Falconer October 2022 Issue by TPHS Falconer

Vol. 48, Issue 2, 24 pages

Thursday, November 3, 2022

input (equality)

PHOTO BY ANNA OPALSKY/FALCONER TEACHING TECH: Minseo Kwon (11) and Rachel Song (11) join forces to work on a coding assignment in Brinn Belyea’s AP Computer Science Principles class. The number of female students enrolled in AP CSP has ripled since last year, making it one of the mutiple TPHS STEM courses that have seen an increaee in female enrollment this year.

Female enrollment in advanced STEM courses increases Jerry Wu

ASSISTANT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Several STEM courses at TPHS have seen an increase in female enrollment this school year, according to the teachers of those classes. Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles, with only seven girls enrolled last year, has tripled to 22 in its two class periods. Brinn Belyea, who teaches the class, credits word-ofmouth encouragement for the increase. “Computer science is a good career and more people want to pursue it now,” Belyea said. “I think more students in the class encourage their friends to take computer sci.” In the physics department, AP Physics teacher Eli Aghassi also noticed more female students enrolled than before in his classes. The AP Physics

2 class saw a jump from four to seven female students in total enrollment — nearly a 7% increase. His AP Physics 1 classes tell a similar story. In the two periods of AP Physics 1 he teaches, the total enrollees, male and female, increased by 27%. Of these additional students, 50% were girls. Throughout his years of teaching, Aghassi said he has always encouraged female students in his college prep Physics classes to continue enrolling in more advanced physics courses. “I push that hard in my regular physics class — the idea that there should not be a disparity in physics achievement between any of the genders,” Aghassi said. In an effort to limit the inherent bias in the STEM industry, Aghassi assigns his students research assignments

on influential female scientists and engages in relevant discussions during Women’s History Month every year. “We have not made a lot of headway on this implicit bias. This is how we fight those biases by proving through action [and] through representation that everyone can achieve according to their merit, not according to our predetermined sex,” Aghassi said. Belyea also sees the increase in female enrollment as a positive trend toward a more inclusive environment on campus. “I hope that every student feels comfortable to take whatever class they want to get into college to learn, to prepare for their future and to take classes they find interesting,” he said. “There should not be any barriers to students enrolling in any class.”

Audrey Adams (12), a student in Belyea’s AP Computer Science Principles class, has recognized the increased gender diversity in her classroom this year compared to her AP Physics 1 class last year, which she says had fewer female students. “I do not feel like there is an overpowering amount of men in the class compared to women. I think we have a pretty balanced distribution,” Adams said. She and others have encouraged female students to take AP Computer Science Principles, emphasizing that more systematic change is needed for greater gender diversity in STEM courses. “I think it can sound intimidating to people [to enroll in AP Computer continued on A2

news

A2 the falconer

GENDER DIVERSITY IN STEM continued from A1

Science Principles], so that might shy them away from it,” Adams said. Cindy Xue (11), a student in AP Physics 1, said that improving gender diversity in STEM classes is essential to combating the stereotypes that exist in the STEM field. “STEM jobs have always seemed male-dominated. But now more girls

are interested in coding and creating these projects,” Xue said. With plans to study data science in college, Xue founded the club chapter Girls Who Code with the mission of increasing the number of women pursuing computer science. She was inspired to open the TPHS branch by the increasing participation among her female friends in STEM classes at school.

PHOTO BY ANNA OPALSKY/FALCONER STUDYING STEM: Students in Eli Aghassi’s AP Physics 2 class build a rocket during a lab. This class saw an increase of 7% in female enrollment this year.

november 3, 2022

Another female student, Nikki Quinn (12), created Society for Women in Engineering club to bring together STEM-enthused female engineers to combat the idea of women being a minority in the industry. “Women are currently a minority in the STEM industry, but participation in clubs like this can start to change that,” Quinn said. “The recent increase of girls in scientific classes has taught not only women but also all of society that females can and will dominate in the STEM field … Us girls can inspire one another to follow our passions while proving to everyone else that they should judge us by our brains and not by our gender.” While the gender balance in classes on campus continues to improve, students and teachers observe that true diversity has yet to be achieved. TPHS teachers like Belyea and Aghassi, along with female student leaders in STEM, are committed to making TPHS an inclusive environment for female students interested in pursuing careers.

300%

increase in female enrollees in AP Computer Science Principles from last school year

increase in female enrollees in AP Physics 2 from last school year

50%

of additional students joining AP Physics 1 from this year to last year X are female

Three Area 5 candidates run for school board Three seats on the SDUHSD Board of Trustees are up for grabs on Nov. 8. After more than a year of controversies surrounding the board, including the termination of former superintendent Dr. Cheryl JamesWard, some view this election as a fresh start for the board, as three out of the five board seats are available. “I think board members should always keep in mind that they’re doing their work for students,” TPHS Student Board Representative Julia Liu (12) said. Two candidates are on the ballot for Area 1 to represent southern Carlsbad and northern Encinitas. The current Area 1 representative, Board President Maureen Muir, is not running for reelection. Three candidates are running to fill the Area 3 spot left vacant after former Trustee Melisse Mossy resigned in April. Area 3 encompasses Solana Beach and Old Del Mar. On the Area 5 ballot, three candidates are running to represent Carmel Valley and Pacific Highlands Ranch, an area including TPHS. Julie Bronstein, the current Area 5 trustee, is on the ballot with Georgia Ringler and Phan Anderson, who are both parents of students in the district. Julie Bronstein Bronstein, who joined the board in a special election last November after the resignation of former Trustee Kristin Gibson in March 2021, is a San Diego

falcon accolades National Merit Semifinalists Class of 2023

local and a parent of two high-school students in the district. “We live in an incredible community with truly wonderful schools,” Bronstein said. “I’m thankful for the education my children have received, and I’m proud of the progress we’ve been making in the district.” She wants to translate this love for the SDUHSD community into district policies. For example, Bronstein has been an advocate for an additional counselor at each of the district high schools. This supplementary resource on campus would provide students with more support as they navigate college and future career pathways, she said. “I think we can do a better job ensuring that all students feel welcome on our campuses,” Bronstein said. If elected, Bronstein said that she will continue prioritizing student needs. “If I am fortunate enough to be reelected to the school board, I promise to work hard every day on behalf of our students and to always bring a positive and collaborative approach to solving the problems facing our district,” Bronstein said. In addition, Bronstein, who previously served as the Vice President of Development on the Canyon Crest Academy Foundation board, said she will continue to closely watch over the budget and ensure that it is being “invested in classroom instruction.” She also hopes to advocate for more parental involvement, better collegereadiness resources, greater access to student mental health resources

and an expansion of extracurricular opportunities. “I believe that every child should feel welcome and protected in school and that our schools should celebrate diversity,” Brostein said. Phan Anderson Anderson is a software engineer, SDUHSD parent and Carmel Valley resident of 16 years. Anderson declined a request to comment. “I will bring my experience overcoming social and economic barriers, my critical thinking and problem-solving skills and my common sense to our school district,” Anderson said on her website. If elected, she plans to focus on maintaining high standards in education and building respect for one another. Anderson felt compelled to run after community backlash surrounding James-Ward’s comments about AsianAmerican student achievement last April, according to her website. Anderson, if elected, wants the board to return to prioritizing the “quality of education” for students rather than “administrative goals,” according to her website. “I stand for excellence in education and will be a strong independent voice for families, students, and the community,” Anderson said on her website. Georgia Ringler Ringler declined to comment. and asked the Falconer to not be included in this story.

Marissa Gaut (12)

Edward Sun (12)

Rohan Inamdar (12)

Ron Tal (12)

Andrew Lin (12)

Andrew Tsai (12)

Derek Liu (12)

Christine Tsu (12)

Taisiya Rubtsova (12)

Adam Wang (12)

William Song (12)

Annabelle Wang (12)

Christopher Su (12)

Aidan Zhao (12)

I think we can do a better job ensuring that all students feel welcome on our campuses.

Julie Bronstein

INCUMBENT

I will bring my ... critical thinking and p ro b l e m - s o l v i n g skills ... to our school district.

Phan Anderson SDUHSD PARENT

PHOTO COURTESY OF JENNIFER MAGRUDER

PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIE BRONSTEIN

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

PHOTO FROM DEL MAR TIMES

Dixie Wallerius and Adriana Hazlett

news

tphsfalconer.com

the falconer A3

TPHS responds to increase in local juvenile crime Makaylah Gerling and Ellie Koff STAFF WRITERS

TPHS administrators are working closely with students, parents and the San Diego Police Department to address an increase in local juvenile crime and general bad behavior, according to TPHS Principal Rob Coppo and a SDPD officer. Particularly since the beginning of the school year, administrators have seen an increase in behavioral issues during and after Friday night TPHS football games. According to an incident report from the SDPD, at approximately 9 p.m. on Sept. 30, after one such game, officers reported to an altercation in front of McDonalds in the Del Mar Highlands Center. At least one TPHS student was involved, according to multiple witnesses. Police reported that no weapons were involved. Five minutes later, police reported that there was an active fight, including accounts of assault and battery, in front of Rite Aid, also located in the Del Mar Highlands Center. With an

ambulance en route, a TPHS student was reported to have a bloody lip after being assaulted by another minor, according to a witness. According to Scarlett Pace (10), who attended the Sept. 30 football game, there was also a bloody altercation involving a TPHS freshman and a second person in Ed Burke Stadium. “There were tons of bystanders, they were just filming and trying to get the content,” Pace said. Coppo expressed disappointment at the poor behavior in the student section on Sept. 30. According to Coppo, there were projectile water bottles and Kona Ices, inappropriate chants, colored powder thrown into hair or clothing and students shoving each other off the bleachers. “I long for the days when I can actually watch the football game. The last two games I spent the entire game with my back to our team, which is deeply disappointing,” Coppo said. According to Captain Manny Del Toro, SDPD is providing more officers to patrol the surrounding area during

and after football games and has instructed local business owners and on-site security to contact the SDPD if they observe problematic behavior. However, these local behavioral incidents are not confined to football games, according to the SDPD. The SDPD Northwestern Division, located a mile from TPHS, has reported an increase in juvenile arrests, according to a statement on the community platform Nextdoor. SDPD Officer John Briggs said that those arrests include burglary, robbery, assault, vandalism, trespassing, vehicle theft, criminal threats and public intoxication. Briggs also reported that the SDPD Northwestern Division is continuing to work with local shopping centers, as well as schools to address concerns and issues. While TPHS administrators do not have jurisdiction over student behavior off school grounds and outside of school hours, they have been working closely with the Juvenile Services Team of the SDPD Northwestern Division, and are contacted in the event of incidents that

“We try to set a good example on campus about what’s acceptable. And, the idea is you should continue that behavior off campus. Unfortunately, not everybody does.” Rob Coppo

TPHS Principal PHOTO BY ANNA OPALSKY/FALCONER UNRULY ONLOOKERS: TPHS students fill the student section of Ed Burke Field during the Oct. 28 football game against La Costa Canyon. Leading up to this game, TPHS administration had implemented more security in the stadium after behavioral issues at past football games.

involve TPHS students, according to Coppo. On campus, TPHS administration has increased bag checks at the entry gate of sports games, limited access to games for students not adhering to the rules and hired more security personnel to ensure the safety of students and other fans. “Ed Burke doesn’t feel comfortable coming to our games anymore…And when the legendary coach Ed Burke, who wants to just see his old team play, is uncomfortable sitting in the stands because of what’s going on, I think we all need to pause and reflect,” Coppo said. Administrators are also collaborating with ASB to recenter the focus of the student section. According to Assistant Principal Robert Shockney, he and Coppo met with ASB to discuss changes that redirect the focus of football games after the Sept. 30 game. They expressed their concern for the lack of attention to the game, wishing to incorporate more engagement and support for the TPHS football team. “Student sections have become far less about the game … this is an important event for our football team. That’s their game, it’s not your entertainment. What we do should be in support of them,” Coppo said. While the TPHS football season is drawing to a close, the Del Mar Highlands Center remains a popular place for students to congregate. To prevent further misbehavior, Coppo and Shockney both urge parents to remind their children about local laws and expectations while out in public. “We try to set a good example on campus about what’s acceptable. And, the idea is you should continue that behavior off campus,” Coppo said. “Unfortunately, not everybody does.” While student sections at games will continue for now, Coppo said that he will not continue to facilitate events if behavior issues continue.

Student Section Safety No alcohol, cigarettes, vaping devices or controlled substances are allowed anywhere on school grounds or parking lots Children aged middle school or younger must be accompanied by and sit with an adult No outside food or drinks in stadium or gym No bags inside the gym or stadium Bring your school ID No re-entry

INFORMATION FROM EMAIL TO TPHS FAMILIES FROM TPHS PRINCIPAL ROB COPPO ON SEPT. 29 AND OCT. 24

PHOTO BY ANNA OPALSKY/FALCONER

news

A4 the falconer

november 3, 2022

Prop 28 proposes increase to arts education funding Cass Love

STAFF WRITER

“We can hopefully take another step forward to seeing the arts not as something extra but as something essential.”

Proposition 28, a measure on the ballot in the Nov. 8 election, could increase annual state funding of art education for K-12 public schools in California by approximately $1 billion. Under Proposition 28, an additional 1% of the state and local funding that public schools receive each year would be set aside for arts education, including graphic art, theater and music classes, according to voter election materials. For schools of more than 500 students, like TPHS, at least 80% of the funding must be spent to employ arts education teachers. The news was music to music teacher Amy Gelb’s ears. “One of the most valuable things that my music liaisons help me raise money for is bringing in artist residents to help me during my classes,” Gelb said. “I have a violin coach [who] comes in. While I am teaching the ensemble, she will pull out groups of kids and give them individualized help which helps me cover more ground in each class.” With the funding that Proposition 28 would provide, Gelb hopes to employ these artist specialists for more classes. Currently, aside from Gelb’s salary, the music program, from the chairs in the music classroom to the sheet music, is funded almost entirely by donations, according to TPHS Principal Rob Coppo. The music room’s piano alone cost $18,000 while individual sheet music can be anywhere from $80 to $200, according to Gelb.

Robert Coppo TPHS Principal

PHOTO BY ANNA OPALSKY/FALCONER

AMPLIFYING THE ARTS: Music teacher Amy Gelb leads her Wind Ensemble class during a scale warmup. Gelb teaches all of the music classes at TPHS and is one teacher who could benefit from more supplies and assistant teachers through Proposition 28.

“If we were to have some kind of funding that would ease up the stress of my job … I would think that my students would feel less pressure as well because they wouldn’t have to be fundraising as much. They could just focus on their art,” Gelb said. Of the state funding, 70% will be allocated to schools in the state based on enrollment. The other 30% will be given to schools based on their lowincome student enrollment. Only 1% of this funding can be used by local school boards for administration purposes. Under Proposition 28, school site principals will be charged with developing a plan for spending the additional funding. At TPHS, Coppo said he is not sure yet where the funding will be allocated if this proposition passes. He said he would first need to assess art resources, including visual art supplies, props in the theater department and computers

for digital art before making a decision. Some students are hopeful that if Prop. 28 gets passed, a greater awareness will be brought to the arts at TPHS. “I feel like art and creativity should be more focused [on] in school because ... I think every subject requires some sort of creativity,” Tisya Nair (12), a student in AP 2D Art and Design, said. “Our [art] buildings are not as great as our other buildings ... Right now, we don’t have canvases so we have to bring our own or reuse canvases. Ms. O’Brien uses her own money to buy us supplies.” Other art students have had experiences similar to Nair’s and believe that a greater focus on the arts at TPHS could draw more students to art-focused extracurricular activities. “The classrooms in band have maybe 20 students when the average student count for a normal class is 40,” Scarlett Hyun, a flute player in the Wind

Ensemble, said. “Through the funding, I hope more students are going to be affected by [art] and actually learn about music.” Coppo, who majored in film in college at NYU, agreed with Hyun, saying that “arts are a core subject” that “fuel all of the other subjects.” He thinks that the proposition is likely to pass. Proposition 28 affects more than just high schools. Gelb, who believes that many students are getting into music “way too late,” is excited that more money will be directed toward art programs for students in middle and elementary schools if the proposition passes. “We’re getting a shot in the arm for the arts and nobody’s fighting it. That speaks volumes,” Coppo said. “We can hopefully take another step forward to seeing the arts not as something extra but as something essential.”

Disco Fever Homecoming Dance PHOTO BY LOLA NEWLANDER/FALCONER DISCO IN THE QUAD: Students gather in the quad at the TPHS Homecoming Dance on Oct. 1. Hosted by the TPHS Associated Student Body, attendees enjoyed a DJ and games.

PHOTO BY LOLA NEWLANDER/FALCONER CROWNING THE COURT: Homecoming Queen Grace Flanagan (12) and King Andy Livingston (12) are crowned at the Sep. 30 Homecoming football game. The Homecoming Court reconvened the next day for the Disco Fever Homecoming dance.

As a senior, I was excited for my final homecoming but wasn’t expecting much, but the music, energy and theme made it super fun and enjoyable. Ellie Davidson SENIOR

Senior Queen: Grace Flanagan Senior King: Andy Livingston Junior Princess: Sofia Kantor Junior Prince: Bryce Conover

Home Sophmore Princess: Lauren Mills Cou com Sophmore Prince: Riley Tone rt in Freshman Princess: Ella Phillips g

Freshman Prince: Jason Swain

PHOTO BY LOLA NEWLANDER/FALCONER GROOVY GARB: Dressed in sparkling shirts and flowing pants, TPHS students embraced the disco theme. The quad was decorated with bright lights and record albums.

tphsfalconer.com

news

the falconer A5

TPHS alumna to open plastic-free grocery store Caroline Hunt and Elsa Goodman FEATURE EDITOR AND STAFF WRITER

TPHS alumna Katie Fletcher (‘13) plans to open Local Scoop: Package-Free Food and Fair in downtown Encinitas, introducing the first waste-free grocery store to North County. Fletcher has not yet announced the opening date of her store. Local Scoop, which will share a space with another holistic business, focuses on lowering grocery-shopping costs, providing healthy food options and cutting down packaging waste. “[Produce] is not going to come in that little black container with the seran-wrap over the top,” Fletcher said. “You just grab the plant.” To offer these unconventional environmentally-friendly foods, Local Scoop will provide new ways for customers to shop. These options include allowing customers to bring their own jars and containers, buying one of the store’s specialty cork-topped jars or filling a fully-compostable bag. With the goal of making Local Scoop “as close to a normal grocery store as possible,” Fletcher plans to provide

shoppers with products and services that are infrequently thought of as “zero-waste.” The store will feature staples like dried goods, beans, rice, nuts, seeds and granolas, as well as fresh produce. Local Scoop will also house a cold bar for products like hummus, cream cheese, ketchup and mustard; food that, to Fletcher, are “really hard for people to imagine as waste-free.” “Knowing that everything is ethically and locally sourced as well as zero-waste [is important],” Pilar Purvis (10), co-president of TPHS Urth Club, said. “[Urth Club] looks forward to supporting this local business.” Being the first store of its kind in the North County area, Fletcher’s inspiration for its concept traces back to her upbringing in Solana Beach and college experience in Australia. While studying in Australia, she came across waste-free bulk grocery stores and, after returning to San Diego, became curious as to why such eco-friendly stores did not exist in her hometown. “I had a moment of clarity, realizing that the only way to address my deepest concerns [with] our food system was to

PHOTO FROM OFFICIAL INSTAGRAM A WASTE-LESS ALTERNATIVE: Katie Fletcher’s (‘13) plastic-free grocery store, Local Scoop, will provide shoppers with packaging alternatives like buying in bulk. Fletcher has not yet announced the opening date of her store.

contribute my own solutions,” Fletcher said. Local Scoop was the solution. “I’ve been shocked by how excited people have been,” Fletcher said. “Obviously venturing out on my own has been challenging … [but] having people freak out when they hear the idea is that confidence boost to say, ‘I’m going to keep going.’” This excitement extends onto TPHS’s campus. “I am excited by the opportunity

Local Scoop offers,” TPHS Urth Club Co-President Charlotte Sachs (10) said. “[It is] a great example of what a human to food relationship should look like.” Fletcher hopes to transform Local Scoop into more than just a place to shop, but also into a community space for educational events about healthy living. “At this stage, the way [most people] eat is not sustainable,” she said. “[Our focus is on] protecting all the things that make San Diego, San Diego.”

Photo of Hitler in CVMS class prompts district action Anna Opalsky

NEWS EDITOR

A Carmel Valley Middle School teacher’s decision to include a photo of Adolf Hitler in her seventh-grade world history classroom alongside other world leaders has sparked concerns in the SDUHSD community, prompting the district to form a committee to review the incident and develop a response to community concerns. The poster was first reported by Roy David, a CVMS parent. David said that according to his 12-year-old son, the poster, which placed Hitler next to world leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., had been up since the beginning of the school year. David said that when his son told his teacher she was “trivializing” the Holocaust, his teacher responded by allegedly saying that though Hitler “may have done some bad things,” he had “good leadership qualities.” David said that when he contacted CVMS Principal Victoria Kim, she refused to remove the poster. The poster has been taken down, according to district personnel. The CVMS teacher and Kim did not respond to requests to comment and district leadership has not yet disclosed the official nature of the history lesson or how long the poster was up. However, Interim Superintendent Tina Douglas said that the district had addressed the incident following district policies at an Oct. 13 SDUHSD board meeting, but declined to clarify more, including the employment status of the teacher on the grounds that it was a personnel issue. At that meeting, some community members called for more action from the district, including an explanation of the lesson, more sensitivity training for staff and discipline for the teacher.

In response to community concerns, Board President Maureen Muir and Vice President Michael Allman pushed for a committee of community members to review the incident and advocated for more “curriculum transparency.” “This is a public school district,” Allman said during the meeting. “We have the right to know what’s being taught.” Muir did not respond to requests to comment. The district currently has a Parent Curriculum Advisory Committee, a parent forum to review curricula, which is set to meet on Nov. 30. Allman, a member of the committee, also wants to implement a searchable curriculum database on the district website. Associate Superintendent of Educational Services Bryan Marcus said that the district is looking into this resource. Trustees Katrina Young and Julie Bronstein voiced concerns about parental oversight of curriculum, noting that district parents can already view their child’s curriculum via classroom resources like Google Classroom. They advocated for more opportunities for community feedback, including a listening session and more staff training. Since the Oct. 13 meeting, the district has not provided further information about a listening session or town hall, however, CVMS staff participated in a workshop on the history of antiSemitism, led by the Anti-Defamation League on Oct. 24. The board is set to meet with Marcus, Douglas and selected community members to discuss district accountability and communication, curriculum transparency and staff training, according to Young. At the time of publication, this

PHOTO BY ANNA OPALSKY/FALCONER SEEKING ACTION: Community members gather at an Oct. 13 SDUHSD board meeting to condemn a photo of Adolf Hitler included in a middle school history class display of world leaders. Later that night, Interim Superintendent Tina Douglas created a committee to review the incident.

committee has not met. Noa Clarestonfeld (11), who spoke about her experiences with antiSemitism at the Oct. 13 board meeting, sees more staff training as a way to address this incident. “Some of the best things I’ve seen is when [teachers] invite people, like a rabbi or Holocaust survivor, to come speak about their experiences,” Clarestonfeld said. Josh McGrane (11), the president of the TPHS Jewish Community Club, agrees with Clarestonfeld on the importance of sensitivity training and said he sees this incident as a part of a larger increase in anti-Semitism. “This is how it starts; small, isolated incidents that grow bigger,” McGrane said, noting that he would like to see a larger response from the district condemning anti-Semitism. “Right now, we’re not in a good place and we’re starting to go down a dark road that can be very scary.” The district has not detailed any further actions beyond the committee and staff training. While multiple board members said that they were unaware of changes to

curricula at district sites following the incident at CVMS, one district teacher said that she has been forced to change her curriculum after the incident by her site administration. “District and site personnel are choosing to Band-Aid and placate instead of showing leadership, backbone, and a cohesive plan,” the teacher wrote in a statement to the Falconer. “This reactive censorship of material is a lose-lose proposition for students. If teachers don’t present lessons that promote critical thought, which, by definition are controversial in nature, how are students supposed to understand the most important of all questions: WHY?” This teacher reported that she was forced to remove supplementary texts from her curriculum and “stick to the books.” “We always refine and reflect on each lesson to assure they align with California State Standards,” District Communications Coordinator Miguel Jacobs said. The teacher’s site principal did not respond to requests to comment on changes to curriculum.

Outrage erupted in the SDUHSD community after a Carmel Valley Middle School history teacher included a photograph of Adolf Hitler alongside other historical figures on a poster she presented to her seventh-grade class. While Barry’s actions may have potentially led to an uncomfortable classroom environment for some students, they are justified because students must learn about both the positive and negative sides of history.

Liv Weaver

STAFF WRITER

While the reviled and murderous actions of Adolf Hitler are inexcusable, there is no denying that his influence has endured to our modern day. Carmel Valley Middle School history teacher Tabitha Barry sparked outrage in the community after displaying a board in her seventh-grade history classroom depicting notable world leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi alongside Hitler. While some may believe that this action was purposeful and meant to spark hate towards those in the Jewish community, Barry’s depiction of Hitler upon her “influential people in history” wall was impartial and justified from a purely historical perspective. Even though Hitler committed atrocious acts in his life, to claim that he was an uninfluential person in history is simply incorrect. During his time in leadership, Hitler gained support for his run in the presidential election in 1932, led a party of 180,000 Nazis, established his 50th birthday as a nationwide holiday in Germany, instigated WWII and instructed the horrific murder of six million Jewish people as well as five million other victims. One of the main reasons Hitler is such a strong contender in the effective leaders category is because of the way he manipulated others. He specifically singled out those of the lower-middle class due to his early life experiences, including the death of his parents and lack of an adequate education; with

this, he could connect with them more and reach them on a deeper level. Still, from his entrance into politics in 1919 to his death, Hitler’s clear and powerful rhetoric congregated people from many different backgrounds. In fact, his influence was so strong that in 1938, TIME magazine dubbed Hitler “Man of the Year.” While the front cover of the issue, depicting Hitler sitting afront an organ ornamented with hanging carcasses, had many people in disbelief, the title was merely awarded to the person who exercised the most influence and impacted the events of the world the most that year, for better or worse. Similarly, Barry’s depiction of Hitler on the poster does not mean she is glamorizing his horrific actions or character in any way. There is no denying that Hitler is, unfortunately, a vastly influential historical figure and this is the only statement that his place on Barry’s wall conveyed. Some believe that the appearance of Hitler should not be exposed to the easily impressionable minds of tween students due to the negative lasting impact he has had on many generations following the Holocaust and WWII. While the mark he left on the world certainly was not a positive one, this does not necessarily mean that his presence in the history classroom is wrong. History, from the horrifying wrongdoings of Hitler to the mournful assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., is filled with many ugly truths. It is vital for young people in today’s world to be aware of them instead of living in ignorance. Even though the actions of Hitler were by no measure just, they still carved a large crater in the world today. Barry’s choice of placing him on the wall of her history classroom, strictly due to his lasting impact on the world, serves not to target students of any specific religion or race. There are two sides to history; the earlier students learn that, the better.

Joy Ma

STAFF WRITER

Adolf Hitler: leader of the Nazi Party, orchestrator of WWII and the Holocaust, dictator behind the death of 6 million Jewish lives. What about this tyrant should earn recognition in a middle school classroom? The positive connotations of “strong leadership qualities” were completely abandoned when Tabitha Barry, a seventh-grade history teacher at Carmel Valley Middle School, used the term to defend herself against complaints from parents after displaying a poster with a picture of Hitler amongst other historical figures in her classroom. “I felt uncomfortable, upset and hurt to see such a horrific figure be idolized and treated as an exemplary individual by a teacher,” Jewish student Rebecca Golts (12) said. What is alarming and could potentially be dangerous is the fact the poster was presented to an impressionable audience who may not fully understand the different facets of history: a class of seventh graders. It is concerning how easy it would be for a middle school student to mindlessly group two very different types of leaders as one when viewing a photograph of Hitler within the context of other positively influential faces. For example, it would be more than problematic for a student to consider Hitler, a genocidal totalitarian, as part of the same category as a leader like Martin Luther King Jr. or Mahatma Gandhi.

ART BY KATIE MCVEIGH Those who believe that Barry’s actions are justified argue in the name of comprehensive learning: providing students with examples of historical leaders with different forms of influence, both positive and negative. In Barry’s classroom, Hitler was placed next to Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt and other commendable figures. However, the sole portrait of Hitler among these admirable historical leaders does not serve as a diversification of influential figures and only works to inadvertently glamorize his character. If she intented to depict prominent figures in all contexts, Barry should have displayed other unconventional individuals of influence like Mao Zedong, Charlemagne, Genghis Khan or Julius Caesar on the poster board. Displaying a photo of Hitler in a classroom is alarming now, especially given the antisemitic behavior that has plagued SDUHSD schools in recent years. Just this past year, swastikas were found graffitied in a bathroom at TPHS. Placing a photo of Hitler so prominently in the classroom could trigger further antisemitic behavior from middle schoolers who may not fully understand the gross nature of the atrocities he committed. Considering the emphasis SDUHSD places on diversity, equity and inclusion, it is the responsibility of those in positions of power, like administrators at CVMS, to make sure that all students feel comfortable in their classroom environment. Teachers should avoid showing tyrannical historical figures like Hitler, no matter their form of influence. This incident at CVMS has not been the first and will definitely not be the last until we all agree upon this inherent truth: Hitler, among other brutally contentious leaders, should not be displayed in the classrooms of younger, impressionable children.

tphsfalconer.com

opinion

the falconer

E-bike permits necessary to increase safety on the road

Maddy Miller and Hannah Meltzer BACKPAGE EDITOR AND STAFF WRITER

The roads around TPHS are hectic to say the least, as pedestrians flood the sidewalks and cars compete for every turn. Now, add a new factor to the disarray: electric bikes. The absurd prevalence of e-bikes in our community, especially among students who do not have their driver licenses yet, reflects the e-bike craze that has swept across the nation in recent months. While they are certainly an efficient way to travel, e-bikes are far more dangerous than standard bicycles: their powerful motors, bulky frame and explosive acceleration make safe maneuvering far more difficult for riders, especially while navigating roads teeming with cars. Busy streets around TPHS have been the site of e-bike recklessness in recent years involving both teenagers and the

general public. Despite the considerable danger that e-bikes pose when not correctly operated, there are currently few restrictions on their use. The minimal guidelines requiring riders to be at least 16 years of age and wear a helmet, and not transport passengers, have not stopped e-bikers from participating in reckless behavior. However, there is a plausible solution: a mandate by the Department of Motor Vehicles, requiring a permit to ride an e-Bike on public streets. Similar to attaining a driver’s license, potential e-bike purchasers would be educated about the rules of the road and the dangers that come with riding an e-bike before they could receive a permit to ride one. This education is vital to limiting the amount of reckless and careless use of e-bikes, especially for teenagers who have yet to receive their driver’s license. As seen in our community, these riders frequently use e-bikes as their daily method of transportation but are unaware of the rules of the road, endangering pedestrians, drivers and other riders. This can be effectively addressed through requiring safety education and training as part of acquiring an e-bike permit. Many riders also feel like they can behave recklessly without consequences.

ART BY TISYA NAIR

“For some reason when people are on e-bikes they feel like they are above the law,” Rainey Keegan (10) said. Mandating permits would place riders more firmly within the boundaries of the law and diminish their sense of entitlement on the road. One needs to look no further than the

streets around TPHS to see the dangers e-bikes pose to the general public, especially when operated by teenagers who are uninformed about the basic rules of the road. Mandating e-bike permits will decrease the likelihood of disastrous accidents and restore order to the roads.

Limited capacity of TPHS pep rallies must be addressed

GYMNASIUM

stadium often have substantially less energy than those held in the gym. There was a significant decrease in student enthusiasm from the Homecoming pep rally held in the gym earlier this year to the Fall Sports Pep Rally held in the stadium. According to Coppo, the staff at TPHS have no intention of making a permanent change to have all future pep rallies held in the stadium. For the rest of this school year, the administration plans to continue having pep rallies in the gym, and to only hold them in the stadium when the agenda for the specific pep rally requires it.

go h o

!! me

Pep rallies are an essential part of a student’s high school career. They are an opportunity to show and promote school spirit. Unfortunately, not every TPHS student gets to enjoy this quintessential event because of the limited capacity in the school gym and the “first come, first serve” registration process currently in use. Last year, many students missed out on Color Wars, the most popular and energetic pep rally at TPHS. This was the last pep rally of the year, and many students left their classes to attend it without permission. ASB supervisor Jennifer Ryan currently has the task of accommodating as many classes as possible for pep rallies. Ryan sends out an email, containing a class sign-up sheet, to all teachers. However, teachers are unaware when this email will be sent out. Those that happen to see the email first can sign their classes up for the pep rallies, but those who do not unfortunately make it so their students miss out on the fun. Angry students then misdirect the blame on

ART BY ANNA OPALSKY /FALCONER

STAFF WRITERS

stadium, which is able to accommodate the whole school. Although certain students may not want to attend a pep rally, it is critical that everyone still gets the opportunity to. Teachers can choose to keep their kids in class or go to the pep rally, but not even having the option to make that decision because of capacity limitations needs to change. However, as Spirit:: seen with the Fall the chaos! at capacity Sports Pep Rally on Oct. 27, pep rallies but we h e l d TP i n the TP

b ro ug h t

Lexi Lamb and Macy Swortwood

their teachers, who simply missed an unscheduled email. By setting a specific time for emails to be sent, ASB will allow teachers to check their email and sign their class up in a timely manner. Currently, the sign-up emails are often sent to teachers during their class time, causing disruptions in their teaching. Having a pre-determined time for the emails to be sent out will allow teachers to ask their students if they want to attend the pep rally ahead of time, without any disruption of class. But establishing a time for emails to be sent out will not fix the root issue behind why so many students are missing out on pep rallies. Many pep rallies are held in the gymnasium, which only has a limited capacity that cannot house all the students in the school. Thus, even if a teacher is able to see the sign-up email, there is a good chance that the capacity for pep rallies in the gym will already have been reached, resulting in many classes not being able to attend. Solutions to holding pep rallies in the gym with limited capacity have been attempted in the past. According to principal Robert Coppo, the school experimented with having two pep rallies in one day, allowing all students to attend. It was observed that the first pep rally was fun and engaging, but ASB was tired by the second, and it was evident that there was a clear lack of energy. The best way to guarantee that all students will be able to participate in future pep rallies is to permanently have all of them in the Ed Burke

Over the years, students have repeatedly expressed their concerns about missing pep rallies to TPHS staff, but their requests still have yet to be heard. Sacrifices in energy levels must be made if TPHS wants to accommodate as many students as possible for pep rallies. Pep rallies are an incredibly important aspect of the high school experience. They bring the school together, connect students who are not involved in sports or clubs to their school community and provide a quintessential yet valuable high school experience. All students who want to participate in them should be able to do so.

opinion

A8 the falconer

november 3, 2022

PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE

» REGAN GUIRGUIS

Sports editor Regan Guirguis shares her history of being defined by sports and how theater has allowed her to find a community she loves. For as long as I can remember, I was always defined by one thing: sports. Whether it was running, football, lacrosse, baseball or softball, I was always part of a team. But the first sport that I ever really played was baseball. I started playing baseball when I moved to New York at the age of five and didn’t stop until high school. I fell in love with the smell of the fresh cut grass and the sound of the ball hitting my glove. I fell in love with the adrenaline rush from running the bases and the ringing in my hands after I hit a ball. Above all, I fell in love with being a part of a team. Baseball was my first community in a new, big city; it helped me fit in and feel part of something bigger … right up until it didn’t. I had been on co-ed teams before, but in seventh grade, I became the first girl to ever try out and make the boys baseball team at my middle school. That’s when I realized I was no

longer a baseball player -- I was the girl who played baseball. That’s when things started to change. It felt as if everything I was doing was to prove myself to others rather than for my love of the game. I no longer fit in and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I tried playing softball briefly in my freshman year before COVID-19 hit and in the spring of my sophomore year at TPHS. Softball was fun and it helped me make friends, but there was something missing. Since I was already so disconnected from the sport, I no longer felt the spark of being part of a team. I had lost my community. Then, in the fall of my junior year, I was convinced by one of my friends to audition for the fall play. I ended up getting a part in “Peter and the Starcatcher.” After the first rehearsal, I went home feeling confident and happy. It no longer felt as if there was pressure for me to be perfect. I was finally able to have fun again. There

PHOTO BY COLE FROST/FALCONER

might have been times when I messed up the blocking, or stumbled through a line, but that didn’t matter. Everyone was so welcoming and supportive. I would walk through the doors onto the stage and forget about everything that happened at school. I was no longer Regan Guirguis: I was Robert Falcon Scott, captain of the fastest ship on the sea. I had found my spark in this new community of people who pushed each other forward and learned from one another. Soon enough, the Performing Arts Center felt like a second home. There was a new drive and passion that filled my heart, something that I hadn’t felt since my first baseball game. What I discovered in theater went beyond performing. Even when I didn’t make the cast for the winter musical, I asked to volunteer, just to be a part of the team in some way. I ended up co-choreographing the production and eventually was named co-student director. I’m now directing our fall

play in my senior year and couldn’t be happier. I’ve found a new community: one that has taught me how to be confident in myself and my abilities and to never back down from a challenge. Theater showed me that every part of a team is equally important. For me, being a part of a team was never about winning a game – it was about having a community that respects and helps one another. I’ll always love baseball and am forever grateful for the lessons I learned from playing sports. In the end, I realize that I’m not defined by what sport I play or what activity I’m involved in. What gives me joy is being part of a community – one to which I can contribute and one that helps me grow as a person. There’s a chance that three years from now I won’t be in theater anymore, but I know that no matter what, I’ll find a community and a team to be a part of - one that I love and makes me feel loved in return.

GUEST EDITORIAL

PHOTO BY NATALIA MOCHERNAK/FALCONER

Dozens of teenage boys flock to the nearby cinema in their Sunday best. Popcorn in hand, they halt for a brief photo-op before settling into their seats. What’s the special occasion, you ask? It’s the “Minions” movie premiere. Over the summer, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” had an iron grip on our generation. When the film finally reached theaters, Gen Z rose to the occasion: “gentleminions” dressed in suits and ties and others in authentic minion getups, coating their faces in opaque yellow paint and adorning blue overalls. Minion TikToks seized the platform’s leaderboards, teenagers communicated in “minionese,” and Yeat, a famous rapper, even released a song called “Rich Minion.” We were obsessed with minions. But before minions, we stole traffic

signs to participate in the “devious lick” trend, and a few years before that, we ate Tide Pods for the sake of clout. Our generation has a tendency to trend-seek. We are desperate to find our next hyper-fixation, and although the trends themselves differ, they all point to the same theme: Gen Z is infatuated with them. It appears that today’s generation is obsessed… with obsession itself. But what prompts teenagers to eat soap, or borrow Dad’s tuxedo? Perhaps, trend participation is how our generation seeks community. Several studies published by the Journal of Adolescence show that from 2012 to 2018, “school loneliness increased … in 36 out of 37 countries.” But what makes us lonelier than previous generations? We happen to be the first generation

AUDREY ADAM

Gen Z seems to be obsessed... with obsession itself. Audrey Adam (12) shares her views on why our generation has a tendency to fixate on trends. raised in a world of technology. Another study by the Radiological Society of North America Teenagers showed that cell phone addictions increased levels of GABA, a neurotransmitter correlated to depression and social anxiety, in regions of the brain. Technology gives us access to another world, one where we can hide our bad haircut, braces and self-doubt behind a username. Social media, being the one thing all teenagers seem to share, becomes the place we all try to connect with each other. Even though our screen time is what makes us lonelier, we still seek community through our phones. We figure if we can participate in a trend or if our video goes viral, we can be part of something larger than ourselves. We can belong. This

becomes our driving force, one capable of moving us to obsess. We order yellow paint on Amazon or contemplate if soap poisoning can really be that bad, because for us, to be part of a trend is to be part of a small community. And with TikTok and Instagram ceaselessly pumping out endless amounts of content every day, these trends emerge and die quickly, causing Gen Z to rapidly divert their focus to the next one. We aren’t obsessed with Minions, John Cena jokes, or “unspoken rizz” for no reason. Sure, these trends are funny, creative and fun, but in a society so rich of polarization and hate, our generation really just seeks community. We have turned the internet into our solution, making it a place to laugh, dance and connect with each other in a unique way.

opinion

tphsfalconer.com

STAFF EDITORIAL “Zan, Zendegi, Azadi.” Women, Life, Freedom. This is the cry that has resonated throughout the world as the people of Iran fight for the soul of their country. On Sept. 13, a 22-year-old woman named Mahsa Amini was arrested by the Iranian morality police in Tehran. She was deemed to have been wearing her hijab incorrectly by the police, and was taken to the Vozara Detention Center. After three days in a coma, Amini died in a hospital in Tehran, bearing unmistakable signs of traumatic head injury. What has followed Amini’s death are protests on a scale that Iran has never experienced before. Millions of Iranians have flooded the streets to protest against the oppressive regime that has ruled over them for 43 years, led by a tyrannical dictator: the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei. Iranians now call for a complete overthrow of their government; chants of “Death to Khamenei” ring through the streets. As of Oct. 29, 14,000 Iranians have been arrested, and over 280 protestors, including 44 minors, have been killed, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. Police have fired live ammunition and metal pellets into crowds of protestors. But this is certainly not the first time that uproar has shaken the foundations of Iran. In 2009, millions of Iranians took to the streets to protest a presidential election that was widely believed to be rigged, in what became known as the Green Movement. In 2018 and 2019, citizens demonstrated against high inflation and dismal economic conditions in week-long protests that were met with severe government

the falconer A9

The people of Iran have spoken. We must do all we can to support them. crackdowns. Anger and opposition toward their oppressive regime have been building among Iranians for the past 43 years – Amini’s death was only the spark that has ignited the inferno of change in Iran. What makes the recent protests different from past demonstrations is not what they are fighting for; many Iranians have been yearning for freedom and liberty ever since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. No, what makes the current protests so poignant and gripping is who is leading them, and what they could mean for the future of Iran. In a country that has historically been dominated by male authority, young women have risen powerfully and boldly to the occasion, united in the face of a regime they have witnessed oppress their grandmothers, mothers and sisters for as long as they can remember. A torrent of videos showing women cutting their hair, waving their hijabs in the sky and marching together in the streets of Iran have swept through the internet. But for the young women of Iran, this movement goes far beyond a hijab. These protests are not about religion, and their purpose is not to oppose Islamic ideals. The young women of Iran are fighting for their freedom, for their ability to choose the life they want to live without being suffocated by the endless burdens of government control. What is truly awe-inspiring about the recent wave of protests in Iran is the sheer scope of individuals participating in them. Women and men, girls and boys, the old and the young, the rich and the poor, people from all ethnicities

ART BY Z ZABARSKY ART BY TISYA NAIR and walks of life are supporting this movement with fierce passion. Never before in Iran have so many different types of people participated in a movement. The recent protests are a cry of humanity, a collective roar from the hearts of all Iranians yearning to break free from the chains of oppression. Their song is one of outrage, of courage, of compassion, born from throats raw with the repression of generations, both mournful and brimming with hope. One would think that a moment as historical as this would be widely covered by media across the globe, especially in Western countries that place so much value on justice and liberty. However, very little of the plights and protests of the Iranian people have been covered by mainstream media sources. In any “Western” country, the murder of

In any movement, the actions of young people are what fuels the flame of change. The recent protests in Iran are a testament to the difference the young generation of the world can make. The Falconer stands in solidarity with the bravery and courage that the young people of Iran are currently showing in the fight for their future.

Having more youth activism is especially important because at a certain point the old leadership will go and it is going to be up to the next generation to make changes and reforms.

-Andrew Tsai (12)

children during protests would make headline news for days on end. And yet, when this occurs in the Middle East, it is brushed off as something typical, especially by the media. So what can the world do to support the people of Iran? The Iranian government is trying to subdue the voices of those protesting against them. We must spread awareness about this movement and share the stories, pain and hope of the Iranian people. We must honor their bravery and courage. The young people of Iran see a shimmer of hope for their future on the horizon, and they are seizing this moment with all of the might they can muster. The future of Iran is at stake. The world must do all it can to support those who are fighting for its soul. -The Falconer Staff

student voices

How important is the younger generation in propelling society forward? Having a younger generation of activists would be more beneficial for the society we want to lead, as opposed to the one older people want to impose.

-Cash Weaver (11) Editor-in-Chiefs: Dixie Wallerius & Jacob Zhang Assistant Editor-in-Chiefs Helene Gao & Jerry Wu Copy Editor: Natalia Mochernak

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.

News Editor: Anna Opalsky Opinion Editor: Rami Kabakibi Feature Editors: Caroline Hunt & Kathryn Reese Entertainment Editors: Adriana Hazlett & Michele Kim Sports Editors: Cole Frost, Regan Guirguis & David Zhang Backpage Editor: Maddy Miller Adviser: Mia Boardman Smith

Staff Writers: Martin Lee Hannah Meltzer Macy Swortwood Sophia Gorba Makaylah Gerling Joy Ma Elsa Goodman Liv Weaver Lexi Lamb Cassandra Love Ellie Koff Eric Lee Photo Editor: Lola Newlander

advertisements

tphsfalconer.com

the falconer A15

Tablet: Design SAVE Digital Art Design for: Disclaimers: GET RESULTS WITH $100 HUNTINGTON’S topic restrictions posters INDIVIDUALIZED SAT /ACT PREP PROGRAM prints simple designs Book an appointment today with stickers prices to be determined Lulu Nails for a quality set of nails ON AN ACADEMIC EVALUATION (VALUED AT $195)

Huntington helps students build the skills and confidence to ace the test!

TUTORING & TEST PREP IN-CENTER OR ONLINE

done by licensed professionals and REACH YOUR SAT/ACT GOALS AND GET COLLEGE a relaxing spa experience you 229 POINT where READY WITH HUNTINGTON! INCREASE are guaranteed to unwind Higher test scores will help you on SAT score** AVERAGE INCREASES

5.4 POINT Book your appointment

INCREASE

stand out amongst your peers when applying to college and achieve today! success. Prep now to increase your college options and scholarship dollars. Call today!

on ACT score** (858)-924-8222 Del Mar Highlands Shopping Center 12853 El $ Camino Real Ste. 105 Need more academic help? We offer tutoring in: San Diego, CA 92130

71,149 PER STUDENT in scholarship offers**

Contact info: email: jcogs678@gmail.com instagram: @hwph8847

Algebra • Geometry • Sciences AP Exams • Study Skills • and more

SAVE $100 GET WITH K-12RESULTS TUTORING & TEST PREP

COLLEGE APPLICATION BOOTCAMPS

HUNTINGTON’S ONLINE & IN CENTER INDIVIDUALIZED DEL MAR • 2652 Del Mar Heights Road, Del Mar, California 92014 • 858-866-9599 SAT /ACT PREP PROGRAM ON AN ACADEMIC EVALUATION (VALUED AT $195)

Huntington helps students build the skills and confidence to ace the test!

1-800 CAN LEARN

TUTORING & TEST PREP IN-CENTER OR ONLINE AVERAGE INCREASES AVERAGE INCREASES

229 POINT INCREASE on SAT score**

on ACT score**

$71,149

Need more academic help? We offer tutoring in:

PER STUDENT in scholarship offers**

Algebra • Geometry • Sciences AP Exams • Study Skills • and more

858-866-9599 DEL MAR - 2652 Del Mar Heights Road, Del Mar, California 92014

DEL MAR • 2652 Del Mar Heights Road, Del Mar, California 92014 • 858-866-9599

1-800 CAN LEARN

Haddee Education, a global all-in-one high quality service platform for K-12 students and parents

HuntingtonHelps.com

BOOTCAMPS

©2021 Huntington Mark, LLC. Independently Owned and Operated. *Not valid with any other offers. **Grade level results are based on cumulative average REACH YOURinSAT/ACT grade level increases reading and math for 17,445 students from 2010-2014 using the full set of available student data. ***Results are based on surveys GOALS AND GET COLLEGE of 3,289 Huntington students graduating in 2019, using their initial Huntington Academic Evaluation and final SAT/ACT test score. HLC4235.3 Your student's essays will be personally reviewed and edited by Ms. Pont, Haddee's READY WITH HUNTINGTON! experienced college counselor, high-school English teacher. There will be online group Higher test scores will help you sessions as well as 1on1 editing offline. stand out amongst your peers when applying to college and achieve success. Prep now to increase your college options and scholarship dollars. Call today!

5.4 POINT INCREASE

Personalized Attention. Proven Results.

COMMON APP

READING. WRITING. MATH. STUDY SKILLS. SUBJECT TUTORING

VS.

UC APP

Want to have a stress-free application season? Bootcamp students will get the applications done in August Take a look at our google reviews for testimonials of our high-quality services! If you're interested, enroll now at https://haddee.com!

HuntingtonHelps.com

©2021 Huntington Mark, LLC. Independently Owned and Operated. *Not valid with any other offers. **Grade level results are based on cumulative average grade level increases in reading and math for 17,445 students from 2010-2014 using the full set of available student data. ***Results are based on surveys of 3,289 Huntington students graduating in 2019, using their initial Huntington Academic Evaluation and final SAT/ACT test score. HLC4235.3

follow the Falconer to keep up on school news

@tphsfalconer @tphsfalconer @tphsfalconer

@TPHSPORTS @Falconertphs

MEMENTO TORREY The TPHS Fall Concert Bow drawn, the “devil” fiddler envisioned by Camille Saint-Saens in his song, “Danse Macabre,” prepares to strike. Although the undertaker for this melody of death, Caden Jiang’s (11) thirteen years of playing his violin goes beyond this one solo. The first dissonant notes Jiang plays sets the mood of the piece — a frantic and frenzied symphony of wrath. As the rest of the orchestra pizzicatos in, the notes become the rattling bones of the dancers. Next to Jiang, Velana Valdez (12) runs her hands across her harp, composing herself through her fluid movements. With players like Jiang and Valdez, along with other star standouts, Orchestra’s first performance was a strong one. Despite her calm demeanor, Valdez’s eight years of harp-playing has seen its fair share of stage fright mishaps. “Last year, it was really bad because before my first performance, my hands [were] kind of paralyzed 10 minutes before. So I was scrunching this napkin, and when I took it out, my hands couldn’t move,” Valdez said. “I’m pretty calm, but it’s my body that gets nervous.” The autumn journey began with “Pictures of Fall,” a warm, fluttery piece performed by the choir, followed by a song of the same aura with “Fly Away Home.” Tenor Chris King (12) finds solace in the rest of his group while performing. “Everyone gets stage fright to a certain extent, but the fact that you’re in a choir helps you alleviate a lot of that. I don’t really feel nervous because I’m just going with the flow and singing with people next to you … it’s a very shared experience,” King said. C h o i r ’ s performance

finished off with “This is Me,” featuring two belting, triumphant solos by Addi Romero (9) and Raisa Tuerxun (10). Wind Ensemble’s magical delivery of “The Seal Lullaby” highlighted everyone’s performance, from the swelling low voices of Sneha Lele (10) on the baritone, to the light twinkle of the bells played by Ethan Crawford (9). Debuting his piano performance for the Wind Ensemble, Joshua Yu (11) delivered sweet cadences to give the piece a Disneyworthy finish. The end of the night was topped off with a performance from TPHS’ famous jazz band. Vocals by Libby Bezdek (12) and Courtney Demos (12) soared throughout the auditorium. “One More” was a favorite of mine, with peppy beats, a perfect balance between flowy and structured, with dazzling solos by Victor De Oliveira (12), Jason Nguyen (12), Sri Ujjini (12) and Will Demos (12). As a senior, Nguyen reflects on his time in jazz band. “This year and towards the end of last year I turned [my amp] up a lot more. Mrs. Gelb helped me with my confidence playing and now it’s a lot more fun,” Nguyen said. “It’s hard sometimes, being a senior, knowing that you’ll leave and you won’t play with these people again. I think it’s more exciting than sad because I get to look forward to how much more we’ll grow as a band.” One of the most notable performances during the night was “Feeling Good,” which was dramatic, moody and painted jazz in a different light. Bezdek’s voice complimented the song with on-point movements and hauntingly low notes before the rest of the band swiftly joined in. Traveling from the “Pictures of Fall” to “On The Street Where You Live,” the many sounds of the TPHS Fall Concert swept audiences from one atmosphere to the next, truly painting all the reds, oranges, and browns of fall. by Michele Kim

EN AD FC

C TO PHO

O SY RTE U O

JIA

entertainment

35 1,0

0 0 s ub s

Lights, camera, action! The camera blinks a soft red glow, microphone positioned just right, headphones sitting comfortably on the head and computer kicking into action, emitting a low monotone hum. It’s just another day for Daniel Hong (11) and Nico Miguel (11), rising stars of the Minecraft YouTuber scene, filming yet another video for millions of their viewers. After immense success on their individual channels, the two have worked together to start the YouTube Production Club in 2021, a club dedicated to teaching others how to cultivate a YouTube channel of their own. Miguel, known as NotNico on YouTube, although just a junior, has five years of experience as a YouTuber. Starting in 2017, Nico began his YouTube career, accumulating 862,000 subscribers through his love for Minecraft over the years. “I always enjoyed watching Minecraft videos. And as a kid, I just liked playing the game,” Miguel said. “My dad introduced me to editing. So then from that I was like, ‘Okay, let’s make YouTube videos.’” Similarly, Hong shares a love for Minecraft as well. However, he first grew his online presence through a different medium — music. “...I was doing music, and one of my songs hit 10,000 streams on Spotify,” Hong said. Known as Koryin on Spotify, Hong currently has 14,000 monthly listeners. Surprisingly, Miguel and Hong’s partnership was formed out of pure coincidence. “In one of my classes, we did an All-About-Me Google Slides class assignment, and through pure luck, my teacher said to pick a random slide,” Hong said. “And by pure luck, I chose the slide which was after Nico’s. We were supposed to grade the slide after us, and while Nico was grading mine, he saw that I did music.” Intrigued by Hong’s background in music production, Miguel reached out to Hong via school email asking if he wanted to be friends. “I was like, ‘You know what, why not? Sure,’” Hong said. Hong’s half-hearted approach toward his friendship with Miguel quickly developed into a strong bond between the two, leading Hong to find out about Miguel’s YouTube career. “I found out that he was a YouTuber, and then he told me that I should try it. I didn’t really think much of it but I tried it and started liking it,” Hong (11) said. Contrary to popular belief, being a YouTuber is a labor-intensive job. When it comes to the world of entertainment, fresh content is in constant demand, not meeting that demand means the death of a channel. “Innovating and adapting is really important because YouTube is a volatile and inconsistent job,” Miguel said. “Some months are just not gonna be as good as others. But if you consistently adapt, then you’ll survive.” Expanding their horizons from focusing only on their channels, Miguel and Hong started their YouTube Production Club.

the falconer A17

FalconTubers FalconTubers FalconTubers

“We started the club mainly to find people that are interested in doing YouTube and want to create a successful channel…,” Miguel said. In addition, Hong and Miguel also created the club to break down inaccurate assumptions about YouTubers and inspire others to try content creation. “I always had the impression that YouTubers were born into it, [as in] you have to be a certain type of person to do YouTube,” Hong said. “But after seeing Nico and behind the scenes, it was like a slap in the face. I realized that anybody could do it, and I thought it’d be cool to inspire others to do the same.” Unlike most clubs, the YouTube Production Club doesn’t hold meetings. Instead, Miguel and Hong post their lessons on a Google Classroom as the knowledge required to edit videos is impossible to teach over weekly meetings. “There’s just so much information…that without a visual example it’s hard for us to [teach]. We’ll record 30 long minute videos and put it in the Google Classroom,” Hong said. Regardless of who you are, Hong and Miguel believe that everyone should try becoming a YouTuber. “It’s a great way to express your creativity … and it’s always fun doing something new and different,” Hong said. Furthermore, YouTube has the potential to open up various career opportunities. “YouTubers can do anything. They do boxing; they open up restaurants,” Hong said. YouTube also teaches lasting lessons important to becoming successful in any business.

Your first 1,000 videos might be terrible, but after those first 1,000 videos, you’re going to look back, and your video is going to be slightly better and that’s when it hits you, and that’s when you improve. Daniel Hong (11) STUDENT

“You learn so much. You learn how to do video editing, learn how to hire people. There’s also a bit of psychology involved because you learn marketing,” Miguel said. Aside from technical skills, YouTube can also teach one to have a good mindset. “You have to always strive for something above you, and you have to let your emotions drive you to try to become the best YouTuber, but you can’t let emotions impact your business mindset when doing deals and when talking to the media,” Hong (11) said. Financially, YouTube can prove to be a lucrative source of income. “You’re not earning $10 a day one year and then $20 the next, it’s more like you’re earning $5 today, and then the next day, it becomes $1,000 a day, and the next day grows to $10,000 a day,”said Miguel(11). Regardless of the hurdles of becoming a successful YouTuber, the most important step towards becoming one, like most things, is the first step. by Martin Lee

c i o n t o

su bs

kor

tphsfalconer.com

0 0 0 858,

entertainment

A18 the falconer

OCT. 21

ALBUM

REVIEWS “Don’t g e t emotional, that ain’t

and again, resulting in mainstream success for nearly 20 years. The new album follows “Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino,” the band’s 2018 venture into a slower sound. The Arctic Monkeys delve further into the use of new instruments in this album, making “The Car” a more daring, developed version of its predecessor. The album opens with “There’d Better Be A

words Alex Turner, lead singer of the of their new album, “The Car.” Yet it is hard not to get emotional, especially when this album, after a four-year wait, is such a radiant success. Saturated with weeping strings and fervent lyricism, “The Car’s” 10 tracks are uncharacteristically tranquil for the Arctic Monkeys — a far cry from their garage rock beginnings. However, these retro, space-lounge tunes demonstrate the band’s most vital characteristic: their ability to adapt and reinvent their sound again

post-punk r

al v i ev

psychedelic

tive na

alte r

‘The Car’s’ 10 tracks are uncharacteristically tranquil for the Arctic Monkeys — a far cry from their garage rock beginnings. Mirrorball,” arguably the crowning achievement of the tracklist. With its stabbing piano notes and jazz-inspired percussion, the song is the epitome of longing. Alex Turner’s somber voice draws you in, and as the violins swell, you melt into the song. It feels like sunlight in the late afternoon, like conversation pits and the deep orange hues of the ‘70s. It’s classy; it’s lavish; it’s melancholic. It is the perfect way to start the album. At a few points throughout the tracklist, listeners can detect subtle hints of the Arctic Monkeys’ original alternative-rock sound. “I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am,” the second track, is a return to those swanky guitar r i f f s t h a t Arctic Monkeys fans know and love. Even more noticeable is the heavy instrumentation of “Sculptures Of Anything Goes.” The synthesized drums on this track are reminiscent of “Do I Wanna Know?” an iconic song from “AM,” arguably the Arctic Monkeys’ most wellk n o w n

ARCT IC MONKEY S

november 3, 2022

album. “Sculptures Of Anything Goes” is eerie, a more mature version of the band’s earlier music with a space-synth twist. discernible example of lounge pop on the album. The strings, ballooning into each pause of the lyrics, are very apparent in the song, with the band fading in and out to create an instrumental effect that surprisingly does not clash. The band further explores new sounds in tracks like “Mr. Schwartz” and “The Car.” The percussion is subtle and repetitive, light-years away from the drum-based tracks of old. According to drummer Matt Helders, this new style is actually much harder to play. “The rock guy is easier,” Helders said in an interview with Radio X. “To the naked eye it probably appears less technical, but in actual fact, it is more of a challenge to do what was going on on this record.” From lyrical genius to technically advanced drumming, the careful consideration put into every aspect of this album truly demonstrates the maturity and growth of the band. This is the very thing that makes “The Car” stand out in a career already so colored with successful music. Fans of the Arctic Monkeys’ previous work may but it is the incredible maturity and development brilliance. However, this dramatic shift in sound is nothing new to the Arctic Monkeys. The band’s seven albums have no discernible pattern in theme, and that is how fans like it. The band debuted with which, at the time, was the fastest-selling debut album in British music history. Hot on the postfrom bands like The Strokes and The Kinks, the Arctic Monkeys were a smashing success in the chock full of electric energy.

From the once-brash percussion, even to Turner’s iconic Yorkshire accent, the album feels more polished, while the lyrics expose new emotional depths. “Humbug” was the band’s third album. With trudging guitar riffs and a darker, dustier energy, the album was an even more dramatic shift for the Josh Homme, founder of The Queens of the Stone Age, the band took a leap that would land them at It has long been disputed what exactly makes the Arctic Monkeys so good. Incredibly, they have previous six studio albums and retained pop culture relevance for nearly two decades. While this success has been attributed to their exhilarating stage presence or rapid growth due to the digital age, these factors cannot take all the credit. The Arctic Monkeys’ discography has a tumultuous history, including twists and turns through different genres, while retaining that same trademark swagger.

of their sound is truly what makes the Arctic Monkeys, the Arctic Monkeys. by Kathryn Reese

entertainment

tphsfalconer.com

In the wee hours of Oct. 21, pop sensation Taylor Swift

This innate ability to reinvent herself has allowed Swift to appeal to her wide range of listeners. To some listeners, Swift’s songwriting in this midnight drop may sound like a rehashed “1989” — her 2014 work that earned her a Grammy for Album of the Year. However, this album, which broke the Spotify record for most streams in one

what teenage pop could be. Swift further experimented, rapping on “Reputation,” a passion-fueled study of atonement, and trying bubbly pop-rock on “Lover.” She made yet another shift with her mid-pandemic releases “Folklore” and “Evermore,” two stripped acoustic albums that are true wonders of storytelling. This innate ability to reinvent herself, from her tracks, has made Swift appealing to a wide range of listeners. more clear than in her latest album. Illustrated in the stories of 13 nights, Swift weaves her career into one eclectic work in “Midnights.” Unlike previous albums in which the musical style of each track was uniform to the a bit amorphous. However, this diverse sound is what makes the album brilliant, as Swift conveys to listeners that she is not chasing a trend, but expressing her authentic voice. Swift begins “Midnights” with the peppy “Lavender Haze.” While this song embodies Swift’s catchy pop tunes of the early 2010s, it also introduces the breathy vocals and layered synthesizers that she experiments with throughout the album. While I am partial to Swift’s more acoustic sounds, I still appreciate her versatility, especially in “Midnight Rain,” which she opens with a

c ou

album, “Mastermind” and “You’re On Your Own, Kid” truly display Swift’s talent. perceived by the media throughout her career, Swift explores her calculated nature in “Mastermind,” likening her relationships to a chess match. To anyone consumed by perfectionism, this track marks an opportunity for selfanalysis. With a quivering voice and crescendoing chorus, “You’re On Your Own, Kid” embodies the album’s message of midnights spent in woe. While her writing sometimes falls into cliches on “Midnights,” this song, which explores innocence and resilience, marks some of the most poignant lyrics of the collection. Swift is known for her secrets, and “Midnights” upheld that reputation. Three hours after its release, she dropped seven more songs: “3am Tracks.”

TAY LOR SWIF T

Swift is known for her secrets, and ‘Midnights’ upheld that reputation. short of the original 13, two tracks of this surprise drop stand equal to the highlights of “Midnights.” “The Great War,” an acoustic track reminiscent of her 2014 song “Clean,” marks some of the best lyricism of this collection, perfectly conveyed through ringing vocals. In an unexpected throwback to her country roots, Swift’s deep voice — with a hint of southern twang — in “Would’ve, Could’ve,

indi

e lk fo

16-year veteran of the music industry, a moment in which her evolution is on full display. From early on, Swift’s music has been revolutionary, beginning at 16 years old with her self-titled album, a spunky country work of teenage angst and love. At 22 years old, her transition from country to pop stardom brought fans lyrical masterpieces like the country-pop “Red” and pure

voice that reverberates between a rich, deep timbre and a trilling high tone. While all the tracks on “Midnights” exhibit Taylor’s evolution — from “Vigilante S**t,” a sultry anthem that parallels “Reputation,” to “Maroon,” an alluring return to her distinguished red motif — two songs stand out as impeccably embodying Swift’s redirection as an artist. Retaining the peppy beats

tr y

While fans had grown accustomed to more acoustic sounds from Swift with her recent sister indie-folk albums “Folklore” and “Evermore” and re-recorded country albums “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” and “Red (Taylor’s Version),” Swift returned to upbeat pop with her tenth studio album “Midnights,” a 13-track collection of midnight musings from throughout her life.

the falconer A19

Should’ve” captivates listeners and marks the pinnacle of her maturity, as Swift explores stolen innocence with expertlyplaced religious motifs. While it is easy for a listener to fall into the trap of guessing at the circumstances of each midnight musing, this album is best consumed as a revelation to be interpreted personally. In a seemingly-purposeful move, Swift, who is often thrust into the web of who’s-who in Hollywood, challenges her listeners to empathize with her vulnerability instead of delving into her past at the surface-level. As the vocals of “The Great War” ring and the melancholy in “Mastermind” echoes, Swift provides her listeners with an allconsuming album and a chance for selfawaiting her next reinvention. by Anna Opalsky

On Oct. 21, the Arctic Monkeys and Taylor Swift released their new albums, “The Car” and “Midnights,” respectively. The Falconer explores the sound evolution of these two musical giants and how this evolution has allowed them to stay popular for nearly twenty years.

ASB plays a role in TPHS/LCC B each B owl PHOTO BY ANNA OPALSKY/FALCONER PHOTO BY ANNA OPALSKY Sophia Gorba and Cass Love

STAFF WRITERS

Shouts erupt from the crowd, music blares from the speakers, and down on the track ASB starts a cheer: “This is our house! This is our house!” Though everything seems stress-free, behind the scenes, football games require a substantial amount of work, particularly for the game against TPHS’ fiercest rival, La Costa Canyon High School. Leading up to the big game, ASB spawns excitement by creating posters. This year, over 30 were made. Next, ASB chooses its spirit squad, a team of members down on the track during the game who will hype up the crowd. Eva Lefferdink (12), ASB Spirit Commissioner, plays an important role in bringing the crowd together. “People look to me because I know a lot of people, especially the seniors in the front row … I just try to get really loud and get the spirit squad to come together,” Lefferdink said. ASB is often the first to arrive and the last to leave at football games for setup and cleanup. “We normally start setting up right after school… We [set up the] tunnel, get the sound system working, stuff like that, super early in the day,” ASB president Grace Flanagan (12) said. The spirit squad shows up to the track about 30 minutes before the game to kick things off. “Down on the track it’s so much fun but it’s definitely a little stressful. We have to make sure we’re not in the cheer team’s way, and we want to keep the crowd entertained but also keep them watching the game,” Lefferdink said. While ASB wants the crowd to be energetic and engaged, they also do not

want things to get out of hand. Lefferdink’s expectations for the game are high: she wants “people to be respectful and listen to the spirit squad.” Lefferdink is not the only one with expectations. “We’ve been having meetings with Mr. Coppo and admin and we’ve been going through rules and boundaries to have during the game for the student section,” ASB Vice President Dyl Friedland (12) said. This is especially important considering how quickly recent football games have gotten out of hand. At halftime at the LCC game, “Survivor” was played — an annual tradition where two seniors from each school race each other through an obstacle course set up by ASB. Lefferdink organized the first tryout on Oct. 25 at lunch, which narrowed the potential competitors down to four people who then competed at the pep rally on Oct. 27 for the final two spots. The winners from the pep rally, Ellie Davidson and Ben Trask, then took on LCC’s top two survivors at the game. TPHS took the win in “Survivor.” “We have to plan the pep rally, we have to get the students to go through all the tryouts … I have to make the course, I have to communicate with [the] LCC [spirit commissioner],” Lefferdink said. At both the pep rally and the halftime show, ASB representatives supervise each of the obstacles. “Normally the class before we would have a run-through where everyone would set up their object ahead of time and know exactly where on the field it should be,” Flanagan said. “Then we do a little practice just to see what the timing’s like.” Crowd energy during

HYPING THE CROWD: ASB students unleash smoke into the air to excite the crowd. TPHS lost the game 32 to 7.

FALCON FAVORITE S: FOOTBALL THEME

PHOTO BY ANNA OPALSKY/FALCONER

an LCC game is unlike at any other football game, according to Lefferdink. “Everyone is so excited and riled up … because LCC is our biggest rival. This is the most exciting game,” Lefferdink said. On the field, football players who are also on ASB play an important role. “I talk to the ASB during the game to say ‘Cheer for us when this happens’ and ‘Don’t cheer for us when this happens,’” Friedland, who

plays football, said. ASB teacher Jennifer Ryan emphasized that “football games are a joint effort with a lot of groups on campus” including football, dance, cheer and ASB. The rivalry game and its special halftime draw students in; some even go out of their way to attend. “I have friends who were like ‘I wouldn’t get work off for other games but I got work off to come to this one,’” Lefferdink said.

SURVIVOR: Eva Lefferdink explains the rules of the Survivor game between TPHS and LCC. The TPHS team was victorious.

Grace Flanagan (12): Cardinal Out

Dyl Friedland (12): Gameday Black

Eva Lefferdink (12): USA PHOTO BY ANNA OPALSKY/FALCONER

tphsfalconer.com

sports

the falconer A21

DAY IN THE LIFE When the bell rings to signal the end of the school day, members of the TPHS Hip-Hop Dance Team flood through the glass doors of the dance studio, anticipating the next three hours of hard work as they refine their performance for the football game later in the night. Each dancer bubbles with spirit as they greet each other with vibrantly colored socks, bows, necklaces and painted cheeks. Pre-game rehearsal begins with a team-wide meeting, led by hip-hop coaches Kaylar Preite and Francis Florendo, both of whom review the agenda for the day and relax the girls with their quick-witted jokes. Afterward, team captains lead a thorough warm-up routine to get the dancers loosened up and ready to perform. The TPHS dance team made their debut on Aug. 19 during the Falcons’ first home football game against Ayala High School. Since then, they have performed before hundreds of electrified students, spreading TPHS spirit to numerous home crowds. Even after the end of football season, the team will continue choreographing, training and polishing to compete in both regional and national competitions. That is not to mention the numerous school performances and shows the team takes part in. “School concerts help the dancers prepare for competition,” Sarah Kaye, director of the TPHS Dance Company said. “I’m excited for the Arts Festival this year [in April] and the student choreography showcase in May. I love guiding my students in the creative process and watching them make their own work.” But no matter the years of experience or the familiarity with the routine, pre-game jitters are still ever-present for the dancers. These jitters, however, are soothed by the team’s ‘practice-makes-perfect’ ideology. “We usually try to get all of our nerves out before we go on, so we rehearse the dance a bunch of times after warm-ups, over and over,” Orli Gollan-Meyers (12), a varsity team captain said. “Sometimes we go in a circle and listen to the music and just kind of do it in our heads too.” This method helps the team mentally rehearse and get into a more focused frame of mind. “Sometimes you’ll hear teachers use the term ‘growth mindset’ and that’s something we believe in too,” Camille Kraft (11), a JV team captain said. “I think that’s part of the reason why I love it so much: you can always improve and there’s no definition of a perfect dancer.” The athletes walk through the dance, marking and cleaning

it, terms describing the practice of slowing down individual dance movements to “clean up” any non-synchronous motions. “It gets really nit-picky,” Florendo said. “We detail how to do the movement, what the accents are, what your angles are supposed to be. We just want to make sure everyone looks synchronized.” After the marking process, they run through the dance “fullout,” their faces taut with passion as they dance with enough power to shake the Earth beneath them. In the last few moments before gracing the stadium floor with their spirited and synchronic presence, dancers fight off nerves in a number of ways. With the lights turned off and Pitbull blaring through the speakers, many dancers jump up and down with their friends while singing out loud. Others create TikToks with their coaches (@torreypinesdanceteam), a number of which have received hundreds of thousands of views on the platform. Some even improv to the music, from break dances to pirouettes, while the entire team cheers them on. “There’s no sad energy,” Kraft said. “We all love each other and we’re a really nice family.” Even Preite, who has been a team coach for the past five years, feels the familial connection that each dancer has with one another. “We want everyone to be able to feel like they belong here, no matter what their family situation is at home and their class situations with their teachers,” Preite said. “[When things start getting too stressful], I always just remind them of the reason they came to Torrey Pines and the reason they auditioned for dance team: they all love dance.” With group selfies taken and hair ribbons tightened, the team is off to the stadium. There, the crowds whoop and applaud as the team huddles together, chanting their lucky phrase “TP Do Work!” “[Our team goal] doesn’t necessarily mean winning first place in a competition, but it could be just putting our best foot forward and feeling good with what we perform,” Kraft said. Muffled by the sound of the audience, the tired breaths of the dancers follow them off the field and back to the studio. But to the audience, the dance team appears invincible. In a flood of synchronized movement, the dance team bridges the artistic and athletic worlds of TPHS. With the stadium lights on their faces andhundreds of hours of dedicated practice behind every move, this is a day in the life of the TPHS dance team. by Caroline Hunt and Liv Weaver

Dance Team PHOTO BY LOLA NEWLANDER/FALCONER

A22 the falconer

sports

november 3, 2022

Verbal and sexual abuse rampant in women’s soccer Kathryn Reese

FEATURE EDITOR

“Now I don’t want to be alone with any coach, especially those that are male.” These are the decisive words of Sofia Balistrieri (11), a former competitive soccer player who left her club, Encinitas Express, due to the misconduct of her former soccer coach. Balistrieri, who had played on this coach’s team for three years and took private lessons from him for six months, said that she and her teammates noticed “suspicious” behavior during practices and private lessons. “There were things that I would think I would notice, but at the time I ignored [them],” she said. “I would be doing stretches… and I’d look up and I was very uncomfortable with where his hand was located.” Balistrieri is one of many female soccer players who have shared their stories in light of a recent investigation into the abuse of women’s soccer players in the National Women’s Soccer League. The report, commissioned by U.S. Soccer, was released on Oct. 3. It detailed the verbally, sexually and emotionally abusive behavior of women’s soccer coaches, as well as administrators’ failure to act on reports from players. The investigation also found that such misconduct was not isolated to the teams highlighted in

the investigation; rather, abuse was discovered to be systemic in women’s soccer. According to the report, “some of the misconduct dates to the predecessor leagues and some to youth soccer. The roots of the abuse in women’s soccer run deep and will not be eliminated through reform in the NWSL alone.” When Balistrieri saw the reports in the news, she “wasn’t really surprised.” “It seemed very on brand with this environment, especially as a woman you feel like you’re doing everything to be equal to a man in the power position that gender roles play in sports,” Balistrieri said. “Overwhelmingly, it was something that I was waiting to come out.” According to Balistrieri, she left Encinitas Express because of how uncomfortable she felt and how the situation was handled. “I didn’t feel any obligations to the club after I left,” she said. “The fact that it wasn’t handled immediately was appalling to me.” Much like Balistrieri, other players have left their soccer teams due to their coaches’ behavior. An anonymous former soccer player left the TPHS Women’s Varsity team because of the head coach’s “unconstructive” verbal behavior. “He started getting super aggressive, like yelling at us when we were on the field,” the player said.

Due to the anxiety caused by this coaching, she stopped playing soccer altogether. “It was difficult, especially because soccer had been my life since I was a kid,” she said. “I never felt like I regained the confidence that I once had on the field because of the way he yelled at me. ” According to head coach Martyn Hasford, he thinks his coaching method is constructive. “Everyone is entitled to their opinion and not everyone is equipped to deal with the demands of our program,” Hasford said. At TPHS, there are complex procedures for addressing reports from players. According to Principal Rob Coppo, TPHS’s goal is to focus on improving a coach when an incident is reported. “Typically, I have found it more productive to make a coach better than to try to find another coach everytime there’s a complaint,” Coppo said. For players who might have experienced problematic behavior from their coach, TPHS Athletic Director Charlenne Falcis-Stevens urges kids to say something to a trusted adult. “Bring it to our attention. Our responsibility is to provide a safe environment,” Falcis-Stevens said. “We’re in the world of educational athletics, which includes teaching our

athletes about how to handle situations and… make sure that they’re in a safe place.” As the world of soccer changes in light of the report, players hope transparency and disclosure are a norm to stop the abuse of future players. As an anonymous player put it, “I don’t want other girls to lose their love for soccer like I did.”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KATHRYN REESE/FALCONER

TPHS students find their zen through yoga Adriana Hazlett

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Leg up and hands together. Center energy. Forward fold then bend over and sway. Relax. Touch the ground and walk out to downward dog. Threelegged dog. Breathe. That is how Chloe Tahmasebi (11) starts her day, doing her yoga routine for 15 minutes in her living room, as she has done almost every morning for the past few months. Tahmasebi is one of the many people around the world who practice yoga, an ancient activity with origins that can be traced back to over 5,000 years ago, according to Google Arts & Culture. Yoga has roots in religion and as a spiritual practice, but today, people have a variety of uses for it. Marissa Gaut (12) practices yoga in part for its physical benefits, using it as a way to stretch after her cross country and track practice. “Physically, [yoga is] really good at helping loosen up my muscles, and there’s a lot of stability and strength that goes into it — nothing too intense but a lot of good core stability and balance, and all of that helps my sport,” Gaut said. Sarah Vita, a yoga instructor at Sol Counseling and Wellness Studio, agrees that yoga is physically beneficial. “It can increase flexibility. It can release tension, and it can protect you from future injury,” Vita said. “It can improve your overall respiratory system and energy and also overall strength and toning of the body.” Tahmasebi also noted the physical

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ANNA OPALSKY/FALCONER

value of yoga with its ability to “activate every single point in your body and just make it one harmonious thing.” Though Tahmasebi began practicing yoga everyday during the summer, she has been familiar with its virtues for almost her whole life. “My mom has always done yoga, so I feel like I’ve been doing yoga and knowing the different positions for my whole life,” she said. Over the course of Tahmasebi’s lasting experience with yoga, another benefit she noticed is the mental calmness and relaxation she feels after doing it. “I actually have found that on days that I do yoga for long times in the morning, my day always goes by a lot smoother,” she said. “I feel like it’s a time for yourself to be able to really connect with your anxiety and really connect with everything that you’re feeling in your body … Not only does my body feel better, but I feel like I have a lower stress level throughout the day.”

Many people find this to be true, as yoga is commonly used not only to help with physical wellbeing but with mental wellbeing as well. “Yoga is just really relaxing,” Gaut said. “It helps ground me, especially since I do it in the evenings after a long day of school and practice, and it’s just a really good way to forget about some stresses and unwind and prepare for the next day.” Vita claims that in her experience, no other exercise has the ability to soothe her the way that yoga does. “I always come back to yoga …” she said. “I personally have not found anything that has the same euphoric effects that yoga does. I mean, when you’re exercising a lot … it’s so much stimulation. With yoga, it’s more about calming things down and re-centering yourself.” In an effort to spread her passion for yoga to others, Tahmasebi started Yoga Club at TPHS. “My club hones into the idea that

anyone can do yoga and that it’s very versatile,” Tahmasebi said. “To practice yoga doesn’t mean you have to be super flexible, and it doesn’t mean you have to do things that are impossible to do. My club is [meant] to allow people to connect with their bodies on a more profound level, and through yoga, they’re able to do that.” Vita similarly thinks that yoga is a practice everyone, no matter how experienced or adept, can do. “People have this idea of like, ‘Oh, you need to get into those crazy shapes to be able to do yoga.’ But that’s not what it’s about. There’s something for everybody,” Vita said. Due to the universal nature of yoga, both Tahmasebi and Vita think that everyone should practice it. “I think if everyone in the world did yoga, we would live in a more peaceful, loving place,” Vita said. “Though I think it’s also important to remember that doing yoga doesn’t instantly make you a better person or make you happier … it helps you tap into those things, and then it’s up to you to make those more positive choices and just be a kinder human to yourself. When you’re kind to yourself, that reflects in the way that you treat other people.” Yoga is a practice that, according to Tahmasebi, “holds so much power because there’s just something very, very timeless about it.” Whether it is to keep active, release stress or enrich spirituality, people have reaped the benefits of yoga for centuries and should feel inspired to do so for centuries to come.

sports

tphsfalconer.com

f/stop Marissa Gaut

cross country october 24, 3:35:45 pm camera: canon EOS 5D lens: canon EF 24-105 mm iso: 100 exp: 1/200 f/stop: f/10

photo by Jerry Wu

the falconer

A23

A24 the falconer

backpage

november 3, 2022

Falconer Takes on Scream Zone The Passage The First stop on our haunted journey was a long, dark maze with creatures popping out LEFT AND RIGHT. While this is only one of three attractions, it is overwhelmingly confusing, as staff writer martin lee insisted on taking the lead, and the group circled continuously.

Hell-Billy Hootenanny As the second, as well as Scariest stop approached, assistant editor-in-chief, Jerry wu, proudly took the lead in the beginning. once the maniac holding the chainsaw swung in his direction, he promptly ran to the back of the line.

Haunted Hayride The third and Final stop of this gutwrenching adventure left a horrifying impact on staff writer makaylah gerling, as she took refuge with staff writer lexi lamb, who seemed oddly content with all three scream worthy aTtractions.