marches and rallies across the United States to protest the leaked draft Supreme Court opinion which appears to indicate plans to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion.

A draft opinion is an unfinalized opinion written by a supreme court justice before a ruling is made by the court. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito wrote the draft in anticipation of the court deciding on Dobbs v.

Jackson Women’s Health Organization about the constitutionality of a 2018 Mississippi state law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

The Court already has heard oral arguments in the case.

The protest events took place in cities all around the country, organized primarily by the national organization Women’s March in conjunction with

local Planned Parenthood chapters.

Molly Boardman Abbey, a longtime supporter of women’s rights, attended a march in Montpelier, Vermont.

“It is incredibly important that we show solidarity across this country regardless of whether in our particular states we know that our rights are guaranteed,” Abbey said. “In large part, [we need] to show solidarity and show that the numbers are there to support Roe v. Wade and also to protect ourselves.”

According to both media and anecdotal reports, the protests were peaceful and many had local speakers who talked about how repealing Roe v. Wade would threaten reproductive rights.

San Diego joined in the nationwide marches and rallies as protesters met downtown in front of the U.S. District Court Southern District of California.

The march started at 10 a.m in front of the courthouse with speakers from the many different organizations involved

in the event. Eventually, protesters marched down to Fifth Avenue and then crossed up Broadway back to the courthouse. They peacefully chanted and held up their signs for the duration.

Protesters of all ages attended the local march. One of the protesters was Taisiya Rubtsova (11), who heard about the march through Instagram.

“I didn’t want to just sit by and do nothing. I’m finally at an age where I have at least some kind of freedom to go out and do at least something. Even if it’s on a pretty small scale, like going to a march.” Rubtsova said.

Rubtsova was not the only TPHS student to attend the march. Natasha Hughes (11) heard about the protest through Rubtsova and attended the event with her.

“I was super pissed off at the new proposed legislation and especially at the fact that I’ve been harassed by multiple people at the school for believing that it is a women’s right to choose,” Hughes said.

Since the march, all the participants who talked to the Falconer expressed an interest in attending future protests.

PHOTO BY REGAN GUIRGUIS/FALCONER

A PRO-CHOICE PROTEST: Women gather in San Diego to protest restrictions on abortion.

Similar protests took place across the nation following the leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion indicating Roe v. Wade will be

TPHS alumnus appointed to top position in SD FBI office Dixie Wallerius

OPINION EDITOR

Stacey Moy (‘94), a Navy veteran, was recently appointed FBI special agent in charge of the San Diego Field Office, Director of the FBI Christopher Wray announced March 25.

After serving in the Navy for six years as a service warfare officer and then naval special operations, Moy joined the FBI in 2004 as a special agent in the Washington Field Office, serving in counterintelligence and espionage cases, SWAT operations and Protective Detail.

“I had no knowledge about the FBI,” Moy said. “I was in the military as an officer assigned to Korea and came across a reserve where marine corps officers were active duty FBI special agents.”

In 2009, Moy was promoted to Supervisor in the Counterespionage Section at FBI Headquarters in Washington, targeting major counterintelligence and economic espionage investigations.

“I was the person on the phone giving

guidance and connecting others with similar cases to see if there is a bigger threat out there,” Moy said.

Two years later, Moy was promoted to Supervisor of the Counterproliferation Squad in Oakland, which investigated threats involving highly sensitive technologies like AI. “A typical day is atypical. There is not a routine day for any of the jobs in the FBI,” Moy said. “Our responsibilities are obviously to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution and we do that through a variety of investigative skills and techniques and case works.”

After three years, he moved back to FBI headquarters in Washington.

“You can sense the theme here of moving back and forth. The reason why we do that is because we bring that talent, expertise and experiences with us to the new offices and share that,” Moy said Moy served in San Francisco and Washington D.C. for three years as Field Supervisor of Counterintelligence/

Counterproliferation Squad and Unit Chief one last time before being called back home to San Diego.

While Moy did not have any prior knowledge of or interest in joining the FBI as a high school student, TPHS did help to shape him as a person and inspired his future careers.

“TPHS is super competitive, so I think that breeds that ‘cream of the crop’ excellence within each of us,” Moy said.

The attitude and competitive culture of TPHS helped to instill and grow values of hard work and striving to do the best one can do.

“Everyone always tries to do their best and there’s a healthy competition amongst different classes,” Moy said.

Oftentimes positive alumni culture helps to promote and continue a positive school environment, according to TPHS Principal Rob Coppo.

“It’s incredibly exciting to see people do great things from the school and to be able to leave the school knowing that TPHS helped them get there,” Coppo

falcon accolades

Awards Night: Golden Falcons Mateo Pacelli Hannah Flannery

PHOTO FROM STACEY MOY

STACEY MOY serves as the FBI special agent in charge of the San Diego FBI Field Office.

Moy graduated from TPHS in 1994.

Dance Team: National Champs

Varsity Small Hip Hop: 1st Place

Top 10: Derek Liu (11): 1st place Jacopo Rizzo (10)

All-Star Mathletes:

Elliott Liu (10) Sidarth Erat (9)

1st place in Division A PHOTOS FROM ANNA SCIPIONE

said.

Moy and the FBI team of San Diego continue to protect the community using a variety of skill sets, including ones learned from his time as a TPHS student.

Varsity Medium Hip Hop: 1st Place Varsity Large Hip Hop: 3rd Place Maya Sabbah (11): Top 5 Improv Soloist Sam Rokoszewski (12): 11th Place Soloist Charlotte Bailey (10): 14th Place Soloist

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May 27, 2022

Newly-renovated Museum of Contemporay Art reopens Natalia Mochernak STAFF WRITER

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla reopened on April 9 after four years of renovation at a cost of $105 million. The new design includes a renovation of 28,000 square feet of original construction, as well as a total 46,400 square feet expansion, doubling the museum’s existing square footage.

Designed by Selldorf Architects, the new plan provides significantly greater gallery space for the museum’s collection, creates a more accessible entry and showcases a coastal view with open halls and tall windows.

“With the Selldorf expansion, MCASD’s flagship building is, at last, scaled to showcase the work it has collected over the past decades,” Kathryn Kanjo, MCASD’s CEO said.

“Soaring ceilings and natural light allow for inviting displays of the collection alongside lively, changing exhibitions.”

MCASD La Jolla has a rich history, tracing its origins back to philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps. Her home served as the museum’s La Jolla location starting in 1941. In 1993, the museum also opened a second location in Downtown San Diego. The museum’s main focus is on the preservation and exhibition of contemporary works from the 1950s to the present. As such, the pieces shown in the museum reflect the complex issues that shape the rapidly changing world.

For Molly Opalsky (10), that is what makes the museum’s premise of

ART WITH A VIEW: A museum-goer looks out at the Pacific Ocean through an aperture cut into a window pane at MCASD La Jolla. The installation was made by Robert Irwin in 1997. contemporary artwork so enticing.

“At first glance contemporary art may look plain or not very intricate, but I think if you look closer you’ll find that it has a lot of depth,” she said.

Opalsky was thrilled to learn of the addition of MCASD to North County San Diego’s minimal art scene and visited the museum within the first few weeks of its reopening.

One exhibit that caught her eye was MCASD’s first major display — a historic tribute to legendary local artist Niki de Saint Phalle.

“I was really drawn to her work,” Opalsky said. “I loved the vibrancy and the bright colors woven into all of the sculptures and collages. It was

amazing.”

“Niki de Saint Phalle in the 1960s” examines the French-American artist’s early work done while she was in her thirties. Her name may not ring a bell, but most San Diego locals are familiar with her comical, largerthan-life statues peppered throughout San Diego, from Kit Carson Park in Escondido to her “Sun God” sculpture at UC San Diego. MCASD’s exhibition is an impressive survey of her work, presenting 93 pieces in all, many of which were borrowed from European collections. The rest of the MCASD La Jolla displays art from the museum’s own collection including household names like Ed Ruscha, Mark Rothko

and Andy Warhol, in addition to modern masterpieces by Ai WeiWei, Yoshitomo Nara and Jay Lynn Gomez.

A prominent Yayoi Kusama sculpture “Dreaming Pumpkin” is on view for the first time ever. In addition, the galleries include dozens of names from the local San Diego and Tijuana art world.

“We’re very much a museum that’s about our place,” Kanjo said. “So you’re seeing the physical site, but you’re also seeing the cultural history. You see the influences of places like UCSD and the legacy of artists who were committed to California. I think we’ve always been adventurous as a collecting and exhibiting institution, working against the grain.”

MCASD highlights local artists so as to strengthen the sense of community at the museum. It is a great opportunity for local up-and-coming artists to showcase their art and get some recognition.

MCASD is now open Thursdays through Sundays from 10 am to 4 pm, and is free for all students under 18 years. Art enthusiast Natasha Hughes (11) finds that the no-charge policy at MCASD may encourage her as well as other TP students to visit the museum.

“It is so great that the museum is free,” Hughes said. “Most students don’t have much money, and I think not having to pay money to see the art is even more of an incentive to go.”

As MCASD La Jolla moves into its second month since reopening, it is proving more and more that it is a lasting treasure that will endure for generations to come.

“A Night in Miami” prom hosted at Paradise Point Michele Kim

STAFF WRITER

The TPHS prom, dubbed “A Night in Miami,” was hosted by ASB on May 21 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Paradise Point Resort. The dance was the first prom for both juniors and seniors due to last year’s prom being restricted to only seniors in order to keep the event at minimum capacity.

The large event was quite a challenge for ASB to plan, according to ASB adviser Jennifer Ryan.

“I’d say this prom was a little harder [to plan this year], next year will be easier because the sophomores have watched the juniors. We didn’t have that built-up knowledge this year.”

Ryan said.

However, the months of planning that ASB put in paid off for many students.

“Prom has done more than enough to exceed and surpass my standards, I think this is very well done and the school has done an absolutely fantastic job setting this up,” prom guest Miles Sullivan (11) said.

In total, ASB sold 1,000 tickets..

“I wasn’t expecting something too big or too small, so I guess it was just right,” Zero Shin (11) said.

“It seems like a one-night event, but ASB probably puts four months of planning into prom … it’s a lot of work

ON THE DANCE FLOOR: Students gather on the dance floor as the DJ in the background plays music. Prom was held from 7-10 pm at Paradise Point Resort. for them.” Ryan said.

The venue for prom, Paradise Point Resort, was chosen a year ago. The “A Night in Miami” theme was then chosen in accordance with the venue and created through palm tree decor, flamingo floaties and pink, purple and blue lighting Guests at prom were offered light desserts, which included cookies, cupcakes, churros, rice crispy treats and hot chocolate.

Some students were unprepared

for what to expect at the dance due to a lack of details released prior to the event.

“I didn’t really know anything … at least give us a heads up, like how big the spaces are, who the DJ is, an idea of what we’re walking into,” Angela Jin (12) said.

ASB admitted this was a challenge for them.

“A few [challenges] are promo and getting kids talking about the dance and wanting to attend the thing … I

think word of mouth and posting on Instagram is typically good enough for that,” ASB Junior Class President Grace Flanagan (11) said.

Other students were not satisfied with the high price point.

“I did have fun … but I don’t think I got the experience I should have gotten for $80,” Kinjal Kankaria (12) said.

Although students were unsure of what to expect for prom, many were pleasantly surprised.

“Since this [was] my first time at prom, I didn’t know what to expect, but it’s definitely fun,” Maira Clotfelter Bastias (11) said.

Jin said prom allowed her to show new sides of herself.

“I usually have a hard time letting myself go, so prom was kind of like an opportunity where everyone was squishing each other and nobody cared,” Jin said. “It felt nice letting myself go for once. It’s less about prom; the dance itself, and more about preparing with friends and the dinner before … just bonding.”

A highlight of the high school experience, Ryan hopes that the dance lived up to all of the expectations built up in teen movies.

“All the prom cheesiness … that’s definitely something you can’t replicate.

I do hope it [was] at the High School Musical expectation,” Ryan said.

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Art students contribute to kindness Choir class may not project with campus art displays beofferedatTPHSin 2022-2023 year

Adriana Hazlett

STAFF WRITER

The TPHS art department has placed art installations around campus aimed at promoting kindness.

“My Advanced Digital Art and Design classes are doing a project where they’re using their digital art and photography skills to create small acts of kindness that have a visual impact,” art teacher Jennifer Doerrer said.

The art is intended to encourage positivity and generosity in the school community.

“The goal was to think about how being an artist is powerful because you can reach a wide group of people, and you can speak universally through the language of visual art,” Doerrer said.

Artwork remains anonymous to explore the idea that “true altruism is not rewarded,” according to Doerrer, meaning that giving to others should be done out of goodwill, not for a reward. To accomplish this, students created a branding image for their installations and excluded their names.

“We created two avatars to represent ourselves and then attached them to the bottom of each artwork,” Z Zabarsky (11), a student involved in the project, said. “We wanted to create something unique and not use a simple logo that people wouldn’t remember.”

The art students have spent around three and a half weeks working on their projects, including time to brainstorm, create the art and place it around

Martin Lee

STAFF WRITER

SPREADING KINDNESS: A student art piece hangs in the TPHS hallway. The project was a chance for students to explore their creativity while encouraging positivity.

campus. They were tasked to make a total of four artworks, two of which impact a large group of people and two that are directed toward a more specific circle.

For their project, Zabarsky and their partner targeted students and teachers for the larger group, as well as members of the LGBTQ+ community and students who looked sad for the smaller group.

“In our classes, we placed artworks on students’ desks that hadn’t arrived in class yet and placed the note on the teacher’s desk when they left,” Zabarsky said.

Another student involved in the project is Max He (10). Using his digital design skills, he made multiple cards for school staff and students.

“One I created was a thank you card [for students], which

I put on car windshields,” He said. “The second one I did was an introduction card for new students.”

According to him, acting compassionately should be uncomplicated.

“I believe kindness is simple and easy, so my designs are simple too,” he said.

Each student’s installations are unique and vary in what mediums were used.

“One student made flowers out of pipe cleaners and felt and put little positive affirmation artworks,” Doerrer said. “Another student did a little relaxation kit that she gave to a couple of teachers and students.”

Many of the artworks have already been put up around campus, but there still remains a few to be installed before the school year ends.

Due to funding concerns and lack of student interest, students may not be able to take Choir next year at TPHS. “Last I heard from Mr. Coppo, they are trying to still run choir … for next year if funding from the district comes through,” music teacher Amy Gelb said.

Whether or not a class will be offered is driven by the number of students who register for the class in spring course selection.

“We get all of those numbers and see if we got, very often, singletons and look at the numbers on the singletons and see what looks like it could be in danger,” Principal Rob Coppo said.

Singletons are classes that have only one period such as Cheer and Track P.E.. More often than not, those classes have low student counts. TPHS administrators look for singletons with fewer than 30 enrolled students when considering what classes to terminate, Coppo said. For example, Choir currently has 22 students, making it a potential target for dropping.

“It’s not really a popular class, I don’t know many other people that take Choir,” Chris King (11) said.

Though it is a small class, Choir holds a dear place in some students’ hearts.

“I met most of my close friends from choir and they have similar interests as you so you feel really connected,” Risa Tutur (9) said.

The small size of the class may influence how much of a tight-knit community it is. Many of the students participating have taken it more than once.

“A lot of the students are returning students,” King said.

Many students feel it is unfair that Choir may find its way to the chopping block as that defies the TPHS reputation for having a diverse array of classes. Coppo has to go by the numbers, though.

“Everywhere we go with a small class, there’s gonna be bigger ones elsewhere…I don’t wanna pull the rug out from underneath those students, but we kinda look at it over time because everything we do is based on student interest…that’s when we have to start making difficult choices,” Coppo said.

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Elon Musk’s statements that he would reverse the January 2021 ban placed on Donald Trump if he took over Twitter has revitalized controversy over whether social media apps should have the ability to ban certain people from their platforms.

Some argue that bans are necessary to prevent influential users from posting lies or fomenting violence, while others assert that free speech should apply to everyone.

Viyiang Hao

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Back in 2021, Trump’s Twitter account was suspended “due to risk of further incitement of violence” following the Jan. 6 insurrection.

However, ever since Elon Musk proposed buying Twitter, reversing Donald Trump’s ban is in the limelight once more.

Musk in a recent conference stated that he does not believe Twitter should have banned Trump, adding that Twitter’s decision was a “mistake.”

However, Musk’s talk of free speech misses the point entirely of why Trump’s account was suspended in the first place, instead, it should be centered on a company’s obligation to the public through their regulations and moderations when users, especially prominent figures, tread deep into gray areas of Terms of Service.

Our right to free speech is guaranteed by the First Amendment but this protection is from our own government, not from private companies like Twitter.

Upon creation of an account, users have agreed to follow the social media platform’s ToS. Within Twitter’s ToS, it states that the company “[reserves] the right to remove Content that violates the User Agreement, including for example … unlawful conduct, or harassment.”

In one section of their ToS, it states that a user “may not threaten or promote terrorism or violent extremism.” Looking back at Trump’s

tweets, it is clear that Trump’s rhetoric encouraged many of his followers to take action into their hands against their own government for failure to provide a “fair” election.

Trump violated Twitter’s ToS so it should not be a surprise that his account got suspended.

Suspended accounts are not uncommon on Twitter, but a lot of the time they simply go unnoticed.

According to a recent Twitter Transparency report, the January to June 2021 period experienced an alltime high for the number of suspended accounts.

In this period, over 4.8 million accounts had some direct action from the company, 25% of them being suspended. From the 25%, 3.6% of accounts were suspended for terrorism or violent extremism, and 0.04% for promoting misleading information about COVID-19.

The fact that more and more accounts are suspended each year is a sign that Twitter is recognizing the impact it has on the public and the importance of holding its users more responsible for their actions.

By 2024, Twitter will have 340.2 million users, according to eMarketer.

As it becomes a more integral part of our daily lives, it is an absolute necessity that Twitter continues to moderate accounts that are potentially violating its ToS and threatening the public’s safety. Hopefully, they will become more transparent to the public as to what exactly their ToS are.

Without more moderation throughout the platform, large and influential accounts like Trump’s could promote another insurrection or an event of equal shock value to the world. This threatens the very safety of the public by invoking fear that anything violent is possible, and that should not be what our future looks like.

This issue is not a case of free speech but how we can ensure that our future is protected and safe.

Martin Lee

STAFF WRITER

Following Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter for $44 billion, many are left wondering what the future of Twitter’s moderation will be. To maintain healthy public discourse, Twitter must maintain a platform where the free marketplace of ideas, within the confines of the law, remains as unadulterated as humanly possible. Twitter shouldn’t ban its users since the Twitter ecosystem enriches democracy by involving younger generations in politics and eliminating echo chambers created by automated feeds is more effective at removing hate than banning users.

The 21st century has seen a dramatic shift of public interest from televisions and newspapers to Twitter. According to Statista, in the second quarter of 2021, “Twitter had 206 million monetizable daily active users worldwide.” The numbers make it clear that Twitter is no longer a platform purely for socialization, but an asset of political figures to reach new audiences.

For one, while many may find Donald Trump’s use of Twitter to be inappropriate, it was a highly efficient political strategy. During his presidency, Trump tweeted over 11,000 times, some receiving millions of likes. The New York Times reported that Trump“fully integrated Twitter into the very fabric of his administration, reshaping the nature of the presidency and presidential power.” The political scene is changing

ART BY AMANDA SALATINO and politicians need to utilize the untapped power of Twitter instead of being banned from it. No one has ever embraced the power of social media in the history of American politics quite like Trump has. His strategy played a part in the immense jump of voter turnout in 2020. According to Pew Research, “Turnout rates increased in every state compared with 2016” during the 2020 elections. Although the impact of the pandemic cannot be overlooked, the influence Twitter must not be overlooked either.

According to a 2020 Forbes article, “The importance of social media in this year’s Presidential race cannot be overstated. Currently 72 percent of U.S. citizens of voting age actively use some form of social media.” Numbers show that social media gets people into politics. Having high voter turnout is essential to democracy and banning politicians on Twitter is ultimately a blow to democracy itself.

If anything, it is not the individuals on the platform that’s the problem, it’s the dangerous social media bubbles that easily form on Twitter.

Twitter utilizes algorithms to tailor the “feeds” of individuals based on personal preference. According to the University of Texas, such algorithms are the cause of echo chambers which “eliminate opposing viewpoints and differing voices.” North Korea, for example, censors anything that doesn’t align with the official ideology and politics of the dictatorship, creating a nation-wide echo chamber. Similarly, albeit less extreme, Twitter doesn’t show its users what the user doesn’t “follow.” Thus, it’s more productive to expose followers of radical individuals to new perspectives than to ban the extremists themselves.

Freedom of speech is as delicate as it is vital to a healthy democracy.

The power to permanently bar an individual from the ability to express their ideas in America’s political landscape is something that should be considered as a last resort.

tphsfalconer.com

opinion

the falconer

A7

Roe v. Wade leaked draft should not come as a surprise

Dixie Wallerius

OPINION EDITOR

On May 2, the Supreme Court’s prospective decision to strike down Roe v. Wade was leaked and made public.

Roe v. Wade was a landmark decision made in 1973 by the Supreme Court in which the court ruled that the U.S. Constitution protects a woman’s ability to choose to have an abortion without government restriction.

The leaked draft opinion states, “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion and no such right is impliclity protected by any constitutional provision.”

This ruling would immediately end the 50 years of guaranteed federal constitutional protection of abortion rights and return the power to the states when deciding restrictions and freedoms on abortion. According to the New York Times, about 26 states are likely to place heavy restictions on most abortions, as 21 states already have laws in place that would make this a

near certainty if Roe were to fall.

While the leaked Supreme Court opinion on Roe v. Wade is shocking, it unfortunately does not come as a surprise.

Ever since the enactment and enforcement of Roe, anti-abortion movements have had to settle for half-victories and compromises with creeping infringements on women’s rights. Back in 2005, Texas banned all abortions after 24 weeks of preganncy, laws and provided state funding to organizations that advise patients aganist abortion. Fast forward to 2012, when 19 states enacted 43 new anti-abortion restrictions, including TRAP laws that are designed to punish doctors who serve patients seeking an abortion.

Just within the past couple of months alone, states have continued to enact laws restricting abortions and a safe abortion. In March, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregancy, effective July 1.

The Oklahoma legislature recently approved a bill that prohibits nearly all abortions starting at fertilization and if signed by Governor Kevin Stitt, would take effect immediately and become America’s strictest abortion law yet.

The anti-abortion movement never had the full success of achieving their

ART BY ALISON WILLIAMS one main goal – overturning Roe v. Wade.

With its hard-right supermajority on the bench, the Supreme Court now has the power to make their dream, once deemed “outlandish” and “impossible” by many Americans, a reality – and its happening.

For a little more than 50 percent of the population to be forced to put their bodies at risk for life or for death without their consent is inhumane and unconstitutional. When American citizens no longer have the right to

choose what they do to their bodies and hold basic civil liberties, they are no longer full citizens.

The leaked draft opinion shouldn’t come as a surprise as anti-abortion movements have been working for the past 50 years to get to this place.

While measures can be taken to try to protect the right to choose, the federal government, as far as the American people know, have turned their backs on an issue that they once supported, creating life-altering repercussions.

AP tests serve only the College Board’s interests elective for my 4 in AP U.S. History.

This is a similar story for many other schools which only allow credit from AP tests toward introductory classes or placement tests that are not critical to one’s major. Therefore, the promise high schoolers are given that taking

Piper Levy

BACKPAGE EDITOR

Every year, high school students spend hundreds upon hundreds of dollars on AP tests, buying into the College Board’s misleading assurances in the future. These include guarantees like being able to avoid taking certain classes in college and being better prepared for rigorous college-level courses. But while these pledges seem to be in the interests of student’s success, in truth, the College Board only makes them to take advantage of students’ college ambitions and serve their own economic interests.

Personally, I hoped I would be able to avoid the cost of about one semester of college after I had passed 5 AP courses, excluding the ones I took senior year. high school in return for escaping the expensive college tuition costs seems like a wise, proactive decision. However, the disappointment was huge when I was told I would only be able to skip one in AP Language, and a small history

intelligent investment is a completely false message from a business looking to make money from students.

The College Board also appeals to student’s college ambitions by stating that AP classes and their tests will better prepare them for high-level college courses in the future. The idea of gaining college credit by taking a rigorous course in high school that matches the same coursework of a college class sounds like a great idea.

However, AP courses in high school are not equivalent academically whatsoever to college ones. High school courses tend to move too quickly since they have to cover a vast amount of material in a short amount of time. Since students rarely have a lot of experience with the material, these classes can oftentimes lack depth. This is not the fault of teachers, since students are usually not taking AP classes for their interest in the subject, but instead to boost their GPAs and receive high AP test scores.

There is no time to develop an actual passion in the subject being taught, since they are learning the material as The cost of taking an AP test slowly accrues as a student purchases expensive studying tools such as the

ART BY ALISON WILLIAMS ART BY Z ZABARSKY College Board-created textbooks and study guides. Over the course of a school year, students are haunted by the forlooming AP test that will require them to sit in a testing room for upwards of four hours and then wait 3 months to receive a small number that determines whether they wasted their money or not. This opportunity cost can put students who cannot afford to take these tests at a disadvantage, and further discourage them when they are separated from their classmates, not because of their merit but due to their economic position.

The motivation for College Board to be giving AP tests is clear when over

half of their revenue comes from them, along with the SAT and PSAT. As a nonabout 1.1 billion dollars a year on average is absurd, and shows how the College Board has become a corrupted program that takes advantage of students’ ambitions and lack of knowledge about college applications and class administration.

The only way to end College Board’s tyranny over college applications and students’ mental health is for students to stop buying into the scam that a $100 test can equivalently compare to how prepared they are or are not for a college level course.

opinion

A8 the falconer

march 27, 2022

PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE

» JASMINE CRIQUI

PHOTO BY TAMMY EZZET

Editor-in-Chief Jasmine Criqui shares how playing the fantasy roleplaying game, Dungeons and Dragons, has helped her become more comfortable in herself.

In 2019, a friend asked if I’d like to join her for a game of Dungeons & Dragons, and I said yes, not knowing how much of an impact that choice would have.

For the uninitiated, D&D is a fantasy roleplaying game where players work together to solve all kinds of fantastical problems.

If that doesn’t ring any bells, chances are you’ve heard it referenced in shows like “Stranger Things,” “Community” or “The Big Bang Theory” to swiftly establish that a character is a worldclass nerd, a trope that carries over into its real-world reputation.

Fortunately, as the proud holder of three Academic Team championship titles and, no joke, a varsity letter in publications, I stopped caring about people thinking I was cool a long time ago.

If you’ll allow me a quick jaunt on the ol’ soapbox, I can tell you that D&D works wonderfully as an outlet for creativity, an excuse to mess around with your friends, and a way to stay sane when you’re stuck inside all day.

I’ve scaled vast mountains, traversed stormy seas, and navigated dense forests all while sitting at a kitchen table.

The Dungeon Master, or DM, is the person responsible for organizing each session and selectively providing information to the players based on each character’s base stats, backstory, and questions about their surroundings.

Some settings function as puzzles in and of themselves, with illusions and hidden traps forcing the player to decipher an area’s secrets before they can move forward.

My favorite D&D adventure, though,

was the first one back in person after over a year of sessions online. Once the DM had set the scene, we grabbed our dice and set off on a mission to stop a group of fire giants from leveling a town, with a side quest of finding the mayor’s lost dog. There was only one problem: as a group, our characters were not well rounded. Most of us had invested our points into high intelligence and charisma stats, leaving us with very low strength and dexterity (If there’s a joke on the tip of your tongue, let me assure you that the irony was not lost on us).

However, the beauty of D&D is that there’s no one right way to play. We were vastly outmatched in a fight against the fire giants, so we appealed to their entrepreneurial sensibilities and told them that the town was an excellent potential market for their products.

When their cyclops employees tried to apprehend us, we convinced them to unionize for better working conditions instead. And when we found out that the mayor’s dog had gotten stuck in a corpse-eating tree, we were able to detect the tree’s malevolence, figure out how to subdue it, and retrieve the dog without starting a fight with the fiendish foliage.

D&D is unique among almost all other games in that it allows you complete freedom of choice. The DM may try their best to influence a player’s decisions, but as the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.

In this way, D&D has helped me understand that in a game, and a world, that encourages you to be someone else, it is okay to be unapologetically yourself.

GUEST EDITORIAL

» NATASHA HUGHES

Junior Natasha Hughes reflects on how an uncomfortable encounter with her fellow students has changed her view of the TPHS administration.

TPHS tends to pride itself on a supposed inclusive environment that tolerates and encourages the expression of various beliefs. However, the school administration needs to do a much better job of ensuring that the tenets of inclusivity and diversity they support are enforced among their own students.

In the beginning of May, my friend and I took it upon ourselves to put up posters around the learning commons to display our feelings about the threat of the reversal of Roe v. Wade. The posters were small, and the language was not inflammatory. Most were simple and included statements such as: “Women’s rights are human rights”, “Bans off our bodies” and “Protect Roe.” Yet despite our efforts to put up signs that respectfully

expressed our opinions, we were met with unwarranted opposition. It is to be expected that those with differing opinions would challenge ours, but we did not expect to be blatantly harassed.

A group of male students went around pulling the posters down and yelling at us, calling us derogatory terms.

Uncomfortable and unable to stand for the disrespect, we confronted them about it, to which they refused to have a civil conversation, yelling obscenities. One of the students was ultimately willing to have a civil argument, but the other two were not. We asked that they refrain from pulling down our posters and instead put up their own, but they were not receptive to that proposition and continued doing what they had been doing prior to the

confrontation. I assumed that would be the end of our interactions, but I was mistaken. They continued to harass me at lunch, now targeting more of my friends with profanity, slurs, and inappropriate gestures.

I emailed Mr. Coppo to try to explain the situation, and set up a meeting as the tormenting continued, but received no concrete response for scheduling a meeting. I went to his office but got redirected to my assistant principal who also didn’t do much besides “identify” and talk to the students. The fact that the school administration did hardly anything to encourage peaceful interactions or reprimand the students that were tormentating their peers raises concern of how invested they are in the

safety and well-being of their students.

Without more action and enforcement on the administration’s part, students will not feel safe expressing their opinions at school, fearing unregulated and harmful retaliation from those who possess differing views. School is a place where individuals should be comfortable in sharing and exhibiting their own thoughts, beliefs and perspectives with their peers, fostering beneficial and illuminating conversations and discussions. It is the responsibility of our school’s administration to take concrete measures to ensure that students are able to grow in a school culture that accepts all points of view and helps to shape students into more accepting and empathetic people.

opinion

tphsfalconer.com

STAFF EDITORIAL Since March 2020, a public health order invoked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the Trump administration, dubbed Title 42, has closed U.S. borders to unauthorized migrants and asylum seekers. The order stems from the 1944 Public Health Service Act, which was established during the tuberculosis epidemic, and allows for the rapid expulsion of unauthorized migrants at the border to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. Since it was invoked, nearly two million immigrants have been expelled under the order, according to a report by the Washington Post.

According to the CDC, the order is no longer necessary as a public health precaution given the increased availability of COVID-19 vaccines.

As the pandemic quells, debate over whether to lift or keep Title 42 has shifted from health concerns to immigration, adding to a long-standing dispute over how the United States should approach immigration. Though some are concerned over an expected surge in migrants if the order is lifted, Title 42 must be ended to allow refugees to seek asylum and aid within U.S. borders, taking into account that health threats are waning.

As the order’s expiration on May 31 drew near, an attempt by U.S. President Joseph Biden to lift the order was blocked by a federal judge on May 20. This ruling sided with 24 states, majority republican, who argued that lifting the order would place costs on states and stress on border systems due to an expected increase in immigration.

the falconer

A9

Title 42 must be treated as the public health measure it is A rise in immigration would put pressure on border facilities, but the United States has a responsibility to provide hearings to asylum cases and ultimately accept migrants, especially those escaping unsafe homes and seeking refuge.

Firstly, U.S. involvement in foreign affairs has fueled conflicts in Central and South America through military funding and political support. This discord includes remnants of ColdWar proxy conflicts and Mexico’s war on drugs, in which the US supplied weapons and troops, and has led to mass displacements and killings. The United States needs to accept the refugees that they have, in part, placed in danger.

Second, the United States is a nation built on immigrants and therefore, harsh and xenophobic sentiments among politicians against immigration contradict the core American value of pursuing the American Dream.

Colonists built this nation on the pursuit of liberty and success, and the United States has the moral responsibility to offer immigrants the same opportunity to pursue that dream.

Without turning to expulsion, the United States has the ability to handle the wave of migration expected to follow the lifting of Title 42. In the short-term, sanitary and health-related conditions in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) centers should be improved. In the long-term, increased migration must be addressed in two parts. On the homefront, the United States needs to fund legal systems at the border and better equip

ART BY TISYA NAIR ART BY TISYA NAIR alone a lasting part. One cannot ignore the irony of the majority-Republican push for a COVID-19 safety measure after a year of attempts in red states to treat the pandemic as merely a “flu.”

There is not a perfect solution to the immigration issue. However, expulsion with no hope for those seeking asylum is undoubtedly not a justifiable approach for the United States. Though lifting Title 42 will require cooperation from U.S. lawmakers to fund border facilities and improve foreign policy, the United States cannot continue to close off borders to immigrants under a public health order that is no longer necessary.

-The Falconer Staff

border facilities to process asylum claims. Furthermore, though the goal of accepting all refugees is honorable, it is not sustainable nor realistic if the United States does not also improve and fund social security systems, such as education and public health. In addition to changes to domestic policy, the United States needs to reform foreign policy to improve relationships with the leaders of the countries that migrants are fleeing from in order to aid countries in stabilizing political systems and improving social systems.

While it has culminated in a heated debate over immigration, Title 42’s invocation was never intended to be a part of U.S. immigration policy, let

Do you think that the U.S. has a moral obligation to accept immigrants fleeing from other countries?

Student Voices The U.S. has an obligation to accept legal immigrants into the country, especially if they’re going through such a long and arduous process.

They deserve to be here, and I don’t think they should be expelled solely on the basis of COVID

-David Lee (12)

The U.S. not only has a moral obligation to help others in need who come into the country but also to help the countries those people are fleeing from. The U.S. has overflowing resources that are just sitting there that could be put to better use helping other people

-Joaquin Pruneda-Paz (10) Editor-in-Chief: Assistant Editor-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.

Jasmine Criqui Mirabel Hunt, Srishti Thapar, & Amy Ge

Copy Editor:

Jerry Wu

News Editor:

Jacob Zhang

Opinion Editor:

Dixie Wallerius

Feature Editors:

Jenny Han & Helene Gao

Entertainment Editor:

Viyang Hao & Kelsie Park

Sports Editors: Backpage Editor Adviser:

Nolan Ezzet & David Zhang Piper Levy Mia Boardman Smith

Staff Writers: Adriana Hazlett Anna Opalsky Caroline Hunt Cole Frost Lola Newlander Maddy Miller Matan Morris Martin Lee Michele Kim Natalia Mochernak Rami Kabakibi Kathryn Reese Naomi Ciel Schneider Regan Guirguis Photographers: Jessica Yu Emily Suh Rasa Nyce

TEACHER FEATURE On any given day at TPHS, a certain bellowing voice can be heard echoing through the hallways.

Sometimes, the voice is humming the tune of an underground heavy-metal rock song, while other times, it aims clever remarks at unsuspecting freshmen. The voice is that of TPHS’s one and only Lars Trupe (aka “Trupe Daddy”). After 29 years of teaching at TPHS, Trupe is saying goodbye to his home in Room 53.

Many find it difficult to imagine TPHS without Trupe, as his ideals and passion have helped shape the school into the place of learning it is today.

“Mr. Trupe has been an integral part of the TP community for so many years,” Social Science dpartment chair Catherine Mintz said. “He has coached numerous sports teams, advised an array of clubs, and he has been a mentor for countless teachers and students.”

Trupe’s involvement on campus over the years is visible in every area of TPHS. He has consistently stepped up anywhere he’s needed,

LARS TRUPE

whether it be coaching badminton or serving as the social science department chair. Currently, his room hosts the TPHS Gender-Sexuality Alliance every Monday at lunch. President Alice Yu (12) said Trupe is always lending a hand, even with small things like creating posters to advertise a GSA event.

“He has been incredibly supportive of the GSA,” Yu said. “He has a Pride flag in his classroom and has kept it there even when parents have had issues with it. Mr. Trupe is an ally through and through.”

Trupe has always ensured that his class is a safe space for all, no matter gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality or other characteristics.

“Ultimately, I have always wanted people to feel comfortable expressing themselves and voicing their opinions in my class,” Trupe said. “I wanted to create a place that was secure. Where, even if home sucked, kids could come on campus and feel okay.”

For Andy Liu (12), Trupe has done just that.

“Mr. Trupe is like another parent to me,” Liu said. “He has guided me through high school. From badminton to AP World, I always felt like Mr. Trupe wanted me to succeed.”

Trupe is also close to TPHS administrators.

“Mr. Trupe has helped me understand this school at a much deeper level,” Principal Rob Coppo said.

Since he was hired as assistant principal 14 years ago, Coppo said that Trupe has had a profound impact on him.

“I’ll miss him stopping by my office before school just to check in on me,” Coppo said.

Trupe’s teaching style is unorthodox, but it has the uncanny ability to keep usually inattentive pupils engaged. His classes involve an abundance of witty humor, brutal honesty (most often delivered through yelling) and notoriously difficult tests. English teacher Heather Lopez takes great inspiration from Trupe, attributing parts of her own teaching style to the experience of co-teaching AP Humanities with Trupe for 12 years.

“I strive to emulate the way he encourages students’ intellectual curiosity and feeds their desire to learn,” Lopez said.

Trupe encourages questions and appreciates it when kids dispute his thinking.

Past student Alex Jen (’15) recounts his experience

in Trupe’s AP World and Art History classes.

“He always viewed us students as collaborators,” Jen said. “He was always willing to share his expertise with us, but he also was interested in hearing what we had to say.

Jen also remembers loving the music, film and literature recommendations written on Trupe’s wall.

Trupe’s famous white board featuring weekly suggestions of his favorite things, from Led Zeppelin to “The Princess Bride,” is another thing that students and colleagues will sorely miss.

“Mr. Trupe is the heartbeat of campus,” Lisa Tellers, another TPHS history teacher who has collaborated with Trupe for years, said. “I will miss his quirkiness and the way that when he walks into a classroom, you can immediately sense his presence.”

“I remember there was a phase where Mr. Trupe would only wear shorts with a fanny pack every single day,” Tellers said. “Now he’s moved onto Aloha shirts and pants.”

Long-time friend and retired TPHS teacher Jim Harrah knows from experience how bittersweet leaving TPHS is.

“Walk backwards out of your classroom and think of all the good memories you’ve had in there,” Harrah advised Trupe.

For the past 29 years, Trupe has been more than just a teacher at TPHS. He is a mentor, a friend and most of all, he is family.

“Mr. Trupe has been one of the teachers who has changed my life,” said Jen, who was inspired by Trupe’s art history class to go into a career in the art world.

Trupe is still close to students he had 30 years ago, people he has gotten to watch grow from lanky teens into adults.

“That is probably the greatest thing about teaching,” Trupe said. “Not realizing you’re making an impact on someone’s life and then all of a sudden, out of the blue, you get an email.”

While many may view retirement as an opportunity for relaxation, there is no doubt that Trupe will take on post-TPHS life with the same zest as he does everything else.

Rumor has it that TPHS may not have to miss Trupe for too long, as he may return periodically as a sub. Before then, if someone zips by you hunched over on a Vespa, more likely than not, you caught sight of TPHS icon and forever Falcon, Trupe.

As Trupe moves on to a life free of SAQs to grade and annoying teenagers to bully (jokingly, of course), the students and faculty of TPHS would like to remind him, “Don’t forget your helmet!”

by Natalia Mochernak

PHOTOS COURTESY OF NATALIA MOCHERNAK, LISA TELLERS, TASIA MOCHERNAK, JAKE NOBLE, TP BADMINTON, FALCONER AND LARS TRUPE

Åviary Årtists Alison Williams amd Amanda Salatino Art serves as its own unique vehicle of communication. Therefore, art can bring feeling and depth to even the most ordinary of articles. The Falconer staff wants to pay tribute to our graduating Falconer artists, Amanda Salatino (12) and Alison Williams (12) to thank them for contributing their beautiful work for the sake of journalism.

Every issue of the TPHS Falconer is adorned with colorful design and carefully curated stories created by our 30 staff members. But in every issue, readers can also find a piece of the student body’s creativity. Each opinion story in the paper is accompanied by art from one of our Falconer artist contributors. As two of our artists, Amanda Salatino (12) and Alison Williams (12) move on from TPHS to their respective paths in life, they reflect on their careers as artists and their contributions to the Falconer.

Salatino, a lifelong artist, started creating art for the Falconer her junior year.

“I have been doing art since before I could write my own name, so probably since I was two years old,” Salatino said.

Salatino is known for her use of bold colors and lines to convey complex images and issues ranging from California mask mandates to standardized testing. This past year, Salatino has had her art featured in the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego. At TPHS, Salatino has taken art courses such as Drawing and Design, Costume Design and AP 2D design. Similar to Salatino, Williams took courses both at TPHS and outside of school to help grow her skill and passion. Williams gravitates toward bright and comic-like illustrations, using the juxtaposition of different shapes to depict the staff’s feelings on important issues, whether they be about SDUHSD board meetings or fast fashion.

Through such courses, Salatino has been able to fine tune her artistic preferences and gain experience with various mediums.

“My favorite medium is acrylic paint because it is really hands-on,” Salatino said. “I have also tried digital art and liked it too.”

Williams has always enjoyed making art in her free time whether in an effort

Alison WIlliams

to relax, have fun or She decided to take Painting course freshman year and painting lessons outside of school during

cure boredom. the TPHS h e r

her

sophomore year.

“During the pandemic, I started doing a lot more art on my own,” Williams said.

One of the beautiful things about art is its ability to give the artist confidence and a voice with which they can express themselves. Art did exactly that for Williams.

“I have never really been involved in the school so

I have never really been involved in the school so I figured I would try with something I am most comfortable with and put myself out there Alison Williams (12)

FALCONER ARTIST I figured I would try with something I am most comfortable with and put myself out there,” Williams said.

Artists do not have to be enrolled in the Advanced Journalism class to submit art to the paper. Artists can send art for one issue or every issue; it can be an outlet for whatever the artist may want it to be.

“I only started this year. In my art history class, we were asked if there were any artists interested in contributing

and I was like why not?” said Williams.

Like Williams, Salatino shared a similar reason for submitting art to the paper.

“I really like the Falconer and so I

lead when starting assignments.

“I like to draw thumbnail sketches related to the topic of the article,” Williams said. “I will also ask [the Falconer] what they are looking for and what color schemes and vibe would fit best.”

Though the process can at times be difficult, these two Falconer artists find it worth the hard work.

“I like seeing my work in the newspaper and talking to people about

The fact college is improving that can

that I get to study art in crazy, my plan is to keep and meet creative people help give me critiques.

Amanda Salatino (12)

wanted to get i n v o l v e d s o m e h o w , ” Salatino said. “I thought doing art would be a really cool [way to do that].”

Salatino and Williams have played a key role in the development of the opinion section these past two years.

“I have been doing art for Falconer for my entire senior year and I think most of junior year,” Salatino said.

Salatino began by originally only submitting her artwork to the TPHS FirstFlight Literature Magazine but wanted to find another way to consistently stay involved with the school artistically.

Student journalism is supposed to be accessible by nature. Therefore, art can perform

FALCONER ARTIST

I started digital art this year, which is also another reason why I wanted to contribute to the Falconer so I could get more practice with it.

it,” Williams said.

Next year, Salatino plans to continue pursuing her passion and major in studio art at the University of California, San Diego.

“The fact that I get to study art in college is crazy,” Salatino said, “My plan is to keep improving and meet creative people that can help give me critiques.”

As for Williams, she wants to continue being creative and sharing art on her Twitter, @ ilovethcatt. She also hopes to commission art on Webtoon, a digital comic service.

Art brings life and feeling to every story, no matter how mundane the topic.

And for that, the Falconer is eternally grateful for our artists.

As these two artists will no longer be able to submit their beautiful work to the paper, Falconer is always accepting and appreciative of artists and their work. Just send an email to falconerweb@gmail. com, send a DM to our Instagram @tphsfalconer, or stop by room 102 and drop your contact information to contribute to the issues next year. by Dixie Wallerius and Mirabel Hunt

Alison Williams (12)

FALCONER ARTIST as a vehicle for such accessibility: delivering the intent of the story before one even reads the words.

While doing art for school through standard art classes, AP courses, clubs such as Art Club and even outside lessons can help to grow skills and passion, submitting art for the Falconer provides another opportunity to practice.

“I started digital art this year, which is also another reason why I wanted to contribute to the Falconer so I could get more practice with it.” Williams said.

“I look forward to the LitMag every single year so I wanted to do more than just submitting once a year,” Salatino said.

When artists are given the opportunity to commission art, they are given extensive creative freedom.

“Sometimes I like to think of an image in my brain and then I try to look for reference pictures and piece something together [from that],” Salatino said.

Williams also likes to let her creative instinct take the

Amanda Salatino

feature

A14 the falconer

may 27, 2022

1 in 3000 a

t six-foot, one-inch tall, Brooklyn Burns (12) has, in her four years playing volleyball, been a pillar of TPHS culture.

In addition to her stellar volleyball stats, including a Player of the Match accolade at TPHS and an American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American Honorable Mention, Burns is a friend to all at school and beyond, greeting everyone with a loving smile and words with the composure and affability that exceeds that of many high schoolers. The dependability and kindness that teammates and peers know and love has remained unchanged as graduation and a volleyball career at CalPoly San Luis Obispo loom.

The one thing that has changed this year, however, is her perspective.

“Earlier that day, I was just a normal kid,” Burns said. “I was at volleyball practice, and I started having weird chest pain. I thought I slept wrong.”

A check in at urgent care turned into an 11-day stay, during which doctors eventually diagnosed her with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Cancer, a cancer affecting the body’s immune system, Burns’ immediate reaction was fear. Fear of a big unknown, one that was, as she said, “completely random.”

“There was a point when I was like, ‘this isn’t fair,’” Burns said.

“I had to realize though that I had to fight through this.”

With that in mind, Burns focused on maintaining a positive attitude, despite the new challenges that had been set before her. Thie mindset got her through all her rounds of chemotherapy at Rady’s Children’s Hospital less than three months later.

At a volleyball gym, Burns, answering a call from her mom, found out she was officially cancerfree. To finish off her time at Rady’s, B u r n s got to

“ring the bell,” a tradition at the hospital when cancer-free patients get to ring a bell in the hospital’s hallway..

“I was able to spend that moment with my coaches and team that had been there for me for these past couple of months,” Burns said.

“Being able to say that I was cancer free and hugging my coach right when I found out was pretty cool.”

Support was the other thing that got Burns through her challenging months away from her normal routine of school, friends and volleyball. She found special solace in the volleyball community at TPHS, her club team at WAVE Volleyball Club, and even from clubs in other states.

“My volleyball club was huge in the way they supported me; my coaches were there for me all the time, they would text me every day.

My team would play for me and they made shirts and bracelets,” Burns said. “I felt very loved.”

Even in the time Burns spent resting in bed, away from school and volleyball friends, many reached out to show their support for her via text and social media. Even before her diagnosis, Burns had taken it upon herself many times to speak out on social media about mental health, advocating for the de-stigmatization of mental health issues of other high schoolers, particularly of student athletes.

“I have always been passionate about sharing [about] mental health,” Burns said.

Burns used this tactic for sharing both personal struggles on social media and her recent diagnosis.

“I wanted people to see how, at the beginning, I was in the hospital, but at the end, I was just a normal kid,” Burns said. “I wanted to be able to share that and have [others] see the progress that I’ve made.”

Even though everyday life is returning to normal for Burns, stepping back into school, volleyball, social life and much more has felt overwhelming at times.

“Now, I think a lot of people expect me to be back in this normal life and be perfect all the time, because I was announced cancerfree almost a month ago from Thursday,” Burns said. “People expect that I would just be happy all the time. But it’s definitely been challenging.”

Burns has been able to find the positive in her experience with cancer, which, although arduous, has given her a unique and valuable perspective on life.

“I think mentally moving forward from all of this, I gained a whole different appreciation for life that I never had, and that’s been really cool,” Burns said. “I wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone, especially my age, in a million years. But I think that the perspective and the learning that I’ve had from this is one of a kind. I don’t think many kids go through something like this.”

Perhaps the most notable part of this new perspective is Burns’s gratitude.

“I have a very different appreciation for all sorts of things in life, which is really cool,” Burns said.

In a hectic, nostalgic time for all graduating seniors, Burns has found, through her challenges, a new self: a volleyball star, a caring friend, a cancer survivor and a newly-enlightened person looking ahead to the future.

“I’m just happy to be back at school and to be able to enjoy my last couple weeks of senior year,” Burns said.

by Caroline Newlander

Hunt

and

Lola

Brooklyn BURNS burns BROOKLYN

PHOTO COURTESY OF BROOKLYN BURNS

The WOMEN OF LOCKERBIE In their third show and first in the experimental black box theater this year, TPPlayers debuted “The Women of Lockerbie” on April 27, a distinctly tragic play for the group. Running eight performances under the lead of theater director Marinee Payne and student directors Naomi Schneider (12) and Sean Kim (12), the show followed the story of husband and wife Bill (Tanay Gupte [11]) and Madeline Livingston (Kate Heppell [11]), on a trip to Lockerbie, Scotland for a memorial. Seven years before, the Livingstons’ son died in the crash of Pan Am Flight 103 at the hands of Libyan terrorists, when the remnants of the plane landed on the streets of quiet Lockerbie.

Written in the structure of a Greek tragedy, the poetic drama is loosely based on the true story of Lockerbie’s Laundry Ladies and their fight with the U.S. government to obtain, wash and return the clothing of the plane crash’s victims. The Livingstons, each suffering differently from the immense grief of losing a child, are met by the Women of Lockerbie (Aneesa Ali [10], Gwynnie Kermorris [10], Dominic Kowarick [ 1 2 ]

a n d Laylie C o l g r o v [9], along with others), a movement of six working to lift the weight of grief that Lockerbie carries.

Led by the sensitive and strong Olive Allison (Lauren Deernick [12]), the women listen to and share stories about grief and moving on, offering sage wisdom along the way. The conversations between Bill Livingston and the women felt intensely personal, giving audience members an amazing insight into life after loss.

Perhaps the greatest contrast in the show was the different ways the Livingstons grieved.

Madeline roams the hills of Lockerbie in search of a scrap of her son, while Bill bursts at the seams, crying, “I had to keep myself numb, just to get through.”

The show was full of impressive onstage chemistry, such as the tense, breathless exchanges between Gupte and Heppell and the almost comedic battle between U.S. government

photos by rasa nyce/falconer

official, George Jones (Jake Fargo [11]), and confident maid, Hattie (Regan Gurguis [11]). The two wore blatantly contrasting costumes, with Fargo in a pristine suit and hair slicked back with a triple-coat of misogyny and Gurguis in a loose, flowered blouse with a cardigan.

The visual juxtaposition in the costumes, the dynamic between the sociopathic businessman and the fearless cleaning woman made for an exciting battle, as well as a nice break in an otherwise melancholy show.

Although intensely somber, the silence of the theater between stirring monologues and soulful arguments lent to the mournful energy of the room. Mimicking the empty feeling of life after tragedy, the pauses between lines were filled only by the anticipatory breath of the crowd.

As the climax of the show approached, audience members watched the group of grief-clad women storm the storage facility, where the clothing of the victims was waiting to be burned. In a flurry of panic and stolen garments, the “wails of the women of Lockerbie” filled the theater.

But of all the sorrow, trauma, human rawness and empty hills, the best journey of the show was that of Gupte’s Bill Livingston. Upon finally finding their son’s suitcase, Heppell and Gupte found their love for one another again asMadeline Livingston stepped back and allowed her husband to grieve. In a stunning final scene, Gupte clutched the memories of his son to his heart, sobbing, as the women of Lockerbie washed the clothes of the victims in the stream, a beautifully crafted set piece made of scraps of letters.

Walking out of the show, I felt a little heavier. In a show centered around grief and loss, I think that feeling is to be expected, especially since so many highlydisturbing topics were also discussed in the show, such as terrorism, self-harm and insanity. The weight of the subject matter is, to audience members, what made this show so different from the past two shows TPPlayers has produced this year.

While it was a step in a different direction from the more comedic and light-hearted entertainment we’ve seen from them before, “The Women of Lockerbie” was a step the TPPlayers is well-equipped to take. Among the hills of Lockerbie, the TPPlayers found a nostalgic, tragic and thought-provoking way to finish off a successful first year back.

by Caroline Hunt

tphsfalconer.com

entertainment

the falconer

‘Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness’ “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” hit theaters on May 6 as a sequel to the 2016 “Doctor Strange,” introducing new film styles, diverse characters and the complex multiverse to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel’s grander plan seems to be inching toward a more chaotic, intertwined world, departing from the more straightforward nature of the first two phases.

Previously, Marvel movies were based primarily in the present world, but in recent movies including “Moon Knight,” “Spiderman: No Way Home,” and “Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” concepts such as time travel and interdimensionally were explored.

The movie takes place following the events in “Spider Man: No Way Home,” in which Stephen Strange, a former surgeon turned magical sorcerer, casts a spell to help Peter Parker’s college dreams come true and inadvertently opens a passageway b e t w e e n universes, breeding chaos and creating a world of infinite realities.

However, the connection between the two movies feels like an afterthought and isn’t easily identifiable for viewers.

Newcomer America Chavez, played by Xochitl Gomez, is introduced at the beginning of the movie and is a teenager from another universe, known as Earth-616 in the comics. She is introduced with the ability to dimension-hop through the multiverse, and she shows up in Strange’s current reality fighting tentacled monsters known as Gargantos.

Later, Strange finds out that Wanda Maximoff (the Scarlet Witch) has been living in a hex, using her powers to live in an imagined world – one in which her sons, Billy and Tommy, are alive and a part of her life. The TV show “WandaVision” explored Wanda’s intense, heart-breaking grief from having lost everyone she loved: her mother, father, brother and most recently, her husband Vision. In “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” we find out that Wanda sent the Gargantos monsters in an attempt to steal Chavez’s powers to travel to a world where she has her children – making her the film’s primary antagonist.

One defining feature of this film that separates it from most formulaic Marvel movies was the inclusion of horror genre elements, as it was directed by Sam Raimi, known for the Tobey McGuire “Spiderman” trilogy and horror films like “The Evil Dead.” Raimi brought traditional “scary movie” elements to “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” and

its creaking sound effects, sudden jumpscares and gory fights had the audience on the edge of their seats.

The digital art and visual effects were vibrant and detailed, elevating duel scenes between opposing groups. Toward the end of the movie, Strange fights with an evil version of himself from another universe with music notes, producing a unique and exciting fight sequence.

But despite its extraordinary visual features and horror elements, the plot and character development in this film fell short to many viewers.

The plot of the entire movie revolves around Wanda’s desperate search for her children, which not only makes Strange seem like a side character in his own film, but it also paints an inaccurate picture of maternal women as irrational and controlling, with children as the sole focus in their lives.

What’s confusing about Wanda’s character is how she seems to forget about Vision entirely in her pursuit of her children.

She is framed as a one-dimensional villain who will stop at nothing to fulfill a selfish desire, which completely ignores all of Wanda’s complex character development established in “WandaVision” and in previous MCU films.

Despite supposedly being the focus of the film, Dr. Strange is also reduced to a flat character desperate to reunite with Christine, a now-happilymarried woman whom he took for granted in the past. While it was refreshing to see Christine play a larger role in the film through her various multiversal selves, Dr. Strange remained a largely stagnant character, a harsh contrast from the complex development he went through in “Doctor Strange.”

Even the introduction of America Chavez felt like MCU’s attempt to fill a diversity quota, as America’s character underwent no significant development throughout the entire film, aside from magically gaining control of her dimension-hopping powers toward the end.

While the movie was a fun, albeit messy, watch, for many fans, the future of the MCU feels hazy. What once was a thought-out, perfectly “vision-boarded” storyline now feels lost in a tangle of universes and insignificant character additions. Perhaps this is MCU’s attempt to set up new storylines and directions following the culmination of Phase 1-3 in “Avengers: Endgame,” but overall, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” was a confusing watch.

by Amy Ge and Srishti Thepar

A17

entertainment

A18 the falconer

may 27, 2022

HEARTSTOPPER Heartstopper’s feel-good story creates revolutionary queer representation Pastel leaves dotting the screen, the end credits of the popular

comfortable,” he said. “There’s not enough queer movies where we

show “Heartstopper” rolled, and Toni Hastings (11) could see

have a wide variety of those loving, happy-ending stories. So I think

her tear-streaked face reflected in the TV. Yet for the first time

that’s what ‘Heartstopper’ will lead to or open up the door for.”

after watching a piece of queer media, they were happy tears. “‘Heartstopper’ in general is just a feel-good TV show.

It makes you feel happy,” Hastings said. “Everyone

Kieran

Pearson

shares

this

(12),

view,

underrepresented

a

fan

saying

elements

of

of

the

LGBTQ+

community.

“There’s so many stories out there that have so much pain and

tears of joy. I’ve never really cried tears of joy before

hurt, or they don’t really get the happy endings,” Pearson said.

Accessible characterized However,

by

queer

representation

tokenization,

“Heartstopper,”

a

in

media

heartbreak

British

show

or

is

even

that

“A lot of times it’s very disheartening to see because there are

often

a lot of light-hearted, good stories [in real life]. That’s

death.

how a lot of high school relationships are. They’re

debuted

on

not always easy, but, you know, it’s high school.”

Netflix in April 2022, is moving people to tears — in a good way.

“Heartstopper” is a screen adaptation of Alice Oseman’s graphic

Beyond warming watchers’ hearts, “Heartstopper” has allowed LGBTQ+ teens to find a reflection

novel series that depicts the love story of Nick Nelson and Charlie

of themselves and their experiences on the

Spring, two teenage boys exploring sexuality and identity in high school.

big screen. Rojo connected strongly with

After meeting Charlie, Nick begins questioning his sexuality, and the

Charlie’s

two develop a secret relationship, highlighted by the many cute scenes

character

and

his

struggles.

“Charlie does this sort of thing where he

throughout the series. Parallel to this storyline are subplots that delve

blocks himself off from everybody because he

into the experiences of their friends, like Elle, a transgender woman

feels like the root of all their problems. I

navigating her identity. With its feel-good nature “Heartstopper”

tend to do that, and that’s kind of why I

is moving young audiences in a new, positive way.

don’t like to involve myself with people

Greyson Rojo (10), who liked the show

because I’m like, ‘No, they don’t need me in

so much he watched it four times, “Heartstopper”

their lives, and I don’t really need them,’”

put

Rojo said. “So I think seeing him go on

a smile on his face.

to have a friend group and get

“I don’t usually get

show, portrays

that I know cried during ‘Heartstopper,’ but it was when watching something, especially in queer media.”

said

the

“Heartstopper”

into a relationship made

affected

me feel motivated to

by a

also try and achieve that,

show

even

like

that, in a positive way,” shows

Rojo I

said.

can’t

“Most

apply

to

my own life, and that’s something

that

I

could

do with ‘Heartstopper.’ I could see the happiness in the show and think about myself being happy in that way.”

The

importance

of

the

though I

have

emotions

that might hold me back from relationships with anybody.”

According Charlie

and

to his

Rojo, sister,

the Tori,

relationship was

also

between

very

relatable.

“My sister is very accepting of me and always has been,” he said.

uplifting

“There was one scene where Charlie was just very depressed about

nature of the show is that it creates

everything and hinting towards suicidal thoughts, and Tori was just

new kinds of positive representation for

there to tell him like, ‘I still need you.’ It’s the sort of relationship

the queer community, according to Rojo.

that I have with my own sister, so it was very emotional for me.”

“What I really liked about ‘Heartstopper’ is that there was a happy ending. It just wasn’t

Pearson

said

the

show

“I could see experiences that I’ve

overly dramatic, and so it was just nice to

in a gay relationship,” Pearson

watch. It made me feel warm and happy and

to see that on the screen was

made

him had, said.

feel being

seen. a

“Being

amazing

guy able and

entertainment

A19 the falconer

may 27, 2022

great. It was really cool to be able to empathize and relate to something that I was seeing in the media because a lot of times, it’s really hard to do that.”

John Milner, Film and Society teacher, agrees that an accurate portrayal of the experiences that LGBTQ+ teenagers can identify with allows them to relate better to a show.

“I can imagine them being like ‘Wow, this is very similar,’ or like ‘I relate to this perfectly. What are the problems in my life? Oh, it’s being addressed in this TV show. I wish I could handle it like this character,’” Milner said.

A

large

creating

factor

this

of

how

the

authentic

appropriate

casting

show

succeeded

feeling

is

by

and

representation.

in

using

LGBTQ+ community

“I really do love how they had Elle as an

was able to shift her

actual transgender woman. I really appreciate seeing

that

the

they

were

representation,”

consistent Hastings

mindset

with

be

said.

gay,

really

a

that

anyone

can

and

there’s

not

strict

stereotype

Another positive aspect of the authentic

that you have to fall into.”

casting is the fact that it allows young,

Rojo said that if his family

queer their

teens unique

to

feel

identities.

understood Rojo

in

could

especially

queer

appreciated the way that Elle was portrayed.

they

“I never heard [Elle] misgendered Elle,” o

f

show

representation, could

accept

with then

him

too.

the show, like my mom, my tio,

Rojo said. “For

me as a

a

“My family members watched

or anything like that, and she just was

accept

my tias and my sister. It helps when

member

there’s a show like that that allows other

the trans

people to be put into your shoes,” Rojo said. “Especially since the characters are our age, the older generations who

community,

aren’t queer can understand us as

it gave me hope

youth and what we may be feeling

that one day I’ll

or going through. So [“Heartstopper”]

be living a life

connected

where

Not give

us

only

Rojo

in

that

does

hope

way.”

“Heartstopper”

for

his

family’s

acceptance, but also for his future.

“I don’t really have many friends, especially not very many queer friends or people to talk to, so seeing a community through the show made me feel like a part of something or that there are people I can relate to, even if I don’t have them in my own life,” he said.

Pearson agrees, saying that with all the “dark stuff” already happening in the community, it’s important to have a positive counterbalance.

“I know a lot of people who have been queer in high school, and it is not always pretty and it is not always nice,” Pearson said. “But I still think that it’s important to everybody just

have optimistic stories. When you’re struggling,

sees me as me the

you can watch a show to know that it will not

way that I am in the

always be like that. It provides hope for the future.”

present, and not who they knew in the past. So I think that was really nice. And then she also was very self-accepting of who she was, so I like that.”

“Heartstopper” also creates opportunities in which

Pearson improves

This

her mother to understand the diverse spectrum of the community.

people

“Heartstopper] were still masculine. They were playing sports and playing rugby. They were hanging out with their bros,” Hastings

of

LGBTQ+

the

“Heartstopper” community.

and that’s how you’ll treat people in real life,” Pearson said.

According

2000s, you would think of an overly-feminine man, but these men [in

that

and optimistic outlooks, then that’s what you’ll internalize,

and their lives. According to Hastings, watching “Heartstopper” allowed

perceiving the world. When you think of a gay person, like in the early

acceptance

believes

“If you see in media positive treatment of queer representation

family and community members can better understand queer people

“[My mom] grew up in Mexico, so it was definitely a different way of

also

is

why

to

to

“Exposing

“Heartstopper”

Milner,

it

opens

better

understand

people

to

those

is

so

important.

up

discussions

the

LGBTQ+

films

[that

that

allow

community.

portray

different

identities] is just a supplement to the discussion,” Milner said.

From

providing

conversations,

hope

the

for

feel-good

queer story

teens of

to

starting

vital

“Heartstopper”

is

a step in the right direction for more diverse and

said. “It showed that gay men, especially bi men, don’t have to

accurate representation of the LGBTQ+ community.

be hyper-feminine. They can be their own self in the way that

by Adriana Hazlett and Kathryn Reese

they see their own sexuality. [My mom] seeing other sides of the

Matan Morris

STAFF WRITER

Boys lacrosse narrowly defeats LCC PHOTOS BY NATALIA MOCHERNAK/FALCONER

Natalia Mochernak STAFF WRITER The varsity boys lacrosse team (147) claimed a narrow double-overtime victory 12-11 against La Costa Canyon High School (14-7) in a semifinal playoff on May 17.

Although the Falcons’ Chandler Caster (11) fell short in the first faceoff, James Duncan (11) scored the first goal of the game. LCC’s leftie Carson Craft tied up the score with the first of four goals he would have in the game. Blake Washburn (10) put TPHS ahead before Craft tied the score again.

Later, D1 University of North Carolina commit Tayden Bultman (12) scored to put TPHS ahead 3-2 at the close of the first quarter.

“When the games get close like that, it gets scary,” Bultman said.

“Especially because I’m a senior, each of these games could be my last. If we lose, we’re done.”

Despite the pressure, Bultman scored three of four TPHS goals in the second quarter.

The second quarter got off to a rocky start for TPHS when the Mavericks scored three straight goals and took the lead 5-3. Goalie Andrew Cook (10) played a significant role in the Falcon win. With 14 saves, he blocked more than half of the shots taken on him.

“Our goalie Cook played fantastic,” TPHS defense coach Garrett Epple said. “He saved us a bunch of times.”

Cook attributed his success to the defensemen.

“We played as a team,” Cook said.

“The defense, we all came together and held it down there in the end.”

Bultman made it 5-4 and midfielder Matthew Mannarino (10) closed the gap. Mannarino’s goal was assisted by D1 University of Notre Dame commit Griffin Grant (12). Grant was named the 2022 Avocado League CIF Player of the Year, however, a hand injury limited him against the Mavericks.

“This kid right here is the toughest guy at school,” Bultman said, gesturing toward Grant.

Bultman scored the next two goals, putting TPHS ahead 7-5 at halftime.

After a team huddle and speech from head coach Jono Zissi, the Falcons

headed back onto the field. A bit of sloppy defense opened an opportunity for the Mavericks to score two goals, eliminating the TPHS lead. Two more goals from each side ended the third quarter at 9-9.

Starting the fourth quarter with a tie, LCC defenseman Flynn Hogan took advantage of an opening in the TPHS set-up to cross the field and score.

LCC’s offense gained momentum, and Maverick Beau Hokanson scored next, making it 11-9. During a time out, LCC coaches advised their players to take minimal risks and run out the clock.

Despite that, the Mavericks made repeated attempts on goal. Eventually, LCC lost the ball to TPHS and with two minutes left, midfielder Ryland Roach (10) made a lengthy run to score, narrowing the gap to 11-10. Caster won the following face-off, and TPHS had the ball with less than a minute of the fourth quarter left. Growing restless and in an attempt to intercept the Falcons’ ball, an LCC player threw up his crosse into the air. The player was penalized for a full minute. With a man down, LCC’s defense crumbled. Teamwork from TPHS’s John Prior (9), along with Duncan, Roach and Washburn, helped Bultman to score, tying the game 11–11 at 46 seconds left. The game moved into a first four-minute overtime, both sides

battling with precision and aggression.

No one scored and the game moved into a second overtime. After winning the face-off, the Falcons slowly gained the upper hand. Two minutes later, Mannarino and Bultman passed to Washburn, who sealed the Falcons’ victory with another goal.

Grant said the ultimate reason for their success was that they never gave up the fight, even when down late in the game.

“We told our teammates to never put their heads down,” he said.

“Always be positive and give it your all.

Fighting adversity was definitely a key component in our win tonight.”

The rivalry with LCC made the win all the more noteworthy.

“Defense aside, LCC is a really great team,” midfielder Beau Rowan (11) said. “I’ve been playing against those kids since I first started the sport so I take it super personally.”

After a tough semis match, the Falcons cruised past The Bishop’s School in the CIF San Diego finals with a 10-5 victory, securing their fourth ring in a row and ninth ever.

Although the Falcons claimed a record-breaking win in the finals, that would not have been achieved without their stellar performance versus LCC in the semis.

ON THE RUN: Chander Caster carries the ball past LCC defenders. TPHS (14-7) defeated LCC (14-7) 12-11, setting the stage for its 10-5 win over The Bishop’s School to secure the CIF San

What is going on with the wide receiver market in the NFL? For years, NFL teams only paid a high premium to a small number of positions. This of course is mainly due to the quarterback position taking huge chunks out of salary caps. This offseason, the wide receiver market has blown up, leading to tension amongst numerous stars around the league and their teams.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ signing of former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Christian Kirk during the offseason for a whopping four-year, $72 million deal sent the league into a frenzy back in March. While Kirk was a respectable option for QB Kyler Murray last season, amassing 77 receptions and 982 receiving yards, he did not warrant becoming one of the highest-paid players at his position.

Since the Kirk deal there have been numerous cases of other more highly regarded receivers demanding larger contracts. After star-wideout Tyreek Hill demanded more money, he was traded from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Miami Dolphins, who subsequently gave him a four-year $120 million contract. A similar scenario occurred with the Green Bay Packers’ Davante Adams when he requested a pay increase; the fivetime Pro Bowler was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, where he then received a new contract worth $140 million over five years.

Two more monumental trades occurred during the 2022 NFL Draft that further exemplified the WR bonanza. A.J. Brown, now a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles, was drafted and developed by the Tennessee Titans. But when Tennessee felt they couldn’t afford his new contract expectations, they decided to trade him to the Eagles in exchange for draft capital that they would use in part for a receiver.

A.J. Brown got the extension he was looking for ultimately in his new four-year $100 million deal.

Stunningly, there was another big-name receiver traded during the draft. The Baltimore Ravens felt no other choice but to trade receiver Marquise Brown when he sought a new team that would better utilize his talent. Arizona gave up a firstround selection for Brown despite him being only 24 years old with a lot still to prove in terms of his value.

While the wide receiver position is of huge importance to a team, it is also one of abundance. There are too many quality receivers entering the league for teams to overpay so much. It’s far cheaper and more effective for GMs to get the most out of wideouts on their rookie deals, and use the extra money to improve their teams elsewhere.

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sports

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DAY DAYININTHE THE LIFE LIFE Gymnastics is a sport built on dedication. Gymnasts leap and tumble off beam and vault, performing tricks with expert precision.

“You kind of feel like you’re flying in a way,” cocaptain Tristen Palmberg (11) said.

TPHS gymnasts compete in Olympic order — vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise — and are evaluated with an individual score out of 10. For each mistake, a point is deducted, and at the end of the meet or tournament, a team score is issued.

The team came back in full force this season with an even mix of new and old members, some of whom have previously competed on club teams like Junior Olympics and Xcel. “[With] Junior Olympics, it was pretty competitive. We trained very often and it kind of consumed my entire life. But with high school gymnastics, it’s more laid back and it’s more about having fun, while also being dedicated and trying your hardest,” co-captain, Mia Carpenter (10) said.

This season was a fresh start for everyone, with new routines to memorize and perform.

“Everyone had to learn their routines. Even though they knew the skills, they didn’t know the way the routines were going to be placed.” Coach Jennifer Parker said.

This year, Carpenter placed fourth overall at varsity CIFs, and the JV team was undefeated. One gymnast, Kayla Whiting (10) received a perfect 10 in floor exercise at the JV finals, making TPHS gymnastics history.

“It was really cool watching her perform and recieve that score, because she’s also one of my best friends,” Carpenter said. “It’s amazing for the team and for her.”

Gymnasts describe the competition experience as both fun and nerve-wracking.

“Before my routines, I just tell myself like, ‘Hey, I’ve done this. I know I can do it. I’m going to stick my stuff.’ I envision my routines and then I always dance it out as I’m waiting for the judge,” Palmberg said.

The TPHS gymnasts compete and train as both friends and teammates.

“It’s like a family; we’re all super close, [and we] check up on each other and support each other,” Palmberg said. “We have people from every grade, but we all get along really well.

I mean, there are some instances of practices, where you got to be strict and on task, but we’re always cheering each other on.”

As the year winds down, everyone on the team is hopeful for future seasons of success.

“I only have one senior this year, and I have a lot of girls that’ll be returning,” Parker said. “Being that it’s so strong this year. I feel like this team is going to, you know, fingers crossed, win leagues next year.”

The singular senior gymnast, Alexia Civit (12) departs the team with an optimistic outlook on their future performance.

“I see a bright future for the team. We have a bunch of underclassmen who are very talented. We’re definitely on the come up!” Civit said.

by Naomi Ciel Schneider

NICOLE PUSTILNIK GYMNASTICS TEAM

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Congratulations to Anni Salz on winning TPHS Women’s Senior Scholar-Athlete

May 27, 2022

Congratulations to Mateo Pacelli on winning TPHS Men’s Senior Scholar-Athlete

photo from pacelli photo from annimateo salz strava

photo from mateo pacelli

Victories go beyond the field for the USWNT Rami Kabakibi

STAFF WRITER

On May 18, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team and the U.S. Soccer Federation reached a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), a sudden and unanticipated flare of justice that has illuminated the path to a more nondiscriminatory and equitable future. After decades of protest and over six years of legal battles, the USWNT have achieved the goal they have fought so long and tirelessly for: equal pay.

This seemingly straightforward and simple phrase represents a major turning point in the long history of the struggle for women’s rights, and one that will have lasting impacts on the future generations of girls and young women in the U.S. and abroad.

But the years of struggle required to come to the recent agreement cannot be overlooked.

The USWNT first shouldered their way into the thickets of thorny legal disputes concerning equal pay back in 2016, when five high-profile players filed a federal complaint stating that players on the USWNT were being paid substantially less than their male counterparts in almost every competition they were participating in. After receiving vigorous backlash from the federation, 28 players sued U.S. Soccer for gender discrimination in March of 2019, just months after the U.S. men’s team failed to even qualify for the World Cup in 2018. And, despite the fact that they went on to win their second consecutive World Cup in 2019, something the men’s team has never accomplished in their entire history, a judge ruled in April 2020 that the USWNT’s claims of being underpaid were inherently false and dismissed their allegations of gender discrimination. It was a tremendous blow to the team, and one that seemed

to extinguish the unwavering fire of passion and belief they had possessed for so long.

However, in February 2022, a shock settlement of the 2019 lawsuit was negotiated by the USWNT and U.S. Soccer. It included $24 million, largely as back pay for many players, and a pledge from U.S. Soccer that would guarantee equal pay, match bonuses and appearance payments for both the women and men’s teams. This pledge came to reality when the most recent CBA was ratified on May 18, which stated that players under both teams will receive $8,000 for representing the U.S. in every international match they get called up for, and an additional $10,000 bonus for those they win. The CBA also affirmed that World Cup bonuses and prize money, a figure that long favored the men’s team despite their lack of success in the tournament, will be gathered from both teams and split between them evenly.

For several years, the USWNT has been at the pinnacle of women’s soccer, winning tournament after tournament as established themselves as the greatest women’s soccer team the world has ever seen. In stark contrast, the men’s team has consistently performed subpar over the years when compared to other national teams.

For far too long, the achievements and brilliance of the USWNT have been overshadowed by the evident disparities that existed between the two teams. Young girls hoping to establish a career for themselves in professional soccer looked up to their idols on the women’s team and saw the level of dedication they exhibited, all the while questioning whether the achievements of women would ever truly be recognized. That is why equal pay represents a lot more than just a settlement of money.

The same young women who once

believed that their dreams of playing professional soccer were unattainable will now boldly step up to the challenge, armed with the knowledge that their actions and accomplishments will be rewarded just as much as those of men. The perseverance, passion and determination that the USWNT has displayed and their consequent reward has shown to the females of the world that their voices matter, and their rights even more so.

But the reverberations of the USWNT’s victory will also resonate beyond the soccer stadium and borders of the United States, empowering future generations of young girls to challenge the patriarchal status quo rooted in so many areas of life. May 18’s decision is a historic moment in the extensive, arduous journey for gender equality, and will help propel the world into a future where women canknow that no obstacle will be enough to deter them from realizing their dreams.

So while the USWNT’s ultimate goal – equal pay – has been achieved, the effects it will have on the lives of females across the globe for generations to come are, in so many ways, priceless.

EQUAL PAY: USWNT celebrates after

winning the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. After 6 years of legal battles, the USWNT won salary parity with the U.S men’s national team.

tphsfalconer.com

sports

f/stop

Benjamin Trask varsity lacrosse may 21, 5:13 pm

camera: Canon EOS Rebel T6 lens: Canon EF 75-300 mm iso: 800 exp: 1/1600 f/stop: f/5

photo by Natalia Mochernak

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coner Awar l a F e ds Th

Most Creative Mirabel Hunt

Best Dressed Naomi Ciel Schneider

Most Likely to Become President Jasmine Criqui

Most Likely to Become Famous

Most likely to still fantasize about their celebrity crush at 30 Srishti Thapar

Kelsie Park

Most Organized Most Likely to Pursue Journalism as a Career Nolan Ezzet

Amy Ge

Most likely to show up for attendance then leave Emily Suh

Most likely to never get their story in on time Matan Morris

Class Clown Piper Levy

Most Inspirational Viyang Hao

Most Likely to Teach at TP Jessica Yu

Most Intimidating Jenny Han

tphsfalconer.com

college map

Once Upon A Time...

The class of 2022 wandered into their future...

Introducing the Class of 2022

College Map

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A26 the falconer

may 27, 2022

Not Too Hot, Not Too C University of Wyoming Jagger Filippone

Seattle University Paige Wilson University of Washington Claire Bickett Hailey Hellenkamp Carson Brown Sofia Lozano Gunner Dohrenwend Aaron Shi

University of Oregon Harper Biagi Jadyn Schaffer Jasmine Cuevas Luca Scolari Jack DeKoker Amelia Trikounakis Luke Emri Alexandra Yurcek University of Portland Ava Scalia

Brigham Young University Shay Mathis University of Utah Olivia Nemec

Yuehua Xie

Colorado School of Mines Gage Goodemote Fort Lewis College Riley Latus University of Colorado Boulder Gavin Gaines University of Colorado Colorado Springs Krista Lambson

Into the Work Force

G G

Missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Liam Flynn Modeling Contract Will Simmonds

Gap Year Riley Elliot Thomas Wagner Frederik Jensen

Arizona State University Taylor Barger Walker Slusarek Kaya Ciner Jonathan Small Luke Hollingsworth Zeb Varela Jacob Pearson Kendall Whitmarsh Northern Arizona University Ashley Hinchy Nikolas Renner University of Arizona Katherine Drennan Kyle Klekotka

Brigham Young University-Hawaii Bella Wilson

Baylor University Joelle Vitiello Southern Methodist University Ashley Pham Boris Said Texas Christian University Sean Jabbar Kylie Singer Paige Parker Grace Souza

International Stu Attention!

The Falconer has spent weeks soliciting the posthigh 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 information with 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.

University of Toronto Benjamin Feng

University of British Columbia Ginny Felix Trinity College (Dublin) Judd Berman

Temple University - Jap Emmy Baker Bo

college map

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Just Cold Right Macomb Community College Taylor Anderson University of Michigan Kailani Rodriguez Ava Sargent Marquette University Rachel Tran University of Wisconsin-Madison Charlie Blackwell Danielle Katz Alison Blakeman Mia Mansukhani Ella Carlson Finn McDevitt Ilana Goldklang Caitlin Tresse

Indiana University Natalie Byer Grace Lofaro Callie Copp Shaan Sanghadia Lexi Greene Indiana University Bloomington Dylan Wadhwa Purdue University CeCe Cornell Sam Langenauer

Grinnell College Gabby Choy Sophie Lawrence

Missouri State University Elijah Zelkind Washington University in St. Louis Junqi Liang

Harrison Wang

pan Campus oethius Nourian

Babson College Colette Posillico Boston University Juyoung Kim

Otto Landrum

Northeastern University Emma FitzGerald Audrey Petersen Mika Horton Wellesley College Jasmine Criqui Brown University Hannah Flannery University of Connecticut Yewon Yu Yale University Sophia Ai Cornell Chris Ann

Amy Ge

Fordham University Jack Martinez

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Patrick Unick

New York School of Design Joseph Diliberto

Carnegie Mellon University Giacomo Rizzo Lehigh University Clark Caspersen Penn State University Junghyun Bae Lexi Strickland

Case Western Reserve University Amy Le

IE Business School (Madrid) Alan Buzali

Bennington College Naomi Schneider

Hobart and William Smith Colleges Anna Nichols

Emory University Qianyi Zhuang

Polytechnic University of Milan Jacob Ferrara

Bowdoin College Mateo Pacelli

University of Notre Dame Michelle Lee

University of Pennsylvania Ian Chen Philine Klas Claire Deller Carol Tu

udents

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Miami University Andrew Tracey Ohio State University Zach Issaacman

New York University Augustine Breeze Mikko Kohnke-Sunenshine United States Military Academy Philip Markus Georgetown University Tina Solki John Hopkins University Alice Yu United States Naval Academy Ali Polidori Hampton University Devyn Reynolds The College of William and Mary Vanessa Yen The George Washington University Eden Ratner University of Virginia Pierce Rosenblatt Duke University Sarah Wu

University of Tennessee Katherine Cunningham

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Alexia Civit

Vanderbilt University Sophia Fox

Florida State University Baila Thompson

University of Mississippi George Shofran Tulane University Jadyn Kaplan Mia Lingenbrink

University of Florida Tatum O’Coyne University of Miami Natalie Nicholas University of South Florida Andrew Ivasyk

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Academy of Art University Kyle Houston California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Joshua Choi California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo Kendal Boothman Gabrielle Rojo Brooklyn Burns Adam Wehba Dylan Gleason Trevor Yargeau Mickey Heine Jessica Yu Jack Pollin California State University, Fullerton Daniel Koo Lara Shiohama Ethan Majumder California State University, Long Beach Rachel Minarik California State University, Los Angeles Armani Eder Nataly Marroquin California State University, Northridge Abby MacNeil California State University, San Marcos Bashar Alam Cooper Rider Karina El Kadri Chapman University Julia Fisher

Madeline Snyder

Loyola Marymount University Lauren Deerinck Ashton Nguyen MiraCosta College Erick Cabrera Rocco Delgadillo Harrison Dwinell Sohan Gowda Dale Guoin

Arda Hoke Kinjal Kankaria Sean MacDonald Kennedy Moinzadeh Alison Williams

Pepperdine University Cruz Purvis Point Loma Nazarene University Daniel Lim Pomona College Lan Zhu Scripps College Ari DiDomenico San Diego Miramar College Ella Keller San Diego State University Farah Abu-Jaber Aidan Trusso Ryan Choi Lana Messenger Charlotte Downes Marissa Mirisch Pauldean Gevarges Marlee Salus Nicole Gross Luiza Campanati Araujo de Andrade Jaden Walker San Jose State University San Diego Mesa College Angelika Heckert Matan Morris

may 27, 2022

Santa Barbara City College Presley Bonynge Gage Helfrich Jonathan Corchis Lucas Khattar Lylah Defibaugh Santa Clara University Camille Annett Elena Lugo

Madeleine Moon

Santa Monica College Tyler Johnson Sonoma State University Henry Siler Stanford University Darren Chan Kyra Chan Megan Peng

Zachary Rowell Emily Suh Satya Vargas

University of California, Berkeley Caden Crist Gwennie Liu Trent Fallon Atharv Sampath Jenny Han David Scuba Rohan Israni Alana Tantisira Johnavon Kim Kashvii Vaistra Malia Koliander Daniel Wang Nanditha Krishnan Hanna Zhang Chengda Li University of California, Davis Wyatt Gardner Brooklynn Munce Evelyn Grisco David Ni Rohan Gutlapalli Kelsie Park Angela Jin University of California, Irvine Simone Bertucci Meera Sharma Martynas Chachisvilis Jonghyun Won Nikolina Hadzibabic University of California, Los Angeles Rose Anderson Paige Rosenblatt Tamara Andrijanic Annika Salz Jimmy Fang Andrew Wang Yaqi Liu Diane Zhou Kieran Pearson University of California, Merced Andy Liu University of California, Riverside Maanvi Bhatnagar Alan Li James Carnahan Sophia Russo University of California, Santa Barbara Calista Carty Neil Liu Ashley Chammas Xander Newell Gianna Choy Olivia Schroeder Addie Flanagan Srishti Thapar Leonie Glaesner Dylan Thomas Emma Griffith Toby Thorpe Harrison Hoffman Jerry Zhan Aashish Krishnan Annika Zimmerer University of California, Santa Cruz Zoe Canipe Claire Lane Mirabel Hunt Alex Woelkers Brenda Jimenez Lopez University of California, San Diego Brigette Hobbs Amanda Salatino University of San Diego Lalita Arslan Piper Levy

Katarina Matic

University of San Francisco Dominic Kowarick Emily Phong University of Southern California Grant Bauer Bain Higgins Cormac Cadden Shivanee Kooner Solana Espino Julia Mendez Nolan Ezzet David Yang